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By W. A. Green

To those who may not be familiar with the history and organization of the Flin Flon mining property from the rime of its examination and option by the Harry Payne Whitney interests until the present start of operations by the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company, Limited, this paper may give a better understanding of the property. More technical discussions are being presented to you by the men most closely connected with the various operations of the property. Location The Flin Flon mine is situated along the boundary line between the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan at approximately. 54° 45? north latitude, but largely in Manitoba. Prior to the advent of the railway, the property was quite isolated. The summer route was over a course of some 175 miles, consisting of a 125-mile boat trip from The Pas, first up the Saskatchewan river, then across Cumberland and Sturgeon lakes to Sturgeon? Landing. From Sturgeon Landing, a .16-mile portage was necessary to Camp 2 on lake Athapapaskow. From Camp 2 the route consisted of a canoe trip of 32 miles across lake Athapapaskow, up the northwest arm of Schist lake, then up Ross creek to the Company's docks, and finally a 2-mile walk to the property. The winter route was just under 100 miles in length, the difference being due to the fact that a more direct route could be followed over the frozen lakes. It went up the Saskatchewan river for a short distance above The Pas and then, leaving the river, the road followed Reeder, Rocky, and Sturgeon lakes to Sturgeon Landing, and from there over the same route as the summer one, only across the frozen lakes.

Jan 1, 1930

By Peter Chmara

The measurement of dust concentration in Ontario mines since 1926 has been accomplished by konimetry, based on South African experience and methods. The introduction of a voluntary program of semi-annual surveys of air conditions at all operations throughout Ontario mines created a need for an instrument that would assess konimeter spots rapidly and accurately. The development of the Electronic Scanner, it is felt, answers this need. A program whereby all konimeter spot samples taken at Ontario mines will be counted at the MAP AO field offices in North Bay is described.

Jan 1, 1969

By Norman Marr

Introduction In Canada, the mining industry and water-power development are intimately associated in that mining, which ranks second among the country's primary industries, depends principally upon hydro-electric energy for its large power requirements. On the whole, the Dominion has been very favourably endowed with water-power resources; generally speaking it is a well-watered country with numerous rivers and lakes located in are as where the topography favours water-power development. Precipitation, the raw material of water power, varies from an annual fall of more than l00 inches on the Pacific coast to about 12 inches in sections of the Prairies and the Northwest Territories; in Ontario and Quebec the annual average is 24 to 40 inches and in Nova Scotia about 45 inches. In its descent to the sea, the resulting run-off, much of it from considerable altitudes, creates sources of potential energy at every rapid and fall along the country's many streams and rivers. Many of the innumerable lakes in the Dominion provide storage basins for the regulation of stream flow, thus enhancing the potential power of available sites. While water-power resources are fairly well distributed across the Dominion, as is shown on the accompanying map of Canada showing power sites (Figure 1), it is particularly fortunate that those areas which are lacking in indigenous fuels have been compensated in large degree for this scarcity by being favoured with a high proportion of the total potential water power. This has an important bearing on the mining industry in that extensive mining operations can be economically carried out in the great Canadian Shield, which is lacking in commercial coal deposits but is rich in water-power resources. This Precambrian formation, which forms a wide belt around Hudson bay and in which many metalliferous ores are found, was 'subject to severe glaciation in a recent geological period, so that its river systems are comparatively young and are characterized by numerous lakes joined by short reaches of fast water, rapids, and falls which offer frequent opportunities for power development. The western Cordilleran region, which also is important in mining, has abundant water power. The accompanying geological map (Figure 2), prepared by the Geological Survey of Canada, shows the great extent of the Precambrian and Cordilleran regions and may be compared with the map of water-power sites to show the high incidence of water-power resources in these potential mining areas in which important mineral discoveries have already been made.

Jan 1, 1949

By S. Abu-Samra

By virtue of its complex nature, the construction industry comprises a wide spectrum of interrelated variables and factors. This multifaceted character of the construction industry puts the use of engineering modeling tools and techniques on top of project management necessities. This research introduces a macro-level earthmoving management system using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to reach the optimum allocation of earthmoving equipment. The Earthmoving Equipment Management System (EEMS) functions through four integrated modules: (1) A Central Database containing information about projects and available equipment; (2) An Equipment per Segment Selection module that calculates the cut and fill quantities, plots the Mass Haul Diagrams, and selects the equipment types to be used for each segment; (3) An Equipment Pool module which determines the production and cost for each available equipment, based upon the project site conditions; and (4) An Optimization Engine equipped with a GA optimization solver. This engine formulates the optimum earthmoving cost for all projects, by changing the number of allocated equipment. The Optimization Engine takes into account the number of available equipment and calculates the weekly equipment allocation. The EEMS model was implemented on an earthmoving company conducting five different projects on hand. The model proved to be an effective tool in providing decision makers with optimum equipment utilization on a multi-project scale to minimize the earthmoving cost. The results were then compared with the company?s existing micro-level management system, demonstrating better performance on the level of savings, amounting to 13% of total earthmoving cost.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Consigny

New "clean technologies" to treat mining and metallurgical effluents containing dissolved metals have been successfully applied at mine sites in North America and Asia, treating water flows up to 24,000 m3/day. These clean technologies offer significant benefits compared to conventional alternatives and provide a sustainable solution that eliminates residual waste sludge, improves water conservation, generates revenues from wastewater, and delivers overall improvements to the environment. This paper will profile these technologies, and provide best practice case study examples of their application at mining operations, including data for water chemistry, flows, water quality, capital and operating costs, and life cycle costs of treatment.

Jan 1, 2011

By R. H. Wallis

Weighted moving-average contour maps have been constructed for molybdenum, copper and zinc using 7850 stream-sediment samples from 5430 square miles (14,063 sq. kms) of south-central British Columbia. Regional trends for molybdenum and zinc are northeast, north and northwest and those for copper are north and northwest. These trends are interrupted by zones markedly low in metals . The metal-rich trends cross rocks of different lithology and age and thus appear to be structurally controlled. The northeast trend may have exerted control on metal distribution at two different times.

Jan 1, 1978

By B. K. Mishra, P. Patnaik, B. C. Tripathy, I. N. Bhattacharya

Cobalt is an essential metal considering its numerous industrial applications. The demand for the metal is increasing due to its wide range of use in, for example, rechargeable batteries and as an alloying element in super alloys. Cost effective production of Co is critical. Electrowinning from aqueous sulphate solutions is the preferred technology available for the production of Co. Attempts are being made to produce uniform, smooth and bright deposits of cobalt metal. Use of organic additives in the electrolytic bath improves current efficiency and deposit morphology of the metal. We investigated the effect of quaternary amines TEABr, TPABr and TBABr during cobalt electrowinning from aqueous sulphate solutions. Among the additives studied, TEABr yielded the best results. Smooth and bright deposits of cobalt were obtained at low concentration of TEABr (10 mg/L) maintaining a very high current efficiency of 99.6%. X-ray crystallography indicated that (100) is the most preferred plane of crystal growth.

Jan 1, 2014

By C. H. Hopper

THE gold orebodies of the Matachewan Consolidated mine are of particular interest geologically because of their odd shapes, their apparent lack of connection one with another, and the fact that they occur in a number of different formations. All of the orebodies exhibit a similar fracture pattern and the areas of fracturing appear related to the local folding. However, the lack of either horizontal or vertical continuity suggests additional controls not yet discovered. The question of origin, so ably discussed by H. C. Cooke in 1919, will be reviewed in the light of the additional evidence uncovered since his examination of surface trenches twenty-four years ago. The Matachewan Consolidated mine, with its neighbour, the Young-Davidson mine, is in Powell township, 25 miles by road northwest from Elk Lake, 30 miles west of Kirkland Lake, and 45 miles southeast of Porcupine. It may be considered as being on the westerly extension of the Kirk-land Lake sedimentary belt, where the rock column is markedly similar. There is no similarity in structure, however, for great ore-bearing shears and faults simply do not occur at Matachewan. Rather may it be said that the region, under stress, failed in isolated brecciated patches, some of which make up today's orebodies. The mine currently treats 1,000 tons a day of porphyry ore averaging 0.10 oz. gold per ton. It started operations in 1934 on greenstone ore, and the mill then treated 150 tons a day of ore averaging 0.23 oz. gold per ton. Total production to the end of 1941 has been 929,484 .tons averaging 0.160 oz. gold per ton.

Jan 1, 1942

By B. Panton, J. Carvalho, E. T. Brown

High-capacity, post-tensioned anchors have found wide-spread use in initial dam design and construction, and in the strengthening and rehabilitation of concrete dams to meet modern design and safety standards. Despite the advances that have been made in rock mechanics and rock engineering during the almost 80 years in which post-tensioned anchors have been used in dam engineering, some aspects of the rock engineering design of high-capacity rock anchors for dams have changed relatively little over the last 30 or 40 years. This applies, in particular, to the calculations usually carried out to establish the grouted embedment lengths required for deep, post-tensioned anchors. These calculations which involve a number of aleatory and epistemic uncertainties, usually make simplified assumptions about the distribution and values of rock-grout interface shear strengths, the shape of the volume of rock likely to be involved in uplift failure under the influence of a system of post-tensioned anchors, and the mechanism of that failure. The resulting designs are generally conservative. These aspects of the rock engineering design of large, post-tensioned rock anchors for dams could be improved by making greater use of modern, comprehensive, numerical analyses in conjunction with 3D models of the rock mass structure, realistic rock and rock mass properties, and the results of prototype anchor tests in the rock mass concerned.

Jan 1, 2015

By Ross Gallinger

In 1997 a group of Canadian mining companies met to review the Mine Environment Neutral Drainage (MEND) program and to consider future activities. They concluded (i) that Canadian industry and NRCan should fund a small secretariat in Ottawa to support technology transfer in Canada and (ii) that it was important for industry to continue the momentum of MEND on an international scale. The need for INAP (International Network for Acid Prevention) was strongly endorsed by company, university, consultant and government experts from Australia, Canada and the U.S. who were convened in Vancouver in February 1998. The initial focus was the development of a solid knowledge base covering the collective experience of INAP's members to promote the dissemination of successful practices, the identification of knowledge gaps and the formulation of effective research proposals. The sharing of information on past successes and failures alone was viewed as sufficient justification for the formation of INAP. INAP was officially launched in October 1998, and is now an effective, industry based initiative to globally coordinate research and development in the management of sulfide mine waste. Significant improvements in the management of sulfidic mine materials through knowledge sharing, research and development of technology by INAP will reduce liability associated with acid drainage. This paper will explore the international efforts and activities of INAP.

May 1, 2002

By Peter Broad

"Extracting any metal, especially specialty metals and rare earth elements, requires an in-depth analysis of the costs and potential revenue as well as a due diligence study of other stakeholder interests. Rare earth projects are generally in the billion dollar US range or above, and thus failure to accurately predict any loss of revenue caused by impurities within the product or additional effluent treatment costs can destroy an otherwise viable study. Two prime sources of input impurity are considered: impurities in the material feed and from reagents. The effect of these impurities factor on both the product (in reduced revenue) and on residual “tailings” that may incur additional unforeseen costs.INTRODUCTION“Truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident” – Arthur SchopenhauerThe era of unscoped, unbudgeted construction ended about 150 years ago. Today’s engineer must design with confidence; but do so amidst proprietary secrets and unfamiliar pollutants, which present a myriad of interesting challenges. Is it possible to build a viable rare earth plant to a realistic budget, without destroying that which we cherish? Some see this as contradictory but in reality it is the only viable option.WHEN GOOD PROJECTS FAILWithout rare earths the Copenhagen agreement might be null and void. Running a wind turbine with a 30 tonne conventional magnet requires some hefty engineering and prohibitive investment. Despite their ‘Green metal’ applications, production of rare earths have created environmental nightmares, as Folger stated in 2011 when visiting Baotou, or has Jaing Mainheng who has been quoted by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard 6 Jan 2013. This comment is not a criticism of China; the details are from a 2012 white paper published by the Chinese Government that initiated a $6 billion environmental clean-up. Nor is China unique; other plants have had problems as well. There were toxic leaks in the 1990s from Mountain Pass, and the Mitsubishi Bukit Merah Plant (built in Malaysia in 1958) required a $100 million clean-up."

Jan 1, 2016

By P. E. Fox, R. S. Cameron

"The QR gold deposit lies in the Cariboo plateau region of central British Columbia. The deposit was discovered in 1977 and since then a mineable reserve of 1.3 million tonnes grading 4.7 g/t Au has' been outlined in three separate zones. Soil sampling of glacial tills followed by diamond drilling of favourable host rocks proved to be key exploration techniques.The deposit is situated in the southern Quesnel terrane along the eastern fringe of the Intermontane Belt which here comprises a sequence of basic and intermediate volcanics and a series of stocks of alkaline affinity; generally diorite, monzonite and syenite. Hornfels and epidote-rich ferromagnesian exoskarn and sulphide-rich mantos have developed in a metamorphic aureole formed around a central diorite stock. Gold-rich zones lie along the outer periphery of the aureole where bodies of gold-bearing epidote-rich skarn and auriferous mantos rich in epidote and pyrite have formed in beds of calcareous tuffite lying at the top of a thick basaltic sequence. The deposit is regarded as' a subclass of gold skarn deposits. Diagnostic features are its association with alkalic intrusive rocks in a subvolcanic setting and the presence of oxidized, epidote-rich mineral assemblages.IntroductionThe QR gold deposit lies within the Cariboo plateau region of central British Columbia, 58 km southeast of Quesnel. The deposit, owned by Kinross Gold, was discovered during a regional reconnaissance program by Dome Exploration (Canada) Limited and Newconex Canadian Exploration in 1977. Considerable exploration and development has been done since that time. Mineable reserves of 1.3 million tonnes grading 4.7 g/t Au have been outlined to date in three zones."

Jan 1, 1995

By B. C. Jago, H. Derbuch

"The Freightrain kimberlite is located on the Brodeur Peninsula, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Twin Mining is exploring the pipe and adjacent land (79 claims/655 km2) using a combination of airborne geophysics, soil sampling, diamond drilling, trenching and bulk sample processing. The pipe originally was discovered by Cominco Limited in 1975, re-evaluated in 1993 by Lumina Investment Corporation, when it was staked as the Zulu pipe, and subsequently covered by three claims in 1998 by Helix Resources who called it Freightrain.The Freightrain pipe coincides with a strong, ovoid-shaped aeromagnetic anomaly. It is the only surface exposure of kimberlite within a 30 km long linear trend of fourteen aeromagnetic anomalies that are up to 600 m in diameter.The pipe is exposed in the crater facies, near the transition into diatreme facies as indicated by the occurrence of pyroclastic kimberlite characterized by abundant olivine macrocrysts, juvenile lapilli and kimberlite autoliths set in a serpentine-calcite matrix. Olivine, Cr-pyrope garnet and chromite are the most abundant macrocrysts; clinopyroxene, ilmenite and phlogopite mica occur in minor to trace amounts. Garnet and chromite harzburgite, garnet lherzolite, garnet-spinel lherzolite and rare eclogite dominate the xenolith population.Garnet and chromite mineral chemistry indicate encouraging diamond prospectivity and that potentially diamondiferous garnet and chromite harzburgite were the principal sources of diamond in the mantle at the time of kimberlite eruption.Single clinopyroxene grains define an ~42 mW/m2 sub-continental geotherm that is rooted in the diamond stability field. This compares to a slightly hotter geotherm (~48 mW/m2) for adjacent Somerset Island kimberlites with an origin in the graphite stability field. This data accords with the general lack of sub-calcic Cr-pyrope garnet, diamond inclusion chromite and diamond in Somerset Island kimberlites."

Jan 1, 2002

By Cindy Schiewek

Industrial injury occurrences are an ongoing concern for Mine Operators. Along with the personal suffering of injured workers comes an increase in compensation and productivity costs. Growing recognition of repetitive stress and bodily injuries, accompanied by recent studies, validates the assumption that a relationship exists between ergonomic injuries and machine design. Intuitively, there is a belief that an ergonomically designed machine will reduce repetitive stress injuries through design and education however; quantifying this belief has been a challenge for Mine Operators. Sandvik Tamrock has undertaken a project aimed at developing a business model to assist in quantifying the benefits of ergonomic intervention. This model focuses on distinguishing and quantifying this method of intervention to allow for a better evaluation of the machine. For simplicity, the project initially focused on the Face Drill Jumbos. The target of the project was three fold: !" Recognition of the cost drivers for compensation; ergonomic injuries !" Identification of the relationship between ergonomic machine design, and the decrease of the negative effects associated with the cost drivers !" Systematic prioritization for ?prevention by design? The project findings substantiate the expected reduction in injuries and compensation claims. Based on all ergonomic intervention studies conducted, each case showed a reduction in compensation cost; through prevention by design, one can reduce the amount of potential risk. The paper addresses the resources and methodology used, along with the findings and its relevance to the issues that face the Mining industry.

May 1, 2003

By Hugh S. Spence

This paper deals with an occurrence of radium ore near Wilberforce, Haliburton county, Ontario, upon which development work has recently been undertaken and which seems more likely to prove of commercial grade than any other deposit' of radioactive minerals hitherto found in Canada. This occurrence is sometimes called the Richardson property, after Mr. W. M. Richardson, the discoverer, and will be so referred to in the present paper. Occurrences of radioactive minerals are not uncommon in eastern Canada, and a number are recorded in the literature. The earliest of such references is probably that in Geology of Canada, 1863, where is mentioned an occurrence of uraninite at Mamainse, on the east shore of lake Superior. The mineral was first described by J. L. Leconte, in 1847, under the name of coracite, and was said to occur in a two-inch vein at the contact of trap and syenite. Search for this locality in recent years has proved unsuccessful. Obalski, in 1894, mentions (1) the occurrence of uraninite at a mica mine near Murray Bay, Que. In 1903, Obalski records (2) tests made on this uraninite by Rutherford and the Curies and the determination in it of the then newly-discovered element radium. In 1901, he mentions (3) the occurrence of uraninite at the Villeneuve mica mine, on the Lievre river, and of samarskite at the Maisonneuve mica mine, in Berthier county.

Jan 1, 1930

By T. Krumins, L. Zunti, R. Frischmuth

Mercury is known to occur in sulphide-bearing refractory gold deposits in the form of sulphide minerals or elemental inclusions. These deposits typically require an oxidative pre-treatment process, such as pressure oxidation or roasting, to achieve economic gold recovery. However, these processes also have the potential to liberate mercury, a portion of which may then be released to the environment through gaseous emissions. Mercury emissions from mine processing operations have been of particular interest in recent years, as governments impose lower emission targets and organizations adopt better industry practices to reduce the environmental and health aspects of releasing mercury into the environment. This paper describes various mercury removal technologies with respect to pressure oxidation gas handling circuits, with a focus on key design variables and technology selection criteria.

Jan 1, 2014

By Peter Rubie

"For many years, optimising the relining of hard rock grinding mills has been complicated by:?? the large number of variables;?? the low frequency of relines (slow feedback loop);?? the potential economic risk associated with some changesA technology that has its roots in the automotive manufacturing industry is being utilised to construct a statistically accurate, configurable, and dynamic simulation of the mill relining process. The effects of various mechanisation and process changes can be rapidly modelled and compared.This technology will provide mill maintenance managers and contract relining companies with the opportunity to benchmark current performance against world’s best practice. It will also provide an opportunity for concentrator plant designers and mill manufacturers to plan for maximum plant efficiency, by designing an infrastructure and equipment combination that maximises annual plant availability.This simulation tool and its associated data set, has been developed using recent grinding mill performance data from mills of varying dimensions, liner configurations, mill relining equipment, operator and tool variables.The simulation will provide an output that the various stakeholders can utilise to make optimal decisions within the given financial, physical and technological constraints of the individual concentrator plant."

Jan 1, 2012

By John J. Laffin

"IN THE BOOK that has been rated the best seller of all time, it is predicted that man will earn his livelihood by the sweat of his brow. Apparently man has accepted the statement as a challenge and has been attempting to refute it ever since, as he continues to transfer the workload to his inanimate servants - the many types of machines and other labour-saving devices that are available to assist or perform for him in the normal tasks of the day. The history of the evolution of the use of energy takes us back to primitive man, who existed in a very low energy environment, the only energy available being his own muscle power. Although man took a great leap forward when he discovered fire, which was used for lighting, heating and cooking, he still depended upon his own muscles for power. Early man's greatest achievement was probably the invention of the wheel, which permitted him to utilize the muscle power of animals. While still in a very primitive state when viewed from the perspective of the twentieth century, man, with fire and the wheel, had achieved a standard of life far exceeding that of his predecessors. Looking beyond the very basic elements of human energy, fire and the muscle power of animals, we find the next additions of energy coming from man's mastery of other elements of nature. The Phoenicians utilized the power of the wind and the Romans adapted the energy of falling water to the water wheel."

Jan 1, 1972

By M. Sagedahl

The off gas from a smelter is cooled and dust removed in an electrostatic precipitator before approximately 95% of the sulphur dioxide (S02) is converted to sulfuric acid. However, the tail gas may need to be polished to remove the rest S02 to meet demands. A flue gas desulphurization (FGD) system, as usually applied to S02 removal on coal and oil fired Power Station, is suitable for polishing tail gases from copper smelters. The ALSTOM Seawater FGD process makes use of the alkalinity in the seawater to absorb and neutralize S02. Before being returned to the sea, the seawater is treated to comply with environmental regulations. As the ALSTOM Seawater FGD process uses no reagent and produces no byproduct, it is extremely cost-effective for coastal installations. The first SWFGD plant started operation in 1968. Over 60 of these units have been installed worldwide. The ALSTOM Seawater FGD process removes S02 from flue gas flows corresponding to a total of 70,000,000 Nm3 /h. Suitable for thermal power stations, smelters and oil refineries, ALSTOM Seawater FGD plants efficiently treats flue gases in the range of 300,000 Nm3/h to 2, 700,000 Nm3 /h per FGD plant, containing 20 - 6,500 ppm of S02.

Jan 1, 2007

By A. G. Pathan

Rock and soil mechanics investigations were carried out in block VIII at Thar Coalfield, Pakistan. Most of the strata were mainly composed of sand, with an average content of 67.68 %. Laboratory studies of rock and soil samples from drill hole GT-01 revealed that the strata in block VIII are very weak with an average uniaxial compressive strength of 3.59 MPa, an average tensile strength of 0.68 MPa, an average Young?s Modulus value of 0.234 GPa, an average cohesion of 129.19 KPa, and an average friction angle of 55.47°. Slope stability analysis, based on a probabilistic approach, was carried out using Slide-V software. Monte Carlo simulations have been applied to investigate the probability of failure in the slopes of an open pit lignite mine in block-VIII. From the slope stability investigation, it was found that the probability of failure is 0 % at a slope angle of 16°.

Aug 1, 2013