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By J. Aiello

"Introduction Byron Creek Collieries Limited Corbin mine is located in southeastern British Columbia approximately 180 air kilometres southwest of Calgary (Fig. I), twenty four kilometres south of Highway No. 3 via a newly constructed provincial road (Fig. 2). The development of the area began July 30, 1905, when D.C. Corbin, a prominent businessman from the northwestern U.S., and his associate E.J. Roberts first visited the site of Coal Mountain on horseback. Coal was in great demand by railways and other industrial users, so the Corbin Coal and Coke Co., after acquiring 6,000 hectares of land in the area, began to develop a mine. Mr. Roberts was responsible for the construction of the 22-kilometre rail spur, the Eastern British Columbia Railway, which joined the mine to the CPR main line at the McGillivray Loop. Rail access to the mine and its developing community, Corbin, B.C., was completed in September 1908, the same year that the first underground mine began production. The Corbin Coal and Coke Co. operated six mines on Coal Mountain (Fig. 3) and production from 1908 to 1930 inclusive totalled 2,120,800 tonnes. This production was allocated to the mines as follows:"

Jan 1, 1985

By K. C. Corin, Z. G. Song, J. G. Wiese

In the present study the effect of using different grinding media, viz, ceramic balls, forged steel balls, 15% Cr steel balls, stainless steel and mixture of stainless steel and 15% Cr steel balls (50:50) on the flotation performance of a Platinum Group Mineral (PGM) UG2 ore was investigated. Test work was conducted using a laboratory scale horizontal tumbling mill and a batch flotation cell. Power draw to achieve a specific P80 was determined for each media type. Changes in flotation behaviour were evaluated in terms of particle size distribution, water recovery, solid recovery and valuable mineral recovery. pH, Eh and DO levels were also measured. Grinding products of five different media produced similar solids and water recovery, which is indicative of the froth characteristics, but the grades and recoveries of PGE and chromite were different. The product obtained when using ceramic media showed the best flotation performance, producing the highest PGE recovery and the lowest Cr2O3 recovery. The products obtained when using stainless steel balls (SS) produced the lowest PGE recovery and highest Cr2O3 grade and recovery. The paper proposes possible reasons to explain these observations which may have significant importance for the operation of a PGM concentrator.

Jan 1, 2015

By K. V. Lindell

Introduction This paper describes a recent innovation in the design and construction of mine headframes. A reinforced concrete headframe was built by using sliding forms. A concrete headframe of conventional design was originally considered, but investigation of this project showed that it was doubtful if the bearing strength of the soil was sufficient to support the great weight of a structure of this type. In addition, the slope and the fractured condition of the serpentine bed-rock did not permit satisfactory piling. A conventional steel headframe with storage bins was then designed, but, due to the steel situation, delivery promises were set back many months. The concrete headframe was again investigated, and a design was adopted incorporating a circular headframe lower in height than that first considered, with skips discharging into a smaller surge bin. The upper section of the shaft collar was strengthened to result in a stable structure which would be supported by bed-rock, as well as by the concrete and steel lining of the shaft itself.

Jan 1, 1948

By W. Holdsworth

The flotation mill of Dentonia Mines, Limited, at Greenwood, B.C., went into operation on April 20th, 1934, and by October 11th a total of 15,000 tons of ore had been treated. It is intended in this paper to describe briefly the operation and to give some of the operating data which have been gathered. The metallic minerals in the Dentonia ore are pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and, occasionally, native gold, and the gangue includes chloritic material, vein quartz, and calcite. Pyrite makes up about 90 per cent of the metallic content of the ore, in which it is disseminated as irregular grains and well-formed cubes. An average analysis of the ore is: gold, 0.27 oz. per ton; silver, 1.73 oz. per ton; copper, 0.12 per cent; lead, 0.31 per cent; and zinc, trace. From the mine ore-bin, situated near the portal of the tunnel at the mine, the ore is hauled by motor truck to the mill, a distance of three-quarters of a mile, and there dumped into the receiving bin, which has a capacity of fifty tons. The hauling is done during one eight-hour shift, commencing at 7 a.m. The maximum size of the ore fed to the mill-bin is ten inches. Lumps larger than this are broken by sledge hammer to pass through grizzly bars, spaced ten inches apart, installed above the bin. The ore is drawn from the bin by a 30-inch, 6-ply conveyor belt, 18 feet 6 inches long. In the near future, when the cross-cut tunnel is completed, the ore will be trammed to the receiving bin. This will effect a considerable saving in cost. At the same time, the bin will be set back several feet, so that the length of the conveyor belt may be doubled. This will make efficient ore-sorting possible, and so ensure a minimum of waste rock in the mill feed.

Jan 1, 1935

By M. A. Rabah

This study aims to recover europium, yttrium metals, some valuable salts or oxides from the white powder (apatite) coating the inner surface of spent florescent lamps (SFLs). Pressure leaching using sulphuric/nitric acid successfully dissolved the metals of interest. Europium or yttrium metals were obtained by hydrogen reduction of their oxides. Addition of potassium thiocyanate converted the dissolved sulphates to thiocyanates. Selective separation of Eu and Y was then carried out by solvent extraction from the thiocyanate solution. The used solvent was trimethyl-benzylammonium chloride. N-trihutylphosphate in 1 M nitric acid was used to strip the metal loaded in the organic phase. Results showed that the quality of the cleaned glass tubes of the SFL met the standard requirement for the lamp manufacture. The white powder (WP) is composed of calcium sulphate 35.2%, phosphate 61.5% and oxides of europium and yttrium 1.65%wt. respectively. Autoclave digestion of the WP for 4 h at 120°C and 500 kPa in sulphuric acid/nitric acid mixture dissolved 96.4% of yttrium and 92.8% of europium. The conversion rate of sulphate to thiocyanate was favoured at low temperature. Stripping of Eu and Y from the loaded organic phase behaved in an opposite way. A metal separation factor of 9.4 was obtained. ate recovered europium and yttrium salts were selectively separated using ethyl alcohol or dilute nitric acid. Yttrium was very soluble while europium was not. Europium and yttrium metals were obtained by hydrogen gas reduction at 850°C and 1575°C respectively.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. A. L. Henderson

THE potential oil-and gas-bearing area with "which this paper deals is the large undefined Carboniferous basin, roughly triangular in shape, occupying about 10,000 square miles of southern and eastern New Brunswick. Its base, about 135 miles long, lies on the gulf of St. Lawrence and embraces the whole eastern coast-line of the Province, while its apex lies in the south-west corner of the Province, near the International boundary (see map, Figure 1). The Carboniferous basin may be divided roughly into two areas-the Northern basin and the Southern basin-by a structural feature represented by a ridge of low hills running north-easterly from the Saint John river, near Saint John, on the southwest, to Indian mountain, about eight miles north of Moncton, in the northeast. Within the Northern basin, all evidence regarding the presence or attitude of the older Mississippian Albert Shale series, the only oil-bearing rocks known in New Brunswick, is for the greater part obscured by a thick and practically horizontal blanket of Pennsylvanian strata and, although evidences of oil and gas have been reported, none has been positively identified. Five parallellines of gentle folding, running to the northeast, occur in the Pennsylvanian rocks, within a distance of 100 miles from north to south. This folding is reflected in the courses of the rivers, which lie within the synclines. The relationship of the folding in the younger rocks to structures in the uncomfortably underlying older rocks is unknown, but should now be possible of clarification by means of a geophysical survey accompanied by drilling. Independent geological examinations have yielded no evidence of value in this respect, nor have five exploratory boreholes drilled by per-cussion tools to a maximum depth of 3,645 feet been of assistance, as only one inconclusive hole completely traversed the beds which normally overlie the Albert shales.

Jan 1, 1940

By Victor R. Eyzaguirre

Cerro Verde is one of several large porphyry-type copper deposits in Southern Peru. The copper occurs as primary sulphides, with a significant oxide capping. The exploitation of the deposit has been correspondingly divided into two stages, the first consisting of copper production from oxides, and the second from sulphides. Minero Peru successfully started the Stage I plant in June of 1977 with the first production of electrowon copper cathodes. This paper is essentially devoted to a description of the Stage I process, which can be summarized as follows: Ore is trucked to the primary crusher, where it is crushed to 225 mm and conveyed to a coarse ore stockpile. Ore withdrawn from the stockpile is secondary crushed to 65 mm, conveyed to a truck loadout bin, loaded into trucks and driven to the leaching pads. Ore is placed on the pads in lifts and sprayed with sulphuric acid solution to dissolve the copper. Copper-bearing solution forms a pond behind a dam at the lower end of each pad and is pumped from there to the solvent extraction plant. Copper is extracted from the leach solution into an organic phase and is then stripped from the organic phase to form a purified concentrated copper solution suitable for feed to electrowinning. In electrowinning, the copper is finally recovered as cathodes suitable for sale as refined copper.

Jan 1, 1978

By W. E. Roscoe

The probability of making an exploration discovery in Canada can be calculated from Derry's (1970) data on exploration expenditures and number of discoveries over the last nineteen years. Considering an average exploration "try" to be $30,000, the probability of a discovery with one try has decreased tenfold from about 0.01 in 1951 to 0.001 in 1969. A plot of these probabilities can be extrapolated to the future, giving a 1969-71 three-year average probability of 0.00096 with 90 per cent confidence limits of 0.00042 and 0.00153. Using this probability, various calculations can be made, such as (1) the probability of making at least one discovery for any given exploration expenditure, (2) the probability of ultimate ruin or survival of the exploration investment process and (3) the expected value of an exploration investment. There is a critical minimum amount per discovery that must be re-invested in exploration, no matter how large the original investment is, for exploration to survive at all in the long run. Currently, this critical minimum is $31,200,000 with 90 per cent confidence limits of $19,600,000 and $71,400,000.

Jan 1, 1971

By M. Li, T. H. Dubaniewicz, H. N. Dougherty

"INTRODUCTION Underground mines have the risk of accumulation of gases if not ventilated properly or during and after emergency situations when ventilation controls become damaged or stop working. Common gases that are monitored in underground coal are carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen (O2), and methane (CH4). Methane is a gas found in coal and released through mining; its explosive range is between 5% and 15%. Methane is commonly monitored on all mining equipment and with handheld gas sensors carried by most underground coal miners. Fiber optics (FO) is a popular technology applied in underground mining, particularly for its electric isolation. Many miners are familiar with FO cables hung throughout the mine, which are primarily used in the communication of voice and data (Taylor et al. 2010). Advancements in laser and fiber optics have made this technology well suited for gas sensing the harsh environment of mining applications. The work of the U.S. Bureau of Mines on the use of fiber optic monitoring of gases in mines started in 1992. Dubaniewicz et al. (1992, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2003) developed prototype gas sensors, including methane gas sensors, for research purposes. Previous research (Dubaniewicz & Chilton 1992) identified potential fiber optic gas detection cross-sensitivities associated with the index of refraction of various gases. Index of refraction effects was noted for carbon dioxide (CO2), which is produced in significant quantities by mine fires or explosions. NIOSH released a broad agency announcement (BAA) for the development and demonstration of mine safety and health technology (CDC NIOSH 2017). The objective of this announcement was to validate a sensor, specifically fiber optic, for the mine environment and test it in an actual working mine. The RSL FO sensor “OptoSniff” provided from this work is capable of hundreds of sensing points over distances of up to 20 km, has a measurement range of 0.05% to 100%, senses in an oxygen- deficient environment, and has no gas cross-sensitivity (RSL, 2014). The RSL system is totally electrically passive outside the central control unit (CCU), which can be housed in an MSHA-approved explosion-proof (XP) enclosure or in a control room outside of the permissive area. The sensor was tested in dusty and signal loss situations, showing it is tolerant of dust, has functioned at signal losses up to 90%, and was successfully tested in a mine environment for a five-month period (Walsh et al. 2014). This paper describes how the RSL FO sensor is used for testing using smoke and its contaminants for applicability in emergency situations. The testing investigates individual contaminants such as CO2, temperature, and smoke. Each test was performed separately and methane concentration, laser power, and response time data were collected."

Jan 1, 2019

By C. Blais, G. L’Espérance

Characterization of second phase particles is important with regard to their influence on mechanical properties of materials. Analytical electron microscopy offers the possibility to achieve complete characterization of inclusions. Complete characterization of inclusions means quantitative evaluation of their chemistry and the stereological parameters. A characterization technique based on integrated microscopy and involving scanning electron microscopy, image analysis and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is presented. A discussion of the use of transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy is also presented for the characterization of very small particles and compounds (>100 nm).

Jan 1, 1998

By A. Hayatdavoudi, D. Chitila, F. Boukadi

"Shale oil and gas have provided a tremendous boost to energy production in the United States even though the characteristics and behavior of shale are yet to be fully understood. Hydraulic fracturing is often applied to horizontal shale wells to stimulate production. This experiment seeks to determine effects of cyclic variable temperature, water vapor and exposure time on shale micro fracture propagation. We used 22 small Pierre shale specimens and subjected them to aforementioned conditions. Fractures developed in 19 specimens. Combination of high temperature and high water vapor generated the largest number of micro fractures on the specimen surfaces.INTRODUCTIONShale oil and gas have contributed immensely to energy independence in the United States. Most if not all shales depending on their total organic content (TOC) and their clay content bear the promise of being a source rock. For example, the Eagle Ford shale play, located in south Texas, is one of the key contributors to the recent rise in oil and gas production in the United States. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), published in 2014, states that monthly oil production from Eagle Ford wells increased from 340 barrels per day (bbl/d) in January 2009 to nearly 1 million bbl/d in June 2013. Natural gas production has also increased at a similar rate over the same period, from 5.8 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) to nearly 4,000 MMcf/d (EIA, 2014).According to the railroad commission of Texas (RRC) 2014 published information, the Eagle Ford shale play is an important play because it produces gas and more oil than other shale plays in the United States. It is an organic-rich play with carbonate shale percentage in the 70% range in south Texas and the shale content increases moving to the northwest. High carbonate proportion renders this play brittle and suitable for hydraulic fracturing treatments."

Jan 1, 2015

By H. Bouzahzah

The field of quantitative mineralogy has evolved significantly through the development of image analysis techniques and information technology. Quantitative mineralogical characterization can now be routinely conducted for determining ore compositions and understanding the behaviour of minerals within mineral separation processes. The characterization of mine tailings is another important application of quantitative mineralogy. The estimation of acid and neutralization potential as well as the interpretation of kinetic leaching test results are often based on quantitative mineralogical knowledge (mineral abundance, texture, metal distribution amongst minerals, etc.). The objective of this paper is to determine and compare the accuracy of four mineralogical characterization techniques that are often used for environmental sample analysis: (1) X-ray diffraction, (2) normal analysis from chemistry analyses, (3) normal analysis from specific gravity measurements and (4) SEM-EDS image analysis. For this purpose, three artificial samples were assembled by mixing pure minerals in proportions often observed in mineral processing plant tailings. BILMAT, a statistical data reconciliation software, was applied to reconcile the chemical analyses with the results of other mineralogical analysis techniques and to estimate the acid and neutralization potential of actual mine tailings samples. The acid mine drainage was qualified from the acid potential and neutralization potential equilibrium as determined through quantitative mineralogical analysis. The statistically reconciled data made it possible to predict the metal deportment as a function of their bearing minerals and therefore, in the case of neutral contaminated drainage, to assess metal leaching potential.

Jan 1, 2016

By G. E. Veins

A three-phase, continuously-operated, 250 kv.a. electric smelting furnace has been installed at the Mines Branch, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Ottawa, for the experimental treatment of ores and by-products of interest to the Canadian mining, metallurgical, and chemical industries. In the operation of this furnace particular emphasis is placed on the accumulation of quantitative data which will be useful in determining the most suitable smelting technique and the nature of the products, and in arriving at preliminary conclusions regarding the cast of power and electrodes. The results obtained in the experimental smelting of iron, manganese-iron, titanium- iron, nickel, and chromiumiron ores, and of a number of industrial by-products, clearly show the value of such treatment for materials of this type.

Jan 1, 1957

By John Stoten

"The 1980s have proven extremely difficult years for many resource-based organizations. Mining companies have learned how to weather the negative effects of inevitable economic cycles. However, with some notable exceptions, such as gold mining companies, the mining industry has faced a broader and deeper round of cutbacks than any experienced since the 1930s. Downsizing has been a major issue for many mining companies as they have faced the need for dramatic staffing cost reductions in the recent past.The continuing current rapid rate of change in technology and the marketplace, coupled with increasing merger and acquisition activity, will provide an on-going need for some companies to face major reorganization. This inevitably will involve down-sizing activity in some instances.Given this scenario, it is worth reviewing the industry's past experiences to identify approaches and techniques that could prove of value in handling a future staff downsizing challenge. This paper is based upon a downsizing consultant's experiences with the mining industry and other sectors, and highlights what appear to be key staff reduction planning and process issues.Planning for DownsizingA review of companies' downsizing activities of the last few years reveals four key activity stages which need to be addressed to ensure a successful transition. These stages are:1. organization planning;2. developing cost reduction strategies;3. implementing downsizing; and4. building for the future.A business situation that is severe enough to require drastic staff cuts typically affects all aspects of a company's operations. Most mining companies have reviewed cost efficiencies in many operational areas. However, these reviews often have been short term in focus . As a result, some companies have experienced multiple downsizing; each event a response to an immediate economic threat. This has sometimes resulted in an unstable organizational environment, with severe stresses on staff morale and productivity.In the long term it is more efficient and less stressful to the organization to adopt a more comprehensive and longer-term strategy. Especially in capital intensive mining operations, it makes sense to review all areas of business activity, not just staffing."

Jan 1, 1989

By F. A. Forward

"IntroductionTHE LYNN LAKE MINE, situated in Manitoba about 150 miles north of Sherridon, has been actively developed by Sherritt Gordon Mines, Limited, during the past seven years, resulting in the establishment of a proven reserve of over 14,000,000 tons of ore containing 1.223 per cent nickel, 0.618 per cent copper, and additional cobalt values. For many years, the Sherritt Gordon Company operated a copper-zinc-gold mine at Sherridon but, as this mine was approaching exhaustion and as it was proposed to use the mining and milling equipment to treat the Lynn Lake ore, a number of unusual problems were faced in transferring plant and operations from the one mine to the other, and particularly in preparing to undertake nickel production.Preliminary investigation showed that the ore could be concentrated by flotation to produce a copper concentrate containing 28 to 30 per cent copper with less than 1 per .cent nickel, and a nickel concentrate containing 11 to 14 per cent nickel, 0.3 to 0.4 per cent cobalt, and less than 2 per cent .copper, with high recovery of the three metals in .the concentrates. It was apparent that, initially, the copper concentrate could be economically smelted and refined in the usual manner. But as the nickel concentrate contained an insignificant amount of precious metals (less than 0.02 oz. per ton) and as .it had a much higher nickel content than comparable concentrates normally produced from sulphide ores, the selection of a treatment process and the location of a plant required careful study."

Jan 1, 1953

By M. Dupuis

It has been previously demonstrated [1,2] that using selective collector bar rodding has a big impact on the uniformity of the current density at the top surface of the cathode block and hence on the intensity of the horizontal current in the metal pad, The present study investigates the impact of using selective collector bar rodding on the MHD stability of a 500 kA aluminium electrolysis cell, For this purpose the recently developed MHD package for the aluminium reduction cell time dependent behavior is used.

Jan 1, 2005

By F. Qi, T. Frišcic, C. Mottillo

"One of the principal goals of modern industry is to minimize the environmental impact and increase the materials- and energy-efficiency of transforming raw materials into valuable products. This paper will highlight our latest laboratory-scale research in low-energy, low-solvent reactivity of metal oxides and their conversion into popular metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (e.g. Basolite® Z1200 component ZIF-8), and metallodrugs (e.g. bismuth subsalicylate, active component of Pepto-Bismol®). Mechanochemical ion- and liquid-assisted grinding (ILAG) and ""accelerated aging"" techniques will be presented, along with novel low-energy and solvent-free approaches, inspired by geological weathering processes, for converting metal oxides into metal-organic materials. INTRODUCTIONThe development of environmentally-friendly processes, which would in the same time be more materials- and energy-efficient than the existing ones, is one of the central concerns of modern chemical research. In that sense, the focus of the chemist has been mainly on the preparation of carbon-based organic molecules and adaptation of traditional organic synthesis to the recently delineated ideals of Green Chemistry. However, there is a growing realization within the chemistry community that significant energy, materials, and ecology-related benefits can be achieved and, indeed, targeted in the transformations of materials that are typically associated with inorganic chemistry and minerals processing. The principal aim of this highlight contribution is to illustrate how, through the use of approaches associated with solventfree chemistry and mechanochemistry (James et al., 2012), one can develop a clean and efficient system of chemical and materials transformations involving oxide precursors that normally belong to the realm of inorganic chemistry and mineral processing. In particular, this contribution will provide an overview of the recently developed mechanochemical and solvent-free reactivity of metal oxides towards small organic molecules. These mechanochemical reactions, including the methods of liquid-assisted grinding (LAG, Frišcic & Jones, 2009) and ion- and liquid-assisted grinding (ILAG, Frišcic, 2010), have so far provided a radically different means to construct advanced metal-organic materials (e.g. porous metal-organic frameworks, [MOFs] or metallodrugs) by rehabilitating metal oxides as precursors, eliminating the use of bulk organic solvents, and avoiding the use of high temperatures."

Jan 1, 2012

"Developing markets for western metallurgical coal have continued to stimulate considerable exploration activity in the Rocky Mountain foothills and to influence major segments of a wide-ranging carbonization R&D pro-gram. Adjunct studies have included expanded petrographie investigations.Coal preparation has• been principally directed toward utilization of prepared small coal and was, like much of the year's combustion work, strongly influenced by concern over atmospheric pollution. Particular attention has been given to desulphurization and to the suppression of pollutants in combustion systems.In the area of non-fuel utilization of coal, interest has centered on plant nutrients and on a series of coal-based carbons which, inter alia, possess utility as filtration media.Other projects included the development of improved sampling and analytical methods, investigations into the effect of storage on coal proper-ties and R&D in solids pipelining. In addition, a significant volume of basic 'uncommitted' research has been maintained."

Jan 1, 1968

By L. Haavanlammi

Iron is a significant component of all copper concentrates leached in the HydroCopperTM process. The metals in the concentrate are leached in a chloride solution by oxidation with cupric ions. Copper enters into the solution as a cuprous chloro¬complex. Iron dissolves at the same time in the ferrous form, but it is immediately oxidized to the ferric state. Oxidation is effected by sparging air or oxygen into the leaching reactors. Because the pH is 1 - 2.5, ferric ion precipitates as akaganeite (T<90°C) or hematite (T> 90°C). Arsenic, antimony and the main part of the bismuth co-precipitate with iron and report to the leach residue. Cupric leaching is faster than iron oxidation; thus, leaching of low-iron concentrates (secondary copper minerals) is quicker than leaching high iron concentrates (chalcopyrite). Pyrite does not dissolve during copper leaching, but is oxidized slowly at higher redox-potentials after the copper has been leached.

Jan 1, 2006

By K. van Warmerdam, M. Pearson, C. Kember, D. McMullen, M. Thayer, C. Ugarenko

In July 2012, Hatch Ltd. and Air Products & Chemicals Inc. completed construction and commissioning of a 4000 tpd O2 cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) for Barrick Gold’s Pueblo Viejo Project located in central Dominican Republic. The ASU produces high pressure gaseous oxygen, which is used for the oxidation of refractory sulphide ore within the pressure oxidation (POX) circuit. As a result of the project’s remote location and tropical climate, many challenges were faced over the course of construction, commissioning and start-up of the ASU. These challenges included adequate preservation of equipment due to dusty and humid site conditions, final assembly and erection of the cryogenic distillation columns on site, limited spare parts inventory/availability, and an unfinished power source for plant commissioning. This paper discusses the steps taken by Hatch and Air Products to successfully design, construct, commission and start up the largest stand-alone ASU plant for a POX application in the metallurgical industry.

Jan 1, 2014