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By K. O. Bennington

The thermodynamic properties of hedenbergite, of composition [(Ca0,9516) (Mg0,0583Fe2+0.7134 Fe3+0.0934 Mn0,1366) (Si206)], were experimentally determined at the Bureau of Mines. The standard enthalpy of formation determined by hydrofluoric acid solution calorimetry is AHf298 = -680.96±0.855 kcal/mol. The standard enthalpy of formation from the oxides is AR-96 = -24.55±0.485 kcal/mol. Low-temperature heat capacities were determined by adiabatic calorimetry from 12.3 to 300.1 K. The derived standard entropy is S-98 - 41.218±0.148 cal/mol-K. High-temperature heat capacities were measured with a differential scanning calorim¬eter from 397 to 1,147 K. These experimentally determined data were combined with data from the literature to calculate the Gibbs energies of formation and equilibrium constants of formation over the temperature range of measurements. Standard enthalpies of formation are given as a function of temperature. The standard Gibbs energy of formation at 298.15 K is AGf298 = -641.90±0.86 kcal/mol.

Jan 1, 1984

By Milan Lipensky

This paper discusses the longwalling practices used at the San. Francisco Mine of Compania Minera Autlan in Mexico, in. the mining of a sedimentary, manganese deposit. Bethlehem. Steel Company is a part owner of this property. The San. Francisco Mine is located approximately 580 miles west of Mexico City, on the outskirts of the town of Autlan, in the State of Jalisco. The ore is shipped from the port of Manzanillo 120 miles southwest of Autlan. The mining method is a variation of the longwall retreat system, using friction. props that, until recently, had been used only in coal mining operations of Europe and the United States. However, due to the structure of the ore body and the modified longwall system that is practiced, there exists some unusual variations, such as: .1) friction props set by a mechanical two-step lifting device, 2) drilling and blasting, against the friction props, 3) a highly fractured and undulating, volcanic tuff roof; 4) displacement faults-up to 5 meters, and 5) a relatively stable, irregular floor.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. R. Ross

"THE ASSESSMENT of pneumoconiosis-producing dusts in mines and other industries is usually undertaken for one or more of three reasons: (1) To compare dust exposures at particular operations with standards of permissible dustiness in order that hazards may be evaluated and preventive procedures initiated where required.(2) To study particular operations with the objective of improving dust control devices or procedures by locating dust sources. (3) To obtain data which, along with the results of medical investigations, may assist in understanding the causes of dust-induced diseases or aid in the establishment of permissible standards of dustiness. Most dust measurements are made for the first of these reasons -to evaluate dust hazards so that they may be controlled. For this purpose, four quite different assessment techniques have been in widespread use for many years. One of these is based on the konimeter, an instrument familiar to most .Canadian mining men; a second on the impinger, which is also widely used in Canada, and almost exclusively so in the United States; a third on the thermal precipitator, used extensively in Britain and South Africa; and a fourth on the tyndallometer, a light-scattering instrument used in Germany."

Jan 1, 1960

By D. du Plessis, R. Stobbs

The Canadian Clean Power Coalition (CCPC) was created in 2001 to protect and enhance Canada’s vast coal and other carbon-based resource wealth, and to ensure that environmental public policy decisions recognize that these resources are a Canadian asset, not an environmental liability. To achieve its mandate, CCPC has undertaken to demonstrate technologies for use in new coal-fired power plants to control air emissions including carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxides (SOx), mercury (Hg), and particulates (PM). The first phase of the demonstration project assessed three existing technologies for coal-fired power plants that reduce all emissions, including CO2, to levels equivalent to or below that of gas-fired power plants. The technologies considered in this phase included integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), ‘oxyfuel’ combustion, and amine scrubbing of pulverized coal. These technologies were evaluated with three coal types: Eastern bituminous, western sub-bituminous, and lignite coals. This paper presents the studies, conclusions concerning the capital and operating costs of these technologies, the cost of electricity produced (with CO2 removed), and the cost per tonne of CO2 avoided. It also discusses the potential for using captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, and possible technology enhancements for improving the competitiveness of gasification of low-rank western Canadian coals. The second ongoing phase of CCPC’s work includes the design and construction of a commercial-scale plant to demonstrate the feasibility of integrated gas combined cycle (IGCC) and/or polygeneration technologies and the potential for using the CO2 generated for enhanced recovery of conventional oil.

Jan 1, 2006

By W. H. Oppelt

A lignite from west-central North Dakota (Mercer County) was dried by the Bureau of Mines by the Fleissner process at saturated steam pressures to 1,500 pounds per square inch absolute (p.s.i.a.). Normally, the process is operated at pressures of 200 to 370 p.s.i.a. At the highest pressure the temperature of the saturated stearn is 596° F. The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the influence of very high stearn pressure and temperature on moisture removal, steam consumption, and physical and chemical characteristics of the dried lignite. Two drying cycles were used: A normal cycle, corresponding to previously established standard time requirements, and an accelerated cycle, wherein time requirements were determined by boiler capacity and handling speed. Blank tests to determine stearn requirements for heating the empty autoclave were performed for each cycle and each test condition. Moisture removal, final moisture content, net steam consumption, and size stability of the dried lignite were determined.

Jan 1, 1959

By Richard E. Gertsch

The recent upswing in mining coincided with increased environmental concern. These trends have significantly increased regulation, but have not always provided sound environmental protection. Throughout, mining has remained passive, reacting to initiatives from outside. The high road to environmental protection must be an active strategy. The mining industry must take the lead and develop an environmental program effective in price and protection. It must involve all levels of mining. The mining industry should be the real environmental activist. We have the most to gain by sound environmental protection and the most to lose if the environment decays.

Jan 1, 1991

By S D. Golding, K Baublys, V Nanjappa, C J. Moran

Water reuse is becoming an integral component of the water management strategy on mine sites. This practise is being driven by corporate sustainability goals, community and societal pressures to demonstrate improved water stewardship, as well as climate and regulatory pressures. However, water reuse often results in water quality compromise which can then result in decreased recovery through problems in processing circuits, product quality, and an increased likelihood of discharge of water that cannot meet environmental regulatory requirements. On most mine sites, there is usually a disjuncture between water quantity management and water quality management with the latter being managed solely as an environmental problem. It is becoming increasingly clear that water quality and quantity must be managed as an integrated system. In order to integrate water quality and quantity management to achieve multiple objectives the dynamics of water and constituents must be understood. Using examples from a study being conducted at a coal mine in the Bowen Basin, this paper will outline the dynamics of water and salts on the site.

Jan 1, 2009

By Gang Ren, Behrooz Ghabraie

"Observational data suggest that the ground surface subsidence profile from multiple-seam longwall mining is rather different from that of single seam. Despite the increase of coal production from multiple-seam mining, available predictive methods are mostly unable to predict a reliable subsidence profile for multiple-seam extractions. In this paper, a case study of multiple-seam subsidence is modelled using physical modelling techniques. The subsidence mechanism as revealed in the physical model is explained and the differences between multiple and single-seam subsidence are highlighted. On the same case study, a commonly used influence function method (IFM) and Generalised Influence Function Method (GIFM) are utilised to predict the subsidence profile. The results are compared with predictions achieved by a newly developed predictive method based on the understanding of mechanism of the multiple-seam subsidence. Results show a significantly improved correlation between the newly developed method in comparison with the conventional IFM and GIFM. INTRODUCTIONField observations and subsidence monitoring data from multiple-seam coal mining cases show a different subsidence profile as compared with single-seam ones (Sheorey et al., 2000; Li, et al, 2007; Luo and Qiu, 2012; Unlu et al, 2013). The multiple-seam subsidence curve is generally deeper and steeper than of single-seam cases, and varies from one mining configuration to another. Various researchers had made efforts to understand the mechanism behind this phenomenon and the interaction between the two mining horizons (Li et al., 2010, Sui et al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2014). However, the mechanism of the multiple-seam subsidence is yet to be comprehensively understood (Suchowerska, 2014; Ghabraie et al., 2015b).In addition, differences between the single and multiple-seam subsidence profiles make it difficult to adapt single-seam subsidence prediction tools for predicting the subsidence over multiple-seam cases, unless significant modifications are applied This requires understanding the mechanism of the multiple-seam subsidence as the first step to achieve reliable predictive results.The mechanism of the subsidence due to a multiple-seam case study can be investigated via physical modelling. The physical model allows observing the substrata movement as well as the interaction of the two mining activities. An understanding of the mechanism of the multiple-seam subsidence can be developed based on these observations, which would provide basis for developing a subsidence prediction tool."

Jan 1, 2016

By O. C. Blade

This report on the properties of motor fuels sold through service stations in the United States was made in accordance with a cooperative agreement between the American Petroleum Institute and the Bureau of Mines of the United States Department of the Interior. By agreement with the American Petroleum Institute, identification of the items is confidential. It presents analytical data for 4,421 samples, representing the products of 131 companies. The samples were collected during June, July, and August, 1953. As in previous surveys, the gasolines covered by this survey include those from both large and small suppliers. The data were obtained by laboratories of various refiners, motor manufacturers, and chemical companies and submitted to the Bureau of Mines for compilation. A list of the National Motor-Gasoline Survey reports published during the past 10 years is given on page 5.

Jan 1, 1954

By A T. Yuniar, C A. Brannon, N D. Pascoe, H H. Firdausi

This paper describes the key components of the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) mine design and the development and construction status of the mine. Drawpoint production from GBC will be initiated in 2018 following the closure of the Grasberg open pit. Full production of 160 000 t/d is planned for 2024, which will make it a 20-year time period between initial access development in 2004 and full production.Diluted ore reserves are about 1 Bt at a grade of 1.0 per cent Cu and 0.78 g/t Au. The mine plans some 2400 drawpoints on a 20 m × 30 m drawbell spacing in a 700 000 m2 footprint using the El Teniente layout. The drawpoint opening sequence includes five production blocks, the first two of which are scheduled to be undercut simultaneously in 2018. Ore is transported using diesel-powered load-haul-dumps to a series of orepasses and then delivered via loading chutes to a rail haulage system, which delivers the ore to a three gyratory crusher complex. Crushed ore is transported to the mill stockpiles via dual inclined conveyors.Development and construction of the substantial fixed facilities are now well underway. Primary access for personnel and materials is via the 6 km Ali Boediardjo (AB) adits. A service shaft will hoist personnel and materials from the AB adits level to the various operating levels. Shaft commissioning is scheduled for late 2015. The rail haulage system installation and construction is in progress and is due to be commissioned in 2017, which is timed to coincide with the commissioning of the ore handling system. Ventilation is provided through a series of large intake and exhaust drifts, and two of the four main fans have been commissioned. A 1600 L/s pumping system will manage drainage from the mine.Other key facilities include separate shops for rail and rubber-tired equipment, warehousing, a powder magazine, a main control centre and an underground concrete batch plant.CITATION:Brannon, C A, Firdausi, H H, Pascoe, N D and Yuniar, A T, 2016. Development and construction update of the Grasberg block cave mine, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 625–634 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By H. P. Greenwald

About mid-December 1936, the safety director of a large coal corporation visited the authors at the Bureau's Experimental coal mine to discuss a rock-dust barrier he had invented primarily for use in trackless entries of coal mines. The rock dust in this device was carried in its original paper containers and means were provided for ripping these open so that the dust might be scattered in the path of an explosion. The inventor termed the device a "bag barrier", and this term has been adopted in the present paper for convenience. At that time the device was in an early stage of development, and the inventor felt that the barrier should be tested to determine whether it had enough promise of being successful to justify further development. The matter was taken under consideration and finally three tests were made during the week of February 15, 1937. It was concluded that while the device did stop an explosion in two of the three tests, it was much loss effective than ordinary rock dusting, and that too few data were obtained to permit direct comparison with tests of other barriers. Apparently, the conditions under which the device could, be successful were somewhat limited, out the limits could not be defined without additional tests.

Jan 1, 1938

By Gerald Sherman

IN the southern field of the anthracite region of Pennsylvania, many of the coal seams dip at angles of 40° to 50° from the horizontal. For transportation purposes, "tunnels" are driven across the coal measures and, occasionally, "rock gangways," beside the seams and parallel with them. The use of gangways driven in country rock appears to be increas-ing, as they avoid the maintenance' of long gangways in coal, which eventually are driven to the colliery boundaries, and permit mining from a number of intermediate blocks without interference. The rock consists of slates or sandstones of moderate hardness, which may range into very hard, highly siliceous, fine-grained conglomerates. In this distinctly bedded formation,' the direction of the heading, whether parallel with or across the structure, makes it necessary to distribute the drill holes in a different pattern to break the ground, but does not change loading conditions. In 1932, practically all the mucking was done by hand, and it was the established custom to use four men on two drills for drilling and breaking the ground, and five for loading it, out. A driver and mule was needed in addition, to assemble the rock cars at a siding or branching track in the rear, pending their final disposal. This might occupy the driver's whole time, or if the length of haul were short, he might be able to do other useful work. It was thought possible in 1932 to reduce the cost of driving such headings in rock by mechanical loading, and to investigate this subject a scraper loader was used in a section of tunnel then being driven. Opera-tions while driving 195 ft. of this tunnel using a scraper loader were care-fully observed. Time studies were made of the loading, and records made of the routine of breaking ground, but not in such detail. Tunnels or gangways in the colliery are 7 ft. high above the rails, by 10 ft. wide, which requires a minimum of 8 ft. in height, broken to allow for rails and ties. This cross section is of sufficient size to permit the use of any one of several types of power loaders, but for this demonstration if was found most convenient to use a scraper loader.

Jan 1, 1936

By Kenneth E. Hjelmstad

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has developed an electromagnetic (EM) fire warning alarm sys-tem for underground mines. The system generates a magnetic field for through-the-earth signal trans-mission to microreceivers carried by individual miners. EM fields can induce electric currents in metallic conductors; if an EM transmitting antenna and an electric blasting cap array are too close, the field could induce a current in the blasting array and cause an unintentional initiation of the electric detonators. The USBM conducted tests that define the safe and unsafe regions for using electric detonators near the transmitting antenna of the warning alarm system. The minimum safe distance between a transmitting antenna and a blasting array is the distance where the induced electrical current in the blasting array is 50 mA, which is the safe current level specified in Federal mine safety regulations. Tests indicate that at transmitting power levels of 100-and 1,000-W, separation distances of 9 and 21 m, respectively, were required. These distances are small compared with the dimensions of a mine. Thus, the tests indicate that, with proper placement of the transmitting antenna, the warning system can be used safely in the proximity of blasting arrays.

Jan 1, 2010

By E. H. Cho

A current environmental concern is the cleanup and restoration of soil contaminated with low-level radionuclides at DOE sites including the Nevada Test Site. At the present, there is no applicable process to economically and effectively deal with the remediation of contaminated soils. This situation requires development of a selective flotation process to separate the radionuclides from contaminated soil efficiently and economically. In this study, a minus 200 mesh size fraction of pure cerium dioxide was used as a surrogate for plutonium oxide which is the major contaminant at the Nevada Test Site. A Hallimond flotation cell was utilized to examine the flotation behavior of cerium dioxide with oleic acid under various conditions of pH and collector concentration Mechanical cell tests were conducted to float the surrogate from a mixture with uncontaminated Nevada Test Site soil in the absence and presence of calcium carbonate as a carrier. Two different sizes of the carrier (minus 150 mesh and 65-150 mesh) were tested. It was found through the Hallimond cell flotation tests that the cerium dioxide could be floated well at pH's 4 and 9 with 10-3 molar oleic acid. It was also found that the addition of the carrier drastically enhanced the flotation recovery of cerium dioxide. The flotation recovery of the surrogate increased from 34 % to 65 % by adding only 0.5 % calcium carbonate (minus 150 mesh) in the feed and also increased to 95 % by adding 10 % of this carrier to the feed. The finer size fraction of calcium carbonate (minus 150 mesh) was more effective in recovering cerium dioxide than the coarser size fraction (65-150 mesh) The flotation method utilizing a carrier of calcium carbonate seems to provide a high potential to be used for the remediation of soil contaminated with radionuclides at various Department of Energy's nuclear weapon sites.

Jan 1, 1996

By C. O. Stee

IN the October, 1936, issue of the Canadian Mining Journal there was published a series of very comprehensive and exccellently illustrated papers by Mr. C. O. Stee and members of his staff dealing with Siscoe operations and ore-bodies. These were, in the order in which they appeared: Geology of Siscoe Gold Mine, by O. L. BACKMAN Diesel Power at Siscoe Gold Mines, Ltd., by C. O. STEE andE. A. BLOMQUIST Mining at Siscoe, by L. T. POSTLE and W. F. Engineering and Surveying, Siscoe Milling Practice, Research and Testing Laboratory, Assaying of Mill Tails and Solutions, BROWN(6) by P. A. TEEPLE (7) by L. E. DJINGHEUZTAN by L. RIVETT (8) by G. IRWIN (9) The Editor of the Canadian Mining Journal cordially assented to our suggestion that these papers be reviewed at the 1937 Annual General Meeting of the Institute, and the authors very kindly accepted our invitation to present such reviews . Of these courtesies, full acknowledgment is here accorded. To our readers, we commend the original papers in the Canadian Mining Journal. The summaries presented at the meeting follow. EDITOR. THE GEOGLY OF THE SISCOE MINE The Siscoe gold deposits lie in and near a stock of granodiorite, related to the Bourlamaque batholith, which has intruded highly folded Keewatin volcanic rocks .. The volcanic rocks lie to the north of a belt of Timiskaming sediments.

Jan 1, 1937

By L. M. Demers, D. C. Kuhn

It has been suggested that radicals on the surface of dust particles are key chemical factors in the pathophysiology that results from the occupational inhalation of coal and silica dust. In addition, oxygenated derivatives of arachidonic acid (eicosanoidsJ have been implicated as important biochemical mediator5 of mineral dust-induced lung disease through their role in bronchial and vascular smooth muscle reactivity, inflammation, and fibrosis. Therefore, we assessed eicosanoid production by the rat alveolar macrophage (AM) exposed in vitro to mineral dusts with varying surface chemical characteristics in order to determine if radicals associated with the mineral dust could influence the production of proinflammatory mediators in the lung environment. Primary cultures of rat AM were exposed to freshly fractured or "stale" bituminous coal dust, as well as untreated silica or silica calcined to 500 and 1100°C. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE;V, thromboxane Ai (T}(Ay, and leukotriene 84 (LTB; levels in incubation medium were determined by specific radioimmunoassay. When AM were exposed to freshly fractured coal dust, PGE2 production was markedly increased. In contrast, exposure of AM to "stale" dust significantly reduced PGE1 production. Exposure of AM to freshly fractured coal dust resulted in a significant increase in production by AM, while exposure to stale coal dust did not influence AM TXA1 production. Neither "fresh" nor "stale" coal dust had any effect on LTB4 production. In vitro exposure of AM to untreated silica resulted in a significant increase in TXA1 PGE.,, TXA; and LTB4 production compared with control. However, exposure of AM to silica calcined to 11oo•c resulted in eicosanoid levels that were not significantly different from control. These effects were still apparent 8 wk after calcination of the silica particles. Silica was a more potent activator of AM eicosanoid production than was coal, and amorphous fumed silica was a more potent activator of AM eicosanoid production than was crystalline silica. These findings suggest that radicals associated with respirable coal and silica particles may play a key role in the ability of mineral dust to activate AM eicosanoid production and therefore may be important in the pathophysiological consequences of occupational mineral dust inhalation.

Mar 1, 1992

By A. S. Emanuel

A correlation has been developed for calculating the phase behavior of, gas-condensate systems at reservoir conditions. The correlation is based on the principle of corresponding states and has been coded for an IBM 7094. Experimental K-values were determined for several gas-condensate systems at reservoir conditions to evaluate various semi-empirical parameters of the correlation. The approximate range of application of the correlation is 150 to 300F and 1,500 to 6,000 psi. INTRODUCTION The rapid development of digital computers during the past several years has made feasible the calculation of hydrocarbon phase behavior by methods based on rigorous thermodynamic principles. Good correlationsl have been developed for low to moderate pressures, but these techniques have not yet been extended successfully to reservoir fluids at high pressures. Consequently, the determination of phase behavior of oil and gas systems at reservoir conditions is still based almost entirely on generalized data correlations or on experimental studies of the fluid in question. While these methods have been used successfully many times, they do have inherent limitations that restrict their applicability. Generalized correlations, such as the NGShlA K-charts, are limited to the range of pressure, temperature and components for which the data were determined. The accuracy of these correlations is often questionable because the effect of total system composition is not well defined. Experimental studies offer a reliable method for determining phase behavior, but usually the studies are costly and time consuming. Recently, Leland and co-workers presented a new approach to calculating phase behavior from the principles of corresponding states.6-8 Corresponding states methods determine the thermodynamics properties of a given system by comparison with a reference substance whose properties are known. The accuracy of this approach depends on close chemical and structural similarity between the reference substance and the system in question and between components within the system itself. For high accuracy, it is usually necessary to correct for chemical and structural dissimilarities. In principle, however, the corresponding states method should be no less accurate at high pressures than at low pressures, provided reference substance properties are known. This paper describes an empirical modification of the basic correlation proposed by Leland, et al.6 for the specific purpose of calculating the phase behavior of gas-condensate fluids at reservoir conditions. The modified correlation, which has been programmed for an IBM 7094, may be used for either approximate or precise determination of fluid behavior depending on the amount of analytical and, experimental data available for the system. BASIC THEORY The basic theory of the corresponding states phase equilibria correlation was first published by Leland, Chappelear and Gamson.6 Subsequently, Leland, Chappelear and Leach published methods for improving the accuracy of the original theory.7-9 The aim of the correlation is to calculate the K-value of each component of a given system as a function of pressure, temperature, and over-all composition, where Once the K-values are known, the phase behavior may be determined directly by an appropriate flash calculation. The basic equation for calculating component K-values was taken from the work of Joffe. 4 For any component i of a mixture, the K-value is given by

Jan 1, 1969

By Markku Rytkonen, Shaolong Chen, Ilpo Kylmäkorpi, Hannu Mansikkaviita

Though the Peirce Smith (P-S) converter is a traditional type of furnace, continuous improvement in its mechanical and electrical design is still Kumera's approach. Efforts are made particularly on the following aspects: converter head shape for easy fabrication and structural strengthening, oxidation air swivel joint for low pressure drop and low noise level, wind box for even air distribution to tuyeres, drive unit and its control for reliable and handy operation. These improvements have successfully been applied in recent P-S converter deliveries.

Jan 1, 2009

By M. J. Sheridan

"INTRODUCTION In December 1942, the-Bureau of Mines reported favorably on a proposal to grant Government assistance-in constructing an access road (consisting principally of a timber-pile bridge across the Rio Grande at Hot Springs, N. Mex.) to the property under lease to the United States Fluorspar Co. At that time the property was being developed actively, and there appeared to be no immediate-need for exploratory or metallurgical assistance by the Bureau of Mines.Because milling facilities were inadequate; the access-read project was eventually disapproved, but prior to disapproval the company had discontinued operations. In June 1943, exploration was resumed by the Humphreys Gold Corporation of Denver, which had subleased the property. Difficulty of access continued to interfere with exploratory progress. In July 1945, at the request of the lessee, the Bureau of Mines directed sampling, using company employees.At the completion of this sampling program, the Bureau of Mines concluded that the property was potentially a important source of fluorite but that further development for production appeared to depend largely on the establishment, by exploration, of adequate reserves. Because of the relatively easy position-of metallurgical-grade concentrate and ores, it also was deemed advisable to investigate the possibility of producing acid-grade concentrate from the ore, for which a demand was becoming evident. Accordingly, a program of trenching, diamond drilling, and metallurgical testing was undertaken by the Bureau. The results of its investigation are reported herein."

Feb 1, 1947

By F. Bélanger, P. A. Fournier

"Modelling and optimization techniques used in the operation of the Detour Lake Mine leach circuit are contrasted to a 1973 review of contemporary techniques used by a major gold producer. The leach circuit at the Detour Lake Mine was modelled using a full factorial Design of Experiment of stirred tank reactor leach tests using circuit feed. Contour plots of extraction were applied in the plant to optimize addition rates of cyanide and the newly-commissioned lead nitrate system. Contour plot sections were used to understand the impact of sulphur in circuit feed at different operating dissolved oxygen concentrations. The 1973 review paper offers insight into industrially-applied modelling and optimization techniques. In particular, a mathematical model of plant data was developed using multilinear stepwise regression analysis. The model was presented using graphical representations available at the time and applied to optimize the rates of cyanide addition. Off-the-shelf software solutions of today allow mineral processors to quickly and easily visualize data, allowing them to re-allocate time and resources spent processing data to generating raw data and extracting actionable information.IntroductionModelling and optimization in mineral processing is the art of reducing reality through judicious use of assumptions to understand a process and leverage this knowledge to engineer practical solutions to metallurgical problems. Data analysis is at the core of this enterprise.While this paper showcases the modelling work done at the Detour Lake Mine (DLM), the primary objective is to pause and reflect on how far the field has progressed since the 1970’s. A snapshot of state-of-the-art gold cyanidation modelling at that time is a review paper of the Anglo American Group’s capabilities (Brittan & van Vuuren, 1973). The objective of this paper is not a play-by-play of the evolution of modelling and optimization since that time. Rather, it is a comparison of the field at two points in time.In 2016, DLM undertook an extensive bench-scale leach circuit modelling program to better understand the impact of cyanide, dissolved oxygen, lead nitrate, grind size, density, and pH on gold cyanidation (Fournier, 2016). Two major capital expenditure projects were anticipated for 2017: improvements to oxygen control and a lead nitrate distribution system. While the lead nitrate system was planned for construction, the design parameters had not yet been selected. Following the development of the model, plant trials were executed to validate aspects of the model and the methodology was expanded to address other plant issues, in particular the effect of talc chlorite and pyrrhotite in leach feed.The variables of the bench-scale study are summarized in Table 1. Dependent variables were varied using a full factorial design of experiment with two repetitions for each test condition, yielding a total of 300 tests. Test order was randomized to eliminate bias from independent variables."

Jan 1, 2018