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By R. Sharon, P. M. Hawley, X. Ochoa

"Development of Barrick Gold’s Pierina gold mine in north-central Peru requires construction of a waste dump for disposal of nonore grade materials stripped from the open pit to expose the ore. The waste dump site is located near the open pit in a U-shaped valley that is underlain by thin colluvial and morainal soils with locally thick peats and glaciolacustrine deposits. Bedrock underlying the site consists of variably weathered volcanics. The site is subject to moderately high seasonal rainfall and significant seismicity. The geotechnical quality of the waste rock is highly variable, ranging from low-quality, degradable, soil-like materials containing appreciable quantities of silt and clay, to high-quality, hard, durable, blocky waste rock.A hybrid dump design concept was developed that requires in-pit segregation of highand low-quality waste, and selective placement of materials in the dump to maximize stability and enhance internal and subsurface drainage. The design includes a rock drain beneath the dump along the axis of the valley and a series of connected finger drains. Extensive peripheral diversions and stormwater control measures to inhibit infiltration of precipitation are also included.This paper discusses the unique challenges presented by the site and waste materials, the design methodology and stability analyses, and planned monitoring systems."

Jan 1, 2003

By Alan S. Lock

Large scale feasibility studies for the establishment of oil-seed and cellulose producing crops on mine tailings have been successfully conducted over 1 growing season with the purpose of these crops to be used as feedstock to the biofuels industry. An acid sulphide tailings impoundment in Copper Cliff, Ontario and a near neutral pH goldmine tailings impoundment in Timmins, Ontario were both tested by amending half hectare plots to approximately 1 m thick with residual biosolids from the pulp and paper industry and growing canola and corn on these plots. Full scale agricultural equipment was used to cultivate seed and harvest the plots to prove the full scale feasibility of farming on these biosolids. The vegetation development, growth, yield, quality and composition were assessed to identify the best species that would maximize biomass development for feedstock to the biofuels industry and carbon credits for the mining industry. Groundwater, biosolids and tailings chemistries were investigated to identify potential deleterious impacts of degrading organic matter on tailings metal mobility. Preliminary hydrologic investigations using moisture sensor profiles elucidate potential conservation of water in amended plots. Tailings amended with biosolids have the potential to provide the mining industry with carbon credits and supply feedstock to this new industry while reclaiming brownfields to a new level, utilizing industrial and municipal organic waste material.

May 1, 2009

By B. S. W. Buffam

"The property of Moneta Porcupine Mines, Limited, consists of a group of eight claims in Tisdale township, Ontario. It includes part of the townsite of the town of Timmins, and adjoins the west boundaries of the Hollin_ger Consolidated and Mace properties. The Moneta property was first staked in 1909, about a year after the first discovery of gold in the Porcupine camp. In 1910 the Moneta Company was incorporated and some preliminary exploratory work performed by Nova Scotia Mines of Cobalt. In 1912 English interests advanced $90,000 for diamond drilling and underground work. One drill hole gave high assays, but apparently the records were poorly kept or the cores were interchanged. As a consequence, when underground exploration was undertaken in 1923 it was directed south rather than west and no ore was found . In 1924 about 5,000 feet of diamond drilling was done in the southern part of the property, but without intersecting ore.In 1931 W. E. Segsworth assumed the direction of the property. Diamond drilling commenced on August 18, 1936. The first hole intersected 9.9 feet of ore averaging 1.23 oz. gold a ton. Underground work was started early in 1937. A mill was erected in the autumn and the first gold brick was poured January 29, 1938.The Moneta mill began operation on January 2, 1938, and the following table gives a summary of the production to June 30, 1943, when the mill was closed."

Jan 1, 1954

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

Overview ?Oil Sands Background ?Water Use in Surface Mining ?Tailings Disposal ?Water Balance for Surface Mining ?Implications of Emerging Regulations ?Water Management Framework ?Tailings Performance Criteria (Directive 074)

May 1, 2009

By N. Shi, T. G. Joseph

ABSTRACT One-twentieth-scale field trials for conventional and concept dipper designs were compared to mid- and ultra-class-sized conventional dipper performance. Digging effort was used as the performance indicator for comparison. It was shown that linear relationships exist between dipper capacity, suspended hoist load, and peak hoist load. A ratio of conventional and concept dipper performance at the 1/20th scale was then evaluated to allow prediction of the performance of an ultra-class concept design using an independent ultra-class conventional dipper dataset. The outcome indicated a peak hoist requirement of 15.5% less to achieve the same production as the conventional design.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. A. Zaharov, J. M. Shneerson, L. V. Chugaev, M. T. Zhunusov, A. M. Markelov, S. V. Drozdov

The main direction of research was the application of autoclave technology for the flotation concentrates or biooxidation feedstocks. The industry modernization also expects the possibility of increasing the yield of the flotation concentrate, to allow an increase in gold extraction in flotation circuit. This paper provides brief description of results obtained for concentrates with the yield of 4 and 8%, as well as corresponding biooxidation feedstocks. Technological efficiency of autoclave oxidation is shown for both concentrates and biooxidation feedstocks. The process has been evaluated on a laboratory and a continuous pilot plant scale. Gold extractions from POX discharge are ranging from 94-97% for each product, with only 5-7 kg/t cyanide consumed.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. McKevitt, P. Abbasi

The ion exchange process (IX) is applied in the mining industry for the removal of impurities from process streams, treatment of waste solutions prior to disposal and the recovery of valuable metals. Extensive studies have been performed with the goal of modeling of IX for the case of a single metal loading onto iminodiacetic resin in the hydrogen form. However, in a real system, a resin may be saturated by impurities (iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese), which are then displaced by the metal of interest. The present study provides an insight into the Fe2+ loading process onto iminodiacetic ion exchange resin under the infinite solution volume condition. The study involves the measurement of iron loading under a variety of experimental conditions as well as an attempt to model the loading process using the hybrid correlation advanced by McKevitt (2012). The importance of the experimental and modeling work are discussed in the context of resin in pulp recovery of nickel.

Jan 1, 2014

On the recent trip from Vancouver to Calgary with the President, Mr. C. C. Huston, and yourself, I had the opportunity of outlining a plan based on the following: Among the aims of the Institute are, obviously, the fostering of the confraternity of those engaged in the technical and management fields of the mining and petroleum industries. This may be achieved in a number of ways, of which, to me, the interchange of ideas and experience between different parts of Canada and different sections and divisions of the Institute appears to be one of the most important. I think you and the membership as a whole are, and have been, well aware of this. The annual tour of the President .and Secretary, particularly their visits to Branches, shows this to be true. The interchange of ideas through the medium of the BULLETIN also illustrates the point; indeed, most Institute activities are directed along these lines. I am convinced that much more could be accomplished if it became financially possible to do so. Many able and fine men are, I think, willing and anxious to give their time and energy to furthering these phases of Institute activity, but it is unfair to expect them to assume as well the financial obligations involved. Specifically, I would suggest that the following could be done if sufficient funds were available:

Jan 1, 1952

A pilot scale AG milling campaign was conducted at the AngloAmerican Platinum pilot plant in South Africa. Different blends of hard:soft (silicate:chromite) and coarse:fine particles in the AG mill fresh feed were tested. The effects of multi-component feed on the pilot scale autogenous grinding are presented in this paper, and can be used as a guideline for multi-component feed blends for AG milling. Preliminary modelling and simulation for the multi-component AG mill model are also included.

Jan 1, 2012

By R. Baker

A novel electrochemical half-cell and corresponding working electrode were designed to evaluate the electro-catalytic activities of catalysts in an environment close to that of an operating proton exchange or polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were employed using the novel cell to characterize various methanol electro-oxidation parameters that contribute to the overall reaction on a fuel cell anode. The effect of temperature on methanol oxidation kinetics was examined in the potential range of 0.31 to 0.65V (vs. NHE). The data was collected in the temperature range of 20 to 80°C. Based on the experimental analysis and literature data, an equivalent circuit model (ECM) for methanol oxidation was proposed and was used to fit the EIS experimental data. The experimental data and ECM electrochemical data was used to extract electrochemical kinetic parameters for methanol oxidation such as the exchange current density, Tafel slope, and energy of activation for the reaction. Kinetic data, especially at different temperatures, is very limited in the literature.

Jan 1, 2005

By P. A. Crane, N. Shirley, Aung Moe, H. M. Nicholson, D. Kan

Kazakhstan’s first commercial copper-leach solvent extraction-electrowinning plant, Central Asia Metals’ Kounrad project, was commissioned in April 2012. Exploiting low grade waste stockpiles produced during Soviet era open pit mining, a 10,000 tpa copper cathode plant was designed, constructed and commissioned within 18 months. Overcoming initial challenges with a workforce unfamiliar with the technology and with extensive periods of sub-zero conditions during winter the project has consistently met targets and produced high quality copper cathodes at cash costs of less than US$1/lb. Challenges encountered during the first two years of operation are described and future plans briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Narita, S. Nakayama, M. Fujihara

Hibi Kyodo Smelting Co., Ltd. was founded in 1968 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018. In 1972, we started producing copper cathode with a production capacity of 84 KTPY. Since the company founding, we have undertaken seven expansion projects, and our current copper-cathode production capacity is 290 KTPY. To increase our production efficiency, two tank houses were converted from Conventional process to ISA process in 2006 and 2014. In another investment, we equipped a continuous glue dosing system, which allowed for strict additive-concentration control, yielded quality improvements and reduced the power-consumption rate. Along with an increase in the production of copper cathode, the amount of impurities eluted from the anode increases. To solve this problem, the chelate-resin purification process that was introduced in 1983 was renovated, and impurities could be recovered more efficiently. In this paper, we report various improvements that have been implemented at the refinery since 2000. INTRODUCTION Tamano Smelter and Refinery of Hibi Kyodo Smelting Co., Ltd., founded in 1968, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2018. The Tamano Smelter opened its No. 1 tankhouse in 1972, and began operating No. 2 tankhouse in 1984. Thereafter, with continuous production increases and technical improvements, electrolytic copper production was increased from 84 KTPY to 290 KTPY as shown in Figure 1. Table 1 shows the major operating facilities and operation data in 2017.In this paper, details of equipment introduced to continuously dissolve and add glue, various improvements made to the chelate resin process, enhancements made to the crude Ni sulfate process, and another vibrating screen introduced to the copper slime processing flow in accordance with the expansion of copper production capacity since 2000 are reported.

Jan 1, 2019

By David Nicholls

?Overview of New Afton ?Reserves and Resources ?Geology and Mineralization ?Exploration ?Capital Project Development to Date ?Mine Development ?Processing ?Construction ?LOM ?Health, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility Overview of New Afton ?Fully owned by New Gold Inc ?Large gold-copper porphyry deposit, amenable to block cave mining, production commencing in 2012 -1 million ounce gold reserve -1 billion pound copper reserve -Estimated 13 year mine life ?Low operating cost ?Estimated capital expenditure requirements -Spend to date ?US$200million -Remaining to be spent ?US$400milllion ?Robust economics ?Excellent location and infrastructure ?Significant cash flow contributor for the Company

May 1, 2010

By R. Bonifaz

The Chagres Smelter, part of the Anglo American plc group situated 80 Km north of Santiago in Chile, completed a series of operational improvement in 2005 resulting in an optimum capacity in its operational units. At present the Chagres Smelter has developed an operational strategy which seeks to reduce bottle-necks in the production process. In this way we have managed to lower operational cost, decrease energy consumption and maximize the capacity of the Acid, Oxygen, and Smelting, Converting, Refining and Casting units. A constant application of international benchmarks together with continuous staff improvement and the latest smelter technology have combined to place Chagres among the finest smelting works in the world. In response to environmental challenges, we have studying various options for investment suitable for a profitable business of benefits to both Anglo American and Chile as a whole. The most relevant technical indicators are the figures : Energy consumption less than 6,3 GJ/ton fine copper, Intensity of smelting rate in Flash Smelting unit of 6900 ton of copper concentrate/m2 settler of furnace area and be one of the top five smelter in direct cash cost .

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Q. Honaker

It has been shown that naturally hydrophobic carbonaceous materials such as coal and graphite can be selectively coagulated and separated from hydrophilic impurities without using oily agglomerants, flocculants or electrolytes. The coagulation occurs at C-potentials significantly higher than those predicted by the classical DLVO theory, suggesting that it is driven by the hydrophobic interaction. In the present work, the energy barriers for the coagulation of a hydrophobic coal sample have been calculated using the extended DLVO theory which incorporates the hydrophobic interaction energy in addition to the dispersion and the electrostatic energies. For the coagulation of minerals present in the coal, the classical DLVO theory has been used for the energy barrier calculation. The results of these calculations provide an excellent correlation with the results of a series of Selective Hydrophobic Coagulation (SHC) tests conducted with run-of-mine coal and graphite samples.

Jan 1, 2004

By Philippe Monier, Frank C. Basham

"This paper outlines the scope and applications of 'COALMOD', the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources' computerized financial simulation model for coal mining developments. After a description of the computer system and language of implementation, the logic and scope of current model sub-routines are presented. This is followed by a presentation of examples on the current applications of the model to public policy evaluation, including benefit-cost analysis, fiscal analysis and evaluation of the effects of public infrastructure investments made in support of mining projects.IntroductionThis presentation has been developed in response to a number of requests from coal mining companies and various public agencies who have indicated interest in understanding our application of contemporary analytical techniques to public policy in the coal sector. In particular, the subject of this paper is an explanation of COALMOD. a mnemonic given to a computerized, mine-specific, financial simulation model which is assisting the Government of British Columbia in evaluations of new coal projects, assessment of public sector investments made in support of these projects and. more generally, measurement of the financial effects of current or proposed government policies, and factors outside immediate government control such as coal prices and transportation costs."

Jan 1, 1981

By Gianni Bartolacci, Patrice Nadeau, Szatvanyi. Gerard, Carl Duchesne, Claude Chrétien

"Combustion is used throughout the mineral processing industry to produce steam in boilers, to dry concentrates in rotary dryers, and to apply heat treatments in pyrometallurgical furnaces. Tight combustion control is very important in latter type of furnace since the combustion conditions directly affect final ore quality. However, achieving tight combustion control is not straightforward since most of the flames encountered in industry are turbulent non-premixed flames, they are affected by several unmeasured disturbances and are often produced by burning several types of fuel simultaneously, some of them coming from other parts of the plant. A novel method is proposed in this paper to improve process and product quality control as well as to optimize the combustion conditions based on digital flame color images. Multivariate Image Analysis and Regression is to used extract the flame color characteristics from images to predict the solids discharge temperature of an industrial rotary kiln. It is shown that this method yield extremely good 10 minutes ahead forecast of the temperature and should lead to a substantial reduction in product quality variability as well as in fuel consumption.INTRODUCTIONFuel-fired furnaces are often used in the mineral processing industry for various purposes, such as for the production of steam (utility boiler), in conjunction with rotary dryers to dry mineral concentrates or in pyrometallurgical processes for induration, roasting, and so forth. These furnaces are necessary in the supply chain from the mine to the metals, but their operating costs are constantly rising due to the fluctuations in fuel prices. Moreover, these processes are now targeted by the Kyoto Protocol since they are energy intensive and they produce significant amounts of CO2 and other pollutants such CO, NOx and SO2. To achieve both a reduction in operating costs (i.e. fuel consumption) and in pollutant emissions while maintaining or improving product quality, one needs to have a very good control of the combustion process."

Jan 1, 2005

By Alexander Smith

"The Silver Standard mine is 6 miles by road northwest of New Hazelton, B.C., a small town on the northern line of the Canadian National Railways some l 75 miles northeast of Prince Rupert. The deposits lie on the western slope of Glen Mountain (elevation 2,100 feet), with the main adit, mill, and campsite at 1,300 feet. The deposits were found in 1910, shortly after the area had been swept by forest fire and during a period of prospecting activity spurred by the construction of the railway. Crude ore only was shipped until 1918, when a 50-ton gravity mill was built which operated until 1922. Gross value of production of this period, at present metal prices, was about $1,000,000.In 1947 the present company was formed and a 50-ton flotation mill installed. Production from 1948 to 1955 has been in excess of $10,000,000, and net smelter returns about two-thirds of this amount. More than 60 per cent of the production and 80 per cent of the profit have come from one vein, No. 6. On the 1,300-foot level this vein had an ore section 375 feet long and 2.5 feet wide, averaging 0.18 ounces gold, 85 ounces silver, 10 per cent lead, and 16 per cent zinc.The mine workings follow a simple pattern. A series of parallel veins, striking northeast and dipping southeast, are numbered from 0 to 12, starting at the northwest. They lie within a zone trending south 70 degrees east, and the distance between Nos. 0 and 12 veins is about one mile. Recently several cross-veins, dipping northeast, have been found between Nos. 8 and 12. They are apparently of the same type as the others, though they may not have the same structural controls. They could be an important new source of ore.The mine has been developed principally by crosscut adits at the 1,500- and 1,300-foot levels and a 510-foot shaft with levels at I, 150, 1,000, ·and 850 feet. Drifts and crosscuts total 17,000 feet, chiefly on Nos. I, 4, 6, 7, and 8 veins. The drifts are stoped by shrinkage, top shrinkage rill, cut-and-fill with resuing, or open stope methods. The mill produces a lead-silver-gold-copper concentrate and a zinc concentrate, with indicated recovery of more than 96 per cent (4)."

Jan 1, 1949

By T. T. Wang, T. H. Huang, S. S. Zhan

"Fractures with diverse features dominate the hydraulic behavior of fractured rocks and are one of the major subjects for hydrogeological characterization of a site. This study investigates curve patterns obtained by packed tests, and as well the influence of fracture features based on 59 sets of in situ packer tests with different fracture combinations and fracture features. The result shows that, in the example of Heshe site, neat and tidy fractures usually provide stable channel for water flow during testing, and the hydraulic properties of fractures infilled with breccia and mud may change during testing because of leaching and/or washed out of infilling breccia and mud. Different combinations of fractures with diverse features in packed test sections lead to different curve patterns for in situ hydrogeological tests. For groundwater flowing predominately through neat and tidy fractures, the pressure-discharge curve of modified Lugeon tests are usually linear curve pattern, and the pressure decrease while the discharge increase in pressure-discharge-time curves of single-hole double packer tests, which benefit statistically determining the transmissivity of dominant fracture sets. INTRODUCTIONFractures interlaced in rock masses are major channels for groundwater flow and generally account for the anisotropic and heterogeneous characteristics of permeability for fracture rocks. To describe reasonably the permeability of a fracture rock, the Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) approach and others with similar ideals have been developed. Many methodologies and associate equipment, for instance, the televiewer and the in situ hydrogeological test, have been proposed to investigate the spatial distribution and the transmissivity for different fracture sets, which are two main parameters necessary for the DFN or similar model simulation (Pearson & Money, 1977; Barker & Black, 1983; Hsieh et al., 1985; Bernard et al., 2006; Quinn et al., 2012). However, diverse outlooks for the pressure-discharge curves and the temporal pressure and associate temporal discharge curves often confuse the investigation results by significant deviations on derived permeability (Houlsby, 1976; Zlotnik, 1994; Royle, 2009; Camilo, 2010).Aiming on technical development for in situ hydrogeological tests and fracture investigation, an experimental well site with 10 wells has been established in Heshe in central Taiwan since 2011 (Wang et al., 2011; Song, 2012; Zhan et al., 2013). Extensive geological survey and well-hole scanning by a televiewer provide spatial distributions and outlooks of fractures in detail. Additionally, a series of Lugeon tests, double packer injection tests and pumping tests have been performed to investigate the permeability of fracture rocks, and dominate fracture sets as well. Based on the results obtained from the Heshe site, this study classifies the curve patterns of hydraulic packer tests. The features of fractures involved in packed sections for packer tests are then inspected in detail. Relationship between the curve patterns of hydraulic packer tests and associated features of corresponding fractures in rock are discussed and addressed accordingly."

Jan 1, 2015