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By L. Nichols, H. Keele, K. Czajewski

"The oil sands industry in northern Alberta disposes of the by-products of bitumen extraction into tailings ponds. The mix of tailings sand and mature fines, with gypsum added as a flocculent, constitute a waste stream called consolidated tailings or composite tails (CT). The two main challenges of the tailings disposal process are a chronic shortage of economical containment and the potential mobility of CT deposits in the event of breaching by, for example, long-term erosion, which makes abandonment of tailings ponds more complicated. Thick deposits of CT do not consolidate in adequate time to provide reassurance for abandonment of the CT containment facilities and that is why the containment must be adequately robust or the properties of CT improved for long-term stability. This paper addresses potential solutions to these problems by applying the gravity drainage of CT and quasi-homogeneous construction for containment facilities.Gravity drainage is suggested as a mechanism to facilitate the consolidation of CT in critical areas of the ponds by inserting internal sand layers within the body of the deposit. Critical CT areas are defined as areas around the perimeter of containment. The advantages of this solution are longterm stability of the disposal area by creation of stiff deposits around its perimeter and facilitation of reclamation efforts on its surface.The present solution for containment of CT deposits is not favourable from a materials balance point of view. In general, sand has become a valuable resource as it both forms the primary component of the CT matrix and becomes the containment building material. If sand is required for CT, less is available for dyke construction. This puts additional pressure on the industry as a whole to maximize the use of overburden and interburden for construction of tailings containment structures. Typically, only 50 percent of dry mine waste (overburden + interburden) is incorporated into dyke construction. The remainder of dry waste is stored either in waste dumps or in tailings ponds, consuming valuable in-pond space originally allocated to CT material. Quasi-homogeneous dykes are proposed to contain CT deposits rather than traditional minimum cross-section dykes built of overburden and/or cell sand. The quasi-homogeneous dyke may change the unfavourable material balance and lessen the construction constraints that are presently imposed on the mine/waste disposal process."

Jan 1, 2008

By Brian Reid

"This paper studies the progress made by hydraulic shovel manufacturers over the last few years, particularly in the areas of productivity increase and operating cost reductions.Five years ago, it was widely considered that the unit production cost for a hydraulic shovel in a mining application was double that of a cable shovel in the same application. The hydraulic machine manufacturers have taken up this challenge, and modern improvements in design, coupled with changes in maintenance techniques, have narrowed the gap to the point where it is valid to ask the question ""will the cable shovel exist in ten years' time?"".Historical BackgroundThe history of the cable shovel goes back to the early 19th century and the industrial revolution. Early machines were steam-powered and ran on rails.The ""power shovel"" and the ""dragline"" were the only mechanical means of mass excavation until the early 1950s. Rail-mounted units gave way to crawlers, which increased flexibility considerably. Some shovels were redesigned as backhoes, and some became extremely large when designed as stripping shovels primarily used in North American coal mines.In the early 1950s growth in hydraulic technology spawned the introduction of the hydraulic excavator, which soon began to replace the smaller cable shovels and backhoes used in the construction industry. They were completely self-contained with either a gasoline or diesel engine and, being much lighter, were more readily transportable.As the excavators grew in size from its early models of 0.5 m3 or less, many of the cable shovel models were discontinued. This was not surprising for several reasons, but the most obvious is that both were often made by the same manufacturer."

Jan 1, 1988

By Q. Zhang, J. A. Finch

"Sphalerite flotation in the absence of copper activation at moderately alkaline pH has been observed in laboratory studies. An in-plant test of this observation was conducted at Kidd Creek Mine LTD. using a portable minicell flotation circuit. The results confirm that raising the pH causes sphalerite flotation.The testwork with the minicell circuit is described. The circuit, built around 2, 51 cells donated by the Noranda Technology Centre, was funded by Air Liquide and NSERC. It includes a data acquisition system to monitor continuously dissolved oxygen, pH and Pulp potential.INTRODUCTIONFlotation of sphalerite is normally practised by adding CuSO4 as an activator under alkaline pH. Recently there have been a number of laboratory and plant examples of sphalerite flotation without deliberate addition of cu++ ions (Girczys, 1972; Mukherjee, 1976; McTavish, 1980; Marouf et al., 1986; Mielczarski, 1986; Leroux et al., 1987; Palsson and Forssberg, 1989; Sandoval-Caballero et al., 1990; Zhang et al., 1991).In batch tests, with a sample of Pb/Zn ore from Polaris, Leroux et al. (1987) found that sphalerite became floatable after adjusting pH to 9. 5-11: they ruled out natural floatability or the formation of elemental sulphur on the surface but suspected iron hydroxy compounds were responsible. Sandoval-Caballero (1990) conducted a continuous minicell test at Brunswick Mining and obtained a 44 % Zn recovery and 40.5 % Zn grade concentrate without deliberately adding CuS04 at pH= 10.5. With single mineral studies, Zhang et al. (1991) revealed good sphalerite floatability (over 80% recovery) in pH range 8 to 11 and found that this floatability was related to pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) level and Fe++ species present in the system.To explore further the conditions under which sphalerite can float without addition of CuSO4 , a continuous pilot test using minicells was performed at Falconbridge Ltd., Kidd Creek division. The set-up is briefly described (a more detailed description is given elsewhere in these proceedings) with emphasis on the data acquisition system - dissolved oxygen, pulp potential and pH were monitored continuously. Results of testwork investigating pH, CuS04 addition and gas composition are presented."

Jan 1, 1992

By Pierre Boileau

Outline ? Who are We? ? Canada?s GHG Emissions 1990 - 2000 ? Emissions from the Petroleum Sector ? Emissions from Petroleum Exports ? Emissions from Manufacturing Industries ? Emissions from Mining and Metallurgy ? Conclusions Greenhouse Gas Division Key Functions: ? National GHG Inventory Report, Emission & Removal Trends Analysis, and Indicator Fact Sheets ? Scientific and Engineering Guidance, Technical Advice, Data Quality Assurance & Quality Control and Methodological/Data Development ? International Negotiations (FCCC) & scientific/technical guidelines (IPCC & ISO) ? Expert Review Teams (ERTs) ? Outreach ? GHG Verification Centre ? Clearinghouse ? Protocol Development

Nov 1, 2002

By Malcolm Powell

"The argument has long raged across the oceans as to what the best AG/SAG mill aspect ratio is. The North American practice of a high aspect ratio of two, diameter twice length, through to the South African and Scandinavian practice of an aspect ratio of as low as a 0.5. Within the collaborative P9 AMIRA project the MPRU of the University of Cape Town and the JKMRC of the University of Queensland have been collecting plant data pertinent to this issue over the past four years.The JK SAG mill model developed by the JKMRC is based upon data collected from mills having a range of aspect ratios from 1 up to 2. The maximum mill speed, mill load, and ball filling in the fitted data base were all below the operating range common in South Afr-ica. The extension of the P9 project into South Africa therefore lent an ideal opportunity to collect data in a whole new window of operation that would allow the range of applicability of the semi-empirical SAG model to be greatly extended.At the heart of the differences in aspect ratio is the completely different operating practice for high- and low- aspect mills. The mill filling, mill speed, and recirculating loads of closed-circuit single-stage operation have more influence on the differences in operation than the pure aspect ratio relationship. Relationships for load have been extended to 45% filling, with the modified model showing the measured peak in throughput as the mill filling increases. The ball load relationship now covers fillings of over 30% balls (of total mill volume), thus including so-called SAG-ball mills. The influence of closed circuit operation has been measured. It has been found that a key issue of the high slurry flows associated with closed circuit operation, especially when closed with a cyclone, is the pulp discharge limitation of the traditional grate and radial lifter configuration. It has also been observed that absolute mill length is more of an issue than aspect ratio. Slurry flow along the mill and charge segregation within the load are being investigated on pilot and full-scale mills to provide data for potentially modifylng the perfect mixing model that is used for the SAG mill.Improved understanding of these aspects of SAG mill operation and extension of the JK SAG model to better cover the entire range is allowing serious direct comparison of high- and low aspect mills for the first time. It is the conclusion of the researchers working in this area that there is no one best practice, that in fact mills across the range have their application based on ore type, desired product, available capital and on operating costs. Developing robust designs allows direct comparison of two-stage circuits using high-aspect primary SAG mills, with single-stage closed circuit low-aspect SAG mills. The new operations within South Africa are now considering both circuit types, and data is presented on selections that cover the full range of aspect ratio and operating practice."

Jan 1, 2002

By John G. Payne

The Pebble deposit contains three contiguous zones. In the Pebble West zone, granodiorite stocks intrude gently warped volcanosedimentary rocks that had been intruded by diorite sills and two felsic intrusion breccias. In the Central zone, volcanosedimentary rocks are cut by diorite and granodiorite sills; the latter are genetically associated with the granodiorite stocks. In these zones, widespread potassic alteration consists of brown biotite and K-feldspar, with abundant quartz-carbonate-sulphide vein stockworks. Chalcopyrite/pyrite ratios range from 2/1 to 1/20. Diorite hosts the highest-grade mineralization, with much of it being disseminated. Patchy, later phyllic alteration is moderate and commonly depleted in copper. The Pebble East zone occupies a granodiorite stock and intruded host rocks below an eastwardly thickening wedge of barren Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks up to 600 m thick. Brown biotite alteration and copper mineralization are strong, with chalcopyrite/pyrite ratios commonly over 1/1. The zone extends to a depth of at least 1200 m below surface; some drill holes bottomed in strong mineralization. Later, weak to moderate sericitic alteration removed some chalcopyrite and locally remobilized gold. The Pebble deposit has a Measured/Indicated resource of 3 billion tonnes grading 0.28% Cu, 0.32 g/t Au and 0.015% Mo (= 0.5% copper-equivalent) and an Inferred resource of 1.13 billion tonnes grading 0.30 g/t Au, 0.27% Cu and 0.015% Mo (0.55% copper-equivalent). The Pebble East zone has an Inferred resource of 2.13 billion tonnes grading 0.55% Cu, 0.34 g/t Au, and 0.037% Mo (0.97% copper-equivalent). The Pebble East zone is open to the east and to a lesser extent to the north, south, and to depth.

May 1, 2006

By C. A. Olivier

Le Ministère des Richesses naturelles du Québec has continued development work on the process/or direct reaction 0/sodium carbonate with lithium-bearing silicates(Canadian Patent No. 643,843). Recent process improvements have involved continuous pressure leaching, rather than batch leaching, and higher solution concentrations (over 55 g/l Li2CO3. These improvements have been demonstrated on a pilot scale operating on decrepitated spodumene from the Sullivan Mining Group's Quebec deposit. The new process is expected to be very competitive with the conventional sulphuric acid route. The improved flowsheet and main process steps will be described along with pilot-plant results.

Jan 1, 1979

By Tano Balbin, Valery Astakhov, Juha Timperi, Lauri Koresaar

"Online elemental analysis is the basis of optimal flotation control in mineral concentrator plants. Traditionally XRF analyzers have been used as the online analysis method. However, online XRF analyzers struggle to measure elements below calcium in atomic number (Z=20). For many processes lighter element assays would be beneficial to improve control of grade and recovery. Processes where elements below Ca are required include P, Mg and Si in phosphate concentrators, Si, Mg and Al in iron concentrators, and S and C in gold concentrators. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) based elemental analysis can readily be applied to these processes. LIBS is based on generating plasma in the slurry sample by a high energy laser and analysis of the plasma by optical emission spectroscopy. Capabilities of a new Courier® 8 analyzer based in LIBS technology are demonstrated for elemental analysis starting from lithium (Z=3). Results of a plant installation in a sulfide gold concentrator provide a good agreement with the analyzer and laboratory assays.IntroductionEffective process control can be regarded as one of the fastest paying investments for a mineral processing plant. Process optimization in flotation circuits requires constant feedback of the process state. If only manual laboratory samples are available, this optimization becomes difficult due to the long delay between taking the sample and acquiring the laboratory result. If the element grades are available in online basis, the operator or automatic process control system can make corrective actions in real time.Online X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers have been in use at concentrators for decades. The XRF analyzers can provide a fast, accurate and precise analysis from slurry streams. However, the drawback of XRF analyzers is their lack of capability to measure elements below Ca (Z=20) in atomic number. The low energy X-rays of the low atomic number elements get absorbed by water in the sample, protective window of the analyzer, or air between the sample and spectrometer."

Jan 1, 2017

By S. V. Burr

"A 28-year study of cross folds leads to the conclusion that the northwest-southeast folds recognized in many areas of North America are part of a regional pattern. Detailed examination of over 650 geological maps and reports of Ontario indicates that this folding can be traced across the province. Evidence is presented that this fold pattern played an important part in determining the pattern and scale of intrusion, that its recognition in the field can aid in defining stratigraphy, folding and faulting, and that it may have played an important role in channeling hydrothermal or magmatic mineralization. IntroductionThe concept of regional cross folding in Ontario is not new. W.H. Gross (1955) discussed regional cross folds in the Archean of Northwestern Ontario, and A.M. Goodwin (1961) referred to regional cross folds in the Archean of Ontario and Quebec. However, the interpretation in this paper is new.The writer saw a cross fold for the first time, underground, at Little Long Lac Gold Mines in Geraldton, Ontario, in 1951. This recalled the ""transverse folds"" on E.R. Faribault's classical maps of Nova Scotia, published by the Geological Survey around the turn of the century; M.E. Hurst's cross fold(s) at Timmins, Ontario (Figure I); and the cross folds mapped by A.W. Jolliffe in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Territories. All these mapped cross folds had one thing in common with the fold at Little Long Lac: A northwest-southeast axial trend. Were such cross folds of purely local extent, or might they be indicative of a widespread regional fold pattern? If so, has such folding any significance for mineral exploration or potential?By 1959, based on a study of about 1000 Canadian geological maps and reports, including 291 in Ontario, the writer reached the conclusion that cross folding trending northwest-southeast is so widespread as to constitute a pattern of folding, and that such cross folding should produce changes in plunge along pre-existing greenstone fold belts."

Jan 1, 1980

By J. Yue

"Mount Milligan mine is located in northern British Columbia. The concentrator employs conventional SABC grinding circuit with bulk sulphide flotation processes. Commissioning started in September of 2013 and nameplate production of 60,000 TPD was reached in the fourth quarter of 2015. As is typical with many mill ramp ups, bottlenecks developed as throughput increased. Since then, plant modifications and new control philosophies in the comminution and flotation circuits have been implemented and evaluated. The mine-to-mill collaboration played a key role in reaching target throughput rates by improving blast fragmentation and implementing temporary pre-crushing. Results of the projects as well as ongoing challenges/bottlenecks and solutions will be discussed.IntroductionMount Milligan Mine is a copper-gold producer located approximately 253 km northwest of Prince George in British Columbia. Production commenced in September 2013 and reached nameplate capacity of 60,000 TPD in December 2015. Average head grades for the mine life average 0.18% Cu and 0.39 g/t Au.Circuit DesignOriginal process design began with run-of-mine ore from the pit crushed through a 60-110 gyratory crusher, conveyed to a live ore stockpile and fed to the mill via four variable apron feeders. The concentrator circuit employs SAG mill - Ball mill - Pebble Crusher (SABC) grinding configuration to grind the ore down to a target P80 of ~200µm. It is then fed to two parallel trains of flotation tanks, each consisting of five 200 m3 tank cells with the first two being roughers and last three being scavengers. Concentrate streams from roughers and scavengers are separately reground with a closed circuit Tower mill and two open circuit ISA mills operating in parallel, respectively.Three stages of cleaners upgrade roughers/scavenger products to 25% Cu followed by a cleaner scavenger stage. The final concentrate is then thickened and filtered to approximately 9% moisture and shipped off site (Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2017

By H. D. Stolovitch, M. L. Lavallée

"An engineering system used to analyze and improve the performance of industrial grinding circuits has been adapted into a training program. The systematic approach to the design of training was applied in order to:Determine if training was an appropriate and effective tool for the transfer of this new technology;Define the technical content of the program;Establish program specifications based on learner and context characteristics;Design and test prototypes of the instructional modules; and,Establish a strategy for plant implementation and maintenance of the training program.This paper thus describes how a engineering system is transferred to the workplace through the use of designed instruction.INTRODUCTIONTraining can change human performance in a permanent way. It can improve productivity for the overall benefit of an operation. Organizations can therefore use training as a mean to achieve their specific goals. Training is not the solution to every performance problem. However, in many cases, it can be a very effective way to attain desired performance.The benefits of training are often difficult to assess. However, to remain competitive, organizations must introduce new products and innovative technologies. Often, they can do both most effectively through suitable training interventions.In order for the effort and investment of training to provide optimal results, two points of view should be adopted.• An overall view of the system in which training is to be applied.• A systematic approach to the design of training (Stolovitch and Keeps, 1989)."

Jan 1, 1992

By A. Griffiths, G. Vickell

"INTRODUCTIONA successful cyanide destruction process has to ensure environmental compliance at reasonable cost. That this is possible with hydrogen peroxide is shown by the fact that over twenty gold mines either already use H2O2 or intend to start using it within the next few months. About half of these mines are in Canada.This growth is remarkable, considering that the first treatment plant to use H2O2 for detoxifying cyanide was commissioned less than five years ago at Ok Tedi, in Papua New Guinea.Hydrogen peroxide is being applied to a wide range of situations, including:Treatment of CIP pulps; examples: Ok Tedi, PNG; Hope Brook, Nfld.Treatment of barren bleeds and filtrates; examples: Nickel Plate, B.C.; Puffy Lake, Man.Treatment of tailings pond discharge; examples: Detour Lake, Ont., Page Williams, Ont.Treatment of excess heap leach solution; examples: Hope Brook, Nfld; Gordex, NS.Treatment of barren heaps after heap leaching; examples: Alhambra, NV; Wharf Resources, S.D.Treatment of pond reclaim water to prevent either ""preg-robbing"" or depression of gold-bearing pyrite in a flotation step; example: Getchell, NV.Treatment of backfill to prevent possible groundwater contamination; example Hope Brook, Nfld.Treatment of tailings ponds to prevent bird kills; example: Paradise Peak, NV.""Emergency"" units to deal with unusual events such as freak storms or dam failures."

Jan 1, 1989

By Jie Zhou

Mining mobile equipment is becoming larger in order to lower operation cost and increase productivity; however, their performance characteristics are often limited by the tire capabilities. Although considerable progress has been made in the field of tire research, the lack of comprehensive knowledge on tire performance characteristics impedes the advancement of off-the-road tires. Longer haul roads, and a severe operating environment make tires more vulnerable than other components of a vehicle. Furthermore, due to a limited availability of large tires, mines are facing shortages. Thus mines and tire service companies are keen to improve tire performance, extend tire life and hence lower operating costs. This paper reviews the relevant tire performance research, analyzes tire interactions with the surrounding environment, tire maintenance practices and operational issues using a case study based on data collected during an ongoing project with Fountain Tire.

May 1, 2006

By Alexandra Kozak, Rodrigo Costa, Bob Fukuhara

"The Jacobina project in Bahia, Brazil commenced operations in 2004 with a design capacity of 4,200 tpd. A project development plan to increase plant capacity to 6,500 tpd will be discussed. The project included an evaluation of the existing circuit and addressed bottlenecks in the crushing, milling, sedimentation, leaching and tailings transport. These circuits and the methodology used to provide higher capacity will be presented.INTRODUCTIONThe Jacobina mine is located in the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil approximately 330 km northwest of the state capital city of Salvador and 9 km from the town of Jacobina. The Jacobina Mine (Figure 1) is owned by Jacobina Mineração e Comércio, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamana Gold Inc.The gold mineralization of the Jacobina mine is hosted within quartz pebble conglomerate reefs of the Serra do Córrego Formation which together with the Rio do Ouro Formation forms the Serra do Jacobina mountain chain.The Serra do Jacobina mountains have been mined for gold since the late 17th century. Since the 1970’s, the Jacobina mine has been operated by Anglo American, Williams Resources Inc., Desert Sun Mining Inc. The mine is currently owned by Yamana Gold Inc.In December of 1998, operations at Jacobina were suspended and the property was placed under care and maintenance. Desert Sun Mining Inc. began exploring the property in 2002 and eventually purchased the Jacobina mine in 2003. In 2003, a feasibility study was completed that evaluated the economics of re-developing the mining operations and expanding gold production. In 2004, refurbishment and re-development of the mining operations began and the milling facility throughput capacity was expanded from 1.08 to 1.512 Mtpy (3,000 to 4,200 tpd). The milling operations were commissioned in the 1st quarter of 2005 and commercial production was declared 1 July 2005. In April 2006, Yamana Gold Inc. acquired the Jacobina mine through its acquisition of Desert Sun Mining Inc."

Jan 1, 2008

By J. Coffin, R. Multani, C. Deredin

Glencore’s Strathcona Mill has recently evaluated a pyrrhotite depressant combination of diethylenetriamine (DETA) and sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) to improve its overall plant pyrrhotite- pentlandite (Po-Pn) selectivity, with the aim of producing a higher quality nickel concentrate. In a previous paper, key findings from a comprehensive lab-scale program (completed at the XPS Centre) were summarized where, of the depressants tested, DETA/SMBS combination was found to be the most effective in improving the Po-Pn selectivity. The present paper describes the metallurgical program recently completed at Strathcona Mill; DETA/SMBS evaluation on select plant “grab” samples as well as the major results of three DETA/SMBS plant trials conducted on several plant ore feeds (long-term testing). Interestingly, it was found that there was variable success in using DETA/SMBS depressants on the different plant ore feeds; DETA/SMBS (dosage: 25/50 g/t milled feed) on lower Cu feeds demonstrated a ~2% Ni recovery increase at the same Ni grade. On the other hand, higher Cu feeds demonstrated virtually no benefit from DETA/SMBS at the same plant dosage, suggesting that higher DETA/SMBS dosage (at specific locations) than that tested is required to overcome the increased Cu-DETA complexation for these particular feeds. Glencore Nickel – Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations owns and operates Strathcona Mill which has been processing Ni-Cu ores from the Sudbury Basin since 1968. The valuable sulfides are pentlandite (Pn) – (Ni,Fe)9S8 and chalcopyrite (Cp) – CuFeS2, majority of the sulfide gangue is pyrrhotite (Po) – Fe(1-x)S [0 < x ≤ 0.125] which is present in two forms: hexagonal Po (Fe9S10) and monoclinic Po (Fe7S8) (Multani & Waters, 2017; Lawson et al., 2014). Currently Strathcona Mill processes ore mined from two primary sources from the Sudbury area and produces two concentrate streams: (1) nickel-copper concentrate that is sent to the Sudbury Smelter; and (2) copper concentrate that is shipped to the Fonderie Horne (Glencore Copper, Rouyn-Noranda).

Jan 1, 2019

By A. Sheikh, S. Hardcastle

"Various methods of leaching are being used by Denison Mines Ltd. Uranium Operations. This study was designed to investigate the flood leaching operation of two parallel inter-connected stopes contained by pressure bulkheads. The teaching muck piles, created from large scale uppers production blasts, are aerated by compressed air lines laid beneath the pile prior to blasting.A SFr, tracer gas, injection technique has been employed to determine the post-blast integrity of the single-ended air distribution system. SF6 was injected into the compressed air line feed to the stopes and collected at borehole exhausts from the stopes in grab-sampling bags. Analyses of the air samples were performed with a gas chromatograph.The system was designed to give a sufficiency of oxygen to sustain bacterial activities used to enhance the leaching recovery in the muck piles. The results obtained indicated that there is a minor anomaly in the distribution system that may not be critical to the operation. Compared to an idealized case, the over-all efficiency of aeration throughout the muck is estimated at over 85%."

Jan 1, 1988

By Steve Cole

"The economic and strategic importance of PGE bearing deposits is fuelling renewed exploration and development efforts in the precious metals mining sector.This paper presents a review of the various techniques used in the processing of PGE bearing ores, from primary benificiation to processing routes for the different flowsheets that have been developed amongst current producers. Recent innovations such as preconcentration of ore using gravity separation, recent trends in flotation circuit design and the development of hydrometallurgical routes for the direct treatment of flotation concentrates without the need for smelting will be discussed. Data from recent projects will be presented to illustrate common characteristics of PGE ores and concentrates.INTRODUCTIONThe six platinum-group elements (PGE): ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum, together with gold and silver, are considered to be ""precious"" metals. The recent spike in platinum and palladium prices coupled with the projected increase in demand for the metals has fuelled a spate of exploration and new projects in the PGE sector. Historically primary producers of PGE metals have controlled the flow of information relating to the mining and processing of these ores into the public domain. Very little published information relating to individual operations and processes is available in comparison to the abundant literature relating to other metals.The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of the issues relating to the processing of PGE ores. Each topic discussed could easily be the topic of a paper or book and so in many cases only the surface of the topic will be scratched. An attempt has therefore been made to provide as many references as possible.This paper discusses the classification and location of PGE ores, the mineralogical factors that affect recovery of PGE's, methods currently used for recovering PGE's and process trends in PGE metallurgy."

Jan 1, 2002

By William Shaw

Conditional simulation is now an accepted tool for managing ore block design at a number of operating mines. It provides a way to consider the quality of data, local continuity and economic risk in defining ore and waste across the cut-off boundary. In addition a computer based system can ensure consistency in making decisions to meet multiple criteria such as cut-off grades, minimum ore-block size and contaminant grade limits. The development of a procedure for using multiple criteria allows ore blocks to be defined using alternative strategies depending on the specific production requirements. This has introduced the opportunity to define ore blocks for different destinations based on their material types and opens the way for geometallurgical modelling to be incorporated into grade control.

Oct 1, 2009

By Paul Krivokuca

Outline Quinsam Coal Mine ?? Location ?? Mine History ?? Safety ?? Production ?? Hiring 4S Mine ?? Depillaring design ?? Structural mapping, Risk assessment ?? Rock Bolt Design Selection ?? Training

May 1, 2008

By N. W. Johnson

"Two analysis tools which have been applied to problems in industrial flotation processes are the application of kinetics and detailed mineralogical or liberation data, both on a size-by-size basis. This paper describes practical examples of the application of kineticsto examination of the entrainment recovery mechanism, the retardation of valuable minerals at the commencement of flotation sections and the resolution of problems related to valuable species with reduced rate constants at the end of sections. Examples of the usefulness of size-by-size liberation data for monthly composite samples of products from a concentrator are also described.IntroductionMuch of the published industrial flotation data on the behaviour of minerals in various size fractions have been obtained from specially conducted surveys with a duration of several hours. Such data are very valuable and provide a record of the behaviour of the entire flotation plant or sections during the interval of the survey. Some examples from the literature can be cited Cameron et al. (1971), Lynch et al. (1981), Frew (1982). Less attention has been given to the value of complementary sized data derived from compositing shift or daily inventory samples over an interval of one or several weeks with repetition of the procedure at the completion of each interval. Mineralogical point count data of the size fractions of such samples and data interpretation are rare in the literature.Kinetic data on the behaviour of valuable and gangue minerals in various size fractions have been reported often for flotation banks. In the experience 0 f the writer, there has been a tendency among operating metallurgists to ascribe problems in the flotation process to rate constant values for gangue minerals which were believed to be unsatisfactorily high. Less attention has been paid to the value for the rate constant for the valuable mineral over the length of a particular bank.Examples of the types of data which were mentioned previously have been obtained from the lead-zinc concentrator at Mount Isa Mines Limited. The various types of data have been collected to evaluate their worth in order to provide relevant information for both research and operational aspects of the plant."

Jan 1, 1987