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By J. W. Jefferies

"Plant availability up 13%, production output up 40%, tons per employee up 15% and labor turnover down 52%. One mine manager states these were direct spin offs from the work being done to qualify for a safety award in the program known as the ""IMSRS 11 over a three-year period of time. ""Of Course"", stated this manager, ""these were in addition to an 87% reduction in our disabling injusry frequency rate.”Officially known as the International Mine Safety Rating System or the Five Star Mine Safety Rating, a new approach to mine safety is being used with enthusiasm by a significant number of mines in Canada, the U.S., Australia, Chile, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa. Significant results are coming into the International Loos Control Institute from over 125 mines from these countries.The program is built around a mine safety audit system that gives positive recognition to a mine at 5-step intervals along the way, (a star with each step attained). The Institute has licensed auditors in locations in Canada and the U.S. available to audit.It is believed the success of this program is the result of the premise upon which the program is based. The results being achieved are due to the concept that a modern, well-managed mine safety program maintains the basic foundation of a complete management system. When properly implemented, it reinforces those factors common to production, quality and safety. (Attitude - skill - knowledge - fitness - structure - machine - equipment - materials and processes). The IMSRS contains elements that reinforce all these factors. It uniquely treats safety as part of the ""right way"" to do the job and not just the ""safe way"" as a distinctly separate entity. Mines using this program now recognize that many of the older safety techniques were not necessarily the right way or the most efficient way to do things. It appears that this new approach to mine safety is a new avenue for the attainment of management's real goals for being in business, and at the same time achieves optimum support for the important target of safety and health for the mine worker."

Jan 1, 1983

By R. Shamsodini, A. Poor Zaeif Doost, H. Haji Amin Shirazi, M. R. Garmsiri

"With columns being installed in rougher section at Miduk Copper Complex, the rougher feed mainly reports to rougher-scavenger cells. To evaluate the efficiency of regrinding circuit, we conducted flotation experiments on samples of the feed and the products of the regrinding circuit. The grade difference of these products at 85% recovery was considered as the efficiency index. Results show that, with weight recovery of the rougher-scavengers the efficiency of the circuit increases. Exclusion of the rougher-scavenger concentrate from the feed to the regrinding circuit, resulted in an increase in the efficiency index from 10.12 to 17.6%.INTRODUCTIONThe flotation circuit at Miduk Copper Complex consists of five flotation columns as roughers and ten mechanical cells as rougher-scavengers. According to design criteria, 75% of the final product was expected to be produced by the rougher columns, while most of the feed consisting of liberated valuable particles is introduced into rougher-scavengers. To liberate locked particles, the rougher-scavengers concentrate is introduced into the regrinding circuit (see Figure 1 below). The regrind mill is in reversed closed circuit with a secondary hydrocyclones cluster, and the cyclone overflow is introduced into three parallel cleaner columns. Cleaners concentrate reports to concentrate thickener and the column tailings is introduced into six mechanical cleaner-scavenger cells. The cleaner-scavengers concentrate reports to the regrind circuit(Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2012

By C P. Gravenor

In 1953, a deposit of sedimentary oolitic iron ore was discovered in the Clear Hills area of northwestern Alberta. Since that time, detailed drilling has outlined reserves in excess of 200 million tons of ore grading 30 to 35 per cent iron. Attempts to physically beneficiate the ore to meet blast furnace or direct reduction feed specifications have been, in general, unsuccessful. In 1960, Premier Steel Mills Limited and the Research Council of Alberta jointly sponsored a pilot-plant test at the R-N Corporation at Birmingham, Alabama. About 5,000 tons of ore were treated, and briquettes containing 90 per cent Fe were produced, with 83 per cent recovery. At the same time that the R-N tests were being made, the Research Council initiated a program to produce high-purity powders by chemical methods. Several purification techniques were investigated; hydrochloric acid dissolution of reduced ore was finally adopted. Briefly, the steps involved in this acid process are as follow

Jan 1, 1964

By Hans Chr Andersen

Almost every form of iron ore and carbon material has been used as a raw material in the production of pig iron in electric reduction furnaces. Experience derived from the operation of the large 33,000-kva. Tysland-Hole furnaces, however, indicates that production results are very much influenced by the raw material conditions. The author presents the principle pattern of the metallurgical structure of the interior of an electric pig iron furnace. On the basis of this, he discusses the variations of electrical and metallurgical conditions for the process which will take place with changing raw materials. The formation of a coke bed underneath the electrodes, and its influence on the furnace operation, is illustrated. Quality and grain size of the coke added to the charge will influence the build-up of the coke bed and will thereby also affect the electrical re-''Elektrokemisk A/S, Oslo, Norway. resistance and reduction potential in the furnace.

Jan 1, 1963

By O. Worku, J. H. Masliyah, Z. A. Zhou

ABSTRACT The viscosity of concentrated kaolinite or illite clay in aqueous suspensions was measured in the presence and absence of a small amount of montmorillonite (<1 wt%). To avoid solids settling and to increase the sensitivity of the suspension viscosity measurements, solids concentrations higher than 38 wt% were used. The pH of the suspensions and the concentration of calcium and bicarbonate ions were found to significantly impact the viscosity of the clay suspensions. The results showed a significant increase in the viscosity of kaolinite suspensions with the addition of as low as 0.25 wt% of montmorillonite on a solids weight basis. In addition to illustrating the role of water chemistry in modifying slurry rheological properties, our study demonstrated that viscosity measurement could be a simple, yet sensitive technique for determining the content of smectite clays, such as montmorillonite, in a complex mix of various types of clay.

Jan 1, 2012

By I. R. Muirhead

"One approach to making new technology available is to demonstrate its value under full-scale operating conditions. Studies were undertaken to assess the feasibility of this approach to introducing a longwall mining system to the western Canadian coalfields.The longwall method of mining coal is described, world and Canadian usage is reviewed, and the merits of the system in comparison 10 other coal mining methods are discussed.The rationale for a longwall demonstration in western Canada is presented, along with a proposed organization for the design, operation and dissemination of the findings from such a trial. The factors which must be considered in the design of the demonstration, and in the assessment of a potential site are highlighted. It is concluded that a demonstration of this technology is both timely and essential to prepare the way for the western Canadian coal industry of future prospects for coal.IntroductionFor many years CANMET has encouraged research work organized on a cooperative basis. This requires that a working consensus must be negotiated by researchers and operators at the beginning of the project and continuously refined as work proceeds. The result is usually a more relevant selection of research problems, improved direct ion and con duct of experiment al work and often a validation phase in which research concepts are tested in an opera ting environment. All this tends to narrow the gap between obtaining research results and applying them.Even under the best of circumstances cooperative projects require a good deal of coordination and enthusiasm to maintain focus and the pace of work. The working perspective of a research scientist in a government laboratory is substantially different from that of a mine operator at a producing mine, and a common ground must be found. This is difficult to do and cooperative projects typically evolve over several years as experimental results progressively define the potential solutions to mining problems."

Jan 1, 1985

By J. Bigu, M. G. Grenier, S. Hardcastle

"This study was undertaken in a belt conveyor drift of an underground hard rock mine. The conveyor transported ore or waste from a crushing operation located upwind from the drift sampling locations. A 250 m section of this drift was selected and several types of measurements were taken. Average respirable concentrations in the drift were 0.43 mg/m3 and 0.19 mg/m3 for total and silica dust, respectively. From the respirable dust concentration profile along the drift, it may be possible to estimate the contribution from extended sources such as dust produced by the belt and return idlers.The airborne dust in the drift had an average mass-median aerodynamic diameter of 4.2 micron. A continuous dust monitor showed that the crushing operation produced fairly high dust concentrations (sometimes greater than 4 mg/m3) over short periods of time.IntroductionAirborne dust in the respirable range is known to be the cause of various forms of lung ailments . In underground mines, respirable dust sources are created at many stages of production. All mining operators are responsible for de signing and establishing means of reducing airborne dust. In some cases, sources of dust are well defined and suppression methods are standard.In the case of interest here, the airborne dust cloud was formed from the contribution from many sources, which may be either discrete or extended. At the experimental site, the discrete or point sources were the crushing operation and the belt conveyor transfer point (tail pulley). These sources may be controlled by proper dust capture and scrubbing systems as well as dilution ventilation. Examples of extended dust sources in the area include dust produced by the re-entrainment of settled particles along the drift. Ventilation air movement and vehicular traffic both contribute to this phenomenon. Dust produced by the conveyor is another example of an extended dust source. Caked deposits on the return strand and idlers as well as the transportation of dry material on the belt, can be major contributors. Proper wetting of roadways and muck as well as proper belt cleaning techniques can help reduce these emissions. The cleaning apparatus, used on the belt where these experiments were conducted, is shown in Figure I. These and other belt cleaning techniques are described in more detail elsewhere."

Jan 1, 1987

By Donald L. Mordell

Introduction A very large part of the world&apos;s fuel resources are in solid form, as various grades of ?coal, but an increasing proportion of fuel demands on this Continent and else-where are having to be met by liquid fuels. Convenience and, in many cases, cost weigh heavily in favour of the liquid: fuels, and there are many fuel burning applications where the use of coal would be impractical, such as for automotive or air transport. By extrapolating the present trends one might conclude that, in future years in Canada and the United States, coal will be used only in a few power stations close to coal fields. If such a state of affairs should arise, it will obviously prove embarrassing to those accustomed to make their livelihood from the winning and marketing of coal, but it is perhaps not so obvious that it must also prove an embarrassment to the nation. The major reasons for this are two in number. Firstly, if present coal production is to be replaced by oil production, a large capital expenditure is necessary, which must inevitably be paid by the consumer; and secondly, in times of emergency, large amounts of oil fuels are required for military purposes which cannot be achieved with solid fuels. It is obviously unwise, therefore, to discontinue the use of coal for those non-military jobs that it can do. If we examine the major fuel markets we find that there are three: Domestic heating Steam generation Transport by air, sea, and land For domestic heating, the extreme convenience of oil, in spite of its greater cost, has captured much of the coal market.

Jan 1, 1952

By G. R. Cope, J. S. Getsinger, K. D. Lund, T. Neale

"Mineral exploration in the Sicker Group, a belt of Paleozoic volcano-sedimentary rocks on Vancouver Island, has traditionally centred on auriferous polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits such as those currently mined by Westmin Resources Ltd. near Buttle Lake. Recently, however, the focus of exploration in the Sicker Group has shifted toward targets of structurally controlled gold concentrations, with notable success. Major north and northwesterly-trending structural features such as the Cowichan-Horne Lake break (one of several regional high-angle thrust fault s active throughout a long period of geological time) and related fault systems have contributed to localization of gold mineralization.Using the extensive information database compiled by MPH Consulting Limited during numerous exploration projects in the Sicker Group, two cross sections through areas with significant gold occurrences southeast of Port Alberni are presented. The cross sections combine geological, geochemical and geophysical data in an attempt to emphasize the relationship between structural trends and gold mineralization. Examples from specific properties, including gold discoveries along the Mineral Creek fault zone, are used to illustrate this relationship."

Jan 1, 1990

By J. M. Skeaff

"The main solution, ore and residue pulp streams in the Rio Algom Quirke I uranium mill at Elliot Lake have been sampled and analyzed for radium-226. Analysis of the ore and leached residues indicates that Ra-226 dissolves and precipitates within the first pachuca tank. A maximum of approximately 0.2% of the Ra-226 in the ore remains in solution during leaching.IntroductionConcern over the acid drainage and radionuclide dissolution problems associated with uranium tailings disposal sites in Canada has prompted investigation into methods for improving current uranium processing practice.Present commercial practice usually involves leaching of the uranium ore with sulphuric acid, ion-exchange separation of the uranyl sulphate complex from the leach liquor and"" precipitation of the uranium as yellowcake. Daughter products of U-238, such as Th-230, Pb-21O and Ra-226 remain with the tailings and undergo long-term dissolution.Table I summarizes the probable behaviour of the radionuclides during milling. The concern here is with Ra-226, because it will deposit in the bones if ingested and is ""thus considered a serious health hazard(1), Similarly, Po-218 and Bi-214, which are daughter products of Rn-222, can be retained in the lungs and are considered to be the principal sources of radiation dosage(2) arising from the inhalation of Rn-222. Previous investigations(3-9l indicate or imply that Ra-226 undergoes redistribution during milling. However, detailed published information on the behaviour of Ra-226 in the uranium milling process appears to be lacking. A knowledge of the behaviour of Ra-226 in uranium mills, particularly during leaching, could lead to improved methods for its control.This paper reports the occurrence of Ra-226 in the Rio Algom mill. The main objectives of the study were to determine (1) the distribution of Ra-226 within the solids, (2) at what point, and how rapidly, redistribution occurs and (3) whether there are high concentrations of Ra-226 in solution."

Jan 1, 1981

By A. Golpaygan

Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling for simulation of fluid flow and combustion in industrial scale electric furnace is presented. Poor combustion efficiency, roof and/or side wall overheating, carry over to off-gas system and non-ideal radiative heat transfer to processes or cooling systems have been common limiting factors causing inadequate process performance of the furnace, operational problems, and safety hazards. This paper describes how CFD analysis can be used to obtain a better understanding of commonly observed problems associated with freeboard combustion. Examples are presented to describe using combustion CFD modeling to understand requirements to diagnose a problem with furnace design including required freeboard volume or possible roof/side wall overheating.

Jan 1, 2011

By P. O. Sandvik, George Erdosh

"AbstractThe Cargill phosphate deposit, located 32 kilometers southwest of Kapuskasing, Ontario, was discovered by the Resource Development Group of International Minerals & Chemical Corporation in 1975 and has been evaluated through an extensive program of 190 drill holes, numerous chemical analyses, metallurgical tests, and engineering and economic studies.The Cargill alkalic complex, comprising principally car-bonatite and pyroxenite-amphibolite rocks, was intruded in to the rift system of the Kapuskasing High during late Precambrian time about 1,800 million year s ago, near the intersection of northeast- and northwest- trending faults. The Cargill complex is one of at least ten known alkalic complexes in or close to the Kapuskasing magnetic-gravity-high system and is expressed by an elongated, northeast- oriented, three-part magnetic anomaly 7.2 kilometers long by 2.8 kilometers wide . Weathering and leaching under assumed temperate to cool, moist climatic conditions , and controlled by faulting, shearing and/or initial petrographic variations within the carbonatite , developed a small, locally confined karst system in the car bonatite rocks and resulted in a thick enriched leached carbonatite zone, capped by troughs and sinks, filled with a residuum of apatite, goethite, clay and other minerals stable in the near -surface, oxidizing environment. Overburden is 5 to 165 meters thick."

Jan 1, 1977

By D. Paul Bishop, Kevin P. Plucknett, Hung-wei Liu

"Spark plasma sintering (SPS) process has been evaluated for producing the commercially pure (CP) Ti, TiAl and a TiAl-B4C composite. Comparisons were made between the materials in terms of the sintered density, resultant hardness and microstructures. In the present work, the titanium aluminide powders (Ti-48Al, producing a mixture of y-TiAl/a2-Ti3Al) were synthesised „in-house? using a simple reaction-sintering and mechanical attrition approach. This allowed various size distributions to be generated. The powders were then blended with a fine boron carbide (B4C) powder (up to 6 wt.%), and the resulting mixtures were consolidated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) under vacuum in graphite dies. An applied stress of 50 MPa was used for all SPS runs. The SPS parameters were varied in terms of the ultimate sintering temperature (up to 1300°C) and hold time (up to 10 minutes) for each material. It is demonstrated that high densities can be achieved this approach (exceeding 95% of theoretical, with optimised samples close to full density). Microstructural characterisation was conducted using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The B4C additions were seen to partially react with the TiAl to form reinforcements, such as TiCx and TiBx. Preliminary mechanical property assessment will also be briefly discussed.INTRODUCTION Titanium- and titanium aluminide-based alloys possess many unique properties, such as excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature strength, respectively (Cardarelli, 2001; Leyens & Peters, 2003). Compared to many other competing materials (e.g. stainless steel or Ni-based alloys), Ti- and TiAl-based alloys also have relatively low densities (~4.5 and ~3.9-4.1 g/cm3, respectively), which is critical for performance in aviation and automobile applications. However, the manufacturing cost is high, due to the expensive raw Ti material and difficulties in machining. TiAl-based alloys are particularly difficult to produce because of their limited ductility (Lütjering & Williams, 2007). To overcome those problems, powder metallurgy (PM) technologies have shown great potential as near-net shape processes for Ti- and TiAl-based alloys. The general PM process largely avoids laborious post-machining and minimises material use. In industrial production, the PM approach has been successfully utilised to manufacture aluminium- and iron-based alloys (Huo & Heath, 2008)."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. Y. Kim, Kenneth Stowe, Stephen Chryssoulis

"A series of flotation tests was carried out on Brunswick Mining ore with various pH modifiers (soda ash, lime, KOH) and added ions (ferric, nitrate, sulphate) in the copper lead rougher circuit. The main objective was to identify downstream effects on sphalerite activation and subsequent zinc rougher flotation. Some significant differences in zinc flotation were obtained. Most notably, soda ash and nitrate ions had a positive impact and ferric ions a pronounced negative effect on selectivity.Selected products from the flotation tests were deslimed at 400 mesh, washed with methanol, air dried, placed in teflon vials purged with nitrogen and stored at -15 degrees C. Numerous liberated sphalerite and pyrite particles were selected under a stereoscope and placed in rows on indium foil. The surface compositions of the particles were analyzed with an innovative laser probe (LIMS). The very small analysis area of the LIMS enables the surfaces of individual grains to be characterized. In addition, the rapid analysis time allows a statistically significant number of grains to be analyzed quickly.Surface lead appears to play a major role in zinc activation/flotation. Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the variations in metallurgical performance at the different test conditions.IntroductionAlthough the bulk composition of mineral grains is an important consideration for the mineral processor it is ultimately surface composition and topography (edges and dislocations preferred sites for reactions) that control reactivity in flotation and cyanidation (passivation, encapsulation and preg-robbing). Determination of the surface properties of particles from process streams poses a particular challenge for the surface chemist for a variety of reasons, including:"

Jan 1, 1994

By Naoki Takada, Dae-Sung Cheon, Minoru Sato, Masaji Kato, Manabu Takahashi, Weiren Lin

"The permeability and specific storage of rocks and sedimentary layers deep underground are critical parameters for issues related to the buried evaluation of natural gas and oil, CO2 aquifer storage, various kind of waste storage and so on.The Shirahama sandstone of the Wakayama prefecture, Kii peninsular in central Japan, consists mainly of quartz grains with no cracks and rock fragments that are aggregations of various kind of minerals. The quartz grains have an average size of about 150 micron. The pre-existing pore sizes were distributed dominantly at approximately 1 micron, and the total porosity was about 13%.During the hydrostatic compression test, we measured permeability of Shirahama sandstone by Transient Pulse test for three mutually perpendicular directions. Permeability of Shirahama sandstone remained fairly constant while increasing the effective confining pressure. Permeability anisotropy was observed slightly in the normal and two parallel directions to the bedding planes.We used micro focus X-ray CT with high resolution of 10 micron to visualize and measure the voids space information in Shirahama sandstone. Three-dimensional data were obtained in the intact and stressed sandstone simultaneously. Pore structures and grain boundaries were clearly distinguished. Pore closure and grain movement were clearly observed with increasing confining pressure. Micro focus X-ray CT is an effective tool to visualize and measure the geometrical information in rocks.Three-dimensional medial axis (3DMA) method was introduced to quantify the flow-relevant geometric properties of the voids structure in Shirahama sandstone using µfocus X-Ray CT data. The number of connecting path between two faces, tortuosity and the shortest path distribution within an arbitrary region of Shirahama sandstone specimen were analyzed. Geometrical information on the number of connecting path shows reasonable correlation between permeability anisotropy and mutually perpendicular directions normal and parallel to bedding planes. In addition, we introduced numerical simulation of fluid flow of pressurized Shirahama sandstone by LBM, to discuss the permeability change caused by pressurization on effective confining pressure. We obtained the detailed distributions of fluid pressure and fluid velocity in relatively narrow voids space more than 10 µm. It was confirmed that pressurization effect on permeability caused by the decrease of the connecting path and the shortest path between arbitrary faces, and then caused a complex condition on fluid pressure and fluid velocity."

Jan 1, 2015

By P. deH. Eastcott

The paper summarizes a slide presentation made during the CIM Mechanical-Electrical Operators&apos; Conference, held at Sudbury. Ontario, January 25-27, 1977. Its scope has been limited to a few specific aspects of modern Canadian hoisting plant practice that are likely to be of interest to operating personnel. It is intended to serve as a brief review of established methods discuss in more detail the present state-of-the-art and suggest trends that will appear as products during the next few years.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. H. Schloen

"One of the most important phases in Canada&apos;s relatively rapid development of its metal mining and refining industries was launched in 1928 when the directors of Noranda Mines Limited decided to establish an electrolytic copper refinery ""somewhere in Eastern Canada”. Noranda&apos;s president, J.Y. Murdoch, had already evolved the company&apos;s ""mine to market"" policy and was determined to prove the economic feasibility of refining Noranda copper in Canada. The time appeared to be ripe as buoyant business conditions continued into 1929. In addition, proven ore reserves at the Horne Mine in northwest Quebec had virtually tripled and the price of copper had reached a healthy 15 cents per pound. Letters Patent incorporating the company bearing the date February 6, 1929 had been granted by the Secretary of State in accordance with an application that specified a capital structure of $2 million divided into 20 000 shares with a value of $100 each. Noranda assumed 70% of the original investment in the proposed refinery, while the Nicholas Copper Company of New York (which later became Phelps Dodge Corporation) and British Metal Corporation Ltd. of London, England, each were responsible for 15%. Nicholas Copper Company agreed to supply the design and to supervise the construction of the refinery and British Metal Corporation would act as sales agent and market the refinery&apos;s products."

Jan 1, 1999

By A. Tohn, L. May, Adham. K.

The path from process conception to commercial implementation poses significant technical, economic, and sometimes political challenges for every project team. Solving the technical challenges typically distinguishes successful projects from those that fail. Here, the authors provide an outline for technical success based on lessons learned from years of experience in process design and R&D. Challenges faced by new technology developers, with regard to design and definition, are described. Experience-based methods to avoid missteps are shared. Special emphasis is placed on the selection of viable unit operations, definition of known and unknown parameters, experimental screening of options, and piloting for scalable design information. Use of computational models to define, assist, and interpret the pilot operations and results are described. Furthermore, the value of active collaboration amongst the design, research, and owner team is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 2011

By Katsutoshi Saibara

Network communication note is a cloud system for an earthwork project. It enables backhoe operators and dump truck drivers to monitor their own works in progress currently and performed up to the present, and to have opportunity to reflect on their own bearings in the earthwork operations, and then could increase their situational awareness to the actual work conditions. First, this paper presents problems and purpose. Secondly, the configuration of the network communication note is reported. Thirdly, examples of communications enhanced by the network communication note are shown. Finally, remarks are described.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. G. Debanne

MOST company-employed petroleum engineers have in their accounting departments punch-card computers that can perform engineering calculations thirty to three hundred times faster than desk calculators, or they can rent such machines from Computing Service centres. These machines not only eliminate the drudgery of desk calculation but also the risks of human errors. The I.B.M. t 604 punch-card computer of Texaco&apos;s accounting department in Calgary has been used for oil and gas property evaluations, curve fitting by least squares, statistical core analysis studies, unsteady-state water in-flux studies, phase equilibrium performance prediction of oil reservoirs, gravity segregation calculations, etc.

Jan 1, 1958