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By R. W. Lawrence, O. Lopez

Many gold deposits in the world have not been developed clue to the presence of copper and other base metals which can cause metallurgical and environmental challenges clue to the formation of base metal cyanide complexes. SART technology (sulphidization-acidification-recycle-thickening) can resolve these issues by recovering copper as a high grade sulphide concentrate, recycling the associated cyanide back to the gold leach, and eliminating the downstream environmental liabilities. Project economics can be improved substantially, leading to a positive re-evaluation of new and existing gold-copper projects. Some aspects of the design and operation of two recently commissioned SART plants will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2011

By Jonathan Peck, Carl Hendricks

"Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) based positioning and navigation systems have been recently developed and implemented by AQUILA Mining Systems Ltd. on blast hole drills and electric cable shovels in Canadian open pit coal and iron ore mines. These systems enable the location of the drill bit or the shovel tracks to be accurately determined in three dimensions. The position of the drill or shovel is displayed to the operator via a real-time, Moving Map Display (MMD) on an LCD-VGA screen. The MMD allows the operator to accurately navigate the drill from blast hole to blast hole or maintain a desired shovel grade or face position, with respect to displayed bench features. The maps for the MMD are downloaded from the mine office via laptop or radio link as required or as mining plans change.To obtain reliable, accurate and real-time3D positions of mobile mining equipment, proven GPS technology has to be utilized. The GPS components need to operate reliably under the severe environmental conditions that exist on board mobile mining equipment. In addition, they have to contend with varying pit geometry’s and satellite configurations, with little or no performance degradation. These issues were initially examined in December1993 during a feasibility project between AQUILA and Gregg River Resources Ltd., in relation to implementing GPS systems on blast-hole drills.To achieve certain design objectives, AQUILA Mining Systems Ltd. has developed navigation systems for cable shovels and blast-hole drills based around off-the-shelf, high precision GPS components. These systems utilize the AQUILA Advanced Monitoring Platform (AMP), to display graphically, via the MMD, shovel grade and drill position to the operator to within ±12 inches of design coordinates. Production prototypes have been installed on a Marion 301 cable shovel and a Bucyrus-Erie49-R Series III drill at the Fording River Mine in August, 1995, at the Wabush Mine on a Bucyrus Erie 190-B shovel in June, 1995, and on a GD120 drill at Gregg River Resources Ltd. in January, 1996. All these systems have undergone field trials to test system components and functionality’s under actual production conditions. This paper will discuss these GPS-based positioning and navigation systems in subsequent sections."

Jan 1, 1997

By J. A. Folinsbee, Andre Robitaille, Tony Y. Chong

"Conventional crushing and grinding is followed by gravity concentration to recover free milling gold. Refractory gold, finely disseminated within the pyrite and arsenopyrite matrix, is recovered by flotation followed by pressure oxidation, cyanidation, and cementation. Non-refractory gold is recovered by cyanidation/CIP processing.A comprehensive test program aimed at improving flotation recovery was initiated in June 1995. Plant testing indicated that flotation tails value could be significantly reduced using mechanical flotation cells. Based on these test results, a flotation circuit that incorporates one of the three existing flotation columns followed by mechanical scavenging and cleaning was developed. Detailed engineering was completed in September 1996. Construction started in February 1997 and was completed in 3 months at a cost of $3.2 million. An on-stream X-ray analyzer was installed to provide real-time arsenic and iron analyses and inferred sulphur value on some of the flotation streams.The new flotation circuit proved to be an instant success. Flotation tails values were reduced by 27%. Final tails solids and solution was reduced from 0.035 to 0 023, and 0.0014 to 0.0006 oz/ton Au, respectively. Based on a mill throughput of 1,620 stpd this decrease in tails value will result in an increased gold production of 7,500 ounces per year. The payback for the project is estimated to be around one year.This paper describes the evolution of the project from bench scale testing to commissioning. Also, the operational and economic impacts on down stream processing are highlighted"

Jan 1, 1998

The integration of mining and mineral processing technologies into new advanced mining systems is considered to offer several benefits, including selective mining, reduction in waste, increased productivity, flexibility, and improved resource utilization. This paper focuses on underground hardrock mining and the integration of pre-concentration technologies into future mining systems as representing realistic, shorter-term integration options. Control of fragmentation to optimize grinding, pre-concentration of ores, in situ leaching, and modular mining/mineral processing systems are possible with existing technology. Current research is directed toward development of integrated underground systems that minimize surface activity and minimize or eliminate surface waste disposal. Results from a simulation model of an integrated underground pre-concentration system are presented.

Jan 1, 2002

By Paul Guliov

Preliminary investigations of stone resources were conducted in the La Range, Johnson Lake-Pelican Narrows-Deschambault Lake and Creighton-Amisk Lake regions of Saskatchewan. The work identified a rich variety of accessible, attractive and technically promising stone resources. Ordovician dolomites in various combinations of red, buff, yellow, grey and purple are very dense and take a very good polish. These are classified as marbles in the industry and some rival the famous marbles of Verona, Italy. A wide variety of attractive granites have been identified. Among these is a jade green stone (charnockite) and ornamental banded granites (gneisses). A dark greenish to black stone (amphibolite) with white and red veining resembles the well-known Verde Antique variety of Vermont and Italy and surpasses it aesthetically and in engineering properties. Some of these stones have been displayed at Canadian and United States expositions where they received an enthusiastic response from the international stone industry. More detailed evaluation and test quarrying of promising deposits are required. Such work could be rewarding to the industry as some stone varieties in the province have the potential for gaining international markets.

Jan 1, 2001

By W. A. Lang

COAL of sub-bituminous rank underlies much of the plains area of Alberta. This coal is geo-logically young, and occurs in Belly River and Edmonton strata of Up-per Cretaceous age. Generally, the seams are flat-lying, but in some areas they may dip as much as 5 degrees. The overburden, composed mainly of glacial clays and sand-stones, may vary in depth from a few feet to several thousand feet. Recovery of the coal has 'been by drift, slope, and shaft underground mines, and by open-pit stripping operations. Production has been obtained from a large number of mines, most of which have been relatively small and with preparation equipment limited to a loading tipple with screening facilities, and a picking belt where high-ash materials can be removed from the larger sizes. The coal has been sold for domestic and industrial space-heating, for production of process steam, and for power generation. In re-cent years competition from natural gas, propane, and oil has seriously interfered with the production and marketing of sub-bituminous coal, especially with the disposal of the smaller sizes at a realistic price.

Jan 1, 1958

By F. Channier

The paper provides the most recent information on the construction of the AP60 phase 1 plant of Jonquiere which is due to be commissioned and started up in the first quarter of 2013. HSE management on site by RTA, and cooperation with local equipment manufacturers and contractors of the Saguenay-Lac Saint Jean region are highlighted in this section. The AP60 phase 1 Jonquiere plant aims to demonstrate of the AP60 technology at an industrial scale and allows the further developments of the AP60 cell. The advantages of the AP60 cell technology in terms of productivity, power consumption and environmental footprint are also briefly presented in the paper.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. Desbiens, A. Pomerleau

During the summer of 1994, a new PID-based control strategy was installed on line B of the grinding circuit at the Kidd Creek Division of Falconbridge Ltd. Part I of this paper described the methodology used to select the appropriate control strategy using a phenomenological dynamic simulator. Part II presents the implementation of the control strategy. Prior to the controller installation, it was necessary to solve various problems related to the process, such as a cyclic behaviour of the rod mill feed tonnage, a problem related to the mill water source and the calibration of the flowmeters. Once these problems were solved, the control strategy was accomplished in two steps. Step 1 corresponds to the installation of control loops to regulate the pump box level and the cyclone overflow density. Step 2 describes the implementation of a loop to control the cyclone feed density. According to Part I, a loop to control the circulating load is also part of the original design. However, reasons are given to explain the rejection of this loop. For both steps, technical procedures such as filtering, process identification and controller tuning are detailed. Finally, the operator’s interface is briefly described.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. M. Kleine

In the fall of 1968, Sheridan Geophysics leased the Renzy Mine property 50 miles northwest of the town of Maniwaki, Quebec. A 500-tpd flotation mill was dismantled at Belleterre, Quebec, trucked into the mine over a winter road and re-erected during extreme winter conditions. Approximately one billion gallons of water were removed from Renzy lake to expose the orebody. A 3,000-hp diesel generating plant and a self-supporting community were set up during the early part of 1969. This was a remark-able achievement considering that most of the work, including the pouring of foundations and the draining of the lake, had to be done during the winter months. Despite this, the project was completed ahead of schedule and one million dollars below budget. The mill is now treating an average of 800 tpd.

Jan 1, 1970

By P. Karimi, G. Mollataheri, A. Amini, H. Abdollahi, A. Mirzaeian

"Chah-Palang tungsten deposit is one of the two tungsten indexes in Iran. Based on ore characterization techniques (including optical mineralogy and XRD analysis), quartz, chlorite, atacamite, azurite, malachite, ferberite, illite, goethite and calcite were distinguished as major minerals. The representative sample was analyzed qualitatively by using X-ray fluorescence and chemical assay. Results showed that grade of tungsten oxide and copper were 1.76 and 7%, respectively. Also precious metals such as gold with grade of 1 ppm was reported in the sample. By using the mineralogical studies on the prepared sample, the liberation degree of tungsten minerals in –0.6 mm size fraction was obtained 80%. Several tabling tests were carried out on the original sample which at the optimum conditions and as a result, the grade and recovery of tungsten in concentrate reached to proximately 23 and 59%, respectively. To increase the grade of tungsten in the final concentrate, acidic leaching were performed on the tabling concentrate and its appropriate results indicated that the grade of tungsten increased to 27%. Also more than 90% of copper was extracted as a byproduct in the fallowed process.INTRODUCTIONTungsten, a unique hard, heavy heat-resistant metal, is distributed erratically in economic concentrations throughout most continents, occurring mostly as small irregular deposits that are not readily adaptable to large-scale, low-cost mining methods. The diverse physical characteristics and mineral composition of tungsten ores also present problems in beneficiation, requiring complex hydro- and pyrometallurgical treatment to yield high-purity concentrates suitable for the production of ferro alloys, carbides and super alloys in the steel industry (Hausen, 1989; Kholmogorov & Kononova, 2005). Tungsten is most frequently used as tungsten monocarbide, which has hardness close to diamond, in cemented carbides. The most well-known use of tungsten is in lighting filaments, and other important applications include improving steel properties and use in tungsten alloys, electronics, and chemical products (Hausen, 1989; Kholmogorov & Kononova, 2005)."

Jan 1, 2016

By A M. Goodwin

Detailed stratigraphic studies in the Birch-Uchi Lakes area have shown that the volcanic components are arranged in superimposed sequences, or cycles. Each cycle displays a progression from predominantly mafic effusives below to predominantly felsic extrusives above. Sedimentary rocks are preferentially associated with the felsic extrusives. Two volcanic cycles are represented. The average stratigraphic thickness of the volcanic rocks present is 31,000 feet. The original volcanic pile was probably in the order of 40,000 feet thick. The present lithologic composition is estimated to be: mafic volcanic rocks, 60 per cent; felsic volcanic rocks, 27 per cent; sedimentary rocks, 10 per cent; and others, 3 per cent. Gold occurrences are preferentially distributed with respect to the volcanic succession. Of fifty recorded occurrences, thirty-nine are located in the upper felsic division of the lower volcanic cycle; forty are associated with closely interbanded daciterhyolite pyroclastic rocks, andesitic lavas and siliceous sediments. The gold-bearing quartz veins either lie at the contacts of enclosing lithologic units or occupy cross-cutting fractures in one or more adjacent units.

Jan 1, 1965

By Charles G. Kemsley

MR. C. R. WHITTEMORE: It is interesting to note that the mining industry is making increased use of alloy steels for drilling. They will undoubtedly lead to greater footage at lesser cost. Mr. Kemsley states that, for use in hard ground, the shanks are brought to a hardness of 435 to 440 Brinell by heating them to approximately l,800°F. It seems to me that this temperature is excessively high-it is considerably above the critical point of the steel. The only effect of such a high temperature is to lessen considerably the impact resistance of the steel. The possibilities of an oil quench, followed by a tempering draw which does not lessen the hardness of the steel too much but increases its toughness, might well repay further study; also the temperature control, a factor which depends on the composition of the steel. However, service results are undoubtedly the best criterion of practice. MR. KEMSLEY: I would like to point out that the steel is not quenched at 1,800°F. After heating to this temperature, it is laid aside to cool gradually; this high temperature is necessary to produce the required hardness by simple normalizing-cooling in still air. We all know that ideal conditions for hardening steel demand salt baths and furnaces with automatic temperature control, but for most companies the cost of such equipment having sufficient output capacity is prohibitive. The end we are trying to attain is to make good drills at a cost that will be within the means of any mine.

Jan 1, 1942

By G. Morin, F. Chiesa, B. Duchesne

The Quality index is a useful tool allowing to assess the metallurgical quality of aluminium AlSiMg foundry alloys (A356/357). Its value is calculated from the ultimate tensile strength and elongation; it increases with the metallurgical quality of the casting, i.e. with finer dendrites, lower microporosity and inclusion count and lower iron content. This Quality index does not depend on the degree of temper applied during the heat treatment (aging time and temperature). After defining the Quality index, it will be explained how it can be predicted from the knowledge of the local solidification conditions obtained from modelling. The paper will then present four case studies of castings for which the prediction of the Quality index by modelling was made. These case studies from different authors will involve the three most common casting processes used for producing high integrity aluminium castings, namely: sand casting, permanent mould casting and investment casting (lost wax). In all cases, the accuracy of the prediction will be assessed by comparing the predicted Quality index distributions to the experimental values based on the published measured values of the local tensile properties.

Jan 1, 2006

By K. R. Brown, P. L. Krawchuk

In-situ recovery (ISR) is under increased investigation as a viable methodology for the extraction of minerals in ore bodies that may be uneconomic to mine by traditional methods or for resources situated in locations where underground and surface mining operations are not feasible. Although the concept of ISR is relatively new with respect to hard rock applications, it is not a new technology; it has been used successfully in potash and uranium mining and also in heavy oil extraction for years where it has been proven to be both technically and commercially viable. ISR allows for the extraction of metals and minerals without the need to mine large amounts of ore that need to be processed at surface. The ore stays in-situ and only the valuable metals and minerals are produced to surface in a process that produces very little to no waste rock or tailings. This paper aims to discuss the geological conditions that make ISR amenable to an ore body as well as the application of maturing technologies such as advanced directional drilling and the creation of artificial permeability that will help to access deep ore bodies and enhance or create favorable recovery conditions for ISR in the ore body. INTRODUCTION In-situ recovery (ISR), also referred to as in-situ leaching, is a potentially disruptive technology for the mining industry. ISR is under increased investigation as a viable methodology for the extraction of valuable minerals that may be uneconomic to mine by traditional methods or for deposits situated in locations where underground and surface mining operations are not feasible. Although the concept of ISR is relatively new with respect to hard rock applications, it is not a new technology; it has been used successfully in potash mining, uranium mining and also in heavy oil extraction for years where it has been proven to be both technically and commercially viable. Recently there has been increased interest in deploying ISR in hard rock applications due to a number of factors: the drive for environmental stewardship is stronger than ever, technological advances in drilling, blasting, and leaching are strengthening ISR economics, and a large inventory of ore bodies exists that are not feasible to mine or extract using conventional open pit or underground mining techniques. ISR allows for the extraction of valuable metals and minerals without the need to mine large amounts of ore that need to be processed at surface. The ore stays in-situ and only the valuable metals and minerals are produced to surface in solution via a recovery process that produces very little to no waste rock or tailings. Where the right conditions exist, the ISR process has a much smaller environmental footprint (Hiam-Galvez, 2018) and potentially much lower capital and operating costs than using conventional mining techniques.

Jan 1, 2019

By Jiuhua Xu, Yuling Xie, Fenglei Bie, Neng Jiang

"Abstract - The Xiaoqingling Mt. area is one of the most productive gold districts in China. The gold-bearing quartz veins are controlled by a series of east-west shear zones within the Archean Taihua Group, and related to the late Yanshanian (Cretaceous) granite. The major metallic minerals are native gold, electrum, pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite, with gangue minerals dominated by quartz, sericite, ankerite, and calcite. The host rocks are mainly amphibolite, plagioclase gneiss, and migmatites. Principal alteration is sericitization, silicification, pyritization, and carbonization.There are four generations of hydrothermal quartz in altered rocks of gold deposits. The earliest generation of quartz, (Q1), occurs in altered amphibolite gneiss and migmatite, and typically contains fluid inclusions with halite crystals (type A) and two phases, (L+V), of fluid inclusions (type B). The salinities of type A inclusions are 32 wt% to 52 wt%, with dissolution temperatures of halite crystals being from 155°C to 465°C. The second generation of quartz, (Q2), occurs as a fine-grained aggregate associated with sericite, and has small (less than 3 µm) type B inclusions. The third generation of quartz, (Q3), occurs in mylonitic, intensively altered rocks and specially beresite (a type of rock composed of quartz, sericite, and pyrite) near the veins, and contains large amounts of CO2-rich fluid inclusions (type C-fluid inclusions with liquid CO2 and type D-fluid inclusion with high density CO2). The CO2 contents of type C range from 72.6 to 87.4 mol% in gas phases, and 35.7 to 68.3 mol% in liquid phases, based on Laser Raman analysis. The homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusion type A and C are from 215°C to 380°C, and from 210°C to 325°C, respectively. The minimum trapping pressure of fluid inclusions is estimated as 80 MPa to 170 MPa for type A, and from 57 MPa to 190 MPa for type C, which approximate to those of fluid inclusions in vein quartz.The ?18O of quartz are from 10.4‰ to 11.0‰ for Q3 of altered rocks, and from 10.7‰ to 12.8‰ for stage I quartz. The calculated ?18O of fluid inclusions varies from -1.3‰ to 6.0‰. The ?D of fluid inclusions ranges from -67‰ to -59‰ and from -81‰ to -48 ‰, respectively. It is concluded that the water in the hydrothermal fluids both reacting with wallrocks and precipitating orebodies could have been mainly of magmatic and/or metamorphic nature. However, local meteoric water might have been important in late mineralization, because of a distinct oxygen-shift toward the meteoric water. The ?34S values for pyrite of the ores range from -7.1‰ to +7.1‰, with an average of +2.9‰. Those of other sulfides (chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite, range from -12.5‰ to 8.3‰. The ratios of lead isotopes for galena of the ores are: 17.06 to 17.31 (206Pb/204Pb), 15.43 to 15.74 (207Pb/204Pb) and 37.58 to 38.45 (208Pb/204Pb). In summary, ore-forming fluids in the Wenyu-Dongchuang gold deposits may have originated from a mantle and/or lower crust source, and ore materials were derived from the Precambrian basement, the Taihua Group."

Jan 1, 1998

By Leroy G. Hagenbuch

"IntroductionAn integrated Truck Management Information System (Truck MIS) evolves as seemingly separate functions combined to yield a single homogeneous result / product. The concept of a computer integrated Truck MIS includes truck dispatch, truck maintenance management and truck weighing.A truck management system is only as good as the information / data bases input to it. The concept of an integrated system works best with automated data gathering. Automated data gathering provides timely and normally, the most accurate historical information/data bases. Data bases are, however, historical, which is a problem to be overcome in a computerized truck management information system, especially in regards to a truck dispatch system as loading sites / loading conditions and some dump site conditions continually change. As these changes occur, data base s must change as well, and thus the need for the continual update of data bases that the computer uses for a Truck MIS.For a truck dispatch system to achieve reliability / viability, dispatch decisions need to revolve around real time data gathered in an automated way. Integration of all truck management function s through automated data gathering lead s to the best over-all system.An integrated system is a combination of many different factors and is only as good as each factor / building block put in the system. With the proper building blocks, an integrated Truck MIS is very feasible - an MIS System that includes weighing, time and motion study, truck maintenance and maintenance management, as well as truck dispatch.Truck MISAn integrated Truck MIS provides for truck dispatch as the ultimate end result, a truly automated /integrated truck dispatch system (to function non-operator-dependent). The following comprises its central building blocks:-Time.- Haul Cycle Segments.Truck Status, i.e. Load on truck,- being loaded,- loaded,- unloaded,- in service,- out of service.- Vehicle Location.Loading Equipment Status.- in service,- out of service.Optional- distance travelled in each haul segment.With this data provided on a non-operator dependent basis, it is possible to build good data bases so a computer can make truck dispatch decisions. Knowing what information is needed as the central core to a good Truck MIS, how can this information be automatically gathered and fed into a central control computer?"

Jan 1, 1986

By J. T. Sims, C. E. Karayannopoulos

Today's rare earth industry is undergoing significant and rapid evolutionary change toward greater reliability and diversity of supply, increased security of supply chains, and better price forecasting. Technology innovation is reducing rare earth production costs while decreasing the impact of producers on the environment. Advances in rare earth material science are reducing the need for relatively scarce heavy rare earths (HREEs) in high-performance neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent rare earth magnets and opening the NdFeB magnetic market space for a broader range of downstream applications. Rare earth producers such as Molycorp are increasingly able to offer long-term supply agreements with forward price predictability, something that has not been the case for many years. All of these trends are helping to restore the confidence of customers and other stakeholders in the rare earth space. That increased confidence is likely to bolster global demand for rare earth materials and expand innovative utilization of these remarkable materials.

Jan 1, 2014

By W. F. McDermott

This paper covers the development, construction and operation of a 53-mile slurry pipeline operating in Tasmania, Australia. Special development techniques are discussed, as well as the operation of this line and its impact on transportation from remote areas.

Jan 1, 1970

By Wayne N. McKee, Scott A. Lewis

"Introduction to the Syncrude OperationSyncrude Canada Ltd., located 42 km north of the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, (Fig. I) is an integrated operation that has produced synthetic crude oil from the Athabasca oil sand deposit since 1978.The operation, consisting of a surface mine, an extraction plant, a bitumen upgrader, and a utilities plant, is currently capable of producing over 60 million barrels of crude oil per year. Production is expected to increase to 70 million barrels of crude oil per year over the next five-year period with no major changes to equipment or process planned.The Syncrude surface mine, producing a total of 675 000 tonnes of ore and waste per day, rates as one of the largest mines in the world. A strip mining method is utilized, with two or three operating benches necessary to excavate a total depth varying between 60 m and 70 m. The 20 m to 30 m of overburden is removed by electric and hydraulic shovels and 200-ton haul trucks, and dumped in the mined-out pit for final storage. The overburden operation creates a flat bench near the top of the ore zone on which the four 60 m3 draglines operate. The draglines excavate interbanded ore and waste in the highwall, with ore placed on the operating bench in windrows, and waste returned to the mined-out pit. The windrowed ore is reclaimed by four bucketwheel reclaimers, and discharged onto a conveyor system for transfer to the extraction plant."

Jan 1, 1993

By Finley A. Campbell

THE Quemont and Horne mines are located at Noranda in north-western Quebec. As shown in Figure 1, the Noranda area lies between the Cadillac-Bouzan fault zone on the south and the Porcupine-Destor fault zone to the north. Both of these major structural lineaments appear to be geometrically, and possibly genetically, related to the Grenville Front. The regional geology has been discussed by Wilson (12), Cooke et al. ( 2), and others. The geology in the Noranda vicinity, as compiled by Dugas and Gilbert ( 3), is shown in Figure 2. The Cadillac-Bouzan fault zone separates the dominantly Temiskaming-type sediments in the south from the Keewatin-type canic rocks to the north. These volcanics, which vary in composition from rhyolite to andesite, form a broad anticlinorium with a general eastward plunge. A succession of dioritic stocks, sills and dikes have been mapped in the area. The principal granitic rock masses include the Powell, Flavrian and Dufault stocks.

Jan 1, 1962