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By R. R. Rogers

ABSTRACT The experiments described demonstrate that crude commercial lithium containing in the order of 0.5 per cent sodium can be refined, the resulting metal containing as low as 0.001 per cent sodium. During the process, the metal is vaporized and condensed at a gauge pressure of less than 0.04 micron. Considerable operating data and a detailed description of the experimental equipment are included. INTRODUCTION DUE TO THE unusual properties of lithium metal, its use is likely to increase considerably during the next few years (1, 2). This is of particular interest to Canadians because there are important deposits of lithium-containing minerals, especially spodumene, in Canada and it is hoped that lithium compounds and lithium metal will be produced from these deposits in the fairly near future. In order to assist in the development of this industry, the Mines Branch of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys has initiated a programme of research in lithium metallurgy. In 1948, a paper (4) was published on methods of producing lithium metal and its alloys. Data on the corrosion resistance of some lithium alloys were included. In 1949, a paper (3) was published which showed that the addition of a small percentage of lithium to zinc anodes used for cathodic protection will improve their usefulness under certain circumstances.

Jan 1, 1951

By E. Sharifi, B. Komishke, R. Heffel, D. Schwartz

"The oil sands resources in Canada are one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon deposits. Processing of oil sands uses hot water to extract bitumen. The process generates tailings slurry that must be settled for final deposition. The tailings contain fine material, with poor water release characteristics which makes water recovery challenging. Polymer flocculants are added to assist in settling and dewatering the fine tailings. The amount of polymer addition is dependent on tailings characteristics, including the particle size distribution (PSD). If the PSD of the tailings is unknown, an excess amount of polymer needs to be added in the dewatering stage to flocculate the particles. Over flocculation also has a detrimental effect on the water release characteristics. Measuring the particle size distribution using an on-line analyzer could have major benefits over common laboratory methods as it provides online and fast insight into the process enabling the operators to implement required changes to minimize the reagent consumption, while achieving optimal flocculation. Online measurement of PSD using laser diffraction has long been used in base metals beneficiation processes. A series of test work using Outotec PSI500® particle size analyzer on oil sands samples from different operations have been conducted. Tests were performed by recirculating the slurry in closed circuit to simulate real plant conditions. This paper presents a summary of the results.INTRODUCTION Canada’s oil sands are the third largest reserves of crude oil in the world, with an estimated 165.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil (Government of Alberta 2016). Oil sands are a mixture of sand, water, clay and bitumen. Bitumen is a form of oil that is too heavy or thick to flow or be pumped without being diluted or heated. About 20% of bitumen reserves are close enough to surface to be mined. In mining methods, oil sand is transported from an open pit mine to the processing plant and bitumen is separated from solids and water. The separation process involves ore preparation, such as addition of hot water, steam and caustic (NaOH), followed by gravity separation and froth treatment (Masliyah et al. 2004). A general scheme of the extraction process is presented in Figure 1."

Jan 1, 2018

By Ashley Tews

In 2005, we automated a forklift-based Hot Metal Carrier to be capable of typical metal transfer operations around a smelter. The project was highly successful and the vehicle has demonstrated hundreds of hours of live autonomous operations to thousands of people from industry and the public. As a result of the exposure and success of the project, we have expanded its focus to demonstrate how various technology components can be utilised to gain benefits in other areas of industrial operations. These include asset tracking, vehicle usage analysis, pedestrian detection and infrastructure profiling. Each of these components was derived from the core autonomous vehicle technology suite and has shown a high potential for improving safety and efficiency of vehicle-related operations, and improved diagnostic processes for measuring deformations of bakes and furnaces. The autonomous vehicle project and its extended technologies are described in this paper.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. Olaf Sund

"The New Brunswick gypsum and an-hydrite deposits make up part of the Windsor group in the Upper Mississippian. The present deposits were formed by surface hydration of the underlying anhydrite beds. The sub-hydrate, hydrate, and di-hydrate stages of gypsum are formed from the anhydrite by this hydration. The anhydrite was precipitated from sea water in embayments that were separated from the sea by a reef or bay-mouth bar. The anhydrite is the original form of the calcium sulphate precipitate.One gypsum deposit near Plaster Rock in northern New Brunswick was precipitated from sea water directly as gypsum, which is its present form."

Jan 1, 1960

By A. J. Goodman

Introduction The position of Turner Valley in the foothills of Alberta, some thirty-five miles southwest of Calgary, is too well known to need further description. This attempt to interpret in detail the nature of the structure, and its relationship to neighbouring structures, together with general observations on the foothills belt, is based on work carried out in the office of the Supervisory Mining Engineer, at Calgary. The object in view was the correlation of the mass of evidence which had accumulated from the detailed examination of drill cuttings, and to discover, if possible, its structural significance. Unfortunately it is not possible to publish most of this detail owing to its confidential nature, and in consequence the reader is asked to accept certain statements, which under other circumstances would not be made without supporting evidence. The main argument for the general structural interpretation rests on evidence which has already been made public, and it is possible to proceed to logical conclusions on the main points. The evolution of ideas concerning the structure of Turner Valley is somewhat difficult to follow, as, compared with all that has been said on the subject, there is not a great deal on record.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. P. Morgan, D. B. Stewart

"AbstractLoad-haul-dump machines equipped with. a torque converter and hydraulic pumps have been field tested by means of an engine monitoring instrumentation package. It was found that owing to parasitic losses in the ancillaries and drivetrain, maximum available useable pourer may peak at less than full engine speed. Simple reduction of engine speed may save 15 to 25 percent on fuel consumption, with no significant loss of available power. On some machines, speed reduction will require modification of the torque converter . The cost of this modification, when necessary , would be offset by reductions in exhaust emissions, ventilation requirements, fuel consumption , heat, noise and hydraulic system maintenance, and by increased life of rotating components and filters and machine availability.IntroductionTHE CANADIAN EXPLOSIVES ATMOSPHERES LABORATORY, in conjunction with Deutz Canada Limited, has designed, constructed and field tested a portable instrumentation package. This package monitors diesel engine performance in underground mining machinery by continuously recording engine speed and volumetric fuel delivery. During tests designed to determine the engine load and speed conditions for the various segments which constitute actual underground operation of a Deutz F6L 714-powered 4-yard load-haul-dump machine, it was discovered that an unexpectedly large percentage of the engine power was required to overcome the ancillaries and drivetrain drag (1). That this large component of engine power is functionally related to engine speed rather than the operator's needs was verified by repeat tests of the used 4-yard machine and by testing of a new 5-yard machine powered by a Deutz F 8L 714."

Jan 1, 1977

By Alfred Guenkel, Kyle Marte, K. Nikolaisen

"The INCO SO2/air process was patented by INCO in 1985 (Borbely, Devuyst, Ettel, Mosoiu & Schitka, 1985). Well over 80 mining operations worldwide are using this process to oxidize cyanides to cyanates in the tailings from gold, silver and copper mining operations. Though it is possible to supply sulphur dioxide (SO2) in either gas or liquid form, the majority of these SO2/air operations use sulphite-based salts as the ‘SO2’ equivalent reducing agent. This is probably due to the lower capital cost, safety concerns with, and availability of liquid SO2. Sodium metabisulphite (SMBS) is commonly employed, and its cost is an order of magnitude higher than that of sulphur. The increased capital expenditures (CAPEX) for a sulphur-burning SO2 gas plant could have a pay-back of less than two years. In addition, a SO2 gas plant offers potential for significant heat recovery from the sulphur burning process. In terms of safety, the SO2 gas plant only requires the storage of relatively benign sulphur and the site inventory of SO2 will be limited to the plant gas inventory. Furthermore, a SO2 gas plant will not trigger the US Clean Air Act Section 112(r) accident prevention regulations, as may be the case for liquid SO2.Most existing mining operations using ‘SO2’ are gold operations, but in recent years there has been an increased interest in larger sulphur dioxide gas plants for hydrometallurgical facilities that employ leaching of cobalt/manganese minerals or precipitation of manganese/iron (e.g. Tenke Fungurume and Boleo).This paper discusses the different processes which require SO2 as a reducing agent and compares the capital and operational costs of a SO2 gas plant to conventional process alternatives using sulphite-based salts or liquid SO2.The heart of the SO2 gas plant is the sulphur furnace. The most economical way to produce SO2 is by combustion of sulphur in air producing up to 19.5 vol% SO2. Examples of large and small sulphur furnaces are discussed in terms of design, operation, and impacts on operational costs.The SO2 gas produced in a sulphur-burning plant has to be contacted with the liquor to be reduced. The choice of gas-liquid contacting device is important, and two contacting devices are discussed: 1) Gas sparging into the bottom of leach tanks (high, nearly constant, back pressure due to liquid head) and 2) absorption columns (low gas-side pressure drop)."

Jan 1, 2014

By John Galbraith, Dwayne D. Tannant, Chris C. Langille

"Development of underground openings in a deep mining environment requires a support system that is able to absorb energy as a result of dynamic loading due to rockbursting and blasting and static loading due to convergence as the development face advances. The support system must be resistant to corrosion and be effective over the life of the excavation, upward of ten years, yet simple and cost effective to install. Over the past two years, research has been conducted at INCO’s Creighton Mine to try and identify a one-pass grouted support system that will meet these needs.The main problem faced, with simply using grouted rebar at depth, is the effect of tunnel convergence on the stiff grouted bolts. Typically, if fully grouted, stiff rebar are installed to the face of an advancing development heading, the amount of convergence that occurs can result in failure of the bolts at the face plates used to attach the mine screen to the back. An initial support is required to enable crews to continue the bolting cycle in the immediate term, yet allow for this convergence over the longer term as the drift advances. The ideal support system will allow both to occur, giving effective immediate support while providing long-term effectiveness in allowing convergence to occur while maintaining the capacity of the bolt.This paper will investigate the expected convergence in deep development headings at +2200 m (+7200 ft) through the use of direct measurements using both flex rod extensometers grouted into the back of a development heading and five-point tape extensometer stations. Measured results will be compared with simple2-D numerical analysis to evaluate the anticipated convergence expected to be absorbed by the bolting system. The required convergence will then be compared with load deformation response of several support configurations."

Jan 1, 1996

By J. P. Norrie

The presence of copper-bearing rocks in the Coppermine River area of Arctic Canada has long been known. Word of this was probably circulated along the Arctic and Hudson Bay coasts by the Eskimo, who no doubt traded articles made from native copper among themselves. It is not known whether any of these ever reached the southern shores of Hudson bay. The Indians, also, knew of the occurrence of copper here, as they served as guides to Hearne when he made a successful trip over land from Hudson bay to the Coppermine river. The possible commercial importance of these copper deposits was early appreciated by the Hudson's Bay Company, who on December 7th, 1770, despatched Samuel Hearne from Fort Prince of Wales, now Fort Churchill, to investigate them. He reached the then unnamed river at a point forty miles from its mouth on July 14th, 1771, and after surveying the river to its mouth and naming it the Coppermine, he retraced his steps to Fort Churchill by an overland route. Hearne's expedition was probably the most remarkable and arduous ever attempted in Arctic exploration, but the actual value derived from the trip was entirely out of proportion with the hardships he must have suffered. He verified the occurrence of native copper, but his astronomical and other observations were of little value. Until 1912 no concerted effort was made to obtain any definite information as to the geology and economic value of the Copper-mine deposits.

Jan 1, 1931

By Suman Giri

Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) is a method of extracting appliance-level power consumption information from aggregate circuit-level data with the goal of giving users feedback regarding their energy consumption so they can take control of their consumption habits. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for classification of on and off states of appliances. We compare the performance of our algorithm in on state detection with a pervious paper that evaluated the same dataset and show that it performs up to 13% better. We also present the results of a case study where we collected data for different modes of a cooktop, microwave and dishwasher and used our algorithms to perform power estimation. The error on ten different setups in the test bed ranges from 1% to 32%. We discuss our results and lay out ideas for future work.

Aug 1, 2013

By Loui Geoffroy, Philippe Gaultier, Martin Piotte, Claude Coache, André Drouin

"Automatic driving at high speed of an underground truck was tested at Brunswick mine in September 1995. Modifications to the truck included: a remote interface to control actuators, front and back video cameras to follow a roof mounted optical guide and proportional hydraulic controls on the steering.The mathematical model of the hydraulic system was adjusted using least square regression. The steering data, used in calculating the regression parameters, were acquired from the moving truck. The automatic steering control used three measured variables: lateral deviation, angular deviation and steering angle. Lateral deviations are obtained using the cameras, which are in continuous view of the guide, while steering angles are acquired from an extensiometer placed at the articulation point of the vehicle. Gain scheduling was used to compensate for vehicle speed and available hydraulic flow. Non-linear characteristics of the modeled hydraulic system were offset using open loop compensation.Speeds up to 23 km/h in forward direction and 13 km/h in reverse were achieved deviaduring continuous testing along one of the mine’s production drifts. Proportional steering was essential in achieving high speeds, as it enabled more precise positioning of the vehicle’s steering direction while reducing the abuses on cylinder and cylinder pins via diminished oscillations about the optical guide at high speeds."

Jan 1, 1997

By H. A. Wilson

Introduction Salt (sodium chloride) occurs naturally either in the solid state as rock salt or in solution as a component of natural brines. It is the major saline constituent of sea water, which contains about 4 percent salt-roughly 164 million tons, or enough to meet world salt demands for five years, per cubic mile. The great rock salt deposits of the world are generally regarded as having been formed by the evaporation of sea water over long periods of rime in wholly, partially, or periodically cut-off bays of ancient oceans. History and Occurrence of Salt in Canada We can speak today of the vastness of Canada's salt resources, but it was not always so. Settlement of our Atlantic seaboard and the Sr. Lawrence valley began in earnest in the early 1600's. The first small commercial salt works in Canada did not come into operation until 1866. Thus, for some two and a half centuries, the inhabitants of this growing country were entirely dependent on foreign sources for every pound of salt they consumed. The record shows that from at !east 1800 onward, the need for a domestic salt industry was clearly recognized by the governments of the day. It was during the Western Ontario oil-boom of 1866 that the initial discovery of rock salt in Canada was made, not far from Goderich, at a depth of 1,000 feet. A salt company was promptly organized, and with their operations there began the gradual and still uncompleted conquest of the Canadian salt market by the Canadian salt industry. Over the next thirty years many holes were drilled into the Salina formation both in Ontario and Michigan, and encountered rock salt. A vast salt-basin was disclosed, approximately outlined, and given the name Ontario-Michigan Salt Basin. The Ontario portion of the basin extends over at least 3,500 square miles, is met with at a depth varying between 800 and 1,600 feet, and has a thickness of 50 to 250 feet. No attempt has ever been made, so far as we know, to calculate the total salt reserves of this basin, but the minimum indicated in the Ontario portion by the figures just cited is just under thirty-five cubic miles. The specific gravity of rock salt is 2.2. From these data, those so inclined may calculate the tonnage.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. R. Tang

Due to the current lack of sufficient occupational hazards supervisory staff in China, an occupational hazards supervision regulatory framework is proposed, based on the cloud. Data on respirable dust, noise, heat, toxic and hazardous substances and protection facilities are uploaded to private cloud computing data and service centers to build an occupational hazards supervision system. This system promotes occupational hazards governance. Complex reports are generated. Through the establishment of an occupational hazard supervision data threshold, the dynamic regulation of occupational hazards is accomplished. The main characteristics of this approach are low cost, ease of expansion and maintenance, and strong performance.

Aug 1, 2013

By L. M. Dwarkin, D. F. Coates

Crows Nest Industries Limited adopted roof bolting in 1963 to improve roof control and to extend continuous miner utilization in one mine. Bolting was held back because anchorage tests gave inconsistent results. The time lapse between mining and bolting was suspected as a cause, and so a test entry was driven and sections of it were bolted as part of the work cycle in addition to the normal timbering. This paper presents the results of the instrumentation of test entries and discusses the utilization of the data to improve mining procedure.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. Goodlad

This paper describes some of the main aspects involved in implementing the European “Equipment and Protective Systems for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres” (ATEX) Directive (No.94/9/EC) in the British mining industry by the year 2003. It provides a brief background to the Directive and considers its main objective of removing all barriers to trade in Europe. It outlines the need for the European Standards making bodies to write new editions of the ’explosion protection concept standards’ and for manufacturers to adopt new quality management procedures and develop new versions of equipment in conformity with the ATEX categories of “M1” or “M2.” Finally, it assesses the possible future relationship between the European enforcing authorities, manufacturers and users of explosion protected equipment.

Jan 1, 1999

By Frederick J. Browne

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop (fit) to drink! Trite, but how often only too true? What is there met with in mining which, under various circumstances, may be said to be the most sought-for and highly-prized and also the most objectionable and most feared? Water! What visions that combination of five letters brings to all thoughtful minds? Up to near the end of the eighteenth century water was thought lo be an element but was then discovered to be the result of the combustion of two volumes of hydrogen with one volume of oxygen, and water so produced is chemically pure. Pure water is a clear and colourless liquid when seen under ordinary conditions, but appears bluish when seen through a long tube, and this same bluish tint may be observed in many lakes, especially those of glacial origin. A story often told describes a prospector in the desert who, failing to find water to replenish his canteen, suffers torture and death under fearful circumstances. Then again we may recall the flooding of mines, where water poured in so quickly that there was no opportunity of saving the unfortunate workmen. Instances might be multiplied without number showing that either the lack or excess of this essential fluid has taken heavy toll of human life. In all branches of mining and associated industries water must be dealt with to a larger extent, from an economic point of view, than any other substance, and very often the purity of the water is a matter of considerable importance.

Jan 1, 1925

By Jiuhua Xu, Shuiku Jia, Weiren Sun

"The Jinqingding gold deposit, situated in the east Jiaodong Peninsula of Shandong province, is typical of the pyrite-quartz vein gold deposits in the Muping-Rushan gold belt of China. The gold deposit is controlled by a great NNE fracture zone and is composed of several lenticular orebodies within the fracture rone occurring in the Kunyushan granite massif. The Kunyushan granite massif was formed by the replacement of the Archean Jiaodong group.The main minerals associated with gold are pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite; the gangue minerals are dominated by quartz, sericite, microcline and calcite. The mineralizing event can be divided into four stages: (1) pyrite-quartz; (2) quartz-pyrite; (3) siderite-polymetallic sulfides; and (4) calcite-quartz. Gold occurs mainly as native gold and electrurn in stage I and stage II. There are some evident differences between pyrite from major stages of gold mineralization and that from minor stages; these include differences in crystal forms, size and composition of fluid inclusions.Wallrock alterations consist of sericitization, silicification, pyritization and potash-feldspar alteration. Five alteration zones can be distinguished from unaltered granite (zone 0) to vein lodes (zone IV). Au and Ag increase rapidly from zone 0 to rone IV, Cu increases continuously, while Pb and Zn increase slowly. R-type geological factor analysis indicates that the Au, Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn bear a close relationship to wallrock alteration."

Jan 1, 1994

By G. O. Prickett, P. Somasundaran

An application of the statistical and computer techniques in basic mineral processing research is illustrated by means of a case history involving the study of starch adsorption on calcite. Multi-factorial experimental designs and computer techniques were used for determining the effect of different system variables, such as solution pH, sodium oleate concentration and starch concentration, and to obtain a mathematical model of the response. Response maps enabled the investigators to see the effects clearly and to predict the results of changes in factor levels within the design region. Use of time-shared computers and plotters made data processing and analysis efficient and relatively inexpensive.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. Aydt, W. McCombe, H. McLaughlin, L. Nightingale-Mercer

The McClean Lake mill is located approximately 850 kilometers north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and is operated by Orano Canada Inc. (Orano). The mill was designed to process high grade uranium ores, and in 2014 completed a multiyear expansion to increase its production capacity to 24 Mlbs U3O8 per annum. This expansion included significant changes to the mill’s secondary leach circuit in support of safely processing high grade ore directly from the Cigar Lake mine. In particular, inter-stage pumps were introduced for slurry transfer between the secondary leach tanks, replacing the original pressure feed forward operation. The design and selection process for these pumps was strongly influenced by the uncertainty related to actual radiation dose exposure when processing undiluted high grade ore (up to 30%U), and consequently the desire to maintain minimal occupancy in the vault enclosure containing the secondary leach tanks. These constraints resulted in the decision to install positive displacement pumps above the leach tanks in a suction-lift configuration. Operating experience with this design has shown that the pump capacity is significantly de-rated due to process solution gas-entrainment and pipe scale build-up, particularly in the front end of the secondary leach circuit where reagent dosage is high. Experience processing high grade ore also provided accurate radiation dose data to demonstrate that the level of occupancy in the leaching vault enclosure could be re-evaluated to accommodate alternate pump configurations. This paper reviews the lessons learned and improvements made to safely increase the capacity and reliability of the leach inter-stage pump system.

Jan 1, 2020

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