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By Christoph Mueller

Mining operations today are characterized by a high degree of mechanization and single machine automation. However, their potential for cost cuttings and increase of productivity in the future is quite limited. Enabled by newest IT and networking technology, the operation of underground mines more and more can be seen from a process related point of view: Standardized Ethernet and Wireless LAN are the basis for a seamless and unified communication backbones providing an integrated infrastructure for data, telephony and video. All the components are available as off-the-shelf devices leading to an excellent cost efficiency. Basing on this standardized infrastructure, the equipment is able to become part of the infrastructure. To enable machines to be integrated smoothly into IT networks, the machine also has to have enhanced networking capabilities. This results in a new system architecture for the on board machine electronics separating real time control from IT and networking level functionality which can be implemented by a Machine Server. This machine server communicates with all kinds of above ground systems using mainly standardized formats like html or the IREDES standard. This information is made available mainly in 3D mine visualization tools. The paper explains this technology and shows implementations by two working examples.

May 1, 2006

By L. W. Hamel

"DUST CONTROL - GRANISLE COPPER LIMITEDINTRODUCTIONGranisle. Copper Limited is located in the north-central region of the Province of British Columbia, approximately 200 road miles north-west of Prince George. Mill startup was in November, 1966, at a rate of 5,000 tons per day, expanded to 13,000 in 1973. The primary crushing rate is 1,200 tons per operating hour, and the secondary 750, and they can be operated jointly or separately.DUST COLLECTION SYSTEMS There are seven dust collection systems ventilating the crushing and grinding complex. The individual pickup points are depicted on Figure 1 -""Crushing Plant Flowsheet"", and Figure 2 - ""Concentrator Flowsheet"", e.g. 1A, 1B, 3C, etc.System No. 1 - Primary Crusher The feed rock box of the Allis-Chalmers superior 42-65 primary crusher is ventilated by 19,000 CFM of air exhausted directly to atmosphere by a Sturtevant 426 M fixed discharge fan.No. Dust Pick Up Point CFM lA Crusher Feed Rock Box 19,000System No. 2 - Primary Crushing and Screening System No. 2 ventilates the primary crushing and screening equipment. A total of 19,000 CFM of air is exhausted by a Sturtevant 426 M fixed discharge fan through a Howden Type S - size 75 cyclone locally modified for wet scrubbing."

Jan 1, 1976

By J. Donnelly, A. V. Deev

Substitution of coal and coke by renewable carbon (charcoal) is a low-risk and low-capital path to 50% or more reduction in net CO2 emissions by the steel industry. However, the high cost of charcoal and its low availability in most countries are barriers for the implementation of this approach. Development of an efficient wood carbonisation technology (slow pyrolysis) capable of producing large-volumes of charcoal from low-cost wood feed (e.g. wood wastes or forest residues) is an essential step towards the use of renewable carbon by the iron and steel industry. This paper provides a summary of the progress made over several years of R&D covering: (1) development and piloting of a new energy efficient slow pyrolysis process for production of charcoal from woody biomass at a competitive cost to the PCI coal, (2) techno-economic evaluation of the process. The main feature of the process is that the material undergoing pyrolysis is heated spontaneously without the supply of heat or air to the reactor. This makes it possible to carbonize large volumes of small-sized wood (e.g. wastes and residues) in a single reactor unit and capture high calorific value pyrolysis by-products

Jan 1, 2015

By Dwight Newman

This paper discusses the author?s work identifying international law norms of consultation with indigenous communities and poses a potentially counterintuitive argument that corporate stakeholders? interactions with indigenous communities may have effects on the content of those norms. The claim is counterintuitive because the international law of pertinence is customary international law, which arises from consistent state practice and opinio juris (a belief by states that they are acting in a way they are legally bound to do so). Customary international law traditionally has no reference to corporate conduct per se. The paper first surveys several sources on developing international law on consultation obligations. Then it references the impact these norms can have on corporate stakeholders in industries like mining. Then, it poses an argument as to an economic ratcheting effect that can occur through various agreements between corporate stakeholders and indigenous communities that then feeds through into international law via several mechanisms. The consequences for mining companies are diverse and include the possibility that conduct by one company can have longer-term implications for the obligations of other companies and, indeed, of states. The effects will differ in the context of different competitive environments and may actually have effects on the economics of different competitive models.

Aug 1, 2013

By N. Saracoglu, J. P. Golightly, R. H. Wallis, J. J. Brummer

"The McClean uranium deposits are in northern Saskatchewan, 11 km west-northwest of the Rabbit Lake mine. Their average grade is 1.8% UJ0 8 and they contain 6,350 tonnes of uranium oxide in seven pods of variable grade and mineral assemblage. They are hosted by both basal Athabasca Group and the regolith developed on the underlying crystalline basement. The major mineral facies are: sulphide, arsenide, 'bleached', and hematite, with the important uranium minerals being coffinite, uraninite and pitchblende.Abundances of carbon and sulphur isotopes are consistent with their derivation from pyritic graphite in basement gneisses. Isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen suggest mineralizing fluids were aqueous and at temperatures of about 200°C. Ar39/ Ar40 laser age determination of illite indicates mineralization began about 1300 m.y, ago and that significant hydrothermal alteration ceased about 1170 m.y. ago though Pb/U data suggest the deposits continued to evolve into the Mesozoic.The deposits are interpreted as the result of oxidizing ground water stripping uranium and other metals from either the Athabasca sandstone, especially the heavy mineral layers, or from the regolith, and precipitating these when encountering a warm reduced fluid emanating from the basement."

Jan 1, 1984

By H. E. Johnston

There are currently a number of options in terms of plant feed comminution tests: Bond work index tests, JK drop weight and SMC tests, SPI, low impact crusher work index tests, to name a few. However, information regarding specific energy requirements for regrind mills is often requested, which can be difficult or very expensive when only a small mass of concentrate is produced from bench-scale flotation tests. This research was aimed at developing a test methodology that would produce a similar result as an IsaMill Signature Plot but require less sample mass allowing for preliminary estimates of regrinding power at a lower cost. Initially, the laboratory test methodology was completed on a single sample in comparison to the IsaMill Signature Plot for that sample. Results indicated a very good correlation between the laboratory tests and the IsaMill Signature Plot for this sample, though some parameters did impact laboratory regrind mill efficiency. The developed methodology is subsequently being applied to a range of concentrates, investigating a range of material particle sizes and material types, in comparison to a full IsaMill Signature Plot on the same sample. This new test procedure has been called ‘The Eliason Test’.

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Kochhar, Robert G. Cooper

"The Cape Breton Development Corporation is a federal Crown corporation which was formed in 1968. Initially, the Corporation had two divisions - the Industrial Development Division, whose purpose was to stimulate Cape Breton Island's economy, and the Coal Division with a mandate to phase out the operating coal mines. However, that strategy changed in the early 1970s with the Middle East oil crisis. As a result of that crisis, Nova Scotia Power Corporation adopted an ""off oil"" policy. Today, approximately 700/0 of Nova Scotia power needs are met by generation of electricity from coal. Therefore, since the early 1970s, emphasis has been on the rehabilitation of the Cape Breton coal mining business with the opening of three new mines.Today, Devco is solely a coal mining company which employs 3300 people.Physical DescriptionThe mines operate in the Sydney coal field which is located on the eastern tip of Cape Breton. The Corporation leases the deposit from the province of Nova Scotia and its leases cover all coal from the outcrop to the 4000 ft depth. The seams outcrop along the shoreline and dip beneath the ocean floor at dips varying between 5% and 100%.There are eleven seams, of which three - the Harbour, Phalen, and Hub - have been extensively mined."

Jan 1, 1990

By B. Grinbaum

The solvent extraction of Cu from acidic leach solutions is carried out using oxime extractants. The mechanism can be described as liquid ion exchange, where a labile H+ in the oxime replaces Cu++ ion from the pregnant leach solution. The process is reversible and, at high acidity, the copper is stripped back to the aqueous phase. As the extraction proceeds, the acidity of the aqueous phase increases and the equilibrium may shift against the extraction reaction. This phenomenon may become significant in leach solutions with high copper concentration, where large amounts of acid are transferred from the solvent into the aqueous phase. An efficient way to increase the recovery of copper consists of splitting the extraction into two circuits, and either neutralizing with lime or extracting the excess acid of the intermediate raffinate. In the second case, the acid can extracted using a solvent, which can be stripped with a base, e.g., NaOH or ammonia. A third option is direct neutralization with soluble basic salt, e.g., Na2CO3, within a single extraction battery. The choice of the preferred process depends on the specific process demands and on the relative availability and price of the raw materials and by-products price.

Jan 1, 2007

By Enrique I. Acuña

Creighton Mine is part of the mining history of Sudbury with more than 100 years of operation. Currently the deeper levels of the mine are reaching the 8000 ft level without implementation of mechanical refrigeration system as a result of the use of the Natural Heat Exchange Area (NHEA) over the past decades. The NHEA of Creighton Mine is part of an old block caving area divided into 4 blocks of trenches that were used to extract the ore. Currently, it is used year round to condition the outside temperature before the airflow enters the fresh air system of the mine. As the mine is progressing deeper, underground temperatures in the lower levels are starting to approach the limit of Vale?s guidelines for working in heat. This paper presents the study developed to improve the management of the NHEA to obtain cooler temperatures at the intake of the ventilation system and outlines the impact to the mine in terms of the additional level(s) that could be operated underground without the use of mechanical refrigeration. This is another of the efforts currently under development for energy conservation and to reduce the capital and operational costs of Creighton Mine while extending the expected life of the mine.

Oct 1, 2010

By L. Mercier, A. El-Hsaeri, L. Amaratunga

Laboratory scale studies of the development and application of high capacity heavy metal ion adsorbents with uniform nanoscale porosity (denoted MP-HMS, mercaptopropyl - hexagonal mesoporous structure) to extract gold from solutions is described. The adsorbents are selective towards gold ions. The adsorption capacities of these materials are also among the highest reported. MP-HMS has shown the capability to adsorb 330-mg gold per gram adsorbent (up to 30% of their weight). Gold uptake by the adsorbent was found to increase dramatically with solution agitation. The adsorbent was found to be extremely effective in adsorbing gold ions from ultra- low concentrations, like those found in mine effluents. Experimental studies indicated that MP-HMS maximum adsorption of gold (99.9%) occurred under all solution concentrations. Another promising attribute of these materials is their favorable adsorption kinetics. The contact time required for 80% adsorption of gold was found to be less than 60 seconds. The efficiency of these nanoporous materials for the recovery of gold from mining effluent is evaluated and their prospect for application in the mining industry discussed. The process thus has the prospect of becoming an efficient and environmental friendly method to recover gold from aqueous solutions, such as gold mill effluents.

Jan 1, 2004

By Laxman (Lucky) Amaratunga, Hisham Madi

Final disposal of mine wastewater neutralization sludge continues to be one of more pressing problems in the mining industry. The disposal of mining and metallurgical waste products into underground reduces the environment impact and improves the safety of the mining operation and the economics of the enterprise. This current research focuses on an investigation of utilization of mine wastewater neutralization sludge obtained from Kidd Creek Mine site, as a supplementary material for their proposed deep mine pastefill system. Their proposed pastefill consist of combination of rock aggregate in a matrix of imported sand and tailings with binder (Portland cement + Slag cement). Pastefill mixes containing various percentages of the waste sludge 0 (control mix), 1, 2, 3, and 5% by weight as replacement to the fine sand were prepared and tested with different percentages of binder. Hypothesis behind this approach is to study the behavior of sludge as replacement of sand in matrix as well as its ability to act as a binder. Compressive strength, percentage of sludge, binder dosage, slump, water to cement ratio, percentage of solid, and curing time are being observed. The results indicated that sludge can be incorporated into the pastefill and enhance its strength without compromising the pastefill quality and integrity.

Jan 1, 2004

Experimental determination of the response of an AG/SAG mill treating two components of significantly different impact resistance is challenging for two main reasons: firstly, small scale laboratory tests have yet to be confirmed as valid representations of the full scale milling environment, and secondly pilot plant testing requires 10-20 tonnes of ore per scenario which precludes the use of drill core, rendering the process very expensive. In order to mitigate these difficulties, modelling was considered as a potential way forward. However, as the JKSimMet AG/SAG model currently has no capacity to simulate the interaction of two ore types with differing impact resistance, density and/or feed size distributions, an alternative modelling approach was developed. This approach aims to essentially calibrate the AG/SAG process under a set of given conditions, for which survey data and the ore properties of the main components in the feed blend already exist. This paper describes a new conceptual model, which provides a simplified approach for investigating the multi-component behaviour of two ores of differing hardness/SG in a given AG/SAG milling environment, and which can potentially be used for scale-up from laboratory/pilot testwork and geometallurgical estimation of throughput.

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Moghadami

Design and construction of underground openings are associated with many uncertainties with regard to input data. In the construction process of underground openings various levels of risks exist and these affect the safety and profitability of the project. The development of underground openings can be broadly categorized into three major phases of data collection, design, and construction. A significant level of uncertainty is associated with some of the key parameters involved in the aforementioned development phases. Moreover, it is very difficult to evaluate and quantify the effects of uncertainties on the underground project construction process. Additionally, the interactions between important risk elements are typically not well understood. The intention of this study is to develop a general risk model for underground opening projects located in soils and weak rock masses. The goal of the research is to identify and quantify important geotechnical risk elements. Moreover, a weighting procedure will be proposed for the identified risk elements. Finally, all important risk elements will be assembled into a general model with emphasis on geotechnical parameters. The final objective of this study is to apply the proposed model to a real underground project scenario and verify it for actual field conditions. The proposed model, once calibrated properly, will provide a useful support tool for the decision making process.

Aug 1, 2013

By T. Purushotham, B. Samanta

ABSTRACT; The shaft bottom junction in a mine ventilation system is an important source of shock loss due to the combined effect of bend and area change. The occurrence of high-volume ?ow rates through this con?guration can potentially result in high energy losses. The current research examines the process of shock loss at a characteristic shaft bottom junction of an underground coal mine. Investigations are per-formed on both laboratory-scale models and three-dimensional computational ?uid dynamics (CFD) simulations, under both exhausting and forcing shaft bottom conditions. The effects of the plat roughness and the shaft bottom length on the shock loss factor values are also examined. The studies show that the combined effect of bend and area changes that occur at the shaft bottom junction results in shock loss factors that are much higher than those values resulting from abrupt area change only. The transition from a smooth wall condition to an unlined rough airway condition (relative roughness, e/d = 0.112) can increase the shock loss factors by 40%. The effect of shaft bottom length on the shock loss factor has not been clearly established due to con?icting results produced by scale model studies and the CFD simulations.

Jan 1, 2010

By Neri Roux, Ross Gilders, Yemi Oyediran, Leo Cheung

Quest Rare Minerals Ltd. is developing their Strange Lake B Zone REE deposit located in Northern Quebec. An extensive batch bench scale testing program was launched to investigate open circuit rougher flotation performance under different conditions. The objective of the flotation study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of rejecting gangue minerals to flotation tailings while concentrating rare earth elements as well as yttrium, zirconium, and niobium into a concentrate suitable for further hydrometallurgical processing. Mineralization of interest at Strange Lake occurs within peralkaline granite-hosted pegmatites and minor aplite. The REE and high field strength element (HFSE)-bearing phases are hosted primarily in pegmatites as relatively fine-grained phases or pseudomorphs. The gangue phases comprise of quartz, feldspar, amphibole, and pyroxene. Potential ore minerals comprise predominantly of kainosite, gerenite, gadolinite, zircon, pyrochlore, and gittinsite. These complex mineralogical characteristics increase the difficulty for processing and provide a challenge for choosing the correct reagent scheme in rougher flotation. Process options including reverse flotation to reject the gangue minerals and de-sliming prior to the direct rougher flotation were investigated. Optimization trials were conducted using various reagent regimes and under different flotation conditions. Encouraging results were found using a combination of collector reagents supplied by Cytec Canada Inc.

Jan 1, 2014

By G. W. Poling

"Construction, equipping and planned operation of a new laboratory for engineering-teaching and research in coal and mineral processing is described. This facility will provide approximately 1860 m2 (20,000 ft. 2 ) of laboratory space with nearly half devoted to a new venture in coal preparation. Two high-bay, overhead crane-accessed areas will accommodate major unit operations for each of the ""coal"" and ""mineral"" laboratories. COAL PREPARATION FACILITIES:The coal facility provides three main functional areas:(1) Sample preparation (drying, blending, crushing, screening) and sink-float washability testing.(2) Unit operations U1igh-bay, serviced by crane).(3) Analytical laboratories.(l) Sample Preparation and Sink-Float TestingBreaking or comminution of coal will be accomplished using a rolls crusher, a hammer mill, a jaw crusher, or a pulverizer. Capacity to prepare coal at rates of up to approximately 4 tph will be provided by some of these units. Large diameter (~0.5m) baths of heavy organic liquids will be available for sink-float washability tests on coal samples of several kg. Particle sizes of up to 25 mm can be tested in these baths. Smaller scale washability tests on finer samples will be accelerated by centrifuges."

Jan 1, 1980

By P. M. Solozhenkin, O. I. Ibragimova, I. P. Solozhenkin

Molecular models of complexes of poorly studied bismuth, gold, and arsenic mineral clusters and reagents were created for use in collector activity forecasting using Chem Bio 3D and ChemOffice2005, with optimization by MM2. The density functional theory approach was used to determine HOMO, LUMO, SOMO, and total energies, atomic charges, and s, p, d- populations for various compounds. The structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) and docking technique was proposed to reduce the vast number of compounds to a more manageable number for selection of potential flotation candidates. The prognosis of collector activity evaluation (PCAE) strategy was proposed as a consistent approach to estimate the interaction between a collector and a mineral cluster as the difference between the total energy and sum of cluster energy and collector energy to search the analogue of butyl xanthate. The negative relationship between PCAE and flotability was shown. The combinations of dialkylamino sulfhydryl collectors can be considered as prospective reagents for gold-bearing sulfide ore flotation. These results were confirmed by experimental data in ore flotation. The increase in recovery of gold and bismuth with the aid of a combination of reagents has been established and additional cyanidation of tailings has been avoided.

Jan 1, 2016

This document presents estimates of future "total cash cost per ounce" and "minesite cost per tonne" that are not recognized measures under United States generally accepted accounting principles ("US GAAP"). This data may not be comparable to data presented by other gold producers. These future estimates are based upon the total cash costs per ounce and minesite costs per tonne that the Company expects to incur to mine gold at the applicable projects and do not include production costs attributableto accretion expense and other asset retirement costs, which will vary over time as each project is developed and mined. It is therefore not practicable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measure. A reconciliation of the Company's total cash cost per ounce and minesite cost per tonne to the most comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with US GAAP for the Company's historical results of operations is set forth in the notesto the financial statements included in the Company's Annual Information Form and Annual Report on Form 20-F, for the year ended December 31, 2009, as well as the Company's other filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators and the SEC.

May 1, 2011

By R. Noriega, M. Suazo, V. Murariu

Current AG and SAG mill circuits have continued the trend to larger, fewer mills. These large mills place a significant additional load on the discharge systems and it has become imperative that the designs of these mill discharge systems are evaluated carefully to ensure maximum efficiency and have the capacity to be able to handle the increased mill discharge volumes. The current generation of multiphysics modeling tools allow a detailed analysis of AG and SAG mill discharge performance. The combination of Discrete Element Method modeling and Computational Fluid Dynamics allows the designer to model in detail all aspects of a mill discharge performance. This includes a detailed description of the build-up of solids and slurry in a mill discharge, the recycle of material back into the mill through the grates, the relative wear rates and the occurrence of overloading at the pinch points. These tools allow intelligent decisions to be made regarding the type of discharge arrangement, pan lifter geometry, and discharge cone design, so as to ensure that the discharge is capable of handling the duties required for a specific installation. This paper details the current state of the art in these modeling tools, and provides an overview of some recent applications.

Jan 1, 2012

By Robert B. Parsons

"This month, Tax Notes focuses on two features which can potentially ""dress up"" a new issue of common shares to make the shares more attractive to investors. Attaching warrants to a share issue is a relatively common practice, and recent years have seen an imaginative variety of different kinds of warrants, some of which can be subject to somewhat different tax treatment . A less common financing strategy which certainly deserves some consideration involves the possibility of utilizing ""Share Purchase Tax Credits "" in conjunction with a new share issue.IntroductionPrevious subjects covered in Tax Notes have dealt with flow-through shares and other tax angles which can make equity issues more appealing to potential investor s. Two other techniques which can add zest to a new stock issue involve the utilization of warrants and ""share purchase tax credits"" (or SPTCs). This article takes a brief look at the better known subject of warrants and the lesser known matter of SPTCs.Of course, this paper presents only a relatively general summary of the income tax implications of warrants and SPTCs, and is not intended to be a definitive commentary on all of the detailed and complex tax issues that might be relevant in the circumstances."

Jan 1, 1985