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By E. L. Bruce

EUROPEAN Russia is mainly a great plain, the average elevation of which is only 600 feet above sea level and the maximum elevation less than 1,200 feet (Figure 1). The main divide between the Arctic ocean and the Black sea and Caspian sea is an indistinguishable topographic feature from which the Dneiper and Don rivers flow southward to the Black sea and the Volga river to the Caspian. The valleys of these rivers are but little below the general level (Figure 2). To the south, this great, rolling plain is broken by a low ridge of Precambrian gneisses and intrusive rocks. The Crimea is an upland from which the descent to the Black Sea coast is precipitous (Figure 3). The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic occupies the southern part of the plain. It is the southwestern unit of the Union, bordered by Rumania and Poland on the west and by the Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic on the south.

Jan 1, 1938

By W. R. Smith

Introduction No commercial deposits of silica sand are known to occur in British Columbia, so all requirements for foundry and other uses must be imported. During the war, nearly 5,000 tons per year were used, all originating in Illinois and delivered to local consumers for about $12.00 per ton. Present requirements are somewhat less, but the cost is still of the same order. The relatively high cost of silica sand in British Columbia is not only a serious item for present consumers, but might be a deterrent to the establishment of a glass industry, should this be contemplated at any time. The present investigation was undertaken in an attempt to provide a cheaper source of silica sand within the Province. In 1936, a large number of beach and bank sand deposits in the lower coastal region of British Columbia were examined by the British Columbia Department of Mines, and samples were analyzed chemically and mineralogically. The deposits over the whole area proved remarkably uniform in mineral composition, consisting essentially of quartz, feldspar, ferromagnesian minerals, rock fragments, and various accessory minerals, and differing only in the relative proportions of the various constituents. In no case did the quartz content of any sand exceed about 40 percent and the average was of the order of 20 to 30 percent.

Jan 1, 1947

High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) are said to be a good option in new grinding circuits. Due to their low energy consumption compared to other grinding systems such as SAG milling, there is a strong incentive to check their behaviour for certain ore types. With rising energy prices the operation will become even more beneficial in future. As published in the past, the HPGR is claimed to increase the liberation of the valuable mineral component within an ore. An investigation at the research centre of Polysius was conducted to substantiate the liberation behaviour in finish grinding operations. A pilot scale HPGR test unit (POLYCOM MAGRO) with a roll diameter of 950 mm and processing capacity of 80 t/h was used. Grinding tests were completed with a screen and a two stage drying air separation process (SEPOL). Analysis included standard screen analysis, fractional XRF and modern MLA technology. A technique was developed to oppose the amount of produced slimes (resuming bad flotation) against the positive effect of producing high mass fraction at flotation-easy sizes. The paper shows how effective the use of a dry grinding separation could be in terms of production of mass of liberated metal.

Jan 1, 2012

By Seungyeol Lee

Currently, a new construction method using a robotic system is widely spreading in construction sites. This study is related to the design of glazing robot?s teach pendant which can improve convenience of handling and hence improve the productivity through the efficient interaction between an operator and a robot while doing glazing works, e.g., curtain wall installing. The suitability of selection and arrangement of control switches was assessed according to mechanical motions of a glazing robot, and design guidelines for improving convenience and productivity were drawn up through questionnaires carried out by site operators. To verify the proposed design guidelines, working time comparison of the proposed teach pendant and the existing teach pendant was executed.

Aug 1, 2013

By S. Xu

Magnesium alloy AM50 is of interest to automotive cradle application because of it excellent castability and good ductility. In this work, microstructure and mechanical properties of both low pressure die cast (LPDC) and high pressure die cast (HPDC) AM50 test bars are characterized. Microstructure was examined using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Phase identifications were performed using energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS) and TEM diffraction. It has been found that LPDC produces much coarser microstructure than HPDC. At the same time, the HPDC samples are more heterogeneous in microstructure and composition close to grain boundaries. Particles with various dimensions and morphologies of two different intermetallic phases, Mg17A112 and A18Mn5, were found in all the samples. Mechanical tests were performed under conditions similar to those related to an engine cradle application. LPDC samples show lower strength but better creep resistance than HPDC mainly due to the difference in grain sizes and grain boundary microstructure between LPDC and HPDC. Creep curves are well described by the empirical Andrade equation. Tensile-compressive yield and creep asymmetries were found in AM50, i.e. better deformation resistance in tension than in compression. The average yield asymmetry ratio for all the samples is 0.87. Microstructural examinations on the samples tested in tension, compression and creep showed that the deformation mechanisms in AM50 were slip plus twining at temperatures up to 125°C. The examinations indicate the important role of twining in the asymmetry phenomenon. The creep results indicate that dynamic precipitation of the Mg17A112 phase during testing is not the mechanism directly responsible for the creep asymmetry in AM50.

Jan 1, 2004

Overview n Why we audited the IRS n How we did it n What we discovered n What we learned n Where we are going next The unbroken chain of safety The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) The network of roles and relationships in a workplace, through which everyone works with mutual commitment to reduce or eliminate hazards.

May 1, 2003

By A. Y. Senchenko, Y. V. Kulikov

"In recent decades HPGR technology has proven itself in comminution circuits of mining plants. High technical and economic performance, lower specific energy consumption and reliability of HPGR equipment makes it an efficient alternative to conventional circuits using stage crushing and rod/ball milling, as well as to AG/SAG circuits. However, despite all the advantages of this technology the correct selection of key and auxiliary equipment is very important since errors at testing and design stages may lead to discrediting of the whole concept of HPGR application. There is a great variety of possible circuit configurations using HPGR, e.g. with circulation of edge product, with crushing of the whole discharge and circulation of screen oversize, successive two-stage crushing, etc. Each type of minerals will require its own optimal crushing circuit. In this context the testing methodology for selection of an optimal configuration becomes of prime importance. It is common knowledge that the best simulation of material crushing and softening within a HPGR can be obtained only in the course of a large-scale pilot test. The main approaches applied to this kind of testworks are described in this article. Special aspects of HPGR technology design and industrial operation are revealed as well. Some operational issues of HPGR equipment and of circuit as a whole were detected. They are related to regions specifics, plants location, and other factors. Process solutions proposed to deal with these issues are also indicated in the article. INTRODUCTIONDesign and construction of the processing plants involving High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) technology becomes more and more common in mining as this technology has specific technical and economic advantages against the circuits with autogenous/semiautogenous mills (AG/SAG) and other circuits. The main advantage of the technology is low energy consumption and low operation costs respectively. The presence of microcracks and increased content of fine size fractions in the crushed product contribute to reduction of energy required for further ball grinding. Besides, HPGR technology applies a special wear resistant liner that enables significant reduction of operation costs of grinding media and liner comparing with AG/SAG circuits."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. Gößling-Reisemann

Most copper ores contain valuable co-products such as molybdenum, gold, silver, nickel, etc. Sulphuric acid and steam are valuable by-products, which are generated dur¬ing copper production. The environmental impacts from mining and refining therefore need to be shared between these by-products and co-products, an issue in Life Cycle As¬sessment (LCA) referred to as allocation. There are different, recognised methodologies for doing so: burdens can be allocated based on the market values of these commodities, they can be allocated by mass, volume, molar amount, functionality, or other physical, technical or economic factors. All of these methodologies have their respective merits and restrictions, and the choice is usually case specific. Nevertheless, the choice between alternative methodologies can have dramatic effects on the LCA results. Recycling in LCA has to be handled in a similar way, as it essentially constitutes a special case of co¬production. The existing standards (ISO 14040 ff.) allow different methods for imple¬menting recycling and allocation into metal LCAs (open loop, closed loop, value cor-rected substitution, etc.), which are still a subject of discussion in the scientific community. However, the methodology used can significantly influence the ecological profile of copper and copper products. We will present an overview of the different methodologies available for including recycling and allocation and give an analysis of how the meth¬odological choice affects the final LCA results. This work will be followed up by quantitative case studies.

Jan 1, 2007

By E. Hardwick, K. C. Sole, Y. Jurrius

"The Luilu cobalt plant at Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, has been operating since the late 1950s, using a conventional precipitation flowsheet for removal of impurities from the cobalt process stream. Most impurities are, however, incompletely removed using this technology. Copper and zinc, both of which quantitatively deposit at the cathode in the cobalt electrowinning process, are two of the main impurities contaminating the cobalt metal product. Ion exchange offers a modern approach to removing these impurities from the cobalt advance electrolyte.Following a laboratory testwork programme to identify a suitable ion-exchange system, an on-site pilot-plant trial, treating 1500 to 3000 L/d of electrolyte, was operated for a period of six weeks to optimise the operating conditions and to determine full-scale design criteria. Copper removal was carried out using a fixed-bed lead-polish configuration with the Lanxess iminodiacetic acid resin, TP 207. Zinc removal was subsequently carried out in a similar configuration using the Lanxess aminophosphonic acid resin, TP 260. The optimised system proved capable of removing both copper and zinc from 20 to 30 mg/L to <1 mg/L from plant electrolyte containing ~20 g/L Co. Selective elution allows co-loaded cobalt to be returned to the main circuit and value to be obtained for the copper impurity. The process shows operational and economic advantages over the traditional flowsheet. Full-scale implementation of the developed process is in progress and some design considerations are discussed."

Jan 1, 2014

By Marc Arpin

La Bolivie possède tout pour réussir. Son vaste territoire de plus d&apos;un million de km2 et qui occupe une position stratégique au coeur du continent sud-américain recèle des ressources naturelles (forêts, minéraux, gaz naturel, etc) variées et abondantes. Elle a une frontière avec pas moins de 5 pays dont le géant que constitue le Brésil ainsi qu&apos;avec l&apos;Argentine, l&apos;autre puissance régionale. Pourtant, malgré tous ces atouts, la Bolivie demeure l&apos;un des pays les plus pauvres du continent. Ce paradoxe n&apos;est nulle part mieux reflété que dans le secteur minier. Celui-ci fait face à une situation de crise en dépit d&apos;une tradition minière de plus de quatre siècles et d&apos;un potentiel géologique indiscutable ayant conduit à la découverte et à l&apos;exploitation de fabuleux gisements d&apos;argent et d&apos;étain. Les habitants des districts miniers vivent dans des conditions de pauvreté extrême et les indicateurs de développement humain de ces régions sont parmi les plus bas en Amérique du Sud. La Bolivie réussit difficilement à attirer les compagnies minières alors que, chez les voisins, et particulièrement en Argentine, qui n&apos;a pas de tradition minière, les investissements miniers majeurs affluent. Dans cette conférence, nous chercherons à expliquer les causes de cette situation et proposerons des solutions possibles.

May 1, 2001

By A. Yousefpour, M. Hojjati, M. Simard, M. Laramée, M-A. Octeau

The need for effective and reliable joining methods grows as the use of advanced thermoplastic composites becomes widespread in aerospace industry. An experimental investigation of resistance welding of APC-2/AS4 thermoplastic composite laminates is presented. In this method, a heating element is placed between the bond-surfaces then the interface is heated by passing electrical current through the heating element. The polymer at the weld interface is melted due to resistance heating, then diffuses and consolidates under applied pressure, resulting in a weld. APC-2/AS4 prepreg, APC-2/AS4 commingled, and different grades of metal mesh heating elements were considered. A custom made resistance welding rig was designed and developed to perform lap-shear welds. The mechanical performance of the welds was quantified using single lap shear tests. The effects of different heating elements on the mechanical performance of the resistance-welded parts were investigated. Also, quality of the welds was examined under optical microscopy.

Jan 1, 2004

By L. Magne, A. Pinto, M. Maldonado, J. A. Finch

Estimation of gas holdup from electrical conductivity measurements has been used in lab and industrial installations. The approach is based on the application of Maxwell's model, which relates the concentration of a dispersed phase in a continuous medium to measurements of the electrical conductivity of the dispersed phase, continuous medium and the resulting mixture (dispersion). When applied to inferring the collection zone gas holdup in a three phase system and to facilitate real-time on-line measurement, the slurry is assumed to behave as the continuous medium and gas bubbles as a nonconducting dispersed phase. This article derives an equation for estimating gas holdup in a three phase system, eliminating the assumption that the slurry behaves as a continuous medium but rather as a dispersion of non-conducting solid particles in water. In this formulation only water behaves as the continuous medium in the sense of Maxwell, and gas holdup in a three phase system is then calculated from the application of the Maxwell model twice: (1) to determine solid content in a two-phase system, and (2) to determine solid plus gas holdup in a three phase system. To validate the new equation and quantify the errors incurred by assuming slurry is the continuous phase a laboratory flotation cell was instrumented to continuously measure the conductivity of two and three phase dispersions with known solids contents. As the amount of gas in a lab flotation machine is difficult to measure directly or by another indirect technique such as using pressure signals, 2.5 mm dielectric plastic spheres having a density of ca. 1.3 g/cm3 were used instead of air bubbles for validation. Experimental results demonstrated that the continuous medium assumption underestimates gas holdup and that the resulting bias error increases linearly with the solid content and decreases with the magnitude of gas holdup.

Jan 1, 2016

By S. A. H Tyrrell, R. Rotzinger

"Taseko Mines Limited recommenced operation of the Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine in 2004 and embarked on series of development projects to modernize the mine and increase throughput capacity. The Gibraltar Development Plan 3 (GDP3) project included a second stand-alone copper-molybdenum concentrator, a stand-alone molybdenum separation plant and associated services. Ausenco was contracted to commence the detailed design in 2Q2011, commissioning commenced in 4Q2012 and first ore was processed in 1Q2013. This paper discusses the design, implementation and commissioning of the GDP3 Concentrator.INTRODUCTION The Gibraltar Mine (Gibraltar) property is located in the Cariboo Region of south central British Columbia, approximately 360 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The site is accessed via an 18 kilometer paved road from the town of McLeese Lake, which is located on the province’s main north-south highway between the cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel. Gibraltar was originally developed by Placer Development and commenced production in 1972. Gibraltar was acquired, while on care and maintenance, by Taseko Mines Limited (Taseko) in 1999 during a period of unusually low metal prices. Taseko recommenced operations at Gibraltar in 2004, and embarked on series of development projects to modernize the mine and increase throughput capacity. The 1972 Gibraltar process flowsheet incorporated two-stage crushing followed by rod and ball milling and flotation. In 2008 Gibraltar completed their first development stage that included the installation of a SAG mill, converting the existing rod mills to ball mills and adding additional flotation capacity. Gibraltar continued development with the installation of an in-pit primary crusher, expansion of the bulk regrind circuit, expansion of the cleaner flotation circuit, replacement of the tailings pumping system and replacement of the concentrate filters and dryer."

Jan 1, 2014

By H. H. Bird

Kilembe is situated in the foothills of the Ruwenzori Mountains in Uganda. Precambrian stratiform copper de-posits are currently being mined at a rate of 90,000 tons per month. Complex ore structures and variable ground conditions have led to diverse mining methods in the past. New mining areas contain more shallow-dipping, highly contorted orebodies, in heavy ground. Cut-and-fill mining will be practised in the future. The geology, mining and milling are described.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. R. Leeder

"The Quintette coal property lies in the Rocky Mountain foothills of northeastern British Columbia (see Figure 1). Quintette and the adjacent Bullmoose property of Teck Corporation are soon to become the first commercial coal mines in the Peace River Coal Field, which is estir1ated to contain 10 billion tonnes of metallurgical coal reserves.Denison Mines Limited acquired the original Quintette coal licenses in 1969 and 1970. Exploration began soon after and the first feasibility study was conducted in 1975. Denison devoted the following six years to extensive planning and feasibility studies of the project. During this period, the provincial and federal governments also undertook studies to assess infrastructure requirements and economic viability of development in this part of the province. Many of the proposed mine sites such as Bullmoose and Quintette were at least 100 to 150 kilometres from the towns of Chetwynd and Dawson Creek, the nearest centres serviced by good highways and a railroad, and a complete network of services would have to be provided if such mines were to be developed. The overall project became known as the North East Coal Development.Concurrently with the feasibility studies, numerous technical and sales missions to Japan were made by representatives of Canadian industry and government, culminating in January 1981 with agreements for Quintette Coal Limited and Teck Corporation to supply a total of 115 million tonnes 8 million tonnes per year for 15 years of primarily metallurgical coal to the Japanese Steel Industry."

Jan 1, 1983

By Lawrence Devon Smith

"What is Due Diligence?Within the mining industry the term “due diligence” is used to describe a detailed data review, generally in connection with the purchase or sale of a mineral property, the approval of a large capital expenditure, or the borrowing of a large sum of money.The term originates in the requirement of the board of directors of a corporation to “act honestly and in good faith ... and exercise the care, diligence, and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances” (OBCA, 1994). Furthermore, the law assumes that a corporation (or its board) will have exercised due diligence in the acquisition of an asset and, therefore, knowingly (in the absence of fraud or deceit) will have taken on the liabilities and obligations associated with the asset (Nelson, 1994). This is the familiar “Buyer Beware”.Directors are liable for their decisions except “if the director relies in good faith upon financial statements of the corporation represented … by an officer of the corporation or in a written report of the auditor, or a report of a lawyer, accountant, engineer, appraiser, or other person whose profession lends credibility to a statement made by any such person.” (OBCA, 1994).Hence the importance of reports prepared by professionals. They provide confirmation that the directors have exercised due diligence in the performance of their duties. For this reason these reports are referred to as due diligence studies"

Jan 1, 1997

By Lawrence Devon Smith

"Within the mining industry the term “due diligence” is used to describe a detailed data review, generally in connection with the purchase or sale of a mineral property, the approval of a large capital expenditure, or the borrowing of a large sum of money.The term originates in the requirement of the board of directors of a corporation to “act honestly and in good faith and exercise the care, diligence, and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances” (OBCA, 1994). Furthermore, the law assumes that a corporation (or its board) will have exercised due diligence in the acquisition of an asset and, therefore, knowingly (in the absence of fraud or deceit) will have taken on the liabilities and obligations associated with the asset (Nelson, 1994). This is the familiar “Buyer Beware”.Directors are liable for their decisions except “if the director relies in good faith up on financial statements of the corporation represented by an officer of the corporation or in a written report of the auditor, or a report of a lawyer, accountant, engineer, appraiser, or other person whose profession lends credibility to a statement made by any such person.”(OBCA, 1994).Hence the importance of reports prepared by professionals. They provide confirmation that the directors have exercised due diligence in the performance of their duties. For this reason these reports are referred to as due diligence studies."

Jan 1, 1996

By K. Aziz

The solutions to unsteady-state gas flow in a radial system have been reviewed in order to aid in the interpretation of drawdown data. It has been the practice to evaluate the time and rate conversion constants, directly or indirectly, by using reservoir data. This paper presents a method of determining these constants from drawdown data. A simplified approach to the de-termination for the various boundary conditions is presented. An example of a problem which illustrates the use of this theory appears in the appendix. UNSTEADY-STATE FLOW EQUATION The solution of any unsteady-state flow problem involves (1) the continuity equation, (2) the equation of state of the fluid, (3) the equation of fluid motion and (4) the boundary conditions. For the Darcy flow of a gas in the horizontal radial plane, the equation is when the viscosity, compressibility and permeability to gas flow may be assumed constant and the medium

Jan 1, 1963

By K. V. Phani Prabhakar, G. Padmanabham1, L. Subashini

Laser-arc Hybrid Welding (LAHW) is a relatively recent concept which effectively combines the advantages of laser welding such as the high depth of penetration, low heat input, high welding speed and the positive aspects of arc welding such as better edge bridging and possibility to add filler. For example, steel sections upto 12 mm thickness have been successfully welded in a single pass at a welding speed of 1 m/minute using a 3.5 kW CO2 laser in combination with a MIG arc. Maraging steel of grade M250 is widely used in the aerospace industry in thicknesses upto 10 mm. Conventionally, it is possible to MIG weld such thicknesses in 3-5 passes employing V-Groove joint preparation. However, this multi-pass welding results in formation of reverted austenite in the weld zone after post weld aging; and the high heat input widens the reverted austenite containing heat affected zone which is popularly known as the dark zone/eyebrow zone. Both these zones are detrimental to strength of the welded joint, specifically the fracture toughness. The width of the dark band is an important factor because, thinner the band, it is supported more effectively by the surrounding material. Therefore, in order to avoid multi-pass welding and reduce the overall heat input, single-pass laser-MIG hybrid welding was attempted on 10 mm thick maraging steel M 250 plates using a hybrid laser arc welding system comprising a 3.5 kW CO2 slab laser and a MIG welding system. Simultaneously, multi-pass MIG welds also are produced. Both the laser-MIG hybrid and MIG welds are characterized microstructurally and subjected to mechanical tests such as tensile and fracture toughness in as-welded and post weld aged condition. The amount and distribution of reverted austenite in the fusion zone and width of the dark band was found to be different. Hybrid welds showed a narrow dark band zone and improved mechanical properties. Laser-hybrid and MIG welding investigations carried out on thick section maraging steel M 250 will be presented in detail, including microstructure, tensile properties and fracture toughness of the welds. To the best of the knowledge of the authors there are no reports on laser-MIG hybrid welding of maraging steels.

Jan 1, 2014

By K. B. Hodgins, P. Ouellette

"The North American mining industry faces challenging emissions regulations in the coming years with the introduction of new standards for off-road diesel engines. In order to remain competitive, industry stakeholders must invest in new technologies that are economically and environmentally sustainable.Westport Innovations Inc., Vancouver,British Columbia, has developed high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology that allows diesel engines to run primarily on natural gas with no intrusive engine modifications while reducing emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and CO2 with no loss in performance. This is accomplished through late-cycle, high-pressure direct injection of natural gas into a diesel engine combustion chamber at the end of the compression stroke. A small amount of diesel fuel is injected first to initiate combustion, followed by the natural gas fuel main injection. The diesel cycle and its operating characteristics are fully retained including high combustion efficiency, lowspeed torque, high-power output, no engine knock, and fast response to load changes. Natural gas has not been an attractive fuel alternative in mining operations due to the reduced performance associated with spark ignition engines and the added weight and space required for compressed natural gas tanks. However, liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be stored with less impact on weight and space than compressed natural gas (CNG) by virtue of its increased energy density over CNG.Westport has applied HPDI technology to the Cummins QSK series engines for high horsepower applications such as power generation and mine haul trucking. HPDI can also be applied to other engine manufacturer platforms and market applications. Westport is interested in demonstrating the unique characteristics of HPDI in mine haul trucks to show diesel performance with low emissions levels using low-cost LNG fuel.Retrofitting a Tier 1 engine with HPDI would provide emissions reductions below the EPA 2006 Tier 2 standards while maintaining the performance and efficiency of the Tier 1 platform. The longer-term target is the Blue Sky voluntary standards of 3.8 g/kW-hr (2.8 g/bhphr) of NOx + non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), and 0.12 g/kW-hr (0.09 g/bhp-hr) of particulate matter (PM) and future standards. Typically, an HPDI engine is capable of reducing NOx emissions by 40% over diesel operation at the same efficiency. On a mining truck meeting Tier 2 standards, this NOx reduction would translate into NOx emissions approximately 14 t per year lower than under diesel operation. PM emissions are typically reduced by some 60% with HPDI fueling, which would translate into a yearly reduction of 650 kg. Similarly, engine-out greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by 21%, resulting in a yearly reduction of approximately 950 t per vehicle.Above those of emissions reduction, efficient natural gas usage in mine haul operations would offer significant benefits in terms of fuel cost savings, which may be further combined with monetary emission credits. HPDI technology would enable operators to exercise environmental stewardship while gaining a competitive advantage in advance of new Tier 2 and Tier 3 emissions regulations. The advantages of natural gas use among mine haul truck operations can be replicated across a broad range of engines and applications."

Jan 1, 2005