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By P. J. Finnis

This paper describes the use of wire rope on open-pit mining equipment, giving specifications and examples of the performance achieved. Installation methods are also discussed, making the paper of considerable practical use to mine operators.

Jan 1, 1973

By O. C. Rojas, J. Sanhueza, J. C. Vargas

Empresa Nacional de Minería (ENAMI) is dedicated to the promotion of small and mid scale Chilean mining industry. Paipote, ENAMI Copper Smelter, processes a variety of mineral products as the result of this promotion. The mineral products characterize a wide variation of copper, iron, sulfur and precious metals content as well as the significant dispersion in the content of impurities, such as arsenic, antimony and bismuth. The Smelter Modernization Program, initiated in1997, introduced a series of technological and operational changes. The development of operational planning and control strategies was necessary to optimize the blending of a wide variety of concentrates and the control of metallurgical processes in order to ensure the stable operation, fulfillment of environmental regulations and the quality of produced copper anodes. A permanent optimization process carried out in the last decade led to the permanent increase of the smelting capacity and the production of anodes and sulfuric acid. Additionally, introduced improvements affected the smelter efficiency and metallurgical recovery, demonstrating the possibilities of the optimization of a small smelting facility reflected in good metallurgical and economic results. This paper presents the smelter evolution, introduced technological and process control changes as well as incorporated new reactors and equipment as a continuous process of optimization.

Jan 1, 2007

By W. E. Hale

An area of about 7,000 square miles within the eastern part of the Grenville Sub-province is underlain chiefly by granitic gneisses. There are, however, some exposures of mafic rocks which warrant further investigation, and some attractive structures, particularly basins, which deserve additional economic consideration. T HIS paper describes in a very general fashion the economic and geological features of an area of about 7,000 square miles on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the eastern part of the Grenville Sub-province (Figure 1). The scarcity of published geological data on this part of the Cana-dian Shield (DePuyjalon, 1899 and Longley, 1944) justifies the presentation of these tentative results. It should be appreciated, however, that the information which follows was acquired in a rapid reconnaissance designed specifically to out-line what might be interpreted as favourable geological environments for the occurrence of economic minerals, rather than to produce an authoritative analysis of the geological history of the region.

Jan 1, 1962

"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 F. H. Samuel, A. M. Samuel, H. R. Ammar

Casting imperfections, such as porosity, in cast aluminum components greatly influence their fatigue properties. The effect of porosity on the fatigue life of 319-F and A356-T6 aluminum alloys was studied, where the porosity characteristics on the fracture surfaces of fatigue-tested samples were examined using SEM and image analysis. The results show that porosity has the most detrimental effect on the fatigue life: 92 % of all tested samples fractured due to porosity acting as the main crack initiation site. In the absence of casting imperfections, other microstructural aspects such as slip bands can be responsible ( 4 % ). The porosity was investigated in terms of the pore size at the sample fracture surface and its location i.e. near the edge or close to the interior. It was found that porosity located far from the sample surface (edge) has less influence on the fatigue crack initiation, and the fatigue life decreases as the size of the pore located at the sample surface increases. Aluminium

Jan 1, 2006

By C. L. Monroe

It has been the custom in recent years to look upon Atlin as a worked-out placer camp. This is a conception, however, which is far from the real situation. The placer-gold deposits of Atlin are today, after thirty-one years of continuous working, a field well worth the attention of the mining world. It is true that the shallow diggings (the 'easy money') have been practically cleaned out, but although there have been perhaps ten millions, or more, in gold already taken from the district, there are still many more millions left in the creek beds . A conservative estimate of the gold still remaining in one creek alone, Spruce creek, for a long time known as the 'prospector's meal ticket', would place the amount at anywhere from fifteen to twenty million .dollars, and there are a number of other creeks that have never been thoroughly worked, and some only partially prospected. That the true situation is beginning to be recognized by those who are on the lookout for a profitable field for investment, is born out by the fact that, within the last few years, New York capital directed by Mr. Charles V. Bob, who is also responsible for the opening up of the Engineer mine, has installed on Pine creek, where the first discovery of gold in the district was made, one of the largest hydraulic mining plants on the continent, utilizing six miles of the old hydraulic ditch of the Discovery Mining and Power Company, and over two miles of pipe line. On Boulder creek, where already two millions have been taken out, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company are on their third year of development work in opening up the unworked ground, while on Otter creek a newly organized French company have started a plan of development which will involve an expenditure in the neighbourhood of $200,000, and two or three years' work, before they can hope to find gold in paying quantities. It is probably safe to prophesy that placer gold will be produced in the Atlin district for the next fifty years

Jan 1, 1929

By Sylvie Poirier

This paper focuses on new developments regarding thermal rock fragmentation applications. The technology consists in a strong burner powered by diesel fuel and air. The thermal reaction, which is created, allows for the enlargement of 125-mm to 450-mm holes by breaking the rock in a spalling effect. It has been used for over 30 years in Russian open pit mining. Following an agreement between Dynamitage T.C.G. Inc. and the owner of the technology, major improvements have been brought to this technology, allowing for the fabrication of a prototype suitable for the Canadian industry. In Russia and Ukraine, thermal rock fragmentation is actually used to drill large diameter holes in surface mining. Upon having acquired a better knowledge of this technology, it seems that it presents a great potential for selective mining in narrow-vein operations, for either surface or underground mining. Rocmec International Inc., a subsidiary of Dynamitage T.C.G. Inc., and Natural Resources Canada are technical partners in the evaluation of the operational parameters and environmental aspects, such as gas, heat, dust and fog emissions. Furthermore, Canada Economic Development is a financial partner in this project. This paper presents the technology and its history. It also reports on the changes brought to the equipment to adapt it to North American environments. A summary of the tests realized since 1995 is provided, along with the main conclusions obtained. The anticipated applications for the use of this technology in both surface and underground environments are described, such as open pit mining, bulk sampling and narrow-vein ore extraction. An estimate showing a comparison between the thermal fragmentation mining concept and the long-hole mining method is presented and, finally, the future developments planned are listed.

May 1, 2002

By Charles Goodeve

"BEFORE I begin, I should like to thank The Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy for the honour they have bestowed in inviting me to give this address at the fourth annual C.I.M. Conference of Metallurgists banquet.Secondly, I should like' to convey the greetings of the Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain in accordance with a request made by its Council at its last meeting. The I.S.I. hopes for the continued growth in strength of this annual Conference and in the collaboration between our respective societies.When I read the program of this Conference, it was brought home to me what a non-ferrons country Canada is. Also, I realized what enormous advances have been, and are being made, and what an ex-citing field non-ferrous metallurgy is for the scientist. This made me wonder, as I have done before, whether the future for steel was proof against these advances.At present, iron and steel stand astride the metallurgical world like a Colossus; I hope that the bronze industry will pardon my stealing their thunder and mixing my metaphors! Will this still be so in the future?The best way to answer this question is to take a look at the fundamentals to see why the iron atom dominates to such an extent that al! other metals are called ""non-ferrons."" Is its present position due to historical and therefore ephemeral reasons, or is there a fundamental difference between the atom of iron and those of other metals?"

Jan 1, 1966

By Jean Cayouette, Paul Blatter, Paul Cousin

"The Laronde mill was commissioned in 1988 and has been treating the Laronde Penna ore since 2000. The Laronde plant, situated in the Abitibi region of Quebec, has experienced mill expansions to accommodate 7500 mtpd and to recover gold and silver as well as important amounts of base metals (Cu, Zn, Pb). Ten sequential metallurgical and environmental processes are responsible for metals recovery and process viability. Over 200,000 ounces of gold, 4,5 million ounces of silver, 7000 tonnes of copper, and 78,000 tonnes of zinc are produced annually.In 2008, the Goldex plant began trucking high grade (35-45 g/t Au) pyrite sulphide concentrate (TCGO) for gold extraction at a newly constructed treatment plant, increasing gold output at Laronde by 40,000 ounces. In 2009, the high gold grade Lapa ore processing facilities were annexed to the Laronde plant increasing output by 120,000 ounces of gold. TCGO and Lapa productions are forecasted until 2018 and 2015 respectively, with known reserves of each mine.Today, up to 140 permanent employees run and optimise the Laronde plant operation. As a result, Laronde has intricacies intrinsic to a large and varied operation. The paper will outline the metallurgical highlights, challenges, and future outlook related to the treatment of each ore type (Laronde, TCGO, and Lapa).INTRODUCTIONFollowing the 2000 to 2003 expansions, the Laronde plant evolved into a mature milling complex with developed processing, man power, and water treatment capabilities able to accommodate the complex Laronde ore. The ore requires a series of grinding, copper/lead flotation and separation, zinc flotation, zinc tails precious metals leaching, followed by a counter-current decantation circuit and Merrill Crowe precipitation. A paste backfill and SO2-air cyanide destruction operate intermittently. The tailings area has a dedicated cyanide destruction and metals precipitation plant prior to water recycling to the mill. A biological water treatment plant was put into service in 2004 to address the build-up of thiocyanate in the tailings ponds at Laronde. This was the result of the high sulphide content of the Laronde ore and 90% recirculation of the process water. The plant uses bacteria to oxidize and destroy thiocyanate, and removes phosphate from the water before it is released to the environment."

Jan 1, 2011

By H. C. Rickaby

Introduction The township of Swayze, from which the Swayze gold area derives its name, is in the Sudbury mining division, approximately 150 miles northwest of Sudbury. The gold area may be regarded as situated at the southwest corner of a triangular area whose northeast and southeast corners are at Porcupine and Shiningtree, respectively, and whose sides are between 70 miles and 90 miles in length. On a geological map, it would be found that belts of Keewatin greenstones and sediments form the sides of this triangle, and that they surround a large granite mass. Prior to the summer of 1931 the Swayze corner of this triangle had probably been less prospected than the other parts and comparatively little was known of it from the standpoint of gold mining possibilities. The extensive belts of iron formation to the south and west of Swayze received some attention about the year 1909, and during the years 1927 and 1928 some prospecting was done in the townships of Greenlaw and Cunningham, south of Swayze, but chiefly for base-metals- copper, zinc, and lead. In the summer of 1931 a very promising discovery of gold-bearing quartz was made by J. G. and J. L. Kenty, working for the Brett-Trethewey Mines, Ltd., in association with Northern Canada Mining Corporation, and Northland Prospectors, Ltd., and this property, now known as the Kenty Gold Mines, Ltd., has been actively developed with very encouraging results. Following this discovery a6d during the summer of 1932 much prospecting took place in the area, as a result of which a number of other discoveries of gold were made, chiefly to the west of the original find. They are distributed over a wide area, which includes the townships of Rollo, Raney, Swayze, Denyes, Halcrow, and Greenlaw.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. C. Underwood

"The wear performance of grinding balls under conditions of impact and abrasion is affected by their chemical composition and structure. The selection of appropriate analyses and heat treatments that will provide both abrasion and impact resistance takes into account the effects of certain elements on structure and harden-ability, as well as the over-all effect of composition and hardness penetration on the residual stress pattern developed through heat treatment. Direct quenching from forging temperatures substantially increases hardenability over that obtained in reheat-quench practices, and can be done without undue risk of damage to the ball provided that the harden-ability bears the correct relationship to ball diameter.Average volumetric hardness and percent hardened volume are convenient parameters for quantitatively expressing the response to heat treatment and indicating anticipated wear properties. A number of factors which can lead to reduced wear life as a result of material or processing problems are reviewed and illustrated."

Jan 1, 1959

By Jacek Paraszczak

As the deposits located closer to the surface are getting depleted, more and more Canadian mines produce ore from considerable depths. Deep mining represents a number of serious challenges including high rock temperature. Conventional diesel powered loadhaul- dump machines and trucks so widely used in metal mines constitute an additional source of heat and noxious gases. Due to this, they have a substantial adverse impact on a quantity of fresh air required and a cost of ventilation, particularly since the mines have to meet more and more stringent regulations in this respect. In this context, the paper examines possible alternatives for diesel powered equipment, both these commercially available as those at the stages of prototypes or under development. They are reviewed with regards to their principles, required infrastructure, stage of technology development and its progress. The questions of their flexibility, practicality and economic viability are also addressed. Following the above a potential for their implementation and possible benefits (if any) in the conditions of deep Canadian mines is discussed. The paper concludes with short to medium term predictions concerning the most promising drive alternatives for vehicles destined to operate in deep metal mines.

Feb 1, 2008

By L. M. Lowe, D. G. Feasby, J. R. Goode

"Rare earth resources usually contain minor amounts of radioactive elements. The most widely recognised sources of radioactivity are associated with thorium and uranium. However, also present in the resources are isotopes of rare earth elements (REE) that are themselves radioactive, including lanthanum (La-138), lutetium (Lu-176) and samarium (Sm-147). These radioisotopes, as well as remnants of the natural thorium (Th-232) and uranium (U-238, U-235) decay series, can contribute to significant levels of radioactivity in mixed REE concentrates and in separated products. Levels such as these can present challenges for transport, transboundary movement, product storage, workers’ health and safety, as well as waste management issues at the facilities that separate out the individual REE’s. These are discussed in this paper. A particularly challenging radioactive isotope is Ac-227 (a decay product in the U-235 decay series). Actinium behaves chemically similar to lanthanides and hence normally concentrates with REE multi-element composites. Reliable analysis of Ac-227 is not widely available and the methodology required to deal with this challenge is briefly described. A principle reason for minimization of radioactive content throughout REE processing is restrictive specifications by concentrate purchasers in order to reduce waste management challenges. Approaches to the minimization of radioisotope content in REE concentrates and separated products are outlined in this paper."

Jan 1, 2014

By V. Bruned, K. Mohamed, A. Michaut

Orano Mining Somaïr uranium treatment plant (Niger) uses a pugging-curing process to leach uranium. Sulfuric acid, nitrates and water are added to the finely grinded ore in a rotary drum to leach uranium bearing minerals and solubilize uranyl sulfate ions. Reagents, sulfuric acid and nitrates, are the main OpEx of this process step. The economical optimization of their addition requires a thorough knowledge of the ore behavior in solution with these reagents. Orano Mining technical direction and Somaïr laboratories developed a model to predict the curing process uranium recovery surface with a limited number of parameters. Experimental laboratory work to fit the model needs to be done for each type of ore which can require a lot of metallurgical tests and would be time consuming. In order to optimize the required number of tests, an innovative experience plan was designed in parallel to the development of this model reducing the required number of tests to only eight. Once the parameters of the models are correctly fit, the comparison between the estimated values and the actual values for the uranium recovery is excellent (less than 0.5% error in average). Associated with an updated cost model of the curing process, this new recovery model helps the plant operator find the best set of reagents to maximize curing process profitability in the Somaïr plant day after day.

Jan 1, 2020

By M. Kinne

Catalyst preparation/ characterization Slightly modified DP (~Schumacher et al. Catal. Lett. 89, 109, 2003) CeO2 HAS 15 from Rhodia calcined in air for~ 2h BET: ~188m2/g, particles size: 5.7nm (TEM, XRD) + HAuCl4 at pH of 6.5-7, (>95% of the Au was deposited) ? Au/CeO2 (2.6wt% Au, ICP-AES) A new conditioning procedure was applied, including heating at low temperature in N2 and H2/N2 mixtures) Patent DE 10205873A1. Very small Au particles <2nm, for CO oxidation catalyst as Au/TiO2, Au/Fe2O3, and Au/Co2O3 Here Au particles size <3.5nm (XRD) Summary ? CO is nearly exclusively adsorbed on the Au particles ? Positive reaction orders of 0.5 are found for CO and H2O ? Ea= 40kJ/mol ? The catalyst is very active and stable ? During WGS reaction huge amounts of formates are formed and cover the surface ? The activity of the catalyst seems to be correlated with the formate species.

Oct 1, 2003

By Simon D. Handelsman, Malcolm Scoble, Marcello Veiga

"Abstract - In many mining areas, potentially profitable mineral projects can be at risk because local people do not trust their governments and mining companies on many issues, including human rights. Projects will continue to be vulnerable to potential failure, delays, and higher costs. This paper suggests that geoscientists need to be aware of the global challenges they face from issues of corporate social responsibility, sustainable development, and human rights. These are not areas in which geoscience education has traditionally focused.This paper examines the types of conflict concerning human rights that are encountered by geoscientists involved in mineral exploration and development. It provides a background to human rights issues and presents a classification of the types of issue encountered. It reports on a survey of case studies that provide examples of the breadth, complexities, and consequences of such issues. The paper then concludes by outlining the development of codes and standards to improve performance, and suggests approaches for positive, practical engagement."

Jan 1, 2003

By T. Kawai

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) has started an exploration program for Seafloor Massive Sulfides (SMS) in the EEZ of Japan, and launched an investigation program for mining, processing and environmental impact on SMS development. With regard to the mining aspect, the mining system consists of three units: a mining unit on the sea floor, an ore lift-up unit to surface, and a mining support vessel unit which has an ore unloading system that unloads onto a shuttle ship. Regarding the mining unit, JOGMEC and certain Japanese mining and machinery companies developed two types of state of the art mining testing tools. Excavation tests on the actual SMS site in the Okinawa Trough, south-west of Japan, were conducted in 2012. In these tests, the functions of the testing tools, such as cutting ore, moving on the seafloor and climbing up slopes having steeper than a 25 degree gradient, were confirmed. The physical characteristics of the ore, which are key parameters for establishing a mining system, are yet to be fully understood as the exploration program has been undertaken simultaneously. Hence, those examinations have been carried out by ground cutting experiments, analysis of drilling core data, and the like. This paper describes the outline of a proposed mining system, mining testing tools and results of the on-site mining testing.

Aug 1, 2013

By Denis J. Kemp

The 20th Century saw changes in the mining and metallurgical industry not only technically but also in social and environmental expectations. As projects continue to become larger to maintain competitiveness the visibility of their potential impacts raise concerns among many groups. The need for transparency, openness and early engagement of all parties are fundamental to assure success. An equally important task is to anticipate the standards that will be required to meet society?s expectations in the 21st Century. Historical Observations The mining industry of the 18 and 19th Century was dominated by opportunistic Companies and individuals with an entrepreneurial flair for adventure and risk. Those who promoted had the chance of great reward, while those willing to risk their life were assured a short one for their efforts because of the physical and health dangers that abounded. Disregarding conditions miners rewards were high even in those days, with an average Cornish miner known to be earning two pound a month in 1800. Coal and iron ore mines were driven by the needs of the industrial revolution and were the first to embark on larger scale output. Base metal mines were smaller as industrial demands for their use did not start to expand greatly till the late 19th Century. Electrification, the automobile and the 1st World War drove the increased demand for a variety of metals. Early mines were foul smelling and dusty and what was taken from below ground left spoil piles around the surface countryside after recovery of the coal or concentrate. The image of barren blackened hills is one that is easily conjured up and is an environmental legacy that still lives with us today.

May 1, 2002

By A. D. Hunt

THIS PAPER will review Canada&apos;s fossil fuel situation as we understand it today and indicate some of the options available to meet our energy requirements during the next 15 years. It would therefore be helpful to examine Canada&apos;s total energy requirements and discuss the un certainties of the data base on which we must base future energy investment decisions. On the world scene, Canada is at the top of the energy-consuming nations, using about 49 bbls of oil equivalent per caput/ year. This appears to be slightly ahead of the U.S. and of course much higher than that of many countries. It is generally accepted that there is a more or less direct relationship between energy consumption and material standard of living. However , as we know, Canada, when compared with other industrialized countries on a GNP, an individual-income or some other standard basis, is lower in the list. This situation may be explained by our more severe climate and a relatively small population distributed over a land mass second only to that of the Soviet Union.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. Nyabeze

This paper presents the experiences and views of women involved in the mining industry as determined from a questionnaire that was circulated across the Canadian mining industry. Globally, there have been significant studies done to understand the historic and global variety of women?s participation in this industry1. The reason for focusing on women?s experiences here in Canada is because women?s percentage representation at 14.4% in the mineral industry workforce falls below the overall labour force average of 47.4%2. Notably, a recent article in the Globe and Mail newspaper points out that adequate representation of women in leading of organizations is more of a matter of competitiveness and innovation rather than purely a ?women?s issue?3. This paper will provide some insight into the reasons why women join and stay in the mining industry and shed some light into the reasons for the overall low representation in this sector. The authors believe, as stated in a study from the London Business School, that a gender-balanced workforce is one way of providing the best results in areas that drive innovation4. Women represent a key stakeholder group that can help enhance the mining industry?s sustainability through innovation. The women who responded to the questionnaire represent many different areas within the mining industry, including a broad range of roles in industry, government, academia and in the supplies and services sector. The paper is intended to raise awareness about issues that women encounter that contribute or detract from career satisfaction in the mining industry. The survey provides an overall understanding of why women pursue or work in mining, and why women either remain or choose to leave it. The advantages and disadvantages experienced by women are highlighted, along with a summary of the possible initiatives that could be undertaken by employers as opportunities to improve the attraction of the mining industry for career minded women. As well, the survey provides a summary of the top ten features that are already in place at various organizations and community groups that have been identified as key for supporting and encouraging women to join and remain in the industry. Not surprisingly, the survey identifies that one of the key ingredients for retention of women in mining is the provision of mentors and sponsors. Another key aspect for retention is the provision of progressive employment policies that address the need for a degree of flexibility in work hours and a culture of balance between work and personal life demands. The survey and results are portrayed only from a female perspective since it is largely women?s perceptions that will inevitably be transmitted to others who plan on entering the field.

Oct 1, 2010