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By A. A. Sirkeci, M. Tarkan, N. Acarkan, O. Kangal, G. Bulut

This investigation deals with the evaluation of the tailings of the Kirka Borax Plants. In this respect boron in the tailings was recovered and the utilization of the clayish fraction was investigated. There are five tailings ponds in Kirka four of which are used for the tailings of the borax concentrator and the remaining one is used for the tailings of the sodium penta-borax plant. Experiments were conducted with samples taken from ponds containing coarse fraction and fine fraction. Coarse fraction of Borax Concentrator were screened through a set of sieves. The fraction above 1 mm was removed with 41.5% recovery and 33.3% B203 content. Scrubbing was applied above 0.1 mm and products containing 32 to 34% B203 were obtained with recoveries around 35%. The tailings of sodium penta borax plant was also screened and it was found that 15% of boron reported to +1 mm size fraction with 35% B203 content. Sample containing fine tailings was treated by cycloning. The cyclone overflow was found to be below 6µm and it was separated to be used in the subsequent tests. The usage of cyclone overflow in paper, ceramics, glass, pigment and drilling industries was investigated. Since this fraction is mainly composed of carbonate minerals rather than clay minerals it was suggested that it may be used for construction and moulding purposes. Furthermore, the B203 content of the cyclone overflow was reduced to 2.4%.

Jan 1, 2004

By Reginals W. Burroughs

Diatomaceous or infusorial earth, also called diatomite; fossil meal, or kieselguhr, is derived from the lowest form of vegetable life, the unicellular alga:. It consists of the siliceous remains of extremely minute aquatic plants, which exist in both salt and fresh water. Light i~ a prerequisite to their development. These very small particles secrete silica in much the same way that molluscs secrete lime to form their shells. The diatoms at death sink to the bottom of the body of water in which they lived, and the organic matter gradually decays and is washed away, leaving the skeletons. Thousands of years are required by this means to develop bed5 of sufficient thickness to be of commercial value. The siliceous remains vary in size according to the species, but all are very minute and, as a general rule, they can be identified only under a high-power microscope. Over one thousand types have been distinguished and named. They are all composed of a hydrous or opalescent form of silica, with silica content ranging from seventy to ninety-five per cent. Magnified, they present an attractive sight, a very fragile structure with many interstitial openings known as cells. Many of them consist of two parts, defined as valves, held together by means of a girdle. Certain species, belonging to the Pinnularia family appear as a long comb, in half longitudinal section. The spaces between the teeth are the cells. This particular genus is very common in Nova Scotian deposits.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. E. Nesset

"As an alternative to conventional dewatering by vacuum filtration and oil-fired rotary dryers, Brunswick Mining conducted extensive pilot-scale testwork on its copper, lead, zinc and bulk concentrates using a Larox Oy (Finland) automatic pressure filter. The results showed that pressure filtration readily produced final cake moistures of 6-8.5 per cent on this very fine sulphide material.An in-depth analysis examines pressure filtration in terms of metallurgical performance and projects energy savings of 78 per cent for pressure filters over the current dewatering operation. Potential energy and operating cost reductions are also estimated.IntroductionVacuum filters followed by oil-fired rotary dryers are one of the most common means of dewatering mineral concentrates. They represent, however, a level of technology which is exceedingly wasteful in terms of manpower, space utilization equipment and fossil fuel dependence. In addition, the use of thermal dryers is leading to increased environmental concerns both in plant and out.These were the primary factors which prompted Brunswick Mining to consider alternative dewatering methods as the existing equipment came up for replacement and upgrading. In late 1979, company engineers were encouraged by automatic Larox pressure filters seen at several Scandinavian operations. Subsequent laboratory tests by the manufacturer (Larox Oy of Finland) on several concentrate samples were sufficiently promising for Brunswick and Noranda to lease a trailer mounted filter-lab unit and a technician from Larox for a five-week period. Extensive on-site testwork on all four Brunswick concentrates (zinc, lead, copper and 'bulk' lead-zinc) confirmed the potential of pressure filtration."

Jan 1, 1982

By Jin-Hwa Song

Rolling temperatures and cross rolling ratios were varied to investigate the effect of crystallographic texture of alpha-phase on the anisotropy of mechanical properties in modified Ti-6A1-4V alloy. Hot rolling method was unidirectional and cross rolling, during which the rolling temperature was in the range of 830°C and 920°C. Cross rolling ratios were varied from 0.3 to 1.0 at 875°C. For unidirectional rolling, as the rolling temperature increased texture changed from the mixed basal and transverse texture to the simple transverse texture. Contrary to other work, it was observed that the maximum intensity of transverse components increased with the increase in rolling temperature. For cross rolling, on the other hand, the transverse texture component was almost suppressed at 830°C, giving rise to a symmetrical basal texture. With increasing cross rolling temperature, the transverse texture components developed again. A simple transverse texture, which showed two maxima appearing circularly 90° apart, was observed at 920°C. It was found that unidirectional rolling could not eliminate the transverse texture, which resulted in the anisotropy of mechanical properties. The anisotropy of mechanical properties obtained from tensile and V-notch Charpy test was closely related to the crystallographic texture and its intensity at each rolling condition. To obtain the isotropy of mechanical properties by cross rolling, it is suggested that cross-rolling ratios should be controlled above 0.5. The variation of rolling temperatures and directions has great influence on the anisotropy of impact value rather than tensile strength.

Jan 1, 2004

By Jean-François Dorion

In an underground mine rock reinforcement elements and surface support units are often exposed to conditions that make them susceptible to corrosion. These unfavourable conditions include high relative humidity, the presence of dust and various other particles in the atmosphere, splashing of water and gases from blasting and diesel equipment. The corrosion of support systems is often associated with a loss in capacity that can be a major safety and economic concern in underground mines. A support system is composed of several components such as bolts, mesh, plate, retaining nut, cable ties. Every individual component can deteriorate due to atmospheric or aqueous corrosion and consequently can damage the integrity of the support system. This paper reports the results of a 5-yr study on the loss in capacity of individual support and reinforcement components at selected underground hard rock mines. As part of this investigation corrosion coupons were installed at selected locations at participating mines. A number of these coupons were recovered at regular time intervals and analysed for any signs of corrosion and subsequently tested to quantify any loss in capacity. The testing of the corrosion coupons was complemented by similar tests on recovered mesh and friction bolt specimens from the site. The collected data have provided useful insights on the factors that contribute to the corrosion of support systems. This knowledge can aid in the selection of appropriate support strategies and a reliable assessment of the predicted useful life of a support system and the need for rehabilitation.

Jun 1, 2012

By R. C. Hartviksen

"The Drumbo Mine is a new gypsum mine located at exit No. 32 of Highway 401 between Woodstock and Kitchener, Ontario. The flat-lying 6-foot (1.8-metre) bed of gypsum is near the base of the Silurian Salina Formation, about 380 feet (116 metres) below surface. The mine is owned and operated by Westroc Industries Limited. A shaft, 12.5 feet (3.81 metres) in diameter, was drilled and then lined with a liner-sinking technique new to this continent. The shaft was completed in the fall of 1977. Gypsum production was started in December 1978, employing a conventional room - and - pillar method of mining.Historical BackgroundA brief mention of gypsum in the Drumbo area is included in a survey of the Ontario gypsum industry by Guillet. This occurrence was discovered in 1958 when National Gypsum conducted some widespread diamond drilling. Western Gypsum Products Limited acquired leases in 1960 and concentrated a drilling program in Blenheim Township near the village of Drumbo; 79 holes were drilled in an area of 1900 acres (770 hectares). Mining rights were then acquired for 170 0acres (690 hectares). A test shaft, 44 inches (1.1 metres) in diameter, was drilled to obtain a 50-ton (45-tonne) bulk sample. This opening will be used as an emergency escape way and for ventilation.Westroc Industries Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of BPB Industries, has its head office at Mississauga, Ontario and operates gypsum board plants at Mississauga, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal. Other gypsum mines are at Windermere, B.C. and Amaranth, Manitoba."

Jan 1, 1983

By G. J. Desroches

"In order to improve zinc plant productivity, areas of low efficiency were identified. As a result, solution purification was improved, additional dust precipitator capacity was made available and a new zinc casting plant was installed. The effects of these and other changes are discussed and the expenditure and benefits reviewed. HistoryThe operation of the Flin Flon metallurgical complex including an electrolytic zinc plant commenced in October 1930. The design of the zinc plant was based on that of the Commonwealth Mining and Smelting Company at Trail, British Columbia, the Anaconda Great Falls Montana Plant and the Electrolytic Zinc Company plant at Risdon, Tasmania.The plant began with a design capacity of 60 tons per day and currently produces 255 tons per day. Since plant start-up, approximately 3.5 million ton s of zinc metal have been produced, most of it exceeding special high-grade specifications.IntroductionThe facility incorporates the basic process steps of roasting, leaching, purification, electrowinning and casting. Figure I details the flowsheet. During the late 1970s, management recognized that in order for the zinc plant to continue operating, it was necessary to introduce cost-effective practices.Study groups, consisting of design engineers and operations personnel, were formed to investigate the details of plant revisions.The objectives were to improve productivity by reducing manual labour, reducing energy usage, increasing zinc recovery, increasing metal output and reducing costs.This paper details the changes made during the period 1979to 1986 and shows how these changes have affected the productivity and economics of the zinc plant operation."

Jan 1, 1988

By R. Spring

"Soft-sensors are a computer software alternative to inadequate hardware instrumentation. Filters are averaging methods that reduce the noise in any sensor's signal. This paper introduces these topics and places them in a mineral processing context using then-product formula.Soft SensorsAs their name implies, ""soft-sensors"" are computer programs that estimate values for process variables (Tham, 1991). This approach is useful when the appropriate hardware sensor does not exist, is deficient, supplies only infrequent values, etc. For example, in mineral concentrators the traditional magnetic flowmeter/ nuclear density gauge instrumentation for measuring slurry flows costs $5,000 or more per flow and requires frequent maintenance. However, metal assays are commonly available from online X-ray fluorescence analyzers and application of the n-product formula (Taggart, 1945) to these assays conveniently provides software estimates of the flowrates (albeit only when the circuit is in steady-state).Soft-sensors are used by inferential controllers that base their control actions on the process values ""inferred"" by the soft-sensor. Such was the case at Brenda Mines where the rod mill feed tonnage controller used an inferred value of the cyclone overflow particle size (Bradburn, 1976). It was also the case at Brunswick Mining where reagent controllers adjusted reagent addition rates throughout the plant according to the various ore flowrates inferred by an expert system (Spring, 1991). A unique feature of the expert system soft-sensor was its dynamic flow models which compensated for residence times, material transport lags, etc. Thus the soft-sensor values were valid under both steady-state and nonsteady- state conditions."

Jan 1, 1992

By H. E. Lake

VERY EARLY in the initial stages of underground development work at Eldorado's Beaverlodge operation, the decision was made to use mill tailings as a backfill product. Mining and milling commenced in June, 1953, using locally available sand as backfill, while test work and installation of a plant was carried out to prepare ?and deliver the tailings to the mining areas. The first use of tailings was made in February, 1954, a sandslime separation being carried out with hydraulic cyclones. To date (January. 1956), approximately l 40,000 tons of fill have been used in the stoping areas, providing very effective support in a 50 deg. Vein system of cut-and-fill mining. The recoverable portion of the mill tailings amounts to 40 to 45 per cent, which has resulted in a product giving a percolation rate of 6 to 10 inches per hour. Owing to the fact that Eldorado has milled from 15 to 2 5 per cent more ore than it has mined, through the purchase of custom ore, the degree of control on the sand-slime separation has not been as critical as it might normally be when the filling operation must depend only on the tailings from ore mined. A description of the conditions involved and of the plant as finally installed is given below. It might be mentioned here that, with the impending increase in milling capacity from 700 tons to 2,000 tons p.er day, the present plant will be considerably altered within the ensuing year to handle the increased tonnage and distribution.

Jan 1, 1956

By W. M. Williams

"Although manganese is a metal virtually unknown to the layman, it is hardly necessary to point out to the engineer the importance of manganese in modern metallurgy, an importance intimately linked with iron (and steel), the basic materials of engineering construction for hundreds of years and certain to remain so for long into the future. World steel production will approach and perhaps reach 1 billion tons/year in the 1980s; with a manganese content between 0.5% and 1 % in ordinary steels, and more in specialty steels, manganese use worldwide will soon approach 15 million tons annually. Manganese was discovered and isolated in Sweden in 1774 by Karl Wilhelm Scheele (who also discovered molybdenum), but the element was only of scientific interest for several decades. By the early part of the nineteenth century, however, manganese oxide had become commercially available and was in use for colouring glass and for the production of chlorine. Commercial application in metallurgy appears to have been limited to the manufacture of crucible (or ""cast"") steel, a highquality product made by carburizing wrought iron, and melting it in small batches to make ingots which could be rolled and used for special applications, e.g. for the manufacture of fine tools or for ""steeling"" the cutting edges of implements such as wrought iron axes and chisels.* However, it was not until Bessemer's epoch-making invention of cheap steel in 1856, and the dramatic expansion of the steel industry thereafter, that manganese assumed the importance that it holds in modern steelmaking."

Jan 1, 1999

By K. Tada

A surface of a magnesium slab (hereinafter, referred to as Mg slab) or magnesium alloy slab (hereinafter, referred to as Mg alloy slab) becomes black with the use of conventional manufacturing methods. The methods also involve a danger that an explosion of the molten magnesium occurs through contact with cooling water. Thus, it has been impossible to produce a slab having a smooth surface. In the present method, a molten magnesium alloy is supplied into a mold, which is sheltered from the surroundings, from a pool in tundish, which is shielded from the surroundings. AZ31B slab formed in the mold is drawn horizontally out to the outside from an outlet of the mold by revolving of the pinch rolls. A cooling water is jetted at an acute angle onto the slab on the outer side of the mold outlet. Further, an inert gas is sprayed at the inner side of the mold outlet in order to seal in a gap between a free surface of the molten magnesium alloy and a sheltered board surrounding an upper surface of the mold. As a result, oxygen and droplets of the cooling water are prevented from running back to the mold side through the gap. AZ31B slab has a smooth surface condition and high quality without a gas porosity, a segregation or the like. Further, the slab has a size of a width of 100 to 120 mm, a thickness of 5 to 20 mm and a span of 10 m or more.

Jan 1, 2006

By P. E. Auger, J. E. Gill

"The zinc deposits to be described are in Lemieux township a few miles south of the Tabletop mountains, in the central part of Gaspe peninsula, Quebec. Although they have not been worked, they constitute a potential source of zinc and lead and structurally are of considerable interest.GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE OCCURRENCEThe deposits are in sharp-walled quartz-carbonate veins and breccia zones carrying locally, and in varying amounts, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, and specularite. Those so far investigated strike generally north-south, have steep dips, and cut through sediments of Lower Devonian age, mostly calcareous argillites or siltstones. Wall-rock alteration is negligible.BROADER STRUCTURAL FEATURESThe principal known occurrences are in the south-central part of a dome structure measuring 6 by 5 miles. The argillaceous sediments are overlain, on the flanks of the dome, by sandstones and lavas. These have been stripped from the central part of the dome, revealing the veins in the argillites beneath. The veins formed after the volcanics, but the fractures and breccia zones in which the deposits formed are confined mainly to the argillite series, presumably because of the greater strength of the lavas.The argillite series is cut by dykes, sills, and small stocks of diorite and acidic 'porphyries' that are older than the veins.THE FEDERAL HILL AREAThe distribution of known veins is shown in Fig. 1. The characteristic features of the veins are well illustrated by the Federal Hill area shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and described below."

Jan 1, 1954

By M. Kaya, A. R. Laplante

"Since the beginning of eighties the use of flotation columns has surged in Canada and abroad; the metallurgical superiority of columns over mechanical cells is in great part due to froth washing, which ensures higher gangue rejection and selectivity. Can wash water, which has proven so beneficial, be used in mechanical cells? Although froth washing technology was widely implemented in Soviet plants for bi tuminuous coal, and alusite, powellite, scheelite, molybdenite, etc. more than 25 years, it has been neglected in the western world. Published data suggest 10 to 15~ increases in grade and/or recovery with wash water in mechanical cells (Klassen and Mokrousov, 1963). There are at least three wash water plant applications in Zaire, Chile, and Canada, but little, if any, published information is available. This research work, which is the first extensive fundamental study related to froth washing in mechanical cells, attempts to answer the questions of how, how much, and where should wash water be added.This project was undertaken in three stages:1. Bench-scale laboratory tests with a 6.5 L Denver cell at McGill using a silica flour and a slime reject from Niobec (St.Honor6).2. Pilot-plant scale tests with a 65 L Denver cell at McGill using the silica flour and a complex Cu-Ni sulphide ore from the Strathcona mill of Falconbridge.3. Plant-scale tests with a bank of 2800 L Denver cells at Falconbridge Ltd. for complex Cu-Ni sulphide ore and Eastmaque Gold Mines Ltd. for Au tailing reclaimation."

Jan 1, 1989

By M. K. Aly

"ABSTRACTThis paper briefly describes the mining method proposed for the iron ore deposits in Wadi Shatti, western Libya. The iron ore produced will be used in the steel plant at Misurata on the Mediterranean coast. GeologyThe Wadi Shatti is located in the central part of western Libya. Flat iron-bearing sedimentary rocks are exposed with remarkable regularity in this valley. It occupies an area 200 km long by approximately 20 km wide trending in an eastnortheast direction between Jabal Fazzan in the north and Zel1af Sand Dunes in the south (Fig. I). Only a part of this valley has been ful1y explored by drilling on a 400- by 200-m pattern in an area of 18 km2 south of the town of Taroot. Farther to the south, no exploration by drilling can be done due to the presence of sand dunes .The iron-bearing bed is about 10to 15m thick, with a dip of 2 to 4 degrees in a southerly direction . The overburden consists mainly of clayey sandstones, 4 to 5 m thick, in the northern part, increasing to 35 m in the southern part. The iron ore bed consists of three different layers, from the floor upward: (1) Lower Reduced Ore (LRO), having a varying thickness of 1 to 7 m; (2) Magnetic Ore (MO), with a thickness varying from 4 to 12 m mainly in the central part of the area; and(3) Upper Reduced Ore (URO), with a bed thickness varying from 0 to 7 m."

Jan 1, 1980

By J. Schnarr, D. Deever, E. Johnson

"The above committee sent out a questionnaire to the gold mines for the purpose of learning what units and methods are currently in use in the mines as the first step in an attempt to agree on standard units to be used in any papers or reports that may be given to other mines or presented at meetings. The next step is to try to arrive at acceptable standard units for reporting and methods of making tests. It was suggested by Mr. J. Jardine of Eldorado Mining and Refining that the use of the metric system should be seriously considered. It was also brought out that there was no intention of having any mine change their methods to the standard for internal reporting as this would involve too much change. However for external reporting there shouldn't be too much difficulty in converting to the accepted standard units.On the following pages are the reports of those mines that replied to the questionnaire.MALARTIC GOLD FIELDS LIMITEDP.A. Coulter1. All assays - Ounces per ton2. Consumption of reagents - Pounds per ton3. Reagent strength of solutions - Pounds per ton4. Reducing Power - As described in C 0 I.L, Analysis of Cyanide Solutions5. Pulp Densities - Grams per litre6. Screen Analysis (Tailings) A sample of 150 gms is washed on a 200 mesh screen. The plus 200 mesh material is dried and ro-tapped for fifteen minutes. The plus 200 mesh portions are weighed cumulatively (the balance is considered -200 mesh) and reported in per cent."

Jan 1, 1967

By C. D. Kaeding

IN the summer of 1937, the Algoma Steel Corporation, Limited, decided to embark on the full-scale development o their Helen mine and the erection of plants to produce commercial iron sinter from its ores at a rate ? of fifteen hundred tons per day. The Helen deposit has long been known as one of the largest bodies of non-commercial iron ore in Canada, consisting almost entirely of siderite with a band of pyrite along the north wall and some lenticular inclusions of pyrite throughout the mass. It originally contained a nominal amount of hematite (2,800,000 tons), localized at the western end of the ore-body, but this was mined out during the years 1900 to 1918. For details of the:-geology of the Helen range and of the surrounding district, the reader is referred to Memoir 147, Michipicoten Iron Ranges, Geological Survey of Canada, 1926 (1). The siderite mass was explored by diamond drilling in 1917 and the portion so drilled was estimated to contain 67 million tons of siderite averaging 36.0 per cent Fe, 3.2 per cent S, and 8.2 per cent SiO,, without establishing its ultimate depth or extent. The variation in the sulphur content shown by drilling was from 1.5 per cent in 72 per cent of the tonnage, to 7.2 percent in the remaining 28 percent. The pyritic ore aver-aged about 38 percent iron, but otherwise its composition was substantially the same as that of the siderite mass.

Jan 1, 1940

By R. Pelletier, Herny. E., C. Allaire

Corrosion of refractory linings by molten metals is controlled by interactions between penetration and chemical reaction. Corrosion of aluminosilicates by molten aluminium is no exception. The early stage of corrosion can be described as a particular case of reactive wetting over a porous medium. Although the reactivity between aluminium and silica is great, which should improve wetting and penetration, the presence of air and the formation of a protective oxide layer disfavours initial penetration. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study on the effect of some parameters on the initial stage of aluminium penetration. Penetration kinetics and metal intrusion tests have been performed on alumina and silica powders with pure aluminium and Al¬5%Mg. Capillary models are used as tools of interpretation. Penetration kinetics tests had a poor reproducibility and the kinetics itself can not be explained very well by the capillary-tube-bundle model. On the other hand, a capillary model initially developed for ice intrusion into freezing soils produced predictions in reasonably good agreement with intrusion pressure measurements. The effect of particle size and alloy composition can be predicted using this model. However, the effects of temperature and powder chemistry need additional interpretations to be rationalised. An unusual resistance to penetration of silica powder by molten aluminium have been observed in a series of experiments. This led the authors to the strange conclusion that oxygen should be seen as an excellent non-wetting agent and that there might be ways to use it in industrial applications.

Jan 1, 2004

By T. H. Etsell, P. C. Holloway

Vanadium is concentrated in the fly ash which is produced as a solid waste from oil sands operations in northern Alberta. Although a process flowsheet using sodium chloride as a roasting reagent has been developed at the University of Alberta, recent studies examine the p otential o f p otassium o r c alcium s alts a s alternative reagents for roasting Suncor fly ash to recover vanadium. Suncor fly ash was roasted with CaO, Ca(OH)2, CaCO3, CaSO4.2H2O and KC1 at 750, 850 and 950°C. Water leach extractions for the calcium compounds were low (<45%); leaching with 100 g/L Na2CO3 gave maximum extractions of 56 to 69% at 950°C. Ash roasted with KCI behaved similarly to ash roasted with NaCl. These tests indicate that similar roasting conditions (25 to 30% KCI, 850°C, and 2 to 4h) could be used to achieve similar water leach extractions (75 to 85%). However, the lower solubility of KVO3 in solution, compared to NaVO3, would make the use of KCI instead of NaCl less attractive from a process and economic standpoint. Mineralogically, leucite (KAlSi3O8) was the predominant phase in ash roasted with KCl while, in crystalline samples of ash roasted with calcium compounds, anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) and pseudobrookite (Fe2TiO5) were identified. Ash roasted below 950°C with the calcium compounds remained poorly crystalline.

Jan 1, 2004

By P. Maltby

"Smelter Feed Preparation Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited, Sudbury Operations, operate 4 mills and a smelter to produce Bessemer Ni-Cu matte for refining in Norway. Approximately 1400 tons of Ni-Cu concentrate are produced daily which are dried from a filter cake containing 14% moisture to 7.5% moisture pellets. Concentrate drying is done by 4 rotary dryers as shown in the 'Dryer Performance Data' at four separate locations. The dryers all form part of the feed preparation stage prior to sintering.The rate at which concentrate can be produced through the Sinter Plant largely depends on the quality of the dried product which makes up the feed. A feed consisting of mostly hardened pellets will sinter much faster than a feed which consists of broken pellets and dust. Dryer products require:1. Good green strength to survive shipment and handling.2. Correct moisture content.3. Sizing within a range ideally from 1/4"" to 10 mesh in diameter.Dryer performance data is shown in Table 1. Capital costs between the two types of dryers are comparable with the Roto-Louvre producing generally a larger better-formed pellet. Dryer feeds differ in that at both Hardy and Fecunis, Ni-Cu concentrate filter cake is the only feed while at the Falconbridge slurry plant the dryer feed can consist of up to 10% by weight of smelter flue dust resulting in a combined concentrate-dust pellet for feeding to the Sinter Plant. To the Falconbridge Sinter Plant dryer, dust and limestone are added for the smelting process in addition to Ni-Cu concentrate."

Jan 1, 1972

By Tim Robinson, Michael S. Moats, William G. Davenport, Andreas Filzwieser, Andreas Siegmund, Shijie Wang

This survey continues the long tradition of providing a snapshot of operating data from industrial electrorefineries. It is a supplement to previous surveys that were performed in 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016. Analyses of current data and historical trends are presented. Examples of innovations to reduce costs, improve productivity, and improve quality are provided. In general, refineries continue to increase productivity while treating anodes with more impurities. INTRODUCTION This manuscript analyzes global survey data provided by operating copper electrorefineries. This paper continues a series of surveys of copper refining tankhouses that started in 1987 (Schloen, 1987, 1991; Schloen & Davemport, 1995; Davenport et al., 1999; Robinson et al., 2003; Moats et al., 2007, 2013, 2016). In this installment, data collected from 2015 and 2018 will be presented and analyzed. The 2015 survey data were presented at Copper 2016 in Kobe, Japan. This survey will continue the analysis of previous data to illustrate long term trends in copper electrorefining, which were originally presented at the Davenport Symposium in October, 2014 (Moats, Robinson, & Wang, 2014). Refineries who supplied surveys are listed in Table 1. Cathode production data from 2015 and 2017/18 (from surveys presented in 2016 and 2019) are provided to indicate which plants provided surveys and when. This manuscript presents operating data for ~6.5 million tonnes of copper production, which represents 30–35% of the world’s copper electrorefining production. The detailed survey results are available upon request from the corresponding author.

Jan 1, 2019