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By L. Vollert

In August 2018, the first full-scale HydroFloatTM cells for the recovery of coarse composited copper and gold were commissioned at Newcrest’s Cadia Valley operation in New South Wales, Australia. The primary objective of the installation is to recover coarse value-bearing composites that are lost to conventional flotation tailings, without the need for additional power input for particle size reduction to improve mineral liberation. This paper examines the application of Eriez HydroFloatTM technology for the recovery of coarse, poorly liberated copper sulphide particles drawing on recent experience from lab scale testwork through circuit design and commissioning of the full-scale installation at Cadia Valley. INTRODUCTION In the face of declining copper head grades and a tightening regulatory environment around the use of wet tailings dams, the processing of copper ores at coarser particle sizes has become a focal point for the industry. Sulphide flotation using the Eriez HydroFloatTM is one of the emergent technologies that sits under this umbrella of coarse pre-concentration. It has been demonstrated through numerous lab and pilot scale testwork programs carried out by Newcrest and others (Awatey, Kohmuench, Thanasekaran, Skinner & Zanin, 2013), to improve the flotation recovery of sulphide-rock composite particles with low surface liberation, relative to conventional flotation technology. The HydroFloatTM technology has been used widely for the recovery of coarse potash, phosphate, coal, vermiculite, spodumene and diamonds but has never been applied at full scale in either gold or sulphide flotation. In August 2018, the first full-scale 3.4 m diameter HydroFloatTM cells for the recovery of coarse composite copper and gold were commissioned at Newcrest’s Cadia Valley operation in New South Wales. The primary objective of the installation is to recover coarse value-bearing composite particles that are lost to conventional flotation tailings, without the need for additional upfront power input for particle size reduction to improve mineral liberation.

Jan 1, 2019

By Heikki Laurila, Sirkka-Liisa Jämsä-Jounela, Jarkko Karesvuori

"Artificial Intelligence includes excellent tools for the control and supervision of industrial processes. Several thousand industrial applications have been reported worldwide. Recently, the designers of the A1 systems have begun to hybridize the intelligent techniques, expert systems, fuzzy logic and neural networks, to enhance the capability of the A1 systems. Expert systems have proved to be ideal candidates especially for the control of mineral processes.As successful case projects, an expert system based on on-line classification of the feed type using neural data analysis is described in this paper. The essential feature of this expert system is the classification of different feed types and their distinct control strategies at the plant. In addition to the classification, the expert system has a database containing information about how to handle the determined feed type. This self-leaming database scans historical process data to suggest the best treatment for the ore type under processing. The system has been tested in the Outokumpu Finnmines Oy, Hitura mine. Other projects have been reported to be in progress.INTRODUCTIONIn the past ten years considerable researches have been done in the application of artificial intelligent methods in process industry. The technologies of fuzzy logic, neural networks and expert systems have received several thousand applications worldwide: monitoring and analysis of process operations, fault diagnosis, supervisory control, feedback control and scheduling and planning of operations. Recently, the designers of these systems have begun to hybridize these intelligent techniques to enhance the current capability of expert system. Complex signal processing, neural networks, fuzzy logic and rule-based systems are also implemented to develop new so-called smart or intelligent sensors, actuators or components. Field buses are playing a more and more important role in automation systems and in imbedded systems. The development of field buses has allowed the distribution of smart components over networks."

Jan 1, 2000

By Manqiu Xu, Joe Holmes, Peter Wells, Peter Langlois, Germain Labonté, Jim Barrett

"The flowsheet for the Voisey’s Bay mill had to meet the challenge of processing an ore containing high pentlandite and chalcopyrite values in a largely pyrrhotite/troilite matrix. In the 1994-97 period, circuit development focused on making a high-grade copper concentrate and a relatively low-grade nickel concentrate. However, in 1998 a circuit with copper concentrate, high-grade nickel concentrate and a Ni/Cu middlings concentrate was specified. Following a three year project delay, work resumed on the flowsheet in 2001, and the target for the overall grade of the nickel concentrate was raised from 14% to 20% nickel. To achieve this target triethylamine tetramine (TETA) and sulfite pyrrhotite depressants were used in an all lime circuit. It later became evident that, with appropriate selection of collector and adjustment of the circuit by the addition of a scavenger on the scavenger cleaner, it would be possible to approach the grade of concentrate required without the use of pyrrhotite depressants. The recycle of water and the contained thiosalts was also proven to be instrumental in raising the grade.Construction and commissioning of the mill were fast-tracked with start-up of the mill in September 2005 some six months ahead of the original schedule. Ramp-up of both throughput and metallurgy was faster than any other recent nickel installations with tonnage being limited mainly by concentrate dewatering due to the higher than initially planned ore grades.INTRODUCTIONNickel was discovered in the vicinity of Voisey’s Bay by Chislett and Verbiski working for Diamond Field Resources in 1993 and the Ovoid deposit was delineated in the winter of 1994/95. By the end of 1995 the Ovoid had been well explored and at that time was thought to have a reserve of at least 30 million tonnes with an average grade of 2.83% Ni and 2.0% Cu. Drilling to the east of the Ovoid had indicated the presence of significant mineralization. In June of 1995, Inco Limited bought a 25% share in the Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company (VBNC) which was a subsidiary holding company set up by Diamond Fields. Inco also bought 8% of Diamond Fields and negotiated the right to sell all the nickel produced from VBNC for twenty years as part of this agreement. In April 1996, Inco bought the 75% of VBNC shares that it did not own."

Jan 1, 2007

By K. J. G Hedges

"Once a health based guidance limits for exposure to diesel exhaust have been established, and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, the program for exposure reduction should incorporate the plan-do-check-adjust cycle. Setting a suitably protective (health based) occupational exposure limit (OEL) for diesel particulate matter (DPM) and nitrogen dioxide is a key driver to reduce exposure. It is important to go beyond regulations and reduce exposure to diesel exhaust, DPM, as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) such as that prescribed under the Australia, Queensland Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Regulation 2017 where under section 135 Limiting workers exposure, the workers exposure must not exceed the exposure limit applying to the worker for the hazard; and is ALARA. It appears that previously acceptable OELs are no longer safe. Therefore it is important that the internal responsibility system be implemented and the precautionary principle approach be followed, especially as it may be some time before a suitably protective OEL specifically for DPM is in place. One leading multi-national mining company BHP Billiton has acknowledged a significant lag that exists between regulatory action and the level of science that informs health risk. This company is managing exposure to diesel exhaust to as low as technically feasible. This same company that has set an interim target for managing diesel exhaust to 0.03 mg/m3 is achieving these levels which paves the way for other mining companies and general industry including construction. The Occupational Cancer Research Centre 2017 recommends reducing personal exposure to within 0.02 mg/m3 (EC) for underground mining and 0.005 mg/m3 for other workplaces. Controlling DPM is important to prevent cancer however it is also important that that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) be reduced (ALARA) and that careful selection of control technology be considered such as the proper selection of a diesel oxidation catalyst so that the level of NO2 does not in fact increase. The example from BHP Billiton provides a leading practice including using a multi-disciplinary approach and the importance of controlling emission at source and having an auditable diesel emissions based monitoring program in place."

Jan 1, 2019

By William E. Roscoe

"Valuation methods are well established for mineral properties with production or imminent production, and include discounted cash flow and comparable transactions. Valuation methods for non-producing mineral properties, however, are more subjective. Non-producing mineral properties include those at various stages of exploration, properties at the prefeasibility or feasibility stage, properties with currently uneconomic mineral resources, and past-producers. Different valuation methods may be appropriate for different types of mineral properties.Income approach methods such as discounted cash flow and option pricing are generally not applicable to properties at the exploration stage. The market approach is generally appropriate to all types of mineral properties, although it is difficult to find good comparables because of the unique nature of mineral properties and the small number of transactions. Cost approach methods, such as appraised value and geoscience factor, are commonly used for exploration stage properties.Canadian standards and guidelines for valuation of mineral properties are in the process of being finalized by a Special Committee of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIMVal Committee). The CIMVal Standards are intended to be consistent with National Instrument 43-101, which sets regulatory standards of disclosure for mineral projects, and with International Valuation Standards. The intent of the CIMVal Standards and Guidelines is that mineral property valuation be carried out by appropriately qualified individuals and that all relevant information be disclosed."

Jan 1, 2003

By Cummings. J. B., R. Haworth

"THE OPERATION of the Potash Company of America, Ltd., at its plant near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is the result of many years of exploratory and development work, culminating in the construction of a shaft, milling, concentrating and other facilities necessary to the production of potash in a marketable form.The possibility that potash existed in •commercial quantities in Saskatchewan was first indicated in 1943, although it was not until mid-1946, when Bata Petroleums penetrated a potash bed at its Verbata No. 2 well near Unity that substantial in-ter.est was developed in the possible exploitation of this important mineral product.The Potash Company of America, which is the largest producer of pot-ash in the Carlsbad, New Mexico area, a district that has been sup-plying about 90 per cent of the North American potash demand, be-came interested in the Saskatchewan deposits •at an early stage. Its engineers made an intensive study of the western Saskatchewan area in 1947 and continued their review of operating problems throughout the next three years.""Potash"" is the commonly used general term applied to the minerals of potassium, of which there are several. The most common mineral forms in which it is produced are potassium chloride and potassium sulphate. The potash content of potassium compounds is ordinarily ex-pressed in terms of potassium oxide (K20) equivalent."

Jan 1, 1960

By Charle Pelley, Kosta Fytas, Peter Calder

"A computer model has been developed which is capable of evaluating alternative production schedules (long- and short range) of an open pit mine once the ultimate pit limits have been defined. The model user can choose the best alternative according to cash flow considerations and the particular mining conditions. The model involves a combination of simulation for long range production scheduling and linear programming for short range scheduling. IntroductionMining of mineral deposits in such a fashion so that, at depletion the maximum possible profit is realized, has been a very old problem of the mineral industry. In the past, when high-grade ore reserves were readily available and profits were very high, no question of optimum profitability was raised.However, recently the complexity of both open pit and underground mining has been increased tremendously. The additional problems of continuously rising production costs on one hand and of depressed metal prices worldwide on the other, have been demanding optimum profitabiliy from every mining venture .Particularly in the area of open pit mining, the sequence of ore and waste extraction has now become very important since the size of the pits and of the mining equipment has increased enormously. The process of open pit mining involves a continuous change of the open pit surface and there are many feasible plans of extraction which lead to the same final pit shape (ultimate pit limits). Each of these feasible plans generates a production schedule over the entire mine life, which mayor may not be optimal."

Jan 1, 1987

By B. Yu, N. Verbaan, A. Mezei

The recent 20 years witnessed a boom and bust in the nickel laterite industry. Most notoriously is the story of the first three Western Australian nickel laterite projects which all suffered major ramp-up issues. Many hard lessons were learned by the industry and it has been widely reported that the major contributing factors included insufficient testing as well as a limited understanding of the materials handling characteristics at the front-end stage of the flowsheet. This paper compares the current "race to production" in the REE industry to the laterite industry 20 years ago and addresses the fundamental question: ‘Have mining and exploration companies with rare earth projects learned from past lessons and are they doing sufficient and appropriate testwork to prevent failure’? The authors will provide the perspective of a commercial metallurgical laboratory that has gone through the laterite cycle and is active in the present REE cycle.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. N. Church, R. H. Seraphim, J. T. Shearer

"The Lexington-Lone Star CU-Au deposits straddle the Canada U. S.A. border, south of Greenwood, British Columbia. This 3 km long linear porphyry system occurs in a northeast dipping belt of sheared quartz porphyry and serpentinite. The best grades of mineralization occur in three principal bodies known as the Pit zone, the Northwest zone and the Lexington Main zone. The Pit zone at the Lone Star mine is the largest of the mineralized bodies and consists of fracture fillings and disseminations of pyrite, chalcopyrite and minor molybdenite, hosted by the Lexington quartz porphyry. The Northwest zone, discovered by drilling through overburden near the 49th Parallel, consists of pyrite-chalcopyrite-gold mineralization in the quartz porphyry and the footwall serpentinite. The Lexington Main zone has the highest grade of gold and occurs near the footwall of the quartz porphyry with the mineralogy and setting similar to the Northwest zone. Alteration of the host quartz porphyry is mostly sericitic and chloritic; alteration in the adjacent serpentinite is mostly talc and carbonates.A weighted average of the drill-indicated reserves is 19.5 million tonnes grading 0.56% CU and 0.55 gl t Au.IntroductionThis paper describes copper-gold mineralization associated with the Lexington quartz porphyry in the Greenwood mining camp of south-central British Columbia and adjacent parts of Washington State (Fig. 1).Access to the property is mainly by a network of farm, logging and old mining roads to the U.S. border, 10 km south of Greenwood, British Columbia."

Jan 1, 1995

By A. Eltringham

Operations downstream of mining and beneficiation are still being subjected to increasing scrutiny as highly capitalized projects have been either slow to achieve their targets or have actually failed to do so. Leaching and smelting projects have fundamentally high calls on capital and technology as reaction rates are increased and the capture and disposal of unwanted products are subjected to greater restrictions. Separating value from waste inherently becomes riskier as the purification of the desired product imposes greater demands on the process to produce benign wastes. When we superimpose on the chemistry of the project severe predictions of throughput rates, that bring in facets of manufacturing, we are introducing complexities that the records show are not handled well. This paper discusses some of the more common challenges that operators face and what methods are available and are likely to be successful in preventing the loss of value as projects are brought on-stream. This thinking needs to start much earlier and at greater intensity than our industry has normally chosen to employ.

Jan 1, 2011

By J. H. McMillan

Most of the recent papers read before the Institute have dealt with purely scientific matters, or with experiences in the various phases of mining operations. Very little, if anything, has been said concerning the part played by the human element in the industry. It is now opportune to consider this vital factor if we are to cope with the complex work of the present-day miner and, at the same time, meet the demands of the executive for greater efficiency. It is time we made an inventory of our knowledge to determine if we are absorbing the information so essential to modern mining practice. We must keep in close touch with all new ideas and developments in our chosen field and keep ourselves up-to-date in regard to everything pertaining to mining operations in general. The man who ceases to study ceases to advance. There are men who on attaining an executive chair give up all study, because they think they have reached the pinnacle of success. Modern industrial business, and coal-mining is no exception, demands that executive officers shall be 'live wires' -- men who are not only well-informed as to their immediate duties, but who are closely in touch with all matters of importance affecting the industry as a whole. We may be graduates of schools and colleges, but the training we receive in these institutions is only the foundation for our later work. Certainly no executive officer can know too much concerning the work he is engaged in, and the more he knows the more pleasure he will get out of his work.

Jan 1, 1925

By H. C. Gunning

In spite of the fact that mining has been more or less active in the northern part of Vancouver island since the late 'nineties', there seems to be a remarkable lack of information regarding the nature and development of the region. Recently the operations at the Old Sport mine of the Coast Copper Company, Limited, and spectacular copper discoveries in the vicinity of Nimpkish lake, have directed the attention of the mining fraternity to the district. The writer spent the summer of 1929 making a reconnaissance examination of the general geology and mining properties of the area between Quatsino sound and Nimpkish lake, and he feels that a short paper describing the nature and mining possibilities of the region should be of interest at this time. A more detailed account of the ?geology and of the mining properties will be published in the forth- coming Summary Report of the Geological Survey. A short paper dealing with the Nimpkish Lake district was presented at the Annual Meeting of the British Columbia Division, held recently in Vancouver.

Jan 1, 1930

By Gino Palarchio

Dofasco is Canada?s 2nd largest steel manufacturer producing 4.5 million tons of flat rolled steel per year. They have revenues of over $3 billion and employ 7,000 people in their Hamilton, ON plant. Dofasco is North America?s most profitable steel producer and were recently ranked as the #1 steel maker in the world by Dow Jones. Motivation to Improve In the 1980?s the steel business was good. However, in the late 80?s and early 90?s things began to change. Globalization was beginning to influence the market, imports started arriving at lower prices and higher quality, hangover from the 1970?s inflation saw costs rising and prices dropping, there was a shift from a sellers to a buyers market, and shareholder returns were beginning to erode. Dofasco took a step back and evaluated their maintenance performance and found that they were operating in an environment where 70% of their work was reactive and only 30% was proactive. They also found that the rate of product quality improvement was flat and their average equipment availability was only 78%. At that point they realized that Equipment Reliability was key to improving product quality, production output, costs and shareholder return. They initiated a project to research, develop, and implement the most advanced maintenance practices and information technologies to achieve maximum equipment reliability.

May 1, 2001

By W. E. Cockfield

THE object of this paper is to review recent geological work in the Cariboo district and to present notes on the recent development of mineral properties. The Geological Survey has done considerable work in the Cariboo district, extending over a period of years. In 1885 and 1886, Bowman (1) mapped the geology of a large area. In 1922 and 1923, Johnston and Uglow (2) mapped Barkerville area in some detail and prepared a report on the placer and lode gold deposits. In 1931 and 1932, Cockfield and Walker (3) mapped the Quesnel Forks area. In 1933, Hanson reported on Willow River area ( 4), and in 1934 made a detailed examination of part of the Barkerville area (5). In 1935, Lang commenced work on the Keithley area, lying to the southeast of the Barkerville area, and in 1936 published a preliminary re-port (6). The work on Keithley area was continued in 1936 by both authors of the present paper. As the results of the earlier work have been published, this paper will be concerned largely with Keithley area, that is, the part of the region lyinp between longitudes 121° 00' and 121° 30', and latitudes 52° 45' and 53° 00 . This area lies astride Cariboo (Swamp) river and extends north some 17 miles from Keithley, which is situated near the southern border of the map-area (see sketch-map). Points in the western part of the map-area are fairly accessible. A road extends from Barkerville to upper Cunningham creek, and from this a trail crosses Snowshoe plateau to Keithley. A second trail from this road leads to the lower falls on Cariboo river. From this road, a branch road leads to upper Antler creek, with a trail leading from this branch road to Keithley. Part of this western half of the area is made up of the Snowshoe plateau, which constitutes a gently rolling surface, at or above timber line, where trails are largely unnecessary.

Jan 1, 1937

By M. Oliazadeh

The bioleaching of fine low grade copper sulfide ore is described. A sample of ground (> 1 mm) copper ore from Sarcheshmeh, Iran, was subjected to a series of agglomeration procedures and subsequently leached. The best agglomerate was obtained by using lime and sulfuric acid as binders. A column bioleaching test of agglomerated ore was then run for 105 days along with a non-inoculated control column having thymol as bactericide. The results show that about 77.5% of copper was extracted in the bioleaching, whereas the control column achieved only 57% copper leaching.

Jan 1, 2007

By Tom Gabardi, Peter Clarke

"MillMapperTM is a new 3D laser scanning technology that has only recently been introduced into the North American mining industry. It enables mill operators to gain a much more complete understanding of the condition of their mill internals and to more accurately predict how liners will perform in the future. This paper describes the technology and techniques used to obtain data on internal mill conditions, how this data is processed into meaningful information which enables better prediction of liner life and gives examples of the reports provided by the software. Examples are given, using client sites data, on how this information is being used to reduce the costs and improve the revenue from SAG and ball mills.INTRODUCTION Scanalyse Pty Ltd developed the MillMapperTM technology in Australia over a number of years and has recently introduced it into North America with a significant take-up in Canada. The technology was commercially released in Australia in late 2006 and there has been significant technical development in the features provided since that time. MillMapperTM has been accepted as a useful technology in the Australasian region and more recently has been introduced to sites in Chile, Peru, Brazil, USA, Canada, Laos and South Africa. Over 100 different mills have been scanned and the technology has been thoroughly tested and validated. It has become an integral tool in condition monitoring and improvement programs for SAG and Ball mills across many sites and is now providing significant and measurable benefits to the mining industry. Some of these benefits will be described in this paper using actual examples."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. S. Douglas

Introduction The mine at Copper Mountain of the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company was one of the pioneers in the use of blast-hole diamond drilling for ore breakage. This method of mining has now been brought to a high degree of perfection. The system in use has?been described in a previously published paper which has become an important part of the literature o the blast-hole drilling method. At the time of the establishment of the system at Copper Mountain, standardized loading and drilling procedures were set up. These procedures were based partly on the results of experiment and partly upon the judgment of men experienced in breaking rock in the mine. The success of the method has been proof of their adequacy. With the progress of scoping in the mine, the diamond drill method of breaking was applied to other ore blocks where different conditions obtained. It was found necessary to make adjustments in the standard procedures to get the best results under the new conditions. The following paper attempts to express, in terms of mathematics, the relations of the variable factors. Until recently, estimations of drilling required were based upon the tonnage to be broken and the proposed rate of explosive loading. A revised method of estimating is outlined below which is direct and which involves no unrelated variable factors.

Jan 1, 1947

By Denis Yaychuk, Gary Billingsley

The economic eva luation of a mineral property or mining venture should include the quantification of ri k as part of the analy is. The re ults of such an analysis provide the decision-makers not only with the most likely financial outcome and the probability of achieving that or any other outcome. but al o with a ranki ng of the relative impact of all the ri sk factors. These type of resu lts offer more complete information for investment and technical deci ions than the traditional cash flow/ ensitivity analysis. In addi tion. by attempting to quantify ri sk. the personnel providing the va ri able input are forced to take a much clo e r look at the data involved, and are fo rced to work together. the reby increa ing substantially the awa reness of the impact their work and others· work has on th e outcome of the analysis.

Jan 1, 1986

By Justin S. Johnsen

As OEM sensors and interfaces have grown in number, the available data from equipment in the mining environment has continued to multiply. This equates to an increased visibility of operating performance, mechanical and electrical health, and predictive monitoring that can directly improve maintenance reliability and scheduling. With increased visibility, where should a reliability engineer begin to look to directly impact Capacity Assurance? More specifically, what source will provide inputs to the Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA)? Results from these analyses must be documented, and they must contribute to the overall mission of the mining company; these results must reduce costs and increase profits. Through detailed data capturing, documenting, and analysis, Modular Mining Systems? Time Tracking application, used in the MineCare® maintenance management solution, can drive decisions and provide direct impact to engineering projects for continuous improvement in the mine maintenance organization.

Nov 1, 2011

By D. D. Hogarth

"Edward Haycock, Engineer and Public Contractor Edward Haycock was born in Shrewsbury, England, June 14, 1813. His father was John Haycock, a timber merchant and soap manufacturer, residing at Swan Hill Court, Shrewsbury, and his mother Esther was the daughter of William Hilton of Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Edward's paternal grandfather, John Hiram Haycock, was the first of a line of architects that ""changed the face of Shrewsbury"" and ""provided some of the best examples of typical Victorian architecture in Shropshire""(1). Nothing is known of Edward's early life or education, although it appears that he made no attempt to follow this artistic trend. In 1833, Edward immigrated to Canada. The following year, he married Mary Butler, daughter of Johnson Butler, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Lincoln Militia during the War of 1812. Mrs. Haycock, as co-heiress of Johnson Butler's estate, was assigned 600 choice acres of farmland in Brooke Township near present-day Sarnia. This alone would have guaranteed a tidy income, but the Haycocks soon disposed of this land, the last lots being sold in May 1840. Instead, Haycock turned his hand to engineering and, for a number of years, was employed by the Great Western Railway first in Woodstock and later in Hamilton. He then moved to Port Hope, tried farming, worked in the engineering office of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway Company, and later constructed a portion of this railway(2). During his stay in Port Hope, Haycock met his future partners Ralph Jones, a contractor, and Thomas Curtis Clarke, chief engineer with the P.H.L. and B. Railway Company. The alliance was styled Jones, Haycock and Company and their most successful venture was the construction of the Government Buildings in Ottawa. This work was the crowning achievement of Haycock's career and, no doubt, his proudest moment was at 11:30 a.m., April 2, 1860, when his daughter Mary Emily, then a little girl of 4, with a special silver trowel ceremoniously laid the first stone. Of special interest in this project were the quarrying operations, which introduced Haycock to the art and difficulties of mining as well as to the potential returns of mines. Sandstone, for facing, was drawn from four quarries, 10 to 12 miles from the Departmental Buildings. Haycock seems to have been in charge of these operations, which in the early stages involved an average labour force of 86 men and 43 teams. However, by 1861, quarrying had declined in importance and the contractors were able to concentrate whole-heartedly on the construction site."

Jan 1, 1999