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By J. W. Bawden, J. Nantel

"The mine operator has two prime objectives when he operates a mine: (l) the mine must be safe, and (2) the mine must operate with the lowest possible costs. The operator constantly faces a dilemma; if he is over cautious with regard to safety, his costs may be very high, and if he is over-zealous in trying to reduce costs, the safety of his operation may be jeopardized.Modern bulk mining methods rely heavily on high productivity non-entry stoping techniques (e.g. open stoping, VCR, etc.). Such techniques have the advantage of removing the operator from the active and sometimes dangerous mining face and ofminimizing costly development. On the other hand, this generally results in a certain loss of flexibility in following irregular ore-waste contacts. If stopes are opened too large and/or are inadequately supported, severe dilution with resulting escalating costs usually results. If initial access drift support is inadequate for latter mine induced stresses high rehabilitation costs may also be incurred.Optimization of stope dimensions should logically occur as part of a general mine rock engineering program, within the over-all mine planning context. The same program should help highlight those areas where drift rehabilitation may be a problem.Whenever successful mining is performed, rock engineering is being applied, either by design or by chance. The cost implications of planned practical rock engineering as an integral part of mine planning and design can be very significant to the ultimate mining ""bottom line"". At Noranda Minerals Inc. allowable stope dimensions are derived using a combination of numerical stress analysis and empirical design techniques. This paper discusses the use of the above techniques and their limitations as tools for rock mechanics based stope dimension optimization. The potential cost implications of such design efforts within the general mine planning context are also addressed."

Jan 1, 1989

In 2009 Newmont Mining Corporation?s annual global spend on grinding media reached $94M USD, having doubled in the five years since 2004. The major contributing factor to the spend escalation during this period was unit consumable price, with total media consumption also rising as a function of annual ore tonnes milled. In an effort to better understand and manage the growth of this expenditure a significant supply chain management program was implemented. This was complemented by a series of technical initiatives focussed on grinding media specifications, quality management and the prediction of grinding media wear rate as a function of physical ore characteristics. This paper discusses the methodology and outcomes of these activities.

Jan 1, 2012

By Stopford Brunton

For many years it has been accepted as axiomatic that the greater number of 'veins' or 'leads' in the gold districts of Nova Scotia are of the 'interbedded' type. The corollary to this hypothesis is that the vein or lead will have a continuous hanging-wall of one kind of rock, and a continuous footwall of the same or another kind of rock; but the essential point is that the foot and hanging walls are, according to this theory, both continuous and of uniform composition throughout; and that the vein or lead conforms to the bedding of the adjacent strata. With regard to the deposition of the gold in the rocks, the probability is that the key of the problem is contained in a statement by E. R. Faribault, of the Geological Survey of Canada: "The combined effect of cleavage, jointing, and stratification is to cause the rocks, especially the quartzites, to break into rhombohedral blocks". It is essential to comprehend that the rocks of the Province are no doubt folded into anticlines and synclines; but also it must be fully realized that the gold deposits and pay-shoots do not depend so much upon these as upon the fractures resulting from the disturbance caused by the intrusion of granite masses, and controlled by the combined effect of cleavage, jointing, and stratification. These fractures would form the channels through which the ore-bearing vapours and solutions would rise, and at the junctions of these fractures, where the fracturing was greatest, the easiest passages would be afforded to the ore carriers, with the result that the ore-shoots would be found at or near the intersections of fractures. It is a significant fact that in at least thirteen different districts throughout the Province, operators have at various times remarked upon the occurrence of rich ore at the intersection of 'leads,' 'veins,' 'beds,' etc.

Jan 1, 1928

By P. D. R. Maltby

"The Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has undertaken to host the XIV International Mineral Processing Congress to be held in Toronto at the Royal York Hotel from October 10 to 16, 1982. The theme of the Congress will be ""Worldwide Industrial Application of Mineral Processing Technology."" The program will include 10 sessions and numerous field trips to the different mining areas of Canada.For prospective authors, the preliminary program includes sessions on,1. Flotation - plant practice, equipment design, simulation, control and economics.2. Comminution - plant practice, equipment, design, simulation, control, wear, energy consideration and economics.3. Round table seminar on large grinding mills.4. Round table seminar on modern and future plant design.5. Mineral processes to recover precious metals.6. Mineral processes to recover energy minerals (coal, uranium).7. Mineral processes to recover industrial minerals.8. Round table seminar on the environment and ecology and how the different countries cope with associated problems.9. Materials handling with an emphasis on agglomeration techniques ereconentration methods, solid-liquid separation.10. Open session to deal with topic emerging from general demand."

Jan 1, 1980

By Loris S. Russell

THE plains of southern Alberta constitute one of the classic areas of geological investigation in Canada, for it was here in 1874, and in 1881 to 1883, that George Mercer Dawson (1, 2, 3) made the pioneer observations that are basic to all subsequent work on the interior plains of Canada. Dawson's work was extended eastward by R. G. McConnell ( 4) and northward by J. B. Tyrrell( 5) , but it remained. for D. B. Dowling to re-examine Dawson's Bow and Belly River Area and to make certain necessary revisions in the stratigraphical system of his predecessor. In 1917, Dowling published his memoir, The Southern Plains of Alberta( 6) , which remained for over ten years the last word on the stratigraphy and structure of the area described. It is generally conceded that Dowling's work made known the existence of a great artesian basin beneath the semi-arid plains of southeastern Alberta. In addition, his structural studies greatly stimulated the search for natural gas and petroleum. The most recent general publications on this area by the Geological Survey are based on the field work of M. Y. Williams, E. J. Whittaker, W. S. Dyer, and P. S. Warren, between the years 1923 and 1926. Their results were embodied in the Calgary Sheet (7) and the memoir, Geology of Southern Alberta and Southwestern Saskatchewan (8). By this time, the number of geologists working in Alberta in the development of the petroleum and natural gas industries had become large, and in 1931 the Alberta Association of Petroleum Geologist~ offered the Donaldson Bogart Dowling Memorial Symposium on Stratigraphy of Southern Alberta( 9) , a most valuable series of papers descriptive both of the ,surface stratigraphy and that observed in the well records.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. N. Hamilton

As a result of a test-drilling program conducted by the Research Council of Alberta in 1968, a gypsum deposit averaging 30 feet in thickness, with a chemical purity of 84 per cent gypsum, has been proven to underlie the Clearwater River valley for a distance of 18 miles at depths ranging from near-surface to 300 feet. This and other subsurface deposits in the vicinity of Fort McMurray, Alberta are the product of local hydration of anhydrite beds believed to be the water-insoluble remains of the leached Prairie Evaporite formation of Middle Devonian age, the thick salt section of which is preserved down dip. The effects of salt solution are seen in the disturbed bedding and the intermixture of greyish green shale with gypsum in the core, the shale content being responsible for the rather low chemical purity of the deposit. A similar gypsum deposit, but probably of higher purity, is postulated to occur beneath the Athabasca River valley about 60 miles north of Fort McMurray.

Jan 1, 1969

By William B. Hetherington

Communities are the foundation upon which the whole structure of society rests and upon which the nation builds its hope for the future. They are not established to serve any one particular generation, nor any one element or group, but should be erected to render a lasting service to all who are to follow. They play a very vital and important role in the lives and welfare of the people, in their industrial, business, and social relations, and in the economy of the nation, of which they are the fundamental assets. Communities and civic governments are destined to be vital factors in the national welfare in the days that are to come. Any improvement in national or world conditions must have its origin within the communities. Any attempt at solution of the community problem must give some consideration to the fundamental elements which exist in every community, and to the underlying principles, and ways of life and thought, upon which community life is based. The community is, in its essence, a number of people living and working more or less closely together, sharing common rights, privileges, conveniences, and comforts, which would be impossible for the individual to obtain for himself by his own efforts alone, or in any other way than by the mutual exchange of persona! services and resources. In this way, men have increased the returns from their labour and commerce, have raised the standard of their living, with better social, educational, and recreational facilities, and enjoy a greater personal security.

Jan 1, 1943

By P. G. Lazenby

This paper describes the latest instrumentation improvements in the INPUT Airborne E.M. System, particularly the new electronic signal-processing techniques. Several anomaly examples illustrating these techniques are shown.

Jan 1, 1973

By G. E. Cole

"Amongst the mineral products of Canada gold holds the second place in value of yearly output. . . . . .The production of gold has increased steadily during the past six years and has somewhat more than doubled in that time. For the past four years Canada has been third among the gold producing countries of the world, surpassed only by the Union of South Africa, and the United States of America," and now yields somewhat more than 9 per cent of the annual output of the world."-"The Gold Situation in Canada". Bulletin of Development Branch, Canadian Pacific Railway. The history of gold mining in Canada is comparatively modern and does not take one further back than the late 'fifties of the 19th century. If the efforts of the early explorers in Canada were expended in "seeking with equal ardour, proselytes and gold", history fails of any record of their success in the search for the precious metal. As early as 1849 not a few Canadians travelled from the east by land and water to the Californian goldfields. In the then settled part of Canadathe east-people were alive to the value of any mineral discovery; but the west, owing to its remoteness and to there being no ready means of communication, was virtually isolated from the east.

Jan 1, 1927

By Earl M. Frizzell, Joseph A. Dos Santos

"Conventional belt conveyors offer an economical method for transporting materials at inclines approaching 18 degrees. Sandwich belt conveyors may be used to transport materials at high angles, to 90 degrees, while maintaining the most positive features of conventional conveyors, that is, (1) proven conventional conveyor components. (2) high-speed operation, (3) high-single lifts, (4) continuous cleaning of the smooth surf aced belts, and (5) easy, quick repair by hot or cold vulcanizing. The present discussion deals with the evolution and development of sandwich belt conveyors to satisfy the operational requirements of the open-pit mining and materials-handling industries.A look at the limitation s of conventional shallow angle conveyors reveals the conveying angle at which a cover belt is needed. The relationship between conveying angle and hugging pressure by the cover belt is developed mathematically. A study of past and current developments reveals that the Loop Belt and Beltavator are significant advances in the state-of -the- art. The vertical radius of curvature constraints are discussed in detail and the constraint equations are developed. Criteria for future development is established as a basis for evolutionary developments in sandwich belt high-angle conveyors. The use of intermediate drives in sandwich belt high-angle conveyors is investigated.IntroductionIn connection with U.S. Bureau of Mines funded–study relating to continuous haulage from deep open-pit mines, the authors had occasion to study extensively, the use of high-angle conveyors as a means of hauling mine products continuously from the pit while maintaining optimum mine slopes to minimize total excavation. The many possible high-angle conveying methods investigated included skip hoists, bucket ladders, pocket belts, fin belts, cleated belts, sandwich belts, pipe belts, screw conveyors, slurry pipe lines, and others. The sandwich belt high-angle conveyor appeared to be the most operationally-appropriate and economical solution for the mining industry. The present paper presents the theory, historical development, state-of-the-art, and evolutionary developments in sandwich belt high-angle conveyors."

Jan 1, 1983

By B. Haugrud, E. McConaghy, M. Collins, G. Smith

"Laterite ore processed by the Ambatovy joint venture in Madagascar is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The process selected for treatment of this ore considered the behaviour and deportment of iron in each step of the commercial flowsheet. Such considerations included nickel and cobalt recoveries, reagent consumptions, liquid-solid separation characteristics, and intermediate and final product purities. In this paper, the results for the first three years of commercial operation at Ambatovy are compared with the design parameters, with emphasis on the behaviour of iron.RÉSUMÉ Le minerai latéritique traité par l’entreprise commune Ambatovy au Madagascar contient principalement de la limonite, composée de 40–45 % en poids (wt%) de fer (Fe) et de 1,1 wt% de nickel (Ni). Le procédé choisi pour le traitement de ce minerai tenait compte du comportement et du maintien du fer à chaque étape du schéma de traitement commercial. Parmi les facteurs pris en compte figuraient les récupérations de nickel et de cobalt, les consommations d’agents réactifs, les caractéristiques de séparation des liquides-solides ainsi que la pureté des produits semi-fini et final. Cet article compare les résultats des trois premières années d’exploitation commerciale à Ambatovy aux paramètres d’étude, en insistant notamment sur le comportement du fer.INTRODUCTIONThe main component of nickeliferous laterite ore is iron, and the Ambatovy deposit in Madagascar is no exception. Ambatovy ore is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The nickel content of the ore is approximately 1/40th that of the iron content by weight; therefore, successful recovery of nickel depends on close control of the behaviour of iron in the selected process.The Ambatovy area is located 80 km east of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Exploration dates back to 1960, when the Malagasy Service Géologique carried out a limited pitting and auger-drilling program. Phelps Dodge Corporation (now Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.) was granted the mining rights to the property in 1995 and carried out significant resource definition, environmental assessment, and engineering studies between 1995 and 2001 (Chou, Rooke, Williams, & Hanks, 2000). In 2003, Dynatec Corporation, which was formed in 1997 by the merger of Dynatec International Ltd. and Sherritt International Consultants Inc., signed a joint venture agreement with subsidiaries of Phelps Dodge to evaluate the Ambatovy nickel project. Dynatec became extensively involved in the development of the project, including process selection and pilot plant testing in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (Collins et al., 2004, 2005; Collins & Vardill, 2005; Collins, Buban, Holloway, Masters, & Raudsepp, 2009). Dynatec acquired 100% of the project in 2005 and a joint venture between Dynatec, Sumitomo Corporation, Korea Resources Corporation (KORES), and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SLI) was formed shortly thereafter to provide funding for further development. SLI was responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction management of the commercial facilities. Sherritt International Corporation reacquired Dynatec Corporation, including 40% ownership in the Ambatovy nickel project, in 2007. The current Ambatovy joint venture consists of an integrated nickel and cobalt mining, processing, refining, and marketing enterprise between subsidiaries of Sherritt (40% owner and mine and plant operator), Sumitomo Corporation (32.5% owner), and KORES (27.5% owner)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Alan Jessop

A small group has been set up at the Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, to make a survey of terrestrial heat flow throughout Canada. Terrestrial heat flow is the heat rising from the interior of the earth and escaping at the surface, and is calculated from a knowledge of under-ground temperature distribution and the thermal conductivity of rocks. A small number of diamond drill holes are being sunk for the purpose of measuring temperatures below the surface, but the program is inadequate for a thorough survey. Mines and holes drilled for other purposes are being sought by the Dominion Observatory group to supplement their own drilling program. F ROM January, 1.962, to December, 1964, geo-physicists of many nations will be cooperating in the "International Upper Mantle Project." Unlike tl1e International Geophysical Year, which was mainly concerned with the fluid layers surrounding the earth, the Upper Mantle Project is an intensive study of the solid earth. Canada, with its large land area and extensive Precambrian Shield, is an active participant in the project.

Jan 1, 1964

By Grant D. Nicholas

This paper compares an integrated evaluation approach to decision-making with more traditional sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation. The primary objective is to highlight the differences in NPV that can arise from using these evaluation methods in a top down and bottom-up approach. Results from three resource scenarios, derived from sampling a "virtual" ore body (reality) on grid spacings of 75m, 50m and 25m, are analyzed and compared.

May 1, 2007

By P. S. Arthur

The copper I SAS MELT? process is a submerged lance bath smelting technology. In the 20 years since the process was first demonstrated on a semicommercial scale at Mount Isa in north-west Queensland, Australia, copper ISASMELT? plants have been constructed to treat concentrates or secondary raw materials around the world. The process is operating in smelters in Australia, the USA, Belgium, India, Germany, China and Zambia. ISASMELT? plants have been installed to improve the environmental performance of operating smelters and reduce costs for smelting companies. A new copper furnace is being commissioned at Southern Peru Copper Corporation in early 2007, while more furnaces are under design for installation in Kazakhstan and Peru. Copper ISASMEL T? plants are supplied as complete technology packages including engineering design services for the furnace and key ancillaries, supply of core equipment, provision of intensive training programs in operating plant environments and commissioning assistance services. The proven technology transfer process ensures successful implementation of submerged lance bath smelting into large scale plants. This paper summarises developments at recently constructed copper ISASMELT? plants.

Jan 1, 2007

By George K. Foster

The Jeffrey mine of the Canadian Johns-Manville Co., Limited, is in the town of Asbestos, situated approximately 100 miles northeast of Montreal and about the same distance southwest of Quebec, in Richmond county, Quebec. Mining operations were started in 1881 on outcrops on a hill, as a side-hill cut, followed by a second and third cut. This development was the forerunner of the present large open-pit operations, the mine now ranking as the largest open-pit asbestos mine in the world. Operations were first carried on by hand, then by horsepower and later by stem cableways. By 1914, the derrick spans, 2,000 feet or more long, became unwieldy. To overcome this, and also to eliminate hand labour as much as possible, steam shovels and railway haulage were introduced. The steam shovels were replaced in 1928 by larger electric shovels of the full-revolving type.

Jan 1, 1946

By Masami Nakamoto

Controlled thermolysis of gold(I) thiolate complex, [C14H29(CH3)3N][Au(SC12H25)2], at 180 °C for 5 h under an N2 atmosphere produces novel gold nanoparticles passivated by alkyl groups derived from the precursor complex, the TEM photograph of which shows spherical particles with average diameter 26 nm. Since Brust et al. reported the two-phase reduction of AuCl4 - by NaBH4 to afford monodispersed gold nanoparticles passivated by alkanethiolate ligands (1), plenty of preparative investigations on gold nanoparticles (2,3) and its surface modification (3,4) have appeared, because of their potential applications in microelectronics (5). However, those preparative methods generally involve the reduction of AuCl4 - by reducing agent NaBH4 in the presence of suitable organic stabilizers such as alkanethiol (1-4), phosphane (5), quarternary ammonium salts (6), surfactants (7) or polymers (8). On the other hand, O?Brien et al. recently reported the preparation of organically capped gold nanoparticles at 190 °C, where tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and/or n-octadecylamine are used both as a reaction medium and as a passivating ligand (6), but this procedure also needs NaBH4 as reducing agent. Our strategy of novel preparative method of gold nanoparticles is the combination of reductive elimination of thiolate ligands and simultaneous attachment of organic moiety on the growing nuclei. Gold(I) thiolate complexes with ammonium cations were useful for our preparative method. We now report the controlled thermolysis of gold(I) thiolate complexes, [R(CH3)3N][Au(SC12H25)2] and [R(CH3)3N][Au(SC6H4-p-R?)2] (R= C14H29, C12H25; R?= C8H17, CH3), under an N2 atmosphere, where the powder of gold(I) thiolate complexes completely melts to afford the precursor liquid and then the liquid gradually decomposes. In spite of no use of reducing agent and solvent, reduction reaction is thermochemically induced to afford novel gold nanoparticles passivated by alkyl groups rather than by alkanethiolate ligands. Figure 1a shows a typical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of gold nanoparticles prepared by thermolysis of [C14H29(CH3)3N][Au(SC12H25)2] at 180 °C for 5 h, indicating a controlled growth of spherical gold nanoparticles. As shown in Fig. 1b, these spherical gold nanoparticles display the size distribution ranging from 5 to 50 nm. Although the particle size is larger than that of thiol-derivatized gold nanoparticles (less than 5 nm) prepared by NaBH4 reduction (1-3), the aggregation of gold nuclei is smoothly regulated and the growth of core gold is limited to be 26 nm in average diameter in spite of thermal procedure.

Oct 1, 2003

By P. K. Kaiser, S. M. Maloney, S. P. Singh

"Corrosion of underground support measures constitutes a concern to industry in both safety and economic terms. It also represents a potential market for corrosion resistant materials such as stainless steel.In order to assess the market potential for a stainless steel friction rock bolt, a review of current corrosion processes and remedial or preventative measures in the underground environment was undertaken. This was supplemented by distribution to industry of a detailed questionnaire, concerning the magnitude and extent of support corrosion and the costs of current support measures, and by visits to selected sites. Following data synthesis, support costs were established and the economic benefit of stainless steel rock bolts evaluated.Stainless steel rock bolts can be an effective cost reducing measure in unscreened areas requiring frequent reconditioning. Their benefit is rapidly diminished, however, if only partial reconditioning is required, the reconditioning interval is long or if screening is required.While most industry personnel are receptive to the application of stainless steel support measures, the localization of corrosion problems and the potential high cost of this type of support are barriers to its widespread implementation. They have potential for use in extreme environments. However, this relatively small market may not be economically viable.IntroductionFriction rock bolts are the simplest of all interior rock fixtures. The friction resistance to sliding of the rock on the bolt is generated by a radial pressure against the borehole wall over the length of the bolt. Two types of friction rock bolts are currently marketed, the Split Set and the Swellex.Unlike conventional point anchor bolts, friction rock stabilizers may move relative to the rock strata and maintain their capacity even if rock shifts, a condition that sometimes loosens or breaks conventional bolts. Ease of installation, effectiveness in jointed as well as weaker rock, and the possibility of having relatively long bolts are a few of the many advantages which generate considerable interest in the application of friction rock bolts (Wijk and Skogberg, 1982). However, due to their thin-walled construction and large surface area, frictional rock stabilizers are more susceptible than conventional bolts to damage by corrosion. For this reason, they are normally not recommended for long-term use (Jolly and Neumeier, 1987).In light of the above discussion; the Nickel Development Institute commissioned a study by the Geomechanics Research Centre with the objective of generating a credible database for the assessment of the feasibility of a stainless steel friction bolt system in corrosive ground and mine environments."

Jan 1, 1990

By R. J. Munday

Although uranium deposits in northern Saskatchewan are clustered around the Athabasca basin, basement lithostructure determines their distribution. Basal Wollaston Group pelites are invariably graphitic and carry uraninite in felsic segregations and biotitic pegmatite. Where these intersect the Athabasca Formation, remobilized uranium concentrated as pitchblende. Uranium is also concentrated in silicified and hematized sandstone where the Athabasca Formation overlies post-orogenic faults. Presumably, pregnant solutions associated with the fault were stripped of their metals as they emerged into the contrasting physico-chemical environment of the sandstone basin. Both these types of mineralization correlate with a Grenvillian (-1,000 m.y.) heating event and associated diabase intrusions. However, the rich pitchblende veins at Uranium City appear to predate the Athabasca Formation, but display spatial correlation with the Martin Formation. They are tentatively associated with a syn- to post-D3 retrograde metamorphic event which thoroughly leached crystalline basement and generated uraniferous fluids which escaped, and precipitated metals, into fractures associated with faults that define the grabens in which the Martin Formation was deposited. Remobilization events allowed some of this uranium to move upward into fractures within Martin sediments.

Jan 1, 1979

By D. R. Jolley

"The selection of equipment for open-pit mining is an important decision which results in a considerable capital expenditure by the operator. The decision is complicated by the wide product range on the market. Certainly, equipment performance is an important criterion to consider in making the decision. Equally important, however, is the operating inter-relationship among the equipment. A poor balance increases production costs and waiting time as queues form at the bottlenecks. This inter-relationship is dependent on equipment performance, but it is also affected by management decisions (i.e. scheduling techniques).The purpose of this paper is to show how the computer is used to decide which equipment and operating decisions achieve the required production objectives at least cost. Actual mining of the pit is simulated over a period of time using different equipment and scheduling decisions. Production, waiting time and costs are evaluated for each alternative until the operator is satisfied that he has achieved the best result."

Jan 1, 1970

By S. Southall, F. McCaffrey, F. Stober, M. Darini

Electrode Columns are commonly used in electric furnaces to deliver current and regulate furnace power to the smelting or melting process. Hatch has developed an innovative patent-pending system for lowering ("slipping") and/or raising ("back-slipping") the electrodes through an electrode column, without requiring the release of any clamping devices. All clamping forces are applied by springs. Unlike systems employing hydraulically applied clamping forces, (e.g., water bladders) the spring system is failsafe. Its inherent simplicity virtually eliminates the need for maintenance. The Hatch system is particularly applicable to Soderberg electrodes, and comprises two axially movable slipping clamps and a stationary power clamp, each of which apply a distributed, radial clamping force to the electrode. The magnitudes of the slipping sleeves' clamping forces and sequencing of their axial movements are selected such that the slipping clamps, in conjunction with the weight of the electrode, provide slipping or back slipping without release of any clamping force.

Jan 1, 2005