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By E. De Souza

The instrumentation and monitoring of rock behaviour have played an important and necessary role in the practice of potash, rocksalt, gypsum, trona and coal mining. The art of rock instrumentation applied to soft rock and coal mining has progressively evolved over the past years and will surely continue to advance at a faster pace in the future as a result of the technological revolution we experience today. The development of sophisticated mine-wide data communications systems is being used for instrumentation and sensor automation, and laser, sonar and geophysics technology are being continuously adapted for rock monitoring purposes. In this paper, the author provides an overview of typical rock instrumentation used today and offers some views of the progressive evolution in rock mechanics instrumentation sophistication and design.

Jan 1, 1998

By T. Yalcin, S. Brunet

The flocculant-assisted hydrocyclone involves the addition of a flocculant to the cyclone feed for the purpose of obtaining a clear cyclone overflow, and thereby eliminating or reducing thickener requirements in tailings disposal operations. This paper describes the testing of this concept on the iron ore tailings of Quebec Cartier Mining Company's Mount Wright Concentrator. The current practice at Mount Wright makes use of conventional hydrocyclones and thickeners for the disposal of their tailings, which are generated in a spiral gravity separation circuit. The test work was conducted primarily on their cyclone overflow product which becomes the feed to the thickeners. A detailed study was carried out to determine the sedimentation properties of these tailings in terms of their response to a variety of flocculating reagents, and to varying conditions of pH, pulp density and flocculant dosage. The tailings were then processed in a laboratory hydrocyclone with the aid of flocculants. The use of a shear resistant flocculant, in particular, was found to yield cyclone overflows with low solids contents. Based on the test results obtained, a conceptual flow sheet has been proposed for the treatment of the iron ore tailings at the Mount Wright Concentrator.

Jan 1, 2004

By A. B. Isaeva, A. Yu. Lein, A. A. Karpenko, V. V. Serova, A. P. Lisitzin, V. Yu. Rusakov, V. N. Lukashin

Abstract - The flux of sediment matter was determined using sediment traps near a black smoker ("Saracen’s Head," Broken Spur hydrothermal field) and the mineral and chemical compositions of the settled matter were examined. The metallic minerals are represented by Fe sulfides (pyrite and pyrrhotite), and Cu and Zn sulfides are also found in small and equal quantities. The hydrothermal suspended matter contains abiogenic calcite in amounts comparable to that in Ca sulfates. The content of silica and, specifically, of amorphous Si is unusually low. Such correlations between chemical elements and minerals, together with the isotopic compositions of S and C, are characteristic of a relatively young and active stage in the evolution of a hydrothermal system. Sediment traps within and under neutrally buoyant hydrothermal plumes collected biogenic material in addition to hydrothermal components. Microbial chemosynthetic production of organic carbon near the hydrothermal vent is comparable to primary production in the euphotic layer. Fe, Zn, Ca, Si, Ba and P are enriched in particulate matter in comparison to the background. A vast compound plume containing the discharge of multiple hydrothermal vents was found to the south of the Broken Spur hydrothermal field.

Jan 1, 1999

By Glenn Davis

In the world of large scale open pit mining, the majority of a mines operating cost is tied to the removal and transportation of the overburden waste material. Typically, many large haul trucks are employed to transport this overburden from each excavating face. The trucks transfer the waste material from deep within the pit to waste dumps on the surface incurring significant costs in operators, road construction and maintenance, vehicle maintenance staff and support facilities, fuel, tires, and spare parts, as well as the capital cost of the truck fleet itself. In addition, the haulage of the actual mined material carries similar operational costs. In both cases, these costs grow as the mine face advances and pit haulage distances increase. Reducing truck haulage is one key to the success of the Dual Truck Mobile Sizer (DTMS). Being the world?s first fully mobile truck dump station, transportation costs can be significantly reduced as the mine face advances. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with a shiftable face conveyor and a mobile overland hopper, substantial cost savings can be achieved. The mobility of the system allows for the considerable reduction in the haul truck fleet. Overall mine site emissions levels are greatly reduced by the fleet elimination, as well as keeping the majority of the hauls on a flat grade within the pit. Emission levels on a typical truck will dramatically spike as the angle and the length of the haul are increased. Moreover, comparing diesel engines versus electric powered conveyors to move the material contributes to the realized savings.

May 1, 2010

By Gaston Gendreau

CETTE PRÉSENTATION traitera des différentes phases des opérations de la mine du Mont-Wright depuis ses débuts jusqu'à présent. A une brève description de la géologie du gisement, suivra un exposé des méthodes d'exploitation de la mine et du genre d'équipement utilize.

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul B. Batten

Shutdown is a generic term for what may be called an Outage, Turn Around (TAR) or Overhaul etc. Running a plant shutdown well has always been key to the financial contribution of a mine. However, something important has changed. The post pandemic reality is that it is harder to retain workers and many of those near retirement just didn’t come back to work. This is creating a shortage of experienced people and a workforce that changes employers easily. We are seeing the impact of this manifested in the erosion of established maintenance and supply chain processes that now struggle to yield the plant runtime that could once be taken for granted. The scope, cost and duration of a shutdown varies widely depending on the nature of the work and the equipment being renewed. The PM of an electric shovel might require a week of downtime and cost $100,000. A gold plant may need to go down for 3 days when its time to change mill liners and cost $500,000. A turnaround in a refinery can take more than a month and cost multi millions. Despite the huge differences.

Jan 1, 2023

By H. Hejny

Economy needs mineral raw materials in almost each sector of modern life. They can only be provided by mining activities. An increasing share of the total mining production will be by underground mining. The mineral deposits will be found at gradually greater depths, including all problems associated with them. It involves an increase in overburden pressure with subsequent rock stability problems and risks of structural collapse. There is a need for new and safe technologies for almost all parts of a modern mine. The mining industry faces a number of challenges which require technical solutions that encompass the entire network and include the economic, social and environmental issues. The industry needs a new image based on pioneering solutions and a modern structure that can exploit minerals at greater depths and promote both high productivity and safe working conditions. Funding has been secured from the European Commission for the I²Mine project. Work started in November, 2011. This initiative is designed to focus on the technological challenges that the mining industry is currently facing including the exploitation of ever deeper deposits and the aspiration for an invisible, safe, zero impact mine. The project comprises a consortium of 27 organisations from 10 European countries. I²Mine marks the start of a series of development activities aimed at realising the concept of an invisible, zero impact, deep mine. The extractive sector, still seen as being old fashioned and environmentally unfriendly, will show that mineral extraction and processing can be done in a highly innovative and sustainable manner with low impact underground and zero impact above ground. The concept of I²Mine is to develop innovative methods, technologies, machines and equipment necessary for the efficient exploitation of minerals and disposal of waste, all of which will be carried out underground. This will dramatically reduce the volume of surface transportation of both minerals and waste, minimising above ground installations and reducing the environmental impact. New eco-efficient technologies will be applied in order to make the entire mining process more efficient and environmentally sound. The concept is for an integrated mine, with the majority of the installations underground, and only the final product will be transported above ground to be shipped to the customer. Production waste will be treated and stored underground and gaseous emissions will be managed underground as far as practical. I²Mine will also focus on ideas and concepts that increase energy efficiency and decrease waste. The core of the project will be to develop breakthrough technologies for autonomous, highly selective, continuous mineral extraction processes and machinery based on new sensor technologies, face front separation as well as innovative concepts for mass flow management and transportation integrating state of the art technologies. The concept of an invisible, zero impact mine requires a refined process underground that selectively extracts the mineral thereby reducing waste. For this reason, improved extraction machines and near to face processing methods, including backfill procedures, need to be developed. These developments include rock mechanics and ground control solutions, incorporating health, safety and environmental issues.

Aug 1, 2013

By Tedd E. Lister, Andre Anderko, Peiming Wang

Mobile electronic devices such as smart phones and tablets are a significant source of valuable metals that should be recycled. Value metals in phones are gold, palladium, silver, copper, cobalt and nickel. Devices now contain increasing amounts of rare earth elements (REE). Effective recycling schemes should include the recovery of these critical materials. Targeted recycling of items containing more of the less available critical materials could address their future criticality. This presentation will describe an electro-hydrometallurgy approach to efficient recycling of metals from scrap mobile electronics. The electrorecycling (ER) process generates oxidizing agents at an anode while reducing dissolved metals at the cathode. Development of the process involved generation of E vs pH diagrams, complemented with metals dissolution experiments used to assess the effectiveness of various solution chemistries. Although several schemes were envisioned, a two stage process has been the focus of work: 1) initial dissolution of Cu, Sn, Ag and magnet materials using Fe+3 generated in acidic sulfate and 2) final dissolution of Pd and Au using Cl2 generated in an HCl solution. Results from laboratory work will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2014

By I. Donohue, M. Pearson, E. Barrette

"This paper presents the technique and benefits of the finite element approach for designing the refractory lining in pressure oxidation autoclaves. One-dimensional equations are used to develop an initial refractory design. ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) scripts are then used to build and analyse a more accurate three-dimensional finite element model to verify the refractory thickness, determine weld overlay requirements, and assess mechanical stability. The APDL scripts provide a cost effective means to quickly evaluate various boundary conditions and multiple designs to determine the optimal lining configuration and nozzle layout.INTRODUCTIONNew ore processing facilities demand increased capacity, requiring hydrometallurgy processes that have larger reactor vessels operating at higher pressure and temperature. Many pressure hydrometallurgy operations require vessels with an impermeable membrane and one or more courses of refractory or ceramic brick. The membrane provides corrosion protection for the vessel shell and the brick provides thermal protection for the membrane. Designing a refractory lining with an economic service life as a thermal barrier requires the refractory to be erosion resistant, chemically compatible with the process fluid, and mechanically stable. A fundamental understanding of the factors affecting the lining system is essential as designs move further away from the industry’s experience base.During basic engineering the refractory lining design is developed using one dimensional cylindrical conduction equations for heat transfer and classical hoop stress-strain relationships for determining mechanical stability. The results of the thermal calculations specify the refractory thickness that should prevent the membrane temperature from exceeding the design limit. Mechanical stability of the lining is determined by examining the sensitivity of lining stability with respect to various parameters. There are three criteria that must be satisfied to conclude mechanical lining stability:"

Jan 1, 2012

By C. F. Harris

Following the initial development of the zinc-lead blast furnace, efforts have been directed both at increasing the scope of the process and increasing the cash return. The paper reviews the process developments which enable the process to smelt efficiently a range of material which encompasses high-grade zinc sulphide concentrates. mixed concentrates, Waelz oxide, zinc ashes and other materials blended to give a furnace feed ranging from 25 to 65% zinc and from 1 to 25% lead, with a copper-lead ratio exceeding 1 to 8. The paper also reviews the process developments which have enabled the capacity of a furnace and condenser system of standard size to be boosted from 30,000 to 80,000 tonnes/annum. The benefits achieved are used as a justification for continuation of the development of the zinc-lead blast furnace. Predictions are made of the benefits expected from further developments.

Jan 1, 1979

By W. J. Kuit

"Complex facilities which provide for the collection, management and treatment of effluents emanating from the Sullivan mine and concentrator tailings were made operational in October, 1979. Key features of the system are the use of upgraded tailings ponds for the storage of up to 800 million litres of metals-contaminated effluents, a treatment plant employing lime in a high density sludge process and a sludge-impoundment facility designed for maximum long-term environmental safety. The completed works are cap1ble of satisfying a difficult range of operating requirements imposed by highly variable weather conditions, drainage flows and soluble metals loadi11gs. Final capital expenditures for the project will approach $10 million and annual operating costs are estimated at $0.8 million.This paper discusses the Kimberley effluents treatment project and the major considerations in its development. The treatment process, major plant equipment and initial operating experience are also described."

Jan 1, 1980

By M. L. Haider

Introduction I Appreciate very much the opportunity of discussing with you tonight oil developments in western Canada. These developments are of importance to all of us, first because of their great economic significance to all of Canada, and second because of the location of the new oilfields. Situated as they are in the west and northwest, they are of considerable strategic value from the standpoint of continental defence. The story of oil development in Canada covers a span of almost a century, during which time success in finding reserves of petroleum was barely sufficient to maintain interest in continuing the search. Finally, in 1947, a well of the first importance was completed in Alberta and, judging by discoveries made since then, it appears that Canada, at long last, is to become an important producer of petroleum.

Jan 1, 1950

By D. J. McLaren

"Arctic Canada is one of the largest undeveloped terrains remaining in the world, and is in many ways unique. The ecological balance of the region is more delicate than tropical or temperate regions of similar size. This region is likely to be developed by research for and production of resources, primarily petroleum, in the immediate future. As well as sensitive terrain surface caused by permafrost in some areas, many large and small mammals and birds are also in a delicate balance with the environment. Small changes in this balance can have large effects.The probability of finding petroleum in different regions varies widely, but already there are good indications on the mainland and in the Islands that both oil and gas are present. Geophysical work in the offshore, particularly the Beaufort Sea, suggests further promising potential. Possible reserves in the Islands and mainland Arctic may amount to 50 or more billion barrels.A responsible approach to problems facing exploitation in an Arctic environment includes the careful monitoring by industry of likely effects of their activities. The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Research Association test loop at Inuvik provides an example of such monitoring. Outside Canada, the operations at Prudhoe Bay on the north coast of Alaska show how major companies may operate responsibly and reduce environmental interference to a minim'.::at. Nevertheless, four variables must affect any decisions to be made concerning energy resource exploitation in the Arctic. These are man's need for energy, economic and industrial pressures to develop energy sources, the desire to preserve a deteriorating environment, and the role of government as representing all individuals in the country and their several points of view. Factors that must be taken into account in making any decisions include the importance of Canadian oil in a world picture, the need for alternative sources of energy in the near future, the depletion of nonrenewable resources at an accelerating rate and the increasing awareness that the major problems facing man have no direct technical solution and that social or political decisions must precede further techno-logical development."

Jan 1, 1971

By Cristina Echavarría

MAIN POINTS ? The region: opportunities and limitations ? Overview of main issues emerging from MMSD in South America ? Who comprises the local community? ? What are the main challenges? ? Some suggestions for companies to improve their contribution to local sustainable development of mineral rich localities THE REGIONAL CONTEXT 1. The region is a producer of minerals contributing over 20% to world metal production. It consumes only 8% 2. Significant diversity of national contexts-both between countries and within countries 3. Variable but predominant need for strengthening of government and community institutions and governance, especially at the local level 4. Dearth of baseline information for decision making 5. Sustained social spending during early 90?s as a consequence of economic recovery and fiscal policy, produced important advances in education and health 6. Despite government efforts in most countries poverty continues growing 7. Highly inequitable distribution of wealth persists

May 1, 2002

By J. M. Wolverton

CONSIDERABLE interest has always been taken in Safety-First and First Aid at the Sullivan mine. Even during the early days of development, Safety-First committees periodically held meetings, while lectures in first aid were given to any employees interested in the work. In 1929, a Safety Department was organized, and all accident-prevention and first-aid work was put in charge of a full-time Safety Engineer. An extensive programme has gradually been developed, the value of which can best be indicated by the reduction of the accident rate from 18.4 shifts lost per 1,000 shifts worked for non-fatal accidents and two fatalities for 1927, to 3.24 shifts lost per 1,000 shifts worked and no fatalities for 1936. SUPERVISION All work connected with accident prevention or first aid is under the jurisdiction of a central committee, known as the Accident Prevention Committee, which meets regularly once a month. It consists of all superintendents, department heads, foremen, and shift bosses, and is presided over by the Safety Engineer. At these meetings, the accident records of the previous month are reviewed and all accidents carefully analyzed and discussed. All proposed changes in the safety rules or in the accident tprevention programme are taken up and passed upon. Complaints or suggestions from the Safety-First Committee and the Employees Co-operative Committee, dealing with safety, are discussed and passed upon or a subcommittee is appointed to investigate and take any action found advisable. The question of underground ventilation and dust control, which recently has become a very important problem, always receives considerable attention.

Jan 1, 1937

By G Anders

The effectiveness of two types of powder used in long-wall slashing was compared. The evaluation of the results can serve as a good example of how the application of statistical methods to underground test data can help to minimize the number of tests to be carried out. The conclusions are stated concisely, including a definite assessment of the reliability of the tests. Introduction AN assignment at the Algom Nordic mine called for a performance comparison between 70 per cent Cilgel B and 75 per cent Dygel in longwall stope slashing, particularly taking into account, in both cases, the build-up of bootlegs as dependent on hole deviation. Stopes were usually 8 to 10 ft. high and inclined at about 17 degrees. Starting from a raise, they were widened by consecutive longwall slashes to 60 ft., and, al-lowing for drift pillars, were approximately 300 ft. in length along the incline.

Jan 1, 1964

This paper details a brief history of the Australian gold industry from the 1980s gold boom to the present day, highlighting an industry characterised by innovation in plant design and junior companies prepared to "have a go", in contrast to the conservatism of many larger mining companies. Design flexibility, the innovation of new processes, the preparedness to exchange "process know how" and technology singularly differentiated the gold industry from other sectors during the 1980s to the present. The introduction of two stage crushing, semi autogenous (SAG) milling, and pebble crushing, mill innovations, carbon in pulp (CIP) and carbon in leach (CIL) and the North Kalgoorlie screen etc were all exciting changes in the industry.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. Yamamoto, D. Post, J. De Leon, A. Meike

"This paper describes the theory, design, building, and testing of the passive magnetic bearing stabilizing system which is the core of the passive magnetic bearing system. The stabilizing system is made up of two large magnetic disks opposing themselves with a stabilizing disk in the center which allows the system to self-locate in a null position without the need for external power sources or sensors. When outside forces act upon the stabilizer, the magnetic fields interact with the stabilizing plate to return the system to its null position. Collaboration between two industry leaders has allowed an actual prototype to be built and tested providing real data to prove out the theory.INTRODUCTIONMagnetic bearing/stabilizer systems have many advantages over conventional mechanical bearing systems. These include near-zero drag losses and no need for lubrication since the rotating elements make no mechanical contact with the stationary elements of the bearing system. However all magnetic bearing systems must contend with a constraint known as Earnshaw’s Theorem in the early 1800’s, this theorem asserts the impossibility of constructing a stable, non-contacting, electrostatic or magnetostatic levitation system using only fixed charges or fixed magnetic poles, such as those produced by permanent magnets. Because of the constraint imposed by Earnshaw’s Theorem virtually all present-day commercial magnetic bearing systems are of the “active” type. That is, they employ electromagnets that are powered by amplifiers the inputs to which come from sensors embedded in the bearing system. These sensors are a part of a feedback loop that operates to keep the levitated rotating parts of the bearing stable and centered. The resulting complexity means that active magnetic bearings are expensive, require periodic maintenance, and continuously consume electrical power to energize their amplifiers and their electromagnets.Passive magnetic bearings are, of course, also subject to the constraints imposed by Earnshaw’s Theorem but they solve this problem in a straightforward and simple way, with only “passive” elements that take advantage of a loophole implicit in the derivation of Earnshaw’s Theorem. This loophole is that Earnshaw’s Theorem as derived applies only to static systems, i.e. an assembly of stationary permanent magnets arranged so as to levitate an object containing other permanent magnets. The theorem can be overcome if dynamic effects are taken into account. In active magnetic bearings the “dynamic effects” involve the afore-mentioned sensors, amplifiers, and electromagnets."

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Fainerman-Melnikova

The use of strong base ion exchange resins for the extraction of uranium was pioneered in the 1950?s. Ion exchange technology is applicable to dilute leach solutions such as those obtained from in-situ, heap leaching or in-plant processing of low grade ores. A further advantage of ion exchange processes is that fluidised bed technology allows for treatment of solutions with a relatively high concentration of suspended solids and resin-in-pulp technology can treat leach slurries. However, the extraction of uranium with strong base resins is severely affected by the presence of chloride ions in solution. In areas where high quality water is not readily available, the use of saline water as process water would extend the potential application for ion exchange in uranium processing. Our research program has studied the effectiveness of a wide range of commercially available ion exchangers in uranium extraction from saline solutions. In the present work, we examine the impact of salinity (ranging from chloride concentrations found in groundwater to those present in sea water), on the uranium extraction with weak base anionic resins (WBA). The effect of pH and the presence of the competing impurities are also discussed.

Aug 1, 2010

By E. A. Haack, L. A. Warren

Microbial biofilms are essentially biologically driven, geochemically reactive interfaces between solid surfaces and aqueous solution. Field investigation of acid rock drainage (ARD) associated biofilms at the Onaping nickel mine (Onaping, ON, Falconbridge Ltd.) characterizing: (1) micro-geochemical gradients (pH and 02) (2) metal fractionation amongst biofilm solid components, and (3) microbial communities; over both seasonal and diel timescales, indicates biofilms are highly metal reactive. Results show that biofilms accumulate metals seasonally within two microbially controlled solid fractions: amorphous hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) biominerals and the organic biofilm matrix. The biofilm geochemical microenvironment, driven largely by microbial activity, dynamically impacts biofilm metal behaviour over diel timescales. These results indicate that microbes can play significant roles in bulk system reactive metal transport. On-going investigation seeks to characterize the microbial players and the microbial-geochemical linkages involved in Mn oxyhydroxide formation and subsequent metal sequestration, with the goal of engineering this microbial activity as a bioremediative approach. This approach will have utility beyond specific application to the Falconbridge Onaping site to ARD mine environments in general, as the likely microbes involved in these processes are typically common across ARD systems.

Jan 1, 2004