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By W. F. McDermott

This paper covers the development, construction and operation of a 53-mile slurry pipeline operating in Tasmania, Australia. Special development techniques are discussed, as well as the operation of this line and its impact on transportation from remote areas.

Jan 1, 1970

By D Reddy Chinnasane

Outline Location of BirchtreeMine and Layout of 124 OB Cut and Fill Mining Background Purpose of the Studies Methodology Results and Analysis Conclusions and Recommendations

Oct 1, 2010

By A. M. Christie

Acknowledgements The following account has been compiled mainly from records and maps of Eldorado Mining and Refining (1944), Limited, hereinafter called the Crown Company. This work was done under the supervision first of R. F. Murphy, Chief Geologist, and later of E. B. Gillanders, Eldorado Mine Manager and Manager of Eldorado Exploration Division. W. F. James and B. S. W. Buffam are consulting geologists. Since 1946, S. N. Kesten has supervised geological work for the Company in the Goldfields area. Where maps of Eldorado properties have been included in this paper, the name of the geologist who examined the property is acknowledged on the map. Outline of General Geology The geology of the area is described in the Goldfields and Martin Lake preliminary maps of the Geological Survey and accompanying Paper 49-17. In brief, the Tazin series of Precambrian age, consisting mainly of sediments with minor interbedded volcanics and basic intrusives, is intruded and replaced by granite, now generally gneissic. The late-Precambrian Athabaska series of conglomerate and arkose, with interbedded basalt and andesite flows, rests unconformably on the older rocks. All these rocks are cut by small diabase dykes. The geological terms used in this paper and in the accompanying figures are standard with the exception of the term 'mafic rocks'. These include all the basic or dark coloured rocks of the Tazin group, such as amphibolites, biotite schists, and chlorite-epidote rocks (greenstones), whether they be of extrusive, intrusive, or sedimentary origin.

Jan 1, 1949

By Brian Danyliw

"Dust control is an increasingly important consideration for all mining operations from a health, safety, environmental and maintenance perspective. Modern mining operations incorporate a variety of mechanical dust control techniques into design however in many cases these engineered systems are unable to meet desired fugitive dust level targets. In these cases a variety of chemical dust suppression options are available to operators to assist in meeting their targets. This paper provides an overview of available chemistries, discussion of application techniques and equipment requirements and available performance monitoring technologies. This paper will also include a number of case histories discussing the treatment approach chosen, challenges encountered, chemical feed, storage and application equipment, monitoring techniques employed and results achieved.INTRODUCTIONDust FundamentalsFugitive dust by definition is an aerosol consisting of particulate matter suspended in a gaseous medium. Aerosols can include suspensions of particulate (solids) or sprays (liquids) or a mixture of both. Of particular concern from an occupational health and safety perspective are aerosols of particulate matter due to their involvement in classical occupations lung diseases such as silicosis, poisoning through chronic exposure to compounds such as lead and beryllium and expected involvement in more modern identified conditions such as cancer, asthma, and a host of other respiratory and non-respiratory conditions which may be caused or influenced through exposure to dust.According to the ""Glossary of Atmospheric Chemistry Terms"" (IUPAC, 1990), ""Dust: Small, dry, solid particles projected into the air by natural forces, such as wind, volcanic eruption, and by mechanical or man-made processes such as crushing, grinding, milling, drilling, demolition, shoveling, conveying, screening, bagging, and sweeping. Dust particles are usually in the size range from about 1 to 100 µm in diameter, and they settle slowly under the influence of gravity."" It should be noted that the behavior of particulates with respect to settling rate in air is a function of particle mass and shape and therefore the geometric size of the particle can be misleading. Occupational hygienists utilize the concept of particle aerodynamic diameter as a more representative reflection of particle size. Particle aerodynamic diameter, is defined as ""the diameter of a hypothetical sphere of density 1 g/cm3 having the same terminal settling velocity in calm air as the particle in question, regardless of its geometric size, shape and true density."" The expression of particle size as aerodynamic diameter allows for a more consistent understanding of particle behavior both from a settling perspective as well as from the perspective of how dust particles will behave in the respiratory tract. Figure 1 illustrates settling rates for particles of various aerodynamic diameters. The relationship between particle size and settling rate is important for understanding what size of particles must be addressed by dust control strategies as well as what particle sizes represent the most danger from an exposure and occupational health perspective."

Jan 1, 2015

By W. T. Robson

LAKE Shore Mines, Limited, with property at Kirkland. Lake, Ontario, was incorporated m 1914 and commenced product10n m March, 1918, with an initial capacity of about 60 tons per day. Since that time a gradual expansion has taken place until a present capacity of approximately 2,300 tons per day has been reached, giving a total annual gold production valued at approximately $16,000,000. At the time of incorporation of the Company, the Lake Shore property consisted of four mineral claims and four fractions, totalling 171.05 acres. In 1934, four claims belonging to the Minaker Kirkland Gold Mines, Limited, were acquired and a controlling interest purchased in the Kirkland Hudson Bay Gold Mines, Limited. Both these properties adjoin the Lake Shore claims on the south. From the accompanying compilation of the world's largest gold mines for 1934 (1), it will be seen that, while Lake Shore holds sixth position in respect to the number of ounces produced, there are twenty-five gold mines which treat a greater tonnage of ore. This is an indication of probably the most unusual feature of the Kirkland Lake deposits, namely, the high aver-age tenor of the ores. coupled with the comparatively large tonnages available.

Jan 1, 1936

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

"Under the term ""paleogeomorphology"" are grouped together all geo-morphological phenomena which are recognizable in subsurface geology. Since geomorphology is the science of the earth's relief features, paleogeomorphology is the science of buried relief features. Such features are of importance to the petroleum geologist whenever they lead to the trapping of hydrocarbons. In areas where these features abound -and western Canada certainly is such an area -pale-ogeomorphology ranks in importance with stratigraphy and structural geology as a hydrocarbon-finding tool. Hydrocarbons may be trapped either directly or indirectly due to paleogeomorphological processes. Both types of traps may occur either below the morphological surface or above (against) it. Several examples of types of paleogeomorphological traps are given. A new classification of geomorphological .features is proposed, with a subdivision into two main groups: constructive and destructive geomorphic processes. Of the many geomorphic classifications, some are of greater interest to the petroleum geologist in western -Canada than others. In the present paper the morphology of reefs and of buried erosional land forms are discussed in greater detail. In dealing with the reefs of the Devonian Leduc formation in Alberta, it is found that several groups of reefs can be distinguished and that each group presents a separate set of morphological characteristics. The effects of erosion and weathering are exemplified mostly in the Devonian, Mississippian and Jurassic of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Hydrocarbon traps occur below the highs on the erosional surface as well as in sands laid down in the lows of that surface. The rules which govern the formation of ancient landscape forms are worked out, using an area in southeastern Saskatchewan as an example."

Jan 1, 1960

By M. Kalin

"Ecological Engineering and Biological Polishing technology is a decommissioning approach for inactive coal, uranium and base metal operations. To improve acid mine drainage water some fundamental aspects of wetland ecology and sediment microbiology are combined, to provide conditions to allow for biomineralization of the contaminants.This paper summarizes the first records of microbial alkalinity generation in acid mine drainage through the utilisation of the ARUM process. The process requires that the seepage is at pH 4.5 where sulphate reducers utilize sulphate to produce hydrogen sulphide, which in turn precipitates with metals. The pH increase is brought about by alkalinity generating microbes.The ARUM process has been successful in increasing the pH from 2.5 to 7.0. Flow through reactors operated in the laboratory continuously for more than 60 days have removed Ni from 13 mg/L to < 0.01 mg/L. Design parameters are being developed for low flow rates of 5 L/min in a test system receiving seepage from a tailings.1.0 INTRODUCTIONAcid mine drainage associated with mining wastes poses a significant environmental problem. Conventional means to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) use chemical treatment system. Ecological Engineering technology uses natural biological means to curtail and ameliorate AMD during mine operations and at the time of decommissioning. The premise underlying Ecological Engineering technology is that AMD is the result of a natural process enhanced by mining activities. Therefore, in nature, a process providing a natural balance to AMD has to exist, which, when assisted through appropriate means, can counteract the detrimental effects of AMD on the environment. This process is microbial alkalinity generation which is known to occur in wetlands, lake and ocean sediments (Baas Becling et al, 1960)."

Jan 1, 1991

By A. Hekmat-Ardakan

Conventional hypereutectic Al-Si alloys such as A390 are used principally for the casting of components used in wear applications requiring abrasive resistance such as in engine or compressor blocks. A comprehensive study was undertaken to investigate the potential of improving the mechanical properties of these alloys by the addition of magnesium. A thorough thermodynamic study of the effect of the addition of Mg to the conventional A390 alloy showed that Mg2Si starts to form as a primary phase at 4.2% Mg as well as in the products of the binary and ternary eutectic reactions forming the matrix. Experiments were carried out in producing castings with different cooling and solidification rates of alloys with up to 10% Mg. Mg additions were found to increase the hardness over the as cast alloy due to solid solution strengthening. Also, T6 heat treatment greatly improved the tensile properties of these alloy compositions due to the strengthening effect of the theta-Al2Cu phase. The elongation of these alloys generally decreases marginally with Mg content. The most significant property improvement of the alloys with higher Mg content is the substantial increase in wear resistance. This is attributed to the dispersion of smaller particles of Mg2Si and their coherence with the matrix as compared to the large Si particles in the conventional alloy. A new rheoforming process for A390 is presented that improves the processing of the semi-solid slurry. Structure modification elements were also added to refine the primary and eutectic silicon greatly improving the processing of the semi-solid slurry.

Jan 1, 2011

By Michael P. Amsden

"THE ECSTALL CONCENTRATOR is situated adjacent to Highway 101 and the Ontario Northland Railroad, 15 miles east of Timmins, Ontario. Ore is delivered to the concentrator by rail from the mine, which is 17 miles northwest of the plant. Power and fuel are obtained from the hydro and natural gas lines which pass close to the plant site. Water is obtained from the Frederickhouse River, 6 miles east of the concentrator. The main concentrator building is a large structure 500 by 640 feet by 90 feet high and contains facilities for fine crushing, crushed ore storage, grinding, flotation, tin recovery, concentrate handling and reagent handling. Located in the same building are the machine shop, warehouse, metallurgical laboratory, pilot plant, men's change room, sample preparation area and an assay laboratory. The general concentrator layout is shown in Figure 47. Originally designed to handle 9,000 tons per day, the concentrator now treats 10,000 tons per day. Two different ore types are processed by selective flotation in three individual circuits to recover copper, lead and zinc concentrates. In 1973, another circuit was added to recover pyrite and tin concentrates from the combined zinc tailings of the three main circuits."

Jan 1, 1974

By P. F. Venus

In December 1977, a large pillar was removed by blasthole mining methods at lnco&apos;s Creighton No. 3 mine. Although the 2,363.000-ton blast was not a size record for a single underground blast at Inco, it did represent a significant departure from conventional blasthole mining. In terms of the application of nominal 6-inch-diameter boreholes underground, coupled with bulk slurry explosives, the magnitude of the blast is considered a first and very important development. The application of large-diameter boreholes in underground operations was first tried successfully in 1973. Since that time over 13/4 million feet have been drilled in this adaptation of an open-pit technique to underground operations. The blast, which required 708 holes, totalling 131,500 feet of drilling, was loaded in a six-week period, using special slurry handling techniques developed jointly by Inco and CIL. Inco operating and engineering personnel consider this application of large boreholes and slurry explosives for blasthole mining a very important milestone in modern mining technology.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. Güntner

A significant portion of Outotec&apos;s business relates to the application of fluidized bed for processing a wide range of industrial materials, including gold ore and gold concentrate. As part of the former Lurgi and Boliden organization, our division constructed the first industrial reactor for roasting sulphur-bearing materials in 1950, based on the principles of fluidized bed technology. This process, when combined with efficient heat recovery and off-gas treatment and its conversion to sulphuric acid, became the standard for processing sulphur-bearing ores. In the last 60 years we have delivered more than 265 plants and developed (in addition to the standard fluidized bed solution) variants of the fluidization technology, such as the circulating fluidized bed and the bubbling fluidized bed. This paper describes the different options of the fluidized bed technology for gold roasting reflecting on main process design criteria.

Jan 1, 2011

By C. O. Swanson

THE purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of the dip needle in the field of mining geology. The subject matter is new only to the extent that it reflects the writer&apos; s added experience in recent years. The treatment is brief, and those interested in a more extended analysis are referred to the articles listed at the end of the paper. In the discovery and tracing of mineral deposits, the clip needle, like most other geophysical instruments, can be used in two ways. One method may be termed direct; the other, indirect. The direct method is that of finding or following certain ore-bodies by virtue of their magnetic properties. Explicitly, or by inference, it is the method which many mining men and practising geophysicists have in mind when they consider whether or not a certain property should be studied by geophysical means. In the ideal case, this method demands little or no knowledge of geological conditions. The indirect method uses the clip needle as an aid to purely geological studies in working out the structure of a mineralized area. Although not as simple as the direct method, it enjoys a much wider field of usefulness. The writer&apos;s experience in the past fifteen years, which is believed to be typical, is that the indirect method finds application four or five times as often as the direct method. The indirect method is of particular value because it furnishes information concerning the relationship between geological structure and ore occurrence. Most mining engineers will agree that structural control is an important factor in the localization of ore deposits, and therefore that the subject under consideration is of some interest in mining geology. Specifically, then, the present purpose is to outline the principles and practice of using the clip needle in working? out geological structure.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. J. Barakso, S. J. Horsky, H. V. Warren

"A review of past and present biogeochemical studies is given. Early and more recent analytical procedures are described and compared. Tables 1-5 give silver concentrations in various organs of some plant species at different localities. Table 6 and conclusions provide guidelines for exploring for silver using biogeochemistry.IntroductionBiogeochemistry has been shown to be a useful tool in the search for gold deposits, especially those of the disseminated type (Warren and Barakso 1982). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that biogeochemistry can also be of assistance in searching for silver concentrations buried by as much as twenty feet of overburden without inflicting any damage on the environment."

Jan 1, 1984

By Steve Wilson, Bern Klein, Jeff Drozdiak, Stefan Nadolski, Andrew Bamber

"In the adaptation of high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) to hard-rock mining applications, circuit development has mainly focused on placing HPGRs in the role of tertiary crusher in the preparation of ball mill feed. In order to take advantage of the potential energy benefits associated with HPGR and stirred mill grinding technologies, work was done to investigate the potential of and resultant energy benefits of placing the HPGR in series with a high speed stirred mill in replacement of the conventional cone crusher / ball mill arrangement. The proposed circuit was designed to operate with two stages of HPGR grinding followed by high speed stirred milling.Using a pilot-scale HPGR unit inline with a 20 liter stirred mill, the design criteria, circuit arrangement and consequent comminution energy requirements for a circuit processing copper sulphide ore from Teck Resources’s Mesaba Copper project were determined. These results were then compared to two other circuits, an HPGR / ball mill circuit and a conventional crusher / ball mill circuit processing the same ore.The testwork indicated at a proof-of-concept level that the HPGR / stirred mill circuit could potentially be appropriate for this duty and further work on the concept is merited. While the results indicate that the HPGR component of the circuit was more energy efficient than conventional cone crushing, the energy efficiency of the stirred mill was found to be lower than that of a comparable ball mill undertaking the same duty. However, increased energy efficiency of the stirred mill portion of the circuit is possible with further optimization and further work on the concept is indicated."

Jan 1, 2010

By R. W. Boyle

"The concept of using chemical methods in prospecting dates back at least to the middle of the 16th century. Modern methods of geochemical prospecting, however, based on secondary haloes and utilizing trace-element techniques, were first practised in the U.S.S.R. and the Scandinavian countries in the 1930's. After 1945, methods based on soils, stream sediments and vegetation were rapidly developed in the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, Canada, France and other countries.The modern methods of geochemical prospecting owe their rapid development in the 20th century to the following:1.-Recognition of the primary and secondary dispersion haloes and trains that are associated with all mineral deposits. 2.-Development of accurate and rapid analytical methods utilizing the spectrograph and the various specific sensitive colorimetrie reagents, especially dithizone. 3.-Development of polyethylene laboratory ware of all types and the development of resins. This permitted greater freedom of field analyses and reduced the incidence of contamination.4.-Development of gas chromatography. This permitted the rapid and accurate determination of hydrocarbons in petroleum prospecting.Future research in geochemical prospecting should be focused on the following tasks: 1.-Definition of geochemical provinces and their relation to mineral deposits. 2.-Development of methods for discovering large low-grade deposits. 3.-Development of methods for discovering deeply buried deposits. 4.-Further development of methods to outline primary haloes. 5.-Eiucidation and formulation of techniques to relate the size and intensity of anomalies to the grade of the deposits. 6.-Development and refinement of biogeochemical methods, especially those based on indicator plants, chlorotic or toxic effects, and microbiological techniques. 7.-Definition of the types of primary and secondary haloes associated with accumulations of oil and gas."

Jan 1, 1967

By A. R. Chambers

At the 1924 Annual Meeting of the Institute, held in Toronto, the writer presented some notes on the occurrence of salt at Malagash, Nova Scotia, together with a few remarks on the uses of salt. The development of these salt mines has attracted considerable attention to the district, and it may be of interest at this time to call attention to some of the newer uses of salt, and to give a brief account of the genesis of the Maritime salines, As it is not proposed to treat the subject in technical detail, and the paper is written in a lighter vein than is usual in contributions to your Transactions, you will please overlook any variations from a strictly technical method of presentation. The world&apos;s supply of salt is obtained in three principal ways: (1) By flooding shallow areas, or pans, with sea water, allowing the water to evaporate naturally by the heat of the sun&apos;s rays, and collecting the residue of solid salt. This method is employed, for example, at Turks Island, B.W.I. (2) By mining the rock salt in its natural state, and preparing it for market by a grinding process. This is the method adopted at Malagash, which is the only place in Canada where salt is actually mined. (3) By drilling a hole into an underground salt deposit, forcing fresh water clown the hole, and, after it has become saturated with salt, pumping the brine to the surface and recovering the salt by evaporation. This is the method pursued by the Canadian Salt Company, the Dominion Salt Company, and other producers in Ontario.

Jan 1, 1929

By B. Erdem, N. Çelebi

An important problem associated with tandem dragline systems is that of matching the productive capability of individual draglines in the combination. In this paper, a dependence mechanism among draglines in a tandem system is described, and possible consequential problems in a poorly-matched system are defined. The rate of linear advance and the cost of stripping are determined as two major indications for an efficient operation. The proposed decision criteria and the underlying mechanism to select a synchronous couple are introduced and used in simulating tandem dragline systems. The developed model is tested on a hypothetical strip mine where pullback stripping is applied with a tandem dragline system.

Jan 1, 1999

By Brian W. Mackenkzie, Jozef Lajzerowicz

This paper is intended to familiarize planners in the noncommunist world with the district planning approach used in eastern Europe for mining development. It deals generally with the basic nature of the district planning problem, the planning process for mining development and the state organization for the planning of mining districts. A number of applications of district planning techniques to both established and new eastern European mining districts are described.

Jan 1, 1971

By I. A. Menshikh, S. A. Kotov, N. L. Shinkarkin

All the cycle for conversion of natural and reprocessed uranium of ROSATOM’s “TVEL” Fuel Company is concentrated at the Siberian Chemical Plant. Conversion capacities are located on two sites, i.e. the Radiochemical Plant, which refines feedstock, and the Conversion Plant, which produces uranium oxides and uranium hexafluoride. Liquid radioactive waste arising in the process, after pretreatment, is transferred to a dedicated national operator for underground disposal. Environmental strategies pursued by the Fuel Company involve the introduction of process solutions intended to eliminate liquid radioactive waste and convert it into a solid phase. In the 5–7 years coming, work will be performed to refurbish and upgrade conversion facilities of the Siberian Chemical Plant that will principally change its radioactive waste management scheme. This paper describes the current waste management scheme and sets out planned schemes for management of natural and reprocessed uranium waste, which will be implemented in the refurbishment of conversion facilities of the Siberian Chemical Plant. The new technologies for the management of liquid radioactive waste from uranium conversion described in the present paper have an undeniable advantage over the current technology mainly due to significantly less environmental harm.

Jan 1, 2020