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By M. Walawalkar, C. K. Nichol, G. Azimi

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential to the production of technologically advanced products, including wind turbines, electric and hybrid cars, automotive catalytic convertors, hand held electronic devices, and military defense systems. Their application in environmentally beneficial technologies puts them at a high priority for ameliorating environmental concerns. Because of their increasingly high demand and limiting resources, it is highly beneficial to find new sources for them. The present study is focused on leaching REEs from a phosphate based fertilizer by-product, known as phosphogypsum (PG). Global estimated world production of PG is about 240 million tonnes that is stored in the form of wet stacks adjacent to fertilizer production facilities, occupying vast amounts of land. PG also contains trace metals, which are detrimental to the environment, and hence it is crucial to monitor these stacks. We obtained our PG sample from Agrium Inc. (a fertilizer manufacturing company in Canada). We performed a comprehensive characterization of the PG sample and found that it predominantly contains Y, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm. For leaching purposes, we used hydrometallurgical acid leaching techniques. We investigated three acids over a range of operating conditions such as acid concentration, temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, and residence time. We achieved an average leaching of 81% with hydrochloric acid as leachant using operating conditions that can be easily replicated in industrial settings. If our process is implemented, not only will it reduce the size of the existing PG stacks (mitigating their environmental risks), but also enable the development of new innovative routes for extracting REEs, making countries like Canada less vulnerable to supply disruptions.

Jan 1, 2016

By V. Bonilla-Sierra, M. Elmouttie, L. Scholtès, F. V. Donzé

In the presence of joint sets sub-parallel to a slope face, the stability of the rock mass is controlled by the shear strength of the joints. On one hand, if the joints are persistent their shear strength can be assessed according to Mohr-Coulomb criterion, assuming appropriate values for the cohesion and the friction angle on the joint surface. On the other hand, if the joints are non-persistent with their continuity being interrupted by the presence of rock bridges, their shear strength will increase considerably. In this latter case, the contribution of the rock bridges to the shear strength of the joint has to be accounted for in order to better assess the stability of the rock mass. A numerical analysis of the progressive failure of a rock slope involving a non-persistent joint has been set up based upon simulations performed using a Discrete Element Method (DEM) algorithm specifically enhanced for the modeling of jointed rock masses. Pre-existing discontinuities are explicitly accounted for in the model by using a modified contact logic that ensures an explicit and constitutive mechanical behavior of the joint planes. In addition, rock bridges can be spatially distributed along these joint planes following a prescribed probabilistic technique. Jennings’ formulation (Jennings, 1970) is considered as one of the first rock slope analysis that evaluates the shear resistance to sliding as a weighted combination of the shear resistance of the intact rock and the joint planes. The validity of this formulation is discussed in the present study. Contrary to the Jennings’ formulation, we show that tensile failure is an important mechanism, particularly as the dip angle of the sliding plane increases.

Jan 1, 2015

By M. A. Perras, H. A. Kasani, G. Walton

The development of an underground repository for the storage of spent nuclear fuel relies on a multi-barrier system to isolate the used fuel from the environment – ultimately, the biosphere. These barriers include engineered copper and steal canisters, dense bentonite, and the natural rock as well. In order to reduce the potential flow pathway along the excavation induced damage zone, various slots perpendicular to the excavation axis have been proposed. These slots are called cut-off seals and generally are filled with bentonite as it has high swelling potential and very low permeability. Many different geometries have been proposed, but clear guidelines on the selection of the optimum geometry have yet to be developed. In order to assess the optimum geometry, three shapes have been selected for this numerical study, including a trapezoid, a triangle, and a thin rectangular slot. The cut-offs were modelled for a conceptual shaft constructed in the Queenston Formation from Ontario over a stress to strength ratio that has been found at many underground research laboratories. It was found that the excavation of a triangular and thin slot cut-off had the smallest increase in the damage as quantified based on the extensile volumetric strain within the plastic yield zone. Both shapes showed an increase in the damaged zone by 13 cm at a stress to strength ratio of 2.75. The trapezoidal cut-off damage zone increased by 20 cm at the same stress to strength ratio. Further study is required to better define the optimum cut-off shape for wider variety of conditions and other geological formations.

Jan 1, 2020

By E. H. Mulligan

THE ERRINGTON B-I mine is located on the Errington orebody of Steep Rock Iron Mines, Limited, at Steep Rock Lake, Ontario. In 1946, this orebody entered the shipping lists of the Lake Superior iron ranges as an open-pit operation. During the period 1946 through 1953, the mine produced a total of 9,000,000 tons of iron ?ore. In 1950, as the mine approached the economic limits for open-pit operations, ground was broken for an underground development to exploit the deposit at depth. The mine is designed for an ultimate production of 1,500,000 tons per year by the block-caving system of mining. The initial shaft is 1,200 feet deep and will produce or-e from the 700 and the 900 levels. The 1,100 level will be used as a drainage level and as a haulageway for waste rock, which is hoisted to surface by skip. Ore from the two production levels moves by a system of ?ore passes to a crushing plant located below the 900 horizon and is hoisted from this point to surface by conveyor belt. At the present time, all material handling on the levels is by tramming, but as tram distances increase conveyor haulage will probably be installed. The initial stage of the Errington B-1 development is expected to produce 6,000,000 tons of ore over a period of four years. The second stage will require deepening of the shaft and development of lowe1? production levels. The conveyor hoisting plant will be extended to serve these new levels. We visualize the mining of this orebcdy down to 2,500 feet by these methods.

Jan 1, 1956

By M. F. Lopez, A. J. Mattus, S. B. Magid, D. B. Mobbs

"The use of Caro's acid as a replacement for hydrogen peroxide for the oxidation of vanadium prior to solvent extraction resulted in a 56% reduction in oxidant usage when compared on an equivalent hydrogen peroxide basis. Comparative oxidation tests, using two actual uranium mill raffinates, resulted in premature precipitation of an amorphous ferric vanadate when hydrogen peroxide was used to oxidize one of the raffinates containing a high iron to vanadium ratio. The use of Caro's acid eliminated the precipitation problem, thereby permitting the adjustment of the raffinate pH to a higher, more favourable level prior to solvent extraction.Potentiometric characterization of the raffinates revealed that vanadium is responsible for the inefficiency of hydrogen peroxide compared with Caro's acid, with the oxidation efficiency of iron being the same for both oxidants. A limiting potential between 720 and 740 mV was observed when using hydrogen peroxide, while, when using Care's acid, potentials approaching 1200 mV were achievable.A four-stage, countercurrent extraction performed on the oxidized raffinates did not reveal any operational problems. The extraction efficiency and the extraction coefficient were found to be higher when Caro's acid was used as the oxidant, as opposed to hydrogen peroxide.IntroductionMost vanadium is recovered as a by-product of some other process: leaching of Carnotite uranium ores, oil fly ash, phosphate rock or chromite processing. The major source of vanadium has been from uranium mills incorporating acid leaching of Carnotite ore s at elevated temperatures and pressures. The by-product recovery of vanadium from uranium ores of the Uravan Mineral Belt, located in the Colorado Plateau , is a common occurrence when vanadium recovery is economically viable."

Jan 1, 1983

By F. R. Deluca

"ClassificationClassification is a combination of mechanical and hydraulic operation which separates a pulp into two portions according to their respective settling rate. The finished product, the overflow, is removed from the other product, sand, which requires further grinding.Pulp is the uniform suspension of solids in a liquid. Overflow is the fines and therefore the more slowly settling portion of the pulp which is carried over the top of the classifier by the flow of water; sand is the coarser and more rapidly settling portion of the original pulp which is discharged from the classifier by the mechanical action of the rakes or conveyed out by a ""screw"" .Selective classification is classification that has for its object the concentration of the heavy constituents of the original pulp in the sand product so that it may be ground finer than the lighter constituent.Classification is used as follows:I. To make a size separation, for example, a sand-fines separation so that each product may be given a different treatment.2. For closed circuit grinding so that the maximum size of particles entering the circuit is limited, and so that the useful work is increased by enabling the mill to operate mainly on the particles that require the reduction.3. For differential grinding of the heavy mineral constituent and the gangue. In this case, the heavy mineral is concentrated in the sand product and is reduced further, while the lighter gangue material overflows the classifier.The selection of the proper size and type of classifier is determined by the function required, the character of the ore, and the tonnage to be handled, the initial cost and the operating cost."

Jan 1, 1989

By W. H. Moore

It seems necessary, at times, that we should reconsider some of the more obscure causes that lead to explosions of gas and coal-dust in mines, in the hope that a recapitulation will keep before us that old and true saying "eternal vigilance is the price of safety". This explosion, while not extensive (resulting in only two much to be regretted deaths) enlarged our vision as to the possibility and probability of other explosions with more disastrous results. As this is only a partial report I shall have to omit many things that are generally included in describing a mine explosion. The mine was worked exclusively with electric cap-lamps -only firebosses and other officials carried safety-lamps. All shots were examined and fired by firebosses with a small hand-battery. Monobel was used exclusively for blasting, and clay for tamping. The system of haulage iri use was main-rope and winches, horses being employed for gathering. Compressed-air was the motive power for all winches and pumps, excepting the pumps at the shaft-bottom which were steam-driven. The mine was wet with practically no dust anywhere, except what was being made at the coal-face in the getting of the coal. Gas was found occasionally, generally in the brushing, especially where the brushing was carried up to a small seam, 2 to 6 feet above the main seam. The place where the explosion took place was known as Leigh's heading, which was being driven to the rise, immediately inbye of the siding (off No. 1 left, off the new slope) and was about 90 feet up from the level.

Jan 1, 1926

By J. E. Armstrong

"IntroductionT'HE PRODUCTION of gravel and sand may be considered to be the major mining operation in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. At least thirty pits are in operation with a yearly production probably in excess of two million yards and a value in excess of one million five hundred thousand dollars before crushing, washing, and sizing. The value of the finished products would probably be double the above figure.Since 1949, the writer and his co-workers have been engaged in the geological investigation of the Lower Fraser valley and adjoining Coast mountains for the Geological Survey of Canada. The study, which is not yet completed, includes both bed-rock geology and geology of the unconsolidated sediments lying above bed-rock. In a rapidly expanding industrial area, .an advance knowledge of the geology may• greatly aid in future 'planning, and in many cases may .prevent not only the wastage of large sums of money, 'but possible disaster. Some of the present and future applications in which geological information in the Lower Fraser valley should be of value are as follows: the development of domestic, irrigation, industrial, and municipal groundwater supplies; drainage for industrial sites,, roadbeds, and farmlands; flood control along the Fraser river and smaller streams in the area; the location of dam sites, of major tunnels for water supply •and sewage, of road-beds, of foundation sites for large buildings .and other engineering undertakings in which geology may aid; the evaluation of oil and gas •possibilities; the production of building stone; and the production of sand and gravel, the subject with which this paper is primarily concerned."

Jan 1, 1953

"These guidelines set out information on timely disclosure of news releases which are intended to provide, existing shareholders and potential investors, factual information on which a reasoned investment decision can be made.Consider the problems and concerns raised by the following hypothetical news releases:Natural Resource Company""The Company has recently optioned a large and exciting gold property near the ""XXX"" gold discovery area. In describing the property, the Company's independent consultant has said: ""The favourable location of, and some of the results of prior work done on the property give the Company a worthwhile mineral exploration opportunity .... "". The Company proposes to expeditiously conduct a sizeable exploration program on the property as soon as the appropriate financing has been arranged.""Non-Resource Company""Based on discussions with several European countries, the Company anticipates that it will have orders to ship over 200,000 crates of widgets to those European countries over the next two years. These orders, which considerably exceed the Company's forecasts for the first year, represent a projected profit to the Company in excess of $1,000,000 over the next five year period.""GuidelinesTimely disclosure news releases are intended to provide, to both existing shareholders and potential investors, factual information on which a reasoned investment decision can be made. National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects provides requirements for disclosure of a scientific or technical nature for a mineral resource company.The examples do not provide sufficient detail and are misleading because material information is omitted. The following guidelines should be observed when preparing a news release:"

Jan 1, 2003

By Miguel A. Cuba

Trends in the mean and/or variance are a longstanding challenge in mineral resource modeling. Geologic modeling and/or grade domaining are often employed to account for heterogeneities in mineral grades; however, this is only practical up to a certain point since the number of data available for reliable model construction can be severely reduced. In such cases, trends remain present in certain geologic/grade domains and directly impact the modeling methodology; the trend must either be handled explicitly or a suitable approach is adopted to implicitly account for it. This is highly dependent on understanding the source of the trend. We propose an approach that detects the source of non-stationarity, which is based on quantifying the impact of non-stationarity in the mean and the variance via the semivariogram. By expanding the methodof- moments approximation of the semivariogram, we decompose the experimental semivariogram is into three terms: 1) trend in mean component, 2) trend in variance component and 3) stationary component. We can then assess the source of trend by calculating the contribution of each component at every lag. Two cases are presented to illustrate this tool. Firstly, a synthetic reference model is simulated and different trend patterns are added; the influence of these patterns in the experimental semivariogram calculation are analyzed and discussed. Secondly, a real dataset is considered where the impact due to the presence of trends in the mean and variance are assessed. The results of this paper reveal the semivariogram to be a tremendously powerful tool in determining the source of the trend. This insight may be useful in the selection of a suitable modeling approach for resource estimation.

Oct 1, 2009

By R. Pérez, James A. Finch, F. Tavera, Cesar O. Gomez

"Gas holdup is a variable which affects the operation of flotation columns. On one hand, gas holdup is a function of bubble size (a function of sparger type, frother characteristics and concentration, and air flowrate), tailings flowrate, solids content, and mixing patterns in the collection zone. On the other, gas holdup defines flotation kinetics and carrying capacity. Therefore, gas holdup is a useful variable to control and diagnose the operation of a flotation column, but the lack of a reliable sensor for on-line gas holdup monitoring has prevented its use in industry.This work describes the principle and the practical difficulties associated with the development of a gas holdup sensor based on the measurement of the electrical conductivity of dispersions. Two different approaches have been devised. These approaches will be described and test results presented of prototypes in laboratory and industrial columns.Background.Several years ago, a research program was initiated at McGill to use electrical conductivity as the basis for developing sensors for process measurements in mineral processing. Electrical conductivity is an intensive property which is a function of the concentration of the different phases present in a dispersion. The initial focus was on the detection of the interface between two dispersions with different characteristics (i.e., that between the collection and froth zones in flotation columns or that between clear water and sedimented solids in thickeners). The technique works in this case by searching for the location at which a sudden change in specific conductivity occurs, as a consequence of different gas holdup or solids content, and absolute values of the specific conductivity of the dispersions involved are not necessary1,2."

Jan 1, 1995

By J. Y. Kim, Kenneth Stowe, Stephen Chryssoulis

"A series of flotation tests was carried out on Brunswick Mining ore with various pH modifiers (soda ash, lime, KOH) and added ions (ferric, nitrate, sulphate) in the copper lead rougher circuit. The main objective was to identify downstream effects on sphalerite activation and subsequent zinc rougher flotation. Some significant differences in zinc flotation were obtained. Most notably, soda ash and nitrate ions had a positive impact and ferric ions a pronounced negative effect on selectivity.Selected products from the flotation tests were deslimed at 400 mesh, washed with methanol, air dried, placed in teflon vials purged with nitrogen and stored at -15 degrees C. Numerous liberated sphalerite and pyrite particles were selected under a stereoscope and placed in rows on indium foil. The surface compositions of the particles were analyzed with an innovative laser probe (LIMS). The very small analysis area of the LIMS enables the surfaces of individual grains to be characterized. In addition, the rapid analysis time allows a statistically significant number of grains to be analyzed quickly.Surface lead appears to play a major role in zinc activation/flotation. Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the variations in metallurgical performance at the different test conditions.IntroductionAlthough the bulk composition of mineral grains is an important consideration for the mineral processor it is ultimately surface composition and topography (edges and dislocations preferred sites for reactions) that control reactivity in flotation and cyanidation (passivation, encapsulation and preg-robbing). Determination of the surface properties of particles from process streams poses a particular challenge for the surface chemist for a variety of reasons, including:"

Jan 1, 1994

By John C. Loretto

"Answers to some of the problems ofRecovery and Metallurgical AccountingIn Gold and Silver Hydrometallurgical PlantsThe start-up over the last few years of new hydrometallurgical plants for the recovery of gold and silver has brought to the surface again a number of problems. Most of the problems have existed for some time and they manifest themselves mainly in two ways. Firstly, the plant results do not agree with the Metallurgical Test work figures and secondly, the Metallurgical Accounting figures do not balance.The plant results not agreeing with testwork figures are mainly due to:a) The testwork samples were not representative of the eventual plantfeed;b) Misinterpretation or misunderstanding of testwork;c) Plant losses;d) Plant design not allowing testwork results to be achieved;e) Operating deficiencies.a} The testwork samples being dissimilar to the plant feed occurs on a very high proportion of projects. The effects of this can beccr.ie exaggerated because the upper levels of the mining company often regard the original testwork figures as sacred and therefore base their judgement of current plant performance on these figures.Frequently the test work samples represent only a minor part of the orebody or alternatively a single composite of the whole ore body is used for the testwork long before it has been determined that all of the potentially different ore zones behave in the same manner. These errors can be compensated for by repeating the ""testwork tests 11 on current plant feed on a routine basis and using these tests to determine whether or not the plant is operating satisfactorily."

Jan 1, 1982

By W. Hrynewich

"The Central Canada Potash facility, a division of Noranda Metal Industries Limited, is located 3 kilometres south of the junction of Highways 16 and 2, about 75 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The site occupies 26~ hectares of land and includes well-equipped machine and electrical _shops, a 325,000-tonne muriate storage and reclaim warehouse, a stores warehouse, processing plant (mill), two mine shafts (one for production, the other for servicing and personnel transport), as well as a two track product loading complex. Access to the site is by road and railway (CN and CP Rail). Suppliers of operating and maintenance use both means of transportation, whereas muriate shipments are entirely by railway.Currently five continuous mining machines - one a Goodman 526 borer and four Marietta 911-A units produce some 10,500 tonnes of ore per operating day. A smaller Voest-Alpine Af.1-100 boom type miner is used for floor cutting which was previously done by a production unit. In order to maintain safe, competent ground conditions only 35 percent of the total ore is extracted. At this rate mine reserves are deemed adequate for about 100 years. The plant has operated since August 1969 and has a current practical annual capacity of 1,270,000 tonnes of muriate. As of June 30, 1981, some 11.9 million tonnes of muriate had been produced from 31.4 million tonnes of ore. Of the total muriate, 6.1 million tonnes was granular, 4.8 million was coarse, and 1.0 million was standard. No standard product has been made since August 1978."

Jan 1, 1982

By T. A. Apelt, B. J. Elliot

"In September 1993, the flash furnace at Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, KNS, was brought off line after almost 12 years of operation. This is a record campaign life for a flash furnace. The furnace was' totally rebuilt and the capacity of the plant increased from 540 000 tpo to 750 000 tpa of concentrate throughput. The throughput increase was' achieved through the construction of a 525 t/day oxygen plant and upgrading of various plant ancillaries. A number of significant design modifications were also built into the flash furnace and oxygen enrichment was implemented in the operation of the Peirce-Smith converters.This paper discusses the rebuilding of the flash furnace and design modifications made to furnace equipment and ancillary plant. Some preliminary post-startup operating data are presented.IntroductionIn September 1993, Campaign 6 of the flash furnace was concluded and the furnace brought off line for rebuilding. The campaign length was almost 12 years and set a new record for campaign length. Planning for the rebuild took place over the last five years of the campaign. A number of modifications to the design of the furnace and the ancillary plant were planned to coincide with the furnace rebuild. The furnace was rebuilt and recommissioned in 70 days. The increased plant capacity of 750000 tpa has been achieved by the construction of a 525 t/day oxygen plant and modifications made to ancillary plant which centred around increased p~ control, efficiency and hygiene. This paper examines the development and implementation of the modifications made to the furnace and ancillary plant. Preliminary post-shutdown performance data are presented."

Jan 1, 1995

By D. E. Gill, A. Piche, S. Dufresne

"SOMMAIREUne méthodologie de prévision des coûuts de forage en galeries est proposée. Cette méthodologie a été élaborée pour les perforatrices pneumatiques manuelles. Elle est composée de quatre modèles: (1) un modèle de pénétration conduisant à la prévision du temps de forage; (2) un modèle d'estimation de la durée de vie des fournitures; (3) un modèle d'estimation de fa quantité d'énergie consommée; et (4) un modèle de calcul de couts. Elle fait intervenir la résistance en compression uniaxiale de la roche du massif foré, le diamètre des trous, Ie type de perforatrice utilise, fa pression d'air d'opération, la longueur des fleurets, les temps morts associes au forage ainsi que le rendement des compresseurs, des perforatrices et du réseau de distribution de l’air comprime. L 'application de la méthodologie est illustrée à l’'aide d'un exemple, suivi d'une courte analyse de sensibilité et d'une brève discussion. ABSTRACTA drilling cost estimation methodology for underground headings is described. This methodology has been developed for percussive hand-held drills. It comprises four models: (1) a drillability model used for the prediction of the drilling period; (2) a model for the prediction of bit and rod lives; (3) an energy model; and (4) a cost model. It makes use of the uniaxial compressive strength ofthe rock drilled, hole diameter, drill type used, operating air pressure, drilling rod length, dead times that may occur during the drilling operation as well as compressor, air distribution network and drilling machine efficiencies. The application of the methodology is illustrated with an example, followed by a short sensitivity analysis and brief discussion."

Jan 1, 1994

By Robert B. Parsons

"1984 was an eventful year in the courthouse f or observers 0/ the mining tax scene in Canada. For the first time in a number of years, the Federal Court heard several important tax cases which pertain directly to the resource industries. Tax Notes discusses/our cases that could affect the taxation 0/ operations and investment in the mining sector.Capital Gain or Income?Ever since tax reform, risk-takers in the exploration business have maintained that the taxation of capital gain s is a significant impediment to raising risk capital. It must be akin to rubbing salt in the wound, then, when an entrepreneur sells shares and the Court upholds Revenue Ca nada taxing the gain as ordinary income instead of capital gain. But, this is precisely what happened in the case of The Estate of Murray Watts, et al. v. The Queen.The issue that had to be decided by the Federal Court, Tri al Division, in this case was whether or not the profit from the sale of shares in Hearne Coppermine Exploration s Limited in 1968 was a capital gain, or income subject to tax.Hearne was incorporated in July, 1967. At that time, the three plaintiff s, together with seven other individuals, subscribed for 400,000 shares at 10 a share. The plaintiff subsequently subscribed for an additional 500,000 shares at $1.A pooling agreement was entered into by all ten shareholders regulating the disposition of any o f their shares; any sale required approval of seven of the ten initial sub scribers. It also provided for the sale of their shares 30 days after any public offering."

Jan 1, 1985

By M. Korchynsky

"The key words which characterize vanadium are: unlimited availability, versatility of applications and price stability. The supply of vanadium is assured by diversified sources, distributed all over the globe. The inexhaustible raw materials base is complemented by a strong vanadium industry. Both the fully integrated vanadium producers and converters of vanadium oxide or vanadium-containing slags or residues guarantee an adequate supply, commensurate with the steady growing demand.The major share of the world's vanadium output is being consumed by the steel industry. As an additive to steel, the versatility of vanadium is particularly impressive. A few hundreds of one per cent of vanadium convert plain carbon steel into high-strength, low-alloy steel with more than double strength. On the other extreme, high-speed steels made via the powder metallurgy route show superior performance with vanadium additions as high as 6 or 8 percent. Vanadium is used as a cost-effective alloying addition in steels for high-temperature service, fully alloyed heat-treatable steels, new dual-phase steels for automotive components, rail steels, etc., to mention only a few applications. Vanadium is also an established essential addition for titanium alloys. The chemical industry is relying on vanadium compounds as important catalysts.In spite of a wide diversity of applications and continual growth in consumption, vanadium has exhibited, over the past several decades, a remarkable price stability, free of conjunctural fluctuations. Because of its availability and versatility, it will continue to be one of the key metallic elements for future technologies.Key Features of VanadiumIn attempting to single out the key features of the metallic element vanadium, three descriptive characteristics come to mind: availability, versatility and price stability."

Jan 1, 1982

By Graham Popplewell

"Modular, predesigned diamond recovery plants have been a feature of the diamond mining industry for more than 20 years. The reasons for the selection of such a design route are contrasted with the alternative option of custom-designed route and the relative merits of the two approaches are discussed. The predesigned, modular plant is shown to be particularly applicable for the smaller operation, whether as part of a diverse alluvial mine, an auditing facility for an adjacent large plant, bulk sampling or a remote installation such as is envisaged in the Canadian diamond industry. The characteristics of the predesigned modular plant are described, as well as the inevitable compromises resulting from the concept. IntroductionThis paper explores the application of predesigned modular plants to the diamond mining industry and contrasts their features with the custom-designed installation .A predesigned modular plant is a self-contained unit, or a number of self-contained units, which, when assembled , make up a treatment facility. This is usually small scale in treatment capacity, although multiple modules may be used to increase over-all throughput.A move toward the use of such plants in the diamond mining industry resulted from the relatively unsophisticated nature of the design , the proven nature of pretested , standard plants and the low cost per tonne of capacity and their specific application in remote locations.The recovery of heavy minerals by dense medium separation (DMS) is intrinsically safe and more efficient than the older methods, such as jigs and rotary pans.All diamond recovery plants feature three distinct sections:• feed preparation• gravity separation, and• final recovery."

Jan 1, 1992

By M. A. T. Cocquerel, J. G. Eacott

"Simulation techniques may be used to optimize existing processes and plant operations, and in plant design at the engineering study stage of a project . This paper describes the latter application, using a computer, to optimize the concentrate stockpile requirements of a modern copper smelter.A large open-pit mining operation is envisaged and it is assumed that copper concentrate is smelted in two flash furnaces. The proposed mining plan gives rise to metaffurgical considerations in smelting which dictate that concentrate blending is carried out in the early years of operation in order to eliminate wide variations in the grade of concentrate charged to the furnaces . Stockpiling facilities are therefore necessary for blending purposes and also to provide a strategic reserve of concentrate to ensure continuity of concentrator and smelting operations.The objective of the study is to determine the optimum size of concentrate stockpile required to take account of both metaffurgical and strategic considerations. Two separate simulation models are developed to achieve this objective. The first model is used to determine the minimum size of stockpile necessary for blending purposes to smooth out variations in concentrate grade between 15 - 60% Cu, with associated 34 6% Fe, respectively, and ensure that the concentrate fed to the furnaces does not faff below 12% Fe, which is considered a minimum for good smeltability.The second simulation model covers a projected three-year operating period and indicates the maximum size of stockpile which is likely to develop during scheduled and unscheduled shutdown periods in the concentrator and smelter.Covered storage volume and conveying facilities for the optimum size of concentrate stockpile can be designed based on the results generated by the simulation models."

Jan 1, 1980