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By A. S. Gendron

A brief description of Inco's ORC copper refinery tankhouse and the electrowinning tankhouse is followed by a comparison of the requirements for the production of the high-quality copper in both systems. The description will focus on both tankhouses, with emphasis on experience to date in the electrowinning tankhouse. Particular attention will be paid to sensitivities of each tankhouse to process upsets which can. significantly afject the quality of the product cathodes.

Jan 1, 1977

By E. G. Gaylord

THE material improvements which have been made in the practice of exploiting oil and gas reservoirs in the United States during recent years may be attributed largely to: (1) The necessity for drilling deeper wells at costs not much greater than was formerly expended on shallower wells. (2) The necessity for producing oil at a lower cost per barrel. (3) A growing recognition of the importance of the nature of production practice upon ultimate yield of oil and gas. The first two of these factors result, to a large extent, from the fact that a greater proportion of new development has been deeper development, and these wells have been drilled in the face of progressively lower per well allowables. In California, for instance, maximum allowables have declined from 400 barrels per day in March, 1938, to 156 barrels per day in September, 1940, and during this same period some 125 wells were drilled to the deeper 10,000-foot producing horizons discovered during this time. The third item listed above results from our increasing knowledge of the basic factors which influence the amount of recovery we may expect from reservoirs. In addition to the longer-range planning now being undertaken by the more prudent operators, State proration and conservation laws have focused attention upon the importance of methods conducive to obtaining progressively greater quantities of the hydrocarbons in place. In a paper of this length it will be possible to discuss only a few of the recent advances. An effort has been made to select the more important of these and to indicate, where possible, the factors which have made these advances possible.

Jan 1, 1941

By L. R. Hougen

The Falconbridge Matte Leach Process yields high-purity nickel chloride by selectively dissolving nickel from copper-nickel converter matte with hydrochloric acid , purifying the solution by solvent extraction and crystallizing NiCl2 4H2O by further acidifying the purified leach liquor. In the Kristiansand Matte Leach Plant, a granular oxide is produced by high-temperature hydrolysis of the nickel chloride for subsequent reduction to a high-purity granular metal product, designated NICKEL 98. This paper describes the investigation of on alternate route to processing nickel chloride in which high-quality cathode nickel is produced by electrowinning from all- chloride electrolyte. The investigation was made in a pilot circuit containing two production-size electrowinning tanks operated in conjunction with the commercial-scale leach plant.

Jan 1, 1977

By I. Ruiz Bustinza, L. F. Verdeja, Daniel Sbarbaro, R. Parra, J. Mochón

The oxidation of sulfides is a complex process involving gaseous products and intermediate species given rise to emission and absorption spectra which carry out important information about the reaction process. This information could be used for on line monitoring of pyrometallurgical reactor if the appropriate sensors were available. We present in this paper an analysis of the concept that has been successfully applied in iron and steel making industry, as well on fuel combustion control, where the spectra measurement gives the possibility for online monitoring and automatic control of high temperature processes. This concept has not been widely applied in the nonferrous pyrometallurgical primary production. The design of new sensors is discussed from the analysis of spectra measurements during flash combustion of copper concentrates at laboratory scale.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Scrimgeour

"The word ""instrumentation"" has expanded from its original meaning, which in engineering perhaps referred to measuring apparatus alone. In its broadest form, it now includes sensors, display instrumentation, standard pack-aged controllers and, most recently, the use of stored program computers for on-line process control. The paper traces the evolution, in tutorial form, of the successive application of mechanization, measurement instrumentation, automatic control, central operating systems, programmed control, process computer control, direct digital control and, finally, hierarchies of computers used for process control and corporate management as a fully integrated business system. In the field of industrial minerals, the cement industry has seen the most widespread acceptance of these techniques. Computer control has been accepted as the way of life for the blending of chemical materials and for on-line control of the cement kiln. Accordingly, the cement application is selected for further presentation in the paper. This illustrates the trend progressing from control of single loops on process variables toward the objective of total control of the product quality. The economic justification for instrumentation, centralized control, automatic control and computer control is .discussed with reference to savings in fuel, maintenance, operating labour, depreciation, power and product quality improvements."

Jan 1, 1967

Particles for heap leaching in conventional circuits are prepared using Cone crushers. Cone crushers are used to crush the ore to the size range between 12-25 mm for heap leaching operations. Leaching from these relatively coarse particles occurs only at the surface and in subsurface regions, which are accessible from the surface by cracks and pores. Since leaching is active in accessible areas, the method of comminution that forms multiple cracks and pores would offer an advantage for heap leach. An investigation was performed in this study to assess if the HPGR forms more cracks and pores than a Cone crusher. X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to characterize the degree of cracks and pores formed by these two comminution devices that can be used for heap leaching feed preparation. In order to compare the effect of the comminution method on crack network generation, a bulk sample of the zinc ore was crushed by the HPGR at three different pressure settings (45, 95 and 120 bar), the sample ore was also crushed with a Cone crusher for comparison purposes. Products from the Cone crusher and HPGR experiment were then screened into five size fractions ((-25 +19), (-19+16), (-16+9.5), (-9.5+5), (-5+4.75) mm), Subsamples from the ((-25 +19), (-16+9.5), (-5+4.75) mm) size fractions were analysed. The spatial distribution of the crack network of sphalerite particles was characterized using a highresolution industrial X-ray CT system. This paper describes the use of image analysis techniques including image segmentation, which uses a combination of thresholding and other methods to characterize and quantify crack and mineral dissemination in the sphalerite particles after comminution with the HPGR and Cone crusher. The results are validated with those obtained using traditional techniques such as physical gas (with N2) adsorption, mercury intrusion porosimetry, SEM and QEMSCAN.

Jan 1, 2012

By C. E. Baltzer

This paper highlights the electric power situation in Canada, and introduces brief explanation of the salient differences between electrical practice in the United States and Canada. The availability of bask energy in the two countries is touched on, also the hydro versus thermal outlook as applying to Canada. De-v2lopment of thermal-electric power is dealt with in some detail, followed by Canada's thermal-electric power requirements, present and future. The fuel requirements for steam-electric generating plant are assessed on the basis of a survey recently made, and the location and size of the major thermal plant operations are given. Fuel contractual obligations on the part ?of suppliers and consumers are mentioned. Finally, an opinion is expressed in regard to the types of f.uel in ?demand on a regional basis with emphasis on the need for coal in the several areas dealt with.

Jan 1, 1958

By P. Favreau

This paper describes the progress accomplished at the Noranda Technology Centre in the field of three-dimensional computer-aided underground blast design. Traditional methods of laying out underground blasts are reviewed, and the new computer-aided approach is described. Time savings achieved through the use of BLASTCAD can be advantageously used to better engineer blasts, using models and blast vibration analysis. Future work involving the attachment of blast models directly to the system is also addressed.

Feb 1, 1993

By François Robert, Steve Green, Tyson Birkett, Dan Richardson

Abstract -Detailed sampling using a portable diamond drill, and interlaboratory comparison of selected samples have been combined with statistical studies of truncated populations to establish the gold content of several outcrops in the Val d'Or area. The outcrops chosen are non-mineralized. The background gold concentration in the rocks of the region is 5 ppb or Jess. Gold is distributed relatively homogeneously within the outcrops studied except for slightly increased concentrations within quartz-tourmaline veinlets. Three samples, of which 20 grams of powder are analyzed for each, can adequately determine the gold concentration of a structurally simple outcrop in the Val d'Or area.

Jan 1, 1992

By T. Y. Chong, J. A. Folinsbee, M. Fullam

PJV Dome Mine has used some form of gravity concentration since start of milling operation in 1909 to recover free milling gold. Amalgamation and conventional jigs were first used and were replaced with the Knelson Concentrators in 1993. The Knelson concentrates produced were upgraded on a conventional shaking table prior to smelting and refining into gold bullion. In May 2002, a comprehensive review of the latest gravity recovery technology led to a piloting campaign aimed at further improving gravity recovery. The Knelson concentrates, subjected to intensive cyanide leaching in an Acacia pilot plant, were found to be amenable to intensive cyanide leaching with over 98% of the gold being dissolved within 24 hours. An Acacia Intensive Leach Reactor was successfully installed and commissioned in December 2002, to replace the shaking table. his paper describes pilot scale testing, installation, commissioning and optimization of the Acacia Intensive Leach Reactor. Also, the economic impacts on down stream processes are highlighted.

Jan 1, 2005

By Dina M. Aloi

In today?s evolving and globalized world, mining companies are being pressured to move beyond compliance towards long-term sustainability and sustainable development. Companies are expected to ?engage? communities without a clear understanding of ?how? to do this or to what end. This move, away from compliance, develops more of a focus on ?Community? Social Responsibility and sustainability. This shift leads to the development of world-class projects that provide sustainable development for people, reduce the incidence of costly delays, and promote good global citizenship for companies. The process of ?engaging? communities in mining project design and development leads to a stronger license to operate, and a reduction in social and political risk. To create this mutually beneficial relationship between communities and companies, communities must be ?engaged? in the project development and risk assessment processes as early as possible, preferably during the exploration or the concept phases. How to create this ?engagement? and manage this risk will be discussed.

May 1, 2007

By J. W. Meier

Introduction The great importance of air warfare during World War II and the introduction of large-scale air transportation and airborne operations created an immediate demand for large quantities of high quality light alloy products. Before this war, the use of magnesium, the lightest structural metal, was barely in the development stage, and considerable research work was needed to overcome difficulties in improving its properties and to attain uniform quality in mass production of magnesium alloy products. The Canadian Bureau of Mines was frequently called upon, by various agencies of the Armed Forces and of the newly established war industries, to examine magnesium alloys that had failed in fabrication or in actual service, and to advise on proper alloys and fabrication methods to be used. Failures in magnesium alloy castings were connected mainly with lack of knowledge of proper founding and surface-protecting techniques. Most of the defects were due to microporosity and faulty heat treatment. To aid the foundry industry, small-scale investigations were started on the effect of various factors in the casting technique in order to improve the quality of the products. These investigations were made in co-operation with representatives of the Armed Forces and the Canadian magnesium industry. This work was later co-ordinated into a broad research programme on magnesium alloys, comprising problems on melting, refining, various casting methods, heat treatment, and testing of properties of standard and special alloys. This research programme? is still in force, and the present paper contains some results of the first series of investigations on magnesium casting alloys carried out at the Experimental Foundry of the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1948

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. C. Hnatyshyn

INTRODUCTION THOSE concerned with coal mining operations in Alberta have been asked repeatedly the same question, "Why is mechanization in Alberta proceeding so slowly as to lag far behind the mines in the United States?" This question is often asked in such a manner as to indicate that a severe reprimand is overdue to the mining engineers of this Province for their apparent indifference to the problem of improving their mining operations by increased mechanization. To the average person, unacquainted with mining conditions and problems, mechanization appears to be simply a matter of introducing equipment to load coal underground and, once this is done, substantial economies in operating costs will automatically follow. Invariably, those who have followed this simple reasoning have found, to their regret, that such is not the case and that effective mechanization involves something more than the mere process of introducing loading equipment into a mine. To be effective, any programme of mechanization must take into consideration all operations incidental to the mining, transportation, and handling of the coal from the working face to the tipple, and must utilize equipment which can be best adapted to any peculiar condition or circumstance prevailing in the mine concerned. In the use of such equipment, the net and final result should be an improvement in operating costs of sufficient magnitude to at least return to the operator, over a specific period of years or during the expected life of that equipment, all his investment plus a fair return on that investment.

Jan 1, 1951

By A. E. Flynn

THERE is at the present time a revived interest in amalgamation, due to the number of mines starting up, usually on high-grade ore, and utilizing this relatively cheap and convenient means of recovering gold, more especially in their initial stages of production. The marked increased use of the amalgamation process has revealed a dearth of amalgamators and there is no doubt the art of amalgamation has stood still for a generation or two and is not readily applicable to the modern practice of milling gold ores. Mill operators of long experience are learning the art for the first time and are giving it intelligent study, and considerable testing and research work is now being undertaken Most millmen consider amalgamation a simple process, and so it is when we have a clean ore with coarse gold, specially when stamps are used for crushing. In treating Nova Scotia ores by stamps and amalgamation, recoveries of 95 to 97 per cent are common and easily obtained. So-called 'under-water feed' is almost universally used in Nova Scotia and is quite beneficial. The water is supplied through jets between the dies and below the die surface and maintains this space as a live trap which catches the gold particles before they are overground and spoilt for amalgamation. With this method, the portion of gold recovered in the battery is higher than usual and often amounts to 80 per cent of the total gold in the ore, the remaining 20 per cent being caught on the plate. As a continuous amalgamator, the simple plate cannot be excelled. Some of the modern devices having moving or covered and not very accessible plates, which cannot be readily inspected and dressed to keep them in condition, do not give the best results in service. An exception might be drawn in the case of amalgamation of very heavy ore or concentrate which would bank up unless the plate is carried at such a steep inclination as to weep mercury. Difficulties in stamp-mill amalgamation are encountered when acid water is used or when grease is present. Also, certain sulphides and graphitic and talcose ores give trouble, resulting in poor gold recovery and high mer-cury loss. The older literature on gold milling deals with the common troubles of this type and the old-time amalgamator was well able to take care of day-by-day difficulties. When the difficulties were unsurmountable, the ore was classed as 'refractory' and other processes were used.

Jan 1, 1939

By David J. McDougall

"The production of pig iron, wrought iron bars and castings in Quebec during the 18th and 19th centuries has been so closely identified by historians with Les Forges du St. Maurice on the St. Maurice River a few miles north of Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers), that one is sometimes left with the impression that it was the only iron works that ever operated in the province. There were however, about twelve others, one of which was so completely re-built that it should probably be considered as a separate entity. All but two were constructed after the midpoint of the 1800s, coinciding with the growing Canadian demand for ""charcoal pig"" for railway car wheels and castings for industry, and about half of them were technically, if not economically, successful. The misconception about Les Forges du St. Maurice may have come about either because of its long history of somewhat less than continuous production over a century and a half, or a tendency of Quebec historians to concentrate on events in the French-Canadian milieu, but whatever the reason, the other Quebec iron works have been generally ignored. All but one of the Quebec blast furnaces could be described as ""pre-industrial"" with capacities ranging between three and ten tons per day, the exception being the Radnor furnace built in 1892 with a maximum production of about 35 tons per day and an alleged capacity of 50 tons per day. Until a railway network was completed in the 1880s, the location of all the Quebec iron works except the Grantham Iron works was dictated by close proximity to adequate ore reserves because horse transport was of little use beyond a ten-mile radius. The other essentials of forest resources (mainly soft woods) for charcoal, limestone for flux and water power, were generally available except within a few miles on either side of the St. Lawrence River. Among the dozen iron works established in Quebec between 1732 and 1880, seven used bog iron ore in charcoal-fired furnaces. Five of these, including Les Forges du St. Maurice, were located on or near the St. Maurice River which enters the St. Lawrence River from the north, and two, the St. Francis Forges and the Grantham Iron works were on or near the St. Francis River which enters the St. Lawrence from the south. In a general way deposits of bog iron ore in the St. Lawrence lowlands of Quebec were contained within the limits of the post-glacial Champlain Sea, with many clustered along the flanks of the St. Narcisse recessional moraine which is crossed by the St. Maurice and other near-by streams, and the Drummondville recessional moraine which is crossed by the St. Francis River."

Jan 1, 1999

By George Kellock

Introductory The Alberta Provincial Government has contemplated a revision of the Mines Act for some time past, and it is understood that a definite decision has now been made to do this at the next session of the Legislature. The Operators' and Miners' organizations of the Province have been asked, or at least have been given the opportunity, to submit their views and ideas relative to the proposed changes. The operators have already drafted out a number of changes which they feel would improve the Act from the standpoint of safety and practicability, and this paper has been prepared so that the general membership of the Rocky Mountain Branch of the Institute, which is composed largely of the operating and certificated officials of the mines, might have an opportunity to discuss, criticize, and improve upon the suggested changes which the operators are putting forward.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. J. Goodman, P. Lafleur

This paper presents a current interpretation and projections of recent statistics on raw materials availability based on familiarity with the Canadian steel industry and its development. Problems and opportunities are recognized and discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By Michael L. Wayman

Archaeological and ethnographic work during the last century has shown clearly that metals have played a small but important role in prehistoric Arctic cultures. For at least the past several millenia both iron and copper have been used in the North, primarily for blades, projectile points, knives, awls, engraving tools, fishhooks, scrapers and axes. In addition they were used for joining purposes as staples and rivets. It is of great interest to enquire into the origins of these metals. In this connection one begins with the observation that to date there has been no clear evidence for the smelting or melting of metals in the Arctic prior to the arrival of Europeans. This can be explained partly by the absence of traditional pyrotechnologies such as the high-temperature firing of ceramics and the heat treatment of bone and wood. Another factor which surely inhibited the development of smelting/ melting operations is the relative absence of wood in the region. The production of charcoal for smelting requires large quantities of wood, to the extent that the desertification of a number of areas in the Old World is believed by some to have been at least partly caused by charcoal production. In the North this was obviously not possible. Thus the Arctic peoples were restricted to using native (naturally occurring) metals and metals obtained by various direct and indirect forms of contact with areas of the world where smelting was practiced. Both of these sources were important in the case of iron; we know that meteoritic iron, telluric (native) iron and smelted wrought iron were all used in the Arctic. These three types of iron will be considered in tum.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. M. Richards

"IntroductionThe Highland Valley Copper partnership was formed in July 1986 as a logical result of a mine with a large ore reserve but a small mill, and a mine with a large, modern mill but dwindling ore reserves. The original partnership of Cominco and Rio Algom was expanded in January 1988 to include Highmont Mining Company. During 1988/89 the Highmont mill was moved 7.5 km to adjoin the Lornex mill, becoming the Highland mill in the process, with a nominal capacity of 130 000 tonnes per day.The mine is located near the town of Logan Lake, 220 km northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia and 55 km southwest of Kamloops. The map in Figure 1 shows the general area. Kamloops is a major service centre and is served by two railways, two major roads and a regional airport. The mine site is situated between 1200 m and 1600 m above sea level on the Thompson Plateau. Principle activities in the area, in addition to mining, are cattle ranching and forestry. Ore reserves at the beginning of 1996 totaled 533 million tonnes at a grade of 0.42% copper and 0.008% molybdenum. Ore is mined from two pits — Valley, 3 km northwest of the mill; and Lornex, 1 km southwest of the mill. With 78% of the reserves, the Valley pit is the focus of activity.In order for Highland Valley Copper to remain competitive with a very low grade ore reserve, it has been necessary throughout the mine’s life for new technologies to be embraced as they become available. These have included such diverse technologies as in-pit crushing and conveying, large mechanical drive trucks, computerized truck dispatch and oneman survey instruments. During the next few years, it is planned to introduce two further technologies that are relatively new to both the world at large and the mining industry in particular. These are namely Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), both of which are expected to have a major impact on the way mining is carried out in the years to come."

Jan 1, 1997