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By C. M. Diaz, S. W. Marcuson

In the late 19th century, the discovery of rich nickel-copper sulfide ore bodies in Sudbury and the need for tonnage quantities of the metal to be used in nickel steel armor provided the foundation for establishing the Canadian nickel industry. For almost 50 years, International Nickel was the key player. In 1930, Falconbridge Nickel entered the field. These two companies remain the key Canadian nickel producers. This paper discusses the factors that have influenced the evolution of nickel smelting processes. The initial Sudbury ore smelting and nickel copper separation technologies were imported from abroad. It was only in 1937 that International Nickel established a process research laboratory in Copper Cliff The explosive post WW II industrial development created a strong demand for a broader variety of nickel products. For both International Nickel and Falconbridge, R&D became an essential business tool to succeed in the new market scenery. In the last few decades, new technologies were developed and commercialized to respond to the raising cost of energy, society pressing environmental concerns, the advent of nickel laterites as an important source of new metal, the incorporation of new nickel producers to the market, and, therefore, the need to increase productivity. Canada thus became an important exporter of technology. In this paper, the authors review this history with the objective of highlighting the forces that have triggered the most important changes in Canadian nickel smelting.

Jan 1, 2005

"Decreasing gold-in-ore grades is one of the main drivers of poorer productivity and rapidly escalating unit costs. Grinding costs, water use and reagent consumption are all intimately related to the ore grade processed. Various pre-concentration technologies have been developed that can be applied at various stages of crushing prior to ore grinding. This paper will review the amenability of ores to coarse particle barren gangue rejection for fine crush sizes in the pumpable particle size range (i.e., particles between 5 mm and 0.3 mm in size). The liberation of oxide gangue achieved during crushing is evaluated by proxy using sink-float analysis and the deportments of gold, sulfur, and arsenic into sinks and floats are monitored. Amenability of gangue rejection by continuous gravity separation is evaluated after various crushing modes (vertical shaft impact crushing, cone crushing, and HPGR crushing). The potential to identify coarse particle mineral association and liberation using three-dimensional x-ray computed tomography will be discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe aim of research in this area is to explore some of the attributes which make some ores amenable to preconcentration, or rejection of a significant component of the feed mass to tailings at a coarse liberation size. Characteristics such as ore type, mineralogy, breakage pattern, particle shape, and liberation characteristics may need to be examined to identify amenability to pre-concentration amenability.It is intended to focus on continuous gangue rejection in the pumpable size range (0.3–5.0 mm) as this remains one of the key opportunities to reduce processing costs through a combination of techniques including screening (for mineral differentiation rather than size classification only) and gravity separation (using jigs). This is to be contrasted to conventional preconcentration as performed with automatic ore sorters."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. Fahr, T. Byczkowski, M. Genest, C. Mandache

"Layered aluminum structures assembled with rivets are often found in aircraft fuselage. These structures are exposed to various mechanical loads and a range of environmental conditions that contribute to their ""aging"". The rivet holes are the source of stress concentrations and the location of crack nucleation and growth. Detection and sizing of second and third layer cracks under fasteners represent a major challenge for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technicians. Electromagnetic methods are currently the most feasible NDE techniques that are capable of successfully inspecting such structures. However, different probe lift-offs, due to protruding rivets and paint coatings, or interlayer separations, due to sealant or air gaps, pose difficulties in detecting and sizing cracks. In addition, the use of conventional eddy current technique is limited due to the inverse relationship between the probe spatial resolution and its field penetrability. In this paper, we present an alternative approach that overcomes the previously mentioned shortcomings by using pulsed eddy current excitation and magnetoresistive sensor pick-up. Various signal manipulations are employed for defect detection and quantification."

Jan 1, 2006

By V. Vakiloroaya

The paper aims at developing a hybrid solar-assisted air conditioner system for performance enhancement and energy efficiency improvement. To increase sub-cooling of the refrigerant at partial loads, we propose a new discharge bypass line together with an inline solenoid valve, installed after the compressor to regulate the mass flow rate of the refrigerant vapour passing through a hot water storage tank. For control design, a lumped parameter model is first developed to describe the dynamics of the system in an explicit form of input-output relationship. The system has been fully-instrumented to examine its performance under different operation conditions. The system model is then validated by extensive experimental tests. The predictions from the models exhibit a good coincidence with experimental results, judging by an RMS error less than 15%. Based on the obtained dynamic model, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is applied to optimize a cost function of the output errors and control efforts. The key challenge is to regulate the refrigerant temperature entering the condenser by controlling the valve opening. The design approach is then tested in a transient simulation tool to predict the system performance in transient conditions. The experimental results obtained from implementation with PLC demonstrate that the proposed system delivers higher system efficiency owing to the higher refrigeration effect in the direct expansion evaporator. Thus, the novel development is promising for improvement of energy efficiency, enhancement of the system performance while fulfilling the cooling demand. Consequently, between 25 and 43% of monthly electricity can be saved on average.

Aug 1, 2013

By G. E. Wittur

"The twenty-one members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, comprising eighteen western European nations plus Canada, the United States and Japan. account for two-thirds of world steel production. The Special Committee for Iron and Steel was formed by the OECD to study trends and problems in the steel industries of member countries. The paper begins with a summary on the Organization, including an historical sketch, its structure, member-ship and objectives. The steel industry of the entire OECD is briefly described before proceeding to a more detailed discussion of various aspects of the steel industries of European OECD members, emphasizing practices and conditions that differ from those in North America. Benefits to Canada of representation at meetings of the OECD Special Committee for Iron and Steel are described."

Jan 1, 1967

By John Keay, Douglas R. Shaw, Gregory J. Olson

"The results are presented herein of on-going laboratory investigations of heap bacterial oxidation as a pretreatment method for the recovery of sulfide-encapsulated gold from ore samples of the Rhodes Mining Lahoca deposit, located in northern Hungary. The ore contains just over 2 g Ault and as much as 6% sulfide, mostly as pyrite. Laboratory aerated column tests conducted at Colorado Minerals Research Institute (CMRI) showed that mild to moderate biooxidation of the finely crushed ore occurred rapidly in approximately three months, with cyanide gold recoveries of up to approximately 60%. The results contrast cyanide gold recoveries of less than 30% from non-pretreated ore. Mineralogical examination of biooxidized residues indicated that the mechanism of biooxidation of crushed ore was related to microorganisms following pathways along structural anomalies in the pyrite grains. Such selective biooxidation is an important result to minimize the biooxidation and aeration time and effluent neutralization costs in a commercial operation.IntroductionThis paper describes the development of a heap biooxidation process for the Lahoca gold project The Lahoca deposit is situated in northern Hungary, at the site of a former copper mining area. Lahoca is a large tonnage, relatively shallow, deposit amenable to open-pit mining Lahoca has the potential to produce I 00,000 ounces of gold annually for at least ten years at its minimum reserve base.The laboratory test work conducted initially by Rhodes Mining NL demonstrated that the Lahoca refractory ore is amenable to whole ore and concentrate oxidative pretreatment and cyanidation. Capital and operating costs, however, for such milled ore treatments were considered relatively high. Rhodes Mining subsequently evaluated heap leaching methods, particularly heap biooxidation pretreatment, as a process route that promised superior economics suitable for exploiting lower gold grade refractory ores.This paper focuses on the laboratory column (simulated-heap) biooxidation test work, particularly the proposed mechanism of selective microbial oxidation, wherein only a small amount of the sulfides are oxidized sufficient to allow commercially acceptable gold recoveries by conventional cyanide heap leaching. Selective or minimal biooxidation of sulfides is considered important to minimize biooxidation time and aeration requirements, as well as acid effluent neutralization costs."

Jan 1, 1998

By J. Koponen, M. van de Vijfeijken, L. Bos

"The availability and reliability of large grinding mills and their Gearless Mill Drives (GMDs) are of paramount importance for the grinding process. Although GMDs have been in service for decades, and are known for their operational efficiency (reliability and robustness with reduced operating cost per ton), compared to conventional drives, in the last decade due to certain reasons some failures led to serious unscheduled shutdowns and significant insurance events.The majority of these notable ""insured"" failures have happened on GMDs installed on relatively large mills, as the financial impact of a failure is proportional to the through-put of the mill. Despite the occurrences of these events, as mining operations are driven by lower ore grades and the ability to continue reducing operating costs per ton, the trend for having larger mills is still very present and there is no reason why this trend should not continue.It is obvious that if not handled correctly, the possibility of large value GMD loss events, coupled with the continuing increase in mill size or required availability and reliability targets, could potentially lead to major conflicts as it becomes difficult for the insurance companies to judge the risk and hence may result in hesitation to insure these grinding circuits. This paper will not only describe the conflicting situation from both an insurer's perspective and from an equipment supplier's perspective, but also how these conflicting challenges can be successfully mastered. It has to be noted that not only the mining companies themselves, but also their insurance companies and the involved equipment suppliers have a common interest: to reach the highest availability and reliability in order to avoid or at least minimize unscheduled shut down times, and most importantly prevent unplanned events that result in extended production stoppages or reductions in through-put of GMD driven mills.From the very beginning onwards, the complete service concept together with emergency plans must be integrated on every level in the design of the grinding circuit. This approach must be implemented continuously and without compromises by all involved parties during all following stages, such as basic design, detail design, manufacturing, quality inspection and testing, packing, transportation, storage, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance. The concept of formal risk analysis related to mill operations, maintenance and spare parts strategies must be an integral part of mining companies’ decisions related to the selection for installation and continued use of large mills powered by GMDs. The service concept in place for operating mills shall also have a clear focus on very early detection of any abnormalities, so that the risk can be mitigated and unscheduled shutdown times avoided. However, if a major failure occurs, then procedures and tools shall already be available in order to ensure that production impact is minimized."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jeremy D. Glennon

A number of exciting challenges, opportunities and unanswered questions remain concerning the chemistry, geochemistry, medical, industrial and analytical applications of gold and its compounds.1 Among the challenges presented is the need for extraction methods for gold, at process and indeed analytical scales, that avoid the use of organic solvents or hazardous reagents. Extensive environmental contamination has occurred in the Brazilian Amazon from the mercury-gold amalgamation process. Major problems with the cyanidation process are the relatively slow dissolution kinetics and the health and environmental problems associated with it. With innovation and technical changes, a cleaner way for solubilising and extracting this versatile precious metal can be found. This cleaner future may lie in supercritical fluid science. Interestingly, geochemical studies of gold solubility and speciation in hydrothermal solutions have highlighted the importance of supercritical conditions and sulphur species in the deposition of gold in natural environments. Gold solubility in supercritical brines is far higher than previously supposed while interest in the high content of carbon dioxide in the mineralizing fluids is growing. 2,3 In recent years, also, there has been a tremendous amount of attention paid in analytical chemistry and in industry, to the area of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of organic and metallic species. 4 This interest has been fuelled by the introduction of more stringent environmental control and the subsequent need for cleaner solvents and processes to replace established ones. Carbon dioxide is the substance of choice for SFE because of its moderate critical parameters (Tc = 31oC, Pc = 73atm), inertness and availability in pure form. It is an excellent extraction medium for non-polar and moderately polar species, and with careful ligand design, it can be used for analytical and process scale metal extraction from solution and solid phases. In general, the dissolution of a metal in supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2) requires that the charge on the metal ion be neutralised on complexation by the ligand or through a form of ion pairing (analogous to the situation where metal ions are extracted into organic solvents, such as methyl isobutyl ketone or toluene). In this way, then, many chelating agents such as dithiocarbamates and hydroxamic acids have been utilised to extract metal ions such as Cu and Fe into sc- CO2, the process greatly enhanced by the use of fluorinated ligand derivatives. 5-7 In this review paper, we show that supercritical conditions and complexation with sulphur donor atoms, important in the natural deposition of gold, can form the basis of a clean, eco-friendly chemistry for gold extraction. Analytical scale extractions of gold from a variety of matrices can be conveniently used to assess the efficiency of any new proposed ligand.

Oct 1, 2003

"The QEMSCAN system is the third generation of automated mineral analysis systems that began with the QEM*SEM at CSIRO 30 years ago (Butcher et al. 2000). It is now a successful commercial instrument with 39 instruments in operation around the world. Back Scattered Electrons (BSE) and Energy Dispersive (EDS) X-Ray spectra are used to create digital mineral images with mineral identification occurring online. Low-count EDS spectra are used preferentially to BSE brightness, allowing minerals to be accurately identified by chemical composition. Individual minerals or groups of similar compositions are identified by comparison to a comprehensive mineral database incorporated into the QEMSCAN software. Optical mineralogy and Scanning Electron Microscopy is a metallurgists’ tool for determining the ore process mineralogy and delivering a better flowsheet. These techniques have limitations, provide limited information and sometimes fail to provide representative information. In contrast, QEMSCAN provides information on the nature and occurrence of all mineral species present plus the liberation characteristics, looking at thousands of particles in the sample presented. Some of the data presented includes:• Particle and grain sizes• Dominant mineral species• Particle shape• Calculated metal content• Density• Deportment of elements of interest between the mineral phases• Quantitative mineralogy• Mineral associations, locking and liberation• Textural relationships (particle images)It can also be used on concentrates, polished sections or drill core. This is a significant improvement in ore characterisation providing lithology, mineralogy, liberation, ore grade and porosity from a sample. Theoretical grade-recovery curves can be created to be mineralogically limited from QEMSCAN analysis which, when compared with metallurgical results, are valuable in evaluating whether liberation or chemical selectivity is driving flotation performance. A number of case study examples are given where the QEMSCAN had a significant bearing on future project development at an early stage of exploration and mine development."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jean Descarreaux

"The Rexspar uranium deposits are located near Birch Island in central British Columbia. The property lies within the Omineca crystalline belt of the Cordilleran Orogen. Gneiss, schist, tuffaceous and porphyritic trachyte are the main rock types encountered on the property. These rocks are of pre-Late Triassic or probable Mississippian age.Lenticular bodies of mica and pyrite-rich rock are the host of three closely spaced uranium deposits and are found close to a fluorite deposit. The altered trachytic rock as well as the fluorite and uranium deposits are found in the upper part of the trachyte unit. The latest tonnage estimates are 1,441,820 tonnes averaging 23.46% CaF, for the fluorite deposit, 490,966 tonnes of 0.084% U10afor the 'W' deposit, 164,290 tonnes of 0.074% UP8 for the ""B"" deposit and 459,124 tonnes of 0. 071 o/o UP8 for the ""BD"" deposit.A hydrothermal replacement origin was first proposed for the fluorite and uranium deposits. The mineralizing and altering solutions would have been genetically related to a felsic batholith outcropping a few kilometres south of the property. Another hypothesis has been proposed more recently. A volcanic centre has been tentatively identified in the upper part of the trachyte unit, close to the mineral deposits. The fluorite and uranium deposits could possibly be volcanogenic, rather than related to the Cretaceous felsic batholith.IntroductionFluorite and uranium mineralization occur on the property of Consolidated Rexspar Minerals and Chemicals Ltd. in central British Columbia. The exploration and development works executed over the years are summarized in this paper. The deposits and their geological environment are described but the origin of the mineralization has not been definitely established."

Jan 1, 1986

By R. O. Loutfy, J. C. Withers

"Titanium powder is produced from a small fraction of sieved sponge, HDH of sponge or gas blown from a melt produced billet. Ore from foreign sources is chlorinated in a very high temperature fluid bed to make TiCl4, then vacuum distilled purified and then reduced to sponge by Kroll processing. Domestic ores of ilmenite or perovskite can be carbothermically reduced to Ti2OC which can be chlorinated at low temperatures of 250–400°C to produce TiCl4 which can be electrolyzed in a fused salt to Ti powder, or the Ti2OC used as an anode in electrolysis to produce Ti powder. The electrolysis process can be operated continuously to produce Ti powder at a lower cost than Kroll processed sponge including produce control size powder. Electrolysis processing was scaled up and operated at the commercial demonstration stage on a continued basis that verifies the potential of a low cost process to produce Ti powder.INTRODUCTIONTitanium and alloys of titanium powder have been elevated to strategic status resulting from a focus of producing meltless titanium components as well as a feed for additive manufacturing processing. However, the high cost of titanium powder has limited wide scale implementation of using titanium powder as a feed to any process to produce titanium components. Titanium powder free of alloying is available as sponge fines from the Kroll process as illustrated in Figure 1. Titanium alloy powder is much more expensive, also illustrated in Figure 1 produced from an alloy ingot or mil product as the feed and then transformed into powder by one of several melt form processes which accounts for the high cost of titanium alloy powder at approximately $60–150/lb. Ton lots of titanium alloy powder (i.e. Ti-6Al-4V) from one source is quoted at $120/lb. in the U.S. It appears that alloy powder production cost by current processing is not sensitive to volume."

Jan 1, 2016

By J. Desrosiers

"Minnova Inc. has five operating divisions thoughout Canada. One of them is Lac Dufault which was established in 1964.Lac Dufault is located 15 km north of Rouyn-Noranda, in what is known as Noranda volcanic centre, in northwestern Quebec. For more than 25 years, Lac Dufault has produced copper, zinc, gold and silver from four different mines: Norbec, Millenbach, Corbet and now Ansil.Ansil, officially in production since July 1989, is one of the deepest mines presently in production in Quebec. This high-grade copper, gold, zinc and silver orebody is being mined at a rate of 1200 tonnes per day with a total workforce of 200 employees.Of particular interest are the high mechanization level of the underground mine, technical innovations also underground, and computer applications throughout the division.IntroductionMinnova Inc. was formerly known as Corporation Falconbridge Copper until 50% of its shares were bought by Kerr Addison Mines Ltd . in 1986 and it became a member of Noranda Group of Companies.Minnova stands for mining innovation. It means Minnovaaims to use state-of-the-art technologies in mining and exploration to achieve maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness. It also means that they aim to use both proven and innovative management principles to the optimum benefit of their employees and shareholders. Minnova has operations across Canada. Presently four mining divisions produce copper, zinc, gold, silver and lead. Two are situated in Quebec: Lac Dufault (established in 1964) and Lac Shortt (established in 1985); one in Ontario; Winston Lake (established in 1988); and one in British Columbia; Samatosum (established in 1989).Minnova has an annual exploration budget of $15 million divided 60/40 between base metals and precious metals. Most of Minnova's exploration efforts are concentrated around their existing mines. Exploration is carried out from six regional offices located at Rouyn-Noranda and Chapais in Quebec; Thunder Bay in Ontario, Vancouver in British Columbia, Reno, Nevada in the United State and Panama City Panama. Each of the Canadian offices maintains close liaison with nearby operations.Lac Dufault Division is located in the Noranda mining camp, approximately 15 km north of the city of Rouyn-Noranda, in northwestern Quebec (Fig . 1)."

Jan 1, 1991

By J. Makgatho, P. Condori, J. Winnett, Fischerm D.

"Palabora Mining Copper (PMC) has two autogenous mills that have been in operation since 1976. The mills were originally designed to treat 30 000 t/d of open cast copper ore in a closed circuit with cyclones. As the ore body went deeper the open cast method of mining was changed to block caving, a consequence of this was the dolerite content (hardest barren material) increased significantly, increasing the production rate of pebbles and thus reducing the milling capacity. In order to cope with the increased ore hardness and to increase mill capacity, a second ball milling stage and pebble crushing were incorporated to the circuit. The above actions created new challenges to the circuit operation and bottlenecks in different areas of the milling circuit.This paper reports the holistic work performed on the Palabora autogenous milling circuit including the implementation of a mill constraint control scheme, the implementation of a pebble removal system from the circuit and a new circuit configuration."

Jan 1, 2012

By H. D. Goodfellow, R. A. Elliott

"This paper covers the evolution of large mills and autogenous grinding and compares grinding practice in the iron ore industry with that in the base metal industries. Comments on novel methods of grinding are presented for discussion. Recent developments in the field of classification are briefly reviewed. A systems analysis approach to grinding circuits is discussed. Finally, a point is made for establishing a group within the industry with the purpose of developing a comprehensive evaluation of grinding research and development."

Jan 1, 1971

By John McEwen, Ian R. Jonasson, David H. Watkinson

"Mine Gallen is a zinc-rich pyritic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit that occurs in a fault-bounded block of intermediate volcanic rocks. The block is completely surrounded at the present erosion level by the eastern part of the Lac Dufault granodiorite. The volcanic succession includes a massive feldspar porphyry that is probably a subvolcanic intrusion, an andesitic flow unit and lapilli tuffs. The latter are variably sericitized and pyritic, especially in the vicinity of the massive sulphide into which they grade.The ore body is predominantly pyritewith local sphalerite contents as high as 20%; minor chalcopyrite and trace galena are disseminated, but are found mainly along late cleavage. Most ore is a breccia of massive to banded pyrite-sphalerite, veined by massive and complexly banded sulphides. These structures formed by repeated blocky jointing, cracking, sealing, healing and annealing as hydrothermal fluid repeatedly passed through a developing sulphide mound. The deposit is interpreted to have grown on the seafloor in a manner similar to active mounds in the Galapagos rift.RESUME La Mine Gallen exploite un gisement de sulfures massifs volcan géniques comprenant essentiellement de la pyrite riche en zinc. Ce gisement se trouve a /'intérieur d’un bloc de roches volcaniques de caractère dacitique a andésitique, limite par failles et entoure de tout cote par la granodiorite du Lac Dufault. La séquence volcanique comprend des coulées andésitiques et des tufs à lapilli ainsi qu'un porphyre feldspathique massif sub-volcanique. Les tufs sont sericitises et pyritises, tout particulièrement au voisinage des sulfures massifs."

Jan 1, 1990

By Paul Stothart

Agenda 1)Key Political and Policy Issues 2)Relevance to the Mining Sector ?All parties vying to be the greenest ?Regulation, indoor air, health issues combined into Clean Air Act ?International carbon markets ?Kyoto Protocol ?legal force ?Spawning clean energy technologies? ?Effectiveness of present approaches?

May 1, 2007

By A. W. F. Smith, P. B. Prangnell, D. N. Crowther, P. J. Apps

It is well known that the refinement of grain size in metals leads to a significant improvement in important mechanical properties. As part of a European collaborative project, processing schedules have been investigated aimed at producing a homogeneous ultra-fine ferrite and spheroidised carbide aggregate microstructure structure in high carbon (CMn) steels (0.6-1.2wt%C), via conventional 'warm' rolling and innovative Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE). Suitable deformation schedules were determined from dilatometry and thermo-mechanical Gleeble simulations. Evidence of an ultra-fine ferrite and carbide aggregate microstructure following 'warm' rolling is given. A significant improvement in tensile strength, particularly proof stress (0.2%) was also noted in comparison to material deformed at higher temperatures. Concurrent Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) experiments investigated microstructural evolution with incremental strain. Extensive analysis was carried out using various techniques, including high resolution Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD). Evidence of ferrite grain refinement was noted in a eutectoid composition steel. A sub-micron ferrite structure was observed following high strains (E-3.33) and the mechanical properties exhibit a marked increase in tensile strength.

Jan 1, 2004

By D. Markwart, B. Volk

Anode effects are a phenomenon of the aluminium electrolysis process which produce potent greenhouse gases called PFCs (CF4, C2F6). With concerns surrounding global warming, and increasing regulation of GHG emissions, anode effects have become a significant sustainability issue for aluminium producers. In modem smelters, sophisticated computer control and automated alumina feeding systems allow for very tight control of the alumina concentration in the electrolyte and thus very low anode effect frequencies. Older smelters, however, do not have these systems and must either invest heavily to obtain them, or find other, innovative ways to reduce anode effect frequency. This paper will present the integrated approach to anode effect reduction used in the Vertical Stud Soderberg (VSS) potlines at Kitimat Works. Through an innovative combination of simplified signal analysis, modified alumina feed control logic, anode effect prediction, and anode effect prevention using a pager based communication system, Kitimat W arks has been able to make significant reductions to its anode effect frequency.

Jan 1, 2006

By Warwick D. Bullen

Gold mining in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Territories started long before the concept of sustainability entered the academic literature and by the time the term enjoyed widespread public acceptance, the Yellowknife gold mining industry was in its sunset years. Nevertheless, the city of Yellowknife will long outlive the gold mines that it was founded on, demonstrating that not only can mining build sustainable communities, but that sustainable mining as a concept is an entirely valid precept. To this effect, the authors examine the complex economic and social aspects of the gold mining industry in the Yellowknife area over the last 70 years.

May 1, 2004

By A. Burkert, A. E. Hajj

"An information system has been developed for the use of companies considering developing a new mine which may be liable to secondary sulphide ignitions or by existing operations. The system uses the Comdale X expert system to analyze information about a particular mine. The system will indicate whether the mine is likely to experience ignitions and what precautions can be taken to reduce or prevent their occurrence. The advantage of an information system using expert system and artificial intelligence principles is that it can recommend action when there is an incomplete knowledge of all the system parameters. By interrogation of the user it can determine the state of knowledge and react accordingly. It is considered that such systems could be of significant use in mine planning for new and existing properties, especially where operators have limited expertise regarding secondary sulphide ignitions. IntroductionSulphide ignitions occur in the underground mines of several countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland, South Africa and the United States of America (1·3) and there has been a significant increase in their number and severity over the last decade(2.4). The basic causes of such ignitions are not well understood and man incidents are not reported or documented.Sulphide ignitions can pose a serious threat to the health and safety of mine workers and to the cost and efficiency of the mining operation (1-5). Byberg(6) described the three major problems associated with sulphide ignitions as:1. the force of the initial explosion can endanger workers and equipment;2. the intense heat of the ignition's flame front can endanger workers and equipment and may also ignite combustible material resulting in mine fires; and3. the sulphur dioxide produced by the ignition may be of such quantity and concentration to endanger workers, as was tragically demonstrated at Geco. In this incident in October 1985, a worker was killed at a position 2400 metres from the ignition point of a sulphide ignition at Manitouwadge, Ontario."

Jan 1, 1994