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By Jiahao Xu, Namsoo P. Kim, Guikuan Yue

Iron (ferrous ions and ferric ions) plays an important role in the heap leaching of copper sulfide minerals and copper electrowinning. In our previous study, a novel oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) equation only based on the variables of temperature and nominal ferric/ferrous ratio was developed to predict the redox potential of the quaternary H2SO4-Fe2(SO4)3-FeSO4-H2O system, and its applicability was also extended to more complex acidic iron sulfate solutions, especially those generated during the acidic leaching and bioleaching of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) to recover copper. In this work, the broader range of applicability of this equation to other complicated acidic iron solutions containing copper ions has been extended and determined. Specifically, synthetic iron-containing solutions with copper ions according to the conditions of industrial electrolyte during copper electrowinning and heap leaching have been used to measure the ORP and test the developed equation. It seems that this equation can still be employed to predict the redox potential of the Fe3+/Fe2+ couple for the simulated solutions under conditions related to copper electrowinning and pregnant leaching solution generated during heap leaching over a wide range of solution concentration, nominal Fe3+/Fe2+ ratio and temperature. It has shown that the prediction and measurement of redox potential is highly useful to estimate and understand the iron chemistry of industrial leaching and electrowinning processes. INTRODUCTION It is well-known that iron (ferric or ferrous) ions are widely involved in the hydrometallurgical production of non-ferrous metals such as Cu, Au and Zn, mainly in the form of acidic iron sulfate solutions. As far as Cu is concerned, in a typical leaching-solvent extraction-electrowinning process, ferric ion plays a central role in the heap leaching process and is reduced to ferrous ions in the pregnant leaching solution. Ferric ion is the most important surrogate oxidant and the dissolved ferric/ferrous couple plays an important catalytic role in accelerating the leaching rate with oxygen as an oxidant (Peters et al., 1986; Schlesinger, King, Sole, & Davenport, 2011). In addition, during the traditional electro-winning process, oxygen is evolved at the anode, and copper is reduced at the cathode. A common idea is that iron in the electrolyte in copper electrowinning cell (with total iron of 1–4.4 g/L) plays an important role in reducing the current efficiency. According to the published results (Winand et al., 1975; Dew et al., 1985; Moats et al., 2009; Khouraibchia et al., 2010), thecurrent efficiency decreases linearly with increasing ferric ion concentration and the energy consumption increase was mainly caused by the decrease in current efficiency.

Jan 1, 2019

By Roger Lacroix

Presentation outline Project definition Characterization of mine ventilation systems Strategies in place and results Detailed study (2 mines) Other potential energy savings Conclusions Next steps

Feb 1, 2008

By Christopher R. Lattanzi

"Discounted cash flow analysis provides a means of relating the magnitude of expected future cash profits to the magnitude of the initial cash investment required to purchase an asset or to develop it for commercial production. The objectives of discounted cash flow analysis are to determine:.. The net present value of a stream of expected future cash revenues and expenditures... The rate of return which the expected future cash flows will yield on a given level of initial cash investment.In the case of mineral properties, discounted cash flow analysis is generally accepted as the preferred method of valuation, whenever sufficient data are available to permit its reasoned application. Sufficient data are required to support estimation of all of the individual elements of cash revenue and cash expenditure which will be associated with the development and operation of the property, up to the end of its estimated life. It is the accuracy of these input estimates which determines the validity of the resulting determinations of profitability and rate of return on invested capital.In undertaking any discounted cash flow analysis, it is important to recognize certain fundamental attributes of the mining industty:.. The basis of any mineral development is the existence of an ore reserve... Costs are determined by the number of tonnes mined and processed, while revenues are determined by the number of pounds or ounces of metal produced. The two are related by the recovered grade of the ore... Profit is typically more sensitive to changes in revenue than it is to changes in cost... Commodity price is a principal determinant of revenue, but it is also the factor with which is associated the greatest level of financial risk.In the end, of all of the factors which must be considered in the discounted cash flow valuation of a mineral property, the most significant are the reliability of the reserve estimate, particularly with respect to recovered grade, the price at which the product is to be sold, and the risk of not maintaining the projected level of price."

Jan 1, 2003

By D. A. MacLeod

DURING the past fourteen months, dust surveys have been made at thirty-six mines in the Province. These surveys are made to determine the concentration of dust in the mine atmosphere, the flow of air through the mine, the methods adopted to prevent the generation of dust, and the measures taken for its elimination. When high concentrations of dust are encountered, suggestions are given for its prevention ?and elimination wherever possible. Dust sampling is absolutely necessary to determine the effectiveness of any measure taken in the prevention and elimination of dust in the mine workings. Consequently, more time has been spent on this phase of the work than on any other. The apparatus used is the Devers circular konimeter and Zeiss microscope. At various mines, the Zeiss konimeter is used, and the dust counts taken by the two instruments have given results that are closely comparable; so much so that either instrument can be used with confidence and the results obtained will compare in accuracy with those obtained by the methods used in Ontario and South Africa. Before the Workmen's Compensation Act Amendment Act was passed in November, 1936, most of the mine operators were already keenly interested in the prevention of silicosis. This interest has been intensified at all the mines, and measures have been adopted to decrease the amount of dust in the mine atmosphere. Several operators have spent a large amount of time and money in bettering these conditions, and have met with decided success. Practically all others are adopting the known methods of prevention, suppression, and elimination of dust, that apply to their ?particular mines. To prevent the production of dust in underground workings should be the first, as it is the most important, aim, especially during the time the men are underground. An atmosphere free of dust cannot be obtained, but measures can be adopted to lower the concentration that is found? in the average mine.

Jan 1, 1939

By E. A. Collins

I TAKE it that the papers presented tonight on the subject of Reconstruction, as regards both gold and base-metals, are intended primarily to stimulate discussion of this important subject and, in regard to base-metals in particular, cannot in any manner be considered as a policy or plan to be followed as a panacea for all the ills which are bound to beset the industry when peace is declared. A famous cook-book written by a Mrs. Beeton contained a recipe for jugged hare which began with the instruction, "First catch your hare". To date, we have not caught the hare of victory and it may seem to many that any thought, energy, or effort devoted to the problem of reconstruction which will in any way impede the acceleration of the chase after victory will leave us open to the charge of being derelict in our duty as citizens. Much of our present trouble is due, however, to our lack of preparation for war in time of peace, and it follows that it is of equal importance in our national economy to prepare for peace in time of war. Most of us here tonight have vivid and sad memories of the chaos in the metal mining industry following the Great War of 1914-1918. In our own industry, mining, smelting and refining of nickel and copper, it was not a problem of absorbing the men who returned. There were only some three hundred who came back to the Mining and Smelting Division, and these men were all given their former jobs without any apparent difficulty. They were rehabilitated gradually due to the fact: that some of these men did not return for a year after the Armistice was signed. The numbers of men involved in the present conflict are much greater. We have to date in the armed forces upwards of 3,000 men enlisted from our employ.

Jan 1, 1943

By Michael L. Wayman

Native copper is copper which exists in nature in elemental, metallic form, rather than being chemically combined as is the case with the more usual oxides, sulphides, carbonates, etc. Several other metals, including gold, silver and platinum also occur in native form as do, rarely, iron, lead and mercury; a few naturally occurring native metal alloys, notably electrum (gold-silver) and tumbaga {gold-copper or gold-silver-copper) are also known. An analysis of the relative availabilities of native metals as nuggets in a useful size range111 shows native copper to be by far the most abundant of the native metals, exceeding both gold and silver by at least two orders of magnitude. While such an estimate is crude, it serves to illustrate why copper was one of the first metals to have been used by ancient peoples. Native copper is known to occur on all inhabited continents, although its exact occurrence and abundance in ancient times cannot be unambiguously determined because many surface deposits may have been totally exploited and are therefore no longer identifiable. It is clear, however, that native copper does or did occur in all areas inhabited by the early metal-using cultures, for example in the Andes, in Central America and in the Near East. It is remarkable that most of the world's native copper occurs in the deposits of the Lake Superior region, primarily on the Keweenaw Peninsula of northern Michigan and on Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior some 50 miles north of the Keweenaw deposits. Canadian deposits of native copper are found in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (on Victoria Island, Bathurst Inlet and the Coppermine River area). It was to locate the latter deposits that the explorer Samuel Hearne was sent overland from Hudson's Bay in 1770; they were also surveyed by Sir John Franklin's expeditions in the 1820s.

Jan 1, 1999

By Victor Dolmage

"The localization of orebodies by geological structures is well demonstrated at the Copper Mountain mine of southwestern British Columbia. These extensive deposits; owned and workd by the Granby Consolidated Mining; Smelting and Power Company; are at Princeton; abo!lt 150 miles east of Vancouver and 40 miles north of the International boundary. The geology of the deposits and the surrounding district is described by the present writer in Memoir 171 of the Geological Survey of Canada; pub1ished in 1934.The main geological feature is a gabbro stock, elliptical in plan, with a major axis about 5 miles in length extending in a northwest-southeast direction. The stock varies in composition from syeno-gabbro (gabbro plus orthoclase) through diorite and syenite to a core of syenite pegmatite. All the members contain orthoclase, which ·increases greatly in amount toward the centre, but all are devoid of quartz. The stock has been injected into a steeply folded series of volcanic flows, breccias, and tuffs that strike more or less parallel with the major axis of the stock. On its northeast side the stock is flanked by a band of fairly coarse volcanic breccia of andesitic composition and ·having fragments up to several inches in length. Where this breccia is tangential to the stock it is both dynamically and chemically metamorphosed to a marked degree, and within the zone of this metamorphism are enclosed the copper deposit~. The ore consists of bornite, chalcopyrite, and a little magnetite occurring as disseminated grains and small veinlets in the metamorphosed breccias. The only gangue minerals are orthoclase, albite, oligoclase, and biotite. The two most common vein minerals, quartz and pyrite, are conspicuously rare or absent. The dynamic metamorphism has produced two well-defined structures, namely, a strong schistosity parallel with the curved vertical contact of the stock and a very striking set of small, straight, nearly parallel open fractures that stand nearly vertical and at right angles to both the schistosity and the stock contact. These are called the ore fractures."

Jan 1, 1954

By I. G. L. Sinclair

"ABSTRACTTill geochemistry was the principal exploration tool employed by Selco in the investigation of a zinc prospect in Lanark Township, Ontario. The geochemical studies were undertaken after the discovery at surface of marble boulders containing bands of sphalerite and lesser amounts of galena.The source of these mineralized boulders was sought by means of B-horizon soil geochemistry, followed, where appropriate, by back-hoe trenching and till sampling. The thickness of the tiff in this part of Ontario seldom exceeds 3 m or 4 m and it was generally possible to sample complete profiles of the till and thus to obtain detailed information concerning the dispersion of zinc. Drilling and trenching at the up-ice extremity of the zinc dispersion trains showed the source of the float to be sub-economic bands of sphalerite in the Grenville marble. IntroductionTill geochemistry was used extensively by Selco during the period 1975 through 1980. It was the principal exploration technique employed in a program seeking carbonate-hosted lead-zinc deposits of the Balmat-Edwards type in the Grenville rocks of southeastern Ontario. This paper describes the use of the method to locate the bedrock source of a group of sphalerite boulders found at the surface near the village of Hopetown in Lanark Township (Fig. I) . Geochemical investigations at this locality were the subject of a previous publication by the author (Sinclair, 1979).All of the analytical work related to this project was done by Bondar-Clegg & Co. Ltd. in their Ottawa laboratory. In all cases the -80 mesh fraction of the till was analyzed. The total zinc content was determined by atomic ab sorption spectrometry after hot aqua regia digestion; readily extractable zinc was determined by atomic absorption after samples had been cold-leached for 18 hours in an ammonium citrate hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution, the pH of which was adjusted to 8.5"

Jan 1, 1986

By Per-Lennart Nystedt

"The Boliden Lead Kaldo Plant for the treatment of lead bearing flue-dust from the Copper Smelter and the Slag Fuming Plant has been in operation at the Ronnskar Works of Boliden Metall since the middle of 1976. At the present stage, the plant can treat lead-bearing dust of different kinds and compositions. The process allows good separation of arsenic and halogens from lead.The flue dust from the Copper Smelter and the Slag Fuming Plant is very complex and, apart from lead, also contains zinc, copper, tin, bismuth, cadmium, antimony, arsenic, sulphur, silver, chlorine and fluorine. The metallurgical process has been developed by Boliden Metall and has been tested on a pilot scale at the Foundation for Metallurgical Research (MEFOS) in Lulea, Sweden.The pelletized dust is smelted in the converter, where the heat is generated by an oil oxygen burner. The second step consists of reduction with coke. A lead bullion and slag are obtained. The slag, transported in liquid form, is treated in the Slag Fuming Plant for the recovery of zinc. The third step is the elimination of arsenic from the bullion. This is achieved by treating the lead with iron (turnings or pellets). The result is a crude lead and speiss. The lead contains silver, tin, antimony and bismuth, and is suitable for the final refining stages in normal plant equipment for refined lead.For process control, we use the rapid analysis centre, which is pneumatically and electronically linked to 'all major plant sections and allows for a quick turn-around between delivery of the sample and feedback of results. All three steps in the process are performed in the same converter.Since the starting up of the plant, the original process has been subjected to some modifications. Initial problems related to equipment, maintenance and environment have been solved step by step. Examples are quoted. Recent operating particulars are presented."

Jan 1, 1980

By Ian Rozier

"Emphasis in recent years in western Canada has been placed on the development of large open-pit coal mines, the most notable developments being in northeast British Columbia. However, vast resources exist below the limit of economic open-pit mining, and with world demand predictions of the late seventies in mind, the potential of underground coal mining in western Canada has been investigated. Particular emphasis has been placed on the Plains coalfield of Alberta, and there is optimism that underground coal mines will be developed in the Lethbridge area of southern Alberta.With no existing operations in southern Alberta with which to compare mining conditions, any mine planning and feasibility level studies rely heavily on the engineering/geotechnical data obtained from surface investigation to predict ground control problems and technical constraints on mining. Such investigations have been integrated with exploration drilling programs. Emphasis has been placed on extracting maximum information to provide an over-all appreciation of potential ground conditions and to identify specific ground control problems that could be encountered.The acquired geotechnical parameters are then used to evaluate the mine properties from an engineering standpoint for input into the determination of optimum mine layouts, development directions, mining methods and roadway and face support requirements. These geotechnical studies have been primarily directed toward the longwall mining method, but the acquired data base could equally be applied to alternative mining methods.In addition to the lithologic and structural controls which relate to roof stability, caving characteristics, floor heave and subsidence, investigations have been directed at gaining an understanding of the over-all surface and ground water regime with respect to potential inflow into the mine openings and ground control problems that could be caused by inflows encountered during mining. Experience has shown that soft floor conditions and water control are important factors to be considered in a longwall layout, and without doubt these parameters will play a major role in the design and operation of a successful longwall operation in the Lethbridge coalfield."

Jan 1, 1986

By Norman Lecuyer, Jacque Nantel

"The Chadbourne Project, located within the limits of the town of Noranda, Quebec, will make use of backfill materials to fill the voids left by the mining of stopes and pillars. A series of tests were conducted on different mixtures of slag and pyrrhotite tailings materials to evaluate their properties. The tests are described and some pertinent results are given in the paper.IntroductionThe Chadbourne Project is located in the centre of the Town of Noranda, Quebec, with houses as close as 120 m from the blasting operations. The ore is mined using the vertical crater retreat method. The voids left by mining activities will be filled. A program of pillar recovery will follow.Considering the proximity of houses and the need to recover pillars, the backfill program must be carefully laid out. No subsidence can be tolerated on surface.With these objectives in mind, a test program was undertaken by Nantar Engineering Limited and Queen's University to evaluate the possible ba ckfilling alternatives available to Chadbourne. One of the possibilities retained was the use of a backfill composed of broken slag material from the Horne Smelter and pyrrhotite tailings deposited on the Horne's pond a number of years previously.The back fill used at the Horne Mine until the mine closed in 1975 was composed of a mixture of 97% granulated slag and 3% pyrrhotite tailings. The tests leading to its use underground at the Horne Mine were described by Patton in 1952. The structural properties of the Horne backfill were ""intuitively"" known; it was agreed by all at the Horne Mine that the backfill was behaving remarkably well. Some were labeling it ""the best backfilling material in the world"". Its strength was said to be that of a weak concrete. All of the preceding indicate that the Horne backfill had never had its structural and other properties determined in the laboratory."

Jan 1, 1983

By Malcolm Scobie

"This paper reviews the evolution of Canadian surface and underground mining automation, principally relating to: advances in communications, initial development of machine teleoperation from line-of-sight remote control, and islands of automation. The eventual role of teleroboties and minewide robotic mining remains to be resolved. The progress and approaches adopted have tended to vary within each sector of the mining industry. Recent information technology advances have made possible the Digital Mine; in which information associated with all mining processes, however dispersed, would be integrated with support systems using new communications technology. The Digital Mine will provide the information infrastructure to serve as the foundation for minewide automation. This paper concludes by reviewing the issues likely to govern implementation success, relating to: mining process design, machine design, machine intelligence, and mine planning and control.IntroductionSignificant advances have recently been made in underground hardrock mine communications and teleoperation. Subsequent R&D efforts are mainly focussing on control systems for various types of machines. In underground potash mining, the realization of automated continuous mining systems appears to be imminent. Recent advances in surface mine dispatching, machine monitoring and global positioning systems (GPS) have tended to reactivate some of the initial R&D enthusiasm developed in the '70s for surface mine automation. Mines at large are approaching a major milestone: the implementation of comprehensive communications infrastructure which proves to be sufficiently reliable and economical to support the automation of routine mine production, either using teleoperated or autonomous machines. This then should motivate a deeper commitment to real time monitoring and management. The communications advances make possible the Digital Mine; in which information associated with all mining processes, however dispersed, would be integrated with support systems using information engineering. The Digital Mine will provide the information infrastructure to serve as the likely foundation for a wide range of automation scenarios. This paper surveys the status and directions of automation development in both surface and underground Canadian mines, pointing to what are seen to represent key technology development issues."

Jan 1, 1995

By G. W. Diehl, G. A. Griffiths

"Gentlemen, one week ago, I attended the University of Minnesota's Annual Symposium on Mining, in Duluth. A good part of this symposium was dedicated to mill linings of rubber.At this symposium, three mining companies published results from long time full scale tests with rubber linings in mills at four different mines. These were the Republic and Empire Mines of Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, the Groveland Mine of Hanna Mining Company and the Eagle Mountain Mine of Kaiser Steel Corporation. These papers will be printed in due time and I will not endeavour to relate their full contents, let me only say that in three of the plants, the linings were found to be very economical compared wi.th steel, and that these three are converting over completely to rubber linings, while the fourth, Empire Mine, reported no economical results as far as the shell lining goes, whereas the grates showed promise of becoming economical. The authors of the Cleveland Cliff's paper, however, stated that design improvements in the rubber lining possibly could result in an economical lining also for Empire Mine.That rubber linings in mills, in most cases, show better wear life than steel linings, is known by most of the audience. But, one thing that has not before been disclosed by the endusers is the effect of rubber linings on the grinding economy. All three papers mentioned above reported no change in capacity or grind and two of them reported a decrease in power consumption per ton ground. Hanna Mining reported an average decrease over a three year period for one mill of over 10%. This, of course, puts the economy of a rubber lining in a completely new light. Finally, a point of interest at this meeting was that all three papers emphasized the design aspect, Thus the industry has acknowledged what I believe to be a very important fact - the design of a lining is often more important than the material it is made of."

Jan 1, 1970

By Darrell McClarty, Roger Payne, Matt Haggis, Michael Courtin, Deborah Berthelot

"Over forty years of uranium mining in the Elliot Lake region of Ontario (I 956-1996) has resulted in the production of over 300 million pounds of uranium. With the completion of mining activity, Rio Algom Limited and Denison Mines Limited are utilizing progressive environmental technologies and management systems to reduce and manage the environmental risks associated with the 150 million tonnes of potentially acid-generating tailings in nine regional waste management areas. Water covers designed to reduce oxygen entry and thereby significantly inhibit acid generation have been applied at six of the sites with the Quirke site serving as a demonstration site for the Mine Environmental Neutral Drainage program. All five of Rio Algom Limited' s effluent treatment plants are monitored and controlled from a central control station utilizing a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system based on ""Fix Dmacs"" technology. Scheduling, auditing and reporting of plant operating and environmental monitoring programs for the entire watershed are controlled utilizing the Regional Environmental Information Management System (REIMS). Proper application of these technologies and management systems facilitates delivery of cost-effective environmental monitoring, care and maintenance programs at these sites and provides tools to demonstrate compliance with all environmental performance criteria.IntroductionCost-effective management of multiple tailings management areas distributed throughout a 35 km watershed requires the application of leading-edge environmental technologies. Long-term monitoring, care and maintenance costs must first be minimized through the application of decommissioning technologies that inhibit acid generation and minimize the release of contaminants from the sites. On-going operating costs must then be controlled through the application of environmental management strategies that optimize the allocation of resources while ensuring compliance with regulatory and Company environmental requirements.Using sites in the Serpent River Watershed as an example, this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of water covers as a decommissioning strategy to inhibit acid generation. In addition, the Telemetered Environmental Operating Control System and Regional Environmental Information Management System are reviewed as examples of the application of environmental technologies to the management of environmental programs."

Jan 1, 1998

By H. H. Gardner

Introduction The Greenhill mine of West Canadian Collieries, Limited, is on the Alberta side of the Crowsnest pass, twelve miles from the Alberta British Columbia boundary-line. Here, five coal seams of Lower Cretaceous age are found in the Kootenay formation. They outcrop on the north and south slopes of the valley, with strike approximately N.30°W., paralleling the main range of the Rocky mountains, and dip about 40 deg. westward. Of the five seams, only two, designated No. 1 and No. 2, have been worked to date. On the West Canadian Collieries property, No. 1 seam ranges in thickness from thirty feet to nil. Generally, it has a hard, strong conglomerate roof. No. 2 seam is separated from No. 1 by forty-five feet of shales and sandstones. It has a thickness of eight to thirty feet.

Jan 1, 1947

By K. Konigsman

"Representatives of various industries and the Canadian coast Guard formed a Bulk Cargoes Committee three years ago. In 1976 and 1978, I have attended the meeting which take place once per year here in Ottawa as representative of the Canadian Mineral Processors, Dave Hendricks from Granisle accepted the charge in 1977. Our Secretary, Bob Bruce, has suggested repeatedly that I report to the Membership on the deliberations to this group. Twice I found good excuses; this year I did not. I was reluctant to address you since the Committee's deliberation proceeded at a pace which might be identified as Government squared. The Committee advises a Government agency which in turn negotiates with foreign Government agencies.At the outset, I will describe the developments which led to the formation of the Committee and its purpose.The Canadian Mining Industry ships annually millions of tons of products to overseas customers; be it iron ore, coal, fertilizer, or base metal concentrates. Most loadings are in vessels of foreign registry and all will be directly affected by Canadian or International regulations of the transport of such bulk commodities. The major shipping nations are members of an Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO). This organization elaborates regulations which govern shipment of all cargo, bulk materials and concentrates included. At IMCO'S deliberations, Canada has one vote, one voice on the Consultative Committee and is represented by our Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has over the years been in contact with industries when discussions concerned shipment of bulk cargoes. In the early sixties, a ""Concentrate Committee"" did exist. It consisted of metallurgists from a number of mining companies and Government representatives. This committee was instrumental in the development of what became known as the ""Concentrate Code"", legislation which has evolved into the Canadian Bulk Cargoes Code as it is known today. The concepts of the flow moisture point and transportable moisture limit originated from its work. Incidentally, both criteria are widely accepted and utilized world-wide. The Concentrate Committee faded away once the Concentrate Code has been adopted."

Jan 1, 1979

By A. J. Basu

Air quality in underground mining operations can fluctuate significantly during the working day, but until recently the only way to ensure a mine had sufficient air quality was to over-ventilate and, with significant delay in adjusting the volume or direction of the airflow, working conditions were tolerable but rarely ideal. Underground ventilation management systems have been considered to achieve improved energy efficiency since at least 1995 in Canada. However, Mine Ventilation Optimization, (MVO) and integrating it with Ventilation on Demand (VOD) is only becoming more of a reality in the last seven (7) years. A systems approach to MVO takes into account all the elements from the point the power is distributed into the ventilation fans through to the actual quality and quantity of fresh air to the working face. Opportunities exist throughout the system for energy savings but not all of them are cost-effective. Depending on the application, these opportunities can be easily realized by properly sizing, streamlining, maintaining and operating the ventilation system using premium mine proven energy efficient components throughout. Implementation of VOD is a key step in achieving the MVO objective. However, VOD is a concept, and it requires various tools, procedures, and strategies for cost-effective and operationally viable implementations. This paper provides a historical background in the development of VOD and provides a framework for proper and cost effective implementation. In addition, an optimized ventilation system will also allow increased airflow by reducing resistances and shock losses. This turn in would allow production target improvement, which could be an attractive objective compared to energy savings. Mine ventilation is the life support system of an underground mine, and contributes to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility goals assuring health and safety aspects of strategic planning. The proposed framework addresses implementing mine ventilation optimization integrating ventilation on demand as a vehicle for energy, health and safety improvement and overall productivity gains in the mining cycle efficiency while significantly reducing carbon footprint of a mine.

Aug 1, 2013

By Howard J. Handewith

"Tunnel boring machines have been tried in underground mining applications as early as 1957. Although tunneling machines hardly threaten to supplant traditional drill-blast-muck operations for drifting, the latest modern machines offer substantial improvements in progress rates over traditional methods under certain conditions.An evaluation guide is offered which identifies conditions that favour machine boring. Different types of costs related to the use of a tunnel machine are discussed. The advantages of the tunnel machine over the traditional method are reviewed. IntroductionThe first tunnel boring machine ever used in a mine was in Quebec in the year 1957. Although less than successful at the time, this experiment served to illustrate the mining industry' s willingness to try new ideas. Since 1957, the manufacture of tunnel boring machines has developed into a full-size industry. Most contractors in Europe and North America will now consider the use of a tunnel boring machine first on any long tunnel that can have a circular section.The modern tunneling machine offers a great potential to the mining industry. Just as the blasthole and raise drill machines have revolutionized mining in the last decade, it is expected that tunnel boring machines will make an equal impact in the future.This is not to suggest that tunnel boring machines will replace explosives in the foreseeable future, but they can supplement drill-and-blast operations. In areas where long drifts, inclines, declines or cross-cuts are needed in a hurry, the tunnel boring machines offer the fastest way to a production return on investment. Figure 1 shows the range of production that two types of tunnel machines have produced as compared with conventional excavation methods in various ground conditions.Rotary hard-rock tunnel boring machines (Fig. 2) commonly produce progress rates in excess of 20 metres per day in uniform ground from 300 to over 2,000 kgl cm2 in unconfined compression strength . These averages are for the completed tunnels. One 7. I6-metre-diameter tunnel boring machine just completed a 1O.7-km tunnel in hard rock of 700 to 2,800 kg/cm>, The last eight months of production averaged 30 metres per day."

Jan 1, 1980

By M. Fafard, F. Chevarin, D. Ziegler, H. Alamdari, M Kavand

"Carbon anodes, used in the Hall-Heroult process, are consumed by the electrochemical reaction to produce metallic aluminum. It is also consumed by parasitic reactions with air and CO2. The carbon anode is made of petroleum coke with different particle sizes, butts (recycled anodes) and coal tar pitch. The mixture of fine particles (less than 150 µm) of coke together with the pitch material forms a matrix, binding the large coke particles together. It is generally thought that the binder matrix is more reactive than the other anode constituents. This conjecture was not clearly proved in the literature. The present study is focused on the CO2 reactivity of binder matrix and anode constituents at 960°C, both under chemical regime (100% of CO2) and under a concentration gradient (diffusion). The apparent reaction rates of these materials were measured. The role of the binder matrix in anode consumption and its disintegration (dusting phenomenon) was discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe metallic aluminum production is one of the most important industries in Canada. The Al metal is obtained by the Hall-Héroult process. The principle of this process is the electrochemical reduction of alumina in molten cryolite carried out by an electrical current between carbon anodes and cathode at 960°C (Equation 1). The carbon anode is typically composed of calcined petroleum coke (65 wt.%) and recycled anode (called also butt, 20 wt.%) with coal tar pitch (15 wt.%), playing the role of cement to ensure the cohesion of the anode block."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. A. Bunk, E. C. Eccleston, J. J. Amsden

Fluidized bed technology has been widely applied to mineral and metallurgical processes. Over the years, modeling of fluidization technology has progressed to a level at which basic design parameters can usually be defined based on empirical correlations. In addition, scale-up considerations have become better understood, and significant advances have been made in the area of computer simulation. Despite these advances, fluidization is a complex phenomenon, and modeling tools remain limited in their ability to simultaneously model both fluidization and chemical process parameters. As a result, almost all mineral and metallurgical applications of fluidized bed technology require pilot testing prior commercial scale design. This paper outlines pilot plant testing requirements and process development considerations for development of low technical risk commercial designs.

Jan 1, 2011