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By J. Shanks

A S far back as 1925, Brazeau Collieries, Limited, became interested in .briquetting. This was brought about by complaints from their principal customer that stack losses, due to a high percentage of fine coal in their mine run, were excessive. The Company considered oil spraying of the fines. This, after some experiments and tests had been made, was ruled out as uneconomical and impracticable. When sufficient oil to be effective was put into the fines, it caused the coal in the tender of stoker-fired engines t0 arch over the screw feeder. The Company ultimately placed their problem in the hands of the Re-search Department of the University of Alberta. Experimental work was carried on by this department over a period of more than a year. The results obtained and the experience gained in this research work were conveyed to Brazeau Collieries in a report dated October 31st, 1929, and in a supplementary report dated February 2nd, 1935. Most of the results obtained in experimenting with Brazeau coal are embodied in a brochure, reprinted from the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Bituminous Coal, Vol. 19-24-28, entitled Principles in the Briquetting of Coking and Non-Coking Bituminous Coals, by E. Stansfield and W. A. Lang. All who are interested in briquetting should read this brochure. In the writer's opinion, iris the most important treatise on the subject printed in recent years. The results given in the paper are, of course, those obtained in laboratory investigation. It was pointed out to the writer that it would be most interesting to have such results correlated with those obtained in commercial practice. In this short paper, an attempt is made to do so.

Jan 1, 1942

By Ray Mason

Marathon PGM Corporation?s PGM-Cu Project in Northwestern Ontario (Figure 1.0) serves as a case study to describe the process involved in advancing a deposit from grass roots exploration to the completion of several feasibility studies and the parallel commencement of environmental permitting. Through the following examination of historical exploration activities, it is clear that these activities are directly related to economic stimulus, mostly measured by downturns in the mineral industry. Other factors that influence the success of exploration advancing to feasibility and new mine development includes the ownership of the mineral claims, which also changes under these economic influences and the crucial role of interactions between the Company, the Crown and First Nations. The Marathon PGM-Cu deposit is hosted within the Eastern Gabbro Series of the Proterozoic Coldwell Complex, which intrudes and bisects the much older Archean Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt. The sub-circular complex has a diameter of 25 km and a surface area of 580 km2 and is the largest alkaline intrusive complex in North America (Walker et al., 1993). Mineralization at the Marathon PGM-Cu deposit is part of a very large magmatic system that consists of at least three cross-cutting intrusive olivine gabbro units that comprise the Eastern Gabbro Series of the Coldwell Complex (Figure 3.2.4-3). In order of intrusion, the three gabbroic units consist of (1) Layered Gabbro Series, (2) Layered Magnetite Olivine Cumulate (LMOC) and (3) Two Duck Lake (TDL) Gabbro. The relative size and abundance of the gabbroic units decrease in the order Layered Gabbro Series>TDL Gabbro>>LMOC. Late quartz syenite and augite syenite dikes cut all of the gabbros but form a minor component of the intrusive assemblage.

May 1, 2010

By S. Constantinides

"A major use for many of the rare earths is in permanent magnets. While alternate technologies are in research or already exist, rare earth magnets are unlikely to be supplanted as a major input to clean technologies and high efficiency consumer and industrial devices. We’ll examine where and how the magnet rare earths are utilized and the size of the market. Market growth forecasts based on global markets will be presented. A brief explanation of materials research in the US completes the material.INTRODUCTIONRare earth magnets, first commercialized c.1969, have become essential for a wide range of consumer, industrial and military devices. They are used in the speakers and vibrator motors of cell phones. Rare earth magnets spin the hard discs within the drives and rare earth magnet voice coil motors position the read/write head over the spinning platter. Rare earth magnets are the heart of motors and generators used on airplanes – they are smaller and lighter weight than alternative materials/devices. Now rare earth permanent magnets are being introduced into electric vehicles and wind power generation.Rare earth minerals are difficult to extract from the ores and to separate from one another. The increase in use of rare earth magnets has placed a severe strain on established sources of supply. The establishment of new mines and processing facilities is costly and requires upwards of 15 years to become productive. The combination of rapid rise in use of rare earth minerals coupled with supply shortages has caused rapid price increases and threat of non-delivery of product. The result of this disruptive situation has been a profound response at several levels: corporate, industry-wide and governmental. Let’s learn more about why rare earth magnets are so important to modern society."

Jan 1, 2012

By James D. Bamburak

Total mineral production in Manitoba has averaged C$1 billion over the past ten years. Industrial mineral production has comprised almost 10% of the total, with more than half coming from the aggregate sector. In southeastern Manitoba, tantalum, spodumene and amblygonite concentrates, cesium and rubidium ores, cesium formate, dimension stone and sphagnum peat moss are produced. Gypsum, high-calcium limestone and lime are produced in the Interlake area. Early industrial mineral production consisted of tools and implements, salt and pottery. Historical production has included: salt, building stone, aggregate, lime and dolime, lignite coal, gypsum, natural and Portland cement, calcium bentonite, brick, light-weight aggregate, caustic soda and soda ash, and silica sand. Future industrial mineral production may come from reactivated quarries, pits and wells or from new producers of current commodities. Newproducts may include: stainless steel master alloy, silicon metal, titanium and magnetite, lithium carbonate, float-plate glass and ferrosilicon, "marble" dimension stone, magnesium metal, potash and kaolin.

Jan 1, 2001

By M. Dupuis

In the present study, the heat balance of the Hirakud smelter aluminium reduction cell has been accurately assessed using only a surface thermocouple and a pyrometer, As it is well known that using a single linear or quadratic relationship to estimate the heat flux from the measured surface temperature does not provide the accuracy required to close the cell heat balance, this approach was not used in this study, Instead, the fundamental natural convection and radiation heat flux equations were used systematically for each measurement point, Practically, this means that the ambient air temperature and at least one ambient radiative temperature must also be known in addition to the surface temperature for each measurement point. Sometimes, the radiative heat flux could not be accurately estimated using a single ambient radiative temperature, In those cases, a more accurate estimation based on two ambient radiative temperatures and corresponding view factors has been used instead, It turns out that although at least three temperature measurements are required to estimate a single heat flux, it takes a lot less time to make those temperature measurements using a pyrometer than directly measuring the heat flux using an expensive heat flux meter, Furthermore, no loss in accuracy was detected when using this approach as the cell heat balance could be closed within 5%, the level of accuracy typical of cell heat balance assessment using heat flux meter.

Jan 1, 2004

By F Kelly

"A central composite experimental design was used to determine empirical relationships between the operating variables of a ball mill and the characteristics of the ground products. The independent variables selected for the study were the work index and size distribution of the feed material, the feed rate and the pulp density. The measured responses included product size distribution, product surface area, viscosity of pulp discharge, weight of dry solids in mill, mill time constant and emitted sonic vibrations. The ball mill was operated continuously in open circuit during each experimental run.Multivariable regression techniques were used to derive linear empirical models from the experimental results. Of the four factors studied, the grindability of the feed material significantly affected every measured response. The size distribution of the ground product was affected significantly by the feed rate and the size distribution of the feed, but not by the pulp• density. Feed throughput capacity and pulp density were significant to the viscosity of the pulp discharge, the weight of solids in the mill and the mill time constant. Significant first-and second-order models are given for the above relationships. The relation-ships between the characteristics of the sonic vibrations of the operating mill and the various dependent variables have not as yet been established."

Jan 1, 1970

By F. A. Forward

Introduction The main line of ascent in the development of the nickel industry may be traced back through the International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited, to its earliest antecedents, the Canadian Copper Company and the Orford Copper Company. Mining geology is but one aspect of the overall development of this organization, and the stress it has placed on geology grew according to the need. In the early days, intensive geology was not required because ore supply was not one of the main problems of this or any of the pioneer companies. The difficulty then was to find economic methods for reducing the ores to nickel and copper, and markets for absorbing nickel in the face of a limited demand from consumers heavily prejudiced in favour of the New Caledonia product. "Very early in the history of the region it was patent to everyone that to share in the full benefits of the industry the same individuals or company must control the whole of the operation necessary to manufacture the finished product' (1, p. 45). These conditions were fulfilled for the International Nickel Company in 1902 when the Canadian Copper Company (incorporated 1886), with its ample ore supply, took the initiative to merge its interests with those of the Orford Copper (Refining) Company (incorporated 1887) to form the new company which, with reorganizational changes, emerged as the producer of the overwhelming bulk of the world's nickel. The Mond Nickel Company, Limited, entered the field in 1899 with a refining process, and over a period of years acquired ore through purchase of mining properties. This Company operated successfully and independently until 1929 when its assets were joined with those of the International Nickel Company in order to permit the most economic exploitation of the Frood-Stobie orebody in which both Companies were interested.

Jan 1, 1948

By C. H. Stockwell

"The Precambrian rocks of southeastern Manitoba contain a great variety of mineral deposits, including gold, chromium, copper, nickel, lithium, tin, beryllium, tungsten, and molybdenum. Although considerable interest has been shown from time to time in each of these types of deposit, production to date has been almost entirely in gold. This has had a value of about $26,000,000 and has been derived chiefly from the San Antonio mine, with lesser amounts from the Central Manitoba, Gunnar, Beresford Lake, Ogama-Rockland, Diana, and other properties.Most of the deposits lie within volcanic and sedimentary rocks or within basic intrusions cutting these rocks. These favourable rocks occur in several areas, which have been given local names and are separated from one another by large bodies of granite (Fig. 1).In general, the several areas are characterized by different types of mineralization. Thus, the Rice Lake-Beresford Lake area contains numerous gold deposits and has yielded almost all the gold production to date; the Maskwa River, Euclid Lake, and Oiseau River areas are, on the whole, characterized by deposits of chromium, copper, nickel, lithium, tin, and beryllium; and in the West Hawk Lake area there are deposits of gold, tungsten, molybdenum, and lithium.As might be expected in a district containing such a variety of mineral deposits, the structural conditions controlling their deposition also vary greatly. It is, accordingly, convenient to discuss the structural geology and mineral deposits of each of the more important areas separately."

Jan 1, 1954

By C. Horstmann, D. Andreo, G. Barthold

"The concept of large single line grinding circuits provides a valid answer in project feasibility studies by reducing capital investment requirements compared to parallel lines for the same plant throughput rates. The benefits of this concept are reflected as well on the operational aspects, in terms of higher and greater process stability, and reduced operational costs mainly due to the associated lower maintenance expenditures. However, concerns exist in the minerals industry on whether large single line grinding could reduce the overall concentrator plant availability. The mechanical design and integrity, the mill and gearless mill drive integration, as well as assets management aspects of this type of equipment are the key to guarantee successful availability records. Together with an overview of the added value provided by large single line grinding circuits, this paper focuses on risk mitigation strategies during mill and gearless mill drive integration, as well as on the design of the equipment itself, for the key aspects which could put at risk the operations availability.INTRODUCTIONDespite a large long term demand for commodities, the mining industry has never faced complex challenges as it is doing today. Decreasing high-quality and accessible deposits, declining ore grades in existing mines, shortages of electrical energy (e.g. in Chile) and an aging workforce are the most significant among the megatrends affecting our industry. In addition to this, flat underlying commodity prices and high price volatility are currently posing strong requirements to miners when entering into the process of approving investments.Nowadays to get projects financially approved (optimizations, expansions, new plants), capital expenditure has to be reduced, as observed up to 30% compared to the last decade, and at the same time the plant design has to be such to demonstrate that operating costs will also be significantly lower than in the past.When it comes to the concentrator plant, the concept of large single line grinding circuits provides a valid answer in project feasibility studies by significantly reducing the capital investment requirements compared to parallel lines for the same plant throughput rates. The benefits of this concept are reflected as well on the operational costs, in terms of higher and greater process stability and reduced maintenance expenditures."

Jan 1, 2016

By John J. Laffin

"Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy Throughout the history of Nova Scotia, trends in the production and use of its coal resources have resulted in major impacts on the economy and society of the province. Current trends in coal demand locally, nationally and internationally are having and will have an increasing positive effect on Nova Scotia over the next twenty years-in terms of energy supply, job creation and general economic development. Coal for electrical generation is an immediate and key objective of Nova Scotia's energy plan; and, in the long term, coal-derived fuels will meet the province's needs for transportation fuels. Demand for metallurgical coal is also expected to increase, especially if the merchant coke plant currently under investigation becomes a reality.Meeting these coal supply and utilization objectives in the face of increasing environmental, social and economic constraints poses a tremendous technical challenge. Work has begun on projects to expand coal production capacity and to adapt new technologies for coal preparation and utilization to the specific needs of Nova Scotia; much more work will be required in the coming decade in order to succesfully tap this resource.IntroductionThe energy problem facing Atlantic Canada has a few unique features not found in the rest of the country. Canada, as a whole, has access to a diverse mix of energy resources, including crude oil, natural gas, coal, hydro and uranium, with the result that crude oil supplies only about 40 per cent of Canada's primary demand. In contrast, foreign crude oil dominates Atlantic Canada's energy mix, supplying over 70 per cent of the primary energy demand.This results in important differences in various sectors. Nationally, about 5 per cent of the electricity is generated from oil whereas last year in Nova Scotia approximately 40 per cent of the electricity generated was from imported oil. Residential, commercial and industrial space heating, and industrial process heating in Atlantic Canada was almost 100 percent dependent on foreign oil. This is in sharp contrast to the situation in central and western Canada, which have access to secure domestic natural gas, oil and hydro electricity."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. Walker, G. E. Kim

Since May of 2000, Mogas Industries, in partnership with F.W. Gartner Thermal Spraying Co. and using the services of Perpetual Technologies, has invested time, energy, and resources towards developing novel ball valves for high-pressure acid-leach (HPAL) service. In addition to developing new valve designs, an aggressive coatings development effort has been undertaken to improve the protective quality of the coatings so as to enhance the performance and extend the life of valves in severe HPAL conditions. In 2001, Mogas Industries qualified and applied a nanostructured titanium oxide (n-TiO2) coating for gold and nickel/cobalt HPAL services. The n-TiO2 coating provided dramatically superior protection against abrasive and erosive wear, fared very well against high-pressure autoclave corrosion testing, and has performed well in HPAL service.

Jan 1, 2004

By H. -L. Heikkilä, E. Peuraniemi

"Boliden Harjavalta Oy has a long tradition in the Finnish metal industry starting from the 1930's. The Smelter consists of copper and nickel flash smelting lines. Off-gases are captured in the acid plant to produce sulfur products. During the early years of production, the surrounding environment suffered from high SO2 and dust emissions. The first acid plant started in 1947, a few years after commissioning of the smelter. The flash smelting method was developed and commissioned in 1949. This created the basis for today’s environmentally sound metal production. Recent air emission reductions are related to treating lean ventilation and granulation gases. Emissions from the stacks are monitored with continuous measurement devices. SO2 and PM10 concentrations are also measured from the residential area and reported online in cooperation with Harjavalta community and other local industry.INTRODUCTIONProductionBoliden Harjavalta Oy smelts copper and nickel concentrates and refines copper in the western part of Finland. The copper concentrates come from external copper mines mainly in South America and Europe. Concentrates are unloaded at the Pori harbor and transported to Harjavalta by train from a distance of about 60 km. Boliden Harjavalta Oy has operations in Harjavalta and Pori. The smelter in Harjavalta produces copper anodes that are transported via railway to the copper refinery in Pori. The anodes are electro-refined into copper cathodes and by-products like Se, Ag, Au and Pt/Pd concentrate. In the Harjavalta smelter SO2 containing gases are delivered to a sulphuric acid plant where sulphuric acid and liquid sulphur dioxide are produced.Our nickel smelter smelts nickel concentrates on a tolling basis to produce nickel matte for customer needs. SO2 containing off-gases are delivered to the sulphuric acid plant for sulphur capture and modification into products.All our operations are certified according to the Quality, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. Boliden Harjavalta Oy was the first company in Finland operating in the metal and technology industry to be certified according to the Energy Management Standard EN 16001, currently this certification is done according to ISO 50001."

Jan 1, 2012

By H. W. Smith, N. Ichiyen

A convenient method for the calculation of metallurgical balances, based on statistical treatment of all available data, is presented. An error analysis is included. Examples show the advantages of the method, and also that such balances are less precise than might be supposed.

Jan 1, 1973

By Gordon R. Harris, Raymond Chalk

Descriptions of typical pulp and paper manufacturing processes are presented, with particular emphasis on the use of minerals and derived products. Some consideration is given to the future demand for these minerals by the pulp and paper industry. Possible influences of techno-logical change and social legislation are suggested and their effect on saltcake demand by the pulp industry is discussed. Predictions are made regarding trends for new and existing paper products.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. C. Gathje

Newmont&apos;s Phoenix Project is located near Battle Mountain, Nevada and is scheduled to produce copper concentrates containing high precious metal values. High temperature pressure oxidation (PDX) of the concentrates was considered as a treatment option during process development. The metals content in Phoenix concentrates range from: 15-25% for Cu, 1-10% for Zn, 0-2% for Pb and ?27% Fe. The precious metals content of the Phoenix concentrates can range up to ?300 g/t Au and >3,000 g/t Ag. As a consequence it was necessary that any process for consideration should have the capability of recovering both the copper and precious metal values. Typically, gold can easily be leached from the autoclave discharge solids, but silver is chemically bound with the jarosite formed and cannot be directly leached. Laboratory investigations led to the development of a patented PDX process that minimizes the formation of jarosite so that the silver can be leached easily along with the gold. The process was confirmed with extensive pilot plant testing. Excellent solution extraction of copper and zinc was achieved, and both iron and lead were precipitated in the PDX residue. The process produces clean PDX discharge liquors with very low iron concentrations. As an example, conventional PDX techniques resulted in pregnant liquors containing ?5 g/L Fe. However, the Newmont process, which controls the iron and sulfate species, achieved high iron precipitation in the PDX solids and pregnant liquors containing <0.5 g/L Fe. High gold and silver recoveries were achieved by direct cyanidation of the PDX solids. This process has the added benefit of producing PDX solids that demonstrate superior settling and filtration characteristics.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jeanie Wills, Theresa Nyabeze, Samantha Espley, Donna Beneteau

This presentation reports survey findings that aim to modernize the definition and understanding of the term 'mining.' The survey, conducted via LinkedIn in Winter 2024, garnered responses from a diverse group of individuals, including current or former employees of mining or exploration companies, mining consulting firms, service providers, supplier firms, as well as students and retirees with industry experience. The data, ethically approved by the University of Saskatchewan, offers valuable insights into satisfaction levels within the mining sector and suggests an expansion of the identifying characteristics of definitions of mining. This marks the third CIM gaining insights paper by Beneteau, Espley, and Nyabeze, following previous works on 'Career Satisfaction for Women in Mining' (2010) and 'Mentorship Initiatives in the Canadian Mining Industry' (2018*)."

Oct 1, 2024

By K. Esmaieli

This paper addresses issues associated with ore pass degradation caused by material impact. A series of numerical experiments, using the particle flow code, were undertaken to investigate the influence of various finger raise configuration. This has allowed the identification of favorable configurations. The results of this analysis, when coupled with field observations, can contribute to the design of ore pass systems that can prolong the useful operating life of ore pass systems.

May 1, 2009

By F. W. Gray

IN 1922, the writer communicated to the Institute a paper entitled The Development of the Coal Industry in Canada (1), which summarized the considerations set out in a series of papers (2) concerned with coal-mining in Canada which he had presented in 1920 and 1921. This paper contained a forecast by decades, commencing 1920, of Canadian coal production, importation, consumption, and exports, based on anticipated rate of population increase, and continuation of the gradual increase in the per capita rate of coal consumption in Canada that had taken place every year up to 1920. The following comparative statement brings our the differences between the forecast and actual experience:

Jan 1, 1936

By L. Don Leet

Abstract Earthborne vibrations from blasting and other sources, including rock bursts, can now be recorded effectively. The nature and magnitude of vibrations from various sources have been investigated and certain applications of the knowledge thus gained have been made. Vibrations from blasting have been measured on special equipment over a range from an electric blasting cap at a few feet, through the largest quarry shot in history to date ( 1,-362,985 lb.), to the first atomic bomb, in uew Mexico on July 16th, 1945. Laws relating amount of explosive to amount of vibration at different distances have been developed and tested. Special studies have been made of the effects of vibrations on buildings, particularly from the standpoint of possible structural damage. Recorded vibrations are used to study the effects of modern short-period delay shooting. It ?has been found that short-period delay firing is extremely effective in reducing vibrations under the right conditions, but with certain limitations. In quarry shooting, there appears to be a minimum number of holes below which vibrations are not appreciably reduced by short-period delay firing. In several instances this minimum has been near 7. Vibrations in the ground from rock bursts and the effects of mining in stresesd ground have been studied both underground and on the surface in a search for a rock burst warning system. Introduction Earthborne vibrations from blasting and other sources, including rock bursts, can now be recorded effectively. Analyses of blasting records have been yielding increasing funds of information of practical as well as theoretical interest. The nature and magnitude of the vibrations have been investigated with special reference to their effects on structures.

Jan 1, 1951

The Silvermines area of north County Tipperary in Ireland has experienced mining activity for over a thousand years, with lead, zinc, copper, barite and sulphur being extracted from a series of Carboniferous limestones. The last mine to operate in the area was closed in 1993. A legacy of contamination and derelict surface structures remain. Following the death of cattle in the vicinity in 1999, a governmental Inter-Agency Group was established to conduct an investigation. The ?Silvermines Rehabilitation Project? resulted, and included a proposal for the development of a Mine Waste Management Facility (MWMF) to act as a repository for waste materials from problematic sites across the area. The nature of the setting supported an effective solution from both a cost and performance perspective; and with limited maintenance requirements. Locating the MWMF where most wastes were identified would help minimise handling and relocation of materials. This position coincided with an area of artesian groundwater pressures. The resulting MWMF design consisted of a perimeter engineered embankment with the crest elevation designed to just exceed the groundwater piezometric surface. The base would remain unlined and groundwater permitted to rise up into and saturate the contained in-situ tailings deposits and imported mine wastes. The proposed system thus benefited from the ?wet cover? approach to minimising further oxidation of wastes and metal leaching, but without the usual accompanying outward hydraulic gradient and leachate management issues. A sub cap drainage layer with downstream outlet was incorporated to prevent any possibility of hydraulic rupture following an unexpected rise in groundwater heads. Leakage rates from the MWMF were deemed to essentially be driven by surface infiltration rates alone (characteristic of a ?dry cover? approach), with the proposed composite capping system simulated to perform at an infiltration rate of less than 1 mm per year. A toe drain was incorporated with the perimeter containment system, and this collection together with diverted neighbouring drainage was directed under gravity to a dedicated Passive Treatment System (PTS). Overall, effluent water quality from the PTS has been predicted to reflect an annual mass metals removal in the order of 95% below baseline.

Aug 1, 2013