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By C. W. Eggert

This paper gives an account of the E.V.O.P. tests made at the Copper Rand mill of the Patino Mining Corporation in Chibougamau, Quebec. The runs were made to acquire an understanding of the method. A description of events, along with conclusions, observations and opinions, is out-lined.

Jan 1, 1967

By M. Tanaka, H. Narita, K. Morisaku

"The selective separation of palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh) from a hydrochloric acid solution by solvent extraction was investigated using amide-type extractants, i.e., N,N,N’,N’-tetra-n-octyl-thiodiglycolamide (TDGA) and N-n-hexyl-bis(N-methyl-N-n-octyl-ethylamide) amine (BisAA). The separation experiments employed two separation schemes: (1) extraction of Pd with TDGA and that of Rh and Pt with BisAA; and (2) extraction of Rh, Pd, and Pt with BisAA. Separation scheme 1 achieved the highly selective separation of each metal. For separation scheme 2, Rh can be recovered prior to Pd and Pt, despite having a lower selectivity for Pd/Pt than separation scheme 1. INTRODUCTIONThe recent increase in the use of platinum group metals (PGMs) in industry (especially auto catalysts containing palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh)) has lead to their increasing waste; therefore, improvements in the recovery techniques for PGM have received significant attention. In metal refineries, PGMs are mainly separated and purified by solvent extraction (Cox, 2004). The extraction process used in INCO’s Acton precious metal refinery is one of the most famous commercial processes and is utilized worldwide. In this process, silver is first removed as a residue (AgCl), and then gold, Pd and Pt are extracted from hydrochloric acid (HCl) solutions using dibutylcarbitol (DBC), dialkylsulfide (DAS), and tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP), respectively. Finally, Rh remains in the raffinate (Barns & Edwards, 1982).The development of a successful solvent extraction process depends on the choice of the appropriate extractants. We have studied the extraction of PGM using N,N-disubstituted amide compounds (Narita, Tanaka, Morisaku, & Abe, 2004; Narita, Tanaka, Morisaku, & Tamura, 2006; Narita, Tanaka, & Morisaku, 2008a, 2008b). They are relatively stable against acids, and their metal extractability can be improved by changing the side chain length and/or introducing additional donor atoms like sulfur and nitrogen. We have recently found that thiodiglycolamide and an amide-containing tertiary amine have good extractabilities for Pd and Rh, respectively."

Jan 1, 2012

By O. F. Carter

"Coniaurum Mines, Limited, hold nineteen claims in Tisdale township, in the Porcupine district, adjoining the McIntyre mine on the east. They extend for over a mile along the strike of the Hollinger-McIntyre 'break'. The property has been explored extensively along the ore zone both laterally and vertically. Workings have been carried to a depth of 5,500 feet, and nearly 50 miles of lateral workings (drifting and cross-cutting) have been driven to date in development and in gaining access to the orebodies.Production started at the Coniaurum in June 1928 and has continued without interruption. To the end of 1946 the plant has treated 2,695,725 tons of ore, yielding gold having a value of $21,989,918.The Coniaurum is controlled by Ventures Limited of Toronto. Mr. John Redington, who has guided all operations since work began on the property in 1922, is Managing Director.GENERAL GEOLOGYAge and Types of RocksKeweenawan- Quartz diabase dykes.Algoman - Quartz porphyry intrusive; the veins are probably late Algoman.Keewatin - Lava flows.Brief Description of Rock Types.Diabase DykesTwo quartz diabase dykes traverse the property in a north-south direction, cutting all formations, including veins.Porphyry IntrusivePetrographically all porphyries in the Coniaurum are of the usual Porcupine type- quartz-feldspar with alteration advanced in most instances to the stage where the feldspars are completely dissolved, leaving a wellsheared carbonate and sericite matrix with embedded rounded quartz 'eyes'. Alteration is most extensive in the smaller bodies and in the narrow protuberances from the larger masses; the cores of the larger masses are generally much fresher, with more or less well defined feldspar phenocrysts."

Jan 1, 1954

By K. E. Waters, N. Brodusch, R. Gauvin, H. Demers

"Rare earth elements are becoming increasingly in demand, due to their prevalence in both renewable energy devices and high-end electronics. The characterization of the composition, morphology and volume fraction of the various phases that have valuable rare earths in the ores are needed to find the optimal industrial process to extract the ores containing the rare earths. Rare earth-bearing minerals contain many elements with the M-and L-lines overlap, requiring a high degree of resolution, pushing the boundaries of scanning electron microscopy quantitative analysis. Enhanced microscopy at a high spatial resolution with improved x-ray quantitative analysis enables the accurate determination of the distribution of the desired rare earths in various mineral phases. INTRODUCTIONRare earth elements are becoming increasingly in demand, due to their prevalence in both renewable energy devices and high-end electronics. From batteries (lanthanum and cerium), to magnets (dysprosium and neodymium) and lighting (yttrium), the rare earth elements are crucial to the advancement of technology, and to energy saving devices (Crow, 2011). The goal of this project is to characterize the composition, morphology and volume fraction of the various phases that have valuable rare earths in the ores in order to estimate the economical VALUES (of the ores and to find the optimal industrial process to extract the ores containing the rare earths. High spatial resolution imaging and x-ray microanalysis are needed to reach this goal. In this work, the results obtained with a cold-field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and a silicon drift detector (SDD) energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) detector at low accelerating voltage are compared to experimental conditions typically used with electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) instrument.With this improvement, a detailed scientific analysis of the composition of these, and other, ores will become possible with a SEM/EDS system. This will help to better understand how such ores were formed, hence assisting in finding them, and to better understand how to process them in preparation for high end industrial applications, namely through mineral processing."

Jan 1, 2012

By Samuel O. Akande

"Gold occurs as native metal, in electrum, and in a telluride mineral in quartz carbonate veinlets of three vein systems at the Ross Mine, northern Ontario. The 14 Vein System is made up predominantly of concordant veinlets within layered ankeritic dolomite stratabound by, and conformable with, andesite tuff Individual veinlets contain pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, tennantite, pearceite, proustite, native gold and electrum in a matrix of quartz, dolomite, ankerite and calcite. The 2B Vein System is made up of both concordant and discordant veinlets within andesite tuffs. The veinlets contain pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bornite, tennantite and free gold in quartz, calcite and dolomite. The 18 Vein System is comprised of stockwork veinlets in and around intrusive syenite which has both sharp and gradational contacts with enclosing andesite tuff The veinlets contain pyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, native gold and calaverite. Sulphide and silicate minerals in veinlets and wall rocks are stable assemblages for the regional metamorphism of greenschist rank. ,The 14 Vein System is interpreted as a metalliferous siliceous carbonate chemical sediment, the components of which were leached from the underlying volcanic rocks by convecting sea water and subsequently deposited on the sea floor between the extrusion of flows and pyroclastic rocks. Subsequent regional metamorphism and intrusions remobilized and redistributed the syngenetic stratabound material into dilatant fractures in adjacent tuff, as in the 2B and the 18 vein systems."

Jan 1, 1982

By W M. Cameron

Geophysical studies have extended seaward in recent years, and the important discoveries which have been made have led to a better understanding of geological processes. A present source of certain minerals, the sea will eventually serve as an important source of desalinated water. The continental helves, in particular, represent a potential mineral resource. The expansion of Canadian oceanographic effort that is now underway will eventually lead to the exploitation of the wealth beneath the sea. THE subject of this symposium, which emphasizes the word "geophysics," the specialties of the speakers who are contributing and the nature of the audience at first made me believe that I, a a physical oceanographer, would be out of place. However, I shall undertake to classify myself as a geophysicist, and shall arrange my remarks on my specialty o that they might be of interest to those of you who are predominantly geologists, metallurgists or mining engineers.

Jan 1, 1963

By Larry A. Morris

The environmental impacts of industrial activities have become very serious concerns of the public over the past few decades. Not surprisingly, governments have responded with legislation and regulations to force industry to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner and, more recently, have prompted industry to initiate voluntary measures in response to specific environmental issues. The concept of Product Stewardship has evolved as a system or vehicle for the industrial sector to demonstrate an active concern about the environmental impact of their products, services and processes.

Jan 1, 1996

By Larry A. Morris

The environmental impacts of industrial activities have become very serious concerns of the public over the past few decades. Not surprisingly, governments have responded with legislation and regulations to force industry to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner and, more recently, have prompted industry to initiate voluntary measures in response to specific environmental issues. The concept of Product Stewardship has evolved as a system or vehicle for the industrial sector to demonstrate an active concern about the environmental impact of their products, services and processes.

Jan 1, 1996

By C. G. Williams

This paper describes the planning, development and operation of the Highvale Mine to supply coal to both the existing Sundance and the approved Keephills thermal power plants of Calgary Power Ltd. Reference is also made to the company 's Whitewood Mine, which feeds the Wabamun thermal plant .

Jan 1, 1979

By Norman R. Ball

"Many people in the mining and metallurgical industries were brought up to embrace Henry Ford's pronouncement that ""History is bunk"" but it is not generally known that the same Henry Ford created and paid for one of the finest technological museums in the Western World. I am aware that many people feel that industry history is something you ask aging executives to do or that history is a clip-andpaste compendium of pictures re-discovered every 25 years or on the occasion of issuing a press release on plant expansion. Moreover, there are many who fear historians as somewhat deranged individuals interested only in corruption, injustice and sensational labour strife. Good history lies somewhere between the controlled P.R. handout and the hysterical attack. Writing good history is a difficult creative act based on the application of experience, insight, wide knowledge and careful reasoning to available evidence. To date, the Canadian mining and metallurgical industries have achieved a great deal but left too little evidence and it is this lack of evidence which must be corrected before it is too late. It is the purpose of this article to stimulate thoughts with regard to archives, one of the more important vehicles for the preservation of such evidence."

Jan 1, 1999

By A. Kowalski

Telvis Limited, manufacturer of an emergency communication dispatcher's broadcasting system, now introduces the possibility of a remote software upgrade to its devices. The paper presents methods, features and ways to accomplish this task. It describes the mechanisms used and the opportunities that arise from the use of this type of functionality. The mechanism software update presented applies to devices on the surface and in underground areas of mines. The electronics used currently allow the use of remote software updates, but the mining equipment makes little use of these methods. This paper aims to start the discussion on this topic and tries to lay the path of development by showing one of the first examples of the application.

Aug 1, 2013

By D. E. M. Plaumann

"The wet grinding of asbestos has attracted the attention of engineers for many years as a means of improving fibre liberation from the ore. Today, added impetus for wet grinding has resulted from a need to minimize worker exposure to asbestos dust in conventional dry mills using air, as well as a need to provide a cleaner, technically superior fibre for use by product manufacturers. However, high viscosities of asbestos slurries create transport and grinding difficulties which have been a factor impeding use of a wet grinding process.Laboratory evaluation of reagents to reduce viscosities of asbestos slurries found that one reagent, XFS-4272.00, reduced the viscosity of a 35% (by weight) slurry by 75%. The impact of XFS-4272.00 on actual grinding parameters were evaluated using a pilot plant rod mill. Slurries containing 78% solids and XFS-4272.00 were successfully milled and asbestos fibres from that milling compared favourably in liberation and relative surface area to asbestos fibres obtained from milling a 4% slurry without additives. IntroductionAlthough the use of asbestos has been declining over the last few years, the large deposits of chrysotile in eastern Canada (Quebec in particular) remain very important. Asbestos production in Canada stands ninth in volume for mineral production with over 740 000 tonnes produced in 1985. Of this quantity, 722000 tonnes were exported with a value of $446 million. Canada is second in world production of asbestos behind the U.S.S.R. The milling of asbestos ore has been done primarily by a series of steps involving crushing, dry-grinding and aspiration using large quantities of air to release the fibres. Contrast this process to those practiced in the purification of virtually every other mineral. Ores other than asbestos are crushed and milled using an aqueous slurry in rod, ball or pebble mills. The finely ground mineral, still as a slurry, undergoes beneficiation by froth flotation, heavy media separation, hydrocyclones or any of the other aqueous techniques currently employed in mineral processing.One of the driving forces behind the use of air instead of water as a means of separating asbestos is the nature of the aqueous asbestos slurry. While most slurries of minerals contain as much as 80070 solids and can still be pumped and transported, asbestos slurries become highly viscous with as little as 10070 solids. These high viscosities reduce the pumpability of the slurry and create severe handling problems. Mills become prohibitively large and uneconomical due to having to handle slurries containing only 10% rock and 90% water.Health-related issues have affected the use of asbestos in many countries. In Canada, the asbestos-producing provinces have introduced stricter occupational legislation to improve safety in the workplace. This primarily means strict control minimizing release of air-borne asbestos fibres . Quebec and Ontario have set limitations of airborne asbestos at 2 (2) and 1(3) fibre per cubic centimetre of air. With present milling technology, maintaining these low levels in the workplace requires constant vigilance."

Jan 1, 1988

By Javier Ramirez

"Recent R&D pilot plant testing was done to validate a full industrial scale system for recovering residual magnetite from the tails of an iron ore concentration plant. The recovery system is based on an autogenous heavy media separator treating a tailings slurry at 0.45% solids by weight. A 3,100 m3/h capacity concentrator was installed based on the testing findings. Excellent metallurgical results have been observed in two years of continuous operation. This experience is the basis for the proposal of a novel process consisting of the preconcentration of base metals ores; the idea being to obtain a heavy bulk concentrate of the polymetallic minerals and discarding in one step the light gangue mineral components. The bulk concentrate then proceeds to conventional froth flotation. The reduced volumetric flow of the bulk concentrate allows a reduction in the size of the subsequent flotation circuit. A prerequisite for the heavy media separation is a fine size grinding of the ore and a correspondingly high degree of liberation of the mineral species to be recovered. A process scheme is also presented in which the gravity concentrator works in conjunction with a companion tailings thickener for process water recovery. The underflow from this thickener, having paste consistency, can be sent to a tailings dam or mixed with Portland cement for mine backfill. The process water in the system is managed at an estimated recovery in excess of 98%. Additional R&D work using this novel approach is being considered by a large iron ore concentrator for removal of liberated silica from the final concentrate; and for upgrading 3.5 million tons of a marginal hematite reserve owned by the mining company.INTRODUCTIONGravity preconcentration (static and dynamic) of sulphides prior to froth flotation has been and is being practiced at various concentrator plants (Asarco´s Young Mill: heavy media cone; Mount Isa: DSM cyclone; Afton Mines: Denver jigs; Tsumeb Mine: Reichert cone) (Burt, 1984). The idea behind installing preconcentration equipment is to reduce the volume of feed processed on flotation, thus requiring smaller flotation plants although other advantages may be of importance, such as obtaining richer concentrates due to higher grade feed, better process water and energy management, and reduced flotation reagent consumption.The SedconTM solid/liquid separator is a versatile process unit patented in Mexico (MX/u/2007/000305). As a gravity device, it may be classified as an autogenous heavy media dynamic concentrator. Figure 1 depicts the Sedcon (Sedimentador de conos) separator. The four main components are as follows: the feedwell for efficient mixing of the pulp with dilution water and flocculant (and coagulant for water clarification); the inner cones (passive elements for solid/liquid separation); the discharge underflow cone; and the scraper mechanism. The standard discharge cone is a 60° inclined cone for general applications. For paste tailings thickening applications, a deep cone with a 69° inclined cone is used."

Jan 1, 2016

By Stephen G. Mlot

The evaluation of mineral projects involves the identification, mitigation and management of significant uncertainty. Benchmarking is an essential and effective way of increasing confidence and reducing uncertainty associated with input parameters and assumptions. Comprehensive and detailed benchmarking will ensure ?best practice? technologies, methods and systems have been considered and that the appropriate practices can be identified and incorporated into the project. In conjunction with the involvement of experienced industry practitioners, benchmarking is best employed throughout project evaluation to enable early identification of ?errors?, producing more accurate and predictable outcomes. Considerable time and effort is required to gather data and information, which should be benchmarked by the project evaluation team. There is a history of mining projects underperforming, on production, on costs and on return to the investors. The quality of mine plans and feasibility studies, and the quality of the input data is being questioned in many ways. Benchmarking assists sound project evaluation practices, by providing a database of actual results, to validate project inputs and outcomes, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Benchmarking also provides unbiased, statistical support as the basis for sound investment decision making and ensures well considered decisions are made resulting in a more efficient study process. The evaluation of the quality of projects which are the subject of transactions also benefits from the use of real data obtained from a benchmarking database. Vendors are quick to highlight the benefits of their projects, and conceal the flaws, inflating the value. Buyers will want to quantify the potential of a project through the due diligence process relying on actual results from benchmarking. For the reasons broadly outlined above, benchmarking should be considered as an essential component of effective Project Evaluation.

Aug 1, 2013

By M. N. Collison

"In 1960, with the opening of the Chisel Lake mine near Snow Lake, Manitoba, the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited, commenced a new phase in their mining operation -that of bringing ore to Flin Flon over 100 miles of railroad.The schedule of operations required to accomplish this, together with an outline of some of the problems of handling ore at 40° and 50,0 below zero, are discussed. The facilities required to thaw and unload from twenty to fifty cars per working day are also described."

Jan 1, 1966

By J. McCreedy

This paper reviews new methods of exploration for metals and new techniques of mining the deposits and extracting the metals from their ores. Examples of mining innovations are taken from Inco's Thompson Operation. The importance of presenting a favorable image of the industry to college students and young people deciding on a career is stressed.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. F. Sharpe

THE Bullion mine, in the famous Cariboo district of British Columbia, is situated on the left bank of the South fork of the Quesnel river, approximately three miles below the outlet of Quesnel lake. A good road leads 63 miles northeast to the property from Williams lake, the railhead on the Pacific Great Eastern railway. The mine may also be reached over good roads from Vancouver via the Fraser canyon, Ashcroft, Clinton, and the 150-mile house, a total distance of 407 miles. In the early days of placer mining on the South fork of the Quesnel, several rich bars were found. The 'pay' on one of these at the mouth of Dancing Bill gulch was followed up the gulch by a Chinese company, who proved to be the discoverers of the present Bullion mine. This Chinese company commenced working in 1884, in what was then referred to as the China pit. Although working under very primitive conditions, it is reported that, during the ten years they operated the property, they recovered in excess of $900,000 in gold. This somewhat large recovery was due to a local concentration, the result of Dancing Bill creek having meandered down that portion of the channel and washed off the overburden. In 1894, a syndicate composed largely of the Canadian Pacific Railway directorate of that time, with J. B. Hobson as their field manager, acquired the property, as the apparent magnitude of the operation was too great for the resources of the Chinese company. Mr. Hobson, during the first ten years of his regime, developed the mine into a large-scale hydraulic operation, and during that period, from 1894 to 1905, recovered approximately $1,234,000 in gold. In 1906, the property was sold to the Guggenheim Exploration Company, who retained Mr. Hobson as Manager and embarked on an extensive programme to bring in additional water. This project was never completed, however, work being suddenly abandoned in 1907 and the mine closed down. Shortly afterwards, the property was purchased by a small operator on what is believed to have been largely borrowed capital. This venture resulted in no production, but in much litigation, which eventually reached the Privy Council in 1920.

Jan 1, 1939

By L. Li

To accommodate the large payloads and harsh operating conditions associated with heavy vehicles in the mining industry, off-the-road (OTR) tires are typically used with heavy mining vehicles. These tires have increased abrasion and wear resistance due to their thicker tread, sidewall and bead thicknesses. Given these features, OTR tires are much stiffer than conventional passenger vehicle tires and cannot be mounted to a single-piece rim without damaging the structural integrity of the tire during the mounting process. Therefore, multi-piece wheels are used with OTR tires to facilitate mounting. While these assemblies are necessary, several instances of their failure have been reported to result in injuries or fatalities within the mining workplace. Many of these failures were specifically reported to be caused by the disengagement of the wheel lock ring - a component used to securely engage the assembly during operation. In this study, a threaded-connection locking mechanism has been proposed in place of the traditional lock ring design. The performance of this threaded-connection was numerically evaluated in a pull-out test against a conventional five-piece wheel assembly. The pull-out test was devised as a means of quantifying the engagement ability of each wheel?s locking mechanism. A high degree of modelling accuracy was maintained throughout the analysis by validating the vertical and horizontal static loaddeflection behaviour of the rim model of the five-piece wheel assembly against experimental data. Through validation, the model data were found to be within 10.5 and 4.80 %, for vertical and lateral loaddeflection behaviour, respectively. Results from the pull-out analysis found that the threaded-connection demonstrated a 113 % increase in the force required for disengagement to occur relative to the conventional five-piece design - a force of 9,550 kN in total.

Aug 1, 2013

By Ralph Johnson, Philippe Gaultier, Loui Fauteux, Andrew Dasys

"This paper outlines the implementation of the Mechanic's Stethoscope from the earliest stages of development to the implementation at Brunswick Mining and Smelting. It details the cooperative efforts of personnel at Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) and Brunswick Mining & Smelting (BMS) during the technology transfer of the Mechanic's Stethoscope. It demonstrates how everyone worked toward a goal of developing a product that is accepted as a useful addition to the work environment.The Mechanic's Stethoscope is an underground vehicle diagnostic system consisting of computer hardware and software intended to assist mechanics in daily tasks. Its tools facilitate quick and easy access to any information required during the maintenance of an underground vehicle. Each tool presents vehicle condition data in a simplified manner. The additional information improves the mechanics understanding of the vehicle condition. The result is a healthier fleet of vehicles and faster diagnosis times.When introducing a computer based system into a traditionally non-computer oriented environment a concern is the acceptance of the system. This concern exists on many levels."

Jan 1, 1995

By D. F. Scott

"DEFINITION OF THE REGION AND ITS BOUNDARIESTHE REGION of Western Canada covered by this re-port lies between the Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield and the structurally deformed rocks of the eastern Cordillera, extending northward from the international border to the 60th parallel. It is some 487,000 square miles in area, with a total sedimentary fill of about 535,000 cubic miles0>. It includes parts of the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and the northeast corner of British Columbia and forms part of the geological region known as the Interior Platform, commonly referred to as the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The bedrock comprises carbonates and evaporites of Paleozoic age that lie on Precambrian crystalline rocks and are over-lain by a relatively thick blanket of Mesozoic and Tertiary elastic rocks. The nearly flat-lying bedrock, covered by a thick mantle of glacial drift, forms the Interior Plains physiographic province."

Jan 1, 1970