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By A. H. Winckers

"CAMIRO, The Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization, formerly known as MITEC, is a collaborative research organization of Canadian Mining Companies. It is comprised of Exploration, Metallurgical Processing and Mining Divisions.The Metallurgical Processing Division (MPD) has the mandate to contribute to the profitability, competitiveness, safety and growth of the Canadian mining industry by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of mineral processing and extractive metallurgy in an environmentally conscious manner through the development of innovative technology by managing cooperative industry focused research programs.Current membership includes about ten Canadian mining companies. Past research has largely focused on base metal mineral processing. The Division wants to expand its research base to include all areas of mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.Past performance and plans for the future will be highlighted in the presentation."

Jan 1, 1998

By Michael Harley, E. Guy Charlesworth

"Abstract - Bedding-parallel thrust-hosted gold veins are developed in the Sabie-Pilgrim's Rest goldfield, eastern Transvaal, South Africa. The reefs display a complex history characterized by temporally and spatially overlapping events of similar mineralization and deformation. Recognition of the episodic reactivation of these low angle (5° to 10°) thrust faults implicates high fluid pressures (equalling or exceeding lithostatic pressures). Geochemical constraints limit the amount of fluid-rock interaction and the occurrence of transgressive mineralization within the Archaean granitoid basement suggests that the high pressure fluids originated at depth beneath the Transvaal Basin.Similarities exist between gold deposits of Sabie-Pilgrim's Rest and Telfer, Western Australia as well as Passagem de Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil. All deposits are sub-parallel to the enclosing bedding which is shallowly inclined. Furthermore, they are also hosted by contractional deformational structures and are clearly epigenetic in origin."

Jan 1, 1994

By J. Zollinger, J. R. Kennedy, J. H. Park, D. Daloz

"In order to improve the properties of cast Ti-Al alloys to replace Ni-based superalloys past the low pressure stages of aircraft engines investigations into inoculation for grain refinement were carried out. Previous work showed isomorphic self-inoculation using Ti-Al-Nb particles was effective for grain refinement, however the relatively fast diffusion of Nb in Ti-Al make it difficult to observe the mechanism of nucleation. An alternative alloy was developed in the Ti-Ta system for isomorphic self-inoculation, maximizing the Ta content to improve the particles survivability in the melt. The powder processing produced comparatively small inoculant particles which dissolved, however larger particles were seen to survive solidification. The density difference between the inoculant particles and melt resulted in an inhomogeneous mixing of the particles and the melt with larger particles found near the outer edges of the ingots. Variations on particle size and interaction time between the inoculants and the melt resulted in the Ti-Ta inoculant reducing the as-cast equiaxed grain size by a factor of two compared to non-inoculated samples as well as increasing the equiaxed fraction in the ingot.INTRODUCTION Lightweight metals are of particular interest in aerospace applications. The hot sections of turbines are dominated by blades made of nickel based superalloys. Recently the GEnx turbine introduced TiAl blades in the last low pressure stage of the turbine to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency (Kim & Dimiduk, 1991). In order to carry these benefits deeper into the turbine the high temperature (>800oC) properties of the alloys must be improved. Current grain refinement methods to improve properties rely on boron additions which may not be applicable for all blades as brittle precipitates may be formed during processing (McCullough, Levi, Mehrabian, & Hyman, 1991). A novel grain refinement process was previously introduced called “isomorphic self-inoculation” using Ti-Al-Nb particles to successfully grain refine TiAl (Kennedy, Zollinger, Bouzy, & Daloz, 2016). In order to better understand the mechanism of this process an investigation was carried out using the same process but with a Ti-Ta alloy which is more stable in the TiAl melt than the Ti-Al-Nb."

Jan 1, 2017

By G. Rong, W. Du

Stability of some potential unstable blocks in the left bank slope of Baihetan hydropower station is evaluated in this paper using the three-dimensional (3D) limit equilibrium method. The Baihetan hydropower station is in the downstream of Jinshajiang River, China. The geological condition in the river valley is complex, and many large discontinuities are detected in the slope of the two banks. As a result, much attention should be paid to the stability of the slope in the feasibility study stage. Because the left bank slope is an oblique consequent one, we mainly focus on the slope stability analysis in the left bank. Comprehensive geological exploration is conducted in the studied area and the detected discontinuities are well researched. By building a 3D geological model of the left bank slope, three potential unstable blocks which are close to the dam site are detected. An irregular wedge analysis method is then used to calculate safety factors of the three blocks under three conditions, which are natural condition, rainfall condition, and seismic condition, respectively. It is found that the safety factors of the block 1# and the block 2# are quite low when compared to the suggested values. Extra care must be exercised when excavating the slope near the block 1# and the block 2#. A preliminary reinforcement is also suggested.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. W. Kramers, R. A. S. Brown

"Samples from seven test wells distributed throughout the surface-mineable area of the Athabasca Oil Sands have been evaluated to determine the amounts of heavy minerals present and the titanium and zirconium contents. The samples were treated to yield the size distribution of the titanium and zirconium minerals as well as their spatial distribution. The study has shown that heavy minerals are found throughout the surface-mineable area; concentrations range from 0.24 to 2.29 per cent (by weight), with a mean of 1.02 per cent. Titanium and zirconium contents vary throughout the area, and are found preferentially in the finer size fractions. •on the basis of preliminary calculations, the tailings streams from an oil sands plant would provide sufficient feed for a large-scale titanium pigment plant, and the tailings from one plant would provide sufficient zircon feed to satisfy Canadian demand for. metallic zirconium. Variability of the heavy mineral content and composition is such that the heavy mineral potential must be evaluated in detail for each mine site."

Jan 1, 1976

By H. C. Gunning

In spite of the fact that mining has been more or less active in the northern part of Vancouver island since the late 'nineties', there seems to be a remarkable lack of information regarding the nature and development of the region. Recently the operations at the Old Sport mine of the Coast Copper Company, Limited, and spectacular copper discoveries in the vicinity of Nimpkish lake, have directed the attention of the mining fraternity to the district. The writer spent the summer of 1929 making a reconnaissance examination of the general geology and mining properties of the area between Quatsino sound and Nimpkish lake, and he feels that a short paper describing the nature and mining possibilities of the region should be of interest at this time. A more detailed account of the ?geology and of the mining properties will be published in the forth- coming Summary Report of the Geological Survey. A short paper dealing with the Nimpkish Lake district was presented at the Annual Meeting of the British Columbia Division, held recently in Vancouver.

Jan 1, 1930

By Rong. G., T. Q. Lin, W. Du

Based on analysis of the evolutionary history of the valley in Baihetan, the mechanism of asymmetrical evolution, gradual migration-incision evolved from left bank to the right, is revealed in Baihetan river valleys. The process of in-situ stress evolution is carried out by using the Universal Distinct Element Code (UDEC). Consequently, the numerical results which indicate the main regulations of that stress field are as follow: (1) The phenomenon termed "high in-situ stress fold" appears in the bottom of the valley. With the maximum principal stress being 28-34 MPa, the stress increases significantly at a vertical depth of approximately 130 m. (2) The in-situ stress presents zonal distribution along the bank slope. It is apparent that the in-situ stress field consists of stress relaxation zone (SRZ), stress concentration zone (SCZ) and original stress zone (OSZ). The horizontal depth of stress relaxation zone varies from the left bank (roughly 200 m) to the right (about 120 m). Furthermore, the stress evolution of the left bank slope is studied. As a result, it is found that asymmetrical erosion contributes to the difference of the in-situ stress distribution as a critical factor, between the left bank and the right. And for an asymmetrical valley, the evolutionary process of in-situ stress field is a circular procedure, which includes the incision of valley, the accumulation of landslides and the migration of valley.

Jan 1, 2015

By Jayne Somers

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas, accounting for 15 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions in 2005. Since methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide (CO2), reducing methane emissions can achieve considerable climate benefits over the next 25 years. Coal seams often contain significant quantities of methane and CH4 released to the atmosphere from gassy mines during coal extraction is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Methane (CH4) emissions from coal mining activities constitute approximately 6% of total global human-related methane emissions. Coal mines around the world have recognized that methane is a clean energy resource that can be captured and used productively. Coal mine methane (CMM) is currently utilized for power generation, natural gas pipeline injection, vehicle fuel, industrial process feed stocks, on-site mine boilers, mine heating, and home heating distribution systems. Upgrading mine degasification systems can often improve gas quality and create favorable project economics. The United States has been a leader in coal mine methane (CMM) recovery and use since the 1990?s. There are now 15 projects at active underground mines in the U.S., as well as 26 abandoned mine methane projects. Recovery and use projects at active underground U.S. mines reduced methane emissions by approximately 49 Billion cubic feet in 2010. In an exciting new development, a ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigation project at the CONSOL McElroy mine in West Virginia was installed by Verdeo. Operational since September 2012, this is the first commercial-scale VAM project in the U.S. and the project will reduce methane emissions by an estimated 920 MMCF/yr. As part of the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, actual data on methane emissions from underground coal mines was collected for the first time in 2011 and reported to U.S. EPA in September 2012. The data collected will help inform stakeholders, particularly the underground coal mining industry, of CMM emission sources on public and private lands. The detailed data will also shed light on the specific sources of methane from active underground coal mines and highlight project opportunities for the U.S. coal industry. The paper will cover U.S. coal mine methane emissions, U.S. CMM utilization and destruction projects, Federal policies and State incentives for CMM capture and utilization. 2011 CMM data from the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Subpart FF will be analyzed and compared with previous U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory estimates. Other developments, including the voluntary carbon market, will be discussed.

Aug 1, 2013

By G. Goodall, R. Jabbar, S. Muinonen, A. Cummings

"Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations in Falconbridge, Ontario, has been in operation since 1930. Many new technologies and practices, now common in the industry, have been implemented at the site and contribute significantly to the industry’s understanding. Since the last update on the Smelter operation published at the NiCo 2005 conference, the Converter Aisle has undergone significant changes in the operation of vessels. The Aisle continues to consist of 4 Peirce-Smith converters, but the Slag-Make Converter, and the Slag Cleaning Vessel have been re-tooled or re-built as Hybrid Vessels (HV), each generating matte for the two Finishing Converters and clean slag for disposal. The complicated scheduling and the overall benefits to the Smelter are reviewed here as part of the on-going tradition of industry support.INTRODUCTION The Glencore Nickel Sudbury Smelter operates a Roast Reduction Smelting (RRS) flow sheet with a specialized Converter Aisle operation that maximizes metal recovery to Bessemer matte. The main process equipment consists of a pair of Fluid Bed Roasters, a submerged-arc Electric Furnace and four Peirce-Smith converting type vessels (Figure 1). In the RRS flow sheet, concentrate is roasted with air to remove sulphur as SO2. Calcine from the Roasters is mixed with petroleum coke upon addition to the six-in-line rectangular Electric Furnace. The coke back reduces the metallic oxides, producing a matte and a discard slag.Gases from the Roasters are sent to a single pass absorption Acid Plant where the SO2 is converted to acid. Under the previous operating targets, approximately 70–75% of the sulphur in the incoming concentrate was fixed as acid with the balance going to the Electric Furnace in calcine for Bessemer matte production. Off-gases from the Electric Furnace and Converters are combined in a balloon flue, treated for particulates in electrostatic precipitators and discharged to the Smelter stack without any SO2 fixation."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. A. Russell

AS THE LOCAL electric generating plants increased in size and capacity and costs of producing electricity came down, it became apparent that it was no longer good economy to operate individual boiler plants at the Company's various collieries to power steam hoists and compressors. Great economies could be made by burning the Coal at central power plants and using electric power at the collieries. During the period after the end of the war, a steady and continuing programme of replacing first the smaller steam-driven units, and later the steam-driven compressors, was undertaken, and finally the larger hoists, those at No. 12 Colliery in New Waterford and No. 20 Colliery in Glace Bay, were the last units operated by steam.

Jan 1, 1958

By B. Haugrud, E. McConaghy, M. Collins, G. Smith

"Laterite ore processed by the Ambatovy joint venture in Madagascar is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The process selected for treatment of this ore considered the behaviour and deportment of iron in each step of the commercial flowsheet. Such considerations included nickel and cobalt recoveries, reagent consumptions, liquid-solid separation characteristics, and intermediate and final product purities. In this paper, the results for the first three years of commercial operation at Ambatovy are compared with the design parameters, with emphasis on the behaviour of iron.RÉSUMÉ Le minerai latéritique traité par l’entreprise commune Ambatovy au Madagascar contient principalement de la limonite, composée de 40–45 % en poids (wt%) de fer (Fe) et de 1,1 wt% de nickel (Ni). Le procédé choisi pour le traitement de ce minerai tenait compte du comportement et du maintien du fer à chaque étape du schéma de traitement commercial. Parmi les facteurs pris en compte figuraient les récupérations de nickel et de cobalt, les consommations d’agents réactifs, les caractéristiques de séparation des liquides-solides ainsi que la pureté des produits semi-fini et final. Cet article compare les résultats des trois premières années d’exploitation commerciale à Ambatovy aux paramètres d’étude, en insistant notamment sur le comportement du fer.INTRODUCTIONThe main component of nickeliferous laterite ore is iron, and the Ambatovy deposit in Madagascar is no exception. Ambatovy ore is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The nickel content of the ore is approximately 1/40th that of the iron content by weight; therefore, successful recovery of nickel depends on close control of the behaviour of iron in the selected process.The Ambatovy area is located 80 km east of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Exploration dates back to 1960, when the Malagasy Service Géologique carried out a limited pitting and auger-drilling program. Phelps Dodge Corporation (now Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.) was granted the mining rights to the property in 1995 and carried out significant resource definition, environmental assessment, and engineering studies between 1995 and 2001 (Chou, Rooke, Williams, & Hanks, 2000). In 2003, Dynatec Corporation, which was formed in 1997 by the merger of Dynatec International Ltd. and Sherritt International Consultants Inc., signed a joint venture agreement with subsidiaries of Phelps Dodge to evaluate the Ambatovy nickel project. Dynatec became extensively involved in the development of the project, including process selection and pilot plant testing in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (Collins et al., 2004, 2005; Collins & Vardill, 2005; Collins, Buban, Holloway, Masters, & Raudsepp, 2009). Dynatec acquired 100% of the project in 2005 and a joint venture between Dynatec, Sumitomo Corporation, Korea Resources Corporation (KORES), and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SLI) was formed shortly thereafter to provide funding for further development. SLI was responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction management of the commercial facilities. Sherritt International Corporation reacquired Dynatec Corporation, including 40% ownership in the Ambatovy nickel project, in 2007. The current Ambatovy joint venture consists of an integrated nickel and cobalt mining, processing, refining, and marketing enterprise between subsidiaries of Sherritt (40% owner and mine and plant operator), Sumitomo Corporation (32.5% owner), and KORES (27.5% owner)."

Jan 1, 2017

By M. Mohammadijoo, J. B. Wiskel, D. G. Ivey, S. Kenny, H. Henein

Cold-wire tandem submerged arc welding (CWTSAW) has recently been developed as a novel welding technique to replace the conventional tandem submerged arc welding (TSAW) process and improve the productivity of pipeline manufacturing. The process involves two electrodes with arcs and one electrically cold electrode. Since heat-input of the welding process is a key factor affecting the properties of the weld metal (WM) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the additional cold-wire affects the heat introduced to the weldment, it is of interest to investigate property and geometry changes in the WM and HAZ when a cold-wire is added to the welding process. In the current research, the CWTSAW process is investigated and optimized by correlating the main welding parameters with the micro-hardness of the WM and HAZ and the geometry of the weld, i.e., the bead width (BW), penetration depth (PD), reinforcement area (RA) and coarse grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) area. Three statistical and mathematical methods are employed to optimize the CWTSAW process in terms of the mechanical properties and WM and HAZ geometry of a typical microalloyed steel used for pipeline manufacturing.

Jan 1, 2015

By P. Cleyle, K. McDermott, M. Hall, C. A. Harris

"This paper describes the implementation of an expert system for monitoring and control of the NO. 4 autogeneous mill and spiral circuits at Wabush Mines.This process control system incorporated the mill operating expertize of Wabush Mines operating personnel and was implemented to improve spiral iron recovery and mill productivity by:1. Continuously monitoring the mill power draw and ensuring that the mill feedrate is regulated to prevent damage to the mill motor, while simultaneously maintaining the feedrate at or as close as possible to the maximum feedrate determined by the process supervisor.2. Improving control over the spiral density and feed rate.3. Improving control over both tbe rougher and cleaner wash water.4. Reducing the frequency with which pumps are plugged.5. Allowing modifications to be made easily and quickly to test various operating strategies.This system was installed using COMDALE/C, a real-time Expert System for Process Control. It was readily accepted by the process operators and produces higher production performance in comparison to the other 5 parallel mill lines at a lower power draw."

Jan 1, 1992

By C. Klinkenberg, G. Zhu, K. Hulka, S. V. Subramanian

A quantitative model based on strain accumulation in multi-pass rolling is developed to overcome a large critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation in a Nb microalloyed steel with high Mn content (HTP steel). The larger the critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation, the finer is the dynamically recrystallised grain size. The initial mill trial showed that it is feasible to achieve ultra-fine grain size by dynamic recrystallisation but the prevention of static recrystallisation in between passes is identified as an essential condition to suppress mixed grain size. The data-base on static softening kinetics at short interpass time was experimentally determined on WUMSI and incorporated in the model. The model is used to optimise the strip rolling schedule to prevent static recrystallisation in the interpass time. The rolling simulation of strip rolling schedule has validated the model prediction that it is possible to obtain a uniform ultra-fine ferrite grain size of about 1-2 micrometer diameter in final ferrite microstructure for industrial rolling parameters. A user friendly software package has been developed to apply the model for off-line control of mill processing parameters, i.e., time-temperature-deformation schedule of finish rolling in order to accumulate large strain to overcome a large critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation. The model is a powerful predictive tool for grain size control in multi-pass rolling.

Jan 1, 2004

Sherwood?s Minto Project ? High grade copper copper-gold deposit ? Yukon Territory, Canada ? Development underway ? Permitted ? Production by mid mid-2007 ? 40 40-50m lbs Cu plus Au/Ag by by-products ? Parallel exploration program underway ?Discover more high grade resources ?But what kind of deposit is it?

May 1, 2006

By T. Hofbauer, M. J. Dry, G. B. Harris, C. W. White

"Urban Mining is a term that is increasingly being used, and represents an appreciable source of secondary materials for the metals extraction industry, a source that does not incur mining costs, but does, at present, incur considerable disposal costs. Electric Arc Furnace Dust (EAFD) is probably the most common of these materials, with an estimated global production of 8 million tonnes annually, of which 1 million tonnes is generated in North America. The contained annual metal value in EAFD at current prices is of the order of $6 billion, yet, apart from the zinc, virtually none of this is recovered.Despite many attempts over the years, with pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical or hybrid processes, currently the only commercially viable method of treating these materials is smelting in a Waelz Kiln (or a Rotary Hearth Furnace), which essentially recovers only the zinc, in an impure oxide form, and generates a secondary slag waste, which is still toxic and requires disposal. This paper describes the development of a chloride-based treatment process to recover all components of the EAFD in a marketable form, which centres around the novel hydrochloric acid recovery and recycle operation. Laboratory, miniplant and pilot plant data are presented, leading to the definition of a viable process flowsheet enabling the recovery of pure iron and zinc products (the principal components of EAFD), together with secondary products such as copper, silver, lead, cadmium, magnesium and manganese. A rigorous mass-energy balance is used to examine the preliminary economics involved."

Jan 1, 2014

By Donald V. Currie

"The Alberta and Northwest Chamber of Mines was founded in Edmonton, Alberta in 1935. The organization represented private sector mining explorers and developers in the province and north west Canada. The Chamber aided and abetted the establishment of the two territorial mining associations. Because of corporate human resource department creation by north of sixty mine operators, the Chamber refocused on Alberta and broadened its perspective to include activities beyond mining. In 1977 the name changed to the Alberta Chamber of resources. The slogan (in more modern terms vision, mandate, goal, etc) remains as Orderly Development of Canada's Resources.The sixty-three year reputation of the Chamber, built on volunteer rather than staff contribution, is the principal reason for any success. The key has truly been the reputation, not an image, as all activities have been solution oriented.This presentation provides insight into the structure and methodology applied by the organization, and reviews some of the successes and failures during the period 1985 to present. Examples discussed include:• Canada-Alberta Partnership on Minerals 1992-1995• Regional Upgrader Business Plan• National Oil Sands Task Force• Lakeland and Waterways Railway"

Jan 1, 1998

By I. Dymov, W. Phillips

A process has been evaluated, on a continuous pilot plant scale, to treat refractory gold arsenopyrite/pyrite concentrates. The process consisted of biological leaching to partially oxidise sulphides, followed by pressure leaching for complete sulphide oxidation and arsenic precipitation, followed by liquor neutralisation and cyanidation of the autoclave residue for gold recovery. This paper provides a brief description of the treatment flowsheet and discusses some of the main parameters and results of the process. During integrated pilot plant campaigns, it was confirmed that acceptable sulphide oxidation and gold extraction of 96-98% could be achieved by a two-stage oxidation with BIOX® (4 days total retention time) followed by PDX (40 minutes retention time at 220°C). Only partial arsenic precipitation was achieved in the autoclave, followed by complete precipitation by neutralization under atmospheric conditions. The overall process could be significantly simplified, and capital and operating costs reduced, with a flowsheet modification allowing all of the BIOX® liquor to bypass the autoclave directly to the neutralization circuit.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. E. Charles

The use of water flowing as a lower layer to reduce pressure gradients in petroleum pipelines was investigated using 17.5 deg. A.P.I. Lloydminster crude oil in a 1-inch laboratory pipe-line and a 21h-inch field pipeline. The method was found to be very effective in reducing the pressure gradient below that for the oil flowing alone. The factor by which the pres-sure gradient was reduced varied with the percentage of water added, and in general exceeded 10 for water contents ranging from 40 to 60 per cent. Within this range of water content the pressure gradient reduction factor was independent of the oil flow rate.

Jan 1, 1960

By Louis R. Bernier

Since 1978, most systematic studies of AMD passive treatment with limestone drains (LD) have dealt with coal mines in the United States. The authors present in this paper the first results of a triennial study initiated in 1999 on the performance of LD installed at the Ni-Cu Lorraine old mine site in Temiscamingue during a remediation plan that involved the installation of a cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) over the reactive pyrrhotite-rich tailings. Typically, a LD is a trench enclosed by impervious materials filled with crushed limestone and may be oxic or anoxic. Four LD (one filled with marble and 3 with dolomite) were installed at the Lorraine site. The LD have been in operation since May 1999 and are performing differently. The most contaminated mine effluent flows south and is directed towards 3 LD filled with crushed dolomite, while a 4th LD was filled with crushed marble and installed west. The LD filled with marble has been generating maximum alkalinity since the beginning of the passive treatment. Two of the dolomite drains have been generating alkalinity since mid-summer 1999, but one is not, even if a substantial pH raise was observed. A pH above 5.5 is required usually for the dolomite drains to start generating alkalinity. The installation of LD at the Lorraine site contributes significantly to the reduction of metals and sulphates loading.

May 1, 2001