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By R. Liu

As Building Information Modeling (BIM) becomes widely adopted by the construction industry, it holds undeveloped possibilities for supporting Facility Management (FM). Some FM information systems on the market claim to address the needs for FM requirement. However, the question of whether the functionalities provided by the current BIM-based FM software companies are those actually required by the FM Professionals still need to be answered. The data is required by FM professionals in the operation and maintenance phases of facilities and type of maintainability problems that frequently occur, which can be solved early in design phase, have not yet been addressed. The aim of this paper is to clarify the frequently occurring maintainability problems and to investigate the potential areas that can use BIM technology to solve the maintenance problems in early the design phase. A survey was conducted to collect perspectives from the industry practitioners for the maintenance problems and their frequency. The survey results indicated that maintainability considerations should be taken into consideration during the facility design phase. The results also address the perceived areas by practitioners that need maintainability consideration in design phase.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. R. Giegerich

"IntroductionMINING operators in common with other operators are confronted today with two serious problems, shortage of experienced workmen and rising costs. The following review of practices at the Sullivan mine of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited, outlines certain measures that have been responsible, during recent years, for minimizing the effect of these two problems. The paper is divided into three main sections:( 1) Training programmes and job studies( 2) Improved mechanization and equipment( 3) Large-scale methods of operationTraining Programmes and Job StudiesJob TrainingJob training courses were introduced at Cominco immediately after the last war and proved to be a great benefit to the operations. There were three courses given, Job Instruction Training, Job Safety Training, and .Job Relations Training. These were spread over a period of two years and were taken by all operating supervisors and some key operators.The courses were introduced by a trained instructor from the British Columbia Department of Labour. This man trained twelve of our employees as instructors by giving them an intensive one-week course. Similarity between the three courses was such that the instructors trained in the first one were very readily trained for instruction in the two succeeding courses."

Jan 1, 1952

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 A. Valdivieso

Reducing accident rates keeps getting more and more complex as the usual tools enter a curve of diminishing results. Fortunately, nothing modifies behaviour in a stronger and wider way than having a robust safety culture. On the other hand, managing cultural change is difficult and the risk of back-fire is very high, especially if the workforce does not trust our intentions. A personalized approach of well chosen and targeted actions tends to be the only yet difficult option. We have found, via experience in the metallurgy and chemistry industries, a way of preparing the company and the workforce to accept these sorts of culture changing measures faster and easier. Using company-wide changes based on workplace perception, yields the most optimal acceptance. It is based in the principle that we all use clues in our environment as guides to choose our behaviour. So, controlling the perception that our workplace generates can affect behaviour and simplify our task before it even starts. It is a matter of using the tools that other disciplines such as marketing, social engineering and architecture bring to us and adapting them to a very defined objective: Having our installations “sell” safety so that our people unconsciously believe that they must adapt to safety values in order to “do well” in said environment. INTRODUCTION After decades of improvements in accident rates, we are understandably hitting a diminishing results curve: most actions that spectacularly reduced accidents in the past (e.g., Innovation in Personal Protection equipment, adapting international standards and legislation, and innovative safety programs; Figure 1) now hardly get us the exponential gains we saw years back, regardless of the investment we put on them. Furthermore, the improvements in safety of the last 3 decades have been creating new sets of issues that start to show their face such as: By reducing accidents we can create feelings of invulnerability as we lose view of the consequences. With innovative protection equipment we increase Risk Homeostasis, meaning that people behave in a more dangerous way in order to maintain a constant level of risk in their lives (Getting closer to fire after getting better fire-proof garments for example). Too much Legislation can create a feeling of disengagement from personal responsibility. And despite improvements, we haven’t really solved the production vs safety confrontation, it is now stigmatized and less visible, yet it tends to reappear in moments of weakness.

Jan 1, 2019

"Mining with blast holes drilled upwards may be done to recover sill pillars, or for economic reasons when the distance between the levels is relatively large. If the rock is sufficiently competent to accommodate large stope size, the distance between sublevels could be increased to as much as drilling accuracy allows. The same drill drift can be used for the drilling of both down holes and up holes. In the case of down holes, the initial opening of the stope (drop raise) is not as much a problem as for the inverse drop raise for mining with up holes. This is because, with a drop raise, a lot of space is available at the toe for the blasted rock to expand. In addition, the raise can be blasted in many shots, thus allowing smaller blasts each time. Inverse drop raises are generally much more difficult to blast because of the limited space for muck flow, and must, therefore, be taken down in a single blast, requiring special considerations in order to ensure a success. A case study of a 29 m (95 ft) inverse drop raise successfully blasted in a single shot at Heath Steele Mines is described. The paper covers technical considerations such as drilling accuracy, hole deviation survey, delay extension and protection, initiation methods and initiation sequence. Finally, a novel method for creating the initial opening called ’slot drilling’ is presented. This method, inspired from LKAB in Sweden, consists of drilling a row of interconnected holes using a special guide mounted on a regular production drill hammer.With a case study of blasting an inverse drop raise of 29 m (95 ft) in one blast, this paper further discusses some technical issues that are critical for the development of inverse drop raises. A novel method for creating the initial opening with a slot of interconnected holes is also presented with the experience acquired at different mine sites across the Noranda group."

Jan 1, 2000

By R. H. McCorkell

"Sample drops were evaporated on Lexan disks on which fission tracks were etched and counted after neutron irradiation. [U] = 0.01 ppb could be measured. This method is rapid, cheap, simple and accurate when sufficient control and checking is possible, but several types of error were encountered in its use, the natures and sources of which were investigated but not always determined. The most troublesome were ""annealing"" processes which sometimes altered the fission tracks so that they were not fully revealed, or acquired varying appearances, after etching. Several different annealing processes seemed to exist and seemed to be produced by alteration of the Lexan surface by dissolved components in the solutions and, perhaps, by radiation and local heating during neutron irradiation. The appearances of the etched tracks varied with the natures of the droplet solutions even when annealing appeared to be absent, and for this reason, standards are best prepared by additions of known amounts of U to sample solutions. Contamination of sample droplets by U-containing dust from the air is best avoided by preparing the disks away from areas where other U-analysis is being carried out.IntroductionFission tracks are regions of radiation dam age produced in solids by the fission of atoms such as 235U. They can be enlarged to sizes visible through optical microscopes by etching surfaces through which they pass with solvents in which the solids are slightly soluble. A sample to be analyzed for U may be placed against a film of a solid of negligible uranium concentration (the track detector) and irradiated with thermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor to fission 235U. The track detector is then etched and the number of tracks per unit area, ?, which is proportional to the uranium concentration of the sample, c, and the neutron do se, n, is found by counting through a microscope. Uranium in solutions ha s been measured by evaporating drops on track detectors, irradiating, etching and determining the number of tracks per drop, T(2,3,4,5). Extensive test s of this method are reported here."

Jan 1, 1983

By V. V. Severov, Z. Lafhaj

The flotation separation of salt type calcium minerals is problematic, due to the similarities in their formation properties and the same active Ca2+ related site for interaction with anionic collectors and similar physicochemical characteristics such as solubility, point of zero charge, surface speciation, Ca-site density. The work was performed to achieve effective and selective separation of the calcium-minerals using pure minerals samples: four calcite, two fluorite, and two apatite samples. The effect of pure and mixing anionic collectors such as oleic and linoleic acid to different ratio (2:1; 1:1; 1:2) as well as the role of nonionic collectors on the selective separation of Ca minerals were studied. All flotation tests were performed in self-aspirated flotation cell. The results obtained with the blend of anionic collectors with the molar ratio of 2:1 show a separation between apatite and calcite at pH 5 and a ratio 1:2 at pH 9. The enhancing of separation contrast using the sodium silicate as a depressant for calcite and apatite is also examined as a function of oleate/linoleate ratio. Additionally, this paper discusses the enhancing of the selective separation of Ca minerals when anionic collectors were blended with nonionic reagents. The surface reactions in aqueous mineral suspensions and the adsorption of anionic collectors blended with nonionic reagents were studied by FTIR spectroscopy. An unexpected synergistic effect was observed for some ratios between anionic and nonionic reagents. The mixture of fatty acids and nonionic reagent showed very high flotation efficiency in comparison with fatty acid alone for the flotation of an igneous low-grade phosphate ore.

Jan 1, 2016

By R. A. Wyman, F. E. Hanes

THE demand for high-quality aggregate is increasing in all phases of the construction industry and in all organizations associated with road building in Canada. The production of aggregate in Canada has increased almost continuously since the end of the war and has quadrupled since 1948. Increases during the past fifteen years can be accounted for by the expansion in all types of construction, particularly that of roads and highways. Total construction in 1959, based on preliminary estimates, has been valued at $7 billion, and an increase fore-cast for 1960 indicates optimism on the •construction horizon (1). Cement produced in Canada in 1959 amounted to 6.3 million tons. This is more than 2.5 times the 1948 production. Increased cement production indicates an increased use of concrete, and thus an increased need for aggregate. Natural sand and gravel deposits are gradually being depleted.

Jan 1, 1962

By G. K. Quainoo

In the automotive industry, the awareness to meet Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards has evolved the need to reduce vehicular weight in new automobile designs, with the overall goal of reducing gas emissions into the atmosphere (Kyoto protocol), One efficient method has been to use lighter materials such as aluminum in outer body panels, Heat treatable AA6111 is one of the materials employed due to its unique combination of formability, paint bake strengthening and superior corrosion resistance characteristics, Researchers have applied various thermo-mechanical processes on 6000 series aluminum alloys and have found an improvement in the mechanical properties of these alloys, For a formed and painted automobile panel, the final mechanical properties involve a combination of strength components arising from cold work, strain aging and precipitation minus recovery. In this study, the evolution of microstructure resulting from the interaction of cold work and precipitation in AA6111 has been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after subjecting samples to various heat treatments, tensile testing and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), This has been done to understand the evolution of microstructure and its influence on the properties of the alloy, The results show a considerable improvement in strength with a corresponding increase in strengthening precipitates with increasing level of cold work in the alloy. DSC results following the application of various levels of cold work also show acceleration in the precipitate phase formation, as precipitates are observed to form at lower temperatures, with increasing level of cold work/

Jan 1, 2005

"The content of production reports has its origins in raw measurements taken in harsh production environments. The ensuing measurement/estimation errors always affect reproducibility such that, regardless of the fact that they are balanced through statistical data reconciliation, reported numbers are simply the most probable values of inferred probability distributions. This has important implications for how metal recoveries should be monitored and reported. Indeed, in a context where many process optimisation activities are based on small improvements in recovery, there should be no doubt that inadequate handling of measurement/estimation errors can easily exaggerate or mask actual changes in process performance. However, estimates of the reproducibility of reported metal recoveries are rarely reported to plant management. This situation persists despite the fact that a code compliant metal accounting system must inform management about business risks related to metal accounting. To this extent, this paper focuses on the continuous management of reproducibility level of metal recoveries in compliance with the best practices. Sensitivity analysis of primary and secondary metal accounting models is performed to show the resulting probability distributions for metal recoveries. Some guidelines are given for designing and managing metal accounting systems capable of achieving and sustaining predefined levels for the reproducibility of metal recoveries.INTRODUCTIONEach and every mineral processing plant produces daily, weekly and monthly production reports in which metal balances for payable and penalty elements are presented. While such production reports are usually consulted in offices, underlying raw measurements are taken in harsh production environments where mechanical vibrations, humidity, corrosion and dust, to name a few, disturb measurement procedures. It is thus no surprise that several authors (Francois-Bongarcon & Gy, 2002; Gaylard, Randolph, & Wortley, 2014; Holmes, 2010; Spangenberg & Minnitt, 2014) have reported pervasive issues related to mass/sampling measurements in the context of mineral processing."

Jan 1, 2016

By Z. Zhang, X. -G. Chen, F. Breton, A. Arici

"The microstructure of Al-10Si-0.3Mg-0.5Mn alloy with 0.27% Zr and 0.19% V addition was quantitatively analysed and compared to the base material. The addition of Zr and V in the AlSi10Mg alloy exhibit a beneficial effect on the Si modification, resulting in the reduction of the size of eutectic Si particles on both as-cast and T6 conditions. The quantitative image analysis results show that the Zr and V addition and T6 treatment can reduce the size of the intermetallic phases. In addition, the presence of Zr and V is favour to the partial dissolution of the intermetallic phases during the T6 treatment. Different heat treatment procedures were tested to optimize treatment parameters. The mechanical properties of the alloys were evaluated using hardness measurements and tensile tests. The results show that the addition of Zr and V can remarkably improve the mechanical properties on as-cast and T6-treated conditions. The correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys is discussed.INTRODUCTION Al-Si-Mg foundry alloys have been widely used in automotive and aerospace industries due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, heat-treatable capability and excellent castability. The alloying elements such as Cu, Mn, Fe are traditionally added into Al-Si-Mg alloys to improve their mechanical properties (Mohamed, Samuel, Samuel & Doty, 2009). In recent years, the attention has been paid to the effect of the transition elements such as Zr, V, Ti, etc, as minor alloying additives, on the properties of aluminum alloys (Elhadari, Patel, Chen, & Kasprzak, 2011; Kasprzak, Amirkhiz & Niewczas, 2014; Shaha, Czerwinski, Kasprzak, Friedman & Chen, 2015; Shaha, Czerwinski, Kasprzak & Chen, 2014; Mahmudi, Sepehrband, Ghasemi & 2006; Meng, Cui, Zhao & Zuo, 2013). Kasprzak et al., (2014) and Shaha et al., (2015) reported that additions of Zr, V, and Ti in Al-Si-Cu-Mg cast alloys can improve the alloy mechanical properties at high temperature by forming stable intermetallics and precipitates on as-cast and heat treatment conditions. On the other hand, the mechanical properties of near-eutectic and eutectic Al–Si cast alloys depend not only on the chemical composition but also, even more importantly, on microstructural features such as the morphology and size of eutectic silicon and intermetallic particles, which are present on both as-cast and heat treatment conditions (Mohamed et al., 2009). However, there is rather limited information on the effect of Zr and V on the microstructure features and mechanical properties of near-eutectic Al-Si-Mg cast alloys."

Jan 1, 2018

By S. Devereaux, P. Gover, S. Everett

Having real-time data of blast furnace burden profile with respect to burden height and temperature is critical to making informed decisions on blast furnace operation. Given the high temperature and gaseous environment within the blast furnace shaft, traditional instrumentation has been limited at providing the level of real-time feedback information needed to optimize blast furnace operations. Infrared thermal imagery technology provides non-contact temperature measurement across the entire burden profile, allowing for better understanding of the dynamic movement of the burden within the blast furnace shaft. This technology increases blast furnace performance by improving the decision-making process for hour by hour operations. This paper will discuss the development of incorporating infrared thermal imagery technology into the operating strategy of a lead blast furnace.

Jan 1, 2015

By Ian Orford, Ken L. Boyd

"Can the ever-increasing tonnages of ore and waste being mined today be accommodated simply by using bigger and better crushers? This paper updates the principal author’s earlier publication, “Crushing Plant Design and Layout Considerations” (SME Mineral Processing Plant Design, Practise, and Control, 2002). It reviews the latest primary crushing and large cone crusher designs. Its goal is to help consultants and operators select the optimal equipment and custom-designed items in the material handling flowsheet from the mine to the mill, maximizing operating hours per year.INTRODUCTIONAre larger crushers the answer to meeting the demands of existing or new mining projects for increased tonnage? The principal author’s previous paper in the year 2002 on ""Crushing Plant Design and Layout Considerations"" provided a detailed design and layout review for the design of primary and fine crushing (Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary) mineral processing facilities. Some of the conclusions in this previous paper had predicted that larger crushers for primary and fine crushing would be beneficial and contribute to the further development of mineral processing. Larger crushers for primary and fine crushing applications are now available.The rock size reduction process, from the mine to the selected milling process facility has not changed since man first broke a rock to get at the interesting mineralization within. The rock size reduction process circuit from the mine to the mill can be summarized into four (4) stages:• Stage 1: Mining ( Rock Breakage and Fragmentation)• Stage 2: Pre-Screening (Scalping)• Stage 3: Primary Crushing• Stage 4: Fine Crushing (Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary; the crushers used in this stage are identified by the titles which usage has conferred on them)Plant throughput and ore delivery schedule will form the basis for flowsheet design and equipment selection. Once a project's design criteria and the mine plan has been established, the actual circuit's utilization percentage (percentage of hours when the circuit is being utilized) can be optimized for each of the four stages. The mining and process departments are the key stake holders in the selection of the final comminution circuit and both departments should be familiar with and contribute to the design of the circuit."

Jan 1, 2016

By Edward Rybinski

Compañía Minera Antamina is a polymetallic mining complex that produces copper and zinc concentrates as primary products and molybdenum and lead/bismuth/silver concentrates as by-products. In 2007, Metso Process Technology and Innovation (PTI) was contracted to increase SAG mill throughput by integrating and optimising blast fragmentation, crushing and grinding for the harder M4/M4A (CuZn) ores. Following the implementation of recommendations provided by Metso PTI, the SAG mill throughput increased from 2750tph to reach an average of 3600tph for the remainder of 2007. Due to continued application of mine to mill integration and optimisation philosophy, by 2010, the concentrator consistently exceeded the target of 4400tph while processing harder CuZn ores.

Jan 1, 2012

By Y. M. Zhao, C. L. Duan, Z. F. Luo, X. L. Yang

"Fine coal beneficiation in a dry way is considerably imperative for the efficient utilization and conservation of coal resource in drought regions, especially for China. In this study, a continuous vibrated gas-fluidized bed separator was established and developed based on the results of laboratory batch separation results. The fluidization behavior and the effects of several main parameters including superficial air velocity, vibrational parameters, bed height and separating time were systematically investigated. The results showed that the bed expansion increased linearly with the superficial air velocity and theoretically, higher bed expansion benefited the hindered settling process of fine coal particles. However, larger superficial air velocity would induce intense fluctuation in bed surface and a poor performance of density segregation. The conveying velocity of particles was mainly determined by the vibration angle and a predicted model was established by the nonlinear regression analysis. A theoretical model of bed height distribution was established and this model fitted the measured value well. The beneficiation performance of this separator was evaluated by separating -3+1 mm Wuhai fine coal. The results showed that the probable error, E, is 0.225, indicating a continuous vibrated gas-fluidized bed separator could achieve a satisfactory performance.INTRODUCTIONFine coal beneficiation in a dry way is considerably imperative for the efficient utilization and conservation of coal resource in drought regions, especially for China. Meanwhile, it is also conducive to environment protect and low-carbon, green development of coal sector. In recent years, the increasing academic interest in the field of fine coal dry beneficiation has been aroused in most of big coal countries. In summary, recent processes of fine coal dry beneficiation are, according to their processing principles, mainly classified into two categories: dense medium beneficiation (Dong et al., 2015; Fan, Chen, Zhao, & Luo, 2001; Luo et al., 2008; Macpherson, Iveson, & Galvin, 2011) and improved pneumatic beneficiation (Patil & Parekh, 2011; Yang, Zhao, Luo, Song, & Chen, 2013; Yang, Zhao, Luo, Song, Duan, et al., 2013; Zhao, Zhao, Chen, & Luo, 2015). The former deploys artificial dense medium, such as magnetite powder and fine sand, to form a stable gas-solid suspension with certain density under the function of the upward fluidizing air flow and in some case, the external force field like vibration and magnetic field. Generally, it is believed that the process of air dense medium fluidized bed (ADMFB) is suitable for separation of coarse coal (-50+6 mm) and can't obtain a satisfactory result for fine coal separation (Luo, Chen, & Zhao, 2002; Luo et al., 2008). However, some recent laboratory efforts (Patil & Parekh, 2011; Zhang et al., 2014) attempt to find an improved performance for fine coal beneficiation in ADMFB with some modifications. The point of these works is to use a comparatively shallow bed and finer magnetite powder with appropriate size distribution. It is known that fluidization of finer magnetite powder is prone to arouse adverse fluidization properties such as channeling and slugging. Thus, the external force is introduced to an ADMFB in order to improve the fluidization quality of a magnetite powder bed. Some recent literature on air dense medium magnetically stabilized fluidized beds (Fan et al., 2001; Luo, Zhao, Chen, Fan, & Tao, 2002; Song, Zhao, Luo, & Tang, 2012), air dense medium vibrated fluidized beds (Luo et al., 2008) and Reflux Classifier (Macpherson, Iveson, & Galvin, 2010) reports that the separation efficiency, namely the probably error E value, of dense medium separation of fine coal ranges from 0.066 to 0.07, indicating a good separation performance. But, the main unresolved problems of dense medium beneficiation are located in the processes of product purification and medium recovery and are urgent to be solved befor"

Jan 1, 2016

By W. Lodge, G. Rasmussen

"The carbon-in-pulp (CIP) process has been the dominant gold recovery technology since the 1980s. During all this time carbon measurement, and control of the carbon transfer pumps has been largely manual in nature. Such manual operation inevitably limits process efficiency, potentially resulting in higher gold solution losses, and higher cost of circuit operation. Based on the authors’ experience, average plant solution loss is in the range of 0.02-0.03 ppm Au, as opposed to the general industry target of 0.01 ppm Au or less. Gekko Systems, in conjunction with Curtin University’s Gold Technology Group, has developed a carbon concentration meter, the ‘Carbon Scout’ meter. The meter automatically measures carbon concentration in all tanks, providing more frequent and more precise data. Combined with SIMCIL, a CIP circuit process model which is used to determine the optimum set points for the circuit, the meter should ensure lower gold solution losses, and more efficient operation of the carbon circuit. This paper will review they critical factors for good carbon management, the development of the meter and results from the first plant installation. Additional benefits of the Carbon Scout, including improved health and safety and the opportunity to measure other key variables in the leach/adsorption circuit from one central location will also be described.INTRODUCTION The carbon-in-pulp (CIP) process was first introduced to the gold industry in the early 1950s at the Carlton Mill in the USA (Fast, 1988), with the modern version of CIP becoming fully developed with large scale installations in South Africa in the late 1970s (Laxen, 1982). CIP quickly became the technology of choice for new operations, and for the retrofitting or upgrading of existing operations. In the 1980s the carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit configuration became the process design of choice due mainly to its lower capital costs. With 40 years of operational experience, CIP/CIL for gold recovery is now mature a technology, whose operations and limitations are well understood. To extract further efficiencies from such technologies, by improving recoveries and/or reducing operating costs, is challenging and may require new approaches to circuit management. Gekko Systems, in association with the Gold Technology Group at Curtin University, has developed the Carbon Scout, an automated carbon measurement device. This device replaces manual measurement of carbon concentration in carbon adsorption tanks, providing more frequent and more accurate data for control of the CIP process. Data from the Carbon Scout can be used to automatically control the carbon forwarding pumps."

Jan 1, 2018

By A. C. Hnatyshyn

INTRODUCTION THOSE concerned with coal mining operations in Alberta have been asked repeatedly the same question, "Why is mechanization in Alberta proceeding so slowly as to lag far behind the mines in the United States?" This question is often asked in such a manner as to indicate that a severe reprimand is overdue to the mining engineers of this Province for their apparent indifference to the problem of improving their mining operations by increased mechanization. To the average person, unacquainted with mining conditions and problems, mechanization appears to be simply a matter of introducing equipment to load coal underground and, once this is done, substantial economies in operating costs will automatically follow. Invariably, those who have followed this simple reasoning have found, to their regret, that such is not the case and that effective mechanization involves something more than the mere process of introducing loading equipment into a mine. To be effective, any programme of mechanization must take into consideration all operations incidental to the mining, transportation, and handling of the coal from the working face to the tipple, and must utilize equipment which can be best adapted to any peculiar condition or circumstance prevailing in the mine concerned. In the use of such equipment, the net and final result should be an improvement in operating costs of sufficient magnitude to at least return to the operator, over a specific period of years or during the expected life of that equipment, all his investment plus a fair return on that investment.

Jan 1, 1951

By Steve Custer, Tim Kahl, Sue Parker

"The primary objective of the Barrick Goldstrike expert system is to achieve the desired liberation size for the autoclave circuit while maximizing throughput. In addition, when downstream limitations (autoclave circuit or others) restrict the milling circuit tonnage the expert system further improves grinding product size. Since its implementation, the expert system has provided expected throughput improvements while improving or maintaining circuit performance.Barrick Goldstrike and MinnovEX Technologies Inc. teamed up to install an expert system to control Line I and I1 of the autoclave grinding circuits. The dissimilar equipments of the two grinding circuits coupled to different production objectives, skepticism among operators, and the variability of the ore types processed in each line challenged the implementation.To ensure implementation success, Barrick Goldstrike dedicated four administrators full time to the project. The system administrators included two metallurgists, a process control engineer and a mill trainer. As usual, the control room operators were the experts who provided the operational logic for the foundation of the control system. The administrators and all eleven of the control room operators signed off on acceptance of the system. Current online utilization is 95%.INTRODUCTIONThe grinding circuit for Barrick Goldstrike’s autoclave process consists of two SAG Mill Ball Mill lines. Line 1 grinding circuit is comprised of a 22 by 8 foot, 2500 horsepower Allis Chalmers (AC) variable speed SAG mill, followed by a 12.5 by 14 foot, 1250 horsepower AC ball mill, and a 13.5 by 18 foot, 1800 horsepower Dominion ball mill in parallel. SAG mill recycle from the primary discharge screen (+5/16 inch) is processed through a 1352 Nordberg Omnicone crusher (4.5 foot). A secondary SAG discharge screen (+1/8 inch) closes the SAG circuit. The ball mill circuit is closed with 6 Krebs super D20 cyclones. Line 2 grinding circuit is comprised of a 24 by 12 foot 4000 horsepower Fuller variable speed SAG mill followed by a 16.5 by 30.5 foot 5000 horsepower Fuller ball mill. SAG mill recycle from the primary discharge screen (+5/16 inch) is processed through a 1560 Nordberg Omnicone crusher (5 foot). A secondary SAG discharge screen (+1/8 inch) closes the SAG circuit. The line 2 ball mill circuit is closed with 12 Krebs super D20 cyclones. The underground Meikle ore is typically fed through Line 1. Achieving the desired product size is critical for successful processing of Meikle ore. Open pit Betze ore is fed to Line 1 when Meikle ore is unavailable. Line 2 processes Betze ore exclusively. Throughput is maximized when processing Betze ore as the product size is less critical. The products of these two circuits are combined as feed to the autoclave circuit. The ore types and the autoclave circuit demands determine the required grinding circuit product size and maximum combined mill feed tonnage."

Jan 1, 2001

By Fabien Miller

Automation technologies are increasingly envisaged to improve underground mining productivity. However, the technologies need to be used and adopted gradually in order to get the best benefits. This paper presents the technical and operational aspects of autoguided production vehicles at Brunswick Mine. During 2001 Noranda?s Brunswick Mine has successfully commissioned an automated haulage zone where two optically guided trucks transport ore from a remotely operated chute to two orepasses. Operational advantages include increased system capacity and enhanced safety and comfort for the operator. The data obtained up to now indicate that the system can operate reliably in mine production

May 1, 2002

By V. Aprahamian, T. Cheng, M. Tangen, R. Beauprie

The Royal Canadian Mint has implemented significant process additions since 2005. Installation of a whole new highly automated silver refining circuit has allowed recovery of physical silver from gold and silver dorés . To complement this change, a small Top Blown Rotary Converter has been in operation. On the gold refining side, a new hydrometallurgical process to recover precious metals from Miller Chlorination slag has been developed. Finally, new systems have been put in place to improve treatment of waste water, wet and dry fume and dust.

Jan 1, 2011