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By Frank E. Lathe

During the war the National Research Council at Ottawa sent out questionnaires to the managers of nearly all the industrial plants in Canada. Inquiry was made as to the research equipment possessed, the number of research workers employed and the nature of the research problems which still remained unsolved. Practically all the companies reported that they had no special facilities for research, had no re-search workers and did not require the assistance of the National Research Council-because they had no research problems. Perhaps we have here one of the chief reasons why certain of our manufacturers find themselves unable to meet foreign competition. For hundreds of years the Indian tribes of northern Chile worked, in a small way, the copper deposits at Chuquicamata. They had no research problems and made no striking success of their mining operations. Then came an American company with a research problem, which they proceeded to solve. To-day the stock of that company has a market value of about $140,000,000.

Jan 1, 1926

By R. B. Harkness

Many of us are familiar with the history of oil in the Province of Ontario, but for the benefit of those who have never heard the story I will repeat it. In 185 7 J. H. Williams, of Hamilton, an old-country Scotchman, who had the advantage of experience gained from the primitive methods used for refining the oil collected at seepages in Roumania, heard of the "gum beds" along Black creek in Enniskillen township, Lambton county. He erected a small plant in the bush and refined illuminating oil, where the village of Old Springs now stands. The labor of collecting this thick ?gummy substance from the sluggish water of the creek, prompted him to dig a well, the next year ( 1858), in the hope of obtaining a greater quantity. When his excavation reached a gravel bed on top of the rock, oil, resembling "lubricating oil of commerce", rose several feet. Several of these wells were dug and his refining business flourished. The following year the Drake well, in Pennsylvania, was drilled into rock, resulting in an oil find which encouraged one James Shaw to make a similar attempt on Black creek. With a spring-pole drill he completed his well in the spring of 1861 to a depth of 160 feet, and at that depth struck a gusher that flowed uncontrolled for several days. Great excitement followed and the village of Oil Springs had a mushroom growth. The Petrolia field was discovered in 1865. Lick followed up the Thames with a spring-pole rig testing the formations along that river and discovered the original Bothwell field in 1865. During the sixties wells were drilled in many counties in southwestern Ontario.

Jan 1, 1924

By M. Mbonimpa

Field experimental cells were constructed in 2007 to assess the performance of different cover scenarios for the reclamation of the Parc 1 tailings disposal facility at the Westwood-Doyon Mine site (Abitibi, Quebec). Three configurations of cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBEs) with different thicknesses and material types for the moisture retention layer (MRL) were studied. MRL with 80 cm till, 40 cm till, and 40 cm clayey silt were used for cell nos. 2, 3, and 5, respectively. The capillary barrier layer (CBL) and drainage and protection layer (DPL) of the CCBE consisted of 30 cm gravel. A reference cell without cover was also constructed to compare the geochemical performance of the CCBEs. Due to an unexpected flooding in the leachate exit area of the cells in spring 2008, the cell instrumentation for hydrogeotechnical monitoring was postponed to spring 2009. Changes with time in volumetric water content, suction, soil oxygen concentration, and temperature were measured at different depths. This paper presents and discusses preliminary results obtained from spring 2009 to autumn 2010. In all cases, the degree of saturation Sr is lower in the CBL than in the MRL, indicating the presence of capillary barrier effects at the interface of these layers. Cell nos. 2 and 5 showed hydrogeotechnical behavior typical of an effective CCBE, with Sr maintained above 85% in the MRL and lower than 30?50% in the DPL and CBL. Based on the obtained results, and as expected, MRL thickness and the type of construction material used appear to affect the hydrogeotechnical behavior of the CCBE. Oxygen concentration profiles through the CCBEs were used to estimate the oxygen flux, and results indicate that cell nos. 2 and 3 performed better than cell no. 3. CCBE performance is currently being investigated using the geochemical monitoring data.

Aug 1, 2013

By Alan Jessop

A small group has been set up at the Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, to make a survey of terrestrial heat flow throughout Canada. Terrestrial heat flow is the heat rising from the interior of the earth and escaping at the surface, and is calculated from a knowledge of under-ground temperature distribution and the thermal conductivity of rocks. A small number of diamond drill holes are being sunk for the purpose of measuring temperatures below the surface, but the program is inadequate for a thorough survey. Mines and holes drilled for other purposes are being sought by the Dominion Observatory group to supplement their own drilling program. F ROM January, 1.962, to December, 1964, geo-physicists of many nations will be cooperating in the "International Upper Mantle Project." Unlike tl1e International Geophysical Year, which was mainly concerned with the fluid layers surrounding the earth, the Upper Mantle Project is an intensive study of the solid earth. Canada, with its large land area and extensive Precambrian Shield, is an active participant in the project.

Jan 1, 1964

By CIM Standing Committee

The CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves (CIM Definition Standards) establish definitions and guidance on the definitions for Mineral Resources, Mineral Reserves, and mining studies used in Canada. The Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve, and mining study definitions are incorporated, by reference, into National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). The CIM Definition Standards can be viewed at mrmr.cim.org. Readers should be aware that reports written by persons issuing technical reports that disclose information about exploration or other mining properties to the public in Canada are governed by a number of securities regulations.

May 10, 2014

By William C. Browning

An economic drilling programme is one which costs the !east in chemicals, equipment, and time. The basis for such a programme with rotary drilling techniques is a drilling fluid in which bentonites do not swell. This is recognized in the growing trend toward gyp and other inhibited mud systems. Therefore, even though the mechanism of thinner action is a subject of applied colloid ,chemistry, the understanding of this mechanism is of economic importance in controlling the flow properties of inhibited muds. In phosphate, or sodium tannate, conditioned muds that are relative-!y free of contaminating-electrolytes, the thinner, or dispersing agent, is adsor.bed, ?creating an electrical double layer about the clay particles. The mutual repulsion of these charged particles effects colloidal stabilization, or deflocculation of the suspended clays, as discussed by Norton and others. In inhibited muds, however, the electrolyte concentration in the filtrate is sufficient to collapse the double layer and flocculation of the mud solids occurs, as evidenced by increased viscosity and gel values. Chemicals to control the flow properties of inhibited muds, therefore, are vital to the successful use of these systems as it is not always economical to adjust flow properties by watering back. Flocculation of suspended particles, as indicated in the work of Vervey, Overbeek, and others, is due primarily to gravity-like, long-range Van der Waals forces. Prevention of flocculation may, therefore, be secured by the interposition of any barrier between the particles, the thickness of which approximates the extension of the Van der Waals at-traction. Organic polyelectrolytes, such as Kembreak, Rayf!o, and Q-Broxin, may act to increase the double layer charge when used in small amounts in fresh-water muds. More important, however, is the fact that in inhibited muds an increase in concentration of the polyelecholyte permits the formation of a condensed film adsorption layer of the polyelectrolyte about the clay particle. When this occurs, the extremely viscous condensed adsorption layer creates a mechanical. barrier that prevents flocculation of clays, even in the presence of inhibiting concentrations of elecholytes. Rheological evaluation of the degree of deflocculation, or colloidal stability, may be made by utilizing the known effects of particle inter-action and volume concentration on the flow properties of suspensions. Rheological evaluation should be supplemented by direct microscopic or ultra-microscopic observation.

Jan 1, 1958

By Tony Lipiec, Greg Gosson

"When it comes to new mines being developed, there is a general industry consensus that most low-hanging fruit has been picked. Many projects currently in the mine development pipeline have been around for decades, but were held back because of technical challenges. Future development of these deposits will likely require access to the public capital markets, and in Canada that means providing scientific and technical disclosure on these deposits in compliance with NI 43-101. As many of these “challenged” projects have metallurgical issues, the companies that own the projects need to ensure their metallurgical Qualified Persons provide transparent disclosure regarding proposed solutions to those issues.This paper provides an overview of the disclosure requirements under NI 43-101 that are pertinent to metallurgists, and other Qualified Persons who prepare technical disclosure regarding the metallurgical characteristics of a mineral project. It lists the triggers for a technical report under NI 43-101 and Canadian stock exchange policies, and identifies the sections of the report that should involve input from a metallurgist or process engineer. It briefly outlines new civil liabilities under Canadian securities laws that increase the possible consequences for not complying with the technical disclosure standards.These materials are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Readers are advised to seek specific legal advice from their own legal counsel in relation to any decision or course of action contemplated."

Jan 1, 2003

By E. Thune, F. Stålesen, E. O. Stensholt, O. M. Dotterud, E. E. Henriksen, P. O. Ramsdal

"The development and commercial operation of the Falconbridge chlorine leach process have been described in papers in 1985 and 1987. Since this time, various process improvements have been implemented and the capacity of the Kristiansand refinery has been increased to 85 000 t/y Ni, 40 0000 t/y Cu and 4500 t/y Co. The focus has been on continuous improvements in productivity, the use of energy and other costs. Several environmental issues have also been eliminated or reduced since 1987. IntroductionThe first nickel refining operation in Kristiansand, Norway, started in 1910 based upon raw materials from Norwegian mines. In 1929, Falconbridge Nickel mines purchased the refinery to acquire information and the patent rights to the Hybinette refining process that was practised at the small Kristiansand refinery. Falconbridge ownership has now, for more than 70 years, provided a strong base regarding raw material supply, financial resources and technical support for further expansions and major technical improvements at the refinery.The main concepts of the new chlorine leach process were developed in the laboratories from 1966 to 1969 and the process was piloted from 1970 to 1972. The main stages in the commercial plant were started in the 1975 to 1981 period. After 1981, there have been a number of process modifications, plant expansions and improvements to operating practices. The developments up to 1988 have been described in previous publications (Stensholt et al., 1986, 1988).This paper presents an overview of the process and how it is practised at Falconbridge Nikkelverk AS (FNA) today and describes some of the main changes that have been implemented since 1988. During this time, the nickel capacity has been expanded from 54 000 t/y to 85 000 t/y and the cobalt capacity from 2000 t/y to 4500 t/y. The paper describes how these expansions were achieved together with continuous improvements in operating efficiency and also gives an overview of the main environmental concerns at the refinery."

Jan 1, 2001

By W. D. Madeley

Synthetic minerals were made from pure starting materials and galena samples were doped with the title metals. Microscopic, microprobe and X-ray examination confirmed that the dopeants were in solid solution. Paired flotations in a Hallimond-tube apparatus were performed to determine relative flotation response using Aerofloat 238 promoter. Results of these tests show that silver-doped galena floats more readily than pure galena and that galena doped with bismuth floats less readily than pure mineral to a 95% confidence level. Galena doped with both silver and antimony as AgSbS2 shows no detectable effect. Antimony-doped galena followed the expected trend, but not to 95% confidence. The results are consistent with the theory that flotation by thiol-type anionic collectors is enhanced by p-type semiconduction.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. L. Llanca

The New Level Mine project (NLMP), the planned underground expansion of the El Teniente mine in Rancagua, Chile, is expected to reach a daily extraction rate of 137 to 180 ktpd upon achieving full capacity. Production is planned to start in the year 2017 and the current plan is to meet that target through two development phases, from the year 2012 to 2014 and from the year 2015 to 2017. To achieve the 2012 to 2014 underground development schedule, the ventilation requirements have been estimated in the range of 189 m3/s (400 kcfm), and cannot be made available without significant modifications to the current system of El Teniente. As a result, a certain number of alternatives were explored to find a solution to this shortfall, for example, adding raises to generate parallel airways and installing fans to reinforce the current ventilation system. From the alternatives studied, the installation of a second main fan (system) in parallel to an existing one was identified as the best solution, and selected for implementation, however the location was not ideal and there were concerns as to the operation of both fans once the second fan was installed. This paper presents the study used to estimate the operational points of both the current and the new fan, and to justify the parallel installation of the additional main fan. An additional computational fluid dynamics study was undertaken to validate the operational point, given the particular geometry of the fan?s location and placement, to guarantee a stable operation of the fans. Finally, the protocols arising out of this work for starting the fans, and operating them in parallel to avoid generating a stall condition and damaging the investment are discussed.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. R. Porter, C. Panaou

"A significant effort is expended on preparation of the capital estimate for feasibility studies. The development of the operating cost estimate is usually allocated a significantly smaller budget and less emphasis is placed on ensuring the accuracy of the operating cost. This paper presents a comparison of capital and operating costs of hydrometallurgy processing plants in order to demonstrate the importance that variations in operating costs have on the overall life-of-mine costs. The analysis is supported by a case study on the operating costs of a water treatment plant at an existing Australian hydrometallurgy facility at the feasibility design level. INTRODUCTIONDetermination of the economic validity of a minerals processing project is a critical outcome of a feasibility study. In many cases, the financial results of the feasibility study will determine if the project should proceed to execution. Ensuring that these results are reliable and built upon sound engineering practices allows companies to make informed decisions on resource opportunities and the selected technology.The methodology for developing a capital cost estimate at the feasibility level is well established. Specialist engineering estimators use budget quotations, first principle estimation and rules-of-thumb to develop an estimate with an accuracy of typically -10% to +15%. Cost reporting software packages are used to methodically build up the estimate from design information supplied by the engineering disciplines. Risk analysis and capital expense workshops are carried out to identify potential deficiencies in the estimate. It is widely recognized that in order to successfully produce a feasibility level capital estimate with an appropriate level of accuracy, a rigorous development process is necessary.The development of the operating cost estimate is typically less rigorous than the capital cost estimate. The operating cost is normally derived by the process engineering discipline and rarely are specialist estimators used to support the development. The allocated budget for producing an operating cost is usually smaller and less emphasis is placed on ensuring the accuracy and contingency reflect the most likely operating cost scenario."

Jan 1, 2012

By Benoît Valley

Optimization of the mining sequence in terms of economics (maximizing net present value) often leads to multi-front mining methods generating pillars. Significant resources are tied up in these pillars, but mining them is often challenging. In order to improve our understanding of rock mass behaviour while extracting these pillars, an extensive monitoring program has been designed and implemented at Vale?s Coleman mine (Sudbury, Canada). The program focuses on existing and new technologies that have potential for monitoring deformation and rock mass property changes. It includes both active and passive methods: gravimeters, multi-point borehole extensometers, fiber optic strain meters, fixed and portable three-component seismic arrays, borehole imaging and sonic logging, and, repeated LiDAR surveys. This paper reports results from an initial project phase, when only a small amount of mining has taken place. The goal was to test and compare technologies in order to assess their sensitivity, accuracy, repeatability and suitability for underground mining conditions. Value is gained by having a broad range of monitoring devices running side by side, enabling comparisons and benchmarking.

Jun 1, 2012

By L. D. van Dyk, G. S. Tshofu

Iron ore fines are by-products of iron ore mining operations. Unlike iron ore lumps, fines cannot directly be used in conventional iron making processes, and consequently large quantities accumulate around the world. Pelletizing and sintering can be used to convert iron ore fines into agglomerates or briquettes for processing with lump ore, but these techniques are energy intensive and produce greenhouse gases. This research investigated the extraction of iron from iron ore fines using acetylacetone (a ß-diketone) as an environmentally friendly alternative process for fines utilization. A 2k factorial experiment design was used to identify the significant extraction variables. It was found that the reaction temperature and solid to liquid ratio had significant effects on the extraction process. The extraction kinetics were studied at different temperatures and the highest iron extraction (97 %) was obtained after 48 hours at 413 K and 0.025:1 (g:mL) solid to liquid ratio for a particle size range of +106 to -150 µm. The extraction products were easily separated from the unreacted acetylacetone by flash distillation and iron(III) acetylacetonate crystals were recovered. An economic evaluation showed that selling the crystals was profitable. Alternatively, the crystals can be reduced with hydrogen to iron particles and acetylacetone (for reuse).

Jan 1, 2015

By Zihe Ren, Edouard Asselin, Marcus Tomlinson, Tianbi Zhang, Jing Liu

"Raman spectroscopy is used to quantify the extent of disorder in the carbonaceous matter associated with preg-robbing ores. Previous studies of Goldstrike ores showed that the height and width of the peaks for the “D” (disordered) and “G” (graphite) bands, the so-called “Raman ratio” had a strong correlation to the preg-robbing value (PRV) measured for various ore samples. A brief literature review on Raman spectroscopy as it applies to preg-robbing ores is presented. Further, recent studies, presented here, have shown no correlation between the Raman ratio and the PRV for a wide variety of ores. This suggests that the extent of organic carbon crystal disorder is not the main factor in determining preg-robbing characteristics.INTRODUCTION Valuable base metals, such as nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium and tungsten, are used in a wide range of important technological applications. The demand for many of these metals has increased significantly over the last few decades, driven especially by economic expansion in Asia generally and China in particular. This has led in turn to a large growth in the output of mines in order to satisfy this increasing demand, as shown by the data in Table 1 (USGS, 1994, 2014). These data reflect an even longer trend of growth of these metals, with nickel, for example, showing an average rate of 5.3% per year from 1980 until 2015 (International Nickel Study Group, 2017). This rapid and sustained rate of growth means that annual mine outputs for nickel, tungsten, molybdenum and vanadium have had to double roughly every 11 to 14 years, whilst cobalt mine output has had to double roughly every 7 years, over the period from 1994 until 2014. With the average working life of a nickel mine being between 17 and 22 years (Statista, 2017), this means that from the time a nickel mine opens until it closes, the industry needs to find the equivalent of another three or four mines of a similar output to satisfy this relentless growth in demand for the metal."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. W. Matousek

The heat content of the waste slag from a typical smelting operation methods for estimating the thermodynamic properties of smelting slags, to include: -- heats of formation -- heat capacities (specific heats) -- heat contents -- melting temperatures -- heats of fusion The techniques are illustrated with the analyses of a nickel reverberatory furnace slag from Copper Cliff, an iron-making blast furnace slag, and a "lateritic" slag from a ferronickel operation in Colombia.

Jan 1, 2007

By D. M. Rippley

THE St. Lawrence Seaway Project ranks with the greatest engineering undertakings of all time. A summary of major materials going into the construction of this project, shown in Table I, will assist in an appreciation -of this fact. These data relate to Seaway construction only, and it should be remembered that two large-scale power projects are in the construction stage on the St. Lawrence river concurrently with construction of the Seaway. A project of such magnitude as the Seaway would attract widespread interest even if it were being constructed in a remote area. The fact that it is located in a heavily populated and developed section of both Canada and the United States has done much to enhance this interest, and in many ways complicates the problems confronting the engineer in the design and construction phases. Many consider the St. Lawrence Seaway to be a new idea that has developed within the past decade - such is far from the fact, because the St. Lawrence River canal systems have existed for more than a century, and the Seaway Project is but a new, larger, and more efficient version of a continually expanding facility.

Jan 1, 1957

By F. J. Gauthier, R. G. Gray

"The possibilities of expanding the production rate from the Copper Mountain Mine have been examined using computer programs for analysing a complete range of data, beginning with the diamond drill assays and embracing all steps up to the final rates of return.Programs have been developed to calculate the mineralization inventory file, a matrix of blocks containing the grade and the type of mineralization estimated for each block. Given the topography, prices of metals and costs, the pit limits are optimized using a three-dimensional technique. Within the pit, ore reserves at any cutoff can be calculated. Mining of the pit is then simulated using an interactive production scheduling program on a timesharing computer. The annual tonnage and grade figures from the production schedule are input to a financial analysis program, where the present value and the rate of return are calculated at various metal prices. The expansion possibilities can be run through the programs with their respective costs, and evaluated using the rate of return on the marginal cash flow compared to the additional capital expenditure."

Jan 1, 1971

By A. R. Farkoosh

Al-Si based alloys have been recently used by automotive industry for highly stressed engine applications. Due to severe working conditions of the engine parts, existing alloys hardly endure high pressures at high temperatures. This necessitates alloy modifications to enhance the elevated temperature performance. In this study, the effects of trace nickel additions on the microstructural and mechanical properties of A356+0.5Cu alloy have been investigated at different aging conditions. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to study the microstructural changes. Aging curves have been obtained by hardness measurement. It was seen that the presence of additional nickel introduced many complex intermetallic phases within the microstructure which led to improved high temperature mechanical and aging response.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. E. Shaw

This paper describes the use of the Free Piston Valve, and a simple hoist brake control system, which has been developed over the last two years, greatly improving the performance of low-pressure brake engines. The basic control system is outlined, with sections devoted to emergency trips and differential braking, and the application of the system to deep shaft hoisting is discussed.

Jan 1, 1966

By N. E. Izatt

Molecular recognition technology (MRT) has a wide range of applications in the hydrometallurgical and chemical processing industries for the selective removal of iron as well as various other impurities from a variety of streams, including aqueous solutions through a wide pH range, as well as organic solutions. An example of a commercial application is provided for the removal of iron from an aluminum chlorohydrate stream. In this example, MRT has a selectivity for iron relative to aluminum which is significantly higher than that of ion exchange resins. A discussion of MRT capabilities for other impurities and streams is also provided.

Jan 1, 2006