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By F. Rojas, M. Sanchez, J. Palacios, O. Pavez

Copper sulfide is the main mining resources in Chile, and most of this metal is obtained via pyrometallurgical extraction in seven copper smelter plants, which extends from the northern Atacama desert to the central part of the country. In 2002, 1,522,000 metric tons of fine copper were produced, with a notorious environmental impact due to the large amount of slag generated, including transportation and disposing problems. Therefore, there is a great interest in finding alternative uses in order to give additional value to the slag. This is a total project development concept, which consider residues as new resources where new components could be obtained, improving sustainability in mining activities and also ensuring clean production processes. Thus, the present work shows a review of copper slag characterization as well as several ways of utilization, including compact material for road and railway installation, part of admixtures in concrete.

Jan 1, 2004

By V. Omaynikova, A. Lossin, H. Salomon-de-Friedberg

In 2009, Aurubis AG and Teck Resources Limited, recognizing a growing industry need, joined together to advance and further develop technology to deal with arsenic-bearing copper concentrates in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner. The work that followed included extensive bench testwork and 3 months of continuous, fully integrated pilot campaigns on high arsenic-bearing copper concentrate as well as environmental testing, market studies and economic assessments. The success of the CESL Process in processing arsenic-bearing copper concentrates, at levels of up to 4.6% arsenic, has been previously presented. The present paper discusses aspects of similar, equally successful trials on copper concentrates with grades of arsenic approaching 12%. Key parameters to the successful processing of these types of concentrates are discussed. In addition, data on subsequent continuous, pilot gold recovery from the leach residues and the longer term stability characteristics of these residues are also included.

Jan 1, 2014

The control of carbon concentration in a counter current carbon absorption circuit is critical to optimise gold recovery. MINTEK has developed a carbon movement controller to address this potentially problematic area in gold extraction. This controller reduces operator interaction by automating carbon movement. Elution schedules are entered into the control system, which then moves the carbon through the circuit into the first adsorption tank until enough carbon is available for elution. This is done while maintaining the specified carbon profile within the circuit. MINTEK has also developed an online-carbonconcentration- meter to measure carbon concentration in pulp. The meter uses an ultrasonic measurement technique. Long term testing has shown the measurement to be robust and require minimal maintenance. Results from a gold mine in South Africa’s well known Witwatersrand gold producing area has shown a decrease in soluble gold loss between 30 - 50% when the controller was used.

Jan 1, 2014

By Y. Mitani, H. Ikemi, K. Kitamura, H. Honda

"Instead of carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) that does not rely on structural aquifers, injecting carbon dioxide into sedimentary rock deep underground has been considered. For advection velocity of the fluid is slow, the permeability of sedimentary rock deep underground is low. In order to perform the CCS on the low permeable sedimentary rock, it is necessary to clarify the behavior of long term storage properties of carbon dioxide (CO2).In this study, the permeability and storativity of CO2 injected into low permeable rock has been evaluated. The injection of supercritical CO2 has been conducted on the specimen of Ainoura sandstone (unit weight: 2.39 g/cm3, porosity: 11.9 %) saturated with water by using flow pump method. The experiment has been set up to reproduce the similar condition of deep underground reservoir under 20 MPa confining pressure, 10 MPa pore pressure, 35°C temperature and 3 µl/min CO2 injection rate. In order to prevent an increase in pore pressure, the boundary condition on the outlet side of specimen has been kept a constant pressure.As a result, it has been possible to observe step by step the change of the differential pressure between both ends of specimen. Furthermore, the relative permeability and specific storage of rock under supercritical CO2 injection has been examined by the theoretical analysis of flow pump permeability test incorporating Darcy’s law for two-phase flow. It is observed that CO2 has been transmitted gradually while CO2 stored in the rock. It is also clarified that residual water has existed in specimen after showing the constant differential pressure in the end of the experiment. Using the results of the experiment, 3D core-scale flow-simulation by using TOUGH2 has been conducted due to confirm the flow of fluid and CO2 distribution in the specimen. From the experimental results and analytical solution to them, permeability and storativity are identified, and simulation results support the validity of the experimental results."

Jan 1, 2015

By Charles S. Ney

"ZINC-LEAD REPLACEMENT deposits straddle the steep-sided valley of Kicking Horse River at a point three miles east of Field, B.c., in Yoho National Park. The Monarch orebodies extend into Mt. Stephen on the south side of the valley, and outcrop at two points, 1,000 and 1,200 feet above the valley floor. The Kicking Horse deposits are in Mt. Field, on the north side of the valley, and they outcrop 200 feet lower.The East Monarch outcrop is said to have been discovered in 1884 during construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The larger West Monarch outcrop, 700 feet west of the original discovery, was not reached till 1917 because of its nearly inaccessible location on the cliff face.The Kicking Horse mine was staked in 1906. Little development was done for several decades, and mining was not commenced till 1935.At the East Monarch, mining was commenced soon after location, and several thousand tons of ore were shipped prior to 1912. At this time a gravity concentrator was installed. This was operated till 1924, and a total of 42,000 tons of ore were mined, including about 10,000 tons from the West Monarch. The period from 1928 to 1935 featured flotation milling and the mining of 265,000 tons of ore, mostly from the West Monarch orebody. Intensive exploratory development was carried out in both Monarch and Kicking Horse from 1935 to 1946. Production from both mines in this period totalled 380,000 tons. From 1947 to the time of closure in 1952, considerable new ore was found in both mines and 185,000 tons were milled. Immediate possibilities for finding ore in the Monarch were considered exhausted. Kicking Horse orebodies are known to persist with a low grade of zinc. Total production from the two mines amounts to 842,500 tons grading approximately 7 per cent lead, 10 per cent zinc, and 1.2 ounces per ton silver."

Jan 1, 1949

By R. S. Jr. Stronach

"IntroductionThe property of Campbell Red Lake Mines, Limited, is in Balmer township, Red Lake area, Patricia portion of Kenora district, Ontario. It consists of a group of twelve claims which had been staked and re-staked a number of times before George W. and Colin A. Campbell staked them in 1944. Messrs. Brewis and White incorporated Campbell Red Lake Mines, Limited, in July, 1944, to acquire these claims from the Campbell brothers, and in November of the same year re-assigned their option on the controlling interest of the treasury shares to the Dome Exploration Company (Quebec), Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dome Mines, Limited.A long known exposure of sulphides on the northeasterly portion of the property, which returned low gold assays, on sampling, was the only showing of interest at this time. However, Dr. H. C. Horwood's report and map of the district had recently been published and favourable structure W3.S indicated in Balmer township. It was on the strength of this showing and Dr. Horwood's report that Dome Exploration became interested in the property.Between. January, 1945, and April, 1946, a diamond drilling programme was carried out, with completion of sixty-one holes. Five holes proved the surface showing to hold no commercial interest, so routine cross-sectioning of the property from north to south was started. The fourth hole of the series returned excellent ore intersections and from that time on the programme changed to one of extending these values. The final results of the drilling showed that what is now known as the A zone has a continuous length of some 1,200 feet, a width of 4½ feet, and an overall grade of about 0.5 oz. gold per ton. There were many other intersections of ore grade outside this A zone which could not be successfully correlated .at that time, but underground work has opened many of them. It may be said here that practically all the work to date has been confined to the southeast claims of the property."

Jan 1, 1950

By A. Gakwaya, P. Vachon-Joannette, P. Gagnon, J. Lévesque

"Predictive numerical methods are essential tools for reduced development cost and improved high performance designs of modern aircrafts. Their use leads to savings in terms of design cycle time and experimental trials. Composite materials subjected to impact loadings demonstrate various damage modes such as matrix cracking, fiber breakage, delamination and, ultimately, fabric fracture. Composite laminates are extensively used in the aerospace industry, and their damage modeling is complex due to their inhomogeneity and anisotropic behavior. Damage evolution affects both in-service properties and performance of these composites. In this work, the drop-weight impact test has been simulated. Using a material model that accounts for both delamination and intralaminar damage, laminates response is analysed using numerical simulations based on 3-D finite-element models of the commercial code Abaqus/Explicit. Experimental and simulation results are compared, in terms of energy absorption and contact force. The obtained numerical results show good agreement with experimental data.INTRODUCTIONAs primary aircraft structures are increasingly being made from advanced fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites and are in general exposed to a variety of impact scenarios (bird, hail, debris etc.), an understanding of the impact event and the performance of composite materials during impact is important in the development of new structures. This work is focussed on low velocity impacts that typically occur when foreign objects hit the aircraft during maintenance or other on-the-ground operations. These impacts can cause non visible damage that affect the structural integrity of the composite components. While for metallic structures, damaging impact events typically leave noticeable dents due to plastic deformation, in contrast, for high strength carbon fiber reinforced composites, they can deform elastically to strain levels exceeding 1% and the internal damage can often occur without the formation of a visible dent. The identification and effect of impact damage on the performance of the structure is thus of great concern to the aircraft industry as the durability and damage tolerance of these composite structures are strongly influenced by the size of detectable internal damage."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. B. Allen, B. S. W. Buffam

"The property of Chesterville Mines, Limited, is in McGarry township, Timiskaming district, Ontario, about 25 miles east of Kirkland Lake. It consists of a group of fifteen claims that extend northeast from the KerrAddison mine for a distance of 2 miles.In June, 1906, two groups of prospectors left the town of Chesterville, Ontario, to prospect in northern Ontario. Silver had been discovered 3 years before at Cobalt and the large profits of this young mining camp were the principal incentive to extending the field of exploration northward. One group consisted of Dr. Reddick, Edward Flynn, John Hummel, William Knott, and Colin Cameron. The other group comprised J. T. Kearns, Herman Hummel, W. G. Barkley, and J. Elliott.The two groups travelled north by train to Haileybury and thence to Larder lake by canoe. Camps were pitched on the northeast arm of the lake, and within a short time a discovery was made by Edward Flynn of the first party, who found gold on the property now owned by Kerr-Addison Gold Mines, Limited. Herman Hummel and J. T. Kearns shortly afterwards made the second discovery, on what is now the Chesterville property. These discoveries, made some years prior to those at Porcupine and Kirkland Lake, are believed to be the first in that part of northern Ontario.The Hummel-Kearns claims were incorporated in the following year under the name of Chesterville Larder Lake Gold Mining Company, Limited. It was not, however, until 30 years later, in 1936, following the increased premium on gold, that sufficient capital was placed in the treasury of the Company to carry out an extensive diamond drilling programme. This exploratory drilling was started early in 1937 under the direction of Leo. J. Kearns, and a large body of ore was intersected in the first drill hole. Underground work was started in 1938, a mill was built, and the first gold brick was poured on July 29th, 1939."

Jan 1, 1954

By Unkown

The Province-wide road ban on movement of heavy loads has had the effect of curtailing or stopping development in several areas. In the Leduc area, the discovery well has been restricted in flow to only a fraction of normal due to limited storage space, but drilling at Imperial Leduc Nos. 2, 3, and 4 has been continued for the past few weeks. The No. 2 well is within 100 feet of the producing horizon and should be completed within the next few days. According to reports, it has been logging slightly lower, structurally, than the discovery well, but, regardless of the outcome, it has been an important test to determine westerly cross-section of the Leduc structure. No official reports have been made available of any tests made during the drilling of the well, but it is understood that promising oil and gas shows have been indicated in higher formations. Actual drilling operations have not been commenced by any of the other companies holding leases in the immediate area but it is expected that, when road bans are removed and equipment is assured, several wells will be commenced. Announcement has been made that Imperial Oil, Limited, will drill a well near Battle lake, about thirty-five miles southwest of the Leduc field. Location of the well has been made following an extensive seismograph survey of the area, with total depth of the test well expected to be in the 8,000- to 8,500-foot range. Drilling will be done with the heavy-duty rig last used at the De Winton test. Imperial Oil have abandoned hope of oil production in the Provost area after drilling nine wells, but will retain their interest in the gas field that has been developed. Of the wells drilled, four indicated gas flows ranging from 1,060 to 13,200 M.c.f. per day.

Jan 1, 1947

By G. Vibert Douglas

It has long been recognized that there are considerable difficulties connected with the physical and chemical explanation of shoots of ore. The literature of Mining Geology has frequent references to this subject; but the reasons given for the actual location of primary ore-shoots have been very tentative. In practice, the geologist or miner depends to a great extent on sampling and assaying to determine the boundaries of profitable ore within the mineralized zone. An ore-shoot is a portion of a mineralized zone which has a sufficient concentration of valuable minerals to make it ore. Ore deposits have been classified according to many schemes. There are classifications based on morphology and on genesis. However, it is also possible to classify hypo-gene hydrothermal ore-bodies in terms of ore-shoots or vice versa. A.-Ore-deposits in which the whole of the mineralized zone is ore, which is the same as saying that the ore-shoot extends throughout the mineralized zone. An example of this type of deposit would be the pyritic mineralization of Rio Tinto. B.-The second type would comprise those deposits in which the ore-shoots bear some relation to the geological structure of the area: all deposits in which 'bonanzas' occur in folds in the zone, at the intersection of veins along certain fault (or joint) features and other such controls. There are a great many examples of this type: (a) The Rhodesian copper lodes, where Bancroft and Gray have pointed out the association of the shoots of ore with drag folds. (b) A similar association has been pointed out by Faribault for some of the gold veins of Nova Scotia, e.g., Mount Uniacke. (c) The great bonanza of the Comstock lode in Nevada. C.-Deposits in which the localization of ore has been effected by the chemical character of the wall-rock. Examples of this type are the Fahlbands of Scandinavia, and the 'indicator' deposits of Ballarat, Australia. D.-Lastly, deposits in which there is apparently no structural and no chemical control.

Jan 1, 1934

By R. S. Nichols

"During 1973 to 1978, Canadaka Mines Limited, a subsidiary of St. Joseph Explorations Ltd., undertook an extensive exploration and development program in the Cobalt area. This program resulted in the delineation of previously unknown stratigraphic units in the Archean volcanic sequence. During this time period, significant are controls related to area silver deposits were also identified.The Archean geology is comprised of a volcanic pile conformably overlain by sediments. The volcanics contain at least two felsic volcanic centres near the stratigraphic top of the pile. The bulk of the pile consists of mafic flows and interflow sediments. lnterflow sediments around silver are shoots contain mineralized halos of base metal sulphides. The halos exhibit lateral and vertical metal zoning with Cu, Pb and Zn mineralization decreasing away from an are shoot.Silver mineralization controls determined during the Canadaka program agree with the historically well established importance of Coleman sediments as well as Archean contacts for hosting silver deposits. The vertical extent of are shoots is typically 150to 250ft. A strong correlation was found to exist in the Cobalt area between Archean strike and the strike of are veins. Finally, al/ Cobalt area are deposits appear to be associated with a distinct volcanic pile at the top of a sequence of Archean flows."

Jan 1, 1988

By E. Rezaei

Glue is an animal protein that is used with other organic agent such as thiourea, in copper electrorefining. The concentration of glue has to be controlled carefully, because the electro-deposition process is often very sensitive to small fluctuation in the operating variable. This additive (glue) prevents rough and nodular copper cathode deposits. The nodular deposits may grow causing short circuits, which results in losses in production. Addition agents are effective in controlling metal growth; they modify the normal nucleation and lattice growth steps and refine the grain structure. In this research glue concentration was determined in an industrial copper electrolysis plant. A non-linear model with high capability was constructed and after optimizing its parameters, the accuracy and precision of the model were evaluated. For determination of glue concentration, electrochemical voltammograms in optimum condition (Differential pulse voltammetry technique, Hpulse=50 my, scan rate=10 mv/s) were plotted. Some information from voltammograms was transferred to the model as inputs and the calibrated model analyzed the information and the glue concentration was determined with high precision and accuracy. In this way there is no need to separate or add agents to remove interferences. This method has been successfully applied at Sarcheshmeh copper complex.

Jan 1, 2007

By P. R. Stephenson

Mining projects depend on the amount and quality of the mineral reserves, which in turn depend on the amount and quality of the mineral resources. Only Measured and Indicated Resources may be converted to mineral reserves and Inferred Resources may not, with certain exceptions, be used in economic studies. Responsibility for the estimation of mineral resources rests with the Qualified Person (QP) and there is a wealth of literature, text books and case studies to guide the QP. Responsibility for the classification of the mineral resources also rests with the QP. While there is some industry guidance and common practice on approaches to resource classification on which the QP can draw, the process is (or should be) heavily dependent on the exercise of judgement by the QP. However, this inevitably leads to situations where, for example, one QP?s Inferred Resource is another QP?s Indicated Resource. If the QP?s judgement is poorly reasoned or illogical (as is sometimes the case), it can have a major impact on the project, often with substantial cost or value implications. Project managers and company executives should not unquestioningly accept QP?s classification decisions and should apply the same intensity of due diligence that they apply to other critical elements of the project.

May 1, 2011

By S. Itoh, T. Nagasaka, J. Ono

With respect to the recycling of used lead-batteries, a pure lead is required to prepare a lead-calcium alloy electrode for a new maintenance-free battery. The pure lead can be obtained by means of electrolytic and/or pyrometallurgical refining. In the lead electrorefming, antimony is concentrated in anode slime. From the viewpoint of the recycling and recovery of metal values from used lead-batteries, especially from anode slime, oxidation experiments were conducted for pure liquid antimony in the temperature range between 973 and 1373 K to elucidate the oxidation kinetics and mechanism. Furthermore, since lead anode slime generally consists of antimony, lead and bismuth, experiments have been also carried out using antimony-lead-bismuth alloy. The equation relating to the mass transfer characteristics in the gas phase was then applied to analyze the oxidation kinetics. As a result, it was found that the anode slime treatment, that is, an oxidation of antimony concentrated in anode slime followed by vaporization as antimony oxide Sb406, should be operated with higher oxygen partial pressure and sufficient amount of gas flow rate at lower temperature around 1073 K. The feasibility of the oxidation treatment for anode slime has been also discussed.

Jan 1, 2004

By Laxman (Lucky) Amaratunga, Hisham Madi

Final disposal of mine wastewater neutralization sludge continues to be one of more pressing problems in the mining industry. The disposal of mining and metallurgical waste products into underground reduces the environment impact and improves the safety of the mining operation and the economics of the enterprise. This current research focuses on an investigation of utilization of mine wastewater neutralization sludge obtained from Kidd Creek Mine site, as a supplementary material for their proposed deep mine pastefill system. Their proposed pastefill consist of combination of rock aggregate in a matrix of imported sand and tailings with binder (Portland cement + Slag cement). Pastefill mixes containing various percentages of the waste sludge 0 (control mix), 1, 2, 3, and 5% by weight as replacement to the fine sand were prepared and tested with different percentages of binder. Hypothesis behind this approach is to study the behavior of sludge as replacement of sand in matrix as well as its ability to act as a binder. Compressive strength, percentage of sludge, binder dosage, slump, water to cement ratio, percentage of solid, and curing time are being observed. The results indicated that sludge can be incorporated into the pastefill and enhance its strength without compromising the pastefill quality and integrity.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. Fooladi Mahani, M. R. Izadpanah

The knowledge of the thermal shock resistance of refractory materials is of outmost importance due to their wide range of applications in various industries, namely; ceramics, oil refinery, thermal insulation, nuclear power, chemical and petrochemical industries. Thermal shock resistance is measured in terms of the number of cycles that a refractory material can withstand when subjected to sudden temperature changes. This property is measured experimentally by heating a sample of the material and cooling it in a known environment then the number of cycles it withstands this treatment without spalling is a measure of its thermal shock resistance. Although this method of experimentation has long been the practice, but it is both expensive and time consuming. Various studies have been carried out to predict this vital property, however, the rang of applications are limited. The present study employs a test rig by which temperature distributions in magnesite samples are accurately measured. This information plus other results obtained from relevant tests on related properties are used to develop a model which predicts the number of quench cycles withstand by different materials when subjected to sudden temperature changes. The comparison of the theoretical values using the solution of the presented model with experimental data for different materials having different thermal resistance shows a closed agreement.

Jan 1, 2004

By Jamal Asfahani

Abstract - Natural gamma ray well logging, an effective tool in geophysical prospecting, is used to investigate the radioactive and phosphatic layers in the Khneifiss mine in Syria. The interpretation of the gamma ray measurements, using numerical methods of analysis developed previously and applied successfully in some phosphatic areas in Syria, make it possible to define precisely the phosphate thickness from place to place in the study area. This technique has been successfully applied while studying seven boreholes in the area. Sixty-three core samples from phosphatic layers in the boreholes have been analyzed, using gamma ray spectrometry for the determination of P2O5 , U, Th, and K. Good correlation between P2O5 content and U concentration has been found. The total count gamma logs correlate reasonably well with the U core analysis, suggesting that radioactive equilibrium exists in the U decay series. These gamma logs can be therefore used effectively to quantitatively map the distribution of P2O5 and U. The characteristics of both subsurface phosphatic sand and phosphatic rocks have been investigated and outlined using a statistical approach. The affinity of uranium to some trace elements such as V, Sr, Cu, and Ni has been verified using correlation matrices of these elements.

Jan 1, 2002

By O. Bernal

The Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde S.A.A, a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Mining Company, operates a copper mining facility located in southern Peru. This "mine-forleach" operation currently produces 90,000 mtpy of copper cathode from secondary sulfide ore utilizing crushing, leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning processes. The leach solution handling and application rates have undergone constant development over the years. This paper discusses the improvements in leach application designed to: 1) satisfy the needs of the "lixiviant request rate", which requires the use of application rates as low as 3.5 L/h/m2 and as high as 15 Llhlm2 with variable rest periods according to the leach kinetics, and 2) alleviate the poor solution distribution on the surface of the leach heaps inherent to drip emitters. Low application rates result in poor surface solution distribution and the formation of upside down cones of dry, non-leached material in the top meter of stacked ore, with heavy jarosite and iron salt precipitation; moreover, ferric iron is lost as insoluble precipitates. On the other hand, high unit flows associated with poor agglomerate quality can lead to uneven solution flow patterns within the heap leading to solution short-circuits, fines migration, and ponding with adverse effects on acid consumption and recovery.

Jan 1, 2007

By G. P. Holmes

"Bell Copper is situated (Latitude 55°0''N, Longitude 126°14W) on Newman Peninsula on the east side of Babine Lake at an altitude of 2,450 feet above sea level. The mine site is approximately 170 miles north west of Prince George and 40 miles east of Smithers. Access to the property is by way of 30 miles of paved road to the Village of Granisle on the west shore of Babine Lake and then a further 9 miles of unpaved road to Bell Copper's west dock. The two mile lake crossing is made using a tug and barge. A compressed air bubbler system maintains an ice free channel for the barge during the winter months.Temperatures range from summer maximums of around 32 °C to winter minimums in the region of minus 40°C. Long periods in winter may be spent with temperatures in the range of minus 15""C to minus 28°C. Freezing temperatures usually start in October and last for six months. The lake normally freezes over in mid December and the ice breaks up in mid May. Snow accounts for approximately two t11irds of the annual precipitation of twenty-one inches."

Jan 1, 1976

By J. H. Pateson, D. C. Comrie, D. J. Ritcey

"Geopolymers are inorganic semi-amorphous three dimensional silico-aluminates of the poly(sialate) type (-Si-O-Al-0-) or of the poly(sialate-siloxo) type (-Si-O-Al-O-Si-0-). Polycondensation occurs at low temperatures with geopolymers being stable up to 12oo0 c. Research, development and application technology pertaining to geopolymers is being undertaken jointly with Dr. Joseph Davidovits of The Institute for Applied Archaeological Sciences of Florida, U.S.A. This joint focused upon the chemical Barry University in Miami Shores, research and development program has stabilization and solidification of various waste products through geopolymerization. Of particular interest is the geopolymerization of mine wastes including tailings and waste rock derived from the processing of base metals, precious metals, potash, coal and uranium deposits.INTRODUCTIOND. Comrie Consulting Ltd., in cooperation and technical liaison with CANMET, Ottawa has been testing the application of geopolymers to mining wastes. Corporate efforts to date have concentrated upon reactive acid tailings, principally from the abandoned Kam-Kotia Mine site, and dewatered paint waste sludges. Test work conducted to date has successfully yielded geopolymer treated materials and wastes with increased chemical and structural stability. Wastes containing heavy metals, cyanides, arsenic and sulphur dioxide have been successfully geopolymerized."

Jan 1, 1988