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By J. W. Bingay

The expansion of the mining industry, with other industries, of course, is dependent upon a supply of fresh capital from year to year. Mining is a speculative form of investment, though there is a wide range of risk as between indiudual undertakings. All of the leading financial writers, nowadays, agree that expansion is being seriously interfered with by the unprecedented load of taxation Canadians are carrying. Individuals have less for investment and corporations are obliged to defer necessary expenditures in order that the demands of the taxing authorities may be met. Naturally, speculative investments such as mining exploration suffer first. Undoubtedly, a great deal of cash raised by taxes, if left in the hands of individuals and corporations for investment and expansion, would have been far more beneficially used and would have developed the country more than any use made of it by the government, in the way of bonusing new industries, or the undertaking of large schemes of development. Government undertakings of this nature are often entered into without a proper knowledge of cost and probable return. Expert expenditure of the same sums by business men or corporations undoubtedly would generally produce more prosperity for the country as a whole. The absolute necessity for lower taxation is being increasingly known to the public at large, and eventually it is hoped that our governments will see the economic impossibility of continuing the present rate of expenditure. The successful Finance Minister of the near future will not be the one who can borrow the most money.

Jan 1, 1924

By Kiran B. Chaudhuri, Michael Koch, Jorg Lema Patino

"Stricter pollution regulations together with other factors have stimulated interest in the modernization of the traditional sinter - blast-furnace lead operation. In this context, direct smelting methods have again come into prominence. Consequently, the Kivcet Lead Smelting Process, which belongs to this group, has attracted the attention of the lead producers of the world. The Kivcet Process offers the advantage that lead and zinc can be simultaneously recovered in a single furnace unit. KHD Humboldt Wedag A G, Koln, Federal Republic of Germany, has signed a contract with the Sociedad Complejo Metalurgico de Karachipampa of Bolivia for the delivery of a turn-key Kivcet plant, which is expected to be the first plant of its kind in commercial operation. This paper describes the design and expected operating data of the plant."

Jan 1, 1980

By Jiachen Wang

Longwall top-coal caving mining is one of the major mining methods for extracting thick coal seams in China. The top-coal caving longwall mining was began to use in the 1980s in China, and got the rapid development. The development of the top-coal caving mining technology in China, the achievements and the theoretical aspects progress of this method are described in detail in this paper. And the main technical model of China's top-coal caving mining is introduced in this paper. This paper also introduces the application of large-cutting-height mining in China and the technical level it has reached.

Aug 1, 2013

By M. E. Grimes

"The future of the uranium industry in Canada during the next twenty years will be very dependent on political and social issues on a world scale. Technology, as such, will tend to be of lesser importance. Nonetheless, some technical changes can be anticipated.This paper deals with milling of uranium ore, leaving further processing and nuclear power production to specialists in these fields. An attempt has been made to look at uranium production technology in Canada in relation to that in other countries, and to draw interference regarding future changes that seem probable in the Canadian context. In particular, recent advances in mill equipment are considered.The chemistry of uranium and its relatively low concentration in most ores has been responsible for a completely hydrometallurgical approach to mill processing, and this should continue. In spite of little commercial success to date, pre-concentration of lower grade ores will be researched further in order that these ores can compete with higher grade deposits in Canada.The discovery of the relatively high-grade ores of the Athabasksa region will undoubtedly influence choice of mill processes and equipment. The potential effect on innovations is discussed"

Jan 1, 1986

By M. Jarvis, D. B. Dreisinger, T. Hitchins

Mineral carbonation (MC) has been extensively researched all over the world since it was found as a natural exothermic process to permanently and safely sequester CO2. In order to accelerate the natural process, various methods for carbonation of Mg-/Ca-silicate minerals and other industrial wastes have been studied. It has been found that the MC efficiency will increase with an increase of CO2 pressure, retention time, temperature, mass ratio of Mg or Ca to Si in minerals, specific surface area, and the slurry concentration in a specific range, and with the introduction of an effective catalysts, for example, 1M NaCl and 0.64M NaHCO3 or carbonic anhydrase. However, there still is not a successful industrial application because of high economic cost and slow reaction rate. It is not economic to exploit Mg- and Ca-silicate minerals deposits or tailings to sequester CO2 by MC, due to the cost of grinding and heat pre-treatment and in some cases the whole sequestration process may result in more CO2 emissions than the amount of CO2 sequestered, due to the requirements of energy inputs. The process however, may be profitable as a whole (with carbon credits). It is suggested to combine MC with recovery of valuable metals from ore deposits in order to reduce the cost for MC by cost sharing for mineral recovery.

Jan 1, 2017

By Harold L. Gibson, Don H. Rousell, Ian R. Jonasson

"Abstract - The Sudbury Structure consists of three major components: 1) the Sudbury Basin; 2) the Sudbury Igneous Complex which surrounds the basin as an elliptical collar; and 3) an outer zone of shatter-coned and intensely brecciated footwall rocks. Although the Sudbury Event which formed the structure may be unique, the area has, in fact, been shaped by a series of tectonic, magmatic and mineralization events which can be considered in terms of two Wilson cycles of continental extension and closure. The first cycle, from 2500 to 1700 Ma, included the following events: doming (uplift of Levack Gneiss Complex); NE-SW extension (Matachewan dikes); N-S to NW-SE rifting (faults, mafic intrusions, sedimentation, and Ni-Cu-PGE and U mineralization); NW-SE extension (Nipissing diabase, and Ni-Cu-PGE, Ag, Co mineralization); and NW-SE and NE-SW closure (Penokean Orogeny, 1900 to 1700 Ma) with superimposed meteorite impact (1850 Ma, Ni-Cu- PGE, Zn-Cu-Pb deposits). The second cycle, from 1700 to 1000 Ma, included: N-S extension (alkali metasomatism, Au); N-S extension (hornblende diabase dikes along the Murray fault set); NNESSW extension (olivine diabase dikes); NE-SW extension (Fecunis Lake fault set); and NW-SE closure (Grenvillian Orogeny).The rich and diverse Ni-Cu-PGE and subordinate Zn-Pb-Cu and Au mineralization of the Sudbury region is related to endogenic and impact-triggered crustal extension and magmatism. The Sudbury Structure apparently was the site of a triple junction or hot-spot. The Sudbury ores, although located within an impact structure, are analogous in terms of age and tectonic setting to Ni-Cu-PGE and Zn-Pb-Cu ores elsewhere in the world. Meteorite impact accentuated on-going ore forming processes and magmatism at Sudbury."

Jan 1, 1997

By Harold L. Gibson, Don H. Rousell, Ian R. Jonasson

"The Sudbury Structure consists of three major components: 1) the Sudbury Basin; 2) the Sudbury Igneous Complex which surrounds the basin as an elliptical collar; and 3) an outer zone of shatter-coned and intensely brecciated footwall rocks. Although the Sudbury Event which formed the structure may be unique, the area has, in fact, been shaped by a series of tectonic, magmatic and mineralization events which can be considered in terms of two Wilson cycles of continental extension and closure. The first cycle, from 2500 to 1700 Ma, included the following events: doming (uplift of Levack Gneiss Complex); NE-SW extension (Matachewan dikes); N-S to NW-SE rifting (faults, mafic intrusions, sedimentation, and Ni-Cu-PGE and U mineralization); NW-SE extension (Nipissing diabase, and Ni-Cu-PGE, Ag, Co mineralization); and NW-SE and NE-SW closure (Penokean Orogeny, 1900 to 1700 Ma) with superimposed meteorite impact (1850 Ma, Ni-Cu- PGE, Zn-Cu-Pb deposits). The second cycle, from 1700 to 1000 Ma, included: N-S extension (alkali metasomatism, Au); N-S extension (hornblende diabase dikes along the Murray fault set); NNESSW extension (olivine diabase dikes); NE-SW extension (Fecunis Lake fault set); and NW-SE closure (Grenvillian Orogeny).The rich and diverse Ni-Cu-PGE and subordinate Zn-Pb-Cu and Au mineralization of the Sudbury region is related to endogenic and impact-triggered crustal extension and magmatism. The Sudbury Structure apparently was the site of a triple junction or hot-spot. The Sudbury ores, although located within an impact structure, are analogous in terms of age and tectonic setting to Ni-Cu-PGE and Zn-Pb-Cu ores elsewhere in the world. Meteorite impact accentuated on-going ore forming processes and magmatism at Sudbury."

Jan 1, 1997

By E. W. Williams

THE Ontario Research Foundation has developed a process for producing low-density steel shapes by direct reduction of iron oxide powders. The process is a combination of reduction, sintering (without compaction), and carburizing, and has been described by Cavanagh (1). Iron oxide powder, in the form of mill scale or highly concentrated iron ore, carefully sized, is poured into a porous mould. A reducing agent, generally coke breeze, is placed around this mould in a heat resistant sagger which is sealed off and heated to 2,000°F. for a number of hours. The coke/ ore ratio, the particle size distribution, the temperature and time of soaking, and the size and shape of the reduced product, determine the densities and carbon contents attained. The Defence Research Board sponsored a programme of research into some of the mechanical properties of the material (which was named Controlled Density Steel) and this paper is an account of various factors which govern the tensile strength of the steel. The ?practically attainable range of density is from 1.5 to 5.5 gm./ cc. but higher densities are obtained on hot working. This paper, however, is restricted to discussion of results for moulded products.

Jan 1, 1957

By Steve Dismuke, Tom Diment

In December 1994, Polaris decided to investigate the use of cemented rockfill (CRF) to supplement the existing frozen rockfill system. Extraction plans for the remaining ore reserves required a backfill with superior stiffness proper-ties and capable of developing high early strengths. Although CRF has been used success-fully at several mining operations, there was the additional challenge of making a reliable cemented product in permafrost conditions. There was also the challenge of procuring and storing one year’s supply (13 000 tonnes) of bulk cement. By the spring of 1995, following three months of research, test work and process design, the decision was made to proceed with the procurement and construction of a 3000 tpd batch plant. An ambitious completion date of December 1995 was set. Team Manufacturing of Langley, British Columbia was awarded the contract, complete with the considerable task of having the batch plant fabricated and ready for sea lift shipment by August, 1995.

Jan 1, 1996

By A. M. Hill

"This is an account of the expansion of Texasgulf's Timmins concentrator by the building of a fourth circuit.The original capacity of the mine and concentrator was 3.6 million tons per year of ore. In 1974, Texasgulf decided to increase that capacity by about one third to 4.8 million tons per year. It was planned that the increased capacity would be available by mid-1978.The expansion involved work at the rninesite, increased railroad capacity, and a new circuit in the concentrator, and it is the concentrator expansion which is described here.In 1974, the minesite drew its ore from the open pit. The pit was being phased out and was to be replaced by No. 1 mine. To allow for the expansion, a second mine was required. The railroad was capable of handling 18 car trains. Its capacity had to be increased to 27 cars per train and this, in turn, required two new locomotives. Each of these alone cost half a million dollars.The concentrator building in 1974 contained the concentrating equipment and miscellaneous services (such as machine shop, warehouse, analytical lab). The grinding and flotation sections were divided into three circuits ('A', 'B', & 'C'). 'A' and 'B' circuits treated copper-zinc ore and 'C' circuit treated the much more difficult copperzinc- lead ore. This 'C' circuit had been modified over the years to implement improvements in the metallurgy."

Jan 1, 1979

By H. N. Tran, D. Barham

"A systematic survey of the appropriate literature in terms of phase equilibria and possible reactions involving deposits in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) incinerators are analyzed particularly with respect to the theoretical first melting points of typical ashes and the possible presence of a liquid phase at the temperature of ash-metal interface. Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the possible presence or absence of various metal chlorides and sulphates in such situations, and their effects on the problems of fouling and metal corrosion. From preliminary results, it would appear that ZnCl2 is unlikely to be present in any molten phase which causes corrosion because it evaporates rapidly from such liquids. It would also appear that PbCl2 and, by inference, ZnCl2 will sulphate at relatively low temperatures if the flue gas contains SO2 and O2.IntroductionMunicipal Solid Waste (MSW) incinerators produce fly ash which deposits on heat transfer surfaces throughout the furnace, leading to corrosion and loss of energy recovery efficiency. Despite a massive amount of research carried out on the subject of corrosion in MSW incinerators, the problem of corrosion of heat transfer metal is still with us, and no definite over-all cause and effect relationship has yet been identified. In order to make a contribution to the eventual solution of this problem, the authors have examined the problem from the beginning, using their knowledge of fouling and corrosion problems in black liquor recovery boilers as a starting point.The incineration of MSW has been used for many years to reduce the volume of material sent to landfill (ash volume compared to raw waste volume), and, in most cases, to recover energy at the same time by raising steam The steam may be ""low- or high pressure/ temperature"" depending on its end use. The higher the steam pressure and temperature, the greater seem to be the problems with corrosion of heat exchanger metal, presumably because the metal must withstand higher surface temperatures.The chemical and physical composition of MSW is extremely variable, not only on a regional basis, seasonal basis, and day-today basis, but also on a minute-by-minute basis, due to the inhomogeneity of MSW. This makes it extremely difficult to define cause and effect relationships, because both cause and effect are transient in nature."

Jan 1, 1991

By A. Alfantazi

Recently, titanium and its alloys have been the materials of choice for the liner and internal components of autoclaves used to extract Ni and Co from laterite ores. There have been many corrosion incidents ranging from localized attacks due to scale formation or welding, to damage caused by pockets of concentrated acid. Most of the literature focuses on methods to avoid the corrosion altogether. Little has been published to increase awareness of the chemistry at these conditions. For this paper, a literature review of the thermodynamics of titanium was undertaken to decipher the slew of information available. E-pH diagrams were constructed from select data and compared with the results of electrochemical experiments. Since nickel laterite leaching takes place in sulphuric acid, and in many cases chloride concentrations are very high, the Ti-H2O, Ti-Cl--H2O and Ti-SO4---H2O systems were considered.

Jan 1, 2004

By Andrew J. Troop

"VAUGHAN THOMPSON designed the Thompson retrievable diamond drill wedge and reaming assembly in 1948. Since 1950, the Hudson Bay Exploration and Development Company, Limited has used the method extensively. The wedge, setting tool, and reamer have been modified slightly since they were first introduced. In 1951, Mr. Thompson designed the Thompson arc cutter. The purpose of this tool is to decrease effectively the diameter of the arc cut, using standard drilling tools. This directional drilling device is usually employed when a branch hole is desired. The Thompson arc cutter has been used with success at Birch Lake, Saskatchewan, at the property of Cuprus Mines, Limited, Manitoba, and at Thompson Lake, Manitoba.UsesThe Thompson retrievable wedge provides a simple method for:(1) Re-drilling lost core sections(2) Re-sampling sections of old holes(3) By-passing lost tools Correcting the direction of a hole(4) Drilling a branch hole to obtain intersections at a higher elevation than the original holePrevious to the spring of 1951, the wedge was used only for the first four of these purposes. Recently it has been employed extensively for drilling branch holes."

Jan 1, 1953

By P. Z. Caverhill

In this section of the province only the most meagre of surveys have been made and because these are not sufficient to determine with any degree of accuracy even the total forest area, the information presented in this paper is not complete. Area: -The area south of the Canadian National, and served by the Pacific Great Eastern, is roughly 38,000. square miles, 30,000 of which is classed as productive. This is approximately equal to the productive area of Norway, or half of Finland-or of 30 per cent of Sweden. It is larger than that of either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Eliminating from the productive area 3600 square miles of grass-land and areas capable of agricultural development, 26,000 square miles (16,600,000 acres) remains as absolute forest-land, as compared with the 55,000,000 acres of Sweden, the 37,500,000 acres of Finland, the 17,000,000 acres of Norway, and the 7,600,000 acres of Austria.

Jan 1, 1925

"THE GOLD MINING REGION of Timmins - Val d'Or, astride the Ontario-Quebec border, has long suffered the effects of rising costs during the period when the U.S. price of gold was fixed at $35 per ounce. The federal government, through such assistance programs as that set up under the Emergency Gold Mining Assistance Act (E.G.M.A. ) in 1948, has subsidized the gold mining communities of Canada for a total of over $300 million to March 31, 1972. Of this, the Timmins - Val d'Or ""gold belt"" has received more than twothirds, almost $220 million. In spite of these continuous subsidies, only 12 gold mines are still producing in the Timmins - Val d'Or belt, whereas 71 mines have received subsidies for some period since 1948. The vital question is how the communities previously supported principally by the mining of gold will survive in the long run, as many of the older mines either are already depleted or are quickly becoming so. With the rising price of gold on the 'free market in recent months, prospects look a little brighter for the time being. Even with the increased official price of U.S. $38, which made the maximum government subsidized price about $48 per ounce, gold mines have not sold any gold to the government since January 1972 and some stopped doing so months before that. The populace of the region has not been enthusiastic about relocation nor about extensive retraining programs in the past and probably will not be in the future. So, when the remaining gold mines become depleted, the old problems of community depression will remain."

Jan 1, 1973

By M. K. Senicie

IN July, 1937, Asbestos Corporation, Limited, installed an automatic conveyor-belt scale at their King mine, Thetford Mines. The equipment was purchased 'on trial' and its performance has proved entirely satisfactory to the staff. The scale was manufactured by the Toledo Scale Company, of Toledo (Ohio) and Windsor (Ont.) and was installed by one of the Scale Company's engineers. The electrical recording equipment was installed by Keith Mercer, Reg'd, of Montreal, Canadian agents for the manufacturers, the Builders Iron Foundry, of Providence, Rhode Island. The recording equipment consists of a duplex weight-transmitter attached to the scale-head, a duplex totalizer with differential relays, a belt-speed compensator, a rate-of-delivery recorder, and a rate-of-delivery indicator. As it was desired to run the mill at maximum capacity, it was necessary to know the rate of feed at all times, so that any lessening of rate of feed or delays would be recorded and could be corrected. After having determined the rate of feed to the mill (100 per cent capacity), it was required to have weighing and recording instruments which would show: (1) The rate of feed per hour. (2) Any variations .in the load. (3) Any delays and the duration and time of the delays. Rate of tonnage recorders in the mill superintendent's office and at the point of feedi.ng were necessary, as was automatic control between the mill superintendent and the feed man. It was desired to have a permanent record of total tonnage fed per shift or day; weighing and recording mechanism had to have sensitivity to record all previously mentioned conditions. Mechanism had to be of rugged construction, and be so built that it would stay in good operating condition, with the minimum amount of adjustment and supervision.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. D. Smith

Numerous studies have shown the potential of air rate profiling to significantly improve the flotation performance of a bank of cells. To date many profiles have been implemented; balanced, increasing, decreasing and combinations of these. Previous work has typically shown using an increasing air rate profile, where the air rates are increased proportionally to each cell down the bank, yields a higher grade for a given recovery compared to other profiles. Air rate profiling can then be thought of as having two distinct components; determining the correct distribution of a given volume of air and, perhaps more importantly determining the correct total volume of air to add to the bank. To date no method for this second component has been established. In an alternative technique the air rate to each cell is adjusted in order to optimise the air recovery from that cell. Air recovery is the fraction of the inlet air which overflows the weir of a cell as unburst bubbles. The peak in air recovery (PAR) is a robust measurement that indicates optimal performance for the operating conditions in the cell, and sets the PAR air rate. By doing this for each cell in the bank, the optimal total air rate to the bank and the optimal distribution of that air can be simultaneously determined. In this study plant trials evaluated different air rate profiles, and profiling based on PAR. The total air rates to the bank for all profiles tested were approximately equal, allowing direct comparison. The results showed that the highest cumulative mineral recovery was achieved by operating at air rates which gave the PAR for each cell down the bank. Different distributions of the same total air rate to the bank gave the same cumulative upgrade ratio, but lower cumulative recoveries. In this study, the increase in cumulative mineral recovery, at the same upgrade ratio, was more than 33%. Peak in air recovery (PAR) based optimisation of air rates to banks of cells and to the individual cells has been shown to significantly improve flotation performance as it simultaneously determines the optimal air rate to the bank, and the optimal distribution of that air.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jonathan Peck, Jim Gray

"With the implementation of more advanced monitoring, control and locating systems in surface mines, there is an ever increasing need for their mine-wide integration toward achieving over-all optimization. AQUILA Mining Systems Ltd. is developing the basis for a comprehensive real-time monitoring, control and information system called the Total Mining System or TMS. This system is being designed to address both current and future needs of open pit mines toward improving productivity and minimizing costs, through better two-way information flow between each component in the operation. At a basic level, feedback from equipment and process monitoring will enable decision making to be based on quantitative, on-demand information, thus permitting proactive rather than reactive planning. Dynamic planning would be a valuable tool as market conditions fluctuate, equipment fleets age and variations in the grade, quality, geometry and hardness of the mined material all contribute to either changing production targets or levels of achievable performance. Such a capability could be implemented within the next two years.At a higher level, and within five years, autonomous operation and/or real-time supervisory control of mobile and stationary equipment in open pit mines will be achieved. A discussion is provided in regard to the development and implementation of an autonomous haultruck and blasthole drill, to demonstrate the need for such a system.This paper outlines a preliminary program for the design, development and implementation of this system, primarily in relation to high-level communications and its role in the future automation of open pit mobile equipment."

Jan 1, 1995

By R. W. Diamond

Introduction THE Sullivan mine and the milling, smelting, and refining operations of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company are sufficiently well known to make unnecessary anything more than a very brief account of the events which led up to this Company's branching out into the chemical industry. This development is the result of the 26 per cent sulphur content of the Sullivan ore. Seventy-five to eighty per cent of this sulphur enters the mill tailing, which is stocked at Kimberley. The remainder, contained in the lead and zinc concentrate, is burned off in the first treatments at Trail. Prior to this new development, the sulphur gas was wasted to the atmosphere. In spire of its great dilution with air and discharge from stacks at high elevations above the plant, some damage to vegetation close to the plant was experienced. It had always been apparent that this sulphur should be recovered and utilized if possible, at the same rime relieving, or curing, the smoke nuisance, and constant studies with this in view had, therefore, been maintained. One of the early conclusions reached was that the Canadian prairies would ultimately require large quantities of phosphate fertilizers, as had been the experience of older countries, and that these fertilizers would constitute a large outlet for sulphuric acid which could be made from smelter gases. This conclusion prompted a widespread search for phosphate rock, particularly in British Columbia and western Alberta, with the result that low-grade beds were discovered in the Crowsnest district and to the north therefrom through extensive areas (1). Following these discoveries, an experimental plant was built at Trail for the production of triple superphosphate in order to facilitate field-tests in fertilizing prairie lands.

Jan 1, 1934

By Peter C. Jones

Owing to the inadequacy of the ore transport system at Cassiar in the late 1960's, a new facility was required. This paper traces the various alternatives considered and gives a description of the tram line as installed. The problems encountered, changes made and future modifications are discussed in detail, together with the effects these have on maintenance and operations.

Jan 1, 1978