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By C. Doucet

Since 2001, CANMET Mining and Mineral Sciences Laboratories (MMSL) have worked with Falconbridge Ltd. (now Xstrata Nickel) to evaluate trends in the strength development and water retention properties of a novel backfill material for underground mining, called gelfill. Between 2004 and 2006, extensive laboratory tests were undertaken under the leadership of the Deep Mining Research Consortium (DMRC). This paper compares results obtained from samples circulated through a mini-flow loop and a simple mixer. Although many parameters were studied over the last five (5) years, this paper focuses on the investigation of the effect of the mixing method, sequence and time, and the curing environment on strength development and water retention of gelfill. It was found that binder should be added as a powder to the mix in the mini-flow loop, and that mixing slurry in the mini-flow loop as opposed to the mixer generally yielded higher strengths. The practical implications of these observations are the subject of an on-going underground trial that will compare laboratory and in situ properties of regular slurry fill with gelfill.

May 1, 2007

By Edward S. Bell, Frank Angebrandt

"Nuclear reactors must have very large heat outputs to compete with conventional sources and the only feasible applications are in the production of electric power or large quantities of process steam. This paper considers alternative fuels for electric power generation in Canada. In a publicly owned utility, nuclear stations are economic for base-load generation for unit sizes of 500 mega• watts or larger where competitive fossil fuel costs are higher than about 30 cents per million Btu. In British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, fossil fuels will continue to be in adequate supply at costs lower than 30 cents per million Btu and thus, except for the special case of Vancouver Island, power generation in Western Canada will continue to be the hydraulic and conventional thermal type. In Eastern Canada, fossil fuel prices are likely to be higher than 30 cents per million Btu and most utilities will be able to install units of 500 mw or larger, so that nuclear power plants will provide much of the base-load generation required. Base-load generation comprises about two-thirds of the energy generated by power utilities. By 1990, the total annual electrical energy load will be over 600 billion kwh, with two-thirds of this load in Eastern Canada. Allowing for additional hydraulic resources which may be developed in Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba, hydraulic generation is forecast to provide a little more than a third of this electrical energy, nuclear generation a third and fossil-fuelled generation about a quarter."

Jan 1, 1969

By Leslie F. Sawatsky

Failure of drainage works is one of the principal threats to the sustainability of mine closure facilities but the risk can largely be remedied by appropriate design of mine closure drainage facilities. The feasibility of sustainable mine closure facilities that avoid failure of drainage systems needs to be established during the early stages of mine planning, before mine disturbances make sustainable closure uneconomical. Experience in mine development shows there is often enough latitude in mine plan development to incorporate measures with neutral economic consequence and positive environmental benefit. Project managers need to resist the temptation to develop mine plans and closure drainage plans independently. Integrated mine planning with effective inputs by environmental specialists and drainage designers may affect the overall mine configuration, footprint and schedule. Key issues pertain to the end pit location, waste dump configurations, pit infill elevations, fluid impoundments, diversion channel routing and preservation of flows to receiving waters. Guidelines with illustrations of suitable practices are presented to assist mine planners.

May 1, 2004

By Laura Prati

Gold-on-carbon catalysts resulted very active and selective in liquid phase oxidation [1, 2, 3] and during past studies we established that activity is ruled by two factors: particle dimension and gold exposure on the carbon surface [4]. These two parameters are also connected to the nature of activated carbon where the chemical nature of the surface oxygenated groups probably plays an important role [5]. Our studies, focused on the design of an active gold-on-carbon catalyst for liquid phase application, were aimed, operating a fine tuning of all the parameters involved in determining activity, to optimize gold-on-carbon preparation, keeping in mind that gold particle activity increases with decreasing particle size and increasing gold exposure. Gold sol immobilisation represents a versatile methodology in preparing gold catalysts [6]: throughout this work we used as sol stabilizing agent, the N-dodecil-N,N-dimethyl-3-amino-1-propan sulphonate (SB), that provides both sterical and electrostatic stabilisation, a condition we already demonstrated necessary to preserve particle dimension when carbon is used as the support [6]. We generated different gold sols by varying the relative amount of reagents (HAuCl4, SB, NaBH4), the type of alkali and the temperature of the gold precursor reduction. Moreover, as we had recently evidenced that there is also a carbon effect [5], we employed only one active carbon to immobilize the sols.

Oct 1, 2003

By Robert B. Parsons

"Once all the hullabaloo about Finance Minister Wilson's April 27 budget died down (or was it an April 26 budget?), the pain of the budget papers began to sink in. Individuals and corporations will have to dig deeper and pay more taxes - and government will continue to dig deeper and spend more. The irony of the situation is that higher tax rates actually make flow-through shares more attractive as a tax-deferral investment - a bittersweet ""bravo"" for the mining industry.INTRODUCTIONFor the first time in Canadian history, a major budget address has taken two days to deliver. Of course, it's not a case of long-windedness, but rather a case of a hastily called press announcement on April 26 in response to a budget leak, followed by a formal budget speech on April 27.The general reaction of the business community to the budget was to the effect that the tax hikes are acceptable, but the government's failure to curb spending is less than acceptable. Mr. Wilson's reported response indicated that the government had never promised to cut spending, and that increased government spending would actually benefit the country. That age-old debate will doubtlessly continue for generations.In any event, three noteworthy components of the budget papers are:• Personal income tax rates increase effective July I, 1989;• A ""large corporations tax"" (in effect 'a corporate ""minimum tax"") is effective July I, 1989; and• Federal sales tax increases are effective from June 30, 1989, to be replaced by a national sales tax in 1991.A brief overview of these and other budget proposals follows."

Jan 1, 1989

By R. C. Bryce

"Selbaie is located northwest of Joutel, in what is known as the fourth east-west volcanic sediment group in northwestern Quebec. The main metals produced are copper and zinc, with important contents of both silver and gold. Production comes from an open pit mine on the A-I zone and from two underground mines on the B zone and the A-2 zone. Each mine gave rise to important capital investment programs for construction and mine development, all of which were managed and staffed with company-hired, non-union personnel. Production from all sources now exceeds 7000 tonnes per day, with a workforce of540 regular employees. Of particular interest technically is the high recovery of B zone reserves underneath 40 m of overburden cover, the low-cost capital development of the A-2 zone, the computerized control of open pit mining, and the successful copper-zinc separation of the A-1 zone ore. Due to the low grades of the mineral deposits, efficiency in all aspects of the production process, is essential to the success of the operation.LocationThe Selbaie Mine is located 82 km northwest of the locality of Joutel in northwestern Quebec (Fig. 1). Access to the mine is by an all-weather road, 32 km of which is paved. A second road access to the site is via La Sarre, 134km to the southwest. Employee access, materials transport and haulage of copper and zinc concentrates take place over both of these roads."

Jan 1, 1990

By B. Meddings, O. J. I. Evans

"This paper is mainly concerned with the present and probable future role of hydrometallurgy in the production of base metals.The economic and technological bases of the hydro-metallurgical plants built and operative in the mid-fifties are compared to those in production in the mid-sixties. The trends observed are extrapolated and some estimates made concerning the probable size and type of hydrometallurgical plants which will be operative in the mid-seventies.The impact of emerging socio-economic factors such as pollution control and the market demand for specialized metal products which favour hydrometallurgical recovery processes are also discussed."

Jan 1, 1971

By Syamujulu. M

Subsequent to the unbundling of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) and the privatization of its constituent parts, the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) represents a third of the original conglomerate. Now run by private hands as a sub group of Vedanta Resources Plc of India, KCM is strategizing on how best to deal with the operational issues of the organisation to resolve some of the difficult, logistical, environmental, mineralogical and metallurgical problems being encountered to tum them into opportunities as the company turns around. This paper reviews the options being put in place to provide appropriate solutions and strategies including the treatment of the highly siliceous low energy copper belt concentrates in its mining operations in Zambia.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. J. MacPherson, A. C. Caron

"Cassiar Asbestos Corporation Limited is at present B,C.'s only asbestos mining company, and has been actively engaged in the management and operation of the Cassiar Mine since the early 1950's. The Cassiar operations are located between 3,500' and 6,600' elevation in a secluded mountainous area of northern B.C., approximately 100 miles by road southwest of Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory. Climatic conditions in this area range from mild warm in the summer, to extremely cold during the long winter period.The minesite itself is located over a mile above sea level at the top of McDame Mountain, where year round 24 hours per day miners extract the chrysotile ore from the surrounding waste by standard open pit techniques. The ore body dips into the mountain at about a 45° angle, and as the mining progresses, larger stripping ratios are required. Waste to ore ratio this year will be more than 10 to l whereas only a few years ago ratios of 3 or 4 to l were possible. After drilling, blasting, and loading by shovel onto trucks, the asbestos ore is transported to the Primary Crushing Plant for crushing prior to transport by aerial tramway more than three miles to the Concentrator and Mill in the valley below, where the fibre is extracted from the barren host rock serpentine and milled into numerous grades for shipment to asbestos users round the world. The major air usage is associated with the milling process, presently requiring over 500,000 CFM, with future requirements expected to exceed 840,000 CFM by the end of the decade."

Jan 1, 1976

By H S. Ellis

Flow studies have been conducted on nickel-water suspensions in a 1in.-diam., 42-ft.-long transparent lab-oratory pipeline at concentrations of up to 25 per cent, by volume, and slurry velocities of up to 15 ft/sec. The average size of the nickel powder was approximately 150 mesh (106J.L). Three flow regime were noted. At the highest velocities, i.e., above 10 ft/;sec., where the concentration distribution through the vertical diameter was most uniform, pressure gradients could be correlated with the Durand-Condolios equation (7,8). An intermediate region, i.e., from 7 ft/sec. to10 ft/sec., could be distinguished, the lower velocity limit being that at which nickel particles began to deposit. This region was also marked by decreasing pressure gradients, for a given concentration, as the velocity was reduced. The upper velocity limit in this region was also uniquely defined in that the friction factor for any nickel concentration was the same as that for water. In the third regime, below about 7 ft/sec

Jan 1, 1963

By J G. Brady

This paper discusses the ceramic products used in the construction industry in Canada, as well as the main raw materials used in their manufacture. The products include the! following: (1) clay prorlucts -such as facing brick (glazed and unglazed), common brick, facing tile (glazed and un-glazed), terra cotta, load-bearing tile, non-load-bearing tile, structural clay floor tile, quarry tile, drain tile, sew-er pipe, conduits .and flue liners -which are made mainly from domes-tic common clays and shales and from domestic or imported stoneware clays and low-grade fire clays; (2) floor and wall tiles of the whiteware type, which are produced from ingredients such as kaolin, ball clay, feldspar, nepheline syenite, talc, pvro-phyllite and wollastonite; (3) glass products -the major ones being sheet glass, plate glass and mineral wool (glass wool, and rock or slag wool) -which are made from such materials as silica sand, soda ash, salt cake, feldsspar, nepheline syenite, dolomitic limestone, high-calcium limestone. borax and (for rock and slag wool) various rocks or slags;

Jan 1, 1963

By P. Trudel, É. Cabot, L. Cabot

"A modular gold processing unit (MGPU) was designed, installed and operated over an eight-month period by RSW-Béroma at the Granada mine located near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. A description of the project geology, plant set up, as well as exploitation results, including productivity and profitability curves, are given for a small-scale mining operation in comparison with larger ones. IntroductionSmall-scale mining (SSM) is a widespread activity in Africa, Mexico, Central America and South America, where numerous small mineral deposits are exploited manually or by semimechanized methods. On the other hand, SSM is almost absent in Canada, where the mining industry traditionally exploits large deposits, using concentration plants with capacities of many thousands of tonnes per day. However, many small gold (and other metallic or industrial mineral) deposits are known in Canada. Their reserves are too small to justify the cost related to the construction of a standard mill and, if they are remote from a custom milling facility, they remain unexploited. With this in mind, RSW-Béroma has developed the modular gold processing unit (MGPU) that allows the profitable exploitation of small mineral deposits. The MGPU is the perfect tool for SSM and its main advantages are a much lower capital cost than a standard mill and its portability, which makes it easy to transport and reinstall on another site, once the exploitation of a small deposit is terminated. The denomination MGPU will be used hereafter in the text as it was primarily designed for gold deposits, although it must be kept in mind that this portable plant can be adapted to other mineral substances."

Jan 1, 2003

By Phil Thwaites

"The mining industry uses many types of mineral and metallurgical plants to produce saleable product from ore mined. Plant design history has left current operations with a mixture of manual operation and various forms of automated process controls. Consequently, we typically see high variability in the continuous operations together with a shortfall in the attainment of full capacity, or higher utilization of consumables.At a level of best practice, “Operational Performance Excellence” focuses on process control, using automation and control systems to deliver process optimization. This more sophisticated delivery is a great deal more difficult than the first stage of equipment selection / installation. It includes the appropriate selection of the right instrumentation, control system, key process knowledge, individuals with a solid control engineering background/experience, and the essential backing/ support of the operations management team together leading to higher value delivery. Robust solutions can be realized, considerably minimizing process variation, thus leading to process optimization. This approach results in an easier, efficient and safer process while providing considerable returns for the plant owners.How variable are your processes, and do you maintain optimized process performance with dedicated resources, modern instrumentation, ‘best practice’ control systems and performance monitoring tools? In this lecture, these questions and their possible answers are discussed.357"

Jan 1, 2013

By Corrie Pitzer

Safety performance in many companies and even industries has stalled in the few years. Accidents rates are at a ?plateau? and yet, serious accidents and fatality rates are not. In more dramatic cases, such as in the BP Texas disaster, organizations that have ?exemplary? safety statistics, suddenly have a catastrophic or multi-fatality event occurring. Other classic examples are the Piper Alpha disaster and NASA?s Challenger and Columbia disasters and even the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Looking into the root causes of these accidents provides an insight into the events and deficiencies that led up to the accident, but what are the common features in the organization?s mindset? What characterizes these organizations? decision making, their approach to safety and to risk and are there specific cultural features that can be delineated? The research and review presented in this paper covers a period since 1994, which started in the Australian resource industry and since then covered international events. The features of these organizations are summarized as the seven deadly delusions, based on extensive research since 1997 of organizations that suffered unexpected disasters. Their huge focus on safety, the achievement of lofty goals and celebration of safety successes led to ?mindset? that they are leaders in safety, protected by an extraordinary safety system and that their safety incident figures indicated a truly world-class safety performance. It led them into the trap of the seven deadly delusions?

May 1, 2011

By H. J. McQueen

About 1973 the abrupt decrease in crude oil shipments due to political action by Middle Eastern suppliers, caused a shortage and a steep price rise. In response, Canada had to develop strategies of diminishing consumption and increasing production in both traditional and environmentally friendly resources. To clarify the situation in Canada, there are brief histories of energy (discovery, pipelines), manufacturing and science development, 1800-1970. Energy strategies, both nationally and in Quebec, succeeded in curbing consumption and in expanding production while fostering research in renewable sources. The industry-sector committees provided free exchange of conservation techniques through the federal energy ministry, with progress reports issued annually. Pipeline history in North America is reviewed along with manufacture and construction plans in Canada. Considerable success in all the aspects provided long lasting benefits, but after the embargo was lifted, many research initiatives were gradually abandoned for political reasons. Sustainability is the goal; society must conduct conserver analysis, legislation and action to enhance it.

Jan 1, 2015

PRESENTATION PURPOSE ? Provide an overview of BC?s Environmental Assessment Actand environmental assessment process ? Identify key issues influencing environmental assessments in BC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACT ? Major project proposals require an EA before a project can proceed ? Considers potential effects of proposed projects and ways to minimize or avoid adverse effects Minister of Environment and the Minister designated as responsible for project category decide whether or not to certify a project or order further assessment

May 1, 2006

By R. W. Diamond

Introduction THE Sullivan mine and the milling, smelting, and refining operations of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company are sufficiently well known to make unnecessary anything more than a very brief account of the events which led up to this Company's branching out into the chemical industry. This development is the result of the 26 per cent sulphur content of the Sullivan ore. Seventy-five to eighty per cent of this sulphur enters the mill tailing, which is stocked at Kimberley. The remainder, contained in the lead and zinc concentrate, is burned off in the first treatments at Trail. Prior to this new development, the sulphur gas was wasted to the atmosphere. In spire of its great dilution with air and discharge from stacks at high elevations above the plant, some damage to vegetation close to the plant was experienced. It had always been apparent that this sulphur should be recovered and utilized if possible, at the same rime relieving, or curing, the smoke nuisance, and constant studies with this in view had, therefore, been maintained. One of the early conclusions reached was that the Canadian prairies would ultimately require large quantities of phosphate fertilizers, as had been the experience of older countries, and that these fertilizers would constitute a large outlet for sulphuric acid which could be made from smelter gases. This conclusion prompted a widespread search for phosphate rock, particularly in British Columbia and western Alberta, with the result that low-grade beds were discovered in the Crowsnest district and to the north therefrom through extensive areas (1). Following these discoveries, an experimental plant was built at Trail for the production of triple superphosphate in order to facilitate field-tests in fertilizing prairie lands.

Jan 1, 1934

By D. C. Crothers

"What is new in air compressors? A good deal - the designers have been keeping pace with technical developments in related fields and also contributing new techniques of their own. Plant reliability no longer requires bulky slow-speed machines. Even the reciprocating machines, which still provide the most efficient method of compressing air, have been greatly reduced in size and installation cost for a given capacity rating. New materials and fabrication techniques are being used, by most manufacturers, to produce less costly plants in total. Many packaged plants are available, which generally means a more complete assembly for shipment. This type of construction offers savings in handling and erection costs at the site. A warning is in order, however - the extent of packaging in any given plant should be investigated carefully to determine what is included and just what field costs can be realized. A suggested specification has been offered for consideration when studying comparative costs. Rotating machines intrigue many because of their potential as regard fewer wearing parts, higher speeds and hence smaller units, utilizing less expensive drivers, and lack of contamination of the compressed air by lubricants. The inherent shortcomings of these machines - lower •efficiency and capacity control - have been much improved lately, and this type of plant is now becoming quite popular. Noise control, of much concern to everyone, is another development that has received considerable attention.Systems for efficient capacity control and continuous monitoring of compressor operation offer additional reliability and low-cost operation of the modern compressed air plant. Accessory equipment and its effect on over-all plant operation is also considered."

Jan 1, 1972

By S. F. Featherby

"This paper traces briefly the historical development of coal handling systems to meet the needs of a rapidly developing thermal power generation technology. The wide range of operating requirements is demonstrated by comparing and contrasting the Wabamun GS of Calgary Power Ltd. and a typical modern Ontario-Hydro thermal plant. The problems of safe storage of large tonnages of coal in stockpiles are discussed, together with recommendations for stockpile management. The development of coal bunkers and their management is discussed in detail, together with future trends in the industry."

Jan 1, 1966

By C. O. Brawner, J. Kalejta II

"The classical approach to control rock fall and ravel in open pit mining has been to use catch benches. The width and volume of benches is most dependent on the bench height, size of loading equipment, blast damage to the face and mining regulations. This was compatible with open pit slopes of less than approximately 45 degrees.As our understanding of rock mechanics and blasting control has improved over recent years, much steeper rock slopes can be developed at many open pit mines. However, narrower benches result in less rock fall capacity.The transportation industry has been very successful in using catch fences to protect highways throughout North America and Europe for years. The authors recommend that cable and ring net fences have a potential major application in open pit mining to allow steeper rock slopes with significant economic benefit. This paper outlines the application, design and operation of catch fences in surface mining for specific conditions. Typical case examples are presented."

Jan 1, 2002