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By Joseph J. Larry

In hard siliceous sandstone strata overlying coal seams, roof bolting is often the bottleneck in the coal production cycle. In the past, these strata have been drilled by pneumatically operated stopers. Although slow drilling is cumbersome and uncomfortably noisy, the stoper was the most effective drill in these harder strata. However, because of the (U.S.) Coal Mining Safety Act, which limits noise levels for operating drills, FMC Mining Equipment developed the water-through-the-drill-steel method of drilling high-compressive-strength strata. Although water-through-the-drill steel had been developed earlier, the real impact of wet drilling techniques surfaced when the dual-boom roof drilling machines were installed at the Virginia-Pocahontas Division, Keen Mountain, Virginia, in 1974. This paper covers some of the technical details of the water-through- the-drill-steel design and its application.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. W. Manley

SULPHUR, like the minerals of coal, iron and petroleum, is one of the essential materials in our modern expanding industrial civilization. Before discussing the salient features of the production of sulphur from the Canadian sour gas, it seems appropriate to outline the historical past and probable future utilization of sulphur. The ancient Greek writer Homer spoke of its "pest-averting sulphur" and the "divine purifying fumigation". Ancient alchemists found sulphur to be a fascinating and baffling material. The discovery of gun powder in the year of 1250, and its application to the art of war a, century later, made sulphur an important commodity in the progress of mankind. The initial manufacture of sulphuric acid in the year of 1736 by the Englishman Joshua Ward, established the basis of a chemical industry that today utilizes 80 per cent of the consumption of elemental sulphur. Commercial production of the chemical soda ash ( N a2C03) discovered in 1787 by the famous Leblanc Process, in-creased international demand for the element sulphur and marks the birthday of the Sicilian sulphur industry.

Jan 1, 1961

By G. M. Furnival

A PROGRAMME of structure drilling was commenced in the Southern Alberta Plains in June, 1943, for the purpose of determining the geological structure of the underlying sediments. More than 270 holes have been drilled throughout an area of some 1,800 square miles or 1,000,000 acres (see Figure 1). The Southern Plains of Alberta are covered by a mantle of glacial drift,' at places exceeding 200 feet in thickness. Only where this mantle has been dissected by deep drainage channels is bed-rock exposed to any great extent. Along such channels, surface geological mapping can be conducted to ad- vantage. Accordingly, geological mapping was commenced _in 1942 and continued each season to the present. To supplement this information, a survey of the water wells was carried on in conjunction with the mapping. However, to obtain more positive and evenly distributed structural control throughout the area as a whole and to define more adequately structural trends indicated by the preliminary mapping, it was necessary to resort to the use of drills to penetrate the glacial mantle. Various types of light drills are commonly used for this purpose and provide geological information in the form of drill cuttings, cores, drilling time rates, etc. Correlation of information is generally obtained through comparison of cored sections, drill cuttings, micro-fossils, and drilling time rates. However, in this case the holes were electrologged and correlations were made chiefly by comparison of such logs. The data so obtained is plotted and portrayed in the form of structure contour maps on recognizable stratigraphic horizons and in the form of isopach maps of the recognizable stratigraphic intervals penetrated in the holes. This method had not been widely used in Alberta previously and the technique employed was necessarily developed after the project began.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. W. Bruce, K. W. Downes

"IntroductionSULPHUR production in Canada from all sources for the year 1953 amounted to about 375,000 tons. Except for 16,000 tons of elemental sulphur derived from natural gas, this production was in the form of by-product pyrites, liquid sulphur dioxide, and sulphuric acid. In the same year, Canadian industry imported 359,000 tons of elemental sulphur from the United States. The cost, including transportation charges, to Canadian consuming plants ranged from $35.00 to $45.00 per long ton, depending upon location.Although most of the sulphur consumed is used in the oxidized form it is often most convenient to buy sulphur in the elemental form, and convert it to sulphur dioxide or sulphuric acid in situ as required. This is because elemental sulphur is easily shipped and stored, weighs only half as much as an equivalent quantity of sulphur dioxide and one-third as much as the corresponding quantity of sulphuric acid, and is readily converted to these forms in a sulphur burner. A process, therefore, which could economically recover elemental sulphur from sulphide ores would be most attractive.Since the turn of the century, notable improvements have been made in extractive metallurgy, but until recently only limited attention has been paid to the possibilities of elemental sulphur recovery. This has been due to the plentiful supplies of cheaply mined Frasch sulphur which have been available on the world markets."

Jan 1, 1955

By T. J. Wells

THE blast furnace is the base of the steel industry, since there is no commercially practical way of converting iron ore directly into steel. In three hundred years, the blast furnace has developed from a small unit using charcoal as fuel and producing about one ton of iron in twenty-four hours to a furnace making upwards of 1,500 tons a day. The principle of the blast furnace is briefly this: A descending column of stock, consisting of ore, fuel, and flux, is met by an ascending stream of gases, consisting in part of gases formed by the combustion of the fuel and in part of pre-heated air which is blown into the lower part of the furnace. The flux combines with the impurities in the ore and the ash in the fuel to form slag, which is drawn off as liquid.

Jan 1, 1943

By Donald P. MacKinnon

"This paper is a commentary on selected trends within the transportation industry.In general, innovations are taking place within all modes of transport (road, rail and water) serving the industrial minerals industry which will affect future distribution patterns, methods and costs. Significant technical innovations in the transportation of solids by• pipeline will also appear, perhaps in the near future, permitting the transport of specific commodities, including some industrial minerals. However, the timing and magnitude of the commercial exploitation of solids pipelines are heavily dictated by marketing factors and distribution system logistics, as well as by the innovations likely to take place within competitive modes of transport. Competitive technological developments will include increased ship capacities, improved bulk-handling facilities, larger and specialized bulk-handling rail equipment, unit trains, containerization, larger ""off-highway"" vehicles and greater inter-modal integration. Equally significant are some ""soft-ware"" techniques such as the growing interest in total distribution cost concepts. However, the impact of the developments will not be spread uniformly over all Canadian industrial minerals."

Jan 1, 1967

"Acid resistant brick lined autoclaves and related vessels are utilized in pressure oxidation for the recovery of gold, copper, and other metals. The combination of the corrosion resistant membrane, acid resistant brick, mortar and steel shell is a composite system that requires a sophisticated stress analysis. In order to obtain meaningful results both the model and physical properties of the materials must be carefully selected. Evaluation of the calculated results requires an understanding of both the failure mechanisms of ceramics and experience with the performance of existing lining systems.INTRODUCTIONAcid brick lining systems are used in pressure oxidation autoclaves and related vessels to provide thermal and mechanical protection for corrosion resistant membranes that are applied directly to the interior of the vessel shell. The acid brick and mortar must be resistant to the process conditions and must provide a mechanically reliable structure.The construction of lined vessels incorporates a wide range of materials that can include the carbon steel vessel, austenitic weld overlay, lead lining, organic membrane, ceramic brick, mortars and other alloy components. The physical properties of the materials can vary by orders of magnitude and when combined in the construction of the lined vessel create a complex composite structure. The materials may be bonded together or act independently of each other. Stresses are induced into the lined vessel include pressure, thermal expansion, chemical expansion and mechanical loads.The complexity of these systems makes it is very difficult to account for all of the variables in the structural analysis of lined vessels. Historically calculations were simplified and designers primarily relied on experience with previous applications.The greatly improved tools for Finite Element Analysis (FEA) available today allow for detailed calculation of the stresses imposed on the vessel shell and lining. Koning & Lauzon (2004) presented a paper on design fundamentals including a discussion on the application of FEA methods at Pressure Hydrometallurgy 2004 in Banff. When a designer carefully constructs a model and selects the correct materials properties for the calculations, meaningful and useful results can be achieved."

Jan 1, 2012

By E. W. O'Brien

Personnel protection involves effective grounding and positive clearance of faults. This paper deals, in a general sense, with various schemes to achieve fool-proof personnel protection and reduce, to a minimum, the effects of human error and equipment failure.

Jan 1, 1966

By W. W. Heywood

"IntroductionCIRCULAR structures on the Arctic islands were first noticed early after World War II. During the indexing of the 1950 Royal Canadian Air Force photographs their occurrence was brought to the attention of the Geological Survey of Canada by Mr. W. B. Waugh, Surveyor General. As a result, I. C. Brown ( 195l) of the Geological Survey of Canada studied the air photographs of these structures and discussed theories that might explain their origin. The author, as a member of the Geological Survey of Canada, spent several months in 1952 and 1953 in reconnaissance study of the geology of Ellef Ringnes island, using the Isachsen meteorological station as a base. Twelve days in the summer of 1953 were spent mapping the Isachsen dome and adjacent areas. The Isachsen dome, one of several similar structures occurring on Ellef Ringnes island, is situated 35 miles southeast of the meteorological station.PhysiographyEllef Ringnes island is a mature, stream dissected plain having an average elevation of about 400 feet. The surface of the plain is undulating with a relief of about 150 feet; only a few of the numerous streams that form a dendritic drainage pattern have eroded valleys this deep. Long, low, cuesta escarpments cross' the plain, which is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Lower Cretaceous and possibly younger age. The sedimentary strata have a low regional dip to the southeast; exceptions are found in the vicinity of the domes, where the strata are up-turned, and in the plateau region, northeast of Deer bay, where they are flat lying. The plateau, which is underlain in large part by basalt, is deeply dissected and has an average elevation of 1,000 feet."

Jan 1, 1955

By Gorrell. H. A.

Subsurface water data can be very valuable in .petroleum exploration and research. For the discussion of problems related to subsurface waters uniform nomenclature and classifications are required. The term 'connate water' has frequently been incorrectly used. It should .only be used in its original sense in which it is analagous to 'fossil water'. Classifications .based on origin and on sodium-chloride content are proposed. Present and possible uses of formation water analyses are briefly discussed. Since the potential uses of formation water data are not fully understood, complete analyses of selected samples should be made to insure against future requirements. The subsurface waters of Alberta show considerable regional variation in amount and proportion of dissolved salts.

Jan 1, 1958

In April, 1961, a large pillar was removed by blasthole mining methods at Inco's Murray mine. More than half a million pounds of explosives were used to break 2,120,000 tons of ore in a single underground blast. The 5, 10 2-inch boreholes, involving 435,815 feet of drilling, were loaded over a three-week period, using conventional explosives and short-period electric caps. From this blast, more than half a million tons of ore have been removed to date (April, 1962) through slusher trenches situated in the footwall of the ore body. T HE Ontario Division of The International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited, operates six underground mines and two open pits in the Sudbury district in the north-central part of the Province. This paper describes the removal of a large pillar at the Murray mine (Figure 1), where 2,120,000 tons of ore were broken in a single underground blast by the blasthole mining method. This is the largest underground blast achieved to date (April, 1962) at Inco mines.

Jan 1, 1963

By H. T. Kennedy, D. L. Flock

"The project described in this pa-per was undertaken to provide a more thorough understanding of the effect of contamination by drilling fluids on the electrical properties of porous systems. The basic work per-formed was filtration tests on both consolidated and unconsolidated sands and the determination of their resistivity profiles with the aid of screen-type electrodes spaced at convenient intervals along the core.Four drilling fluids were selected, ranging in resistivity from 447.0 ohm-cm. to •5.76 ohm-cm. The permeability of three unconsolidated and four consolidated cores, on which resistivity measurements were made, varied from 1,257 md. to 4,560 md. Five additional cores with permeabilities as low as 49 md. were tested to investigate the effect of permeability on the depth of invasion of drilling fluids.The effect of drilling fluid invasion on resistivity profiles was determined on cores containing brine only, and on those containing 80 to 90 per cent oil and 20 to 10 per cent brine. The study included measurements of (a) clay content of different sections of the core, (b) saturation of the invaded fluids and oil in different parts of the core, and ( c) changes in resistivity as a result of gravitational re-distribution of fluids and diffusion of electrolytes.The data showed that the resistivity of an invaded core is, as was expected, controlled by the resistivity of the filtrate, the resistivity of residual core water, the resistivity of the clay particles, and the amount and distribution of the filtrate, clays, residual oil, and brine. In most cases there was a significant increase in resistivity owing to the presence of clay solids which had invaded the core. The change in resistivity, as a result of the diffusion of salts, was substantial after a period of five hours. There is evidence in some cases that the residual oil and core water saturations of the unconsolidated cores, after substantial invasion, are very low, indicating almost complete displacement by invading fluid."

Jan 1, 1959

By Michel Mellinger

This paper presents preliminary results of a project aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the genesis of gold mineralization in northern Saskatchewan using lithogeochemistry. The properties sampled were: Weedy Lake (B Zone), Waddy Lake (Komis Zone) and Wedge Lake (Twin Zone) in the La Range belt, and the Rio mine in the Flin Flon area. Although the three vein-type deposits rudied here (Weedy Lake. Waddy Lake, Rio deposit) occur in different geological situation . a common gold deposition mechanism appears to have been active at all three location . Hydrothermal fluids carrying sulphur in solution in exces of gold thio-complexes moved through fractured host-rocks until they reached a site where pyrite precipitation wa triggered. As pyrite precipitated, the a/ aAu activity ratio of the fluid decreased. until a critical thre hold was reached and gold thio-complexe were de tabilized . resulting in the co-precipitation of gold and pyrite. The conditions triggering the precipitation of pyrite appear to have been: the abundance of iron in host-rock ~ilicates at Waddy Lake. and temperature decrease upon the reaching of structural trap~ at both Weedy Lake and the Rio deposit. with additional involvement of carbonatizationrelated reactions between fluid and host-rocks for the latter. In addition to pyrite precipitation , potassic alteration of the mafic metavolcanics is observed at Waddy Lake. while at the Rio deposit, the extensive carbonatization of the host-rocks i coupled with the deposition of chlorite that may have been remobilized from the altered mafic host rocks. In both the B Zone at Weedy Lake and the Komis Zone at Waddy Lake, a di tinct vanadium signature give some clue about the direction in which the hydrothermal fluids have moved . and the interpretation made is con istent with the geological ituation in either case. As for the Wedge Lake deposits, the distinct base metals-precious metals a sociation within a sulphide-facies iron formation confirm the volcanic exhalative origin of this gold mineralization .

Jan 1, 1986

By D. M. Ramsey

HIGH-INTENSITY magnetic separation as now practised in the commercial treatment of a large variety of industrial minerals is a com-paratively recent development, having had its practical beginning about ten years ago when it became necessary to devise more effective methods for the purification of the electric furnace abrasives and refractories-silicon carbide and fused aluminium oxide. The fundamentals of magnetic separation are, of course, very well under-stood; bur while very, very old in principle, the process has, in recent years, been developed to a point of far greater usefulness than heretofore. In fact, until the development of the high-intensity process,. magnetic separation was limited largely to the removal of tramp iron? with magnetic pulleys and the removal of the very highly magnetic portions of industrial minerals by means of horizontal conveyor-belt-type separators. All magnetic separation processes depend for their success on the fact that various materials are kinetically influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the force that we speak of as 'magnetism'. We have now come to regard 'magnetic separation' and 'high-intensity magnetic separation' as two different and distinct methods. However, both depend upon the reaction of a particle when placed in a magnetic field. The common types of magnetic separators quite generally operate on the principle that a magnetic particle can be lifted by a powerful magnetic force from a stream of material moving on a belt or other type of conveyor. The application of the force removing magnetic material by this scheme is directly opposed to the force of gravity and is, therefore, limited to sub-stances of a relatively high order of magnetic susceptibility, such as metallic iron and magnetite. Until a few years ago, one very important principle was almost entirely overlooked. Practically every substance is susceptible to some extent, at least, to magnetic attraction, and by the application of a magnetic force great enough, and properly applied, separations of materials heretofore considered 'non-magnetic' can be accomplished.

Jan 1, 1937

By F. H. Edmunds

Introduction This paper, it is hoped, will serve as an introduction to further work upon the origin of the soils and to a more complete interpretation of the geology of Saskatchewan from a study of the soils of the Province. The great difficulty that is encountered in mapping the structure of the prairie regions of the west must be evident to all who have made the attempt. The rarity of good exposures, due to the extensive coverings of glacial drift, is the greatest obstacle, making it difficult to determine the exact stratigraphical position of such exposures as may be found. In many cases palæontological evidence is lacking, or, if available, our present knowledge of the stratigraphy is insufficient to justify division of the formations into horizons; and until many of these formations have been subjected to petrographic investigation, little can be done in using lithological differences as an aid to the correlation of the usually sparse outcrops met with in the Province. Topography may be of the utmost value as an indication of geological structure when considered in conjunction with other evidence. It does not necessarily follow that, because an area in Saskatchewan has resemblances in surface configuration to an area of oil-producing land in Texas, there is sufficient justification for sinking money in wells without further investigation. Such - investigation should include the study of available soil maps.

Jan 1, 1929

By P. O. Sandvik, George Erdosh

"AbstractThe Cargill phosphate deposit, located 32 kilometers southwest of Kapuskasing, Ontario, was discovered by the Resource Development Group of International Minerals & Chemical Corporation in 1975 and has been evaluated through an extensive program of 190 drill holes, numerous chemical analyses, metallurgical tests, and engineering and economic studies.The Cargill alkalic complex, comprising principally car-bonatite and pyroxenite-amphibolite rocks, was intruded in to the rift system of the Kapuskasing High during late Precambrian time about 1,800 million year s ago, near the intersection of northeast- and northwest- trending faults. The Cargill complex is one of at least ten known alkalic complexes in or close to the Kapuskasing magnetic-gravity-high system and is expressed by an elongated, northeast- oriented, three-part magnetic anomaly 7.2 kilometers long by 2.8 kilometers wide . Weathering and leaching under assumed temperate to cool, moist climatic conditions , and controlled by faulting, shearing and/or initial petrographic variations within the carbonatite , developed a small, locally confined karst system in the car bonatite rocks and resulted in a thick enriched leached carbonatite zone, capped by troughs and sinks, filled with a residuum of apatite, goethite, clay and other minerals stable in the near -surface, oxidizing environment. Overburden is 5 to 165 meters thick."

Jan 1, 1977

By G. Belzil, F. Robichaud, M. Fullam

ABSTRACT The Goldex mining and milling complex is operated by Agnico-Eagle and is located in the Abitibi greenstone region of northwestern Quebec, Canada. Commercial production started in 2008. Average gold recovery is 93.5% with approximately 68% of gold recovery coming from the gravity circuit. During the first three years of production, three gravity audits were carried out to optimize performance of the gravity circuit. This paper presents results of the audits and the development of a model linking gravity and overall gold recovery, and outlines improvements made to increase gravity performance and reduce operating costs.

Jan 1, 2013

By G. Viramontes-Gamboa, A. Encinas-Oropesa, S. Velázquez-Roque, L. A. Ibarra-Bracamontes

Some industrially relevant applications for pyrite nano/micro-particles have been proposed in the literature, such as the catalysis of chalcopyrite leaching, the removal of As(III), As(V) and Cr(VI) from solution, as photovoltaic devices, and others. Even though pyrite can be recovered from solution by flotation, for some applications it may be beneficial to provide pyrite with magnetic properties. In this work, a methodology to synthesize magnetic shell/core composites made of pyrite as the shell and either natural or synthetic magnetite as the core is presented. The size of the magnetic composite may range from tenths to hundreds of microns. The synthesis is basically made by stoichiometrically mixing iron nano/micro-particles with sulfur microparticles with magnetite particles, and bringing the mixture in an oxygen free atmosphere from 200 to 300 °C for 4 h. The composites were characterized by optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray diffraction.

Jan 1, 2014

By Kostas Fytas

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious environmental problem that preoccupies the Canadian Mining Industry. Considerable amounts of money are spent every year in an effort to prevent or reduce the acid mine drainage phenomenon. AMD occurs when sulphide minerals (ex. pyrite) contained in rock are exposed to air and water and subsequently oxidize to produce low pH water. This acid effluent has the potential to mobilize any heavy metals contained in the rock. Coating the sulphide minerals with silicates is a new promising technology to reduce AMD. Pyrite is treated with a solution containing H2O2, sodium silicate and a buffering agent. H2O2 oxidizes a small part of pyrite producing ferric iron (Fe3+) ions. These ions subsequently react with the silicate ions to produce ferric hydroxide-silica that precipitates on the pyrite surface producing a passive coating. This silicate coating can protect the grains of pyrite from oxidation. This paper presents a series of experiments that confirm that silicate coating can considerably reduce AMD.

May 1, 2001

By D. Want

In titanium-lined autoclave design the most critical point of its mechanical reliability is its titanium batten strips present at the circumferential and longitudinal barrel-weld seams. Recently an Australian Company, W.E. Smith Hudson (WESH) P/L, has developed a fully flush batten strip and is building autoclaves with this design. Significant research and development has been performed in the process. In this presentation, design aspects of these batten strips are presented that cover topics such as residual-stress magnitudes during fabrication, affect of preheat during batten-strip welding and residual stress in respect to fatigue life. There has been little research done regarding the affects of residual batten stress in relation to fatigue life. Considerations of this 'grey' area of design will be discussed based on the author's research data and finite element analysis.

Jan 1, 2005