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By P. K. Gummer

Gold was fir t di covered on the Seabee property in 1947 by the Con olidated Mining and Smelting Company Limited. Acquired by Claude Resource Inc. in 1984, the property is now being explored by Placer Development Ltd . in joint venture with Claude Re ources. Between Augu t, 1985 and March, 1986, Placer completed 54 drill holes, extending the main o. 2 and o. 5 vein y tern to a depth of 1000 feet below surface and di covering two new satellitic gold zone 800 feet west of the o. 5 gold zone. Drill proven and probable geological re erve in four zone ( os. 2, 5, II, 14) to a vertical depth of 1000 feet, are approximately 1,120.000 tons averaging 0.32 oz. Au/ton.

Jan 1, 1986

By F. Y. Grepe

"THE MOST common type of mine hoist is, as is very well known, that in which the a.c. wound rotor motor is the driving medium. The reasons for the use of the wound rotor motor are, of course, economic. This type of equipment has, during the years, proved to be very reliable and reasonably satisfactory. It is, in fact, still being installed and in some places where a very hard and exacting duty cycle is demanded. As an example, a 600 h.p. 2,300-volt job was recently installed at the Caledonia mine (1) at Glace Bay. This is a vertical. hoist in a shaft only 175 feet deep but it is, nevertheless, working hard bringing coal to the surface and in making a trip at a speed somewhat better than every 20 seconds.The control equipment for such installations usually consists of a pair of primary reversing contactors which are interlocked both mechanically and electrically, together with some form of secondary controller. This, in the case of small hoists, can be a drum controller and metallic resistors or, in the case of larger hoists, a magnetic contactor panel and metallic resistors or, alternatively, can be one of the various forms of liquid rheostats which are available. The liquid rheostats, if of the dipper type, may be manually operated or it may be operated by some form of servo motor mechanism. In the weir type of liquid controller, the electrolite is, of course, pumped in and out of the rheostat."

Jan 1, 1954

By V. Estrada, G. Aguilera

"Since the most of mineral processing are wet, and for more specific applications where it is necessary to increase the purity through leaching and / or concentration, the proper dispersion is the first, and perhaps more crucial stage in the whole chain of processing. This specific process is based on the formation of a dispersion or suspension of mineral, trying to make the mixture as homogeneous as possible, and with specific rheological conditions. Sometimes it is not enough agitation to make it happen, so that chemical additives are used as an aid. However, the addition of chemicals strongly alters the viscosity and other rheological properties of the suspension factor to consider for subsequent steps to ore beneficiation. In other hand, in a process where no chemicals used often employ large quantities of water to achieve dispersion. But if an efficient chemical agent, which optimizes said dispersion through a specific physicochemical effect on the particle surface is used, also it can generate rheological advantages, besides achieving rational use of water and increase the recoveries of the product main about also optimal costs. The aim of this work is to find the optimal rheological conditions for a dispersion of kaolin as study case, looking for stability, best disaggregation, viscosity and pseudoplasticity.To find the optimal additive, the evaluation parameters were: 1) Best degree of dispersion of the suspensions according to the analysis of the flow curve; 2) Best level of disaggregation of particle chemical analysis delaminated by Particle Size Distribution; and 3) Best thixotropic rheological parameters and pseudoplasticity. Finally the optimum additive as one that meets the best combination of parameters is proposed.INTRODUCTIONKaolin is a clay material formed by altering of feldspar composed mainly for kaolinite. Depending on the application, the kaolin as raw material must be refined and processed because the ores of clays contain usually a lot of impurities derived of its sedimentary source, such as feldspar, mica and quartz (Torres, et. al., 2011). According to the experience on the plant floor and the publication of several scientific papers, it is known that the dispersion is a crucial stage in mineral processing (Greene, Duke, & Hunter, 1965) (Raghavan, et. al., 2004), not only because of the disaggregation of particles, besides because of the humectation of them. Is clear that disaggregation of particles give to the suspensions rheological stability, and the humectation improves the effect of further processes like grinding or chemical treatment. The dispersion process involves making a suspension of the mineral with a solvent which is usually water, to obtain a homogeneous dispersion, with the aid of energy of stirring. Sometimes is not enough the agitation (even with high energy) for this to occur, so is necessary the use of dispersing substances which introduce ions and molecules as modifiers of chemical potential, forcing the molecules of the material to disperse. Sometimes their use even could affect the pH of the suspension in a non-desirable condition. (Flores, 2013)."

Jan 1, 2016

By M. A. Hararah, T. Neesse, M. G. Farghaly, G. Proellss, P. Kaniut, W. Rubarth

ABSTRACT: This paper presents two new options for hydrocyclone control. Volume split control using a control valve in the overflow is applied for the stabilization of separation results at changing feed conditions. Controlled water injection to the conical part of the cyclone leads to the reduction of fine particles in the underflow. Hydrocyclone monitoring in both cases is performed by optical sensors that indicate the spray angle of the underflow. Applications in mineral processing for desliming, classification in closed-circuit grinding, and dewatering are demonstrated.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. Jordens, Y. Zhiyong

"IMBSRE, one of the largest rare earth element (REE) producers in China, produces a rare earth oxide (REO) concentrate as a by-product by floating the middlings stream from a low intensity magnetic separation step in the main iron ore processing stage. As the mine depth has increased, flowsheet changes in the main iron ore circuit have reduced the REO grade and increased the magnetite to REO ratio in the middling product used as flotation feed for the REO circuit. Extensive laboratory work was carried out and identified a new modified hydroxamic acid product, Florrea 8920, that could provide better metallurgical results over the standard hydroxamic acid used as the main collector. This paper briefly reviews the use of hydroxamates in the flotation of oxide minerals, provides detailed information on the different hydroxamates available from Florrea and then provides a case study of the successful implementation of the Florrea 8920 product in a commercial Chinese REE flotation plant. The case study consists of a one year program of pilot plant testing and industrial trials to confirm the results of laboratory tests. The implementation of the new collector resulted in an improvement in grade and recovery to 61% and 64% respectively. The new collector also provided significant economic and environmental benefits.INTRODUCTIONThe flotation of rare earth element (REE) bearing minerals is a topic which has been dominated in the English language literature by the work conducted on the Mountain Pass bastnäsite deposit (Pradip, 1981; Fuerstenau, Pradip, Khan, & Raghavan, 1982; Pradip & Fuerstenau, 1983, 1985, 2013; Fuerstenau & Pradip, 1991; Fuerstenau, Pradip, & Herrera-Urbina, 1992; Herrera-Urbina, Pradip, & Fuerstenau, 2013). By far the most important collector type used for the flotation of rare earth minerals (REM) is hydroxamates. These reagents were initially extensively described as REM collectors in the English literature by Pradip (1981) however they have been successfully applied to numerous other minerals such as: cassiterite (Sreenivas & Padmanabhan, 2002); pyrochlore (Gibson, Kelebek, Aghamirian, & Yu, 2015); hematite, chrysocolla, rhodonite, hubnerite and pyrolusite (Fuerstenau, 2005); and malachite (Lenormand, Salman, & Yoon, 1979) amongst others."

Jan 1, 2016

By Thomas Kilpatrick

The liability created by building this railway is the great financial problem before the people of British Columbia at the present time. In dealing with the subject, I propose to divide it into three periods: The Past - The Present - and The Future. The Past The primary objects in building the railway were to provide an independent and direct route for the Grand Trunk Pacific railway into the city of Vancouver, and to open the central and north-eastern portion of the province.. This vast territory, almost one-half the entire area of British Columbia, has great wealth in fruit, agricultural, and grazing lands; timber, coal, water-power and minerals of all kinds, including some of the richest placer deposits in the world. Rivers and lakes teem with fish. Big game, including moose, elk, caribou, deer, grizzly and black bear, mountain goat and sheep, is plentiful and there is an abundance of small game and fur-bearing animals. In addition, its scenic attractions are unsurpassed in Canada. To develop these resources it was considered necessary to build a railway from south to north as a main artery of transportation and, if necessary, branch lines to carry heavy .shipments of coal or other commodities. Lighter freight may be handled by motor trucks from distant points to the railway.

Jan 1, 1925

By JAMES E. TILSLEY

Veins at St. Lawrence near the tip of the Burin Peninsula in southeast New/ oundland have been the major Canadian source of fluorspar. Some 2.8 million tonnes were shipped during the period 1933-1977, mostly from five of the more than forty veir.s known. Most of the veins occur in granite. individual veins may be several km in length, comprising a number of mineable lenses up to 760 m long and 25 111 thick. Fluorite content averages about 50 per cent, but may exceed 90 per cent locally. Quartz, calcite, barite and a few sulphides are the other vein constituents. Jn recent years, gravity concentrates were shipped to a flotation plant at Arvida, Quebec, where the fluorspar concentrate was used as a flux in the making of alum in um. Competition f rom Mexican fluorspar was a major factor in the closure of the mines. Ample reserves are available should economic conditions improve.

Jan 1, 1984

By N. Pajunen, R. Mäkikoskela

"The current state of environment has been achieved by acting linearly. At the same time, we know that transition towards circular economy cannot be made the same way that we have used to, trusting only a market economy and economic growth. Environmental improvements have been promoted, some progress has been made, but major steps towards sustainability have not been taken. Industry is now facing significant change, from process related environmental thinking to product-based environmental thinking.Engineers make decisions which have lifelong influence and even longer on environment and society. Material engineers in case of saving natural resources and increasing material cycle, have an important role to play in the transition towards sustainability. Best knowledge of minerals and materials is in the material development phase. If we want to increase the cycle of different materials, it is vital to make decisions towards circular economy in early phase of product´s life cycle.The target of this study is to promote circular economy; to increase material efficiency; to save natural resources; and to extend product lifecycles in process industry via product design and material development. In this study we have a new kind of cooperation. We combine two disciplines, engineering science and fine arts. We promote sustainability via breaking out the silos. We bring the cyclic artistic thinking into engineering science and environmental research. The new research combination makes the existing information visible in a new way, and it will change attitudes and ways to act by means other than traditional linear rationality.We have tested the new working method via the industrial case study with the chosen product: the sandwich panel of construction industry. The target of the study was to create something new from the chosen product with artistic thinking. The working method will be presented in this paper."

Jan 1, 2016

By B. R. List, E. R. F. Lord

The Syncrude open pit mine, located near Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta, produces approximately 410 000 tonnes of oil sand feed daily, which, after undergoing a bitumen extraction phase, generates approximately 315000 tonnes of tailings solids daily. The tailings are used to hydraulically construct containment dykes and supporting beaches of the storage facilities. Tailings deposition commenced in May 1978 with the commissioning of the Mildred Lake Settling Basin which is currently composed of approximately 600M m3of solid sand approximately 300M m3of contained fluids with fine tailings in suspension for consolidation. Two other storage facilities, commissioned over the past six years, have been developed to store sand and consolidated fine tailings referred to as mature fine tailings. Fine tailings reduction initiatives being developed will be successful in reducing future production of fine tailings volume by 20%. These initiatives include spiking (addition of fine tailings to coarse tailings lines for deposition), composite tailings (addition of gypsum to promote consolidation) and freeze/thaw dewatering, also to promote consolidation. The mandate of research efforts is to enhance tailings disposal and to develop economical and technically feasible reclamation initiatives. Final tailings landscapes will be geotechnically stable and ecologically productive to minimize or eliminate long-term liability. This technical paper will review the design philosophies of the current facilities and provide an overview of the areas of continuous improvement in the field of tailings management practices through the concerted research efforts and their implementation.

Jan 1, 1997

By C. H. Madsen

THE Hard Rock gold mine is in the Little Long Lac mining area, Thunder Bay district, northwestern Ontario. It is four miles by road from the town of Geraldton, which is on the Canadian National railway, 180 miles northeast of Port Arthur. The original discovery of gold-bearing quartz veins on the property was made in 1931. Shaft sinking began in the fall of 1934 and approximately 7,400 feet of lateral development on four levels was completed. In 1935, further discoveries were made half a mile west of the early workings, and the No. 2 shaft was sunk in this area in a porphyry zone. In January, 1938, a 20C-ton cyanide plant was completed and began drilling ore from the gold-bearing porphyry orebody. The daily feed was increased gradually to 300 tons in the next six months and a recovery of 97.5 per cent was effected. During the summer of the same year, a new and larger orebody was discovered to the north of the porphyry zone. It occurs in a band of iron formation and contains a high percentage of pyrite and arsenopyrite. Extensive tests were rr.ace on this sulphide ore in the Mines Branch ore dressing laboratory at Ottawa, in the laboratory of Canadian Industries, limited, at Toronto, and later at the mine, to find a suitable method of treatrr.ent. As a result of this research, a Potation plant was added to the original cyanide mill and on November 7th, 1938, differential flotation was used to separate the pyrite from the arsenopyrite fraction of the ore. The pyrite concentrate was re-ground and cyanide:l, and the arsenopyrire concentrate was stored for subsequent treatment. Differential flotation was discontinued in April, 1939, in favour of bulk formation of all the sulphides, and the whole cyanide residue was stored. On March 15th, 1939, a 10-ton pilot roaster was completed and rests were conducted on the arsenopyrite concentrate and the bulk concentrate. The results obtained led to the building of two roasters of the same type, large enough to roast all the concentrates. These roasters were put in operation on September 24th, 1939, and the calcines were cyanided in the original circuit.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. Cayouette, . Blatter, P. Cousin

The Laronde mill was commissioned in 1988 and has been treating the Laronde Perim ore since 2000. The Laronde plant, situated in the Abitibi region of Quebec, has experienced mill expansions to accommodate 7500 mtpd and to recover gold and silver as well as important amounts of base metals (Cu, Zn, Pb). Ten sequential metallurgical and environmental processes are responsible for metals recovery and process viability. Over 200,000 ounces of gold, 4,5 million ounces of silver, 7000 tonnes of copper, and 78,000 tonnes of zinc are produced annually. In 2008, the Goldex plant began trucking high wade (35-45 Wt Au) pyrite sulphide concentrate (TCGO) for gold extraction at a newly constructed treatment plant, increasing gold output at Laronde by 40,000 ounces. In 2009, the high gold wade Lapa ore processing facilities were annexed to the Laronde plant increasing output by 120,000 ounces of gold. TCGO and Lapa productions are forecasted until 2018 and 2015 respectively, with known reserves of each mine. Today, up to 140 permanent employees run and optimise the Laronde plant operation. As a result, Laronde has intricacies intrinsic to a large and varied operation. The paper will outline the metallurgical highlights, challenges, and future outlook related to the treatment of each ore type (Laronde, TCGO, and Lapa)

Jan 1, 2011

By T. Fekete, D. L. Flocks, R. T. Hart

The plugging effect of bacteria was investigated by injecting various concentrations of dead bacteria cells though sandstone cores. Pressure profiles along the cores were recorded periodically during the injection cycles. The plugging effect was analyzed using a plot of the ratio of reduced permeabilities to the initial permeability versus input volume. Results indicated that Tock permeability has little effect on plugging, but that the concentration of bacteria in the injection water has a significant effect on plugging characteristics. The pressure profile curves showed that bacteria penetrated several inches through the core but that the greater portion of the bacteria accumulated at the in-put end of the core.

Jan 1, 1960

By Guocheng Pan

Geostatistics has been widely accepted as a standard tool for reserve estimation and mine planning. Kriging has been adopted as the best estimator of grade. Although many discussions have been conducted in the use of kriging in the mining industry, insufficient attention has been given to solutions for over-smoothing. This effect has been frequently encountered in many mines. The so-called over-smearing refers to two facts: (1) over-reduction of grade variabilities and (2) over-estimation of low-grade ore tonnages. This study attempts to link over-smoothing effects with several other practical aspects in kriging. These include the weight independence of data values, variogram modeling, and search strategy used in estimation. All solutions recommended here are suited for precious metal deposits (e.g. gold) in open-pit mining.

Jan 1, 1995

By R Chandramohan

Comminution is the science of size reduction of brittle materials. It is integral to mineral extraction and is one of the most energy intensive processes in the mining industry. There are a number of tests used to quantify the strength of ore, which are then used to size the AG / SAG mill in circuit design. The calculated energy utilized for breakage in these devices is based on the assumptions that the materials treated are of average shape and that the processing equipment is designed to break the ore as efficiently as possible under the given operating conditions. In drop weight tests, it was found that shape significantly influences the measured rock strength. Controlled experiments with variations in blends of rock shape show that mill throughput increases with the addition of weaker shaped rocks.

Jan 1, 2012

By Harry R. Oldale

This paper first covers the general and economic geology of the Coxheath Hills area, and then outlines the exploration and mining development that has been carried out since the first discovery of copper in the area in 1875. The work of Mariner Mines Limited from 1963 to the present time is detailed, particular attention being paid to the recent discoveries of copper, silver and lead mineralization that have greatly enhanced the potential of the area.

Jan 1, 1967

By L. P. Srivastava

Rock bolts have been used since long to enhance the shear strength response of jointed rocks in civil and mining engineering structures. However, the assessment of strength response of a rock mass reinforced with rock bolts remains an unresolved problem till date. In the present article, an attempt has been made to study, through physical model tests, the shear strength enhancement of a blocky mass due to provision of passive rock bolts. Direct shear tests were conducted on large specimens of size 750 mm x 750 mm x 900 mm of rock mass under a normal stress varying from 0 to 2.0 MPa. Concrete was used as a model material to simulate intact rock and, elemental blocks of size 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm were used to form the mass specimens. Steel bolts of 6 mm diameter with 2 mm thick grout were used to reinforce the mass. Three different configurations of bolts were adopted. Observations were made on shear stress, horizontal shear displacement, and dilation during the tests. Effect of normal stress and reinforcement on peak shear stress and shear stiffness was studied. It is observed that the rock bolts enhance the shear strength of the mass by preventing sliding along the shearing plane, and by inducing additional normal stress due to tension mobilized in the bolts. The rock mass, therefore, becomes stronger due to the high degree of interlocking produced by the bolts. Shear strength of the mass increases with increasing numbers of bolts. In the case of reinforced mass, the enhancement in shear strength due to provision of bolts decreases with an increase in normal stress. The provision of bolts improves the cohesion of joints substantially. The effect on friction angle is low. The shear strength enhancement depends on the area of the bolts, spacing of the joints, spacing between the bolts and the cohesion of the intact material. A correlation has been established using which the enhancement in shear strength due to the provision of bolts can be assessed.

Jan 1, 2015

Vast quantities of cosmic material, ranging in size from fine dust to large meteorites and planetoids, have been colliding with and accumulating on the earth since its origin 4.5 billion years ago. There are less than twenty well preserved meteorite craters and Jess than thirty fossil craters or astroblemes on the present face of the earth. On the moon, there are approximately 200,000 craters on the visible face alone -the largest crater being 132 miles in diameter and attaining a depth of 16,000 feet. Making allowances for the different physical conditions on the moon and assuming that these lunar features are of impact origin, the indifference is that, since primeval time, large numbers of celestial objects have also encountered the earth, but that both the topographic expression of the impact and the objects themselves have been destroyed by weathering and erosion. It may be reasonable to suggest that additions of cos-mic bodies have materially altered the chemistry of the earth's crust from place to place and that the impact of large meteorites and asteroids has created zones of weak-ness in the crust that could be the center of magmatic intrusion and mineralization.

Jan 1, 1965

By H. Wilton Clark

"IntroductionTHE CANADIAN use of short-period delay-action detonators in coal shooting has been carried on for about two years, mostly in British Columbia, and this is a preliminary report on progress to date. Entire coal faces are being shot successfully with one application of electric current.The electric blasting cap came into use about the beginning of the century. The low-tension electric cap, the type most commonly used, consists essentially of a metal tube containing an initiating explosive. Two wires lead into the end of the cap and are connected inside the cap with a short 'bridge wire .of very high resistance. This •bridge wire is buried in a match-head of a readily ignitable powder composition. When current goes through the lead wires, the bridge wire becomes extremely hot and sets• off the match-head which, in turn, ignites the powder just below it in the tube. This explosion sets off the main charge of explosive. Thus, by connecting a group of caps to a source of electric .current, a number of charges could be exploded simultaneously. This immediately became of great value to mine and quarry operators. Explosives could now be used to break up large masses of material at one time, as against the older, slow method .of blasting small amounts with single charges.The next step was to develop a delay detonator which would allow charges of explosive to fire one after the other, one or two seconds apart. Such detonators allowed first blasts to relieve some rock burden before the next charge fired, giving the second charge an easier task in forcing out more rock, and so on for the rest of the series of charges."

Jan 1, 1953

By T. H. Patching, M. W. Mikhail

"The gas sorption and emission characteristic of coals are important to the planning and conduct of mining operations. Methane drainage from coal strata can also provide a supply of fuel in certain circumstances. Gas emissions have also created hazards during the handling and transport of coals and the release of gas also appears to be related to the yield of fine sizes during mining and processing operations.This paper summarizes studies at the University of Alberta on the permeability and gas emission of certain bituminous coals. Permeability of 'solid' samples was found to be drastically reduced by confining pressure. An emission index, .P, which has been related to outbursting behaviour of coals, has also been related to the proportion of fine s in cleaning plants. Gas sorption isotherms are dependent on temperature, moisture content, the gas involved and the type of coal and can be approximately expressed by the Langmuir or the Freundlich equations. Sorption values in sections taken across a given seam were similar but considerable differences were found in . P indices in the different coal layers of a seam.IntroductionThe emission of gases, especially of methane, from coal has been a subject of great interest (and sometimes a matter of life and death), to those who dig and handle coal since it was first mined from underground pit s. Many studies and investigations have been carried out on gas occurrences and emissions but our knowledge of the precise mechanisms of gas sorption, desorption and flow from coal is still incomplete. It is the purpose of this paper to review the principal factors involved in these processes and to briefly rep ort some of the results that have been obtained by studies in the laboratories of the Department of Mineral Engineering, University of Alberta, and Coal Research Laboratory, Edmonton, CANMET"

Jan 1, 1986

By Aysan Molaei, Kristian E. Waters

"Solvent extraction is the one of the most common techniques for recovering metal ions from aqueous systems. However, it is not efficient in the extraction of low concentration metal ions from aqueous solutions. Predispersed solvent extraction (PDSE) is an alternative method for solvent extraction which implies colloidal liquid aphrons as extracting agents in order to reach higher interfacial area and lower reagent consumption. This work investigated important parameters in PDSE of nickel ions from dilute aqueous solutions by fractional factorial design of experiments. Four experimental parameters, the initial extractant concentration, initial surfactant concentration, equilibrium pH and phase volume ratio (organic to aqueous ratio) were investigated. The important parameters were determined as well as important interactions between these parameters. It was found that extractant concentration, phase volume ratio, and equilibrium pH are the most significant experimental parameters. However, the interaction between surfactant concentration and other parameters was determined as significant interactions.INTRODUCTIONNickel is one of the key components found in cars, mobile phones, rechargeable batteries, kitchen appliances, and steel industry (Anyadike, 2002). It is one of the most important metals produced by Canada which is in the five top nickel producers in the world. Despite a 24% decrease in the nickel prices from 2011 to 2014 the nickel global mine production increased by 36% between these years (U.S. Geological Survey, 2015; Nickel - Statista Dossier, 2015), which shows the increasing demand for nickel. This high demand leads producers to consider the production of nickel from low grade ores and other secondary sources such as process wastewaters. The removal of nickel ions from process wastewater is also important due to environmental considerations. Nickel is known to be a human carcinogen and it may cause serious lung and kidney problems, pulmonary fibrosis, gastrointestinal distress, and skin dermatitis if it exceeds the critical level (Borba et al., 2006; Fu & Wang, 2011)."

Jan 1, 2016