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By R. O. Burt

"IntroductionThe introduction to this section on gravity concentration indicated the wide range of equipment types that exist for the concentration of minerals, in what is the broadest size range of any concentration process.The equipment described in this chapter includes jigs, tables and sHme plant equipment. In contrast to the equipment described in the two succeeding chapters, this range of equipment, in nearly every instance, superimposes a mechanical movement on the fluid motion to effect separation of the valuable mineral from the waste mineral. The motion may be vertical Gigs), reversing (tables), or rotary (slime plants): however, in common they ""dilate"" the bed of particles to allow preferential settlement of the heavier particles.Description of Process UnitsJiggingJigging is the sorting of different minerals by stratification, based on the movement of a bed of particles relative to a fluid in a vertical plane.The basic construction of a jig is shown in Figure 1. Essentially it consists of an open tank filled with a fluid, normally water, with a horizontal jig screen at the top and with a spigot in the ""hutch"", or bottom compartment, for removal of heavies. The jig beri consists of a layer of coarse heavy particles (ragging) on the jig screen. This ragging is of a specific gravity between that of the minerals it is intended to separate.In operation the bed is made fluid by a pulsating current of fluid to provide stratification. On the upward or pulsion stroke the bed of ragging and slurry is normally Hfted as a mass, then as velocity of the upcurrent decreases it dilates, loosening the whole mass. On the downward or suction stroke it closes slowly again. The ideal is to control this dilation of the bed of material so that the heavier and smaller particles penetrate the interstices of the bed, while the larger heavies fall under a condition akin to ""hindered"" settling."

Jan 1, 1989

By G. E. Bogin, C. Strebinger, J. F. Brune

"Evidence shows that methane gas emanates from the mined-out area or gob of a longwall coal mine and can travel towards the working face, posing an explosion risk. Since the gob consists of varying levels of compacted rock, many researchers have modeled fluid flow through the gob as a Darcy-type porous media with a specified porosity and permeability. When studying methane gas explosions near the gob fringe, the Darcy flow assumption may not be applicable to describe the methane flame interaction with the gob. Computational fluid dynamic studies were performed modeling methane flame propagation across a simulated gob which was modeled as both a Darcy porous medium and as discrete rock objects with varying sphericity. Modeling the gob as a Darcy porous medium results in unrealistic methane flame propagation since the porous media assumption does not consider any differences in rock size and/or distribution. Additionally, the porous media model does not allow for ignition within and subsequent flame propagation through the porous medium, which must be modeled to understand the potential for methane gas explosions in the gob area. Modeling the gob as discrete rock objects produces more realistic methane flame dynamics and agrees with experimental observations. Modeling results show flame propagation across circles, hexagons, and squares, meant to represent rock rubble in the gob, produce different levels of turbulence which affects methane flame propagation velocity. This research demonstrates that modeling methane gas explosions in a longwall coal mine environment, specifically near the gob area, requires modeling obstacles, such as rock rubble, as discrete physical objects to capture the complex coupling of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. INTRODUCTION Although there are methods to mitigating methane accumulations in a longwall coal mine, explosive gas zones (EGZs) of methane and air may exist and pose an explosion risk to nearby miners and equipment (Brune, 2014) (Karacan, Ruiz, Cote, & Phipps, 2011). In the event of an explosion, the resulting methane flame and pressure wave can be catastrophic as evidenced by the Upper Big Branch explosion in 2010 that killed 29 miners (Page, et al., 2011). Since the mining process is transient, it is difficult to determine exactly where these EGZs exist, but investigative reports show in many cases, these EGZs can be near the working face, behind the shields, or within the gob area (Brune, 2014) (McKinney, et al., 2001). Additionally, miners have recounted seeing flames moving back and forth within the gob and under the roof supports (McKinney, et al., 2001) and in other cases, anecdotal evidence of hearing small pressure pops deep within the gob area (Brune, 2014)."

Jan 1, 2019

By Sylvie Lévesque, Cory Hennessey, Daniel Amariei

"In the iron ore industry, fine particles recovery is an important concern in terms of process performance and production costs. Continuous efforts are thus devoted to increase the efficiency in handling these fines.The Reflux Classifier (RC) is a relatively new technology that is mainly used in the coal and industrial minerals industries. The operating principle of this system is based on three mechanisms: hindered settling, autogenous dense medium and lamella settling. A preliminary evaluation of the Reflux Classifier technology for the beneficiation of iron ore fines was formerly done at the pilot scale using a RCTM300 unit. The good results obtained, using iron ore fines from screened spiral stream, made this technology very attractive for the iron industry. However, the high capacity of the RCTM300 unit (1–3 t/h), makes it unsuitable for R&D purposes. Thus, a smaller unit, the RCTM100, was assessed to validate the performances obtained with the RCTM300.This paper summarizes the performances obtained with the RCTM100. The challenges of the scale-down related to the adaptability of this technology to the iron ore industry are also presented. The results are compared to the RCTM300 performances, as well as benchmarked against sink-float tests. The metallurgical results on feed and products issued after the test work with the RCTM100 unit are supported by mineralogical characterization using a Mineral Liberation Analyzer.INTRODUCTIONFine particles recovery by physical separation means is a historical concern (Holland-Batt, 1992; Peukert and Wadenpohl, 2001; Srivastavaa et al., 2001; Majumder et al., 2003). Attempts to improve fine particle recovery at the laboratory, pilot and industrial scales adopting different strategies with traditional equipment or assessing new promising devices such as the MGS (multi-gravity separator), the Kelsey jig, the Yang jig, etc. (Kim, 2002; Goudreau, 2008; Kerr, 2012) have yielded variable success."

Jan 1, 2016

By Shila Jafari, Mari Lundström, Aleksei Kritskii, Pia Sinisalo

A typical process adopted at nickel plant is the processing of nickel-copper mattes and converter mattes using the following technology: pressure oxidative leaching (POX), solvent extraction (SX), electrowinning (EW), cobalt recovery, and solutions purification. As a result of multi-stage atmospheric and autoclave process leaching, copper-nickel separation is achieved. Cobalt and nickel are further separated by SX. Copper in the process can be removed as copper cake (Cu-cake), which is a by-product with high content of valuable metals. In the current paper, a method combining atmospheric and pressure leaching of Cu-cake in sulfuric-acid media is discussed. Suggested method allows to obtain high copper extraction (>98%), with leach residue containing precious metals and PGMs. Sulfuric acid media was chosen to make the suggested technology adaptable for the primary POX-SX-EW circuit. The initial Cu-cake was analysed and a range of process parameters (t = 25–190°C; PO2 = 0–7 bar) investigated to achieve the optimal conditions for leaching process at the ambient as well as at increased pressure. As a result, an initial process block diagram for the treatment of Cu-cake with high copper leaching efficiency and low metal losses is provided. INTRODUCTION The conventional technology for nickel sulphide ore processing includes the following main stages: froth flotation, matte smelting and converting. The subsequent processing of nickel converter matte is possible using fundamentally different approaches - hydrometallurgical (Llanos, Queneau & Rickard, 1974; Rademan, Lorenzen & Van Deventer, 1999; Kshumaneva, Kasikov, Neradovskii & Belyaevskii, 2009; Dutrizac & Chen, 2013) and pyrometallurgical (Tsymbulov, Knyazev, Tsemekman & Golov, 2007). Hydrometallurgical approach in comparison with pyro-process has several advantages, such as reduced environmental load, reduced PGM losses, increased copper and nickel extraction. Typically, hydrometallurgical technologies include leaching, solvent extraction as well as nickel and cobalt recovery in metallic form by electrowinning or hydrogen reduction or as valuable metal salts via crystallization process (Crundwell, Moats, Ramachandran, Robinson & Davenport, 2011).

Jan 1, 2019

By Mika Muinonen

"Dewatering of nickel concentrate at the INCO Thompson integrated mine-metallurgical site takes place within the smelter plant. The eight original 60 foot diameter cable torque thickeners of which four were operational and eight Dorrco internal drum filters have been replaced with a single Outokumpu high rate thickener and a single Lasta pressure filter. The modernization has resulted in a filter cake which has a more stable and lower moisture content. Control of the entire dewatering process has been improved and costs have been reduced.Typical filter cake produced from the Dorrco filters during processing of high tonnages of Birchtree mine ore was ~20% moisture vs. ~13% moisture for concentrate produced from the Thompson mine ore. The high moistures were correlated with the amount of fine magnesium silicate gangue in the concentrate. As Birchtree ore processing rates have increased, this filter cake moisture became unacceptable because of material handling problems and the impact on furnace metallurgy. The Dorrco filters were replaced with the Lasta filter in 2003 that has consistently produced filter cake at ~11% moisture.This paper summarizes the piloting, design, installation and commissioning of the modernized dewatering circuit.INTRODUCTIONThe Thompson integrated nickel processing facility was built in 1958 and originally consisted of a mine-mill-smelter and, soon after, a refinery.Nickel concentrate is pumped from the mill as a dilute slurry directly to the smelter facility ~200 meters along an unheated pipe trestle. Originally, nickel concentrate was de-watered using up to 8 conventional 60-foot diameter thickeners and 8 internal vacuum drum filters."

Jan 1, 2006

"Geoscan is used for multi-elemental analysis of conveyed bulk materials in the minerals industry with proven performance and demonstrated paybacks of weeks or months in iron ore, manganese, copper, zinc-lead and phosphate industries. Geoscan-M measures continuously through the full bed depth and is unaffected by belt speed, particle size, layering, mineralogy and dust levels. Increments of typically two minutes are accurately measured and provide the plant operators with tonnage weighted results of contained elements. Measurement of the composition in real time enables prompt feedback to the mining operators and also feed forward to the process operators. Crushed ore increments can be diverted based on composition, such as diverting waste for disposal or marginal material to a stockpile for separate processing. Bulk sorting allows material to be placed into relevant stockpiles for subsequent blending to achieve consistency for process feed. Parameters used for decisions may be primary metal content, deleterious component content, other process parameter, or a combination of these. Process parameter may be the elemental ratio between critical components, e.g. Cu:S ratio, basicity, or the content of an “indicator” element (such as Si indicating material hardness). Benefits will be discussed based on case studies in copper and iron ore.IntroductionAs operators of process plants strive to remain competitive as capital and operating costs increase and commodity prices fluctuate, more focus has been directed at incremental performance improvements at incremental cost rather than major expansions to increase output. The philosophy of working smarter allows plants to adopt technologies proven in other industry sectors to minimise risk. This paper discusses one such technology that the minerals sector is adopting and has found to be safe, reliable and accurate with paybacks of weeks in most applications. New applications continue to be found and major benefits realised at various stages in the processing and handling of ores and products."

Jan 1, 2016

By K. Ihara, R. Akiyoshi, Y. Takaki, S. Kang, H. Shishido

"Tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy-electron backscattered diffraction (SEM-EBSD) analysis were performed in an Al-Mg-Si alloy to clarify the effect of annealing and cold-rolling reduction on the texture formation. The hot-rolled specimens were cold-rolled with the reduction of 58-75%(CR1), followed by annealing at 773 K for 5 min(IA). The secondary cold-rolling(CR2)for the IA specimens with the reduction of 33–66%, followed by the solution heat treatment(ST), were performed. Focusing on the CR1 and CR2 specimens, the average r-values increased with higher primary and lower secondary cold-rolling reduction, respectively. This was considered to be due to the increase of r-values measured in the direction of 45 degree with respect to rolling direction, caused by the formation of the ß-fiber components (Brass {011}<211>, Copper {112}<111> and S {123}<634>) with high density. Based on the texture analysis of annealed specimens it was suggested that the high density of the ß-fiber components after IA and the small amount of stored strain energy of CR2 introduced by the lower cold-rolling reduction remained the ?-fiber components even after solution treatment.INTRODUCTION Al-Mg-Si alloys have been applied to automobile body applications, due to their excellent paint-bake hardening (age-hardening) and corrosion resistance compared to other aluminum alloy. On the other hand, the mechanical properties and deep drawability of Al-Mg-Si alloys are inferior to those of steels. Thus, it is important to improve the mechanical properties and deep drawability in order to expand the application components. One of the best methods to improve the deep drawability is to increase the Lankford coefficient (r-value). Previous studies reported that the increase of the average r-value ( ) improves the deep drawability. The relationship between the r-value and texture of the alloy is also well known. Inoue et al. reported that the ß-fiber components, such as Brass ({011}<211>), Copper ({112}<111>) and S ({123}<634>), increase the r-value measured in the direction of 45o with respect to the rolling direction. r"

Jan 1, 2018

By Stephen J. Roberts

Gold catalysts were prepared on co-precipitated, calcined copper oxide - zinc oxide support by an inverse deposition-precipitation method. These catalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and studied for CO oxidation activity at various catalyst calcination temperatures. TPR studies of the support material exhibited a double peak and shift to lower temperatures for the reduction of Cux+ to metallic copper, as opposed to the single reduction peak for pure CuO. This phenomenon is possibly caused by an interaction with the zinc oxide. The addition of gold to the support CuOZnO led to a further shift in copper reducibility to lower temperatures. Gold present in the initial uncalcined catalyst as Au3+ was auto-reduced to Au0 under various calcination temperatures. The Au3+ reduction peak was observed to shift to lower temperatures with increasing calcination temperature. The catalytic activity was found to pass through a minimum value with respect to calcination temperature. Catalysts with both gold in entirely the 3+ or metallic oxidation state were found to exhibit high activity. Furthermore, the catalysts were found to decrease in activity with decreasing Au3+ content up to an intermediate calcination temperature, afterwhich the activity increased sharply. Possibly at higher temperatures, a stronger Au-support interaction is formed, leading to a new active site.

Oct 1, 2003

By A. Majumdar, B. Servière, H. Persson

The CCR refinery, which was built in 1931, treats both internal and third party copper anodes to produce 325,000 mt of copper as cathodes. These anodes contain high levels of impurities, such as Ni, As, Sb and Bi, that reports to the electrolyte during the refining step and need to be removed in order to maintain cathode quality and operating efficiencies. In the purification plant, the electrolyte is de-copperized via electrowinning in three stages. In the last stage, the copper content of the electrolyte is reduced to below 1 gpl in order to maximize the co-deposition of As, Sb and Bi with the Cu. This is accomplished with minimum arsine gas generation by using periodic reversal of the current and by controlling the final copper content of the electrolyte. Nevertheless, the possibility of exposure to arsine is treated as a major risk and controls have been implemented to reduce this risk. This paper describes the controls in place at the purification plant, which are being continuously improved through periodic risk assessments and audits. INTRODUCTION The CCR Refinery, which is a part of Glencore Canada Corporation and located in Montreal-East, Quebec, is a custom copper and precious metal refinery, with a capacity to refine 325,000 tonnes of copper anodes per year. Copper anodes are received from the Horne smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Altonorte smelter in Chile and other 3rd party smelters. CCR anodes are produced using the spent anodes from the tankhouse along with purchased spent anodes and copper scrap. The precious metal plant treats the tankhouse anode slime, purchased anode slime, precious metal ingots and Doré anodes from Glencore’s Brunswick lead smelter in Belledune, New Brunswick. CCR products include copper cathodes, silver and gold bullion, a platinum-palladium concentrate, selenium, tellurium dioxide and nickel sulfate. In 1975 an accident occurred at CCR where two employees were exposed to fatal levels of arsine emitted from the then existing purification cells. This process was therefore shut down immediately. Research and development work was then initiated to determine the optimum electrowinning conditions whereby arsine gas generation would be minimized while maintaining high copper and impurity removal efficiencies. It was found that the application of periodic reversal of current (PRC) during the last stage of electrowinning retarded the onset of arsine formation while at the same time allowing the copper concentration to be reduced to less than 1 gpl (Houlachi & Claessens, 1978). A new purification plant was designed based on the PRC technology and was started up in 1976. In addition to the use of PRC electrowinning, the new plant is located in a fully enclosed section of the tankhouse. A special effort was made to design a ventilation system to evacuate the acid mist in addition to any arsine gas. Arsine monitors were installed to measure the emissions from the stack along with arsine levels in the workroom. The arsine monitors and the ventilation system were interlocked with the rectifiers (Thiriar et al., 1983).

Jan 1, 2019

Most of automotive magnesium applications are presently produced by high-pressure die casting processes, For further expansion of the alloy usage in automobiles, novel-manufacturing processes needs to be developed, In this study, squeeze casting of AM50 alloy was carried out using a hydraulic press with an applied pressure of 70 MPa, Tensile properties and fracture behavior of the squeeze-cast AM50 were characterized in comparison with the die cast counterpart, The squeeze-cast AM50 alloy exhibits virtually no porosity in the microstructure evaluated by optical microscopy, The results of tensile testing indicate that the improved tensile properties for the squeeze-cast samples over the conventional high-pressure die-cast parts, The analysis of tensile behavior shows that the strain-hardening rate during the plastic deformation of the squeeze-cast specimens is constantly higher than that of the die-cast specimens. The SEM fractography evidently reveals the ductile fracture features of the squeeze-cast alloy AM50.

Jan 1, 2005

By E. O. T. Simpson

"IntroductionAS COMPARED with coal mines in the United States, and even with some of those in eastern Canada, the coal mines of western Canada, generally speaking, :have made little progress toward mechanization at the working faces. So far as Vancouver island is concerned, there are three main reasons for this : ( 1 ) in some areas, conditions• easy for hand-loading but unsuitable for mechanical loading make high outputs per man •possible by the former method; (2) faulting of the coal seams in ..some areas precludes long-term planning and the introduction and efficient use of expensive equipment; (3) thinness •and other characteristics of the seams in many areas favour hand-loading.No. 8 MINENo. 8 mine of Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir), Limited, is located in the Cumberland sub-area of the Comox coalfield on Vancouver island about 90 miles west-northwest of Vancouver. The geological structure of this coalfield has been described by J. D. McKenzie. The seams occur in the Comox formation, a subdivision of the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group. The formation is of near-shore origin and was laid down on an irregular surface of' older rocks. The irregular generally have a northeasterly dip, modified by gentile folds and by a •few large, and a number of smaller, faults.Four seams have been worked in the Cumberland area and all vary in thickness and in the amount and number of interstratified bone and rock •bands."

Jan 1, 1953

By J. B. Yianatos, F. A. Contreras

Mineral carrying rates across the pulp-froth interface in the range of 1.4-3.2 tph/m2 and bubble surface coverages between 7 and 22 %, have been determined in large rougher flotation cells operated under normal conditions. To evaluate these variables, measurements of bubble size distribution, bubble load and size distribution of particles collected by true flotation, were performed at different concentrators. A model for estimating the bubble surface coverage at the pulp-froth interface level as a function of bubble load, Sauter mean bubble diameter and particle size distribution of the mineral collected by true flotation, was developed. Bubble loadings in the range 24-70 kg/m3, bubble sizes between 1.5 and 3.2 mm and superficial gas rates between 1.2 and 2.0 emfs, were measured in copper rougher flotation cells under normal operating conditions. Estimated bubble surface area fluxes were in the range 31 to 62 cm2/s/cm2- Results of carrying rates and bubble surface coverage, at the pulp-froth interface, were significantly lower than the maximum carrying rate for the collection zone, indicating that in this case is difficult to achieve maximum carrying rate at the pulp-froth interface level. The main constraints regarding carrying capacity limitations are then related to the froth transport characteristics (i.e. cell design, froth residence time, froth stability, froth recovery). Advances in Mineral Processing Science and Technology Proceedings of the 48th Annual Conference of Metallurgists ofCIM Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Edited by

Jan 1, 2009

By Xiang Yu

Hong Kong has a dense distribution of utility services laid under its road network. Utility undertakers frequently demand road openings to install new services and/or maintain existing ones. Road openings can cause troubles to the road network and negatively impact the public interest. Highways Department is responsible for managing road openings in Hong Kong under the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance. Highways Department has spent a lot of efforts to computerize excavation permit processing and utility management. The computerized system has gone through several generations and the current one is called the excavation permit management system (XPMS). On the one hand, the XPMS handles various excavation permit processing functions including permit application/approval/refusal/issuance/extension/termination, fees/costs, permit conditions, and permit period assessment; on the other hand, the XPMS accounts for some important utility management issues such as spatial check, coordination of multiple openings, traffic management, audit inspection, and defect liability. This paper discusses how the application, coordination, and other administrations of an excavation permit are eased by using the XPMS in Hong Kong. Background information such as the governing legal and regulatory framework, and Highways Department?s administrative structure is introduced. The system architecture and advantages of the XPMS are presented. The work procedures and various functions of the XPMS are studied in detail.

Aug 1, 2013

By R. J. Balfour, T. L. Papucciyan

"INTRODUCTIONCapital Cost considerations are basic to feasibility in the achievement of success for Mineral Processing Projects as much as or more than in many other industries. Capital cost is an important factor ae it 1R the unit of measurement for process engineering economic decisions. As a result of ever increasing complexity, alternatives of process and remoteness of site, there is an ever increasing emphasis on accurate estimating and the attendant cost control systems in the international market of today for the Mineral Industry where initial plant costs are becoming a more important factor than operating costs. An undervaluation means trouble ahead. An over-cautious assessment may bring an unnecessary abandonment of a project. Consequently, the ultimate cost must be predicted early and accurately and must be controlled to this parameter during the design and construction phases. Cost Est!~ mating is one of a variety of project management tools used to assist in planning and achieving the optimum balance between Quality, Cost and Time, the eternal triangle of evaluation, namely obtaining a project of acceptable quality at minimum cost and on time. In order to attain these established objectives, proper planning, organizing, coordinating, monitoring, adjusting and controlling the design, procurement and construction elements of the project are essential.This project management approach based upon the principle of a Task Force under single management, comprising a complete service organization, requires a substantial number of qualified individuals specialized in their own field and capable of working together as a team to perform their various functions effectively. The Task Force is supported by their chiefs of discipline and performs in accordance with established procedures and standards under the leadership of a Project Manager.General Engineering Company Limited with the backing of the full resources of Surveyer, Nenniger & Chenevert and its total staff of approximately 1,0009 offers the complete project management service to the Mineral Processing Industry of North America and the rest of the world. As mine sites become more remote and difficult of access, the need for an experienced team of specialists who work under the Task Force principle, with well established standards and procedures becomes even more important. Our long history of successful pro1ecta in this field has been our training ground for the fulfillment of this need."

Jan 1, 1972

By K. Lillkung, J. Kourunen, M. Latva-Kokko

"Carbon-in-leach (CIL) and carbon-in-pulp (CIP) processes utilize activated carbon to adsorb solubilized gold for recovery. Due to carbon attrition and non-ideal carbon management, however, some of the gold is lost in carbon fines and to the solution. The carbon attrition mechanism inside CIL/CIP reactors is mainly abrasion-related. This is critical to gold loss since gold loading takes place predominantly in the outer shell of the carbon particles. Thus fine carbon dust has a relatively high gold content and such a small particle size that it cannot be captured with safety screens. The attrition rate depends on ore and carbon characteristics, but it is always proportional to the mixing power intensity. This rate can be minimized by continuous suspension level measurement and control of agitation speed. In addition, a novel tank bottom structure can significantly reduce the required mixing power input compared to a flat bottom tank. A major challenge in carbon management is infrequent and inaccurate measurement of carbon concentration in the reactors. In order to reduce soluble gold losses by means of improved carbon management, Outotec has been developing a continuous in-situ measurement for carbon concentration that is tolerant to changes in slurry density.INTRODUCTION Cyanide leaching has been utilized since the late 19th century as a standard technology for hydrometallurgical gold production. Since then, gold and silver recovery rates have increased due to technological development, but very similar recovery methods are still being used. The original recovery method was to use zinc precipitation – similar to the Merrill-Crowe process, which is still common for feed materials with low throughput and high silver content. However, in most cases, activated carbon recovery is preferred due to its improved efficiency. The carbon-in-pulp process (CIP) and its modification, carbon-in-leach (CIL), have a lower residual soluble gold level and are not similarly affected by soluble base metals. The main alternative for the use of carbon is ion exchange resins. The principle of resin processes is similar to the CIL/CIP processes, with a different type of adsorbent material. Carbon processes are usually preferred over resin processes due to the significantly higher cost of resin material and the possibility to use simpler, well-established technology with carbon processes."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. Worden, D. Hughes, S. Smart, H. Zughbi

The enterprise wide optimization (EWO) of steelmaking and manufacturing is a multi-level, hierarchical problem which spans higher level corporate planning and scheduling through to the lower level operations of processes that produce and manufacture steel. External and internal system dynamics combined with process unit co-ordination create complex changing circumstances for the enterprise. This paper presents a scoping study as a prelude to enterprise wide considerations at an integrated steelworks to help inform the choice of appropriate model types and optimization techniques. The hierarchical, multi-level structure of the enterprise and the important spatial-temporal scales to consider are defined. Insights into the system were gained by analyzing a large set of dynamic operational data. Over two years of data were subject to both univariate and multivariate analysis with the intent of understanding the complex interrelations of energy flows on site, the inherent system dynamics of the energy network, system operational modes, aspects of planning and scheduling and the coordination between major processing units. This analysis was further used to evaluate the performance of the system in regards to energy utilization and understand the potential economic benefits derived from improved operational decisions.

Jan 1, 2015

By W. Hunka

PACIFIC PETROLEUMS, Ltd. first discovered commercial quantities of gas in the Peace River area in 1952. Development of gas wells in this area is quite ex-pensive due to low penetration rates. To improve the economics, the potential of the wells in many cases had to be increased. At that time, well stimulation was still in its infancy in Canada and in this area, in particular, no treatment of any consequence had been attempted. Therefore, trial-and-error was the only means available to determine the stimulating technique that would give optimum results. Various fluid treatments were available and these were used wherever the application was warrant-ed. This paper covers acid fracture and explosive treatments as carried out on various gas-bearing horizons.

Jan 1, 1958

By M. J. Fairweather

"The nature of minor element values and impurities are important both in the assessment of new properties and in the continuing improvement of operating plants. Impurity elements are frequently present as fixed solid solution impurities in association with the constituent minerals of a deposit or process streams in a concentrator. This paper uses five case studies to illustrate the application of simple regression analysis to the evaluation of minor element distribution in both operating mines and new deposits using analytical information readily available. This information maybe used to determine opportunities for improvements to the performance of an operating mine, to the economic assessment of anew deposit, or to the subsequent planning of an experimental study.IntroductionThe nature of minor element values and impurities are important, both in the assessment of new properties and in the continuing improvement of operating plants. Minor element values often contribute appreciable incremental revenue to a complex base metal deposit. Examples of valuable elements include precious metals, but may also include elements such as indium and bismuth which can be recovered at a profit by smelters provided with the necessary recovery circuits. During preliminary metallurgical studies of a new property there is usually a strong incentive to maximize the recovery of such valuable by-product elements. For example, the extent to which the by-product gold in a porphyry copper deposit is associated with chalcopyrite rather than pyrite may determine theeconomics of developing a new property.The nature of impurity elements in base metal concentrates is correspondingly important in minimizing the penalties which may be imposed by smelters in the treatment of such concentrates. Penalty elements include silica, dolomite (magnesia), arsenic, antimony, mercury, nickel and cobalt. The mineralogical association of these minor elements determines the ability of the mine to remove them in the concentrating process. This paper discusses means of assessing the mineralogical nature of such impurities without the use of sophisticated micro-analytical techniques."

Jan 1, 1997

By M. Ghamgosar, Erarslan N.

Rock cutting includes many unknown parameters which result in different consequences of the different cutting conditions. However, based on the current suggested models for rock cutting, there are some critical parameters that control the fracture initiation and propagation in the rock domain. In general, there are two major cutting tools are used in rock cutting: drag bits and indenters. Different mechanical attacks of cutters result in different fracture models. For example drag bits break the rock parallel to the rock surface, which is called ‘undercutting’ while indenters cut rocks by pressing normal to the rock surface. Both tools cause rock failure by inducing tensile cracks in the rock. However, drag bits induce more tensile cracks compared with the indenters. The full benefits of improvement in rock cutting efficiency will arise from a clear understanding of rock fracture mechanics principles. Therefore, fracture mechanics principles will be applied to the rock cutting as the rock fragmentation process is based on the rock fracturing. The Oscillating Disc Cutting (ODC) has more advantages than drag bits and disc cutters. The forces transmitted back through the cutting head are much lower with ODC. Although ODC attacks rock in much the same way as drag bits, a combination of the oscillating action of the cutter and the undercutting mode produces the lower cutting forces and causes rock fatigue. Fatigue phenomenon in rock has advantages for the rock breaking by applying less effort and energy due to the cyclic loading. The aim of this study is using the Extended Finite Elements Analyses (XEFM) numerical modelling for simulating the ODC cutting with different cyclic loading conditions. An accurate prediction of numerical investigation requires detail laboratory experiments. A series of laboratory tests were performed to obtain the fracture toughness values of our Monsonite rock samples under various cyclic amplitude and frequency values. The numerical results showed different types fatigue damage mechanisms due to the various cyclic loading conditions. Thus, modelling and understanding the crack propagation behaviour depending on different amplitude and frequencies are believed very important for the dynamic rock cutting researches and rock cutting machine manufacturers.

Jan 1, 2015

By Pascal Lesagel

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a holistic environmental assessment tool that allows the compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle, from cradle to grave (i.e., from resource extraction and transformation to final disposal, including production and use stages). The relevance of LCA for the mining industry is twofold. First, the mining industry has a role in providing the LCA community the data that allows subsequent evaluations of the life cycle environmental impacts of primary materials such as metals, as well as the environmental comparison of the downstream products of the mining industry with other competing materials for specific uses. Second, the mining industry can use LCA in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of its activities, identify their environmental hotspots and compare the impacts of available technical options. For example, the environmental impacts of different extractive and processing technology can be compared through the use of LCA. This latter use of LCA by the mining industry is less common. This paper discusses the use of LCA to compare sulphidic tailings management options. The paper also presents some of the LCA research challenges that still have to be addressed to increase the relevance of LCA results for the specific context of mining activities.

Nov 1, 2008