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By J. F. Archibald

A research effort has been undertaken, under Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB) sponsorship, to characterize the support capabilities of conventional and innovative spray-on lining materials for mitigating dynamic failure effects created by simulated rockbursts. Conventional spray support media, such as shotcrete and fibrecrete linings, and a variety of new spray-on lining materials [thin, spray-on liners (TSLs)], typically polymer-type thin coatings, were subjected to simulated rockburst influence. For baseline comparison, conventional rockbolt and bolt-and-mesh support products were also evaluated. Observation of lining performance was undertaken through completion of field-scale support and rock detonation trials. Controlled blasting tests were conducted at the Queen’s University Explosives Laboratory to examine the effectiveness of the variety of surface coating agents for modifying dynamic rock spalling processes. All tests were performed upon largely undisturbed and homogeneous rock materials in highly repeatable fashion. All blasts were observed seismically and photographically to provide detailed information concerning rock motion, surface fracturing, ejected fragment motion and support liner survivability characteristics. These material comparison trials were performed to assess the relative effectiveness of a wide range of currently available area support techniques for suppressing hazards associated with dynamic rock ejection. The results of this study validate that thin, spray-on linings may be equally as effective, and often better, than conventional support materials at mitigating rockburst or like damage in highly stressed mine environments.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. C. Escobedo, J. M. Almanza, A. Flores, Cortés. D. A.

Secondary aluminum dross, which has been exposed for several years to atmospheric conditions, was characterized using chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electronic microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Based on the characterization, a method to purify the solids is presented. This method starts with the washing of the dross in boiling water to eliminate the soluble compounds like Na and K, followed by the physical separation of the metallic aluminum by milling and screening. Finally, an acid lixiviation process is applied using three different acid solutions, HCl, HNO3, and H2SO4. The best results were obtained using HCl. The main insoluble components of the dross after lixiviation were Al, SiO2, and Al2O3. MgAl2O4, AlN, Si, and Na2Al22O3·2H20 species were also found. Based on the alumina content, the solid product could be suitable as a raw material in the manufacture of castable refractories or metal matrix composites.

Jan 1, 2005

By Christopher F. Gleeson, Roger D. Thomas

"Abstract - Wawa has long been a center of mineral exploration activity and diamonds have been reported in the area since the 1930s. However, diamond exploration did not begin in the area in earnest until 1991. In 1993, Sandor Surmacz and Marcelle Hauseux of Saminex began a prospecting program in the area which culminated in their discovery of the "Sandor" diamond occurrence in an outcrop on the east side of the Trans-Canada Highway. They subsequently optioned the property to Spider Resources Inc. who obtained the necessary exploration permits from Algoma Central Corporation and undertook an exploration program. The diamonds at the "Sandor" diamond occurrence are hosted in the matrix of a spessartite dike composed of actinolite, biotite, and albite. Of the 64 similar dikes that have been sampled and analyzed to date, eight have been found to contain a total of 231 diamonds. Most of the diamonds are of high quality, although they are small.The dikes are non-magnetic and do not have any other geophysical characteristic that can be used to differentiate them from the adjacent country rock. All of the dikes discovered to date have been found by prospecting or by geological mapping by the Ontario Geological Survey. The dikes do not contain pyrope garnet or chrome diopside, two of the commonly used kimberlite indicator minerals. Instead, low Mg, high Cr, Zn-rich chromite, and ilmenites of variable composition, some of which lie within the field of kimberlitic Mg-ilmenite compositions, characterize the diamondiferous dikes. A regional-scale till sampling program for heavy minerals, and geochemical analysis of the <0.177 mm fraction, was used to further define the areas of occurrence of the spessartite dikes and to indicate additional areas for diamond prospecting. Heavy minerals in till that were most useful include: actinolite, chromite, and ilmenite. Geochemical analyses of the dikes show them to contain elevated concentrations of Ni and Cr and to be enriched in Ba, Co, V, Ca, Fe, and Mg relative to the surrounding rocks. Elevated concentrations of Ni and Cr in till occur overlying and down-ice of known lamprophyre dikes."

Jan 1, 2000

By Neri Roux, Chris Budgell, Allan Cramm, Leo Cheung

"Anaconda Mining Inc. is investigating potential improvements and expansions to their operating plant located on the Baie Verte Peninsula in Newfoundland. An extensive batch and continuous bench scale testing program was launched to investigate the efficiency of cyanide destruction under different conditions in order to improve tailings handling. The primary objective of the cyanide destruction study was to apply new technologies to develop a novel cyanide destruction system.Effluent and slurry from Anaconda Mining Inc.’s Point Rousse Project was received at RPC where test work was conducted. Various sodium metabisulfite (MBS) dosages were evaluated and the use of utilizing ozone and ultra violet (UV) light to oxidize cyanide was investigated. All the data was evaluated and mass balances were compiled to develop several flowsheets. Overall encouraging results were found using a combination of ozone and MBS.IntroductionAnaconda Mining Inc.’s Point Rousse project includes an operating gold processing plant located on the Baie Verte Peninsula in Newfoundland which is in the process of improving and expanding. This plant comprises of milling and flotation followed by cyanide leaching in order to extract the gold. The residue from cyanide leaching is filtered by drum filters prior to being clarified for the Merrill-Crowe process. Once the gold has been recovered by the Merrill-Crowe process the effluent is filtered by filter presses and the resulting filtrate as well as the solids from the drum filters are detoxified prior to being pumped to the tailings pond along with the flotation tailings.The entire process is very dependent upon the efficient destruction of cyanide in the effluents and successful tailings handling. Substantial amounts of effluent are delivered to tailings ponds after gold extraction which could create environmental problems if the regulations are not met. Environmental regulations stipulate that final effluents contain no more than 1 mg/L Total CN.The detoxified tailings of the Point Rousse project are produced by the INCO SO2-Air circuit depicted in Figure 1. These detox tailings contain 10 mg/L Total CN at that point of the circuit and this was selected as the target to be matched while reducing overall MBS consumption rates from 3.2 g/L per minute. Prior to detoxification, the filter press tailings contain 520 mg/L Total CN while the drum tailings contain 29 mg/L Total CN."

Jan 1, 2017

By B. Yu, N. Verbaan, A. Mezei

The recent 20 years witnessed a boom and bust in the nickel laterite industry. Most notoriously is the story of the first three Western Australian nickel laterite projects which all suffered major ramp-up issues. Many hard lessons were learned by the industry and it has been widely reported that the major contributing factors included insufficient testing as well as a limited understanding of the materials handling characteristics at the front-end stage of the flowsheet. This paper compares the current "race to production" in the REE industry to the laterite industry 20 years ago and addresses the fundamental question: ‘Have mining and exploration companies with rare earth projects learned from past lessons and are they doing sufficient and appropriate testwork to prevent failure’? The authors will provide the perspective of a commercial metallurgical laboratory that has gone through the laterite cycle and is active in the present REE cycle.

Jan 1, 2014

By Karl J. C. Harries

"10.1. INTRODUCTIONDefinitions are a necessary part of every agreement. Their purposes are to assist the reader in reading and understanding an agreement and to attempt to avert potential confusion and, therefore, disputes. In some circumstances, they may be critical in deciding a dispute. As they are often substantive, they should not be treated lightly.It is far easier and less confusing for a reader to read “the Company” or “the Recipient” than to be faced with “the party of the First Part”, or to see the “Jones Property” than “that part of the property hereinbefore described in paragraph 1.01 hereof”. It is also advisable not to use “-ee” and “- or”, as in payee and payor.One thing must always be remembered: once a word has been defined in an agreement, it will always have the defined meaning unless the contrary is clearly indicated or is required to make sense of a provision.2 It can be confusing for a reader if commonly used words are defined in other than ordinary terms. Unique words that will stand out in the text are more likely to be recognized as having special meaning. It is also good practice to identify defined terms by capitalizing them in the text of the agreement. Boldfacing of definitions is also sometimes used for this purpose but, as boldfacing is not easily identified in handwritten revisions, it can be missed in the press of negotiations, especially when several typists are involved. Lack of consistency in identifying defined terms is not a fatal mistake, but it can create confusion, especially if the reader is new to the agreement or is reading it in a highly technical manner, such as when there is a dispute.If definitions used in the main text also apply to a schedule, they need not be included in both. Omitting them from the schedule makes the agreement look shorter, which to some people is a benefit. If definitions are not repeated, make certain that the schedule clearly indicates that words defined in the main text have the same defined meanings in the schedule3 and are clearly identified as defined words. In considering whether or not to repeat in a royalty schedule definitions appearing in the agreement proper, think of definitions as an aid and a reminder to the reader. Repeating them will help a reader, if only by saving the nuisance of remembering where to find them in the main text and constantly turning to it. All the definitions needed to read the schedule will be right there, so that the schedule is a self-contained document. Just make certain that, if you do repeat a definition, you repeat it in identical terms. If you have to change any defined term to make it fit the royalty provisions, use a different word or phrase as the defined term to warn the reader that he is dealing with a different concept.4"

Jan 1, 2003

By T. P. R. de Jong, H. Harbeck

"This contribution reports recent mineral sorting experience and lists the opportunities of the newest generation of automatic sorters with a special focus on electromagnetic detection and Xray transmission. With the available sensor resolutions and actuator systems that are available today sorting of minerals down to 2 mm size and up to 250 mm lump size is technically feasible. In industry, ore as well as coal is still hand-picked and current automation potential only utilised in a handful of specific applications. Recently a number of technological developments took place that may increase sorting potential, save mill costs and lead to lower overall tonnage costs.They are:??High speed and high resolution sorting systems based on X-ray transmission imaging??High speed on-line image processing and further development of advanced data processing??Modular multi-sensor automatic sorting units (using one or more sensors such as colour, electromagnetic and X-ray in a single device)??Sensitive electromagnetic sensors for sorting based on differences in magnetic susceptibility and electric conductivityThe above enables compact dry separation, insensitive for moisture fluctuations and at high separation sharpness, as well as “electronic” high gradient magnetic separation for larger particles. Besides conventional X-ray transmission (XRT), dual-energy XRT (DE-XRT) is now being redesigned to meet the requirements of the mining industry. The mentioned technologies provide automatic dry separation of minerals and rock as alternative for conventional processing."

Jan 1, 2005

By A. Mazhary

"Although ore sorting in mining is not a new concept, sensor-based sorting has failed to gain broad acceptance due to perceived challenges with the technology. In order to gain wider applications, this research focuses on treating waste rock and low-grade ore to identify and test appropriate sensors and to evaluate the response. Results showed that amenability of rocks to sensor-based ore sorting is both sensor and ore specific. It was also observed that the efficiency (recovery) of sorting is directly influenced by the degree of heterogeneity of the rocks. The overall outcome showed that with the right sensor, several of the materials tested are amenable to sensor-based ore sorting. Mining companies could benefit from multiple economic and design impacts, such as lower energy cost, lower transportation costs, higher metal recoveries and smaller footprints that lead to more sustainable mining. This paper will focus on the effects of heterogeneity of rocks on sorting potential and efficiency.IntroductionSensor-based ore sorting has been attracting more attention since the pressure for effective resource extraction and management has increased. An urge to make most of the current deposits, and to make the low-grade deposits economic to mine has ushered the technology to find new ways to overcome the new challenges. No matter the terminology used, such as coarse beneificiation, waste rejection, particle or bulk sorting, the purpose of sensor-based ore sorting is to remove low-grade rocks before the comminution circuit, increasing the feed head grade and quality while reducing the energy costs related to comminution.Despite nominal advantages, there have always been some concerns that have impeded the intorduction and acceptance of the technology. One of the most important shortcomings of ore sorting is their capability, or capacity, to keep up with the high-tonnage mining. Some other issues that have been mentioned as drawbacks to sorting include installation cost of such devices, feed preparation for effiecient sorting along with accuracy of sorting and probability of false negatives (Manouchehri, 2003)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Bruno Lemelin

Falconbridge Ltd Raglan Mine has been in production since 1998 and has produced annually some 900 000T of ore grading 3.1% nickel, 0.9% copper and 0.06% cobalt. The mine is located in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. The current mine life is estimated at approximately 20 years. Reserves are composed of numerous small ore bodies situated across a 65 km strike length. Planning the extraction of the ten small mineralized zones represents a great challenge to optimize. The overall objective is to maximize the company?s return on net assets. Actual planning uses computerized technology tools like Automod and Mine2-4D, and a conventional discounted cash flow method (DCF) of calculating net present value (NPV). The complex setting of Raglan could benefit from advance valuation techniques such as the real options method (RO). This paper will present the characteristics if the mines that make it a good candidate to use RO to gain further insight.

May 1, 2004

By Milton C. Graves, Marcos Zentilli

"Gold has been reported from most geological environments in Nova Scotia; however, virtually all production (circa 2,000, 000 troy ounces; circa 60 tonnes) has come from that part of the province to the south of the Glooscap Fault which is underlain by Lower Paleozoic rocks of the Meguma Group. Over fifty concordant sets of quartz-carbonate-arsenopyrite veins have seen production. The host rocks are greenschist-grade equivalents of Cambro-Ordovician flyschoid quartz wackes and shales folded and metamorphosed during the Devonian Acadian Orogeny. The veins were emplaced under conditions of greenschist-grade regional metamorphism and under the same conditions of tectonic stress that later resulted in the regional folds and penetrative, axial-plane slaty cleavage. Rapid filling of hydraulic fractures caused by excess metamorphic pore fluid pressure under Acadian tectonic stress conditions can account for the geometry and paragenesis of these veins.The ultimate source for gold deposits in most greenschist-grade domains remains in doubt, but these domains seem to have had ample gold within them available for mobilization. The work done, to date, on the gold geology of Nova Scotia suggests that regional greenschist metamorphism was an effective mobilizer and a potential concentrator of Au, As, W, Fe and S from these vast reservoirs.In rocks of pre-Acadian age north of the Glooscap Fault, gold occurs as an important accessory in volcanogenic massive sulphide ore, as a minor constituent in other types of basemetal concentrations and in one small concordant group of quartz veins.The post-Acadian metallogenetic domain, which overlies and overprints the two older domains, contains small amounts of gold in many mineralizing environments. Veins, with stibnite and gold, cross-cut crystalline rocks. Disseminated gold is present in basal conglomerates of post-tectonic molasse. Gold has been a by-product of Mississippi Valley-type Pb-Zn-Ba-Sr deposits in Lower Carboniferous sedimentary rocks and has been reported with Pb-Zn-Ba-F in veins which cross-cut Lower Carboniferous and older rocks. Small post-glacial placers have also seen minor production."

Jan 1, 1982

By H. J. McQueen

ORDER OF PRESENTATION ?INTRODUCTION TO THE VICTORIA BRIDGE ?REASONS FOR A BRIDGE AT MONTREAL ?RAILROAD BRIDGE REQUIREMENTS ?IRON PRODUCTION CANADA / WORLD AL ?METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY CANADA ?FAIRBAIRN, STEPHENSON SHIP PLATE-RIB BOX GIRDER ?VICTORIA BRIDGE (PREFABRICATED BRITAIN) ?IRON ORE SITUATION THE VICTORIA BRIDGE 1859, TUBULAR -WROUGHT IRON* 1898, TRUSS ?STEEL* (*HOT RIVETED) 1957, SPUR, LIFT SPANS ??DUCTILE WROUGHT IRON WITHSTANDS FATIGUE ?TO KEEP THE TRAINS ON TIME & ON TRACK? ??IMMOVABLE SHARP PIERS SPLIT ?THE IRRESISTIBLE ICE, STOPPED CITY FLOODS? ? ?********* ??111 YEARS-YOUNG STEEL TRUSS, (1898): ?STILL VITAL SEA-T0-SEA RAIL LINK? ? ?********* ??51 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE SEAWAY (1958) ?SWITCHED BRIDGE INTO DOUBLE LIFT SPANS?

May 1, 2011

By R. L. Bruening, N. E. Izatt, S. R. Izatt

"Rare earth elements (REE) are essential and unique components of many high-technology products without which functioning of modern society would be greatly impaired. Commercial deposits of REE are limited to a few geographical locations. Largely untapped sources of REE are available in endof- life (EOL) magnets, rechargeable batteries, and electronics. Presently, < 1% of REE in EOL wastes is recycled. Conversion of EOL wastes to liquid streams allows use of IBC’s Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) process to selectively recover, separate, and purify target REE and associated metals at g/L to mg/L or lower concentration levels. The MRT process together with its applications to separations of REE and associated metals in recycling as well as in mining are described. Economic and environmental advantages of MRT are presented. INTRODUCTIONRare earth elements (REE) include the lanthanide series (La-Lu), Y, and Sc. These elements are not rare, but concentrated minable deposits are scarce (Cordier 2012; Haxel, Hedrick, & Orris, 2002). Over 95 % of the world’s supply of REE is controlled by China (Hanson, 2011a) where they are mined, processed, and the pure elements incorporated into a growing number of consumer and military products. The consumer products are marketed worldwide. Since REE are vitally important in consumer and military products, this situation has caused other nations to scramble to develop the capability to produce their own supply (Cordier, 2012).In the U. S., Molycorp has reopened the Mountain Pass REE mine in California and production has begun (Goldenberg, 2010). Development of a reliable internal source of REE is of high national priority in the U.S. (Hanson, 2011b; Hess, 2012: “Obama Announces”, 2012). These elements have in recent decades been incorporated into new consumer and military products that are essential to our economy and defense. These products range from wind turbines, high performance magnets, hybrid car rechargeable batteries, energy efficient lighting electronics, flat screen televisions, and smart phones to advanced weapons systems (Haxel et al., 2002; Levkowitz & Beauchamp-Mustafaga, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By N. Morrison, I. Holl, R. Welyhorsky, A. Hempstock

ABSTRACT: The Victor diamond mine is located in the James Bay lowlands, 90 km west of the First Nations village of Attawapiskat. The project was the first of its kind in northern Ontario. The process plant was designed to produce a 95 to 98% by weight diamond concentrate through three stages of comminution, dense medium separation, and proprietary X-ray technology for final recovery. The plant was commissioned over a period of six months, commencing prior to substantial completion of construction. Through effective planning of the commissioning phase, the Victor mine start-up was safely completed nine months ahead of schedule.

Jan 1, 2011

By Timo Niitti, Antti Rinne, Janne Turunen, Sami Grönstrand

"This paper describes novel methods to enhance the flow dynamics of a mechanical flotation cell that can be applied to an existing installation. There are several reasons to alter the flow dynamics. The most common motivation is to improve the metallurgical performance of the cell, for instance, to improve the flotation recovery in particle size ranges that are normally difficult to recover.The flow dynamics enhancements are associated with the geometry of the rotor-stator area and additional features in the tank. The rotor-stator area has been modified to provide more concentrated turbulent kinetic energy or respectively more pumping efficiency with less attrition to the slurry. The tank can be fitted with various geometrical features, aimed to create a desired particle suspension profile. Depending on the targeted particle size range and application, badly selected or designed features can also have a negative effect on the metallurgical results.Besides new flotation equipment, the enhancements can be applied to existing flotation cell installations, thus enabling improvements in the mixing profiles, solids suspension, tank sanding and metallurgical performance of operating flotation circuits. Results of several tests carried out in existing plant operations are presented, concerning both flow variables and metallurgy.The common factor to above-mentioned enhancements is the use of modern computational fluid dynamics tools in the design phase, as well as the validation of the obtained CFD results in laboratory and production scale. Validated variables include mixing profile, power draw and local air hold-up.The paper demonstrates the effects of various flow geometries on the mixing profiles and metallurgical results of existing mechanical flotation cells. It shows how modern computational fluid dynamics analysis can be used to screen and select different approaches before carrying out costly trial-and-error experiments in plant scale."

Jan 1, 2006

By J. A. Caceres

Mining planning and mineral processing are almost two unconnected areas. The mining area builds its economical models considering the plant like a constant parameter: a constant throughput, an average recovery and a unitary cost. On the other hand, the mineral processing area assumes a mine plan with grades, ore type, work index, estimating the performances in an independent way. Previous researches have evaluated the advantage for increasing throughput by increasing the liberation size, thus sacrificing recovery. These valuables approaches have left behind the work index factor, critical variable for Recovery-Throughput capacity estimation. This study describes a method combining mineral processing and mining planning. This method incorporates the grinding and flotation performances into the mining economic models optimizing simultaneously the Throughput- Wi(Work index)- Recovery relations with mining sequence, cut-off strategies, and reserve schedules. This method has been used at Andina Mine Chile, showing 18% net present value increasing with minimum investment associated.

May 1, 2003

By J. Y. Murdoch

TAXATION has become a major item in the operation of Canadian mines, and, as such, merits our most serious consideration. I feel it was a splendid idea for the Institute to set aside this time for a frank discussion of this important subject, and believe great benefit will result from a better understanding of the methods and underlying principles involved. Mining, as a great national industry, may quite properly be called upon to pay its fair share of the cost of running the country; and there is no tendency on our part to avoid this responsibility. There is, however, a very definite demand that the proportion be just, and fairly and sensibly applied. I believe that Mr. C. G. Williams, Secretary of the Canadian Metal Mining Association, and others, are giving details of the various Provincial and Dominion regulati6ns, so I shall not touch on that phase of the situation. However, there are some important factors to which I should like very briefly to call your attention. The first is the vital need for stability. As you all know, a considerable period must elapse between the preliminary stages of any mining venture and the time when it comes to production-or is finally abandoned as un-profitable. These early days are fraught with many unavoidable uncertainties. If, to these natural hazards, the apprehension of instability of governmental action be added, the risk becomes so great that capital seeks other and safer fields for investment, and many otherwise promising projects are thus discarded. There probably never has been a time in recent years when so much money was seeking investment as now. Under favourable conditions, the development of our great mineral resources would be a natural and attractive outlet for this money. The amount of taxation which the mining industry can properly absorb is of the utmost importance at this time, and it might be well to consider this question in its relation to the economic stability of our country, for it cannot be too greatly emphasized that direct taxation is only one item in the net return which our governments derive from the mining industry. Indeed, the many indirect benefits are so manifest that it would seem almost unnecessary to enumerate them! We almost invariably think of mine taxation as a direct company tax-overlooking the fact that sales tax, customs duties, acreage tax, income tax on mine dividends, foreign shareholders&apos; dividend tax, and others, must all be taken into consideration. It would seem that the economic value of non-ferrous metal mining in Canada is not sufficiently understood and appreciated.

Jan 1, 1935

By C. Dirscherl, M. Combes

"Declining ore grade, leading to increased material transport and plant throughput requirements, is one of the major challenges in the current mining environment. This is accompanied by rising energy and labor costs, decreasing plant productivity and the requirement for highest plant availability. Siemens’ answer is the latest gearless drive technology for grinding and conveying. Gearless drive solutions are surpassing the mechanical limits of conventional drive systems serving to utilize the principle of economies of scale. By elimination of various components of the drive train the maintenance activities and spare parts inventories are reduced. The advantages are culminating in the incomparable availability of the Siemens’ gearless drive technology of 99.46 to 99.71% - as confirmed by real operational data from the Antapaccay mine in Peru. It was the first plant worldwide to use gearless drives for both applications.INTRODUCTION – THE GEARLESS PRINCIPLE The principle idea behind a gearless drive system is to reduce the number of components and diversity of parts. Especially those components that are at the edge of current manufacturing or power limits are eliminated. The used equipment provides the possibility to scale up and increase the power transmitted to the driven machine. This finally results in a possible increase of throughput respectively transported or processed material. In order to apply this principle of simplification we will take a look at the components of a conventional drive system consisting of: - Driven equipment (mill, conveyor, slurry pump) - Components altering the rated speed (gearboxes, girth gear / pinion) - The electric motor - Starting devices for the motor (VSD, CCV, LRS, clutch), which are necessary because a direct across-the-line start of high power motors with load would result in a significant drop in the line supply voltage - Alternatively a variable speed drive (VSD) or cycloconverter (CCV) to utilize the possibility of speed variation during operation - The electrical supply system (cables, switchgear, transformers, protection equipment)"

Jan 1, 2014

By R. G. Hamm

A brief outline covering the shovels and draglines in use in the open-pit mines of Western Canada, including British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon, is given, followed by the procedure for the selection of the correct wire rope for each application. Such fa ctors as wire rope constructions, lay directions and types of cores are mentioned. Once the correct wire rope has been selected, there are variousfactors that can affect the service fife ofthe rope and the reduction ofdown-time during rope change-overs. Factors such as hairpin winding, types of Becket loops, and shovel drum and bail adaptors are described.

Jan 1, 1979

By S. McPhail, D. Richardson, G. J. Simandl, C. Akam, S. Paradis, M. Yakimoski, A. Teucher, Y. Cui, F. Ferri

Historically, extracting dissolved solids from formation water was economically motivated. Today, main drivers are environmental benefits and regulations, as large volumes of water needed for hydraulic fracturing require treatment before reuse or disposal. The concentration of dissolved solids in flowback water increases with each use and may require treatment prior to disposal. Element recovery from produced water is not profitable unless market conditions are favourable, recoverable elements are abundant, and economical recovery methods are established. Sale of recovered materials could offset recycling and disposal costs. This paper describes markets for Cl, Na, Ca, K, Sr, Mg, Br, Ba, I, B, and Li, and their concentrations in produced water from oil and gas wells in British Columbia. It recommends revising sampling protocol for produced water.

Jan 1, 2018

"The effective thermal conductivity (ETC) is one of the most important thermo-physical properties of porous media. Due to the lack of higher precision influence of temperature on thermal conductivity, we took 6 groups of experiments on rock samples (including igneous rock, sedimentary rock and metamorphic rock) under different operating temperatures from 20? to 50? by 7 acquisition points. The general equation of thermal conductivity drives the value of it increasing along with the decreases of the temperature. While in our experiments, it is easy to find a singularity among them for each sample. The experimental investigations we attempted to observe and interpret the alteration mechanism. According to the Heat Capacity Theory in solid state physics, this research gives the explanation about the “singularity” from 3 understanding of specific heat, average free path, and thermal conductivity. Our research divided the condition of the rock thermal conductivity into 3 different types. INTRODUCTION The effective thermal conductivity (ETC) is one of the most important thermo-physical properties of porous media(Huang & Han ,1988; Peierles ,1955). This parameter is necessary for analysis of heat transfer(Vaferi et al, 2014;Hans-Dieter & Rudiger,2003). It’s well known that a general equation for ?(T) was set by Sass et al. (1992) which based on the coupled effect of composition and temperature on the thermal conductivity(Jesse et al, 2013; Mongelli et al,1982).The equation was further successfully verified for other rock (Zumrud et al,2010;Abdulagatova et al,2009;Seipold& Huenges,1998).Thermal conductivity is also related to other physical proper ties of porous rock, such as thermal diffusivity, heat capacity(Brettmann et al,2011;Abuel-Naga et al,2008). It is well known that ETC and other thermo physical properties of rock materials are affected by various factors, such as temperature, pressure, mineralogical composition, porosity, stratification, size and shape of the components, and nature of pore fluid, etc. (Tiedje & Guo, 2014; Touloukian et al,1970).The understanding of heat transport processes still requires the knowledge of thermal properties of rocks."

Jan 1, 2015