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By P Taskinen, D Lindberg

The increase in metals demand in the electrifying globe means significant growth in the smelting of copper, nickel, zinc, and lead, produced from primary sulfide sources or using sulfide mattes as the intermediates of the process chains. This means that leaner and complex mineral deposits will be evaluated as ores and are in the future traded in the commodity market for smelting and refining to pure metals. An important issue in the trend is the technology metals, like antimony, tellurium, and gallium, which exist as trace elements in sulfide ores and form no ores of their own. Their recovery becomes important in the coming decades as will be the case with growing slag amounts without use in other industries. The key is to produce environmentally acceptable slags in the smelting operations. It sets new boundary conditions to the treatment of flue dusts. This means that all material streams of smelting and refining must be re-evaluated for the deportments of the main and minority metals. In copper smelting, the recoveries of precious metals are today important for the feasibility of the custom smelters but due to low prices of many minority metals they are discarded in slag landfills. It is one of the emerging issues also in the secondary copper smelting today and once the demand grows, the same question will be faced also in the mining-beneficiation-smelting-refining chain of the primary production of nickel, zinc, and lead. The distributions of many technology metals in the copper and nickel smelting have been recently studied using methods where the chemically bound trace elements in the slag and its phases at the smelting conditions have been studied. Thus, the key data about options for process modifications and additional processing steps are piling up. Short processing routes in the metals smelting and refining are attractive due to their simplicity. At the same time, complexity of many raw materials challenges the fluxing at high oxygen partial pressures in low silica slags with high metal concentrations. The compromise between high primary recovery and safe operation is a demanding task in conditions where slag foaming outside the processing window is evident. The increase in the demand of pure nickel is challenging the raw material basis where low-grade sulfide ores are soon smelted along with nickel laterites to matte. It is a demanding task at high MgO concentrations. The low solubility of MgO in iron silicate slags requires new fluxing strategies and new smelting end points for the operation at reasonable temperatures; the direct nickel matte smelting in one-matte mode may be an option.

Aug 21, 2024

By L. D. Smith

Net Present Value Impact of Discount Rate The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method of valuations is universally used and accepted. The main criticism of the method is that it does not recognize the value of projects long life projects. This can be seen in the preceding graph where the present value of cash flows in later years are small for discount rates over about 10%. This graph covers a project that has a 25 year operating life. It is clear from the low height of the NPV bars at 10% and 15% in the last years of the project that an additional 25 years would add almost no value to total project NPV. As an example of this effect, an colleague undertook the evaluation of a pulp and paper project. The plant could be justified, but it was not possible to justify planting the trees as they took too long to grow and so had not appreciable NPV. The plant had to purchase wood to feed the plant.

May 1, 2013

By R. W. Lawrence

"In the past year, BioteQ Environmental Technologies Inc. have initiated design and construction of new plants to add to an existing list of plants that utilize the BioSulphide® and ChemSulphide™ process technologies for metal recovery and water treatment. In these plants, low cost biogenic sulfide or, in some cases, chemical sulfide reagent is used to selectively remove metals from contaminated water. The process produces high grade, marketable, metal sulfide products even from low grade feed solutions. The revenues generated from the sale of products can allow for water treatment at a profit in some cases, offset treatment costs in others, and generally reduce sludge disposal and management costs. The effluents produced from the process can meet stringent environmental standards. Current plants in operation and under construction range in sulphide demand from 50 kg/day to 3.7 tonnes/day, with the feasibility of larger plants with sulfide demands ranging from 6 to 43 tonnes/day under review.Biogenic sulfide reagent can also be considered for other applications in hydrometallurgy and mineral processing. Uses under consideration by a number of mining companies include: (1) replacement of sodium hydrosulphide in the SART process for cyanide regeneration and copper recovery in the processing of gold-copper ores, and (2) replacement of sodium hydrosulphide for use in the separation of copper and molybdenum in flotation. Biogenic sulphide, produced on demand at site, offers significant cost savings and provides the additional benefit of improved safety due to the elimination of the transportation, handling and storage required for chemical sulphide reagents.This paper reviews the applications of the BioSulphide® and ChemSulphide™ technologies for water treatment and metal recovery, and introduces projects where biogenic sulfide can be applied in hydrometallurgy and mineral processing."

Jan 1, 2007

By I. R. Kramer

I. R. Kramer (Martin Co.)—In a recent paper Nakada and Chalmers24 reported some observations of effects of surface conditions on the stress-strain curves of aluminum and gold single crystals. It is of interest to compare these observations with the results published previously in this journal and to comment on their general conclusions. In brief, Nakada and Chalmers concluded that the removal of the surface layer of a prestrained specimen lowered the stress-strain curve for aluminum but not that for gold. Further, they concluded that the surface work hardening of aluminum is confined to a depth not more than l0-3 cm. In our results25 published previously, it was pointed out that when prestrained specimens of aluminum and gold were polished to reduce the thickness upon reloading the initial flow stress decreased markedly. Further if a sufficient amount of metal was removed, the yield point failed to appear. With continued application of the load the stress-strain curve became coincident with that of the virgin crystal. We have found this behavior in some 100 determinations to hold consistently for gold, aluminum, and copper in both single and poly-crystalline specimens. The amount of strain required before the curves coincided depends upon the amount of metal removed but it is usually less than 0.01. This type of behavior is the same as that reported for metarecovery by other investigators.29 For aluminum specimens which have been prestrained and then heated to temperatures above 50°C we have consistently found that the stress-strain curve was typical of the orthorecovery28 type. In this case the stress-strain curve always lies below that of the virgin specimen. With respect to Ref. 24 the curves for aluminum are always below that of the virgin curves, while those for gold become coincident. This observation indicates at least for aluminum that the specimens must have been heated to a temperature high enough to cause recovery by an alteration of the internal dislocations. In addition, a recovery would be expected because of the removal of the surface work-hardened layer. Nakada27 had reported that, with his particular apparatus in which a perchloric acid polishing solution was used, the temperature of the specimen increased 65°C. The curves presented in Ref. 24 for gold do not permit one to detect the initial flow stress upon reloading after the surface-removal treatment. In fact, contrary to the method used by Nakada and Chalmers, the change in the stress-strain curve produced by a surface-removal treatment cannot be described in terms of a decrease in stress at strains much higher than that at the initial flow stress because of the coincidence of the curves at the higher strain values. With regard to the depth of the work-hardened surface layer, our data show for aluminum single crystals (7.5 by 0.3 by 0.3 cm) that the initial flow stress remained constant after 12 x 10-3 cm had been removed from the thickness. This depth was independent of the prior strain. For gold crystals this depth is somewhere between 10 x 10-3 and 20 x 10-3 cm. Y. Nakada (author's reply)— Kramer states,28 "for aluminum specimens which have been prestrained and then heated to temperatures above 50°C, we have consistently found that the stress-strain curve was typical of the orthorecovery28 type. In this case the stress-strain curve always lies below that of the virgin specimen." However, Cherian et a1.26 discovered that aluminum polycrystals annealed at 32" and 100°C showed the metarecovery behavior. They showed that the orthorecovery behavior did not appear until the crystals were annealed at 150°C. Kramer suggests28 that the drop in the flow stress of aluminum crystals after the surface removal by electropolishing24 may be due to the recovery caused by the temperature rise which may occur during the electropolishing.27 However, as indirectly stated in Ref. 24, the current density used in these electro -polishing experiments was 0.15 amp per sq cm. According to ref. 27, this current density should cause a temperature rise of only 40°C. This may cause the metarecovery but not the orthorecovery. Furthermore, as stated explicitly in Ref. 24, the surface removal was accomplished by chemical etching as well as by electropolishing. The results were the same for both electropolishing and etching. During the etching, the specimen temperature did not rise above 35°C. Some aluminum crystals were placed in water at 35° C for 30 min. These crystals did not show the decrease in flow stress. Therefore, it is quite clear that the flow-stress drop after the surface removal is not caused by a high-temperature recovery. However, as Kramer points out,28 it is quite possible that the internal dislocation structure may have been altered because of the removal of the highly work-hardened surface layer. However, how much this rearrangement contributes toward the flow-stress decrease is not known at present.

Jan 1, 1965

By Martin Froehling, Curtis Mohns, Rahim Rajwani, Michael Fullam

"The Kemess mining and milling complex is operated by Northgate Minerals Corporation and is located in the mountains of north-central British Columbia, 430 kilometers northwest of Prince George. The complex consists of the Kemess South open pit mine and a 52,000 tonnes per day mill. Hypogene, supergene and leach cap ores are processed using conventional crushing, grinding, and flotation techniques to produce gold-copper concentrates with minor by-product silver value.The rougher flotation concentrate is re-ground in closed circuit before being cleaned to final concentrate grade. Historically, gold losses in the cleaner tailings were primarily associated with pyrite, with only minor amounts of free gold. More recently, with the processing of high pyrite ores, the major losses were found to be free gold less than 10 microns in size. The fine grind required for the high pyrite ores resulted in over-grinding of the free gold particles in the regrind circuit, contributing to poor flotation characteristics. It was thought that if this free gold could be recovered by gravity at coarser size in the regrind circulating load, the free gold losses in the cleaner tailings could be reduced.Preliminary test work carried out by Knelson Gravity Solutions indicated the potential for free gold recovery in the regrind circuit. A Knelson XD-30 Concentrator was installed with variable speed capability, and a series of optimization tests were carried out. In addition, cleaner tailings were characterized with gravity operating and with gravity not operating to determine the overall gold recovery benefit. The single Knelson XD-30 installation recovers ~10% of the total gold in the regrind circuit and increases overall recovery by 3% when high pyrite ores are processed."

Jan 1, 2007

By Alice H. Zhu

Belt conveyors are widely used in materials handling industries. The bulk materials which can be transported include ores, coal, earth, grain, limestone, wood chips, fertilizer components such as potash and many others. Along with the new technology development and enhanced industrial automation requirements, belt conveyor instrumentation has also been modernized to improve conveyor availability and performance. Traditionally, belt conveyors are equipped with emergency pull cord switches to shut the conveyor down, misalignment switches to signal the belt offline condition, speed sensors to detect the belt slippage, and level switches to prevent material plugging in the discharge chute. Belt rip detectors are also normally provided for long belt conveyors. As a rule, equipment condition monitoring is not automated at most operating facilities, but is performed manually by maintenance staff via time-based surveillance. The new generation of condition monitoring instrumentation and control equipment can be successfully utilized to design a reliable, cost-effective, and centralized monitoring system, capable of monitoring a wide variety of mechanical equipment. The implementation of the condition monitoring automated system can provide continual monitoring of the plant equipment to ensure safe operation of the equipment to its required capacity. Any abnormal behavior of the motors, gear reducers and pulleys can be analyzed, alarmed, and recorded immediately, so problems can be detected and resolved before critical components failure. Therefore, the current trend is to provide the belt conveyors with condition monitoring system in addition to the traditional instrumentation, where temperature probes and vibration sensors can be installed on motors, gear reducers and all pulleys. Another innovative development is a three-in-one type belt rip detector which combines laser, tray and cord type detection together to ensure a prompt belt tear indication. The purpose of this paper is to present the latest development of belt conveyor instrumentation and introduce the application of newly developed instruments.

Nov 1, 2011

By H. B. Humphrey

WHEN THE BUREAU OF MINES was created in 1910, the organic act had as one of its main provisions the following: That it shall be the province of said bureau and its director, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, to make diligent investigation of the methods of mining, especially in relation to the safely of miners and the appliances best adapted to prevent accidents, the possible improvement of renditions under which mining operations are carried on, the treatment of ores and other mineral substances, the use of explosives and electricity, the prevention of accidents, and other inquiries and technologic investigations pertinent to said industries, and from tinge to time make such public reports of the work, investigations, and information obtained as the Secretary of said department may direct, with the recommendations of such bureau. The nationwide nature of the health and safety work of the Bureau of Mines has given its representatives an opportunity to study and report on matters pertaining to health and safety in mines and related operations from the time the Bureau was established to the present. Regular annual reports and numerous additional papers and reports have been published each year to place on record and to make available the information gathered. While the basic purpose of this bulletin is to describe health and safety reports for the period January 1947 through June 1955, a selected number of earlier publica¬tions that are believed pertinent for reference purposes are included.

Jan 1, 1956

By B. Simser

Rockbursting around underground excavations continues to be a core risk for many deep mining operations. Numerous advancements in mine design, preconditioning, monitoring, mining equipment, exclusion zones, and ground support have significantly lowered the risk to mine workers. As mining continues in deeper, more challenging environments, a multitiered approach to rockburst risk mitigation, starting with mine design, is required. Both the overall mine sequence, for example, avoiding converging mining fronts, and local design “stick handling” can play an important role in risk reduction. Rockburst case studies dating back to the late 1990s up until 2024 are used to highlight risk factors and risk mitigation (tactical and strategic). Examples from several deep hard rock mines are used, generally in high horizontal stress fields (k ratios 1.5 to 2), and strong brittle rock (> 200 MPa unconfined compressive strength). Mining induced stresses as well as high in situ stress due to depth are discussed. The context is Canadian mining, which typically has highly mechanised operations, large openings and equipment. Examples from a narrow vein mine and shaft sinking are also given because neither environment is simple to mechanise, highlighting the need for other risk mitigations. A “sieve” analysis based on mine incident reports is used to show how a multi-tiered risk management plan can lower exposure to violent ground failures. A few incidents still make their way through the “sieve,” indicating a need for further improvements. Thoughts on future/ current developments, and their strategic importance are given. Ground support is the last line of defence. The proliferation of multiple styles of yielding tendons and support systems has made many choices available to rock engineering professionals. Despite the increased availability of dynamic ground support components, there are still difficulties getting clean load transfer to bolts, determining support demand, monitoring loss of capacity over time/mining, and evaluating true system capacity. Virgin development in deep high stress brittle rock can result in high strainburst exposure prior to any stoping operations. The mining process must reduce worker exposure to unsupported rockmasses. Successful preconditioning in a shaft sinking operation, the use of high early strength shotcrete, and mechanised equipment are also discussed.

Nov 24, 2025

By B Hayter, M Carr, K Williams, C Wheeler, W Chen

Current trends into mining iron ore have seen an increase in the exploitation of problematic orebodies that would typically be disregarded. These bulk materials cause problems within all facets of the material handling stream, from remains left in train wagons to transfer chute blockages, which can cause costly downtime to mining operations (Roberts, 1998). These problematic bulk materials are referred to as wet and sticky material (WSM) due to the adhesive and cohesive nature they possess. Their characteristics can be computationally expensive to model. With the development of discrete element modelling (DEM), in conjunction with advancement in computational power over the past decade, it is now more feasible to model WSMs into the DEM technique.This research will couple two different contact models that can represent the characteristics of a WSM. These models include the Simplified Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (SJKR) and the Easo liquid bridging contact models. The SJKR contact model is an expanded form of the classic Hertz model. This model includes the tensile forces that are in the contact zone between two bodies when they are separated, which the Hertz model failed to capture (Johnson, Kendall and Roberts, 1971). The Easo liquid bridging contact model accounts for the capillary effects and surface tension that will form between two bodies, such as that of a WSM (Soulié et al, 2006). Both of these models were coupled to give the best representation of a WSM, which was simulated using MoleculeX™ (Chen and Williams, 2017) as the software platform.Additionally, this research also investigated the adhesion of problematic iron ore samples onto impact plates under dynamic conditions. An experimental set-up consisting of an apron feeder and inclined impact plate was utilised, to gain an understanding of the way the material builds-up and the possible modes of failure that could be experienced. This was undertaken for different wall liner materials, wall liner angles and moisture contents of the iron ore samples. From this, a series of DEM calibration simulations were conducted on the experimental set-up and particle size distributions (PSD) of the iron ore samples. This enabled forming of a database of parameters, which can be scaled for on-site applications in relation to geometry of the plant and PSDs that would represent run-of-mine ores.CITATION:Carr, M, Williams, K, Chen, W, Hayter, B, Roberts, A and Wheeler, C, 2017. The dynamic adhesion of wet and sticky iron ores onto impact plates, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 511–518 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By F. Maciosek, D. Denton, J. Johnson

Researchers from the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and personnel from Coeur Silver Valley, Wallace, ID, conducted tests using rock strain strips and Split-Set rock bolts instrumented with strain gauges to monitor wall rock strain at the Galena Mine, Osburn, ID. The objective of the test was to identify whether strain on the rock bolts increased prior to a rock burst. Although results were inconclusive, researchers learned that the Split-Set rock bolts yielded in stick-slip fashion in the highly jointed walls of the stope. The bolts were also bent as stress was redistributed following blasting and subsequent movement along joints in the wall rocks.

Jan 1, 2004

By Basson. J., L. R. Nelson, L. A. Cramer

The South African based platinum mines produce the world?s majority of platinum metal that is used in autocatalysts and jewellery. As the platinum market is forecast to grow at healthy rates into the future, the South African producers, Anglo Platinum, Impala, Lonmin and Northam are planning to expand in the next decade. Furthermore a number of smaller producers who are accessing other mineral rights are entering the buoyant market. The South African platinum mines have traditionally exploited the Merensky reef of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC); however, the mining of this reef is reaching depths that require significant vertical shaft systems and costly refrigeration for access to the ore bodies at deeper levels. In the past decade all of the producers have begun to mine the less attractive UG2 reef because of its cheaper mining costs. This UG2 reef contains significant quantities of chromite with typically a chrome-to-iron (Cr/Fe) ratio of 1.35. UG2 ores can contain between 10 and 25% Cr2O3 depending upon the reef width and the selected mining method. It is relatively cheap and easy to extract a portion of the chromite from a platinum concentrator tailings stream at a grade of between 40-42% Cr2O3. However it is only in recent years that some ferrochrome producers have begun to source some of their chromite from the tailings of platinum producers. South Africa is also the world?s largest single producer of ferrochrome and supplies much of the world?s stainless steel producers and thus the growing market for their product. As the traditional sources of high Cr/Fe ratio ores have been depleted at the shallow economic depths and thus have become more expensive sources of chromite, technical developments have improved the ability to use fine chromite economically to make acceptable grades of ferrochrome. Thus UG2 fines are now becoming possible cheap sources of acceptable feed to the ferrochrome industry. The abundance of feedstock for ferrochrome production and the lessening dependence on mined material will impact upon the structure of the ferrochrome business in South Africa. With continued platinum mining from UG2 reefs, South Africa is set to remain highly competitive in the world?s ferrochrome/stainless steel industry.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. Basson, L. R. Nelson, L. A. Cramer

The South African based platinum mines produce the world?s majority of platinum metal that is used in autocatalysts and jewellery. As the platinum market is forecast to grow at healthy rates into the future, the South African producers, Anglo Platinum, Impala, Lonmin and Northam are planning to expand in the next decade. Furthermore a number of smaller producers who are accessing other mineral rights are entering the buoyant market. The South African platinum mines have traditionally exploited the Merensky reef of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC); however, the mining of this reef is reaching depths that require significant vertical shaft systems and costly refrigeration for access to the ore bodies at deeper levels. In the past decade all of the producers have begun to mine the less attractive UG2 reef because of its cheaper mining costs. This UG2 reef contains significant quantities of chromite with typically a chrome-to-iron (Cr/Fe) ratio of 1.35. UG2 ores can contain between 10 and 25% Cr2O3 depending upon the reef width and the selected mining method. It is relatively cheap and easy to extract a portion of the chromite from a platinum concentrator tailings stream at a grade of between 40-42% Cr2O3. However it is only in recent years that some ferrochrome producers have begun to source some of their chromite from the tailings of platinum producers. South Africa is also the world?s largest single producer of ferrochrome and supplies much of the world?s stainless steel producers and thus the growing market for their product. As the traditional sources of high Cr/Fe ratio ores have been depleted at the shallow economic depths and thus have become more expensive sources of chromite, technical developments have improved the ability to use fine chromite economically to make acceptable grades of ferrochrome. Thus UG2 fines are now becoming possible cheap sources of acceptable feed to the ferrochrome industry. The abundance of feedstock for ferrochrome production and the lessening dependence on mined material will impact upon the structure of the ferrochrome business in South Africa. With continued platinum mining from UG2 reefs, South Africa is set to remain highly competitive in the world?s ferrochrome/stainless steel industry.

Jan 1, 2004

By Alfred Weiss

These volumes report on the study initiated by the U. S. Bureau of Mines to develop and apply a methodology to quantitatively assess the probability and potential benefits of technological innovation over the next twenty-five years. The potential was recognized for new technology to solve copper industry problems in the United States. Objectives of the study were to: (1) Develop a methodology to obtain the opinions of mineral experts about future events -their likelihood of occurrence, and, conditional on occurrence, when and to what extent they are likely to occur; (2) Identify, select, and describe potential technological innovations which would have significant impact on copper production; (3) Implement the methodology and obtain the opinions of the mineral experts regarding selected copper technologies; and (4) Analyze the expected future benefits of successful technological innovations :n the copper industry. Although individual technologies are continuously examined throughout the copper 'community', this study is the first known comprehensive forecast of future copper technology. This study is also believed to be unique 1n that it represents the consensus opinion of over sixty expert copper technologists on the expected use of innovative technology in the industry over the next 25 years. The report is contained in three volumes.

Jan 1, 1983

By Stanley G. Hutton, Robert Brubaker

"It has long been recognized that mining workers subjected to high levels of hand-transmitted vibration may suffer from vibration-related complaints. Prolonged exposure to whole-body vibration may also result in adverse effects. In this study, the effects of vibration on mining workers are examined. Previous work documenting the occurrence of vibration-related disease is reviewed. From this work, it is apparent that operators of hand-held pneumatic rock drills are exposed to a significant risk of developing vibration disease. Vibration levels recorded on the rock drills now in use are presented and shown to exceed levels recommended by a proposed ISO standard.IntroductionThe possible harmful effects of exposure to excessive vibration levels have long been recognized, particularly among operators of hand-held tools. Numerous cases have been reported of a vasospastic disorder commonly known as vibration white finger disease (VWFD), which was a term coined by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council in Scotland in 1970(1 ), Those suffering with the disorder have frequent vasospastic attacks in which the fingers, hand and, in advanced cases, the lower arm turn white and numb, usually after a cold stimulus. Advanced stages of VWFD have been reported in which the skin becomes ulcerated and gangrenousm. The incidence of the disease has been particularly serious in the forest industry due to the extensive use of chain saws. However, in recent years, the introduction of antivibration saws has resulted in a significant reduction in the occurrence of the disease.In a recent report for the Canadian Department of Supply and Services - Energy, Mines and Resources, Hutton & Brubaker considered the effects of vibration on workers in the mining industry. In this report, the physiological and medical effects of vibration were considered, relevant vibration standards were discussed, previous vibration measurements were documented and field measurements carried out. In the present paper, the results recorded in this study will be summarized, together with results that have been previously published relating to vibration levels existing in the mining industry."

Jan 1, 1982

By G. M. Rao, P. N. Deo

Graphite is soft and easily floatable but it is quite difficult to obtain high purity concentrate at coarse sizes. Chemical treatment can produce high grade concentrate but it is an expensive process. Graphite containing plus 96% fixed carbon (FC) with coarse flakes commands high price in international market. Such graphite concentrate containing plus 96% FC was produced in Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) by using newly developed reagent (mixture of different hydrocarbons and terpenes, IBM/D7) instead of commonly used frothers viz. pine oil, MIBC, kerosine etc. and regrinding in a special type of mill with special grinding media instead of grinding in a conventional ball/ rod mill followed by cleaning. Both the new reagent (frother) and special grinding media are inexpensive and readily available. The process is under patenting. This paper focuses application of this new grinding methodology for flake size protection, and the new reagent for selective flotation of high purity graphite.

Jan 1, 1995

The National Economic Viewpoint? Any substantial project undertaken by private enterprise would normally be subjected to a Discounted Cash Flow analysis of its commercial viability, and would proceed only if the rate of return was judged satisfactory. A 'national viewpoint' analysis attempts to do the same but from the viewpoint of the community as a whole. The objective is to ensure that those projects are undertaken which yield the best return, economic and social, to the nation as a whole.

Jan 1, 1984

An evaluation of blasting procedures in surface mining operations was undertaken to determine means for improving safety. The objectives of the study were to: 1. Develop guidelines for safer blasting practices 2. Specify changes or additions in regulations concerning the use of explosives 3. Identify areas in which additional knowledge needs to be developed. As a basis for the evaluation, an idealized blasting cycle was prepared. Developed in the form of a scenario of surface mining operations, this synthesis of good mining practices served as the standard against which observed activities were compared. Blasting hazards were divided into two categories: those known to exist and those which are potential. Known hazards were identified in terms of situations which have actually resulted in explosives-related accidents. The evidence for known hazards was obtained primarily from MESA records of mine accidents. Potential hazards were identified by observation of mining activities and consultations with mining, explosive industry and government regulatory agency personnel.

Jan 1, 1977

By V. Aprahamian, T. Cheng, M. Tangen, R. Beauprie

The Royal Canadian Mint has implemented significant process additions since 2005. Installation of a whole new highly automated silver refining circuit has allowed recovery of physical silver from gold and silver dorés . To complement this change, a small Top Blown Rotary Converter has been in operation. On the gold refining side, a new hydrometallurgical process to recover precious metals from Miller Chlorination slag has been developed. Finally, new systems have been put in place to improve treatment of waste water, wet and dry fume and dust.

Jan 1, 2011

By Dave Bulled

"This paper describes the design of a molybdenite flotation circuit using FLEET technology applied to kinetics data produced from laboratory flotation testing and distributed across the blocks of a mine plan using a geostatistical approach. The geostatistics assigned the statistical error that arises from having a limited amount of sample testing data to the kinetics estimates of each block of ore in the mine plan. The final design then included a quantification of risk based on the accuracy of the block flotation kinetics and model fitting. The design made reference to the extensive technical reports describing earlier metallurgical test work including some pilot plant work over thirty years ago.The testing involved conducting MinnovEX Flotation Tests (MFT) to determine the rougher flotation kinetics at the specified reagent conditions and rougher-cleaner tests to determine the change in kinetics resulting from regrind. These flotation kinetics were used within FLEET simulations to create a full-scale flowsheet and plant design including recommended equipment sizes and the forecast of operating results. Measurement of detailed flotation kinetics for a wide range of samples allowed the effect of size of grind and efficiency of classification (i.e. width of size distribution) to be predicted for the whole ore body.INTRODUCTIONAdanac Moly Corp. proposed to develop a 20,000 ton per day mill to produce high quality molybdenite concentrate from its Ruby Creek resource in north-western British Columbia. It is a relatively clean low grade porphyry-monzonite occurrence containing minimal quantities of other sulphides such as chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite and galena. Molybdenite occurs mainly as coarse flakes with lesser amounts of finer sized values. An optimum plant design was required to can achieve the predicted operating results, at a known level of risk, while treating the variability inherent in the ore body."

Jan 1, 2007

By James A. Finch, Stéphanie Gélinas

"A colorimetric technique, originally developed for methyl iso butyl carbinol (MIBC) based on the Komarowsky reaction, has been extended to a wide range of common mineral flotation frothers. The procedure, which is briefly described, is shown suited to on-site determination in a series of industrial campaigns. Some frother observations are described, including: concentration evolution down a bank, distribution between pulp and froth phases, and a mass balance around a circuit. Minute amounts of frother in recycle water were also measured.The contribution of frother and alcohol by-products in the analysis was generally additive for plants using aliphatic alcohol type frothers and decoupled for systems using glycols. Typically, U250C (polyglycol) was used at higher concentration (>10 ppm) than MIBC (aliphatic alcohol) (<10 ppm) or F-150 (polyglycol) (<3ppm).The ability to monitor frother easily will help interpret gas dispersion behaviour and should permit further optimization of flotation cell hydrodynamics and chemistry. The capability to directly measure should help optimize the type, amount and location of frother addition, and to assess frother recycled with reclaim process water.INTRODUCTIONOwing to the lack of analytical methods, the task of determining frother concentration in plant flotation circuits is not routinely performed. Industrial sites seldom outsource analyses that are both costly and inconvenient, due to the necessity of shipping freeze-dried samples to remote testing facilities. A more direct colorimetric method has recently been demonstrated for the laboratory characterization of common industrial frothers (Gélinas and Finch, 2004). The approach, based on the Komarowsky reaction (Penniman et al., 1936; Coles et al., 1942; Duke, 1947), was previously described by Parkhomovski et al. (1976) for methyl iso butyl carbinol (MIBC). The reaction involves the interaction of the OH group of a higher alcohol, concentrated sulphuric acid, and salicylaldehyde, to yield coloured solutions with intensities that can be analyzed by UV-visible spectrophotometry."

Jan 1, 2007