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

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

Jan 1, 1992

By J. T. Chen, S. Winkler, M. J. Worswick, O. Orlov

This paper presents a review of research conducted at the University of Waterloo concerned with the application of aluminum alloy sheet and tube in automotive structures and body panels. The research has focussed on formability prediction and results using a range of damage-based formulations. These models include continuum-level damage approaches and, more recently, a so-called percolation damage approach intended to capture microstructural heterogeneity effects on damage development. This paper presents applications of these damage approaches to simulate formability of experiments considering stretch flange panels. The experiments consider drawbead effects associated with the bend/unbend deformation as the material flows through the drawbead. Recent work on simulating in situ X-ray tomography experiments that capture damage evolution during tensile deformation will also be reviewed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Frederick W. Breaks, Andrew G. Tindle, Julie B. Selway

"Abstract - Rare-element pegmatites may host several economic commodities, such as tantalum (Taoxide minerals), tin (cassiterite), lithium (ceramic-grade spodumene and petalite), and cesium (pollucite). Key geological features that are common to pegmatites in the Superior province of Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and in other large tantalum deposits worldwide, can be used in exploration.An exploration project for rare-element pegmatites should begin with an examination of a regional geology map. Rare-element pegmatites occur along large regional-scale faults in greenschist and amphibolite facies metamorphic terranes. They are typically hosted by mafic metavolcanic or metasedimentary rocks, and are located near peraluminous granite plutons (A/CNK > 1.0). Once a peraluminous granite pluton has been identified, then the next step is to determine if the pluton is barren or fertile. Fertile granites have elevated rare element contents, Mg/Li ratio < 10, and Nb/Ta ratio < 8. They commonly contain blocky K-feldspar and green muscovite. Key fractionation indicators can be plotted on a map of the fertile granite pluton to determine the fractionation direction: presence of tourmaline, beryl, and ferrocolumbite; Mn content in garnet; Rb content in bulk K-feldspar; and Mg/Li and Nb/Ta ratios in bulk granite samples. Pegmatite dikes with the most economic potential for Li-Cs-Ta deposits occur the greatest distance (up to 10 km) from the parent granite.Metasomatized host rocks are an indication of a nearby rare-element pegmatite. Metasomatic aureoles can be identified by their geochemistry: elevated Li, Rb, Cs, B, and F contents; and by their mineralogy: presence of tourmaline, (Rb, Cs)-enriched biotite, holmquistite, muscovite, and rarely garnet.Once a pegmatite dike has been located, the next step is to assess its potential to contain Ta mineralization. Pegmatites with the highest degree of fractionation (and thus the most economic potential for Li-Cs-Ta) contain blocky K-feldspar with >3,000 ppm Rb, K/Rb < 30, and >100 ppm Cs; and coarsegrained green muscovite with >2,000 ppm Li, >10,000 ppm Rb, >500 ppm Cs, and >65 ppm Ta. Pegmatites with Ta mineralization usually contain Li-rich minerals (e.g., spodumene, petalite, lepidolite, elbaite, amblygonite, and lithiophilite) and may contain Cs-rich minerals (e.g., pollucite, Cs-rich beryl). The ore minerals of Ta are commonly manganotantalite, manganocolumbite, wodginite, and microlite; Ta-rich cassiterite is also commonly present. Tantalum mineralization tends to occur in albitic aplite, mica-rich (lepidolite, cleavelandite ± lepidolite), and spodumene/petalite pegmatite zones."

Jan 1, 2005

By Ian McC. Stewart

"Seam gas flow in coal mines takes place through a medium which has both capacity and resistance and can therefore be expressed in terms of the basic diffusion equation, provided that the characteristics of the system can be adequately described. It may be possible to lump the variations from point to point in a seam together as an effective diffusivity. The paper discusses the characteristic flow-time patterns for various types of openings and the particular features of coal and seam which influence the diffusivity.Two field experiments are described in which gas make to a heading and to a borehole were measured in a mine for which considerable data on coal sorption properties were available. Incremental gas flow measured from the borehole experiment predicted the actual flow from the heading measurements remarkably well. The effective permeability adjacent to the face was much higher than expected from the properties of the coal. The incremental flow measurements to a horizontal (in-seam) borehole showed a striking picture of advancing 'relaxation' behind the face which is not discernible by other experimental means."

Jan 1, 1971

By E. Watkins, J. C. LeRoy, A. Vivyurka

"TAILINGS REVEGETATIONWelcome to the Revegetation Session. My instructions are to introduce the Speakers and to provide a general introduction.I do the latter with humility not only because of a lack of personal experience or because tailings revegation is not well established technology, but because any general statement on a country or industry as diverse as the Canadian Mining Industry is bound to be wrong somewhere.Laying aside normal standards of accuracy I proceed as follows:In considering the question of tailings revegetation, one asks two basic questions:1. What ought to be done?2. What can be done?The first question can be broken down into three kinds of criteria or objectives:a) Legislativeb) Technicalc) AestheticThe first I leave to the politicians and the last I will avoid. Aesthetics is the philosphy of taste. It is concerned with the appreciation of things rather than what they really are. It is much easier to get into an argument on aesthetics than to get out of it feeling you have said something of consequence.Technical criteria can be divided into the following sub-objectives: 1. To isolate the tailings basin so surrounding land is not degraded. The first step here is stabilization of the surface to prevent wind and water erosion."

Jan 1, 1975

By B. R. MacKay

Introduction The Corbin coalfield is one of the smallest, and at the same time one of the principal, producing bituminous-coal areas in southeastern British Columbia, and is unique on account of the great original thickness of one of its coal seams and the remarkable concentration of coal in a small area that has occurred through intense folding and faulting of the measures. These are such that the deposit has been referred to at times as "the world&apos;s thickest coal seam" and as" a mountain of coal." The determination of the number, thickness, and character of the seams present, and the structure, extent, and geological relationship of the several deposits, are of vital interest both to the operating company in its endeavour to evolve the most efficient method of mining these exceptionally thick deposits and to the Government in estimating the coal resources of the different fields. With the object of ascertaining these data the writer was assigned in 1930 to geologically map and study the Corbin coal deposit. A topographic map covering Coal mountain and the immediate vicinity on a scale of 1 inch =800 feet, with a contour interval of 25 feet, made by the Topographic Division of the Geological Survey, served as the base for the geological mapping.

Jan 1, 1931

By Robert B. Parsons

"Once all the hullabaloo about Finance Minister Wilson&apos;s April 27 budget died down (or was it an April 26 budget?), the pain of the budget papers began to sink in. Individuals and corporations will have to dig deeper and pay more taxes - and government will continue to dig deeper and spend more. The irony of the situation is that higher tax rates actually make flow-through shares more attractive as a tax-deferral investment - a bittersweet ""bravo"" for the mining industry.INTRODUCTIONFor the first time in Canadian history, a major budget address has taken two days to deliver. Of course, it&apos;s not a case of long-windedness, but rather a case of a hastily called press announcement on April 26 in response to a budget leak, followed by a formal budget speech on April 27.The general reaction of the business community to the budget was to the effect that the tax hikes are acceptable, but the government&apos;s failure to curb spending is less than acceptable. Mr. Wilson&apos;s reported response indicated that the government had never promised to cut spending, and that increased government spending would actually benefit the country. That age-old debate will doubtlessly continue for generations.In any event, three noteworthy components of the budget papers are:• Personal income tax rates increase effective July I, 1989;• A ""large corporations tax"" (in effect &apos;a corporate ""minimum tax"") is effective July I, 1989; and• Federal sales tax increases are effective from June 30, 1989, to be replaced by a national sales tax in 1991.A brief overview of these and other budget proposals follows."

Jan 1, 1989

By R. J. Hundermark, K. van der Merwe, L. R. Nelson

Taphole integrity is critical to all furnaces, but it is especially important in high intensity electric furnaces processing matte and metal of high superheat. Key furnace dimensions are the electrode proximity to the taphole, hearth sump below the taphole and the shape and location of the taphole in the furnace wall (e.g., circular versus rectangular furnace). In addition, electric furnace power density needs to be matched appropriately to any configuration to achieve operational reliability and furnace integrity. The role of furnace dimensioning is generically reviewed across many pyrometallurgical processes to explore potential impact on furnace taphole performance. Some empirical furnace dimensions and power density ratios of industrial furnaces are then compared to explore to what extent they may indeed influence taphole integrity.

Jan 1, 2015

By Malcolm Scoble, Nick Vagenas, Greg Baiden

Recent advances in underground communications technology have demonstrated the feasibility of teleoperation and automation in underground metal mines. One major challenge lies in the automation of underground mobile machines from surface, with the potential to reduce significantly the need for human involvement in underground operations. This paper reviews the evolution of underground metal mining automation, principally related to the development of teleoperation and automation of mobile mining machines. Examples of prototype systems are given and the associated benefits that have been observed are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1997

By C. O. Stee

Introduction The property of Siscoe Gold Mines, Limited, is located on an island of three hundred and forty acres in lake Kienawisik, about fifty-two miles east of Noranda and forty-three miles south of Amos, Quebec. Lake Kienawisik is a part of the Harricanaw drainage system and is crossed by the main line of the Canadian National railway at Amos. This waterway is navigable for boats with a draught of six to eight feet. Diesel engines have been the source of power at the property since milling operations were commenced in January, 1929. The power plant as first designed and built was for a milling capacity of 100 tons. Two Polar-Atlas units, each of 200 h. p., comprised the original installation. With the growth of the &apos;mine, more engines were added until, at the present time, there is installed at the Siscoe what is rated the largest Diesel plant at any mining property in Canada. Definition of a Diesel &apos;The Diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which works with liquid fuel introduced after, and independently of, the air charge at a time when communication between the cylinder and the outside atmosphere is cut off, and which ignites the fuel by compression-beat and stored combustion-heat unassisted by heat sources outside the cylinder itself while the engine is in stable operating condition"(1).

Jan 1, 1934

By Gerald Blackmore

"This paper suggests that with the settlement of long-term contracts of fifteen years' duration, with prospects of extension, the coal mining industry has, for the first time, a complete commercial justification for large-scale planning.The labour costs of coal production over past years are analyzed and, with the acceptance of the premise that the basic shift rates are certain to rise in the years to come, the paper suggests that forward planning should provide &r capital investment to make a traditionally labour-dense industry into a capital-dense industry.Automated methods of manpower deployment and timekeeping and the monitoring of all equipment back to a central control point are discussed as ail-important means of obtaining maximum utilization of high-cost capital investment.Principles of payment of the work-force, and the utilization of equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the maximum number of days a year, are dealt with as means of achieving maximum capital utilization. Some of the new technical underground and coal preparation problems which will undoubtedly result from the concentration of workings and maximum machine utilization are discussed, and the author makes suggestions as to how these might be solved.In short, the author predicts that if the coal mining industry is prepared to recognize the problems and invest in modern equipment backed by highly trained staff. then the outcome will justify the high capital investment involved. He stresses the importance of human communications in achieving this end."

Jan 1, 1970

By P. Hajiani

"It has been shown that the economics of the hydrometallurgy of a rare earth process depend upon the amount of acid needed to extract the metal per unit mass of the ore. In this paper, we show how to save a significant amount of acid treating a low grade ferrocarbonatite and extracting +99% constituent REEs. In order to save the acid, the alkali earth metals, originated from gangue minerals were removed prior to REE leaching. Moreover, the operating conditions of leaching reactor are optimized to leave iron behind and to leach REE selectively and effectively. Consequently, the hydrochloric acid consumption per ton of ore drops significantly compared to other processes.INTRODUCTIONThe viability of an extractive metallurgy process of rare earth elements (REEs) to produce an intermediate mixed concentrate depends upon a low-cost simple flowsheet (Bogner, 2014). It has been known that regardless of the mineral, the acid consumption is intimately associated with the operational cost (OPEX) of any REE project, particularly when the initial REE grade is low. Besides acid, the other reagents consumed in the process impact the OPEX. This makes minimizing acid consumption in an REE method a critical priority. The acid consumption in different projects has been reported to be equivalent of 100 kg to 1000 kg HCl (100%) per tonne of ore (Average: 500 kg/t HCl 100%) (Bogner, 2014). This value is strongly correlated with the grade of REE in the ore and therefore in the pre-concentrate.Previously, it has been stated that the Montviel flotation concentrate requires about 300 kg HCl (100%)/t ore to attain +99% REE recoveries using direct leaching (Yu, Verbaan, Pearse and Britt 2013). Hence, for an ore feed rate of 2500 t/d ROM, a large acid production plant (744 t/d HCl 100%) would be required for acid leaching of such concentrate. The equivalent Chlor-alkali plant is estimated to cost M$ 150 (CAPEX) and may require 100 MW power. Therefore, there is a necessity to improve the extractive hydrometallurgy and to reduce the acid consumption significantly."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. K. Croteau

"At Craigmont Mines Limited, Merritt, B.C., the mining practice of trackless sub-level caving was started in the latter part of 1966. This type of mining was new to the mine personnel and the mining industry of Canada as a whole. Sub-level caving has presented many old and a number of new problems in maintaining the equipment used in this method. This paper will deal with some of these problems as they affect this particular mining operation. It will be impossible to review all phases of the equipment, but an attempt will be made to cover the most pertinent aspects in maintaining the drilling, mucking and hauling, and auxiliary equipment."

Jan 1, 1970

By F. O. Verret

Several grindability tests were developed over the years to design grinding circuits or optimize existing operations. Each test has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is imperative to select the proper test procedure(s) to meet project deliverables and minimize the risk of a project. Pilot plant testing of large bulk samples historically constituted the traditional approach for AG or SAG design, but was gradually replaced by small-scale tests. Nowadays, conducting grindability tests requiring only a few kilos of material on several samples is a more typical approach to grinding mill design. This paper summarises the requirements and deliverables of various bench-scale test procedures, their strengths and weaknesses, and cases where AG/SAG pilot testing should still be performed.

Jan 1, 2012

By E. S. Malloch

THE Great War forced the peoples of the world to recognize the importance of the wise development and use of the world&apos;s natural resources. Not the least, and perhaps the most, important, is the world&apos;s fuel supply- solid, liquid, and gaseous. Without fuel our civilization would be impossible, and mankind would of necessity have to congregate in the torrid zones of the earth&apos;s surface for at least six months of every year. Of the three classes of fuels the solid ones are the most plentiful, as well as being the most widely distributed, since few countries are entirely devoid of solid fuels of one kind or another. Until a hundred years ago wood was the fuel most generally used in this country, but since then coal has supplanted wood as a fuel in all its uses, except in the outlying districts and among the farming communities. For many years the supply of coal was thought to be unlimited, but as years went by more thought and study were given to the world&apos;s coal resources, until today not only are the limits known, but in one instance at least their depletion is predicted to be almost within the age of living men, unless more provident methods are put into practice for their winning and utilization.

Jan 1, 1928

By Robert S. Penczak

Red Lake Gold Deposits ? Descriptive Classification (modified from Pirie, 1982) VHR Au -- Volcanic-hosted (vein & wall-rock) replacement Au deposits ~93% of camp production Q-(T) Au -- Quartz-(tourmaline) vein Au deposits ~7% of camp production Quartz-sulphide Au deposits Porphyry-hosted sulphide Au deposits Current & Significant Past Producers Camp Production 21.6 M oz / 672 tonnes Au Other Deposits / Occurrences (Intermittent Exploration

Apr 1, 2005

By R. E. Gilmore

Introduction The Sydney coal-field extends for a distance of thirty miles along the northeastern coast of Cape Breton island. At a central focal point at the tip of the south arm of Sydney harbour, seven miles or so in from the Atlantic ocean, is the city of Sydney, with Port Morien to the southeast and Sydney Mines to the north . Mining centres along the ocean coast between these points include Birchgrove, Reserve, Glace Bay, and Waterford. The field is divided into three districts or &apos;basins&apos;, namely, Morien basin to the south, Glace Bay in the centre, and the Lingan-Sydney Mines basin to the northeast. The eastern and western portions of the latter are known as the Lingan and the Sydney Mines basins, respectively. Six distinct coal seams are described as existing in the Morien basin, nine in the Glace Bay basin, and six in both the Lingan and the Sydney Mines basin. Although known by different names in the several basins, a definite continuity of the seams has been established.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. C. Kingston

Introduction The sliding-form method of erecting concrete structures was first devised and used in the early part of this century by the Sante Fe Railroad Company for the erection of a grain elevator at Santa Fe, New Mexico. A somewhat related principle has been employed for a number of years in shaft lining work and, to our knowledge, was perfected in Butte, Montana, but until the building of the concrete headframe at the Jeffrey mine of the Canadian Johns-Manville Company, Ltd., at Asbestos, Que., the method, as applied to surface structures, was quite foreign to the mining industry in Canada. The current shortage and cost of structural steel shapes has no doubt contributed more than any other single factor to the investigations that have led to the use of reinforced concrete as a headframe building material. Mining men in western Quebec and northern Ontario have shown a great deal of interest in the design and construction of the headframe at the East Sullivan mine in Bourlamaque township, Que., and we have had many queries regarding the methods used and, in particular, for an explanation of the sliding-form principle. This article is written in an attempt to set forth the conditions which were to be met; to explain the construction methods used, and to discuss the economy of concrete headframes as compared with the conventional steel structures with which the mining fraternity is familiar.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. P. Campbell

Foreword At the outset, it should be stated that this paper does not pretend to present a panacea for the ills that &apos;frozen&apos; wells are heir to, but rather is an attempt to bring to the attention of those whose special concern it is, a little theory and some facts, which have been brought to light recently, in connection with the problem of &apos;freezing&apos; as it applies to naphtha-producing wells in the Turner Valley field, and to draw some conclusions that follow from the facts discovered. It should also be stated that the investigation is not to be regarded as in any sense complete, but in progress. Doubtless new facts will be brought to light from time to time which may modify present ideas on the subject, but whether favourable or contrary, these will be welcomed, as the purpose of the Department is to secure as complete information as possible of the factors contributing to &apos;freezing&apos;, since this must be the first step to an intelligent attempt to remedy or prevent its occurrence, if such can be done. It is possible, too, that the cause or causes of freezing may not be the same in all cases, but whether this be so or not will have to be determined later as new information comes to hand. Introduction One of the worries which must constantly confront the operators of gas-naphtha producing wells in Turner Valley-although all, fortunately, have not met with it-is the possibility of the occurrence of what is commonly called &apos;freezing&apos; (going off production).

Jan 1, 1930

By A. Berry, N. R. Banerjee, C. S. Finnigan, M. Fayek, N. J. Bridge

Lac Cinquante is a mineralogically simple, vein-hosted uranium deposit in Archean basement rocks (Angikuni greenstone belt) that originally were unconformably overlain by Proterozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Baker Lake Group (BLG). Basement rocks are mainly pillowed and massive tholeiitic lavas (N-MORB) with interbedded tuff; overlying sedimentary rocks comprise a basal talus/fault breccia that grades upward into fluvial sedimentary rocks and subaerial, trachytic volcanic rocks; granite and porphyry dikes (Hudson and/or Nueltin granitoids) intrude the basement rocks. A typical section through the Main Zone comprises 1) laminated ‘tuff’, 2) altered (carbonate-hematite-chlorite) schistose ‘tuff’, 3) a pitchblende-bearing, breccia-vein, 4) altered ‘tuff’, and 5) laminated ‘tuff’. The vein comprises brecciated chlorite, hematite, and pitchblende with carbonate cementing the breccia. Graphitic ‘tuff’ with sulfide-stringer veinlets locally overlies or underlies the vein. Pitchblende also occurs in the altered rocks and in gash veins that cut basement rocks. U-Pb ages on pitchblende fall into two groups: one at 1828 } 29 Ma reflects primary uranium mineralization, and a second at 1437 } 31 Ma represents resetting. Pb-Pb chemical ages show other resetting events at 1260-1321Ma, 895 Ma, 741-813 Ma, and 660-706 Ma. One possible genetic model for the Lac Cinquante deposit involves leaching of uranium from granitoids and the BLG by basinal brines that migrated to depositional sites where graphitic rocks acted as a reductant. A second model requires that uranium was sole-sourced from the BLG and that granitoid rocks provided heat to drive the hydrothermal system, which leached and ultimately precipitated uranium. The deposit has characteristics similar to vein-type uranium deposits in the Beaverlodge District of Saskatchewan

Jan 1, 2013