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By J. A. Allan

The utilization of natural deposits of salt is one of the oldest industries in Alberta. In 1820, Sir James Richardson visited Salt river, and in the same year D. W. Harmon states chat "clown Slave river, there are several places, where almost any quantity of excellent dean white salt may be taken, with as much ease as sand along the seashore. From these places the greater part of the northwest is supplied with this valuable article". This reference is to the salt chat occurs around springs on Salt river at the northern boundary of the Province. This and other occurrences will be described later in this paper. It is not on account of the development of salt and gypsum in Alberta chat this paper has been prepared, but rather to draw attention to the widespread distribution of salt-bearing and gypsum-bearing rocks, and to the stratigraphic importance of these rocks . The origin of the deposits of salt, gypsum, anhydrite, and dolomite is discussed, and the economic significance of these minerals is considered. There is no salt production reported from Alberta in 1928.

Jan 1, 1929

By H. Tan

The effect of carbonaceous matter on gold extraction was investigated in cyanide systems with pure gold as well as pre-robbing sulfide gold ores. Auger studies demonstrated that the carbonaceous matter preferentially smeared on iron sulfide rather than aluminosilicate surfaces during wet or dry grinding. During mechanically mixed leaching, coating of sulfides and silicates and stripping of carbonaceous matter occurred simultaneously. TEM and XPS studies indicated preferential coating in the form of elemental (graphitic) carbon at the edges and the defect sites of particles. Interestingly, carbonaceous matter extracted from the gold ore was predominantly graphite and not preg-robbing in a solution with a high KCN concentration. However, the carbonaceous coating had a significantly detrimental effect on gold dissolution when gold was pre-ground with the gold ore. Artificial coating on gold surfaces with the natural carbonaceous matter from the ore was also found to substantially retard gold dissolution. With the addition of the natural carbonaceous matter from the gold ore, gold extraction from two non preg-robbing sulfide gold ores was inhibited owing to carbonaceous coating. The presence of carbonaceous matter significantly reduced the current density for gold oxidation and increased the current density for pyrite oxidation. This could explain the fact that carbonaceous coating hindered gold dissolution while enhanced sulfide preg-robbing.

Jan 1, 2005

By A F. Kravic

Carbonyl nickel powders of irregular particle shape and low a11parent density are used extensively in the production of porous nickel electrodes for nickel-cadmium storage batteries and hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells employing alkaline electrolytes. Such porous nickel matrices are at-tractive for these intended applications as they are relatively inexpensive, are corrosion resistant, have good electrical conductivity, can be welded to form electrical contacts, have a long life (as demonstrated in alkaline storage batteries), and are rugged and vibration and shock resistant. This paper describes a feasibility study concerning the production of porous multi-layer nickel electrodes by the pressing and sintering of stacked layers of green-powder rolled nickel sheet. Background H AUSNER (1) conveniently listed nine different powder compaction processes used for forming metal powders into useful shapes. These are shown in Table I. There are additional powder metallurgy processes; however, most of these are combinations of two or more processes listed in the Table. A study of the literature revealed that every powder compacting process, with the exception of isostatic pressing and explosive forming, has been evaluated or is being used for the manufacture of porous metal electrodes.

Jan 1, 1965

By R. V. Tomkins

Introduction In the past fifteen years, bentonite production in the United States has increased very rapidly. From l50,000 tons in l934, it rose to 400,000 tons in l 942 and to a record 920,000 tons in 1948. Occurrences of bentonite ?in western Canada were described in the early part of the century by Ries and Keele (3), Ells (2), Spence (4). and other officer of the Dominion Department of Mines, and, in Saskatchewan, Professor W. G. Worcester (6), of the University of Saskatchewan has explored and carried out tests on deposits of the material at various times during the past thirty years. Nevertheless, Canadian developments have not kept pace with those in the United States. Exact figures for total Canadian production are not released, but it is probably under l0,000 tons annually. There are a great number of uses for bentonite, but in the United States three alone account for 90 per cent of the consumption. These are for drilling gel, foundry sand bond, and oil decolorizer. The tremendous oil exploration programme on the Canadian prairies has increased the possibility of an adequate domestic market for drilling gel. Therefore, in Saskatchewan, our efforts have been directed mainly to the production of a good drilling gel, with a minor part of the project devoted to activation of bentonites for oil decolorizing.

Jan 1, 1952

By W. A. Lang

"IntroductionCARBONIZATION, gasification, and chemical utilization of coal are interrelated topics, which makes it difficult to review one without indicating its connection with the others. Hence, in Progress in Coal Technology, Series No. 5: Carbonization, reference was made to gaseous products recovered in the carbonization of coal, and .to a number of chemicals made from the tars, light oils, and ammoniacal liquors which are by-products of coal carbonization.In this, the sixth paper in the review series, prime consideration will be given to the complete gasification of coal to give a fuel for domestic industrial, or power purposes and a synthesis gas suitable for the manufacture of gasoline, Diesel oil, and chemicals. The hydrogenation of coal, an alternative source of liquid fuels and of chemicals, will be reviewed, as will be a number of processes for •the recovery of chemical products from coal by extraction and chemical treatment."

Jan 1, 1952

By William M. (Bill) Shaver

"The author will review the early history of shaft sinking as well as focus on the improvements made in shaft design and construction over the last fifty years (1970 to 2019) to predict how shaft sinking will change over the next fifty years and describe what the shaft sinking world might look like in 2070. INTRODUCTION It is a great honour to be one of your keynote speakers for the Fourth International Conference on Shaft Design and Construction being held in Toronto in November 2019. This is one of the opportunities we have to thank the Mining Companies of the world as well as the industries and companies we serve for their support of the mining contracting and shaft sinking business of Canada and the world at large. Many of these companies are represented here today. Without your support many of the innovations we will talk about today would not be possible. We would also like to thank all the companies that work with us in our business including all the contractors and suppliers who provide the various services we require. These include equipment manufacturers, engineering companies, project management companies and suppliers large and small who cater to our every need as quickly as possible. Without all these partners we would not be as good as we are. Many of these companies are our sponsors this week. Thank you from all of us! This is also an appropriate time to pause and think about those Shaft Sinkers we have lost and those who have been injured on our projects around the world. Please bow your head and remember the Shaft Sinkers you have worked with, who did not return home or those who returned home injured. Think about how we can continue the work of making shafts safer every day as we go forward with our projects so everyone goes home to their families safe and sound. Pause for a minute and thank you. The subject matter we have chosen to discuss today is “Shaft Sinking in the Next Five Decades”. How will the work be done, how fast will it be done, what will it cost, and why we think this may occur? It is appropriate to consider this over the next few days with this auspicious group we have assembled. Today, we will look back at all the advances that have been made over the last many years and look ahead to the future to attempt to predict what shaft sinking will look like in 2070. When I look around the room I recognize that many of us will not be around then so we need not worry about being wrong. Suffice it to say that the next 50 years will be very interesting and exciting for the shaft sinking business."

Jan 1, 2019

By A. Bouchard

"Based on laboratory testwork, a two-stage cleaner / re-cleaner circuit with feed regrind was proposed to replace an existing single-stage middling circuit treating a scavenger concentrate at Inco’s Clarabelle mill. In order to effectively transfer the technology and implement the new flowsheet in the plant, an extensive on-site pilot plant campaign was conducted. After demonstrating the improved metallurgy, the two-stage middlings circuit was successfully implemented at the operation.The present paper describes the on-site pilot plant testwork and the plant metallurgical improvement after implementation of the new middlings circuit. The addition of TETA / Na2S03 greatly enhanced the pentlandite selectivity against pyrrhotite and the two-stage cleaning considerably improved the pentlandite selectivity against rock minerals. The improvement was immediate after the installation of the new middlings circuit. Size by size recovery analysis indicated that a finer regrind would further improve the metallurgy of the new two-stage cleanerhe-cleaner circuit and those modifications are in progress at the mill.INTRODUCTIONThe milling operation at Inco’s Clarabelle mill has been described elsewhere (Kerr and Kipkie, 1985; Agar, 1991). While maximizing the recoveries of chalcopyrite (Cp) and pentlandite (Pn), continuous effort has been directed toward improving pyrrhotite (Po) and rock minerals (Rk) rejection. Inco discovered diethylene triamine (DETA) and triethylene triamine (TETA) (Marticorena, et al., 1994) for pyrrhotite rejection. Falconbridge further improved pyrrhotite rejection using DETA and SO2 (Kelebek, et al., 1995). No special technologies are used in the rejection of rock minerals."

Jan 1, 2001

By Maxime Tacher

BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) designs and commercializes recreational vehicles such as watercrafts, sport boats, snowmobiles, ATVs... The Spyder roadster is the last product in the Can-Am product family lineup. To remain at the forefront of innovation, a hybrid motorization version of the Spyder is being developed in order to reduce fuel consumption and emission of greenhouse gases. But, the addition of electric components (e-motor, lithium-ion battery... ) raises the issue of added weight and volume. This article deals with the mass reduction of this Spyder by optimizing its frame.

Jan 1, 2011

By W. H. De Blois

Introduction In the contact process for ?the manufacture of sulphuric acid, sulphur dioxide gas - produced by the burning of sulphur or of sulphur-bearing ores, or as a by-product in the treatment of sulphide ores - is made to combine with the oxygen of the air to form sulphur trioxide, which then only requires the addition of water to form sulphuric acid. The substance, as for example platinum, causing this combination is usually referred to as a catalyst, a convenient term, in the definition and explanation of which many pages have been written. Catalysis is now a comparatively common means of effecting chemical combination, but if the question were raised here tonight as to what actually goes on when this apparently innocent third party unites the parties of the first and second . part, without itself being altered in any way, I am afraid even our most learned members would have to confess their inability to entirely explain the phenomenon; for although the subject is under investigation, there is still much to learn. The contact process, however, is one of the outstanding achievements in chemical engineering. ? From the standpoint of the difficulties involved and the time absorbed in their solution, it probably stands alone in the field of technical chemistry. In fact, the manufacture of sulphuric acid has, from the earliest days, been surrounded with problems which have interested the ablest chemists. The Chamber System Although this paper has particularly to deal with the contact process, it may not be amiss to refer briefly to the chamber system, which was, and still is, a most important factor in the sulphuric acid industry.

Jan 1, 1927

By S. Ng, Peter Stapleton, Paul Mankowski, J. Spence, R. Siy

"Syncrude has developed a low energy extraction process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sand. This new process operates at a temperature of 25 °C, resulting in substantially lower energy costs and lower capital costs, especially for the thermal energy generation equipment. The process will be used in Syncrude’s Aurora Mine, which is scheduled for startup in mid 2000. The flowsheet for Low Energy Extraction includes hydraulic transport of oil sand slurry, and bitumen separation using collector and frother chemicals and air as process aids. A number of flow sheet innovations and optimizations have been included, resulting in the next generation of extraction technology. Experimental pilot plant results, engineering progress to date and areas of ongoing work will be discussed. SUMMARYThe Low Energy Extraction Process has been successfully developed for commercial implementation at Aurora. The 1996 100 tonne hour Field Pilot demonstrated that the bitumen recovery target could be met with an 11.1% grade oil sand. However, pilot plant bitumen recoveries for a lower grade oil sand were not acceptable. The subsequent flowsheet optimization study led to a new flowsheet for Low Energy Extraction, which includes a primary separation vessel, a flotation circuit for PSV middlings, and the use of middlings displacement in the PSV cone bottom with flotation underflow. A test program conducted in 1997 showed that the new flowsheet could significantly improve the bitumen recoveries for lower grade oil sands. Engineering work on process scale-up led to selection of a 30 meter diameter PSV, with a tangential feedwell. The successful development and commercialization of Low Energy Extraction for the Aurora Mine Project is a major enabling step in the Syncrude 21 program. The low energy requirements of this process allow Syncrude to develop the Aurora leases more cost effectively. The use of this process results in major capital cost savings, predominantly in the thermal energy infrastructure and also provides long term operating cost advantages for Syncrude."

Jan 1, 1999

By V. Songmene, A. Tahan, J. P. Michaud

The machining of thin wall parts, often used in the aeronautical industry still creates a number of problems, including panel deformation. Quality and productivity are often affected. This study seeks to determine the optimal conditions for cutting in order to guarantee a competitive fabrication of parts while still maintaining quality and delivery deadlines. The studied model (Spar) is a typical structural part used in the assembly of airplane wings. The main objective of this study was to improve two performance aspects: surface quality finish (quality criteria) and the rate of cutting by stock removal (economic criteria). To achieve this objective, we used an evaluation process of the geometrical error issuing from the machine-tool. We also determined the stability zones of the machine-tool's dynamic system. Finally, a series of high-speed machining tests (finishing cuts) were conducted using an experimental structured approach (16 000 - 24 000 rpm). Profile measures of surface roughness and cycle times registered during trials allowed us to establish optimal cutting conditions. Surface roughness improved as well as cutting by stock removal. Four parameters were taken into consideration: axial depth of cut, chip load, spindle speed, and cutting fluid. Finally, the influence of the type of cutting fluid was evaluated to show that it did not significantly affect machining results.

Jan 1, 2006

By E. Allen

Quebec Cartier Mining Company operates approximately two hundred and fifty pieces of equipment in a climate with a temperature that has averaged 27.5°F during the last seven years. The use of special-purpose lubricants, fuels, antifreeze, rubber compounds, and alloy steels have reduced the cold-weather hazards. In some areas, high-cost cold-weather protective heating devices are being eliminated with experience.

Jan 1, 1966

By N. K. Jaber

The "Pidgeon Process" for the extraction of magnesium from dolomite ore utilizing ferrosilicon as the reducing agent has been studied extensively by active metallurgists such Mr L,M, Pidgeon the father of this process, Most of the work sited so far has focused on heating the (FeSi/MgO,CaO) briquette mix under vacuum in stainless steel retorts by external fuel hydrocarbon heating, In this work Electrical Induction Heating was employed as the heating method whereby the briquette mix was placed in a steel crucible around which an Induction Heating copper coil was wound and placed inside in a stainless steel vacuum tank, It was observed that by virtue of the fast Induction Heating method utilized in the silicothermic extraction process higher reduction temperatures were reached in shorter periods of time due to fast heat transport into the ore charge mix, This facilitated shorter metal reduction times as compared to the conventional fuel heating methods.

Jan 1, 2006

By Larry B. Smith

"Feasibility studies are the means by which mineral reserves are established prior to financing a project. However, guidelines are generally lacking for the content, data quality and accuracy of these studies. Regulators take a principle-based rather than prescriptive approach to the content of studies and look to the industry to define study content. Professional organizations, engineering firms and mining companies must eventually establish guidelines and best practices for this work. Most likely these will draw on standards or “stage gates” that have been developed by major mining houses and engineering firms. Engineering studies must: 1.,Define optimal mining and processing methods, production rates, infrastructure, product sales, environmental management and risk mitigation. 2.,Increase confidence in resources, reserves, production plans, processing performance, infrastructure design, environmental management, permitting, capital and operating costs, and financial performance to support financing. 3.,Provide engineering designs suitable for accurate cost estimates. 4.,Develop project execution plans with sufficient confidence that project delays and cost overruns will not occur. Conceptual (scoping, preliminary assessment) Establish the principal characteristics of the project from the geology, resources, metallurgy and development constraints. Assess different approaches to mining and processing. Identify project execution requirements. Test project viability with economic analyses. Recommend additional work to increase the confidence in geology, resources, metallurgical performance, infrastructure, operating and capital costs, environmental conditions and permitting to allow selection of the best development options."

Jan 1, 2003

By Pier-Olivier Devin, Daniel Hodouin, Maryam Sadeghi, COREM, Claude Bazin, François Lavoie

"Spiral concentrators are used for processing coal and heavy minerals such as it is the case for the concentration of iron oxide from light silica gangue. The concentration process for iron ore usually consists of a rougher bank of spirals followed by two stages of spiral cleaning. The process control applied to the concentration circuit aims at maintaining a target iron content of the final concentrate and is mainly conducted by adjusting the wash water addition and the position of the splitter gates at the discharge of the spiral. This paper describes the use of a simulator to study control strategies for a gravity concentration circuit using spirals.INTRODUCTION The Canadian iron ore mines are located in the Northern part of Quebec and in Labrador (Neal, 2000). These iron ores consist mainly of hematite with some ore bodies rich in magnetite and ilmenite. The processing of the coarse hematite iron ore consists of the extraction from an open pit mine, followed by the conventional crushing and autogeneous grinding of the ore to obtain a particle size smaller than 1.2 mm. The ground ore assaying 40% hematite (Fe2O3) with quartz (SiO2) as the main gangue is processed by spirals to produce an iron oxide concentrate assaying 90 to 95% hematite.Spirals separate the particles according to their specific gravity and size (Burt, 1984; Bazin et al., 2014). These environment friendly devices have been used for decades and are still used for the preparation of coal and for the concentration of heavy minerals such as iron oxide (Staff, 1977; Wills, 1992). However very little information is available concerning the control of gravity concentration circuits. This paper analyzes the control practice of a gravity concentration circuit using a simulator. The paper consists of 3 sections. The first section describes the operation of spirals and spiral concentration circuits. The second section briefly describes the simulator and shows some simulation results for a gravity concentration circuit. The third section shows the application of the simulator for the study of control strategies for a spiral concentration circuit."

Jan 1, 2016

By Y. M. Shneerson, V. M/ Shpaer, E. E. Zhmarin, A. Y. Lapin, E. M. Vigdorchik

This paper describes studies of zinc concentrate oxidizing pressure leaching using the method of mathematical modeling. The concept of a kinetic function was taken as a basis for mathematical modeling of the leaching process. The kinetic function describes dependence of the unreacted component share OJ on the relative time x (the relative time is the ratio of the test duration and the time of complete dissolution). This kinetic function is determined in accordance with the results of batch laboratory tests. The laboratory tests have been carried out on zinc concentrate produced from Kazakhstan zinc-copper ores. Zinc concentrate consisted mainly of three types of minerals: sphalerite (70%), pyrite (13%) and chalcopyrite (10%). Oxidation reactions of sphalerite, pyrite and chalcopyrite have been considered as principal ones. The kinetic characteristics of the process (kinetic function, reaction order, activation energy, duration of complete dissolution of the concentrate components) have been calculated in the course of laboratory tests. The mathematical model was used for estimation of the main technological leaching process parameters (such as process rate, degree of metals extraction, autoclave capacity, heat balance, etc.). Mathematical modeling based on the kinetic function concept allows safe designing of metallurgical equipment and scaling the technology to industrial capacity.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. C. Rudolph

"THE TOPIC on which I am speaking this afternoon is ""The Future of the Canadian Oil Industry.'' At the time of C + 100, we should take a searching look at ourselves, an honest appraisal of our achievements and a forthright accounting of our shortcomings as well as the uniquely Canadian aspects of this industry. I would like to put before you some of my views on the direction we are taking in the exploration field and in the production field. I would also like to speak briefly on some of our problems and the role of the various segments of our industry in solving these problems.First of all, let us look at the exploration picture. We are in the midst of an exploration boom. There were 133 seismic crews active in Western Canada this winter, the highest since 1957, land prices are appreciating rapidly, Canadian oil reserves increased + 16 per cent during 1966, there is a great demand for technical personnel of every kind and the whole industry, except the drilling segment, seems to be prospering. This surge of activity has its roots in two major occurrences. The first of these was the change in the pro-ration system in Alberta, the major producing province, accompanied by the change in spacing pat-terns. The proration change was designed primarily to encourage in-creased exploration and it has certainly had this effect. It has also had the unforeseen effect of put-ting everyone into what we, in the oil business, call ""elephant hunting."" In other words, the days of the development of barely economic, marginal fields are over. Oil companies today are only interested in high-reserve, high-productivity, high-quality reservoirs."

Jan 1, 1968

By Derrick Hunter, Pat Feighan, Keith Chrystall, David Wells

"Equipment which may be remotely operated, has some degree of on-board intelligence, and which for periods of time may operate autonomously, is referred to as telerobotic. Recent advances in electronics, computers and hydraulic equipment have dramatically reduced the cost and simplified the process of converting standard industrial equipment to telerobotic control. The benefits of telerobotic equipment include improved safety by removing the operator from dangerous situations, reduced maintenance costs and increased productivity. This technology has been proven in various military, nuclear, and police applications.The surface mining industry has expressed an interest in automation and is characterized by a willingness to use remotely operated equipment, however, the majority of telerobotic equipment currently in use is experimental or prototypical. Potential applications of telerobotic equipment for surface mining include remote operation of equipment near dangerous high walls and other unsafe areas, utilization of robotic trucks for routine hauling operations, and control of jointed equipment. In addition, component technologies of telerobotic systems are relevant to various forms of condition monitoring, operator feedback systems, and vehicle positioning.Attention must now be directed toward resolving more complex problems associated with enhancing feedback to the operator, improving the man/machine interface, and ultimately, improving efficiency. Removal of the human operator from the work site introduces significant complications in replacing the sensory inputs that an operator normally uses to efficiently run his machinery. These can be difficult to define and even more difficult to replicate remotely and may include restrictions pertaining to vision, hearing, and touch.In cooperation with Defence Research Establishment Suffield and the Alberta Research Council, Robotech Industries Ltd. is pursuing the development of additional technologies to further enhance an operator’s ability to control remote telerobotic equipment. These developments include a head-mounted display, additional control station displays and improvements to coordinated motion control software. Prototypes of these developments are expected to be completed and tested by the fourth quarter of 1997."

Jan 1, 1996

By W. H. Fertl, S. J. Pirson

Well logging techniques, as used successfully in oil and gas exploration, can also be used to give a detailed evaluation of drill holes through industrial mineral deposits such as sulphur. This paper describes the logging tools used gives the theory behind the well-log interpretation and discusses the application of the method in sulphur-bearing limestone and m more complex sulphur deposits.

Jan 1, 1970

By Lionel A. York

This paper outlines the type of water-bearing formations encountered in the Prairie Sediments and describes a method for effectively sealing these zones in order that shaft-sinking operations may be carried out with safety. Details are given of the procedure for carrying probe holes ahead of the shaft bottom. These probe or grout holes are employed for establishing a series of overlapping grout covers around the proposed shaft excavation to safeguard against large inflows of water during sinking. The pattern and length of grout covers cannot be standardized, and each cover needs to be specially designed to suit the varying ground conditions. In order to provide effective protection through the Prairie Sediments, the number of holes in any one cover would not be less than 8, and possibly as many as 64 would be required in certain zones. The length of covers would vary from 100 ft. to 250 ft. Emphasis is placed on the need for obtaining accurate geological and water information from exploratory holes, drilled in the shaft vicinity, in order to effectively plan all grout covers.

Jan 1, 1964