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By R. L. Dunsmore

Introduction If one had been called upon to describe petroleum oil refining seventy-five years ago, he could have acceded to the request quite satisfactorily in about fifteen minutes. Fifteen years ago, an hour and a half would have been sufficient to give a general idea of oil refining, and of the equipment used for this purpose. Today, so extensive has been the research into all phases of the refining and manufacturing of petroleum products, and so rapid the strides in improvement in technique and equipment, that I doubt if a week would suffice to give an adequate outline of ail the ramifications of present-day oil refining. I propose to only 'hit the high spots', dealing particularly with the equipment and methods employed at the Imperoyal refinery, which you are to visit. Crude oil, the refiner's raw material, contains essentially only two elements, hydrogen and carbon. These are not present in the free state but are combined in various proportions as 'hydrocarbons'. A given crude oil is not made up of just one hydrocarbon, but of myriads; some solid, others liquid, and still others gaseous at atmospheric temperature and pressure, ail dissolved one in the other. Moreover, the nature and the relative amounts of the several hydrocarbons vary very considerably in crude oils from different sources. That is, a 'crude' from Oklahoma will contain hydrocarbons not present in crude from Mexico, and is different again from the Venezuela crude. Not only this but oil in a certain well in, say, Peru may be differently constituted from that in a well half a mile distant from it.

Jan 1, 1931

By A. S. Bayne

THIS paper will present a review of the mining operations of one of Canada's most lately established gold mining districts (1). The history of the Little Long Lac and Sturgeon River areas is interesting in view of the fact that, although they have long been the scene of a certain amount of mining activity, they remained little more than an uninhabited wilderness until 1933, since which time ten producing gold mines and mills have been established in permanent operation, eight of these having entered production since the beginning of 1937. As complete a background as possible will be given concerning the major influences having a bearing upon living and economic conditions in the mining communities. The object, here, is to show the diversity of problems which demand the attention of the operator starting up and operating a new mine in present times, and to indicate the ways in which these problems are successfully met in this district. A description of the power facilities and plant equipment will be followed by a summary of the problems encountered and methods applied in exploration and development. This is to aid in forming a background showing the circumstances which influence the mining methods and costs of the various operations. The paper will conclude with a description of the mining methods used and the costs of the operations, including summarized analyses of the stoping methods and mining conditions. The various phases of operation will be dealt with separately, in so far as this is possible, in order to present clearly the salient features. It is necessary, however, that the reader bear completely and constantly in mind the fact that in actual operations these phases arc, to a large extent, intimately related and greatly affect each other, as well as being, in turn, affected by other circumstances beyond the control of the operator. A few of these circumstances are: capital available during the development period and early stages of productive operation; strength of rock comprising the ore and its boundary walls; grade, size, shape, and location of ore-bodies; and many other natural items which must be carefully weighed in relation to the details of operation.

Jan 1, 1940

By O. A. Ojo, E. Anisimov, A. K. Khan

Electro-spark deposition (ESD) has recently generated a great deal of interest in processing aerospace materials. This is due to its potential for joining and repairing difficult-to-weld precipitation strengthened nickel-based superalloys without having problems of welding cracking that often plaque these materials. The short duration of current pulses involved in the process combined with the intermittent contact results in extremely rapid thermal cycle that produces nearly no heat affected zone in the substrate material. The microstructure of electro-spark deposited superalloy was meticulously studied in this work by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that in contrast to general assumption, the extreme rapid cooling rates involved in the ESD process did not produce partition-less solidification that is devoid of second phase microconstituents in the material. The secondary microconstituents were found formed along the intercellular regions of the solidification microstructure. The nature of these particles and the possible implication of their formation on mechanical properties of ESD processed material are reported and discussed.

Jan 1, 2015

By CIM Environmental, Social Responsibility Society

Within the mining industry, the pathway from exploration, to planning, construction, operation and closure has become more complex over the last few decades. The current financial, environmental and social influences present the mining industry with unprecedented challenges and opportunities. In addition, international environmental and social reporting standards and codes are becoming increasingly robust. The reporting requirements provide an added impetus for issuers to effectively manage environmental and social impacts and risks. Reporting requirements also provide the opportunity to be transparent. The intended audience for these Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Guidelines for Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Estimation includes practitioners, industry participants at all levels of skill and experience, corporate management and board members, government agencies, academic institutions and interested parties. For practitioners, this document provides underlying key principles of environmental, social and governance practices. The ESG Guidelines provide guidance for those using environmental, social, governmental and governance information when preparing and implementing mineral exploration programs and contributing to the preparation of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for mineral properties that are either at the study stage (i.e., scoping / preliminary economic assessment, pre-feasibility, or feasibility studies) or in operation. The guidelines can also be used to help mineral resource and mining companies apply good practice to manage their environmental and social risks and opportunities. Companies can identify and retain appropriate professionals to prepare environmental and social materials to support company studies. The guidelines are also a resource for companies developing effective environmental and social management strategies at any project stage. This document is not intended to be prescriptive and is not intended to provide exhaustive guidance on what to consider in terms of environmental, social, legal and governmental modifying factors in the preparation of MRMR estimates. Rather, it is intended as general guidance to assist companies and practitioners in considering and applying these modifying factors for MRMR estimates. This document is also not intended to guide environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA); however, the measures needed to manage impacts help inform the constraints and costs for defining mineral resources and mineral reserves and inform the costs and schedules of mineral project studies. All documentation of MRMR estimates made by an issuer and intended to be, or reasonably likely to be, made available to the public in a jurisdiction of Canada must comply with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), as amended from time to time (Canadian Securities Administrators, 2016a and 2016b). Disclosure is not addressed in these ESG Guidelines. Determination of what to include in disclosures is defined in the applicable Securities’ legal frameworks. Appendix A presents a summary table showing the linkage of the principles and topics in these ESG Guidelines to the potential effects on project costs, schedules, government permits and approvals, social licence to operate and financing.

Sep 8, 2023

By J. M. Cooper

The HBMS reverb furnace in Flin Flon was originally designed in the late 1920s. Throughout the decades campaign life has been increased due to operational practices, technological changes and brick quality improvements. In recent decades the campaign life had been extended such that a complete rebuild was scheduled every 3 years. The latest furnace rebuild and start up has been after a campaign life of nearly 6 years. Brick construction methods and techniques along with furnace operational practices allow the present campaign to be double that of the historical campaign length.

Jan 1, 2007

By J M. Fletcher

The responsibility and scope of the Industrial Engineering Department, as organized at the Jeffrey mine, has been broadened to include any study, project or report that could result in more effective use of men, materials and equipment. Although still emphasizing wage incentives and co t reduction, much more varied work is now done, consistent with the in-.creased complexity of industry. Additional activities now include production, maintenance and inventory control improved job evaluation, packaging, labour utilization studies, technical sales liaison, mining, milling and service department n1ethods, plant layout, and specialized project analysis. Additional techniques include the extensive use of work .sampling and standard data. A recent trend has been toward increased emphasis on industrial relations, both in introducing change to the men and in providing requested explanations to Union stewards and officers. These new responsibilities have resulted in the development of specialists in some rather narrow industrial engineering fields, as well as the necessity for industrial engineering assistance in supervisory and job training.

Jan 1, 1963

By Vicken Aprahamian

"The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) operates a gold and silver refining toll operation in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The silver refining line is a recent addition and was commissioned in 2005. One source of silver in the refinery is from gold doré which undergoes Miller chlorination before electrorefining to 99.99% cathode gold. Treatment of the Miller salt or silver-copper chloride produced consisted of a 2-stage high temperature reduction process step using soda ash prior to 2005. Copper-rich silver bars were produced and shipped offsite for further refining.The copper-rich bars could not be blended into sufficient high grade silver doré to dilute the copper and allow electrorefining in a silver nitrate medium. A new wet process was developed and commissioned to replace the high temperature reduction and allow removal of bulk copper. Thus upgraded impure silver produced was cast into anode for electrorefining to 99.9% purity silver flake. The 2005 RCM Hydromet Slag process is presented as well as its more current version. In addition, mention is made of a novel processing scenario for the introduction of Miller chlorination silver into the electrorefining circuit."

Jan 1, 2015

By P. Momni, D. Ersenkal

Equator Principles (EPs) are a set of guidelines developed and adopted by a series of financial institutions for assessing and managing social and environmental issues in project financing. Established in 2003, EPs are now adopted by some 68 financial institutions from 27 countries. As more and more financial institutions join this global initiative, it is important for project owners to have a logical framework embedded into the project lifecycle to reduce the risk of non-compliance which could result in costly delays. This paper outlines a proactive approach for project developers in order to integrate environmental and social aspects into entire project lifecycle.

Jan 1, 2010

By B. Hohenstein, B. McBain, B. de Jong

"The automated fire assay system (Fast In-line Fire Assay or FIFA) has not found acceptance in the Au mining industry as the lower measurable limit of 0.20 ppm did not allow Au tailings to be measured with confidence. The development of arrested cupellation has overcome this hurdle which was a limiting factor in the FIFA 1 process. In the new automated fire assay process, automated sample preparation, fluxing, fusion and separation of a Pb button are essentially similar to the FIFA 1 process, albeit with some improvements. However, the game-changer is the development and incorporation of arrested cupellation into the automated system, now called FIFA 2. The purpose of arrested cupellation is to reduce the 50 g Pb button to a 5 g Pb button by partial cupellation in a specially developed arrested cupellation system thereby concentrating the Au in the Pb by a factor of 10 and in so doing moving them into higher concentration ranges in the mini-button where they can be read on the spark spectrometer. Results show that concentrations down to 0.02 ppm Au in geological materials can now be determined using arrested cupellation in the FIFA 2 process, an order of magnitude improvement over FIFA 1.INTRODUCTION Traditional fire assay for Au has remained virtually unchanged for 3000 years. It has survived for so long because it is accurate, has relatively low detection limits and is relatively inexpensive. However, it is labour intensive, has a long turn-around time (typically at least 7 hours), is environmentally unfriendly and exposes assay operators to potentially unsafe conditions (toxic fumes, toxic dust and extreme heat from furnaces). The NiS collection method is not as effective for the assay of Au as it is for the PGEs. A rapid, accurate, cost-effective method for the determination of Au and the Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) in geological materials would be a tremendous benefit to mining companies. Many of these objectives have been met by the FIFA 1 (Fast In-line Fire Assay) developed some 15 years ago in which automated methods have replaced the manual procedures which are part and parcel of conventional fire assay. However, concentrations below 0.2 ppm have been very difficult to achieve with sufficient reliability."

Jan 1, 2017

By K. Chomyn, R. Veenstra, P. Zangeneh, Hatch Ltd., C. Van der Woude, H. Ghorbani

"The furnace is the heart of smelting operations, and therefore the performance, reliability, and campaign life of the furnace are critical considerations. Furnace refractory is exposed to high temperatures and other harsh operating conditions causing brick erosion, crushing, and cracking, typically limiting the furnace campaign life and requiring costly furnace shut-downs for refractory re-lining. Despite extensive study, the in-service thermal / mechanical stresses in these complex refractory systems are not generally well understood. Hatch has developed a thermal-mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) based furnace refractory modeling approach that allows for the quantification of refractory movements, load distribution, and thermal / mechanical stresses.Due to the complexity of the refractory system, a range of models are used to identify and assess damage mechanisms and design improvements, including: 2D models, to capture expansion and movement of individual bricks, changes to load paths, and thermal stresses; and 3D models, to include the effect of differential expansion between bricks in each course, and assess overall load distributions. The 2D and 3D analyses include the effect of nonlinear temperature-dependent properties, thermal expansion, movement of individual bricks with frictional contacts (i.e., gaps can open, bricks can slide), and brick tensile or compressive failure. Both as-built and damaged conditions can be investigated (e.g., after bath zone brick erosion), for circular and rectangular furnaces. 3D models also include papering and brick joint & interface action.Analyses using these models have shown the importance of thermal stresses, papering, and geometry / arrangement of individual bricks. Results have been used to identify and assess damage mechanisms, showing good alignment with furnace autopsy observations. By using this FEA-based approach to quantify the refractory design, the risk of damage can be significantly reduced, low-cost design changes can be identified, and the furnace campaign life can be extended.INTRODUCTIONThe furnace is the heart of smelting operations and therefore the performance, reliability, and campaign life of the furnace are critical to the success of the smelting operation. Furnaces are inherently exposed to high temperatures, often in excess of 1600°C (Holappa, 2004), and furnace operating power has progressively increased over time (Voermann, Gerritsen, Candy, Stober, & Matyas, 2004). The refractory system must withstand high temperature, high heat flux, and other harsh operating conditions. These conditions are particularly significant for the furnace hearth, and can lead to damage including brick erosion due to molten material flows, crushing due to thermal expansion loads, and cracking due to severe thermal gradients within the bricks. Refractory damage typically limits the furnace campaign life, requiring costly furnace shut-downs for refractory re-lining (repair or replacement). In some cases the refractory may lose integrity causing damage to nearby equipment and harm to personnel."

Jan 1, 2016

By John Plecash

This paper comprises a general outline of all of the developments, including the history, geology, mining, milling, power and transportation installations, at the gold mining operation of La Luz Mines Limited and the copper mining operation of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Rosita Mines Limited, both located in north-central Nicaragua. The low-grade, gold-bearing ore-bodies of La Luz Mines, contained in highly fractured and folded Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, were from 1909 to 1928, mined and treated by primitive methods by the La Luz and Los Angeles Mining Company. The abandoned property was acquired by La Luz Mines Limited in 1936, and was equipped with modern machinery and put into production in 1939. Between 1939 and 1948, the daily rate of production was in-creased from 300 tons per day to 2,-000 ton per day. The ore reserves available for open-pit mining were depleted in 1954. Since then, the entire production has come from under-ground operations.

Jan 1, 1963

By T S. Cochrane

This paper is based on observations made during a recent visit by the writer to three of the dust research laboratories .in West Germany, each .of which is mainly concerned with studymg the composition and character of the respirable dust produced in mines or at industrial sites. The three institutes are discussed as regards their orgamzat10n and duties, their methods of dust sampling and analysis, and recent trends in research and development. An extensive bibliography completes the paper. Introduction A RECENT trip to Europe to attend international conferences m Austria and m Belgium gave the writer the opportunity to visit a number of research laboratories and mines in Western Europe. The visits to the dust research laboratories in West Germany are the basis of this report. In Germany, cooperative associations formed prior to and since the turn of the 20th Century to promote the safety and welfare of their workers have recognized the effects of airborne dust on the general health of the labour force.

Jan 1, 1964

By J. S. Fox

"Pyroclastic rocks are useful guides to volcanic centers due to the tendency of their fragments to increase in size and volume toward the source vent. The felsic rocks of these centers can be the prime hosts of base metal deposits in the Precambrian Shield; their sub-volcanic equivalents are often the focus of porphyry copper mineralization in the Cordillera. Quantitative mapping of pyroclastic rocks has not yet developed into a routine prospecting tool in Canada, however, possibly due to the cumbersome nature of existing manual techniques and their limitation to structurally simple terrains.A rapid pyroclastic mapping method has been developed whereby the field geologist acquires only a down-plunge outcrop photograph, a record of the fragmental deformation ellipsoid and a record of some descriptive features from each station. Mean fragment size and volume percent are obtained later in the laboratory from a photo-enlargement: by means of a digital analyzer. A computer program uses the strain parameters to 'undeform' the field measurements and obtains genetic information from the descriptive data. Results can be superimposed on a geologic map, with values for each station being represented by a dot of a specified diameter corresponding to the size or volume percentile range to which the value belongs.Control traverses were run over the pyroclastic rocks surrounding the Anderson Lake mine and the Flin Flon South main shaft in northern Manitoba. In both locations, the mapping has delineated regular increasing trends in mean size and volume per cent toward the head frame."

Jan 1, 1977

By L. E. Djingheuzian

"IntroductionIN 1940, in a series of articles, M. W. von Bernewitz(l) reviewed in detail roasting of gold and silver sulphide ores and concentrates. Since that time some significant developments in roasting have taken place, and a number of papers have appeared in the Canadian technical literature, dealing severally with the roasting of a particular ore or concentrate.The purpose of this paper is not only to review some of these Canadian papers and bring the information on Canadian roasting practices to .date, but also to analyse the mechanism of roasting. Hence, it is proposed to start with a study of physico-cl1emical factors fundamental in roasting, the knowledge of which, by creating a sound basis for a proper roaster design, makes good roasting possible.Physico-Chemical FactorsRoasting can be defined as heating sulphide ores in presence of air below fusion points of the constituent minerals, at such temperatures as to convert metallic sulphides to oxides. Hence, roasting is a chemical process.The object of roasting is, by changing, chemically, mineral constituents of sulphide ores, to make the economic recovery of the desired •Constituent metal by a subsequent standard treatment possible. For instance, pyritic ores, containing gold in sub-microscopic form which no amount of grinding would release, are roasted in order, by oxidizing the sulphides, to open up their structures to such an extent as to enable cyanide solutions to come into contact with the gold and dissolve it. The production of porous calcine is, therefore, the object of roasting of refractory auriferous sulphide ores or concentrates. Such a porous calcine may be defined as a desirable calcine, and the roasts which produce desirable calcines can in their turn be termed desirable roasts."

Jan 1, 1952

By C. K. Baxter, A. Odeshi, M. Mohammadi, E. D. Cyr

"Metal additive manufacturing has been a revolutionary step in designing new complex shapes with faster and cleaner building capacity in comparison to subtractive manufacturing processes. The ability to print lightweight alloys such as aluminum has made metal 3D printing attractive to different industrial sector from aerospace to energy and bioengineering. Of particular interest in this study, are the mechanical and microstructural properties of AlSi10Mg-200°C alloys. In this project, samples were 3D-printed in horizontal direction using an EOS M290 machine by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technique. Uniaxial tensile tests and high strain-rate impact e tests were carried out to investigate the mechanical properties and to study the repeatability of the process. A constitutive model is developed to predict the results of the mechanical tests at varying strain rates to better understand the high strain-rate behaviour of these alloys. Using optical microscopy, features such as scan tracks and melt pools within the AlSi10Mg-200°C samples were observed, and the microstructure was observed to be homogenous. The previously listed tests were compared to the results obtained for similar cast alloy counterpart, i.e. A360.0.INTRODUCTION A relatively new way of manufacturing parts is on the increase as rapid prototyping becomes increasingly popular throughout the world. Additive manufacturing is a process which, given a 3D model, uses metallic material in powder form to build a part layer by layer until completion (Gu, Meiners, Wissenbach, & Poprawe, 2013). This way of rapid prototyping is very attractive in comparison to other possibilities because of its ability to accommodate complex design and geometries. Conventional manufacturing methods have limitations when it comes to complex geometries, but additive manufacturing allows for increased design flexibilities while maintaining a light and stable final product (Murr et al., 2012). It also allows for a reasonable cost, especially for small batch sizes that would otherwise be extremely expensive."

Jan 1, 2018

By G. W. Neumann, J. R. Schnarr

The lead-zinc-copper-silver ores mined by Brunswick Mining and Smelting Corporation Limited at their No. 12 underground mine and No. 6 open-pit operation, and treated by distinct concentration processes in separate plants, present difficult metallurgical problems because of the extremely fine dissemination of the valuable minerals with pyrite and pyrrhotite. The problem of concentration is further complicated, in the No. 12 ore, by the presence of a varying content of graphitic carbon. This paper describes the milling of No. 12 ore and the production of copper, lead and zinc concentrates by differential flotation.

Jan 1, 1971

By H. J. Chalmers

THE H.B. MINE and concentrator are located in the Nelson Mining Division of British Columbia, on the north side of the Sheep Creek valley about seven miles southeast of the town of Salmo. It is an operation of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited (Cominco), which has its metallurgical plants at Trail, about 25 miles west. The property was originally staked about 1907 by Horton and Benson, whose names are commemorated in the designation "H. B." Up until 1927, a considerable amount of development work was done in the upper levels by various companies. Cominco purchased the ?property in 1927 and carried out intermittent work until 1946. Following this, an extensive surface diamond drilling programme and a subsequent underground exploration were undertaken. Sufficient ore was outlined 'to warrant the construction of a 1,000: ton concentrator. This was started in April, 1952, and completed by the spring of 1953. However, because of adverse base metal market conditions, operation was deferred until May, 1955.

Jan 1, 1957

By A. A. Paoli

The selection of a mining plant for carrying on development work presents many problems distinct in themselves, and affected by various local factors. In this paper, the writer proposes outlining and discussing in some detail the chief factors governing the economic selection of such plants. This will be followed by an enumeration of the underground and surface plant required for carrying on several hypothetical exploratory and mining operations. Where it is impossible or not convenient to obtain hydro-electric power, and where wood for fuel is scarce, we now find oil engines being used. A 100 h.p. oil engine, such as would be required to operate a three-drill air compressor, consumes approximately five Imperial gallons of fuel-oil per hour at full load. On the basis of a 60 per cent load factor, this gives, for eight hours' operation, a probable actual consumption of twenty-four Imperial gallons.

Jan 1, 1929

By H. J. McQueen

About 1973 the abrupt decrease in crude oil shipments due to political action by Middle Eastern suppliers, caused a shortage and a steep price rise. In response, Canada had to develop strategies of diminishing consumption and increasing production in both traditional and environmentally friendly resources. To clarify the situation in Canada, there are brief histories of energy (discovery, pipelines), manufacturing and science development, 1800-1970. Energy strategies, both nationally and in Quebec, succeeded in curbing consumption and in expanding production while fostering research in renewable sources. The industry-sector committees provided free exchange of conservation techniques through the federal energy ministry, with progress reports issued annually. Pipeline history in North America is reviewed along with manufacture and construction plans in Canada. Considerable success in all the aspects provided long lasting benefits, but after the embargo was lifted, many research initiatives were gradually abandoned for political reasons. Sustainability is the goal; society must conduct conserver analysis, legislation and action to enhance it.

Jan 1, 2015

By K. P. Wright

THREE OF the gold mines in the Red Lake Camp operates fluid bed roasters in their milling circuits. The mines are Campbell Red Lake, Cochenour Willans, and Dickenson. The roasters are used for the autogenous roasting of a flotation concentrate for subsequent gold recovery by cyanidation. Cochenour and Dickenson operate single stage reactors, whilst Campbell use a two-stage system. Ore treated by the mines is similar in that the major part of the gold is associated with arsenopyrite. Other sulphides present are pyrite, pyrrhotite, stibnite and sphalerite. Gangue minerals are mainly quartz, with carbonates and talc. Mineralization is, for the most part, extremely fine, and there is intimate association between sulphides and quartz, so much so, th at a picked specimen of apparently massive arsenopyrite will frequently contain as much as 80 per cent gangue. Gold recovery by straight cyanidation on this type of ore would not be higher than 80 per cent and

Jan 1, 1961