Search Documents

By Constantin Pitis, Paul Slatter, Behnam Pirouz, Laura Contasti, Markus Zeller, Sadegh Javadi

"The centrifugal slurry pumps feeding cyclones are critical components used in the grinding process. It is well known that for this type of pumps the performance degradation is very intense. To minimize downtime a complete stand-by slurry pump is always installed in a parallel circuit. The replacement decision of slurry pumps is sometimes set on specific periods of time that are empirically determined, based on previous experience; unless a pump failure triggers the second (standby) pump. Given the significant energy costs in the grinding process and a desire to increase competitiveness, engineers and scientists started research in this field while manufacturers also took actions in order to improve pumps reliability and performance. The lack of standardization regarding the methods used to benchmark and evaluate the energy performances of cyclone slurry pump systems in the mining industry makes it difficult for an enterprise to take informed decisions concerning the replacement or optimization of its process based on energy benchmarking of such slurry pump systems. This paper proposes a new methodology of benchmarking slurry pump performances using a new concept of Benchmark Energy factor (BEF) based on Mathematical Model Benchmarking. The concept of BEF has been proven successful in other industries. A new standard addressing the guidelines for benchmarking the energy performance of slurry pumps for cyclones was proposed within the Canadian Standards Association. This standard will provide a unified and consistent methodology for performing measurement activities with the ability to measure and verify the system energy performance in the field through the BEF approach. Practical examples based on the new concept are presented with comments."

Jan 1, 2017

By E. Hardwick, K. C. Sole, Y. Jurrius

"The Luilu cobalt plant at Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, has been operating since the late 1950s, using a conventional precipitation flowsheet for removal of impurities from the cobalt process stream. Most impurities are, however, incompletely removed using this technology. Copper and zinc, both of which quantitatively deposit at the cathode in the cobalt electrowinning process, are two of the main impurities contaminating the cobalt metal product. Ion exchange offers a modern approach to removing these impurities from the cobalt advance electrolyte.Following a laboratory testwork programme to identify a suitable ion-exchange system, an on-site pilot-plant trial, treating 1500 to 3000 L/d of electrolyte, was operated for a period of six weeks to optimise the operating conditions and to determine full-scale design criteria. Copper removal was carried out using a fixed-bed lead-polish configuration with the Lanxess iminodiacetic acid resin, TP 207. Zinc removal was subsequently carried out in a similar configuration using the Lanxess aminophosphonic acid resin, TP 260. The optimised system proved capable of removing both copper and zinc from 20 to 30 mg/L to <1 mg/L from plant electrolyte containing ~20 g/L Co. Selective elution allows co-loaded cobalt to be returned to the main circuit and value to be obtained for the copper impurity. The process shows operational and economic advantages over the traditional flowsheet. Full-scale implementation of the developed process is in progress and some design considerations are discussed."

Jan 1, 2014

By P. Langlois, G. Labonté, J. J. Barrett, J. Holmes

"The Voisey’s Bay mill processes a high-grade pentlandite and chalcopyrite ore in a largely pyrrhotite/troilite matrix. From 1994 to 1997, circuit development focused on making a 14% nickel concentrate. When flowsheet development resumed in 2001, the target grade was raised to 20% ni. initially triethylene tetramine and sulfite pyrrhotite depressants were used in a lime circuit, but by recycling process water and the contained thiosalts, the required nickel grade was made without depressants. construction of the mill was fast-tracked, with start-up in september 2005. ramp-up was faster than other recent nickel installations, with tonnage being limited by concentrate dewatering due to higher-thanexpected ore grades.RÉSUMÉ l’usine de traitement de Voisey’s Bay traite un minerai à teneur élevée en pentlandite et chalcopyrite dans une matrice formée surtout de pyrrhotite/troïlite. De 1994 à 1997, le développement du circuit ciblait la production d’un concentré à 14 % de nickel. lorsque le développement du schéma de traitement a été repris en 2001, la teneur cible a été élevée à 20 % de ni. initialement les déprimants triéthylènetétramine et sulfite de la pyrrhotite étaient utilisés dans un circuit à la chaux; cependant, en recyclant l’eau du procédé et les sulfosels qui y sont contenus, la teneur en nickel a été atteinte sans utilisation de déprimants. la construction de l’usine de traitement a été accélérée et elle a démarré en septembre 2005. la mise en opération a été plus rapide que pour d’autres installations récentes de nickel; le tonnage traité étant limité par le séchage du concentré en raison des teneurs de minerai plus élevées que prévu.INTRODUCTIONnickel was discovered on canada’s east coast in the vicinity of Voisey’s Bay, northern labrador, by chislett and Verbiski (Higgins, 2011) while working for Diamond Fields resources in 1993. The ovoid deposit was subsequently delineated in the winter of 1994–1995. By the end of 1995, the ovoid had been well explored, and at that time was thought to have a reserve of at least 30 million tonnes (Mt), with an average grade of 2.83% ni and 2.0% cu (naldrett, singh, Krstic, & li, 2000). Drilling to the east of the ovoid indicated the presence of significant mineralization. in June 1995, inco limited bought a 25% share in the Voisey’s Bay nickel company (VBnc), which was a subsidiary holding company set up by Diamond Fields. inco also bought 8% of Diamond Fields and negotiated the right to sell all the nickel produced from VBnc for 20 years as part of this agreement. in april 1996, inco bought Diamond Fields and acquired the remaining 75% of VBnc shares."

Jan 1, 2017

"2.1. General Considerations and Properties2.1.1. IntroductionOur present knowledge of the platinum-group elements (POE) is extensive, the reason being two-fold. The elements have many uses and, moreover, they exhibit extremely varied chemical behaviour, depending on their state of oxidation and chemical environment. The present chapter reviews a selected body of material which is of particular relevance to mineralogy and geochemistry.Comprehensive treatises on the POE include those by Mellor (1956-1957), Gmelin (1938-1957) and Pascal (1958). The inorganic chemistry, particularly coordination chemistry, has been dealt with in works by Griffith (1967), Hartley (1973) and Livingstone (1975), and the analytical chemistry by Walsh and Hausman (1963), Beamish (1966) and Beamish and Van Loon (1972, 1977). Darling (1973) and Savitsky (1978) have reviewed the metallurgical properties and applications of the metals. Goldberg and Helper (1968) have reviewed the thermochemistry and oxidation potentials of POE systems, and Wagman et at. (1969) have also provided selected values of their thermodynamic properties. The geochemistry of the POE has been reviewed by Yushko-Zakharova et at. (1967), Cousins (1973), Cabri (1974), and Naldrett and Duke (1980).Platinum was used briefly as a coinage metal in ImperialRussia. Otherwise, the principal early use for platinum and its alloys was in the fabrication of chemically resistant apparatus. Subsequently, a large part of platinum production was utilized for catalysts in the sulphuric acid and ammonia industries. Platinum has been replaced by vanadium pentoxide in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, but, in recent times, catalytic upgrading of petroleum and emission control systems for automobiles have opened further huge markets for the metal. All of the POE find uses either as reagents or catalysts in the synthesis of organic compounds, e.g., in the Wacker process, which uses palladium chloride to catalyze the production of acetaldehyde from ethylene. There are, of course, a large number of specialized uses for the elements, particularly in alloys, temperature measurement devices, cancer therapy and so on."

Jan 1, 1979

By S Grönstrand, C. Perez, A. B. Yañez, F. Coddou, P. Morales, H. Elgueta

"The TankCell® 300 forced air flotation cell designed and built by Outotec, with active volume of over 300 m3, was installed at Codelco’s Chuquicamata concentrator in September 2008. After that, a program was conducted, where the new cell was tested against the plant’s existing flotation cells of type TankCell® 160, with an active volume of over 160 cubic meters.Testing program was exhaustive and detailed. Grade-recovery curves for each setup were reported, along with recoveries by particle size. Secondly, operational characteristics like air feed and froth height setpoints, and power consumption are compared side-by-side. As the third topic, gas dispersion characterization included velocity mapping, holdup, bubble size and bubble surface area flux operating range. The fourth area of interest was the retention time distribution (RTD) of the 300 and 160 m3 cells in comparison. A detailed campaign using radioactive tracer tests was conducted to clarify this.All of the investigations mentioned above are reported in separate papers for more detail. The aim of this paper is to collect the key findings, and present them in real terms, always referring to operability and metallurgy of the cells. It is destined for people designing new plants and to those improving and expanding existing ones. The most frequently heard question is: will the new large cells operate at same efficiency as the smaller ones. In short, the answer is: NO. They operate at improved efficiency!INTRODUCTIONIn the last two decades of minerals processing, there have been three dominant trends of development in the flotation technology: equipment scale-up, cell characterization and circuit modeling. Equipment scale-up has been rapid in the past two decades. In the year 1990, the largest flotation cell in use was 50 cubic meters of size. This year, 300 cubic meters is the largest installed cell. Characterization of flotation equipment and circuits is a very popular subject nowadays and has helped many operations to improve their recoveries through better control strategies, for example by using optimized air feed and level control profiles (Gorain, 2005), (Doucet, Gomez, Finch, 2006), or through better maintenance (Coleman, Urtubia, Alexander, 2006). Characterization work is closely linked to circuit modeling. The aim is to produce sufficient amount of data to allow reliable model building. These models are then used to design new circuits and to improve existing ones. So in summary, these three lines of development have slightly different aims – from capital and operational cost to performance optimization. Ultimately, they converge in the same end result – maximizing the profitability of the operation. Following chapters will summarize the extensive test work and scientific studies at Codelco Chuquicamata. The aim was to compare a TankCell® 300 cell, with nominal volume of 300 m3, against two TankCell® 160 machines, with 160 m3 volume in each. The work should yield answers to questions: does the larger cell produce similar results – is the scale-up successful?"

Jan 1, 2010

By Ed McConaghy, P. LaRochelle

The Ambatovy Nickel Project comprises the development of mine, hydrometallurgical processing facilities and necessary infrastructure in Madagascar, positioning Ambatovy as one of the world’s largest producers of nickel and cobalt from lateritic ore. SNC-Lavalin successfully provided comprehensive Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management (EPCM) services for this major capital project which, apart from its sheer size, scope, and engineering design, represented significant location, infrastructure, labour, environmental and climatic challenges. Today, the project has reached 90% of its nameplate capacity and is in its final performance optimization stage. This paper will discuss the significant project management effort that was required to successfully address the complexity of this major project. It will cover the main project management control systems and the engineering tools and processes used during the detail engineering, procurement, and construction phases to achieve optimum project execution.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. S. Dawson

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss, in a general way, the application of geological principles in the exploration for, and development of, deposits of industrial minerals. Mention of geological factors pertaining co specific minerals will be by way of illustration only. Since many prospectors are little acquainted with the geological setting and mode of occurrence of deposits of these minerals, some prospecting possibilities in the field will be pointed out. Geology is a tried and proven tool in the search for and exploitation of metalliferous deposits and of oil and gas fields, but, so far at least as Canada is concerned, only very rarely has a directed, intensive search been made for deposits of industrial minerals. Examples might be cited, however, where, in other countries, such investigations have yielded rich rewards. Thus, development of the vitally important potash deposits of New Mexico was the result of a deliberately planned programme of geological investigation, first by United States Government agencies, and later by private interests. War or the threat of war, or peace-time industrial expansion, can render concentrated exploration for specific minerals desirable or even essential. Such exploration is, primarily, a geological problem. Admittedly, there is in general less scope for the application of geology in the search for, and development of, deposits of industrial minerals than of metalliferous minerals, oil, etc. Where the latter are concerned; the objective of exploration is to find a material that is valuable, within broad limits, no matter where it is located or how it occurs. The unit value of the material is limited only by the amount of the valuable constituent in the formation- its possible upper limit is tremendously high. On the other hand, many industrial minerals constitute in themselves 90 per cent or more of the formation- their amount cannot increase and their unit value is commonly low. Moreover, for commercial exploitation, the deposit must, in general, be reasonably close to markets or to plant or other facilities for processing the raw material, since, owing to its low value, this cannot be transported any great distance. As a consequence, intensive geological search for and investigation of such deposits has been restricted to industrialized areas. Obviously, however, it is good insurance for any operator to understand the geological background of his deposit, particularly in the case of new developments.

Jan 1, 1949

By Eddy Dénommé, Deni Villeneuve

"Niobec mine, a producer of pyrochlore concentrates since 1976, became a producer of ferroniobium in 1994 and achieved accreditation to the ISO 9002 standard in 1995. The goal of ISO 9002 is to ensure that the products supplied to clients regularly meet their specifications, through explicit work standards and procedures throughout the production process, from deposit appraisal to ferroniobium production.A key element of ISO 9002 implementation at Niobec consists of the quality control procedures applied to the raw materials: the ore fed to the mill and the pyrochlore concentrate fed to the reduction plant. These controls extend from exploration, deposit appraisal, mine planning and reserves estimation, mining, mineral processing and, finally, ferroniobium production. The implementation of ISO 9002 has allowed more efficient control of the quality of the final product sold to clients. It requires interactive team work, the role of the geologist being to relate all information pertaining to raw material and product quality to the geological framework of the deposits."

Jan 1, 1997

By Matt Manson

Renard?1-10 kimberlite pipes and ?Lynx-Hibou?kimberlite dyke system within ?Foxtrot?property 50/50 JV with SOQUEM, Stornoway operator 2001: Discovery of the Renard kimberlite pipes 2003: Discovery of the Lynx-Hibou kimberlite dykes 2006-2007: Bulk sample program 2008: First 43-101 Resource and Preliminary Assessment 2009/2010: Updated 43-101 Resource

May 1, 2010

By John T. Whetton

"FROM 1850 when the annual production was around 50 million tons, coal output in Great Britain expanded rapidly to 225 million tons in 1900 and 287 million tons in 1913. However, during the First World War, countries which had previously bought large quantities of coal from Britain sought other sources of sup-ply or developed their own coal re-sources. Thus from the record figure of 73 million tons exported in 1913, Britain's coal exports declined until in 1938 they stood at 39 mil-lion tons. An important reason for this was the development of oil engines for marine propulsion. Today, nearly all the navies and mercantile shipping in the world have turned to oil engines. Sometime in the future, however, it is reasonable to expect nuclear power to replace oil.During the Second World War, coal output in Great Britain and manpower at the mines were reduced considerably and in 1.945, 175 mil-lion tons were produced by 709,000 miners. Exports were meagre, only 8.""7 million tons went to foreign consumption. During the severe winter of 1947, inland demand for coal exceeded production and exports were prohibited. Even importation of coal was required to meet inland demand. These were years when the coal industry of Great Britain made immense efforts to secure maximum output irrespective of economy. The energy needs of Great Britain appeared insatiable; but had it been possible to export, the nationalised mining industry could have made huge profits as there was a world shortage of coal. However, home needs were considered to be the priority and many overseas markets were lost. Other producers moved in and secured long-term contracts. Not only was the British export market lost, but also the nationalised industry had to sell the imported coal at the same prices as home-produced coal and suffered losses up to of:3 per ton. Bence, at a time when the National Coal Board might have ac-cumulated a reserve fund to cope with less prosperons times, it was having to spend large sums of money securing sufficient coal for inland consumption. This was a time when intensive efforts in the mining industry, comparable with those of many industries and establishments inclusive of the armed services during the war, would have produced a greater amount of coal and have been of immense value to the country as a whole."

Jan 1, 1960

By Ron Zevenhoven

In Finland one opportunity for large-scale CO2 capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is CO2 mineralisation, i.e. mineral carbonation. A process route under development towards industrial application involves production of magnesium hydroxide or sulphate from serpentinite rock (serpentine = 3MgO·2SiO2·2H2O), followed by conversion either in a pressurised fluidised bed (PFB) reactor, giving magnesium carbonate, or in an aqueous solution process giving magnesium hydro-magnesites. Iron present in the rock is typically obtained FeO(OH). Results obtained with these process routes and progress towards industrial demonstration is addressed, process heat integration and operation on flue gases (without CO2 pre-separation!) being key features for economic viability. A process route utilizing calcium-containing slag by-product from iron- and steelmaking under development towards large-scale application is the so-called slag2pcc concept. It converts an industrial by-product into valuable material, reduces use of natural material and streams to landfills while binding CO2 produced by the process generating the slag. Using ammonium salts, calcium is extracted from steel converter (BOF) slags and subsequently carbonated in a two-stage aqueous process (at ambient temperatures and pressures). Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) is produced while regenerating the ammonium salt. Process performance and scale-up while guaranteeing a certain PCC quality are presented.

Jan 1, 2015

By K. A. Clark

A meeting between representatives of the Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta and the Deputy Minister of Mines for Canada was held at Edmonton in May, 1929, for the purpose of formulating a co-operative plan for carrying forward studies in aid of the development of commercial methods for utilizing the bituminous sands of Alberta. It was agreed that to the Alberta Research Council should be allocated the general problem of investigation of the processes for the separating of bitumen from the sands, including studies of methods of emulsifying, dehydrating and otherwise preparing separated bitumen for industrial applications. It was further agreed that during the present year the work of the Alberta Research Council should be to continue its laboratory investigations of points of design of its separation plant; to further perfect its separation procedure; to recondition its existing separation plant at Dunvegan Yards, Edmonton, in the light of laboratory studies and to operate it for the purpose of demonstrating its efficiency; to carry on tests in emulsifying and dehydrating or otherwise preparing separated bitumen for industrial application; and on the basis of the experience gained in the operation of the preliminary plant at Dunvegan Yards to prepare and design and, as far as possible, to proceed with the erection of, a semi-commercial separation plant at a site to be chosen, probably at the bituminous sand deposits near McMurray, Alberta. This paper presents, in the main, a progress report of the carrying out of this programme.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. R. McClelland

GOLD-BEARING ores, representing many types, are found widely distributed through the Province of British Columbia. They range from those which by their nature may be considered as complex, to those whose mineral characteristics are simple. Those in which the gold is associated with metallic sulphides provide particular milling and metallurgical problems, the solution of which involves not only detailed laboratory investigation but also a careful consideration of economic factors. The location of an ore-body may have a deciding influence on the adoption of a method for the metallurgical treatment. Whether the ore should be treated with the object of recovering the gold as bullion or as a shipping concentrate is often dependent on such topographical considerations as the position of the mine at or near tidewater or within a reasonable overland distance of a smelter. British Columbia is fortunate in having the Trail smelter situated in the southern part of the Province, and the smelter at Tacoma, Washington, is accessible for coastwise traffic. Both of these provide a ready market for most types of gold-bearing concentrate. In order that the results obtained by laboratory tests may give a fair indication of what should follow in mill operation, it is essential that the test sample should represent as closely as possible in mineralogical character and in grade the ore that eventually will constitute the feed to the mill. In the early stages of mine development this consideration is sometimes overlooked and samples of a much higher grade than would be representative of run-of-mine ore are submitted. Flotation tests on such a sample of ore high in sulphides may show a low ratio of concentration, bu.t if the actual run-of-mine ore is lower in sulphides the mill operation will reveal a much higher ratio. The recommendations for treatment based on the results of laboratory tests may have been against concentration, when in actual operation this would be the most suitable method of treatment. Recommendations based on laboratory tests are necessarily from the results of work carried out on the sample submitted, modified only by such other economic or topographical information as may be known to the investigator. This paper deals with a few of the gold ores found in the six mining districts of British Columbia and is based on investigations made in the Ore Dressing and Metallurgical Laboratories of the Mines Branch, Department of Mines, Ottawa.

Jan 1, 1937

By Malcolm Scoble, Nick Vagenas, Greg Baiden

Recent advances in underground communications technology have demonstrated the feasibility of teleoperation and automation in underground metal mines. One major challenge lies in the automation of underground mobile machines from surface, with the potential to reduce significantly the need for human involvement in underground operations. This paper reviews the evolution of underground metal mining automation, principally related to the development of teleoperation and automation of mobile mining machines. Examples of prototype systems are given and the associated benefits that have been observed are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1997

By A. R. Byers

"This paper describes the distribution, occurrence, and paragenesis of known sulphide deposits within an area bounded by longitudes 102°00' to 106°00' west and latitudes 54 ° 301 to 57 °00 1 north. The Precambrian bed-rock which outcrops over all but the southern fringe of the area con- . sists of regional metamorphic assemblages ranging from low grade or green schist facies to high grade or amphibolite-granulite facies. The areas . of low-grade metamorphism correspond to 'islands' of volcanic rocks which are surrounded by highgrade paragneisses and migmatites. Intrusive rocks range in composition from ultrabasic to granitic and may be divided into syntectonic and posttectonic sequences. The average composition of the former is granodiorite and of the latter quartz diorite.The massive sulphide deposits fall naturally on basis of mineral content into the following divisions: ( 1) pyrrhotite and / or pyrite, (2) sphalerite and/ or chalcopyrite plus iron sulphides, (3) sphalerite and galena, ( 4) sulphide-bearing pegmatite, and (5) nickeliferous pyrrhotite and / or chalcopyrite. The deposits of iron sulphides are ubiquitous. Ratio of pyrrhotite to pyrite is fairly constant for individual deposits, but their areal distribution appears to be independent of the nature of the enclosing rock and grade of regional metamorphism. All deposits containing ore-grade quantities of base metals have been concentrated at favourable structural locations. Copper-zinc and lead-zinc deposits appear to be associated with syntectonic granodiorite with the lead-zinc concentrations confined to calc-silicate gneisses. Copper-nickel deposits show a close relationship to post-tectonic gabbros and pyroxenites. The paragenesis is more or less the same for the majority of deposits, with iron sulphides and sphalerite being introduced early and followed by chalcopyrite and galena. Some vertical and / or horizontal zoning is apparent in a few deposits. Temperatures of formation and origin of the deposits are briefly discussed."

Jan 1, 1960

By C. G. McLaughlan

The Noranda concentrator was placed in operation in October, 1928, and the object of this paper is to outline operations during the twelve months which have elapsed since that time. The ores milled are massive sulphides carrying copper and gold, and, in certain cases, zinc. These ores have a specific gravity of about 3.8. The average assay of the copper-gold ore so far treated has been 2.0 - 3.5 percent Cu; 0.10 - 0.20 oz. Au; 40 - 51 percent Fe; and 6 - 15 percent SiO2. In this ore the copper occurs almost entirely as chalcopyrite, and the iron which is not combined with the copper is present mainly as pyrite and pyrrhotite. ?some iron is also combined with the silica, the ratio being about 1 to 4, and a small percentage is present as magnetite. The occurrence of the gold has been shown by microscopic work carried out by Prof. L. C. Graton, of Harvard University, to be very variable. Some of it is free, and is included within the base-metal sulphides or occurs at their boundaries. A similar distribution also holds for a portion of the gold which is combined as a telluride. Little is so far known of the occurrence of the silver other than that some of it may be combined with the gold in the telluride, petzite. The copper-zinc ore contains up to 6 percent copper, and has a very variable zinc content. The copper in such ore is present as chalcopyrite, and the zinc as sphalerite. In starting the mill we had three conditions to face; the first of these was climatic, the second was the lack of skilled flotation operators, and the third was the ore itself." The last of these three proved much more difficult to contend with than the other two combined.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. E. Cole

"Amongst the mineral products of Canada gold holds the second place in value of yearly output. . . . . .The production of gold has increased steadily during the past six years and has somewhat more than doubled in that time. For the past four years Canada has been third among the gold producing countries of the world, surpassed only by the Union of South Africa, and the United States of America," and now yields somewhat more than 9 per cent of the annual output of the world."-"The Gold Situation in Canada". Bulletin of Development Branch, Canadian Pacific Railway. The history of gold mining in Canada is comparatively modern and does not take one further back than the late &apos;fifties of the 19th century. If the efforts of the early explorers in Canada were expended in "seeking with equal ardour, proselytes and gold", history fails of any record of their success in the search for the precious metal. As early as 1849 not a few Canadians travelled from the east by land and water to the Californian goldfields. In the then settled part of Canadathe east-people were alive to the value of any mineral discovery; but the west, owing to its remoteness and to there being no ready means of communication, was virtually isolated from the east.

Jan 1, 1927

By G. Herget

"A brief visit to European longwall mining operations in potash showed that retreating longwall mining provides a very attractive alternative to room-and pillar mining, especially in areas with bad roof, narrow seams and areas with high ground pressures. Mines de Potasse d&apos;Alsace, France converted all potash operations to longwall mining in 1980. Recovery rates per panel vary between 75o/~ to 85% which compares very favourably with Saskatchewan values. Ground pressure in Saskatchewan are comparable to those of some of the deposits in Europe, but the presence of water in the hanging wall of Saskatchewan orebodies has to be given serious consideration. However, given the mining experience in Saskatchewan and the improved technology f or laboratory and field investigations, a review of present mining practice in Saskatchewan is desirable. IntroductionLongwall mining is practiced widely in coal mining and allows complete mechanization. It is applicable at great mining depth, in thin seams, weak roof and has been applied recently even to coal bed s dipping more than 65 degrees. Ideally this system allows complete extraction of an orebody. However, with high mechanization and emphasis on obtaining high outputs per man shift, extraction ratios rarely reach more than 80010 per panel.France, Spain and the U.S.S.R. have had longwall operations in potash for some time and a brief description is given below. Two of the operations were visited and the Russian operation is described based on German literature"

Jan 1, 1986

By R. Elliott, C. A. Pickles, J. Peacey

As the nickel sulfide ore deposits become decreasingly viable as a source of nickel metal, increasing attention is being paid to the exploitation of the nickeliferous laterite ores. Attempts to produce a high grade ferronickel concentrate from these ores by pyrometallurgical methods face several challenges, in particular the selective recovery of the highly disseminated nickel from the reduced ore. The current work explores strategies for maximizing the size of ferronickel particles formed in order to improve the selective recovery of the ferronickel by magnetic separation. The effect of various coal, elemental sulphur, pyrite and sodium sulphate additions on ferronickel particle formation and size at 1000°C have been investigated. It has been observed that increased coal additions leads to a moderate improvement in the size of the ferronickel particles, while the presence of any sulphur bearing reagent leads to a significant increase in particle size. The retention of sulphur in the reduced material has also been studied, showing sodium sulphate has the highest retention, followed by pyrite and then elemental sulphur. An inverse trend was observed in the efficiency of sulphur retention on the basis of residual mass of sulphur per unit mass of reagent added.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. A. Jr. Carpenter

Expanding world economic prosperity, probable peaking of conventional petroleum production in the coming decades and environmental concerns require efforts to increase the efficiency of, and the development of alternatives to, petroleum-based fuels used in automotive transportation. In January 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) of the "Big Three" traditionally-USA-based automakers, DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors, formed the Freedom Cooperative Automotive Research (FreedomCAR) Partnership to fund high-risk, high-payoff research into advanced automotive technologies with the potential for eventually lowering the USA&apos;s nearly complete (95%) dependence on petroleum, 55% imported, for its transportation fuels. FreedomCAR replaced the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) which existed from 1993 to 2001. In January 2003, the energy-supply industry joined with the FreedomCAR Partnership forming the FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative (FC&FI) to develop the technologies needed for the mass production of fuel-cell vehicles using hydrogen as fuel and the infrastructure needed to deliver the hydrogen to the consumer. The goal is to enable the automotive and energy-supply industries to make commercialization decisions in 2015 on large-scale introduction of such vehicles and on developing the infrastructure beginning in 2020. In addition to work on fuel cells and hydrogen infrastructure, the FC&FI conducts research on technologies with the potential for nearer-term energy efficiency and environmental benefits, such as new engine concepts, lightweight materials, and engine-electric hybrid propulsion systems. Lightweighting is seen as crucial for shorter and for longer term benefits because hybrid and fuel-cell powertrains are expected, at least in the early stages of adoption, to be heavier and more costly per unit of power than the standard internal-combustion, gasoline- or diesel-fueled powertrains they replace. Research and development (R&D) on casting of aluminum automotive components were major parts of the PNGV and R&D on casting of magnesium automotive components have been and are so under FreedomCAR. This presentation will review those efforts.

Jan 1, 2006