Search Documents

By G Anders

The mucking out of sub-level headings by slusher and by Autoloader is described, and the performance and costs of both methods are compared. The introduction of the Autoloader is taken as an example to illustrate the meth-od used at the mine for evaluating the suitability of new equipment. The consecutive steps in the process are covered in detail -from the preliminary cost analysis and the preliminary estimate of savings and advantages, and the review of these data after a field investigation, through the elimination of dubious factors, and detailed time and performance studies at the property, to the final assessment of the new equipment and an evaluation of the initial forecast. The Autoloader in Operation. 1198 Introduction AT Mattagami Lake Mines Ltd., the mine workings are laid out basically on a pattern of 60-ft.-wide stapes alternating with 60-ft.-wide pillars, with stope lengths varying from 80 to 200 ft. and stope tonnages generally between 80,000 and 200,000 tons. Stapes are drilled off from sub-levels at 60-ft. intervals, with the

Jan 1, 1965

By Christiaan Zeilstra, Jan van der Stel, Koen Meijer, Gerard Louwerse, Tim Peeters

The steel industry is producing about 5% of the world wide CO2 emission. Therefore the European steel industry has defined a research program to reduce the CO2 emission by 50% per ton: ULCOS. Since its start in 2004 ULCOS has identified four technologies for further development. Two of these technologies which produce liquid hot metal are discussed. The ULCOS blast furnace is based on recycling of decarbonated topgas and the capture and storage of CO2. The concept has been demonstrated during three campaigns at LKAB EBF in Luleå, Sweden. The smelting reduction process HIsarna is a combination of the cyclone-technology and Hismelt. The process has been demonstrated successfully in four campaigns at a pilot installation on the IJmuiden steelmaking site.

Jan 1, 2015

By W. G. Worcester

IN the presentation of this paper to the Institute, three objects are in the mind of the writer: first, to set forth the close relation which, of necessity, exists between ceramics and the industrial minerals; second, to clarify the apparently hazy understanding which many have of ceramics in general; and lastly, of equal or even more importance, to stimulate a greater interest in the industrial minerals, especially in those used and required by the ceramic industries. While Canada is now producing in large quantities a fairly wide variety of the ceramic industrial minerals, there are some which are not known to occur in the Dominion. Hence it is to be desired that our geologists, prospectors, and others, while on field work, should be on the look out for commercial deposits of such minerals as diaspore, bauxite, ucts of a value in excess of $600,000,000, a figure which places ceramics as kyanite, massive topaz, and sillimanite. A find of any of these in quantity would prove of very great importance and value to the country as a whole. At this point it seems desirable to introduce formally the word ceramic or the plural of it, ceramics. In doing so it may be stated that the origin of the word dates far back in history in that it was derived in part from the Greek word Keramos, 'a potter' or 'pottery', which in turn has been traced back to an older Sanskrit root meaning 'to burn' or 'burned stuff', having reference, no doubt, to burned pottery or other clay wares; and the word was so used until near the close of the last century, when the world's first schools of ceramic engineering were established in the United States. The use of the term ceramics was then expanded to cover a much larger field the entire field of the silicate industries and products. At one time it was suggested by a limited number of ceramists that the term 'ceramic engineering' be changed to 'silicate engineering'. This proposal, however, gained little support and was soon abandoned.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. G. B. Hayes, C. L. Renzoni

"AbstractThis paper provides a rough outline of economic expectations for the near future and then goes on to discuss their effect on the expected demand for metals, using zinc, copper, nickel and aluminum as detailed examples.IntroductionMINING, as you are all painfully aware, is a cyclical business. We believe that it will remain so as long as there are economic cycles.The fortunes of the industry are tied to those sectors of the economy where decisions can be postponed until more favourable times: automobiles, housing, appliances, inventory building and capital spending. Over the past two years, while U.S. GNP fell by 3.8%, automobile production declined by 31 %, from 9.7 million units in 1973 to 6.7 million in 1975. Housing starts plummeted some 43% from 2.1 million units in 1973 to 1.2 million in 1975. Little wonder that U.S. copper consumption fell by 37% and zinc consumption by 38% over the same period.With the rest of the world's economies moving in unison with that of the United States, it is also not surprising that times have been tough for mining.Arthur Burns, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, contends that each recession sows the seeds of its own recovery. The worse the recession, the better the subsequent recovery. If this is true, then the lot of the mining industry should improve significantly over the next two to three years."

Jan 1, 1977

By S. Y. Ezz, K. El•Guindi

A vertical tube, 8 m long and 2.5 cm in diameter, electrically heated to 650°C throughout the majority of its height, was used to study the-effect of ore feed rate and hydrogen flow rate on the reduction of fine iron ore particles. A correlation could be obtained between the combined effect of the amount of reducing gas and reduction time and the per-cent reduction. The results suggest that a method based on the reduction of fine iron ores while falling through up-streaming hydrogen cannot be recommended for industrial application.

Jan 1, 1969

By Saravarim A.

"The aim in flotation systems is to control the grade and recovery of the product., numerical method or sampling and analysis is used to achieve this goal. Weakness of measuring instruments, lack of process knowledge, deficiencies in management and data processing in the control of flotation cells, has led the academic and industrial units to use numerical models. In this regard, using the results obtained from the experimental design carried out in the DTP line of Gol Gohar industrial and mining complex, a regression model was developed based on the analysis of variance. To present this model, after variance analysis of factors and interactions, all models were investigated and the final model was created based on 75% of the data. The model was tested with the remaining 25% of the data to confirm the goodness of the fit. The coefficient of determination for training and testing resulted 71% and 74%. Moreover, a feed forward back propagation neural network with different layers and neuron was used to model the results. The best network structure was 6-27-1 and the coefficient of determination for this network was 99% and 98% for training and test respectively. Given the complexity of neural network models and the relatively low accuracy of the regression model, neural network has a priority assuming we have access to a specialist. In addition, the results obtained from neural network can be used as expert systems to control and optimize the flotation cells.INTRODUCTIONThe primary objective of the flotation cell control is to maintain the product's (in this case tailing) recovery and grade, which represents the index for process efficiency and product quality. Continuous estimation of these indexes requires a significant amount of maintenance, and calibration of the continuous analyzers, in order to maintain an acceptable level of accuracy. Weakness of measurement equipment, lack of process knowledge and the general deficiency in management and processing of data in the flotation cell control, will lead industrial units to use smart methods such as mathematical models, regression and neural networks in near future (Panahi, Abdollahzadeh, & Sam, 2010). Artificial neural networks are inspired by the very complex structure of human brain in which millions of nerve cells solve problems or store information by communicating with each other. The duty of neural networks learning. It should be noted that learning in artificial neural networks is limited, and what is practically considered is the computing power of the network. A neural network consists of units called neurons, and has the capacity to handle a set of input data to produce a desired output data set. Each of these input and output data sets can be assumed as a vector (Soltanmohammadi & Noparast, 2006)."

Jan 1, 2016

By B. Dubreuil, J. -M. Lalancette, D. Lemieux, C. Chouinard

The extraction of gold and silver has been examined via the use of mixed halogens: chlorine and bromine. The reaction was performed in a brine of sodium chloride with a small amount of sodium bromide at 40-50°C, in an atmosphere of chlorine, at atmospheric pressure. The process takes advantage of the very high reactivity of bromine towards gold, while the higher oxidation capacity of chlorine leads to gold chloride as end product with recycling of bromine. Fast reaction rates are observed along with gold recovery at the level of 95%. Chlorine-consuming common elements are removed prior to chlorination.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. C. Hawken, L. M. Strah

"The Report outlines the Conversion to Rubber Mill Liners and steel grinding balls from the old style Cobalt pocket liners and flint pebbles which had been used in 5'x22' Fraser-Chalmers tube mills for over fifty years. An outline of the past history and some of the plant modifications are mentioned as well.The details pertaining to considerations, modifications and repairs carried out on the mills are described. Factors influencing the rubber liner design are outlined along with the description of the rubber liner design.The performance and advantages to date are given and concludes with brief summary.HISTORYThe original amalgamation-cyanidation mill of Dome Mines Limited went into operation in 1912. Milling has been continuous since 1912, except for two periods; one of 17 months commencing in December 1917, and the other of about 12 months, when fire destroyed the plant in November 1929. Initially the capacity of the mill was 350 tons a day. In 1916 it was raised to 750 tons a day, following which there was a gradual expansion to 1,500 tons a day."

Jan 1, 1977

To create a successful growth oriented diamond company that succeeds in the practical business of mining and selling rough diamonds, and which pursues an aggressive exploration strategy to seek and develop worldclass diamond mining opportunities in a market that has become increasingly under-supplied.

May 1, 2008

By H. S. Price, F. N. Kissell, R. C. McCulloch, J. C. Edwards

"The methane em1ss10n from deep coalbeds which are actively mined is a serious problem facing the mining industry today. Pinpointing the source of methane and predicting the emission of this gas from these coalbeds is necessary if preventive techniques are to be effectively used to control methane emission. In general, because most coalbeds have water associated with them, the system to be studied may be either single-phase (methane gas) or two-phase (methane and water). Because coal mine geometry is complex and the fluids have variable properties as functions of pressure and methane concentration, the differential equations describing the flow of methane and water are not amenable to analytic solution, but must be solved numerically using high-speed computers. This paper presents the development of such a complex mathematical model along with some preliminary applications of the model to methane emission from one- and two-dimensional coalbeds with and without water present."

Jan 1, 1973

By P. Kostuik

"Recent interest in the pipeline transport of solid mate-als has been sparked by the idea that, in an inflationary onomy, pipeline costs are more stable than the costs of any other transport systems. Pipelines have proved over 1e years to be dependable, records indicate that main-•nance and operating costs are comparatively low, and 1eir amenability to automation is of considerable im->rtance.The concept of hydraulic hoisting of solids from under-round, or cross-country hydraulic transportation of con-~ntrates and ores, is currently of prime interest to the ining industry. In general, this paper deals with a preliminary investi-ation of energy losses incurred while transporting a rela-vely heavy, crushed mine product, namely magnetite, oth vertically and horizontally. The basis and validity of everal equations derived by other experimenters to com-ute these losses is discussed. A theoretical analysis of ydraulic hoi:,,ting is made, and, based upon test results, calculation of horsepower requirements for hoisting an re under a given set of conditions is presented. Results indicate that:n vertical transport, the friction head losses are identical to those of clear water, and the total energy requirement for hydraulic hoisting then becomes a function of height of lift, concentration and specific gravity of the solids being hoisted. .-In horizontal transport, friction head losses can be calculated with reasonable accuracy using Bonning-ton's correlation curve. Losses computed utilizing Durand's correlation (K = 85) result in estimates which are too low by 10 to 30 per cent, an<l those calculated using Newitt's correlation (K = 1,100, K = 66) give friction loss values which are too high by 10 to 30 per cent . . -The theoretical horsepower (RMS-hp.) required for hoisting hydraulically is approximately half of that required for conventional double-drum skip hoisting."

Jan 1, 1966

By C. Mawdsley

The Tata Steel mill at Skinningrove in the North East of England produces top hat sections for mineshaft guides in sizes 102 and 150 mm. The top hat section is the technically preferred shaft guide choice for modern deep mine shafts. This paper explores the relative service performance of top hat and square hollow section guides in service. Comparative corrosion performance is reviewed and the paper describes work commissioned by Tata Steel (as Corus) undertaken by Aker Kvaerner Engineering to evaluate relative winding speeds, relative loads and fatigue life in service. The experience of supply to UK Potash mining is discussed and the future view of high capacity hoisting and larger section size market need and availability is assessed.

Aug 1, 2013

By T. L. Sadlier-Brown, Andrew E. Nevin

"Common properties of commercial geothermal steam reservoirs are a magmatic heat source, the presence of water in vapour and liquid phases, and a surrounding seal of low permeability. The latter may be due to a combination of hydrologic load, argillic alteration and mineral precipitates. The temperature and pressure of vapour and liquid co-existing in equilibrium at maximum enthalpy may approximate 451°F and 450 psi. Steam reservoirs do not necessarily vent steam, but fluid which breaches and mixes with meteoric waters may emerge as hot springs. A systematic exploration program in Western Canada would involve a sequence of four stages utilizing geological, geochemical and geophysical techniques. The geochemical parameters of hot spring waters, such as silica, lithium and potassium content, give some indication of the basic reservoir temperature. The geology of Quaternary volcanics, including reservoir rocks, structure and rock alteration, is of prime importance. The costs of preliminary indirect methods are no more than those of oil and gas exploration; however, high temperatures compound drilling problems and costs. Exploration expenditures of twenty million dollars or so might be needed for a significant discovery. British Columbia and the Yukon Territory contain abundant Cenozoic volcanic rocks and over 50 thermal spring complexes (some with as many as 20 springs in one complex). Six regions are tentatively picked for exploration. Four regions coincide geographically with post-1980 electric power facilities and loads, and with possible alternatives such as potential dam sites. The Lillooet River region, Terrace region and Western Vancouver Island region have inferred potential for the existence of a plus-500-Mw geothermal reservoir. The Kootenay region may or may not have such potential. The Stikine River region has strong evidence of geothermal endowment, but the anticipated power market of the middle future might be only 30-50 Mw. The Whitehorse, Y.T., and Atlin, B.C., region has a belt of thermal springs and Recent cinder cones. The anticipated middle-future needs are real enough, but in absolute terms they are small, say 20-30 Mw. Legislation and policy on geothermal resource rights are lacking in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory at this time. As well as making policy, governmental organizations will play a significant role in geothermal development as buyers of steam or electricity. The role of industry is visualized as assuming the high-cost and high-risk exploration effort, provided the nature of this effort is understood by government."

Jan 1, 1973

By Vicki Tschirhart, Bill Morris, McMaster University

A new method for mapping faults within basement rocks underlying the Thelon Formation and glacial overburden was developed and tested in the Aberdeen Sub-basin. This method utilizes newly acquired aeromagnetic data, the Blakely algorithm for defining magnetic source edges, a calculated dip-direction map, a digital elevation model (DEM) derived from the Canadian Digital Elevation Database, and the positions of identified, inferred and newly mapped faults that are within and adjacent to this sub-basin. Combining these data revealed three age groups of faults. One group is seen only on the DEM; these faults are young brittle structures that have no effect on the sub-Thelon basement unconformity, and are not visible on the dip direction map. A second group is evident on the dip direction map but not the DEM; these faults are old basement structures that did not propagate upward through the Thelon Formation. The third group is expressed on both the DEM and dip direction map; these faults are also old structures that propagated upward during and/or after deposition of the Thelon Formation. The latter group of faults may be of greatest interest for uranium exploration, with reactivation increasing their potential to serve as conduits to transport uranium-rich fluids and focus deposition at or near the unconformity surface. This methodology has promise for comprehensive mapping of basin faults and tracking the tectonic development of the whole Thelon Basin through time.

Jan 1, 2013

The Environmental Excellence in Exploration (E3) project is driven by the recognition that the minerals industry can only maintain its long term viability by ensuring its continued access to lands to explore for, and develop, new mines. Widespread implementation of sound environmental management practices by the exploration community and improved education and understanding of that by stakeholders will help substantially in accomplishing this, and E3 is designed to meet these needs. Exploration crews are now viewed as ambassadors for the global mining community. Their performance in managing the environmental aspects of an exploration program can demonstrate a commitment on the part of the international mining sector to environmentally responsible exploration and mining. We have all observed that failure to behave responsibly can alienate local residents, encourage anti-mining NGOs and jeopardize development. As the saying goes, ?you don?t get a second chance to make a first impression?, and we want to make a favourable first impression. The E3 project is focused on creating an electronic manual, the e-manual, which will provide rapid access to the most up-to-date information on environmental management practices for minerals exploration globally. The e-manual will reflect current thinking and practices in environmental management. It will be richly illustrated with actual examples that reflect the realities of exploration. It will strive to identify the key environmental issues and concerns that apply to most exploration projects, and identify other sources of relevant information useful to field practice. It is our belief that E3, or something very like it, is central to ensuring that the industry survives the current challenges to its viability. E3 will be a cornerstone of the mining industry?s drive to sustainability simply stated, if we are not permitted to explore for mines, there will be none of them at some point in the relatively near future.

May 1, 2002

By P. E. Cavanagh

Introduction A comprehensive study of the economics of processes for smelting iron ores has been made by the Ontario Research Foundation on behalf of the Ontario Research Commission. This survey has included investigations of all processes in commercial use, and proposed processes which are still in the experimental stage. The two main objects of this work were to discover (l) whether any known processes would be particularly suited to present and future Canadian conditions, and (2) whether any new process would be of assistance in solving the present scrap shortage in Canada. The future prospects of the Canadian iron smelting industry have changed radically in the past ten years. For nearly twenty years before 1939 no iron ore was mined in Canada. The ore used was imported, mainly from the United States and Newfoundland. The economics of iron blast-furnace smelting always force the location of blast furnaces near the source of coal for making high-grade metallurgical coke, and near the market for iron and steel, rather than near the iron ore. Blast-furnace installations in Canada are confined to the north shores of the Great Lakes with ready access to United States coal and ore and the major Canadian markets, and to Nova Scotia near the coalfields of that Province. This distribution of primary smelting capacity naturally results in relatively high prices for iron and steel in the West, the North, and in Quebec.

Jan 1, 1948

By Alexander Smith

"The Silver Standard mine is 6 miles by road northwest of New Hazelton, B.C., a small town on the northern line of the Canadian National Railways some l 75 miles northeast of Prince Rupert. The deposits lie on the western slope of Glen Mountain (elevation 2,100 feet), with the main adit, mill, and campsite at 1,300 feet. The deposits were found in 1910, shortly after the area had been swept by forest fire and during a period of prospecting activity spurred by the construction of the railway. Crude ore only was shipped until 1918, when a 50-ton gravity mill was built which operated until 1922. Gross value of production of this period, at present metal prices, was about $1,000,000.In 1947 the present company was formed and a 50-ton flotation mill installed. Production from 1948 to 1955 has been in excess of $10,000,000, and net smelter returns about two-thirds of this amount. More than 60 per cent of the production and 80 per cent of the profit have come from one vein, No. 6. On the 1,300-foot level this vein had an ore section 375 feet long and 2.5 feet wide, averaging 0.18 ounces gold, 85 ounces silver, 10 per cent lead, and 16 per cent zinc.The mine workings follow a simple pattern. A series of parallel veins, striking northeast and dipping southeast, are numbered from 0 to 12, starting at the northwest. They lie within a zone trending south 70 degrees east, and the distance between Nos. 0 and 12 veins is about one mile. Recently several cross-veins, dipping northeast, have been found between Nos. 8 and 12. They are apparently of the same type as the others, though they may not have the same structural controls. They could be an important new source of ore.The mine has been developed principally by crosscut adits at the 1,500- and 1,300-foot levels and a 510-foot shaft with levels at I, 150, 1,000, ·and 850 feet. Drifts and crosscuts total 17,000 feet, chiefly on Nos. I, 4, 6, 7, and 8 veins. The drifts are stoped by shrinkage, top shrinkage rill, cut-and-fill with resuing, or open stope methods. The mill produces a lead-silver-gold-copper concentrate and a zinc concentrate, with indicated recovery of more than 96 per cent (4)."

Jan 1, 1949

By J. V. Thirgood

"Reclamation legislation was introduced in British Columbia in 1969 amidst public concern and controversy. This paper reviews this legislation as it relates to coal mining, and how it is being implemented.Although the principles of land reclamation are reason-ably well understood, reclamation of industrial wasteland has never previously been attempted under such rugged conditions as occur in the Canadian Rockies and a new methodology is being developed.The resolution of the technical and organizational problems involved are discussed and the techniques and experiences described."

Jan 1, 1971

By Dean L. Millar

Measures taken by mining companies around the world to reduce their carbon footprints are becoming increasingly important in the sector securing its social licence to operate. The options for measures reduce to three categories of activity: i) demand reduction by avoiding unnecessary waste of supplied energy, ii) improving the utilization of energy that does have to be consumed and iii) adopting low carbon energy production options?including renewable energy. As well as the environmental imperative, as the prices of electricity, gas and liquid fuels increase, so the economic case for activities i) to iii) gains higher priority, especially in such an energy intensive industry. The specific energy consumption for certain upstream minerals industry operations in Canada is reported to be as follows: underground mining: 99.5 kWh/tonne mined; surface mining: 11.7 kWh/tonne mined; base metal processing: 81.4 kWh/tonne milled; gold processing: 99.6 kWh/tonne milled. Around 508 kWh/tonne (slag) of heat is reported to be available in cooling slag from 1500°C to 25°C; an amount that is simply indicative of the energy intensity of downstream smelting and refining operations. Low carbon, energy saving technology options that are available to mining industry companies lead to projects with return rates that must compete alongside other capital intensive projects considered by mining company boards. Energy projects frequently involve longer payback periods and lower rates of return than those of competing bids for capital, such as those for development of new mineral properties. For energy services companies (ESCOs) that specialize in the financing, construction, and the efficient operation and maintenance of energy projects, the same returns and payback periods may be considered acceptable or even attractive. For the ESCO, the key commercial risk mitigating factor is a securing a long term contract for the supply of energy.

May 1, 2011

By Gregg W. Morrison

"The Craigmont copper-iron skarn deposit is adjacent to the southern margin of the late Triassic Guichon Creek batholith in south-central British Columbia. Host to the ore are sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the western calc-alkaline belt of the Upper TriassicNicola Group. In the mine area, the Nicola Group rocks are a stratigraphically complex sequence, at least 1800 feet thick, which have been subdivided into Basalt, Rhyolite, Carbonate and Clastic Sediment units. All the units strike and dip parallel to the margin of the Guichon Creek batholith and are within the batholith contact aureole. However, only the Clastic Sediment unit is in contact with the batholith.Most of the skarn and ore is within the Carbonate unit and more specifically within an Interbedded facies that consists of lime sandstone, lime siltstone, quartzo-feldspathic siltstone and argillite. The Interbedded facies and the adjacent barren Massive Limestonefacies are interpreted aspart ofa carbonate reef complex. The distribution of skarn and ore within the Interbedded facies suggests that the facies boundary was a physical and chemical barrier that resulted in concentration of metals adjacent to the Massive Limestone facies.Two stages of skarn formation have been recognized at Craigmont. In Stage I, ore-bearing magnetite-rich and actinolite-epidote-magnetite skarns developed both in basaltic rocks and in Fe-bearing siltstone and argillite of the Interbedded facies, while barren grossular garnet-epidote-calcite-pyrite skarns developed in Fe-poor rhyolitic bands within the Interbedded and Massive Limestone facies . In Stage ll, massive, barren grandite garnet skarn replaced mineralized Stage I skarns in the vicinity of diorite plugs. and specularite ore formed in brecciated Stage I skarn and clastic rocks away from the plugs. Theformation of Stage I skarns required no addition of material, only redistribution and concentration of elements already present within the Interbedded facies. However, the concentration of Cu in Stage lore requires a mechanism for more efficient leaching of Cu from the host rocks, an anomalous concentration of Cu at the site of the Stage I orebody or an additional input of Cu from an external source. The formation of Stage II skarn and ore requires only remobilization and recrystallization of Stage I skarn and ore.Copper and iron are the only elements in economic concentrations in the ore and chalcopyrite is the only significant copper-bearing mineral. Chalcopyrite is disseminated and interstitial to magnetite in Stage I mineralized skarns and is interstitial to specularite in the matrix of Stage II breccia ores. Chalcopyrite also occurs with pyrite as stringer ore in bleached • sediments and rhyolite tuffs in the stratigraphic footwall of the main orebodies.The Craigmont deposit has more features in common with Cu-Fe deposits hosted in metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks than it has with typical skarn deposits associated with porphyry copper deposits. The orebody is more likely a product of concentration of metal contained within the Nicola Group rocks than of the mineralizing event that produced the . Highland Valley Cu-Mo porphyry deposits in the central part of the Guichon Creek batholith ."

Jan 1, 1980