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By V. Barranco, K. Yliniemi, A. Hubin, B. P. Wilson, D. Janas, M. Lundström, P. Hannula

Typical copper electrorefining electrolyte contains tens of grams of copper, some nickel and a wide variety of impurities. Some of these impurities comprise trace amounts of dissolved precious metals like Ag, Pd and Pt that currently are not fully exploited. This study presents an electrochemical method to recover precious metals via a combined electrodeposition-redox replacement (EDRR) process, where energy is used only to deposit copper during the ED-step, while the RR-step relies on the spontaneous replacement of copper by the precious metals (i.e. cementation). In order to conduct the recovery successfully, process parameters such as deposition potential (EDE), deposition time (tDE), redox replacement time (tRR) and the number of cycles (n) was adjusted. Investigations performed in synthetic electrolyte (40 g/L Cu, Ag = 10 ppm) proved the possibility to recover a high purity silver. Short deposition times (tDE) were found to result in small Cu particles that provided a suitably high surface area for silver cementation. In addition, experiments performed in real industrial electrolytes containing 44 g/L Cu and 54 ppb Ag (Boliden Harjavalta, Pori), demonstrated that EDRR could attain Ag recoveries of between 46–67% in an energy efficient, additive-free manner. INTRODUCTION The raw materials used in the state-of-art primary and secondary copper smelters contain mainly base metals, but also notable amounts of Ag, Pt and other precious metals. These valuable metals distribute mostly into the copper matte during the pyrometallurgical treatment (Tirronen et al., 2017) and end up into the cast anodes. During the electrorefining stage, metals more noble than copper such as gold and platinum, are not dissolved but enrich into the anode slimes. In contrast, silver may dissolve slightly and thus, minor chloride addition is used to retain silver in the slime as sparingly soluble AgCl. Moreover, other metals less noble than copper may also dissolve, such as nickel. Therefore the electrolytes used in electrorefining typically contain substantial amounts of copper, nickel and even arsenic as well as minor metals such as antimony and bismuth. In the Boliden electrorefinery these were reported to be in the magnitude of 51.2– 60.4 g/L of Cu, 10.9–15.8 g/L Ni, 7.2–15.9 As, 0.2–0.4 Sb and 0.1–0.4 Bi with an associated sulfuric acid concentration of 139–155 g/L (Lehtiniemi et al., 2018). Copper is the most noble of the dominating base metals in the electrolyte and is thus deposited on the cathode as 99.99% purity LME-A grade. Anode slimes are collected and subjected to precious metals treatment e.g. via pressure leaching—selenium recovery— Doré smelting—Ag refining—Au/Pt/Pd leaching and reduction process (Ludvigsson & Larsson, 2003). The Pori refinery, operating in Finland since 1941, not only produces 133 000 t Cu cathode and 2300 t nickel sulphate annually but also 66 t silver, 4.6 t gold and palladium and platinum (in year 2017).

Jan 1, 2019

By Egon Berger

"In recent years the trend in underground metal mining has been toward ever increasing blasts (often in excess of 100 000 tonnes per blast). The Canadian mining industry has been in the forefront of these developments (VRM, LBHand cable bolting to stabilize the surrounding rock /avoid dilution).In order to move these large tonnages, efficient loading systems have to be developed. This paper shows the technical and economic implications of various loading scenarios based on a predefined (however typical) stoping layout by:1 . discontinuous loading using scoop trams;2. discontinuous loading using scoop trams in combination with low profile dump trucks;3. continuous loading (based on loading performance/operating costs of the AL-60) in combination with low profile dumptrucks.The cost advantages of production concentration (loading large tonnages from one drawpoint}, made possible by continuous loading as opposed to sea tiered mining (small tonnages), using discontinuous loading in tunnelling will be presented, based on actual results obtained in a decline development project using the A L-60 continuous loader. At as pacing oj150m between turning bays, it was found that continuous loading was out performing discontinuous loading in approximately80% of the overall decline development.Fuel consumption and total cycle times are compared, and a cost assessment is presented.INTRODUCTIONThe subject of this paper deals with the introduction of continuous loading in underground metal mining and single heading tunnelingContinous mining has been widely introduced both in underground and surface coal mining. Mechanized longwall mining, utilizing moveable shield supports in combination with double drum- shearers, has resulted in a tremendous increase of coal production per working face.This has led to very concentrated mining operations. In a typical German coal mine two mechanized longwalls nowadays would produce the same amount of coal as 12 to 15 longwalls in the 1950s. One longwall in a South African coal mine has recently set a world record with 120 000 tonnes of coal in a single month.In underground metal mines-often due to the irregular nature of the ore body and the mining methods used-mining is far less concent rated. Ore is often produced from a large number of stopes and production sections. Sometimes, a substantial amount of ore may be obtained from development in the orebody (40070 at a German base metal mine)."

Jan 1, 1989

By M. Remillard, M. Garon, D. Hodouin, M. Therien

"Nineteen streams in the copper and zinc flotation units of the concentrator of the Matagami Division of Noranda Inc. have been sampled f or particle size distributions, chemical assays, and gold and silver contents in each particle size interval. The data are upgraded by the mass balance package BILMA T. These results, in conjunction with microprobe analyses, are used to quantify the silver losses in the copper cleaning flotation stages and to determine how over-all silver and three silver-bearing minerals are recovered in the plant final products. RESUMEDix-neuf produits des circuits de flottation du cuivre et du zinc de la division Matagami de Noranda Inc. ont été échantillonnés pour leur distribution granulométrique, leurs analyses chimiques et Ie contenu d'argent et d'or des fractions granulométriques. Le bilan métallurgique a été obtenu à l'aide du programme BILMA T. Ces résultats, couples avec une étude minéralogique a fa microsonde, sont utilisés pour quantifier les pertes argentières aux diverses étapes de nettoyage du circuit de cuivre et pour déterminer la répartition de l'argent et des trois minéraux argentifères dans les produits finals de l'usine."

Jan 1, 1988

By G. W. R. Kuzyk

"Hydraulic drills, recently implemented at the Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada, Limited, Bernie Lake Mine, are proving to be an economic alternative to pneumatic drilling systems. The paper describes the application of an electric-hydraulic drill jumbo to the mechanized room-and-pillar mine and its performance. The application of these drills resulted in improved environmental and working conditions.Drill rods and bits are a major cost centre in hard-rock mining applications. The paper also discusses the performance of one manufacturer's product used on the hydraulic drills.IntroductionThe Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada, Limited (TANCO) started producing tantalum ore from its Bernie Lake pegmatite in 1969. The pegmatite, encased in amphibolite, is shallow seated and flat lying. It is defined by diamond drilling along 4,000 feet of strike and 1,500 feet down dip, ranging in thickness from 60 to 280 feet. Relatively well defined zones of mineralization occur within the pegmatite and form separate orebodies of tantalum, lithium and cesium."

Jan 1, 1981

By S. M. Chentouf, M. Jahazi, N. Bombardier, T. Belhadj

The main limiting factor in the commercial expansion of superplastic forming (SPF) of thin sheet aluminum alloys is the extent of cavitation phenomenon that takes place during the processing. The severity of the cavitation process is mainly dependent on the uniformity of deformation (i.e. level of local thinning) during processing. In the present paper, correlations are made between thickness variations in several formed sheets and the characteristics of the cavities observed in the material. The 1.4 mm thick 5083 aluminum alloy sheets were hot pre-formed at around 450°C for 4 min and then air-cooled. Opto-digital and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to examine the microstructure and analyse the cavities. Also, grain size measurements were carried out for different location in the SPF formed piece. The surface and volume fractions of the cavities were measured with the aid of metallography image processing (MIPTM) on as-polished samples prior to etching. The results are analyzed in terms of the influence of applied strain and microstructure conditions on the propensity to cavitation of the alloy.

Jan 1, 2015

By N. Hwang

There has been increasing interest in the use of robotic machines, and several prototype robotic machines have been developed to automate the grit-blasting process for the purpose of steel bridge maintenance. To utilize such a robotic grit-blast machine effectively, the first consideration is automating the determination of the rust surface area to blast, on the basis of standards of practice, in a rapid manner. This study aims to propose a method to rapidly and accurately determine the rust surface area on steel bridges to blast, with consideration for the standards of practice, from images acquired via a blasting machine. The first step is to perform a color space conversion to transform the input image from a red/green/blue (RGB) color space to a hue/saturation/intensity (HSI) color space. The next step is to detect the presence of rust, using pixel-level classification via the C4.5 decision tree algorithm. Then it is necessary to confirm the blasting area by verifying whether the rust detection result satisfies the specified criteria on the basis of standards of practice. The proposed method was validated on 39 test images with various characteristics with respect to the degree of rusting and rust distribution type. The experimental results showed that the average accuracy rate of rust area classification was about 97.63%, and the success rate of the final decision of blasting area determination was 100.00% for 39 test examples. The whole processing time took an average of only 0.86 seconds per image. The preliminary results demonstrated that the proposed method not only determined whether rust was present in an image and the amount of rust but also indicated whether blasting was necessary, and, if necessary, it rapidly specified the rust surface area that should be blasted on the basis of standards of practice. The proposed method could be successfully incorporated into a robotic grit-blast machine.

Aug 1, 2013

By Henrik Saxén, Mikko Helle

The operation of hot stoves used for preheating the blast in the ironmaking blast furnace has a strong effect on the consumption of reductants, economic performance of and CO2 emissions from the steelmaking site. Generally, it is recommended to maintain as high blast temperature as possible, because this minimizes the rate of reductants in the blast furnace. The blast temperature is affected in a complex way by the time periods of heating and cooling of the stoves, and by the amount of gas combusted in the stoves. Furthermore, as the hot stoves show degraded performance with age, it is a non-trivial task to select optimal operation parameters for the stoves. The paper addresses this computationally by applying a one-dimensional heat-transfer model of the hot stoves for optimization of the performance of the system. The complexity and strong coupling of the decision variables is demonstrated by numerical examples, where the blast temperature is maximized under different constraints.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. B. Heslop, D. S. Bubar

"The Gondor Zn-Ag-Pb-Cu deposit is a stratabound massive sulphide lens occurring within Archean volcaniclastic rocks of the Yellowknife Supergroup. The deposit is located in the west-central portion of the Slave Structural Province, approximately 350 km north of Yellowknife.Initial diamond drilling at Gondor has outlined a steeply dipping, L-shaped, folded, massive sulphide body, which may be traced over a strike length of approximately 800 m, and to a depth of 350 m. True widths of up to 40 m have been intersected in the thickest part of the deposit. Preliminary estimates suggest that the deposit contains a minimum of 7.5 million tonnes grading 6% Zn, 50 g/tonne Ag and less than I% combined Cu and Pb. In addition, significant gold, grading up to 2.8 g/tonne, occurs in some parts of the deposit. The mineralization is open both down-dip and along strike.The Gondor deposit lies conformably within a predominantly east-west striking, north-facing sequence of felsic to intermediate volcaniclastic rocks. Coarse fragmental rocks are abundant in the hanging wall, whereas ash and lapilli-tuffs predominate in the footwall. The main structural feature in the area is a large-scale, steeply northeast-plunging, Z-shaped fold. The sulphide mineralization lies within the synformal portion of this fold, with the thickest part of the deposit coinciding with its hinge zone. Several episodes of faulting have also affected the local stratigraphy.The wallrocks of the Gondor deposit were hydrothermally altered prior to the onset of medium-grade regional metamorphism. A halo of altered rocks surrounds the massive sulphide lens, with no apparent difference in the degree of alteration between the hanging wall and footwall strata. The alteration zone is characterized by the addition of MgO and K20 and by the depletion of Na20 and CaO. These changes are reflected in the mineralogy of the altered wallrocks by local enrichment in chlorite, biotite, muscovite and cordierite.The mineralized zone is medium- to coarse-grained, well-banded and is composed largely of pyrite, quartz, and sphalerite with subordinate galena and chalcopyrite. Preliminary studies of metal distribution indicate that a lateral zonation is present, with lead enrichment in the central part of the deposit, and copper enrichment toward both ends. Stringer-type copper mineralization has not yet been discovered in the footwall of the Gondor deposit."

Jan 1, 1985

By D. Murray

A 2-hectare uranium tailings area has been reclaimed. The exposed tailings of 1.4 hectares were capped with glacial till and vegetated with grasses and legumes. The water running through the tailings was diverted around the tailings in a line ditch and treated with sodium hydroxide and barium chloride. Difficulties occurred in placing the till capping because of the low bearing strength and the uneven surface of the tailings. This led to varying thicknesses of till and the need for manual labour in some areas. Total reclamation costs were $32,200, with vegetation establishment costs at $13,700 per hectare. This report provides a record of work for use in assessing the long-term suitability of these treatments.

Jan 1, 1979

By Li Qihou, Li Yuhu, Liu Zhihong, Liu Zhiyong, Yang Xiaofeng

Scorodite samples were synthesized, in adding or without crystal seed respectively by using Atmospheric Scorodite Process (ASP), Hydrothermal Scorodite Process (HSP), and Improved Atmospheric Scorodite Process (IASP) individually; and their crystal structure, crystallinity, morphology, particle size, specific surface area, Fe/As mole ratio, as well as the leaching stability were characterized, aimed to reveal the relationships among the synthesis methods, the compositional and structural properties, and the leaching stabilities of scorodite. The results show that synthesis methods have significant effects on the compositional and structural properties of scorodite. Scorodite samples of high crystallinity, small specific surface area, and low Fe/As mole ratio, possess high leaching stability. The order in the leaching stability of scorodite samples synthesized in this study is as follow: ASP<HSP<IASP. Scorodite particles in the sample synthesized by IASP without crystal seed are in large sizes and of pyramidal morphology enclosed mainly by crystal planes of {111}; and the sample possesses the crystallinity of 84.5%, the particle size (D50) of 28.2 m, the BET specific surface area of 3.72 m2/g, and the Fe/As mole ratio of 1.05; after leaching this sample by using acetate buffer solution of pH 4.95 for 10 days, the total arsenic concentration in the leaching solution is merely 1.14 mg/L.

Jan 1, 2015

By Gang Mei, Nengxiong Xu, Yanlin Zhang

After open-pit mining finishes, an iron mine with steeply inclined ore-bodies will generally transform to underground mining. Non-pillar sublevel caving method, with horizontal slice mining from up to down, is commonly used for mining deep ore-bodies under the open-pit bottom. As horizontal slice mining proceeds, a gradually enlarging goaf will be formed under the open-pit bottom, the rocks surrounding the handing and heading sides of the goaf will collapse continuously, and then these results in rock-mass failure with large deformation and displacement in the open-pit slope. Based on FLAC3D, a modeling approach to predict pit slope deformation and failure induced by transitioning open-pit to underground mining is proposed in this paper. This method mainly consists of three procedures of modeling, i.e., mining modeling, landslide modeling, and filling modeling, of which landslide modeling is the core of the proposed approach. In the procedures of modeling with FLAC3D, iteration non-convergence is taken as a local failure criterion of pit slope. When iteration calculation cannot converge, the sliding modeling will start by deleting some elements with large displacements, and finish until convergence. Before modeling landslide, several displacement contours of rock-masses in the pit slope are searched out, and each contour is an approximate possible sliding surface of the open-pit slope. From these contours, the most proper one is selected as the slope sliding surface by using the iteration calculation convergence and minimum element deletion as the judgment condition. Landslide modeling is then realized by removing the elements outside the slope sliding surface. Finally, to demonstrate the effectiveness, the proposed approach is used to simulate the process of open-pit to underground mining at Yanqianshan Iron Mine, and to predict the deformation and failure characteristics of open-pit slope during underground mining. The case study results show that: the prediction of the slope stability determined by using our method is consistent with that calculated by using the limit equilibrium methods.

Jan 1, 2015

By P. K. Kaiser, S. Maloney, S. Yazici

"This paper focusses on the strength or capacity of cable bolts and introduces a new perspective for cable bolt design by demonstrating that mining-induced stress changes may affect cables in a detrimental manner. The concept underlying a novel cable bolt pull-out resistanceor bond capacity model is described and its practical significance is demonstrated by application to a simple two dimensional scenario of a fall-of-ground.A number of practical implications emerging from the application of this model are discussed to provide guidance to ground control personnel jar improving cable bolt support systems in mining applications. These include cable layout optimization, use of cable pre-reinforcements, assessment of embedment length requirements, need for plated cables (or straps), use of bird-caged cables (or buttons), and grout quality issues.IntroductionDuring the last decade, cable bolting has become a standard support technique in mining for handling wide spans, reinforcing are passes, preventing or reducing dilution of ore in marginally stable stopes, and for many other rock support need s.In its infancy, many deficiencies in cable bolt supports resulted from improper installation techniques and, in particular, grout quality control problems and the use of empty breather tubes (Goris, 1990). The development of special grout pumps and fail proof placement procedures (Oliver, 1992; Bourchier and O&apos;Flaherty, 1992) have eliminated many of these early problems. Nevertheless, there are still situations where cables seem to lose their capacity during mining, and in these cases the cables do not provide the expected and needed ground support. In some instances, cables perform extremely well, whereas in others the same support layout and quality of support installation seem to be insufficient, allowing falls-of-ground or progressive cavings to occur."

Jan 1, 1992

By F. J. Macias, A. Bruland, F. E. Dahl

"Tunnelling by use of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is gaining a greater presence as a suitable excavation method. Disc cutter consumption has a strong influence on performance and cost when using TBMs and the influence becomes even more relevant in hard rock. Furthermore, good predictions of TBM performance and cost facilitate the control of risk as well as avoiding delays and budget overruns. Since abrasive wear is the most common process affecting cutter consumption, good laboratory assessments are needed. A new abrasivity test method called Rolling Indentation Abrasion Test was developed. The goal of the new test design and procedure is to reproduce wear behaviour on hard rock tunnel boring in a more realistic way than traditionally used methods by introducing wear by rolling contact on intact rock samples. INTRODUCTIONHigh investments are involved in the tunnelling industry, especially in Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) projects. Performance predictions and cost estimations are crucial for planning and risk management of TBM projects. Cutter consumption has a large influence in terms of time and cost, and an even greater effect in case of hard rock projects. Many factors are influencing the amount of cutters consumed in hard rock TBMs. Normal TBM operation results mainly in abrasive wear on the cutters and appropriate methods for abrasivity assessment are needed. Rock abrasiveness cannot be considered as an intrinsic property and the complete tribological system should be considered in addition to the geological properties of the rock.In the present paper, a new test method for abrasivity assessment in tunnel boring called Rolling Indentation Abrasion Test (RIAT) is presented. The traditionally used test methods for determination of rock abrasiveness uses sliding or impact contact in order to cause wear while the RIAT introduces rolling contact on intact rock samples. The ambition of the new test device is to have a reliable method to evaluate the cutter wear in hard rock tunnel boring by reproducing wear behaviour on rolling disc cutters in a more realistic way. It has been established by many authors that the abrasion of a cutter ring is proportional to its rolling distance (Rostami, 1997; Bruland, 1998). In the present work, the weight loss of a mini-cutter ring is measured subsequent to testing in order to evaluate wear in the rolling process and could hence be related to cutter ring wear. Indentation of the tools in the intact rock sample is considered as an indication of the surface hardness of the rock or the resistance to indentation by rolling."

Jan 1, 2015

By E. R. Rivenbark

"The coal handling plant represents an investment of about $100 million in coal handling and storage equipment. The coal receiving is done by a continuous ship unloader that can handle ships in the 60 000 T range at Q rate of 1750 /ph. A unique feature in the system is a stacker/reclaimer unit which will work inside a dome storage structure. The coal for the unit will include any low sulphur coal that can be delivered by sea at an economical price blended with New Brunswick high sulphur coal.ThE flue gas scrubber is a wet limestone system capable of 95% SO2 removal. The scrubber will utilize about 150 000 tonnes of limestone per year and will produce commercial grade gypsum by the forced oxidization method.IntroductionWith the need for new generating capacity being required, New Brunswick Power reviewed, in 1985, its options for the next unit. The study indicated that the most attractive option for New Brunswick Power would be a coal-fired unit capable of receiving imported coal at a sea port. The site selection process resulted in three site options being considered.The existing Coleson Cove and Dalhousie sites, and the Belledune site were considered. To meet load distribution needs, it was then decided that the unit had to be located in the northern section of the province, thus eliminating the Coleson Cove site. The Belledune site was selected because it had the capacity to have additional units added where as the Dalhousie site would have only been able to accommodate one unit"

Jan 1, 1994

By Helmut Lerchs

An open-pit mining operation can be viewed as a process by which the open surface of a mine is continuously deformed. The planning of a mining program involves the design of the final shape of this open surface. The approach developed in this paper is based on the following assumptions: 1. the type of material its mine value and its extraction cost is given for each point; 2. restrictions on the geometry of the pit are specified (surface boundaries and maximum allowable wall slopes); 3. The objective is to maximize total profit-total mine value of material extracted minus total extraction cost. Two numeric methods are proposed: A simple dynamic programming algorithm for the two-dimensional pit (or a single vertical section of a mine), and. a more elaborate graph algorithm for the general three-dimensional pit. ASURFACE mining program is a complex operation that may extend over many years, and Involve huge capital expenditures and risk. Before undertaking such an operation, it must be known what ore there is to be mined

Jan 1, 1965

By J. A. H. Church

MR. J. A. H. CHURCH: The salient feature would seem to be that the thickness of the seam, in our coals at any rate, is the main factor in predisposition to spontaneous ignition. The evidence, incomplete it must be admitted, in the Saskatchewan and British Columbia fields, and complete in the Alberta field to my mind, shows this up very strongly. The German report on the upper Silesian coal fields definitely fixes the critical thickness at 13 feet, the British report goes far beyond this figure by stating that liability to ignition increases with the thickness of the seam over four feet. Before discussing the Alberta fires it would be well to note an error on page 12 -the probable cause of the fire in the Frank Mine should read "Spontaneous near fault. Heating first discovered 1909". Of the six fires attributed to spontaneous ignition all the seams were identical or in excess of the critical thickness mentioned in the German report. If there be any reason in the foregoing it is high time some forethought were taken to adopt some definite system of laying out the workings of such seams not so much on the outcrop districts as with a view to the future operation to the dip. Seams approaching 13 feet in thickness which to date have shown no disposition towards heating during the extraction of the outcrop areas may well cause infinite trouble or indeed total loss when the ventilating pressures increase as increase they must to the dip. This state of affairs can be combatted only by the adoption of a correct system of working and the provision of numerous airways of as large an area as may be compatible with the physical characteristics of the particular seam.

Jan 1, 1923

"The last thirty years have seen enormous changes in all aspects of the gold industry, from the technologies of mining and extracting gold to the role it has played in the fiscal policies of nations. In this time, the market price of gold has increased ten fold and mine production has more than doubled. However, the cost of mining and extracting gold has also increased exponentially, and the industry has struggled with declining ore grades and increasingly refractory ore bodies.With the major economic powers of the world shrugging off the uncertainties of the post cold war era and moving into a period of unprecedented political stability, economic growth and low inflation, gold is also losing its lustre as a hedge against inflation and a backing for national currencies. Consequently, countries that had accumulated and hoarded gold for decades are now disposing of these non-performing assets, resulting in major swings in supply of the metal. Fortunately, this has coincided with the end of communism in many parts of the world and a tentative move to free market economies in most of the developing nations. As a result, people are becoming wealthier, and this is creating more demand for gold, principally in the form of jewelry.On balance, the shift in the role of gold, from one in which a significant portion of new gold production lay dormant in bank vaults as insurance against political or fiscal instability, to one in which most new gold is now freely traded as an industrial commodity, responding to normal market forces of supply and demand, has had a negative impact on the price of gold over the last fifteen years. In that time, the gold price has declined from a peak of $850/oz in 1980 to an average price of about $400 through the rest of the l 980's, to a price of -$320/oz today (1997). In large measure, this has been due to the enormous inventory of gold metal that was held by central government banks in vaults around the world, and which has been dumped on the market as soon as the price has started to trend upwards. Even today, after ten years of fairly steady selling by central banks, about 3 0, 000 tons of gold (or -8 years' supply at the present rate of consumption) is still retained in vaults (Murray et al., 1997).The downward pressure on the price of gold has created exciting opportunities for the development and implementation of new technology. Increasing the efficiency of gold recovery from more and more refractory ore bodies, whilst at the same time lowering production costs, have become critical to survival in this industry. These challenges have been met by the development and implementation of new technologies such as heap leaching, carbon in pulp, resin in pulp and the sulphide ore pre-treatment process of pressure leaching, bacterial leaching and fluid bed roasting. For an industry that saw very little technological change in the first seventy years of the twentieth century, the pace of change over the last thirty years must have seemed bewildering at times."

Jan 1, 1998

By David J. Kerr, Robert Mason

"From1927 to1989, the Hornemineproduced53.7 Mt of ore grading 6.1 g/t Au and 2.2% Cu from two large volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits composed primarily of pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. The ore bodies were hosted by a package of chlorite-sericitealtered epiclastic rhyolite tuffs which were deposited in a narrow palaeo-graben located on the flank of a major felsic volcanic centre. M ineralizingfluids percolated upward through the permeable footwall rocks and were further focussed along syn-volcanic, graben-bounding faults. Sulphides were deposited by a process of sub-seafloor replacement of the rhyolite tuffs.Gold-copper-(zinc) mineralization, including ore zones mined between 1985 and 1989 as the REMNOR ore zones, is present throughout the 900 m of felsic volcanic stratigraphy at the Horne. All the deposits were formed by syn-volcanic hydrothermal processes active during felsic volcanism. There is no evidence to indicate that any economic gold mineralization was introduced by a post-volcanic hydrothermal episode.RESUMEDe 1927 a1989, /amineHorneaproduit53.7 Mt de minerai avec une teneur de 6.1 g/t Au et 2.2% Cu provenant de deux grands amas de sulfures massifs volcanogeniques comprenant esentiellement de la pyrrhotite, de la pyrite et de /a chalcopyrite. Ces gites font partie d'une séquence de tufs rhyolitiques epiclastiques chloritises et sericitises qui ont ere déposes dans un paleo-graben étroit situe sur le flanc d' unimportant centre vo/caniquefelsique.Lesfluides mineralises ont circule de bas en haut a travers /es roches perméables sous-jacentes; ils ont été également canalises par les failles syn-volcaniques en bordure du graben. Les sulfures se sont déposes par remplacement des tufs rhyolitiques immédiatement et sous /e plancher océanique.Les zones minéralisées en or et cuivre (±zinc) - y compris celles qui ont ere exploitees au cours de l’opération Remnor (1985-1989) - se retrouvent, sans discontinuité, à travers les roches volcaniques felsiques dont l' epaisseur atteint 900 m. Ces gites se sont formes par le biais d' un processus hydrothermal qui ag issait pendant le volcanisme felsique. II n'y a aucune évidence de minéralisation aurifère d'importance économique qui soit postérieure a l' activité hydrothermale syn-volcanique."

Jan 1, 1990

By Denis Blackburn

La Direction générale du développement de l?Industrie minérale (DGDIM) du ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) du Québec tient un inventaire de toute l?activité minière sur le territoire. Cet inventaire s?est enrichi, au cours des dernières années, d?un grand nombre de projets dédiés au fer ou à des substances qui y sont associées (titane, vanadium, phosphate). Actuellement, cinq régions du Québec sont principalement touchées par la recrudescence de projets dédiés au fer : Fermont, Schefferville, Baie d?Ungava, Baie-James et Chibougamau. Fermont et Schefferville sont les régions les plus actives. Les infrastructures en place, telles que les routes, les chemins de fer, les ports, les lignes électriques et les municipalités, ont atteint, dans certains cas, leur capacité et de nouvelles infrastructures devront être construites pour satisfaire les besoins. À la Baie-James et sur le flanc ouest de la Baie d?Ungava, des projets d?exploration sont aussi en cours. Le manque d?infrastructure pourrait peser lourd sur le développement de projets miniers dans ces régions. Enfin, dans le secteur Chibougamau/Matagami et à quelques sites ailleurs au Québec, des projets d?exploration qui visent le vanadium, le titane ou le phosphate pourraient aussi fournir comme produit secondaire des concentrés de fer. Tous les projets, décrits dans cet article, sont situés sur le territoire du Plan Nord du gouvernement du Québec.

May 1, 2011

By Kevin P. Plucknett, Z. Memarrashidi

"In the current work, factors influencing the corrosion mechanisms of TiC and Ti(C,N) based cermets are reviewed. Cermets were typically prepared with 30 vol.% of metal binder, in the form of various in-situ reaction-formed Ni3Al alloys. Commercial WC-Co hardmetals were also examined as baseline materials. The assessment of corrosion involved a variety of electrochemical measurements, including open circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarisation. The corrosion potential and current density were determined, following Tafel extrapolation, allowing estimation of the corrosion rates. Post-corrosion characterisation involved scanning electron microscopy analysis and associated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of the sample surfaces. It is demonstrated that the primary corrosion mechanism for this type of cermet is dissolution of the metallic phase during oxidation attack, and thus this response can be expected to increase with the amount of binder in the cermet, although degradation can be subtly affected by composition (i.e. alloy composition, C:N ratio, impurities in the ceramic phase, etc.) and test procedure (i.e. aerated vs. de-aerated electrolytes). It was observed that addition of N content into the ceramic phase is beneficial to the corrosion characteristics of TiC based cermets, through significant refinement in the grain size of the hard phase. Similarly, elimination of impurities, such as W in selected TiC powders, also improves the corrosion resistance.INTRODUCTION Cermets are prepared using the combination of a hard, high elastic modulus ceramic phase with a ductile, high toughness metallic binder. This pairing of hard and ductile components ensures wide application of cermets in demanding wear environments. These materials are consequently used industrially in both bulk and coating form. The most common example of such a composite system is based on the use of tungsten carbide with a cobalt-based binder (WC-Co), which has been widely examined over the past 80 years. However, while WC-Co has been shown to exhibit an excellent combination of high strength and wear resistance, the corrosion and high temperature properties of this material are relatively poor. In addition, WC-Co possesses a high density (~13–14 g/cm3), which makes it a less desirable option when the component mass is a design factor (i.e. use in aerospace). In particular, the aqueous corrosion response of WC-Co limits its use in wear environments where combined corrosive degradation may occur (i.e. tribo-corrosion scenarios). Alternate cermet systems are therefore being actively developed due to these performance limitations."

Jan 1, 2017