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By R. P. Charbonnier

"To understand the operation of jigs and other separating processes based on differences in gravity, it is desirable to analyse the motion of various particles in given media under specific conditions. A summary of the earlier theories shows that they lead to unsatisfactory or excessively complicated formulae in cases such as coal jigging. By adopting a simplified theory of the motion of particles in a fluid, the size and duration of the initial accelerated motion of a particle falling in hindered settling can be calculated. Based on this mathematical analysis, examples referring to actual coal jigging practice show that it is desirable to prolong and/or repeat, as frequently as possible, the optimum conditions corresponding to an effective acceleration of the particles. The separation is then obtained according to gravity rather than to particle dimensions, as would be the case if the velocity of the particles• were allowed to approach its terminal value. To achieve this gravity separation, it is suggested that the suction phase of the jigging cycle be artificially prolonged and the frequency of pulsations increased as much as possible for washing the coals of smaller sizes."

Jan 1, 1959

By E. Onal

Mining operators are faced with complex information delivered by technology-centric rather than user-centric systems. The ability to achieve high situation awareness (SA) in the face of this data overload is a key challenge for effective decision making and information exploitation. Incidents that result in loss of revenue and even life, and compromise safety that are attributed to human error are often the result of system designs that overload human cognitive capabilities. This paper focuses on defining SA as it relates to mining operations and presents methods for improving SA through a scientific approach for electric shovel operator user interface development.

Aug 1, 2013

By S. L. Chen

The Kumera Technology Center developed a unique type of steam dryer for drying copper concentrate in the mid 1990s. The dryer has been chosen in several copper smelter projects since 1999. To expand production capacities, the Norddeutsche Affinerie smelter, the Pirdop smelter of Cumerio, the Toyo smelter of Sumitomo Metal Mining and the Tamano smelter of Hibi Kyodo Smelting have carried out projects in which Kumera Steam Dryers were installed. The capacity of a single steam dryer varies from 70 t/h to 160 t/h. This article summarizes the latest operation results of the Kumera Steam Dryers in these smelters and introduces the progress of the ongoing projects in Yanggu Xiangguang Copper, Guixi smelter of Jiangxi Copper, Jinlong Copper, Boliden Harjavalta, and Onsan smelter of LS-Nikko Copper.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Kowalczyk

The successful application of color sorting machines has established sensor-based sorting in the mineral industry in recent years and is considered today as a significant innovation in processing technology. However, we are only at the beginning of the (market) introduction. New sensor systems have been developed, which exploit material properties such as electrical conductivity, magnetization, molecular structure, thermal conductivity etc. This opens up new exciting pre-concentration and upgrading possibilities for many applications such as nickel, gold, copper and other ores as well as for industrial minerals, diamonds and other gemstones.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jozef S. Stachula

"INCO Limited operates eleven under-ground mines in the Sudbury area. The mines are located on the rim of the Sudbury Basin, an oval with the axis in the range of 27 km and 60 km. The ore dips to at least 3000 m below surface. The ores are mined primarily for nickel and copper. Total ore production from underground is in excess of 55 000tonnes per day.Over 40 surface fans have been installed since the late 1960s. All of the fans are adjustable pitch, axial flow units. A major factor influencing ventilation design in the last 30years has been the introduction of diesel equipment underground. Volumes per fan have ranged from 60 m3/sec. to 330 m3/sec., with motors from 100 hp to 2500 hp.Fans of the axial flow type have been commonly used for main fan installations at Canadian mines for many years. The standard arrangement has been to mount these fans horizontally, i.e. with the fan shaft and the long axis of the housing horizontal. This is a natural arrangement for an underground fan, but for a surface installation, a vertically mounted fan has definite advantages.The surface area taken up by a typical vertical fan installation is generally about one quarter that of a horizontal fan of the same capacity (Rutherford, 1957). This is not a problem with isolated fans and fat surface out crop sites, but where the installation is to be near existing buildings, or where there are poor surface soil conditions, space and cost considerations greatly flavour vertical fans."

Jan 1, 1996

By Mark Hollingworth

"There is general consensus that as the world continues to change at an ever-increasing pace, companies must continually adapt their operations in order to remain competitive. Those that change fast enough, survive; those that don’t, perish quickly. Today, we hear that it is not worth the time preparing corporate business plans as they are out-of-date before the ink is dry. Within the corporate environment of the 1990s, we must “think” strategically, be a “learning organization”, keep our costs low, focus on our core competencies, stay as flexible as possible and create value. So-called “sustainable competitive advantages” can be obsolete before a patent is issued — if its even worthwhile patenting the advancement. This is industry in the 1990s.Now, while all this radical change has been underway in the global industrial environment, what have Canada’s universities been doing to keep pace with the change affecting one of their major stakeholders? Have they adapted their products and services to suit the new market conditions? Have they built closer links to industry to try to understand how better to serve this important client? Do they welcome industry input as to how to redefine their mission, objectives, strategies or their course contents? Do their students graduate with skills ideally tailored for the global mining industry? In the era of communication, can they write high quality reports in English, never mind speak French or Spanish?In an effort to provide Canada’s engineering faculties with a “blueprint” for the future, the Canadian Academy of Engineering pre-pared a report entitled “Engineering Education in Canadian Universities”, published in August1993, which concluded with the following recommendations:"

Jan 1, 1996

By A. McMullen

"IntroductionTHE LOW-VOLATILE bituminous coals of the Brazeau field, Nordegg, Alberta, are soft and weak in structure. The seams contain .bands of inferior material, locally designated 'black jack', and thin bands of friable carbonaceous shale having no definite horizon but usually 'floating' in the seam. Because of the weakness• of the coal and the friable nature of the shale bands, run-of-mine coal usually contains a very high percentage of fines, as •Shown in the following table:SIZE WEIGHT. %Plus 1/2 in 25.61/2 – 1/4 in 13.31/4 - 1/8 in 14.6Minus 1/8 in 46.5The most convenient way of cleaning the fine coal would be by treating it in association with the coarse coal, so that no additional plant would be necessary. To a limited extent this is possible in certain types of equipment, notably the jig. A system of washing without pre-sizing is not •attractive, however, when dealing with the friable coal under consideration, which contains •a preponderant proportion of fines. At the new Brazeau washery, separation is made at 3/8-inch on •a Robins 'Vibrex' •screen, the coarse sizes being cleaned in •a standard pulsator-type jig. A feldspar jig is used to clean the minus 3/8-inch fraction."

Jan 1, 1954

By Vishal Shukla, Prateek Singh, D. P. Chakraborty

"Continuous thickening by an operation called sedimentation is the separation of suspended solid particles from a liquid stream by gravity settling. The primary purpose of thickening is to increase the solids concentration of the feed stream. High rate thickeners are designed specifically to maximise the flocculation efficiency. A detailed investigation has been carried out to understand the influence of ore type and operating parameters such as bed level, bed mass, rake arm torque and flocculent concentration on thickening operation. Tata steel’s Noamundi plant data shows that variation in ore type, and operating parameters are major contributors to fluctuation in thickener performance. A lot of research has been done earlier on thickening operation but effect of ore type and operating variables by using plant data was never touched before.In this context, the performance of thickener was evaluated by daily data to study the influence of ore type and operating variables on thickener operation. Investigation shows that friable ore % in feed mix is proportional to slime density because friable ore is porous & brittle in nature. As a result, friable ore generates more fines/ultrafine during communition process in wash plant. Increase in flocculant concentration and bed mass is showing a positive change on high rate thickener performance Investigation shows that optimum bed mass and flocculant concentration is required to achieve desired pulp density in thickener underflow at different feed pulp density (g/cc).INTRODUCTIONOver the years, Iron Ore Beneficiation at Tata Steel, Noamundi has seen varied changes. Depletion of high grade iron and with increasing iron ore throughputs coupled with lowering of the hard ore a subsequent increase in slime generation, slime management and clear water requirement for wet Plant has thrown up myriad challenges. To overcome these challenges, many improvements initiatives were taken by Tata Steel in last decade. One of the major changes is the recent High Rate Thickener commissioning at Tata Steel Noamundi to cater the high iron ore throughput requirement. Slime reporting to Thickener has increased from 1.4 MTPA 2.5 MTPA over the last few decades. The above changes further aggravate the poor settling and dewatering characteristics of the slurry which is being feed to HRT. Considering the above mentioned constraints and stringent environmental implication proper water management has become a major challenge to reckon with. The thickener is used to increase the concentration of the suspension by sedimentation, accompanied by the formation of a clear liquid. In most cases the concentration of the suspension is high and hindered settling takes place."

Jan 1, 2016

By O. Lundhede

Today, systems and machinery usually are designed to meet only one specific customer?s requirements. One reason for this is that underground automation and smart functions are often developed tightly together with a customer. This is natural, since risk and cost can be shared between the customer and the supplier. Nevertheless, when the automation product develops and the market increase this will cause problems: The highly specialized products will not fulfill the next customer?s demands. In order to cope with this problem, Atlas Copco works towards a common platform. Instead of designing solutions for specific customers, we will lift the abstraction and focus on standardized modules. These modules, or function blocks, can then be combined in a large variety of configurations. The benefits of combining modules into products are, for example: increased flexibility when options are available for many machines; easier commissioning and maintenance since less different spare parts and tools are needed; and easier operation since the user interfaces have a similar look and feel. This paper will present the ongoing work towards standardized modules. We will discuss how our Rig Control System (RCS) allows for modular design at Atlas Copco. RCS has number of standardized modules that are used in different surface and underground mining and tunneling equipment. These modules are also used for optional products such as, drilling, radio-remote control, and telematics systems.

Aug 1, 2013

By L. Hacini

The start-up is the most critical phase of the cell life, as an uncontrolled start-up could lead to early infiltrations, instabilities, and in some cases to the cell death. Lots of efforts are put to increase the lifespan of cells, as it has a major impact on both the operating costs and the environmental footprint of the aluminum industry. Obviously, a true size test on a cell is a resources- and time-consuming approach that could be used only to validate mature concepts. Moreover, numerical modelling is a low-cost and versatile tool capable to test a wide range of potential ideas and concepts. In the present article, a thermal electrical mechanical slice model is presented. This model describes the preheating and bath periods of a P155 aluminum cell start-up, as used at the Grande Baie smelter. The impact of sodium diffusion and expansion is also included in the model. This model will be useful to study different problematical issues such as the global behaviour of lining materials, shell and cradle deformations during start-up and several start-up scenarios. Such a model will also be able to answer some interrogations regarding early infiltrations and their impact on the lifespan of the electrolysis cell.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. Leonard

As of November 2012, the Alberta government listed 53 oil and gas, oil sands, and mining construction projects either proposed or currently under construction. These industrial plant construction projects have an estimated value greater than 105 million dollars. A common construction method employed for industrial plant projects is fast-track construction, which is used to reduce construction time. Contractors begin fast-track construction with highly generic scheduling information. This high level schedule turns into a lower level schedule as more detailed information becomes available. From a contractor?s perspective, a challenge faced using fast-track construction is the visualization of generic and constantly changing project schedules. This paper discusses the use of a Plant Information Modeling (PIM) system, designed to create a 4D animation to visualize project schedules for fast-track industrial plant construction projects. The proposed PIM system creates a modified project schedule by obtaining specific information from a generic construction schedule. Obtaining the information involves grouping schedule activities in accordance with the level of detail in a 3D model, and the level of detail in a project schedule. The modified project schedule is then used in conjunction with a 3D model to simulate the construction sequence in the form of a 4D animation. This allows for 4D visualization of project activities, installation dates, and crane movements. Furthermore, as engineering reaches completion, the PIM system creates a streamlined channel for schedule information updates to be easily uploaded into the model for a more accurate 4D visualization. Through analyzing a nonmodular construction case study, this paper discusses the successes and benefits of the PIM system for 4D visualization, such as increased productivity, shortened construction time, increased constructability, and decreased field costs.

Aug 1, 2013

By C. R. Hocott

"IntroductionRESEARCH in petroleum production consists primarily in investigations related to the drilling for and recovery of oil. As an organized activity of individual oil companies, production research is now 30 to 35 years old, and the petroleum industry may point with justifiable pride to the achievements of this third of a •century. Emphasis on research has grown through the years until at the present time many of the larger companies operating in the United States •have well-organized production research staffs.In addition to the efforts of the oil companies, significant research and development in petroleum production technology have been performed by oilfield service companies and others. Valuable contributions have been made through fundamental research carried on by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and by various colleges and universities, both in their own programmes and in programmes sponsored by industry, such as those of the American Petroleum Institute. However, the total effort of these groups is small when compared to the sum of the effort devoted to research by the individual .oil companies. In contrast to some industries which conduct the major portion of their research through co-operative, sponsored research at universities or research institutions, research by the petroleum industry is done predominantly by individual company research staffs. These industrial research groups have usually been organized in such a way as to provide liaison and co-ordination with operating technical staffs. In this way, the research groups are kept aware of the major problems confronting the operating departments and, correspondingly, the operating technical people •are able to keep informed on research activity and progress. This type of close contact generally results in prompt testing of research developments in actual operations."

Jan 1, 1953

By L. H. Smith, D. S. Taylor

"AbstractSherritt has been applying hydraulic drives to concentrator equipment since 1967. The initial application was made on a bank of 5- by 5-in. slurry pumps. This has now been extended to all slurry pumps requiring less than 40 hp and several conveyors which require variable-speed or low-speed/high-torque characteristics. The pump motors are directly connected through a flexible coupling, whereas the conveyor systems are directly mounted onto the head-pulley shaft extension.The different applications and design concepts will be described, with outlines of the operating and maintenance advantages and disadvantages and costs. The paper also outlines future possible applications, together with the limiting conditions, of such systems.IntroductionSHERRITT GORDON MINES LIMITED has been operating a mining division in Northern Manitoba for almost 50 years. The original mining operation was at Sherridon, Manitoba and was a copper-zinc producer. This mine was exhausted in 1948 and the mining plant was moved north to its present location at Lynn Lake, Manitoba. The Lynn Lake Mine is a nickel-copper producer. Since 1960, two new mines have been discovered and brought into production in the general vicinity of Lynn Lake. The first of these was the Fox Mine, a copper-zinc property operating at 3,000 tons per day from an underground operation. This mine started production in May 1970."

Jan 1, 1977

By S. E. Wolfe

The presence of helical ribs in smooth-bore round pipe results in the transport of granular solid particles m water at a much lower velocity than required to transport the same solids in a smooth pipe. The helical motion imparted to the flowing mixture effectively returns settled solid particles to the main stream. The flow may be stopped and restarted without difficulty. Due to the lower velocity required for satisfactory transport large power savings are realized. Also: due to lower velocity, the wear on the pipe walls is much reduced. For satisfactory performance, the ribs should have a high angle relative to the long axis of the pipe and the lineal spacing between adjacent ribs should be modest.

Jan 1, 1967

By C. A. Y. Shephard, H. L. Brusset

Pressure maintenance by water flooding in the Pembina Field made consideration of wet crude dehydration and disposal of the produced water mandatory. Crude dehydration, the treatment and disposal of produced water, as well as the sale of gas and crude oil were expected to be handled more efficiently at one central point than at several conventional batteries. This plan was effected by routing the produced fluids to the central station by way of several well testing batteries referred to as satellites. To realize the full efficiency inherent in such consolidation the entire system was made self-regulating. Programming ensures the testing and proper routing of all products to their destination. Forty producing wells have been self-operated during the winter 1959 -1960 with gratifying results.

Jan 1, 1960

By D. Sanguinetti, A. Consigny, M. Nodwell

"Alkali precipitation of dissolved metals is an inexpensive but non-selective means of treating mine wastewater. Alternatively, sulphide precipitation can treat to below parts-per-million concentrations while selectively recovering valuable metals. While technically feasible, sulphide treatment of dilute waste streams increases the size and cost of the plant relative to the metals loading. Ion exchange has been applied at two separate sites to pre-concentrate nickel containing wastewater prior to recovery in smaller and more cost effective sulphide precipitation circuits. The result is a dual-circuit system that can maintain high selectivity and reduce overall facility cost while meeting strict effluent regulations.INTRODUCTIONAlkali precipitation using lime is the most common method of treating mining effluents for dissolved metals removal. This method is generally sufficient for waste streams containing mixed metals of little value, and for meeting modest metal concentration limits in the final effluent. Due to the non-selective nature of the lime process, the produced metal hydroxide sludge is of little value. All metals are removed together in a sludge product which cannot be re-processed for further value recovery.By contrast, sulphide precipitation can be used to selectively remove and recover valuable base metals (such as copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt), since the sulphide will preferentially target these metals without reacting with less valuable metals (such as iron and aluminum). The low solubility of the metal sulphide solids also supports the removal of base metals to lower concentrations than can be achieved with alkali precipitation in addition to other benefits discussed more fully in a prior paper (Bratty, Lawrence, Kratochvil & Marchant, 2006). The corollary to this solubility feature is that sulphide precipitation can function on influent streams containing low (< 10 mg/L) metals concentrations to meet very low parts-perbillion final effluent concentrations. Reagent overdosing is also minimized when compared to alkali precipitation."

Jan 1, 2012

By H. J. Handewith

"After having performed qualitative and quantitative tests on nearly 550 rock specimens from tunnel projects throughout the world and comparing the results with actual boring in eight distinctly different rock types which varied in compressive strength from 12,000 to over 34,000 psi, it has been concluded that any rock -andesite, granite and even taconite -can be machine-bored. The question is -can it be bored economically? The intent of this paper is to delineate the investigative needs to accurately and reliably answer this question. A piece of NX core in the hand represents less than 50 per cent of the worthwhile geologic information that could have been obtained from a given core hole. A thorough site investigation by competent personnel can gene-rally foretell to what extent, if any, varying geologic conditions will hinder machine progress.A laboratory testing technique has been developed that has been correlated well (80 to 120 per cent) with actual boring results. This technique will be discussed in detail. Rock cutter life is a function of the penetration rate and the forces required to sustain that rate. Cutters are now, and will be for .some time to come, the single, most expensive consumable item involved in continuous tunneling in hard rock. It is by strict attention to predicting these rates and forces that tunneling costs can be optimized."

Jan 1, 1970

By J. Bakos

Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation (SHEC Labs) recently constructed a pilot-plant to demonstrate a Dry Fuel Hydrogen Generation System that is powered primarily by sunlight focusing-mirrors. The pilot-plant consists of: A Solar Mirror Array and Advanced Solar Concentrator and Shutter System; and two thermo-catalytic reactors to convert Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Water into Hydrogen. Results from the pilot study show that Solar Hydrogen generation is feasible and cost-competitive with traditional Hydrogen production. More than 95% of Hydrogen commercially produced today is by the Steam Methane Reformation (SMR) of natural gas, a process that liberates Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere. The SMR process provides a net energy loss of 30 to 35% when converting from Methane to Hydrogen. Solar Hydrogen production provides a 14% net energy gain when converting Methane into Hydrogen since the energy used to drive the process is from the sun. The environmental benefits of generating Hydrogen using renewable energy include significant greenhouse gas and criteria air contaminant reductions.

Jan 1, 2005

By D. D. Downing

This paper is a review of material selection considerations concerning protective coatings in the mining industry. The discussion will cover both capital-dollar projects and maintenance requirements. Emphasis will be on industrial finishes for structural steel and process equipment subjected to aggressive atmospheres. The presentation will cover the total needs of a job, emphasizing not only the owner&apos;s requirement for a cost-effective system during plant operations, but also taking into consideration the short-term requirements of general contractors, steel fabricators, erection firms and paint contractors.

Jan 1, 1979

By F. McGravie, S. T. Solinski, W. W. Robertson

During this, the Centennial year of the discovery of the Hall-Heroult process, it seems appropriate to review some of the developments which have taken place in Canada and to explain why it has become an important world centre for the production of primary aluminum. For many years after it was recognized that the element aluminum existed, scientists were frustrated in their efforts to isolate it. In the early 1800s H. C. Oersted and Frederick Woehler prepared small quantities sufficient to measure some of the physical properties. A quasi-commercial process involving reduction with metallic sodium was developed by the French scientist H. St. Claire Deville in 1855 but the cost was very high ($30. 00 per kg). It was not until 1886 that Charles Martin Hall in the United States and P.L.T. Heroult in France, more or less simultaneously but completely independently, discovered the process which is essentially that in use today. Some of the early pioneers in the industry quickly recognized the potential of the hydro-electric resources in Canada as economic energy suppliers for aluminum production. The first commercial production in Canada was in Shawinigan, Quebec in 1901, only 15 years after the process was discovered. Subsequently operating plants were established at nine different locations in Canada (Quebec and British Columbia) (Table 1). Operations continue today in all locations except one (La Tuque). The table shows present plant capacity which for the older plants was reached in an evolutionary manner including replacement of obsolete capacity or upgrading and modernization of existing designs.

Jan 1, 1999