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By C. Velásquez, W. Bergholz, C. Spence, P. Lind

NuevaUnión SpA (NuevaUnión) is a development project located in the Huasco province of the Atacama region of Chile. It is held in a joint venture company owned 50:50 by Teck Resources Limited (Teck) and Newmont Goldcorp. It includes the Cu-Mo Relincho deposit and the Cu-Au La Fortuna deposit, with plans to utilise a single concentrator to be built at the Relincho site. The Relincho site is at an altitude of 2,000 masl and is 40 km from the La Fortuna site which is at an altitude of 4,100 masl. The project is currently completing a Feasibility Study and is reviewing equipment selection and flowsheet options. This paper is based on the current thinking, and design decisions will be finalized at the completion of the Feasibility Study. NuevaUnión is currently planning for phased operation, processing Relincho ore at 104 ktpd followed by processing ore from La Fortuna at 116 ktpd. Plans for the third phase include doubling the main processing lines and returning to Relincho ore at a processing rate of 208 ktpd. The NuevaUnión concentrator will incorporate comminution and flotation circuits that are being designed to maximize the overall economic value of the combined ore deposits. Major ore characteristics differ between the two ore bodies, such as ore competency, grindability, liberation grind size, pulp rheology, tailings properties, minerals and metals of value, as well as gangue mineralogy. Mineral processing choices have been made to optimise value from each deposit and the combined project. INTRODUCTION Between 2010 and 2013, two significant mining projects were being developed in Chile: Goldcorp’s El Morro project had recently finalized a Feasibility Study and, in 2011, had received its environmental approval for construction; and Teck Resources Limited’s (Teck) Relincho project was finalizing a Feasibility Study and preparing its Environmental Impact Study. Both projects were: Geographically close, at only 40 km apart. Considering similar infrastructure. Each was planning to have its own concentrator, tailings management facility, high voltage power line, port, concentrate transport system, seawater desalination plant and pumping system to mine site.

Jan 1, 2019

By Kimiz Dalkir

Some things to keep in mind? ! What is your role in knowledge management? ! What knowledge-related challenges are you facing today? ! How does important knowledge get shared in your organization? ! Can you name factors that enable/block innovation and organizational learning in your work context? A brief history of KM? ! Top-down / imposed ! Rigid / bureaucratic ! Slow deployments ! Expensive ! Unpopular: empty libraries, info-junkyards, low adoption rates ! Problems measuring success ! The result: traditional KM is not the answer

May 1, 2003

By Bern Klein

Motivation for Improved Energy Efficiency in Mining ? Canada potentially adopting Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Intensity Legislation in 2013 ? BC -Climate Action Plan and Energy Conservation Agreement in 2008 ? BC Energy Plan 2007 -BC Hydro is mandated to save 50% of new load growth ? TSM Initiative -Energy Management, Energy Reporting, Setting Energy Targets, GHG Management BC MOU for Energy Conservation Agreement -MEMPR, MABC, BC Hydro

May 1, 2010

By L. R. Plitt, A. A. Turak, B. C. Flintoff

"Since the publication of empirical cyclone models by Lynch and Rao in 1975 and by Plitt in 1976, the technical literature on this subject has consisted primarily of reports of applications, with only a few articles discussing basic modifications or enhancements in model form. In fact, most of the modelling eff ort in this period has been concerned with theoretical models based on the hydrodynamics of multiphase flow. (Preliminary resutls have been encouraging, however, it will be some time before this approach reaches the practical application stage.) This paper presents a review of empirical cyclone modelling technology, with an emphasis on developments since the mid 1970s. The topics addressed include homogeneous and heterogeneous ores, parameter estimation techniques, parameter confidence intervals, and the introduction of a new conceptual model of cyclone operation.IntroductionSince their first reported application in the mineral industry by Driessen (1939), cyclones have become a common unit operation in all of the process industries. The widespread use of the cyclone stems from its relative low cost and its versatility. It can be employed to carry out liquid-liquid, solid-liquid and solid-solid separations. It is the area of solid-solid separation which is of greatest interest to a mineral processing engineer. Historically, this area was divided into two application categories: (I) Separation according to density, the cyclone washer, and, (2) Classification according to particle size, the cyclone ciassifier. (When water is the carrier fluid, the cyclone is more often called the hydrocyclone. For the purposes of this paper the two names are used interchangeably). Classification is the principal application in mineral processing circuit s. Within this category, the cyclone is most commonly employed to provide some positive control over the size distribution of product from a grinding circuit. Other uses include sand-slime separation prior to froth flotation and mill tailings treatment, either for dam construction or in backfill preparation."

Jan 1, 1987

By J. E. Hawley, Y. Rimsaite, T. V. Lord

"IntroductionIN THE COURSE of. a spectrographic investigation of the platinum metal .content of various minerals in sulphide ores, the use of • fire-assay beads dissolved in gold-amalgam ( 1) was found suitable for the quantitative determination of palladium and platinum. Later work on platinum and bismuth-rich beads showed however, that these could not always be readily mixed uniformly in the amalgam. Accordingly another technique was sought which would allow the simultaneous determination of gold, silver, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and bismuth, the last .a common contaminant in fire-assay beads. The method evolved, which consists of dissolving fire-assay •beads in .lead, resembles in several respects the method of Scobie (2) in which silver was used. It has equally good sensitivity arid reproducibility, and allows the determination of silver as well as the other metals mentioned. The 'mutua1 standard' method of calculation (3a) is used to determine actual quantities present. This method has been applied to sulphide and arsenide minerals and •ores• of nickeliferous and non-nickelferous deposits• of both pre-and post Cambrian age, and, following a suggestion by Dr. G. S. Hume and the late Dr. H. V. Ellsworth, Geological Survey of Canada, has also been used for a peculiarly rich platiniferous uranium oxide ore from the Nicholson property, Lake Athakaska, Sask. More recently, the method has been .tested for the determination also of iridium and ruthenium and results indicate it may be applied, as• well to osmium."

Jan 1, 1953

By John Wilson

"The unconformity beneath 75 per cent or over 6000 km2 of the Athabasca Basin in Alberta lies within economically exploitable depths. The basement beneath this unconformity consists of an extension of the Wylie Lake Pluton, locally faulted and containing areas of mylonitic rocks. While the rocks of the Wylie Lake Pluton are not promising host rocks for uranium ore deposits, the areas of mylonites, graphitic rocks and possible remnants of granitegneiss would bear closer examination. One area of maficmylonites shows a weathering zone enriched in Si, Ca, Na, Pb, Ni, Ba, Co, Sr, Zn and U in addition to reported values of 0.08 oz/ton gold. This zone occurs beneath 800 m to 900 m of Athabasca Group sediments, but similar rock types are present beneath much thinner cover elsewhere. Detailed geophysical exploration is required over the area of thinner Athabasca Group rocks to define more precisely the areas of promising basement rock type.IntroductionThe Athabasca Basin in Alberta has considerable economic potential which has not yet been realized. The geological setting is closely analogous to parts of the basin in Saskatchewan which host major uranium deposits. Recent advances in geophysical techniques have led to deposits being located in Saskatchewan below 600 m of cover. This means that the unconformity between the Athabasca Group and the basement lies at exploitable depths over 6000 km2 or 75 per cent of the Alberta portion of the basin. Much of this area was only cursorily examined almost a decade ago. In addition, Alberta's new Metallic Mineral Regulations have clarified the regulatory situation in the area, and opened up much land for exploration. This article is based on Wilson's (1985a) study of the Athabasca Group and Wilson's (1986) work on the basement and alteration beneath the Athabasca Group in Alberta."

Jan 1, 1987

By B. Dubé, R. Friedman, J. Oliver, R. Aubertin, M. Burson, G. Panneton, M. Hamilton, J. Ayer

"The Detour Lake gold deposit is located within the northwestern limit of the Archean Abitibi Subprovince of the Superior Province. Mineralized zones are hosted by a sequence of pillowed and massive flows, hyaloclastite units, and altered ultramafic rocks, and are commonly oriented parallel to a series of high-strain zones that are co-planar to the regional-scale Sunday Lake Deformation Zone. Early in its kinematic history, the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone placed older (2.72 Ga) volcanic rocks of the Detour Lake Formation over younger (2.70 Ga) sedimentary rocks of the Caopatina assemblage. Gold mineralization is also parallel to the position of a laterally persistent siliceous rock unit, the 2.725 Ga ‘Chert Marker Horizon.’ The Chert Marker Horizon coincides with the boundary between the mafic-dominated upper Detour Lake Formation and the ultramafic-dominated lower Detour Lake Formation. Stratigraphic and geochronological data suggest that the Chert Marker Horizon is a deformed felsic volcaniclastic unit. At a cut-off of 0.6 g/t Au, the Detour Lake deposit contains 17.26 million ounces of Au within 445.9 million tonnes of rock grading 1.20 g/t Au. Gold occurs in shear-hosted and extensional vein arrays within rocks of the upper and lower Detour Lake Formation and within the Chert Marker Horizon. The Detour Lake deposit has many of the characteristics of a greenstone-hosted, quartz-carbonate vein deposit; its very large size may be attributed to large-scale rheological controls resulting in the formation of dilatant sites in permissive rock units."

Jan 1, 2012

By Bassam Kattaa

"Abstract - A heavy mineral survey of beach and dune sands including geochemical analysis for trace elements was undertaken to evaluate the economic potential of the sands and to understand the nature and distribution of the heavy minerals relative to potential source rocks. Results indicate that heavy minerals are generally derived from outcropping volcanic rocks that comprise a proportion of the hinterland in the south part of our survey area. The most abundant minerals are magnetite and pyroxene. The morphologies of the heavy mineral grains are angular to subangular, suggesting that they were transported short distances from the source rocks. Factors controlling heavy mineral distributions include wave and wind action, proximity to provenance, the fluvial drainage network, and longshore currrents.The most economically important mineral is ilmenite. Zircon and rutile concentrations are relatively minor and thus have lower economic potential."

Jan 1, 2002

By Jerry Ran

Stope back caving in a mine using open stope mining interrupts the planned mining sequence and causes oversize muck and dilution with adverse economic implications. As many underground mines are mining or have plans to mine at depth, stope back caving could have significant impact on the mine sustainability. Therefore understanding the caving mechanism is important in preventing future occurrence and improving the mine economic performance. Falconbridge Ltd Kidd Mine is an underground mine using open stope method producing more than 2 million tonnes per year. Its current lowest mining level is approximately 2070m below surface and the lower portion of the orebody is being developed. In years of 2002 and 2003 the back of three stopes of approximately 1900m and 2040m below surface caved and caused substantial mining difficulties at the mine. As these caved stopes are subject to stress concentration, seismic activities and near major geological structures, the caving mechanism is much more complex than that of stopes near surface. In addition to the recorded caving history by site observations, the mine carried out cavity surveys and test drilling to define the caved profiles. The mine seismic monitoring database provided information at these stopes. Stress modeling work conducted by an external consultant provided the stress patterns at the caved stopes. Based on the field collected data and stress and seismic information, this paper presents details of the stope caving process and cavity surveyed profiles, reviews the predictability of the stability graph approach for these cases, discusses the caving mechanism and proposes preventive measures to stabilize the stope back.

May 1, 2004

By G. Lyle

Since its inception CEMI (Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation) has focused on facilitating innovative solutions to the mining industry in six strategic research areas; GeoRisk, ConstructMine, ValueMine, FindMine, SustainMine and MineTech (visit www.miningexcellence.ca for details). This paper focuses on CEMI?s largest project to date, Ventilation on Demand (VOD). Energy consumption in mines can account for upwards of 40% of a mines operating cost, with a significant portion of this been consumed by the ventilation requirements. VOD provides a significant opportunity to reduce overall mine ventilation requirements and subsequently energy costs, while potentially increasing mine productivity. CEMI is currently in year 2 of an assessment of VOD, focusing on the financial, physical and equipment viability of utilizing such systems in both new and existing mines. This two year program, to be completed by March 31, 2011, is designed to systematically assess such a system to determine if and when it could effectively be applied in underground mines. The paper will describe the process by which the project was initiated, the demonstration projects established to capture data, the means to interpret the data and the modelling developed to calibrate and predict ventilation system requirements.

Oct 1, 2010

By Samuel Frimpong

The interaction of oil sands with a ground articulating pipeline (GAP) system has been simulated with the dynamic model established in this work by combining the multi-body and soil dynamics with the Automatic Dynamic Analysis Mechanical Systems (ADAMS) software. Mathematical models governing the interaction of the GAP system with the oil sand terrain have been modeled based on the theory of multi-body and soil dynamics. These models consist of GAP track-oil sand contact model for generating the contact force between oil sands and track and load-deformation oil sand model for capturing the dynamic behavior of oil sands. A virtual prototype has been created and simulated in the ADAMS environment. The simulation result of the effect of load on oil sand deformation indicates that maximum deformation value increases non-linearly with load varying from 0 to 60t. This study provides a solid foundation for further research and the GAP technology development.

May 1, 2004

By R. Barbaroux, B. Dubreuil, D. Lemieux, K. Nasrallah, G. Garcia Curiel

"As conventional, base or precious metal ores are being depleted worldwide, the mining industry is being faced with an increasing exploitation of arsenical sulfidic ores. Enargite is a common example. The downstream processing of these ores poses several problems ranging from high smelter penalties to finding economical and environmentally acceptable means of disposing of the arsenic. Several hydrometallurgical processes have been proposed for extracting arsenic from enargite concentrates, notably using alkaline sulphide leaching (ASL). However, few alternatives exist for removing the arsenic from solution and stabilizing it in an approach that is both economical and environmentally acceptable.Dundee Sustainable Technologies (“DST”) has developed a technology for the sequestration of arsenic by vitrification. Originally optimized to cost-effectively stabilize arsenic trioxide (As2O3), DST has shown that vitrification could be successfully extended to the stabilization of other arsenical products, such as calcium arsenate (Ca3(AsO4)2) and sodium arsenate (Na3AsO4). In this paper, the vitrification of arsenic in the context of an enargite leaching was newly explored and demonstrated successfully.Two processing routes are being proposed by DST for the removal of arsenic from enargite concentrates and their stabilization by vitrification. In one route, arsenic is extracted by ASL and is then precipitated under atmospheric conditions and with minimal use of reagents and time. The resulting precipitate is an unstable hydrated ferric arsenate (FeAsO4•2H2O) that is then vitrified in a non-dilutive method, significantly increasing the stability of arsenic and meeting the TCLP guideline. Unlike is required for scorodite, stabilization was successfully achieved without concern for the crystallinity of the precipitate."

Jan 1, 2017

By Robert E. McIvor

The Functional Performance Equation for Ball Milling” was first presented in 1988. It now has been used successfully in more than a dozen mineral processing plants. This powerful, yet simple tool provides a new level of understanding of closed circuit grinding. It shows how grinding circuit efficiency is in reality comprised of two distinct efficiencies. It demonstrates how circuit production rate is related, collectively, to these two efficiencies, mill energy input, and the grindability of the ore. It links circuit performance to design and operating variables that can be manipulated, and creates an effective strategy for making plant improvements. This paper covers the derivation and industrial validation of this equation. As part of an engineering and management system that also incorporates suitable metrics and process control, other operators can now use this tool to make improvements and to manage the performance of their grinding operations with clarity and confidence.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. Sinha, N. K. Babar, H. R. Kalihari, A. K. Chakraborty, M. R. Saharan, C. P. N. Pathak

A case study is presented on the optimization of cable bolting patterns in cut-and-fill stopes at the Chikla Mine, MOIL, India. Rock mass characterization, using Bieniawski’s RMR and Barton’s Q, indicated that the stopes lie in the “no supports required” to “spot bolting required” support categories. In contrast, the current practice of cable bolting in a 2.0 m by 2.0 m grid pattern for stope widths less than 12 m displays different results. Numerical modelling results are in line with the rock mass characterization study. It can be affirmed, as well, that no cable is carrying rock loads greater than 5 t. This fact is derived from observational behaviour of the crown pillar of an experimental stope with open stoping operations and hanging cables in the cut-and-fill stopes of the mine. An increase in the cable bolting grid spacing is, hence, recommended for implementation by mine management, based on the study described in subsequent sections. It is also suggested that the mine adopt the open stoping method, provided results of a rock mechanics instrumentation program in an experimental stope with a cable bolting grid of 2.5 m square are favourable.

Jan 1, 2007

By A. J. MacRae

Metallurgical furnaces are made up of complex multi-component systems that must function either together or in parallel for safe, and reliable operation. Thermal expansion of single material components experience induced stresses during heating and cooling, which can lead to cracking or failure. Multi component elements and systems can experience significant thermally induced stresses during both steady state and transient temperature conditions. Examples pertaining to temperature effects on refractory, copper cooling blocks, furnace shells, and complete systems will be discussed. The purpose of the paper is to highlight how stresses and strains are developed due to differential thermal expansion.

Jan 1, 2015

By D. Eastick, S. Hardcastle

"Over the last few years, a multi-faceted feasibility study has been evaluating the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell-powered equipment into underground mines to replaced diesel engine-powered equipment. The analysis has shown that under normal operating conditions fuel cells could at the very least be an environmental and health benefit by eliminating combustion engines and their unwanted by-products. However, they could also generate significant reductions in the amount of ventilation a mine needs to supply when compared to dieselized operations; this would further decrease a mine’s energy consumption, its associated greenhouse gas impact, and also reduce a mine’s significant ventilation-associated costs. Fuel cell-powered equipment also has the advantage of lower noise and heat production compared to its equivalent diesel-powered counterpart.The degree to which fuel cells can generate ventilation benefits in underground mines depends upon a number of operational parameters and mine specific qualifiers such as current ventilation control or management, mine depth, inherent dust conditions, and minimum velocity requirements.However, another major consideration in the introduction of fuel cells in underground mines will be the safety requirements associated with diluting and removing the potentially explosive hydrogen in the event of a gas leak. In outside surface applications, it is possible to use dispersion, buoyancy, time, and lack of ignition sources as mitigating factors in deriving a low risk of an explosion. However, in underground operations, these factors change, and dispersion and buoyancy are limited; time may not be available and, in non-coal mines, ignition sources are not typically controlled. When a hydrogen leak occurs, the availability of sufficient ventilation to dilute and effectively remove the gas will be critical. Consequently, ventilation may be the prime risk controlling factor. In this paper, the authors evaluate the potential benefits of replacing diesel engines with fuel cells in powered production equipment, discuss the mitigating qualifiers that could limit ventilation savings, and evaluate solutions to retain and maintain an additional ventilation capacity in the event of an emergency situation, such as a hydrogen leak from the fuel cell stack or its distribution system."

Jan 1, 2007

By A. Drouin, D. Lemieux, C. Chouinard

"A gold bearing pyrite concentrate was treated at the demonstration scale (15 t/d) for the extraction of gold using a cyanide-free process. The pyrite was depressed in the flotation circuit in order to promote the flotation of copper and to achieve a sufficient copper grade to meet the copper smelter criteria. However, the recoveries of copper were 80% and only about 50% for the gold was found in the copper concentrate. The balance of the gold (50%) and copper (20%) contained in the pyrite concentrate as a reject from an overall flotation circuit. The gold grade in the pyrite concentrate is 5.40 g Au/t and copper about 0.77%. About 170 tons of pyrite concentrate were processed in the DST demonstration plant. The concentrate was first oxidized using a fluid bed to produce a calcine. Copper was then extracted as copper sulphate using diluted sulphuric acid. The residual solid was submitted to the DST chlorination process for gold extraction. Thereafter, the gold was recovered from the pregnant brine by precipitation over silica using DST proprietary process. The maximum gold recovery by chlorination was 90%. The average gold recovery by cyanidation of these calcines was 71%.IntroductionDundee Sustainable Technologies (“DST”) has developed a chlorination process as an alternative to the conventional cyanidation process for the extraction of precious metals from ores or concentrates. The technology offers viable and efficient gold recoveries and the ability to handle refractory ores and contaminated material (As, Hg, etc..). The process was successfully demonstrated on hundreds of samples provided by various mines, exploration and development projects and has evolved from laboratory experiment to demonstration at an industrial scale.DST’s chlorination process operates in a closed loop circuit, which implies that no liquid effluents are generated. The chemistry and process design allows precious metal deposits containing base metals to be treated viably. The tailings from the process are inert and non-toxic, sulphide depleted and thus non-acid generating. The efficiency of the process has demonstrated excellent gold recoveries within a fraction of the time needed for cyanidation to obtain similar results. The company completed in 2015 the construction of the first industrial demonstration plant operating with the DST technology. The plant has a capacity of 15 tons per day of mineral concentrate, and the ability to extract gold and silver utilizing DST chlorination technology.DST has tested its chlorination technology at demonstration scale on the refractory pyrite concentrate containing 5.40 g Au/t and 0.8 %copper. This auriferous pyrite concentrate, was by-product of copper concentrate respecting the copper smelter norms, is produced in a country where cyanide is prohibited and refractory to cyanidation. The pyrite concentrate was initially processed successfully (gold recoveries: > 90%) by the DST technology at laboratory (2011: 20 kg) and pilot (2014: 5 tons) scales to extract gold. About 170 tons of this pyrite concentrate were processed in the DST demonstration plant located in Thetford Mines."

Jan 1, 2017

By Oy Leuangthong

Red Dog mine is the world's largest Zn producer. The deposit consists of sulphide ore zones in sedimentary exhalative (sedex) deposits, and is characterized by the presence of multiple metals and multiple ore types. The objective of the case study is to characterize seven different minerals, Zn, Pb, Fe, Ba, sPb, Ag and TOC, within eight different rock types. Geostatistical models were constructed for each variable within the eight rock types, and subsequently assembled to give 40 realizations for six 25ft benches. The stepwise conditional transformation was used to account for the complex multivariate relations. In addition to reproducing the input data, histogram and variogram, the resulting models also respect multivariate relations locally and globally. This paper documents the methodology to construct these models. A thorough validation procedure was implemented. Comparisons with blasthole data show that the conditional simulations and the long-term models agree in expected value. The main advantages of the conditional simulations are (1) the explicit accounting of multivariate relations between the data in model construction, and (2) the ability to quantify variability and uncertainty at any scale. A small exercise comparing the profit from a kriged and a simulated model is also examined. Results show that the simulation approach showed a 3% increase in profit, relative to the conventional estimation approach.

May 1, 2004

By Evelynn Stirling

Agenda ? Emissions legislation ? Cummins Tier 4 Technology ? Cummins Experience with Technology ? Operation and Maintenance Impact The Emissions Challenge ? The 2014/5 emissions regulations present the most significant challenge to our customer?s diesel powered equipment design and operation in recent history? ? ?and Cummins has the solution.

Aug 1, 2013

"The mining industry uses many types of mineral and metallurgical plants to produce saleable product from ore mined. Plant design history has left current operations with a mixture of manual operation and various forms of automated process controls. Consequently, we typically see high variability in the continuous operations together with a shortfall in the attainment of full capacity, or higher utilisation of consumables.At a level of best practice, ‘Operational Performance Excellence’ focuses on process control, using automation and control systems to deliver process optimisation. This more sophisticated delivery is a great deal more difficult than the first stage of equipment selection / installation. It includes the appropriate selection of the right instrumentation, control system, key process knowledge, individuals with a solid control engineering background / experience, and the essential backing / support of the operations management team together leading to higher value delivery. Robust solutions can be realised, considerably minimising process variation, thus leading to process optimisation. This approach results in an easier, efficient and safer process while providing considerable returns for the plant owners.How variable are your processes, and do you maintain optimised process performance with dedicated resources, modern instrumentation, ‘best practice’ control systems and performance monitoring tools? In this paper, these questions and their possible answers are discussed."

Jan 1, 2014