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By Peter Rubie

"For many years, optimising the relining of hard rock grinding mills has been complicated by:?? the large number of variables;?? the low frequency of relines (slow feedback loop);?? the potential economic risk associated with some changesA technology that has its roots in the automotive manufacturing industry is being utilised to construct a statistically accurate, configurable, and dynamic simulation of the mill relining process. The effects of various mechanisation and process changes can be rapidly modelled and compared.This technology will provide mill maintenance managers and contract relining companies with the opportunity to benchmark current performance against world’s best practice. It will also provide an opportunity for concentrator plant designers and mill manufacturers to plan for maximum plant efficiency, by designing an infrastructure and equipment combination that maximises annual plant availability.This simulation tool and its associated data set, has been developed using recent grinding mill performance data from mills of varying dimensions, liner configurations, mill relining equipment, operator and tool variables.The simulation will provide an output that the various stakeholders can utilise to make optimal decisions within the given financial, physical and technological constraints of the individual concentrator plant."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. Minto, W. G. Davenport

The slag removed from the reverberatory furnaces of copper smelters contains significant copper values. A serious financial loss is involved, as further recovery operations are not normally carried out. This paper describes the factors affecting physical transport of matte into slag by gas bubbles, and the subsequent entrapment and flotation of matte drops. Three distinct patterns of transport behaviour have been identified from studies of a number of liquid/liquid systems, including liquid metal and liquid matte systems. A theoretical approach is proposed to explain these behaviour patterns, and to predict transport and entrapment behaviour in matte/slag systems. The concepts of "Film Coefficient" (ø) and "Flotation Coefficient" (?) are introduced. The effects of smelting process variables on the physical loss of copper matte in slag are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1972

By C. Klinkenberg, G. Zhu, K. Hulka, S. V. Subramanian

A quantitative model based on strain accumulation in multi-pass rolling is developed to overcome a large critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation in a Nb microalloyed steel with high Mn content (HTP steel). The larger the critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation, the finer is the dynamically recrystallised grain size. The initial mill trial showed that it is feasible to achieve ultra-fine grain size by dynamic recrystallisation but the prevention of static recrystallisation in between passes is identified as an essential condition to suppress mixed grain size. The data-base on static softening kinetics at short interpass time was experimentally determined on WUMSI and incorporated in the model. The model is used to optimise the strip rolling schedule to prevent static recrystallisation in the interpass time. The rolling simulation of strip rolling schedule has validated the model prediction that it is possible to obtain a uniform ultra-fine ferrite grain size of about 1-2 micrometer diameter in final ferrite microstructure for industrial rolling parameters. A user friendly software package has been developed to apply the model for off-line control of mill processing parameters, i.e., time-temperature-deformation schedule of finish rolling in order to accumulate large strain to overcome a large critical strain for dynamic recrystallisation. The model is a powerful predictive tool for grain size control in multi-pass rolling.

Jan 1, 2004

By E. G. Joe

"Recent trends in Canadian mineral processing were reported in seven areas of interest covered by seventeen technical papers at the 1976 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mineral Processors, held at Energy, Mines and Resources' Camsell Hall, Ottawa. New milling equipment included the Enviro-Clear thickener, large-volume Outokumpu flotation machines and abrasion-resistant polyurethane screens. Grinding experiences from a variety of milling operations were reported. Opportunities for increased sizing and grinding efficiency were presented. Flotation control by digital computer and by chemical additions were described in two mill operations. Slurry pumping and sampling techniques were described for various operations. Environmental control in milling was reported concerning dust suppression, arsenic removal and tailings disposal. Several aspects of gold milling were described by the most recently commissioned gold mine and by CANMET. Potash operations were reported showing the similarity of processing and process control to that of metallic minerals."

Jan 1, 1976

By R. E. Gilmore

PREAMBLE THIS PAPER comprises material presented in two separate 'Papers at the British Commonwealth Scientific Specialist Conference on Fuel Research held in London, England, in July, 1950. These papers are now available for publication in Canada, since only essential parts of the conference discussions, in addition to the resolutions resulting therefrom, will be published in the official Proceedings of the Conference. Inasmuch as the information presented concerns Canadian organizations and training facilities for fuel research, it should be of general interest to Canadian scientists, and especially to the Coal Division of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Part I, the alternate title of which is Facilities in Canada for Fuel Research and for Exchange of Information and Staff, does not include research on peat, oil shale, petroleum oils in general, and natural gas, and omits studies of the geology, constitution, and production of coal. Special reference is, however, made to research on the heavy crude oils and bitumen of the Western Prairie Provinces, and particularly to their production and treatment to produce crudes for oil refinery processing.

Jan 1, 1951

By Richard Burt

"In seeking to supply the ever increasing needs for raw materials, the mining industry has been required to develop lower grade resources in increasingly remote regions of the world. This has resulted in the extension of many frontiers, both technologically and geographically.The accent of mineral processing research over the last few decades has been to “do existing things better”. There have been many breakthroughs in equipment and processes; however in general the accent has been to increase capacity of existing unit processes, often by orders of magnitude, or to refine the process itself by basic research and development. This has lead to added sophistication, enabling the process engineer to maintain optimum performance of his equipment while reducing the cost, and the amount of labour needed to operate the plant.While much of the increased requirement for resources is handled by the development of ever larger, lower grade orebodies, a significant portion still comes from the small miner - even the artisanal miner - operating in remote and often politically sensitive parts of the world. For them, innovation and simplicity are the keys, not sophistication.The tension between sophistication and simplicity - or research and reality - is specially evident in the area of gravity concentration of rare metals, such as tin and tantalum. This paper looks at this tension, primarily from the eyes of an operator and seeks to put into perspective the two paradigms."

Jan 1, 1999

By M. R. Coffin

Since the plant startup in 1972, the leaching and jarosite precipitation circuits at the zinc plant of the Kidd Metallurgical Division have been reconfigured several times to improve overall performance, and/or to respond to market conditions. For the most part, the circuit changes have been driven by two market factors: the price of zinc and the price of silver. Until recently, circuit modifications undertaken to improve zinc extraction and recovery came at the expense of silver recovery, and vice versa. In 2004, the plant was modified once again to produce a precious metals-bearing residue, but additional leaching circuits were added to ensure that zinc extraction and recovery did not suffer as a consequence. The development of the zinc plant of the Kidd Metallurgical Division is updated in this paper, with a focus on the recent circuit modifications and associated control strategies that were implemented to maximize zinc and precious metals recoveries, and control the quality of the jarosite residue.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jamel Sgaoula

During 1998 COGEMA Resources Inc. announced that operations at the Cluff Lake mine will be suspended indefinitely by the end of year 2000 as a result of deteriorating uranium market conditions. To remain profitable, Cluff Lake mine started an aggressive cost reduction program. A cost reduction team was formed to look for ways to lower production costs. The focus of this team was to screen all areas and to come up with ideas to improve the economy of the mine and ensure the viability of the operations over the remaining three years of operations. Among the areas where significant savings were achieved are: (1) replacement of portion of cement with fly ash in backfill; (2) backfill optimization; and (3) new shotcrete plant installation on site for bulk in-house shotcrete production. This paper details the research work carried out by Cluff Lake mine on these projects and results of its application.

May 1, 2001

By K. M. Wild, C. D. Martin, F. Amann

"Argillaceous rock formations, in particular clay shales, are notorious for creating challenges in rock engineering. Due to their generally low hydraulic conductivity and their complete saturation in their natural state at depth, the behavior of clay shales is usually characterized by a strong hydro-mechanical coupling.This paper presents typical pore pressure responses monitored in different underground rock laboratories and explores alternative ways for their interpretation. The underpinning processes and their relevance are identified based on analytical and conceptual numerical models. Pore pressure monitoring data from Opalinus clay at the Mont Terri Underground laboratory, the Boom Clay at the Mol facility and the Callovo-Oxfordian clay in the Meuse/Haute–Marne URL show a similar pore-pressure response associated with stress changes accompanying tunnel construction although the tunnels were built in different rock types, at different locations, and under different in-situ conditions.The numerical analyses in this study shows that the pore pressure response around an excavation in low permeable clay shales may have different explanations. Pore pressure drops observed in the tunnel near field can theoretically be explained by both, a pure elastic response in an isotropic or anisotropic rock mass with an anisotropic stress state, or a inelastic response and related dilatancy. However, a comparison between the numerical models and the in-situ measurements revealed that the latter is more likely. This conclusion is justified by the observation that pore pressure drops occur significantly ahead of the tunnel face which is not the case in elastic numerical simulations. Pore pressure measurements in the far field, where failure processes are unlikely to occur, can only partly be explained by a linear poroelastic models. The introduction of an anisotropic material plays a key role in reproducing the responses, conceptually."

Jan 1, 2015

By A. G. Pentland

MODELS of mines may be classified under three headings: (a) sheet models, (b) solid models, and (c) skeleton models. Sheet Models are made of sheets of glass, celluloid, or a transparent plastic material. The sheets are mounted in a frame which holds them in a parallel position, either horizontally or vertically. Mine plans are traced on the horizontal sheets; sections on the vertical sheets. The model may be illuminated by electric lights which are separated from the sheets by an opalescent screen. It is viewed from above or from the side in such a way that the plans or sections are superimposed. Sheet models are very useful for the illustration of mines with narrow, steep-dipping veins, but they do not give a satisfactory representation of a large mine with a flat-dipping vein. Large sheets of glass are difficult to handle and to support in a frame.? It is difficult to see through a considerable number of them. Solid Models are made of plaster, concrete, wood, or other material usually in the form of slabs in which the mine workings are indicated by properly dimensioned cavities in the model. The slabs are coloured to show the veins, country rock, faults, etc. The model is divided along selected sections in order to give access to the interior by the temporary removal of parts. Solid models may be used to illustrate large orebodies of the Sullivan type, but they are cumbersome because parts must be removed to study details of structure. Skeleton Models are ones in which the underground cavities are represented by metal, wood, plaster, or wax proportionately shaped and held in place by a frame. They illustrate the work which has been done but do not show the position of the veins, dykes, faults, etc., in the unworked parts. It is necessary to project by eye between workings in order to determine the location of these features. The essential difference between the skeleton model and the solid model is that the skeleton model represents the mine workings by solid forms and does not show the unworked parts of the vein, whereas the solid model shows the vein as a solid and the mine workings as cavities in it. The skeleton model lends itself well to the representation of a large mine with large stopes.

Jan 1, 1944

By V. Taylor

"THE petroleum industry in Canada has been experiencing considerable difficulty in filling its manpower requirements during the last few years, and because of the rapidly expanding nature of the industry it is concerned about the supply that will be available to fill the needs of the future. As the oil industry is one of the more technically oriented industries, the most acute problem exists primarily in the field of profession-al/technical personnel. This is particularly true in the production and exploration side of the business, because it employs the highest percentage of this type of personnel. Let me illustrate this by giving you some figures reported by the Alberta Bureau of Statistics as of December, 1965 -out of a total of 9,641 male employees engaged in oil producing and geological and geophysical operations in Alberta, 3,021, or 31 per cent, were classified as engineers, geologists, geophysicists, managers and other professional personnel. No figures are available for 1946 to make a direct comparison of the expansion of the industry over the past twenty 466 years, but it is doubtful whether more than 100 professional/technical people were engaged in producing in Alberta at that time"

Jan 1, 1967

By R. T. Elworthy

Canada ranks second in the list of world consumers of natural gas. In 1923 our production was nearly fifteen million thousand cubic feet valued at $5,800,000. Our output, however, appears very small compared with that of the United States, which in 1923 totalled over one thousand and eight million cubic feet, valued at $240,000,000. Natural gas is found in commercial quantities in three? provinces in Canada. New Brunswick: Natural gas in New Brunswick has been utilized commercially only since 1912,although the investigation of oil and gas possibilities of the province commenced as early as 1859. The annual production is a little more than one-twentieth of the total Canadian production and remains fairly constant from year to year. Ontario: In Ontario the earliest gas wells were drilled in Essex and Welland counties between the years 1885 and 1890. On account of the small demand in Canada the cities of Detroit and Buffalo were supplied with large quantities of gas from these wells, but this export was curtailed in 1898 and finally ceased in 1900. The production of natural gas in Ontario, mainly from fields in Lambton, Kent, Essex, Norfolk, Haldimand and Welland counties, increased rapidly from 1900 until the peak was reached in 1917, when over nineteen million thousand cubic feet valued at $3,641,587 was consumed.

Jan 1, 1925

By C. -S. Xie, J. -H. Kong

The microstructure and mechanical properties of X80 hot-rolled thick steel strips with a thickness of 17.5mm produced in Wuhan Iron & Steel Company (WISCO) are introduced in the paper. The steel strips as fabricated through proper thermomechanical processing (TMP)/ on-line accelerated cooling (OLAC) processing have shown high strength and toughness, low brittle transition temperature, good weldability, and high Shear Area (SA) percentage in Drop Weight Tear Test (DWTT). The microstructure of the steel strips is characterized with mainly acicular ferrite, and fine dispersed Martensitc-Austenite (M-A) phases. It is determined that the mechanical properties are improved due to the presence of the fine M-A phases and precipitates, which could be formed by reducing the finish rolling and coiling temperatures.

Jan 1, 2005

By Douglas A. Karvonen

"Competition in the world potash market has increased significantly since the late 1970s. The failure of consumption to grow at expected levels has led to industry over-capacity, a situation which is likely to persist at least until 1990. Individual Saskatchewan producers and their offshore marketing company, Canpotex, have responded to this challenge by increasing mining efficiency, developing more cost-effective and reliable transportation systems and establishing innovative financing and market development programs tailored to customers' special needs. Investment in warehouse facilities to serve U.S. customers and exploration of opportunities for intermodal distribution through the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system have maintained individual producers' position in the highly competitive domestic market.Export sales through Canpotex have been bolstered by utilization of CIDA funds, Exp ort Development Corporation financing guarantees and other innovative payment plans which enable heavily indebted developing countries to maintain the import levels which are necessary for their agricultural development.IntroductionPotash is the general term applied to various potassium salts both natural occurring and commercially derived. The most common of the commercial product s are potassium chloride, potassium sulphate and potassium magnesium sulphate. The potassium content of potash is measured in units of K20 equivalent. The common grades of potassium chloride produced for agriculture average at least 60 0/0 K20 compared with approximately 50% Kp for potassium sulphate and 22% for potassium magnesium sulphate."

Jan 1, 1985

By R. R. Rogers

Introduction The subject of cathodic protection is not new. In 1824 Sir Humphry Davy, in publishing the results of his investigations for the British navy, pointed out that copper could be protected from sea-water corrosion by connecting it electrically with zinc or iron. Since that time much work has been clone in this field, particularly in the protection of metals from the action of sea water, neutral brines, and treated and untreated waters. Special mention should be made of the successful protection of underground pipe-lines which formerly were badly corroded by the water in the ground. So far, magnesium alloy and zinc anodes have been the most popular. However, fairly recent work has indicated that aluminium anodes will give good service under certain conditions. The principle of cathodic protection has been applied extensively in coating steel articles with zinc and in cladding aluminium alloy sheet with pure aluminium. A valuable discussion of the fundamentals and applications of cathodic protection recently was presented in the Corrosion Handbook. A useful list of references was included in the article.

Jan 1, 1949

By A. Pawelczyk, D. Hreniak, E. Zych, W. Strek, K. Grabas, A. Ostrowski

"Mongolia is a country rich in rare earth resources. In the experiments carried out samples of the Mongolian ore were processed to obtain a lanthanide concentrate. The concentrate underwent hydrometallurgical processing. At the same time radioactive elements were removed. The lanthanides were obtained in the form of hydroxides that were further processed in order to get concentrated products. As a result cerium, lanthanum and neodymium-praseodymium concentrates were separated in the process. Also a concentrate of remaining elements: samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium and erbium was obtained. INTRODUCTIONAccording to the assessment of the US Geological Survey, Mongolia possesses 16.77 % of the world total rare earth (RE) resources (Daly, 2011); that is the second largest RE reserve in the world, estimated to be 31 million tonnes in terms of rare earth oxides (REO). In the face of Chinese RE trade restrictions, Mongolia emerged as an important economical partner in mining and exploitation of these critical raw materials. This country is recognized as having more than five large RE deposits in the southern provinces. The most important are Lugeengol (Lugin Gol), Mushgia Khudag, Khotgor and Khalzan Buregtei (Eurasia, 2010). The Mongolian government has taken measures to facilitate western investments, nevertheless the country is economically dependent on China, the basic trading partner, particularly where exports are concerned.In the late 1970s Hydromet Kowary Enterprise, Poland, took up, along with the Wroclaw University of Technology, research and technological study on lanthanides recovery from raw materials of Vietnamese and Mongolian origin and from Indian monazite sands (Kowalczyk, 1990; Kowalczyk & Mazanek, 1987; 1990). For that purpose, a rare earth processing plant had been constructed with the capacity of about 10 t/year of hydroxide concentrate. The facility included several technological operations like grinding, flotation, hydroxide concentrate production in the hydrometallurgical processing, particular RE separation, and production of commercial products in form of CeO2, La2O3, Nd2O3, Pr2O3, and misch metal. Additionally work had been carried out in Kowary on the manufacture of yttrium and europium oxides of high purity, which were intended for color TV picture tube production in Poland."

Jan 1, 2012

By G. M. Behrend

A group of mining men attending a recent workshop on "Analysis and Control in the Canadian Minerals Industry" issued, among others, the following statement: "Slurry flow measurement is considered to be one of the most inaccurate in the industry. A special program should be launched to encourage development." In response, this paper starts off the program with an investigation of the principles and the conventional practice of slurry flow measurement and identifies weaknesses which cause inaccuracies. Then it follows with descriptions of nonconventional systems in use at various locations and comments on their degree of success. The paper concludes that relatively simple methods, which it describes, can be applied to obtain an accurate slurry flow measurement.

Jan 1, 1973

By G. R. Heffernan

"In the early 1970ssteelmakers worldwide were looking forward to many years of expansion and profitability. Huge government investments in Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, and Venezuela were committed in anticipation of growing market s based on long-term OECD forecasts. In 1973 the first OPEC oil shock occurred. Steel demand shrank. Restructuring became the buzz word of the day as billions of dollars in taxpayers' money was poured into eliminating excess capacity and labour. In the United States, where government help was not available, inefficient companies went bankrupt; capacity was cut to 100 million tons from 155 million tons. The industry throughout the industrialized world shrank. By 1979the world economy seemed back on track and a modest degree of optimism could be detected in the international steel fraternity. Then came the second oil shock. By 1982 the industry was in the midst of another shakeout. More bankruptcies, more rationalization, and fewer jobs resulted. In Canada some well-known companies came close to the brink as low prices and high interest rates took their toll. In the light of the turmoil in the steel market over the past 20 years an attempt to forecast the trends through to 2001 is intimidating.However, there are good reasons to be optimistic today about both markets and technology.An economic super power is emerging in western Europe as 1992 draws near. The creation of a single market of 320 million well educated and economically ambitious people has major positive implications for steel demand. The mega projects of the channel tunnel, a European network of high speed railways, and the London docklands are the forerunners of greater things. Still to come is another $200 to $300 billion by the year 2001 in identifiable major projects for highways, railways, airports, water and sewage systems. Add to that the demands of an increasingly affluent population for automobiles, appliances and housing. On top of all that place large increasing demands for electric power and you have a potential beyond anything seen during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988 the EEC steel industry operated at 90% and in 1989 at 92% of effective capacity. A surge in spot prices indicated that 92% was close to the ceiling. This pace moderated in early 1990 but any slack will probably be taken up rather quickly."

Jan 1, 1990

By J. E. Nesset, E. R. Bobicki, K. L. Bilaniuk

The introduction of froth flotation technology in Canada, and in particular, in British Columbia, began not long after it was successfully applied in the Broken Hill mining area of Australia which began around 1905. It proved to be a revolutionary and transformative technology that resulted in marginal operations in copper, lead and zinc becoming profitable in spectacular fashion. The paper presents the technology of both oil flotation and froth flotation in the context of the challenges of the time and its early application in British Columbia at the Le Roi No.2 mine (1903), the Britannia Copper mine (1912), and at the Allenby concentrator of the Copper Mountain mine (1918-19). New-found archival documents indicate the Britannia application to be the first production application of froth flotation for copper ore outside Australia, a claim that is currently made by the Braden mine (now El Teniente) in Chile. Flotation was initially an add-on process following gravity methods but was rapidly shown to be far superior method for the bulk and selective recovery of metal sulphides. Flotation proved particularly successful for the recovery of zinc sulphide (the so-called ‘zinc problem’) which was considered a contaminant at the time. The ‘copper problem’ related to the poor recovery of fine copper sulphide particles that were not amenable to gravity methods. The success of flotation led to changes in both the scale and methods of mining, concentration and smelting in a manner that allowed integrated mining companies to flourish. Many are still with us today. INTRODUCTION The advent of froth flotation in the early 20th century was truly a revolutionary technological development, not only for the mining and metallurgical industries, but arguably more so for business and society overall. The Canadian technology historian Jeremy Mouat stated (1996) “The development of flotation was the greatest single metallurgical improvement of the modern era...it is not overstating the case to claim that flotation was of central importance to the smooth functioning of the global economy”. It should, therefore, be a story of interest to us all. The aim of this paper is not to retell the full story, that has been well covered by others (Hoover, 1912; Rickard, 1916a; Hines & Vincent, 1961; Lynch et al., 2010) but rather to add some Canadian perspective and the key role played by companies and individuals in those early days, focusing on events in British Columbia’s copper industry. EARLY DEVELOPMENTS During the later half of the 19th century, a number of flotation-related patents were issued. These include the 1860 patent (Britain) granted to William Haynes for a process to separate sulphides from ground ore by mixing it with oil (1-10% wt) followed by a separation process in a water-filled vessel; the 1877 patent granted to Georg and Adolph Bessel (Germany) for a process involving the mixing of oil and graphite ore followed by boiling in water to produce a high grade graphite froth (>90% carbon); and the 1885 patent granted to Rebecca ‘Carrie’ Everson for the separation of sulphides by mixing sulphide ore with small quantities of oil, and adding water followed by sulphuric acid. These processes are more properly referred to as bulk oil flotation due to the relatively large quantity of hydrocarbon used.

Jan 1, 2019

"4.1. IntroductionThis chapter reviews the geochemistry of the platinum-group elements (POE) in sulphur-poor silicate rocks, and the limited data on POE in silicate, oxide, sulphide, arsenide and sulpharsenide minerals. The earliest geochemical studies of POE in silicate rocks, minerals and meteorites were carried out mainly by Goldschmidt, the Noddacks and their co-workers, and are reviewed in Crocket (1969). These researchers established the siderophile character of the POE, emphasized the common association of the group with sulphides in ultramafic-mafic rocks and suggested that very low concentrations of POE are typical of sulphur-poor silicate rocks and minerals. Much of these data were for Pt and Pd only and are more than 50 years old. Because of the poor sensitivity typical of the available analytical methods, few reliable data were obtained on silicate rocks in these early studies. Surveys of POE geochemistry demonstrate that the data base for sulphur-poor silicate rocks is very restricted, although considerable highquality data for Pd and Ir have been accumulated (Wright and Fleischer 1965, Yushko-Zakharova eta/., 1967, Mertie 1969, Crocket 1969, 1979, Keays 1981).Two recent publications, Vol. 71, No. 7 (1976), of Economic Geology (An Issue Devoted to Platinum-Group Elements) and Vol. 17, Part 2 (1979), of The Canadian Mineralogist (Nickel-Sulphide and Platinum-Group-Element Deposits), are of special interest. These volumes are clear testimony to the impressive progress made in the last decade toward describing the mineralogical and geochemical aspects of POE ore deposits, but at the same time demonstrate the constraints in modelling POE ore genesis due to our meager knowledge of the. POE content and distribution among minerals in the source rocks of ultramafic and mafic magmas. It is clear that the phases hosting POE in mantle source rocks are poorly understood. Nevertheless, Naldrett and Duke (1980) have shown that the absolute and relative concentrations of POE in magmatic sulphide ores are related to the degree of partial melting of mantle peridotites, and subsequent processes of batch equilibration and fractional segregation of sulphides."

Jan 1, 1979