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By J. Gordon Parr, L. P. Srivastava

DUWEZ1 has shown that pure titanium and pure zirconium transform martensitically during rapid cooling at temperatures about 30° and 15°C re spectively below their To temperatures. Holden et al.2 determined M, temperatures of Ti-Cu alloys by a metallographic technique applied to isothermally treated samples. Their results, superposed on the McQuillan3 version of the partial Ti-Cu diagram are shown in Fig. 1. Sources of metals were: Titanium: Iodide bar; Foote Mineral Co. Ltd. Zirconium: Iodide bar; Foote Mineral Co. LM. Copper: Spectrographic Standard; Johnson Matthey and Co. Ltd. Alloys were prepared by levitation melting under argon to the following nominal compositions:* 0.5, Quenching, at rates to about 8000°C per sec, was performed by cooling in a stream of helium (99.999 pct pure) a 3/64 in. cube of material previously heated by a tungsten coil in a system operating at. 10-5 mm Hg. Cooling rates below 200°C per sec w were obtained by controlling the current to the heater coil. The specimen was supported on a 32 gage Pt, Pt-Rh thermocouple attached through a DC amplifier to an Edin magnetic oscillograph (Model 8082) with a maximum chart speed of 250 mm per sec. Transformation temperatures were read off the oscillograph charts at the location of the beginning of the thermal arrest. The same specimen was quenched several times, and all runs were repeated on new samples. Regular calibrations of the oscillograph against a potentiometer were made between quenching experiments. The criterion of martensite formation was the effect of surface rumpling. Previously polished samples that showed a rumpled surface after transformation are assumed to have undergone martens itic transformation: transformations of a diffusion type produce no surface disturbance, Figs. 2 and 3. Electrochemical measurements were made in a cell described elsewhere4 whose electrodes were the martensitic and the diffusion-transformed materials in the following electrolytes:

Jan 1, 1962

By R. R. Brandenthaler

Petroleum producers in the Mid-Continent field, up to the present time, have been more concerned with the mechanical operation and efficiency of the gas-lift than with its possible effects on the physical properties of the oil. As a result few specific data are available on the subject and contradictory opinions exist. Some operators are positive that the gravity of the oil is decreased, while others present data which definitely show that the gravity of the oil is increased. In other localities, some operators have given careful attention to the effect of the gas-lift on the gravity of the oil. When the emulsions formed have given much trouble, the problem has usually been dodged by placing the well on the pump. Certain Fundamentals Certain fundamental results may be expected under ordinary conditions and with all types of crude oil, when gas is the prime mover of oil in producing formations. For example, the gravity of oil will decrease as the rock pressure in the producing formation declines, the change being greater in the higher gravity oils. Furthermore, the character of emulsion formed is primarily dependent on the kind of oil, thus more refractory emulsions are formed from asphaltic-base oils, less refractory from mixcd-base oils, and the least refractory from paraffin-base oils. However, refractory emulsions are sometimes formed from paraffin or mixed-base oils that are difficult to treat by ordinary methods, especially by electrolytic processes. With oils having the same base, those of lighter gravity are less subject to the formation of emulsions, especially of refractory emulsions. There are two types of emulsions formed; namely, water-in-oil emulsions and oil-in-water emulsions. The former are the more common; in fact, very few examples of oil-in-water emulsions have been noted in the oil fields. The amount of water produced with the oil influences the percentage of emulsion formed. Agitation and velocity of flow play an important part in the forming of emulsions.

Jan 1, 1928

Fred. T. Greene, Rossland, B. C. (communication to the Secretary): At the beginning of his gaper, Mr. Herzig refers to an article of mine in the Engineering and Mining Journal of January 27, 1900. I would like to add that the method de-

Jan 1, 1901

By S. Gregory

Many gold treatment plants have sulphides and coarse particle gangue components that contain gold in their tailings (cyanide leach residues and flotation tailings). Coarse and very fine liberated gold may also be present in some tailings streams. Two issues usually govern the economics of recovering additional gold from gold occluded in sulphide and gangue particles. The liberation characteristics of the gold in the sulphide and coarse gangue (gold liberation versus grind size) is the first and most important of the two. If fine grinding can liberate a reasonable amount of the gold, then the next important issue is how effectively these two constituents can be concentrated. Flotation will achieve high sulphide recovery but is usually costly. Selectivity is also an issue because of entrainment. Continuous centrifugal gravity concentration offers a viable solution to the recovery of both sulphides and coarse gangue however selectivity is also likely to be a problem. The possibility of improving concentrate grade by using a Falcon B separator was investigated. This paper describes a program of test work carried out on a gold leach tailings using a laboratory Falcon '13' separator. The program involved three different bowl angles: 10, 12 and 14 degrees and two bowl speeds (giving 250 and 350G accelerations). A number of tests were also performed on samples that had free gold present to ascertain the size-by-size recovery of gold in these samples.

Jan 1, 2005

By D. W. Jessup

THE handling of native labor is offering an interesting problem that requires diplomacy. It is difficult to induce many of the men to leave their villages and enter into regular work. They do not feel the necessity of manual labor other than to obtain sufficient money to pay the annual hut tax and to buy a little clothing. The ground provides mealies (corn) which means food and beer, he hunts and catches fish, so why work? But gradually, as the native becomes more civilized, his wants increase and his ideas change; he now needs money to supply his desires and eventually he must work more. So in time it is hoped that the labor market will be better supplied.

Jan 1, 1931

By D Craw, C Smith, C Rufaut

Oceana Gold (NZ) LtdÆs, Macraes Gold Operation currently has two tailings impoundments, the larger of which covers approximately 75 ha. When an impoundment is temporarily out of use, the surface dries and dust can be blown from the surface to the surrounding area. At present water spraying is used to stabilise the surface, but this is not ideal as Macraes mine can experience water shortages during the summer. This paper examines an alternative method of surface stabilisation using vegetation as a ground cover. The tailings have a low natural fertility, so it is important to determine what will actually grow in the tailings, and whether amendments are necessary. Also important is the effect of the amendments on arsenic mobility in the tailings as the schist rock at Macraes has naturally elevated levels of arsenic. Three plants species, rye corn, barley, and lupin, were grown in metre-deep lysimeters at Macraes mine site. The plants were grown in unaltered tailings, and tailings with one of two amendments added: Bioboost (an organic fertiliser containing biosolids), and superphosphate fertiliser. The leachate from each lysimeter was collected and analysed monthly to determine the extent of arsenic mobility. In addition, laboratory experiments were set up to determine arsenic mobility in tailings with amendments at the centimetre scale.   All plants grew best with the fertiliser amendment, with rye corn growing the best overall. Plants growing in unaltered tailings either barely survived (rye corn, barley) or died (lupin). Plants in the Bioboost amended tailings grew only slightly better than in the unamended tailings. Laboratory experiments indicate that the addition of phosphate fertiliser greatly increases arsenic leaching at the centimetre scale when compared to unamended tailings. The addition of Bioboost only marginally increases arsenic leaching, compared to unamended tailings. This trend has not been repeated in the lysimeter trials on the metre scale over four months. Current results suggest that of the plant types trialed and amendments used, rye corn with superphosphate is the most practical short-term tailings stabilisation method at Macraes.

Jan 1, 2004

By Frank J. Skudrzyk, Vladimir F. Petrov

In compliance with the current Russian environmental legis­lation, possible impact of industrial activities on the environment is restricted by acceptable limiting values (maximal allowable concentrations - MAC) of individual chemical substances in the natural environment - water, atmospheric air and soils. These norms have federal status and are valid for the whole territory of Russia. Disposal of the substances, for which no MAC is estab­lished, is forbidden by the law. Many gold mining companies use cyanide in precious metal recovery. This paper overviews the Russian experience in pro­tection of natural water reservoirs from technogenic impact of cyanic technologies. Major toxic compounds, contained in liquid and solid rejects from hydrometallurgical treatment of gold ore using cyanidation, are cyanides (CN), thiocyanates (SCN) and cyanide metal com­plexes. Unlike western classification of various cyanide types, in Russia any inorganic cyanide compounds (simple and in com­plexes with metals), with the exception of iron cyanide com­plexes, are considered toxic and the acceptable limiting value is established for them. MAC is 0.05 mg/I for fish reservoirs and 0.1 mg/I for drinking water. For iron cyanide complexes MAC is 0.15 mg/I for fish reservoirs and 0.25 mg/I for drinking water. Russian norms for thiocyanates are practically as rigid - the acceptable limiting value for them in fish reservoirs is at the level of 0.07mg/l (0.15 mg/I for potassium thiocyanate) and for drinking water - O. lmg/1. Norms for metals are established on the basis of total content regardless of the form in which they are present in water - as cations or complex ions. It should be noted, that in case several toxic compounds of the same limiting value (for cyanides, thiocyanates and base metals the limiting value is toxicological) are present in water. Their allowable concentra­tion is calculated as the sum of actual concentration of each com­pound, divided by the corresponding acceptable limiting value, with the result not to exceed one (compounding effect). Differences in cyanide classification and the necessity to include thiocyanates dictate different analytical methods. This, in a number of cases, results in certain discrepancies in analytical results. Until recently chlorination was used as a basic process of detox­ification of wastewaters. Calcium hypochlorite powder or hypochlorite pulp, prepared of lime milk and chlorine shipped to the plant, were used as a reagent. Chlorination is an efficient method: it allows to completely destroy plain and complex cyanide, in addition to iron complexes, and thiocyanates. A good example of high efficiency chlorination can be found at the Mnogovershinniy mill near the Okhotsk Sea located in the salmon spawning area, for which we designed an automated chlorination plant for tailings dam. Since plant start-up ten years ago, the required concentrations of cyanides and thiocyanates have been kept at the MAC level required by environmental regulatory agen­cies and no harmful affects on ichthyofauna has been reported. One major drawback of chlorination is high cost of the major reagent, as well as secondary contamination of detoxified waters by chlorides. Secondary contamination by chlorides becomes obvious in the course of detoxification of wastewaters of com­plex composition, which require increased reagent consumption. Recent changes in economic conditions in Russia caused the necessity to direct efforts to reduce the costs of precious metals recovery, and in particular, wastewater treatment. We have con­ducted certain work in this direction and obtained positive results. We hope that our experience described below will be of interest to other specialists particularly taking into account the current low gold prices.

Jan 1, 1998

By William R. Yernberg

Most citizens take it for granted, but minerals produced in the mines of the western United States, including Colorado, are crucial to nation’s standard of living and quality of life, said Colorado’s Gov. Bill Owens in his welcoming remarks at the 106th National Western Mining Conference. The conference, which was organized by the Colorado Mining Association (CMA), was held Feb. 4-6, 2004, in Denver. Attendance was425, up substantially from last year’s meeting. The meeting included the CMA annual membership meeting as well as the CMA chairman’s and president’s reports. The meeting also included awards presentations in which companies were recognized for their efforts in pollution prevention, health and safety, and reclamation. The conference also included a tradeshow.

Jan 1, 2004

By Tatsuro Ariyama, Michitaka Sato, Atsushi Sakai, Sumiyuki Kishimoto, Ryota Murai

"In order to achieve high pulverized coal injection operation in a blast furnace, optimization of the injection lance arrangement was carried out using an experimental furnace and mathematical models. To increase the injection rate of pulverized coal, it is required to raise the combustion efficiency of pulverized coal. It became clear that multi-point injection and the lance arrangement to avoid interference among the coal streams injected were so effective in increasing combustion efficiency. With these findings, the eccentric double lance arrangement has been newly developed.At NKK, Fukuyama No.4 Blast Furnace, after the improvement of the lance arrangement, the maximum injection rate reached up to 230 kg/thm and an average monthly record of 218 kg/thm was successfully achieved.IntroductionFrom the viewpoints of reducing the production cost of pig iron and prolonging coke oven life, high pulverized coal injection over 200 kglthm is actively pursued by ironmaking industries[1-2].Coal particles injected into the blast furnace are consumed by combustion in the raceway and also in-furnace reaction like solution-loss reaction (C + CO2 = 2CO). The amount of coal consumed by the latter process is determined by the carbon balance in the blast furnace and there is a limit. Therefore, to increase the injection rate, it is desirable to improve the combustion efficiency in the raceway. For these purposes, the optimization of the lance arrangement was examined by a hot model and mathematical models."

Jan 1, 1996

By W. G. SWART

THE best estimate on reserves of iron ore in the Lake Superior district is that made, in 1920, by Mr. R. C. Allen, amounting to 2,947,225,000 tons of assured and probable ore. This includes direct- shipping or so-called merchantable ores, and those capable of beneficiation by demonstrated processes. De- ducting from this the 287,000,000 tons shipped since 1920, leaves a present reserve of approximately 2,500,- 000,000 tons, or; about 50 years' supply. The assured ore in this estimate is given as 1,560,500,000 tons, which checks Mr. Lake's estimate of 1,528,948,000 tons, or about 30 years' supply. This is not a long time in the life of the steel industry, and it can be readily appreciated that the matter is important enough to war- rant the attention it is beginning to receive. The first question that engages our attention is, What is merchantable ore? In 1902 the average of all Mesabi shipments was 56.07 per cent iron and 4.35 per cent silica. Twenty-five years later it had dropped to 51.99 per cent iron, with silica up to 7.92 per cent. It has remained around these figures for' ten or twelve years and, except for a probable rise in silica, can stay there for an indefinite period. Most of these figures I am giving cover the Mesabi Range. Including the other ranges does not change the figures greatly, and the Mesabi Range commands the situation, since it produces about 65 per cent of the total annual tonnage and, according to Mr. Allen, contains 81 per cent of the assured reserves, 50 per cent of the probable reserves, and 66 per cent of both the assured and the probable reserves.

Jan 1, 1926

By J. Waldman, M. B. Bever, A. K. Jena

The heats of formation at 273°K of 6 silver-rich Ag-Cd solid solutions and the heat of formation at 78°K of one solid solution have been measured by tin solution calorimetry. The heats of formation are analyzed in terms of the quasichemical theory. If the enthalpy diffel-ence between a hypothetical fcc form and the hcp form of cadmium is taken into account, this analysis does not lead to the conclusion put forth in the literature that electronic effects make significant contributions to the heats of formation of silver-rich Ag-Cd solid solutions. The temperature dependence of the heats of formation is appreciable and negative near 78ºK, but decreases gradually to nearly zero abore 400°K. The relative partial enthalpies per grarn -atom of silver at 541°K and cadmium at 532" and 541°K in tin have also been determined. THE composition range of the silver-rich Ag-Cd solid solutions stable at room temperature extends to about 40 at. pct Cd. Heats of formation of these solid solutions at 308" and 723°K have been measured by solution calorimetry.1,2 Heats of formation for an average temperature of 800°K have also been calculated from vapor pressures.2,3 The heats of formation deviate from the values predicted by the quasichemical theory above about 30 at. pct Cd. This deviation has been attributed to electronic effects at the Brillouin zone boundaries.2 The heats of formation of Ag-Cd alloys are essentially the same at 308", 723", and 800°K; consequently the temperature dependence of the heat of formation d?H/dT = ?Cp is vanishingly small, although from the exothermic heats of formation a negative value would have been expected. In the investigation reported here the heats of formation at 273°K of 6 silver-rich Ag-Cd solid solutions and the heat of formation at 78°K of 1 solid solution have been measured by tin solution calorimetry. The results are analyzed in terms of the quasichemical theory and the dependence of the heats of formation on temperature is discussed. The relative partial enthalpies per gram-atom of silver in tin at 541" and cadmium in tin at 532" and 541°K were obtained in the course of this investigation. The values of the temperature dependence of the relative partial enthalpies per gram-atom of silver in tin derived from the data reported by various investigators2,4-9 are contradictory. The literature contains only a value for 517°K of the relative partial enthalpy per gram-atom of solid cadmium in tin.2 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Samples of Ag-Cd solid solutions were prepared by melting weighed amounts of silver (99.99 pct pure) and cadmium (99.95 pct pure) in graphite crucibles under a flux of molten potassium chloride.10 The solidified ingots were sealed in evacuated Vycor tubes and annealed at 775°K for 10 days. The ingots were swaged and drawn into wires. The wires, sealed in evacuated Pyrex tubes, were held at 725°K for 5 hr and cooled to 365°K at an average rate of 2.5ºK per hr, followed by furnace cooling to room temperature. Chemical analysis of samples taken from different parts of each ingot gave no indication of segregation. Metallographic examination showed the samples to be homogeneous. Samples of the solid solutions or of the component elements were added to tin-rich baths in a calorimeter." At the start of a run the bath consisted of pure tin. Silver was used in the form of wire of 0.01-in. diam as supplied and cadmium in the form of lumps. Gold (99.999 pct pure) was added with the samples in order to reduce the endothermic heat effect of additions of Ag-Cd solid solutions. Samples of only one composition were added in a run and the ratio of the weight of alloy to that of gold was the same in all additions of a given run. In each run several calibrating additions of tin were made from 273°K. The heat contents of tin were calculated from the following equation, which is based on published data:12 (HTºK- H279º) = 6.70 T - 72,300/T + 20 cal/gram-atom; 505°K < T < 650°K The heat effect of each addition was plotted against the average of the sum of the atom fractions of solutes in the solution before and after that addition. The total concentration of solutes at the end of a run was less than 2 at. pct. In this range the heat effect was a linear function of the atom fraction of the solutes. The heat effect at infinite dilution and the composition dependence of the heat effect were obtained from the plots. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Evaluation of Data. The linear dependence on composition of the heat effects of additions suggests that in the dilute range the enthalpy interaction coefficients other than the first-order coefficients of silver, cadmium, and gold are negligible, as shown in a concurrent publication.13 The heat effects at infinite dilution and the values of the composition dependence of the heat effects are listed in Table I.

Jan 1, 1970

By AIME AIME

FEW mining engineers-noted as the profession is for migratory predilections.--can point to as varied a record as Scott Turner, director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and newly elected vice-president of the Institute. His record as printed shows that from the time of his graduation from the Michigan College of Mines in 1904 until he went to the Bureau in 1925, he worked for 21 different companies. Geographically the record is no less imposing, although one reason for this is the fact that he was field engineer for several exploration companies. Virtually every important mining state in the Union is represented in addition to Canada, Alaska, Panama, and several countries each in South America and Europe. In addition to all of the common metals he has mined tin and coal. He opened and operated for five years a group of coal mines in 73" 13&apos; S. Lat., on the Island of Spitzbergen. This was 825 miles north of the Arctic Circle on No Man&apos;s Land, where Mr. Turner claimed and maintained pos- session under the American flag of an area of 600 square miles. Incidentally, he was a survivor of the ill-fated Lusitania, sunk by a submarine in May, 1915.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. C. Judd

The Bureau of Mines investigated the recovery of vanadium, uranium, and phosphorus from low-grade phosphorite ores and concentrate by leach-ing with H2S04. Samples containing 0.12 to 0.23 pct V20S, 0.009 to 0.012 pct U30S and 18 to 30 pct P20S were treated by batch-agitation leaching, roasting followed by acid leaching, salt-roasting followed by acid leaching, and leaching under pressure. Maximum recoveries using leaching alone ranged from 78 to 98 pct of the V20S and 74 to 88 pct of the U30S-Leaching under pressure resulted in extractions of 88 to 95 pct of the V20S and 84 to 89 pct of the U30S. Leaching following roasting--with or without NaCI--produced extractions of 97 to 99 pct of the V20S and 86 to 91 pct of the U30a. Depending on the technique(s) employed, phosphate extractions ranged from 89 to 99 pct. Solvent extraction laboratory tests were conducted to selectively re-cover vanadium and uranium values from acid leach solutions. An average of 95 pct -of the U30a was recovered using di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid, plus trioctylphosphinic oxide. Essentially all of the V20S was recovered with octylphenyl acid phosphate plus isodecanol. The phosphate remained in the raffinate.

Jan 1, 1986

By Julie M. Melluish

The metallurgical response of the Point Leamington deposit has been studied. Two series of bench tests were conducted and various ore samples and flotation products were examined using image analysis techniques. The majority of sphalerite and chalcopyrite grains in this texturally complex ore were found to be smaller than 10 micrometres. Copper recoveries were low with losses mainly as fine inclusions in pyrite. Sphalerite recoveries were somewhat better due to a generally coarser habit. Gold and silver recoveries were also low and only solid solution silver was identified in the ore. The deposit shows poor economic prospects unless additional tonnage of high grade zinc ore can be delineated.

Jan 1, 1989

By J. Bruce Clemmer, P. E. Churchward, Carl Rompacek

The paper describes a cyclic method for processing manganese ores using sodium sulphate as the basic reagent. Sodium sulphate is electrolyzed in a diaphragm cell to give an anolyte sodium sulphate acid and a catholyte containing caustic soda, a part of which is carbonated in a cyclic manner to form soda and reduced ore is leached with the anolyte to dissolve the manganese and the impurities are precipitated by addition of catholyte. Manganese in the pregnant solution is precipitated as synthetic rhodochrosite with a carbonated catholyte, and sodium sulphate is regenerated. Calcining the manganese carbonate site a high-grade product and the carbon dioxide is returned to the carbonation step. the results of laboratory tests using cells equipped with synthetic fiber diaphragms and permselective membranes which permit transfer of using or cations during electrolysis are described. The article from which the above abstract is reprinted appears in Trans. AIME (1955) 203, p. 51; Journal op Metals (January 1955).

Jan 1, 1956

By Ernest A. Hersam

IN every commercial establishment,&apos; it is customary and necessary to take inventory, periodically, and to account for profits and detect losses, to achieve productiveness and enhance efficiency. So, too, in the ordered life of every individual, there is the need of periodic introspection. The exercise of the Sabbath for rational thought, the utilization of pause, or rest, from the technique of daily occupation, orient the efforts. These are the constructive opportunities by which we grow always better than we were. Thus, also, there&apos; is need of a periodic analysis of the organizations to which we belong and toward which we con- tribute. So we find&apos; reason for the fitness of our loyalty. There seems to be no half-ground for the engineer. Whatever presumes to bear his name demands either the crushing pressure of his heel or the supporting pressure of his hand.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. C. Lindeque

"A downward trend in tyre life on haul trucks at an open pit iron ore mine prompted an investigation into the current tyre management strategy in order to improve tyre life. ‘Best practice’ was compared to the current tyre management strategy at the mine to determine aspects that could be improved. Aspects that showed significant room for improvement included employee tyre awareness, tyre pressure maintenance, and road conditions. For each of these aspects a plausible alternative was suggested.A new tyre management strategy was formulated as a step-by-step guide on how to implement the proposed changes. Each step introduces new initiatives but at the same time builds on the previous step’s success. A sensitivity analyses was performed to determine the impact of the proposed changes, with the variables being the reduction in the percentage of premature tyre failure, and the reduction of the site wear rate.The ‘most likely’ scenario showed an increase in tyre life of 41% for the Komatsu 730 trucks and 105% for the CAT 777 trucks if the entire tyre management model is implemented. This would result in a possible annual saving related to tyre usage of R9.2 million. OverviewThe study focused on the tyre life on the main haul fleet at an open pit iron ore mine. The haul fleet consisted of 17 Komatsu 730 (180 t) haul trucks and 12 CAT 777 (90 t) haul trucks.The haulage operation consists entirely of tyre-based haul trucks. Five per cent of the total mining budget is related to tyre costs. Since 2012 there has been a steady decrease in tyre life as measured in operating hours (Figure 1) due to the high percentage of tyres that fail prematurely. In 2014 a total of 41% of all tyres failed prematurely and 61% were classified as ‘worn out’."

Jan 1, 2016

By Muto S, Okada S

At Tamano Smelter, part of the furnace settler is electrically heated by electrodes placed internally. This practice provides good control of the settler conditions. The authors have been investigating improvements in furnace operations, especially to decrease the copper content in the slag discarded from the settler. The important operational points on the control of magnetite in liquid matte and slag are discussed on the basis of the thermodynamic calculation method developed by Prof. S. Goto. The behaviour of magnetite in the practical furnace has been studied by using a torsion magnetometer and a solid electrolyte oxygen-sensing cell.

Jan 1, 1980

By D. A. Bordin, C. J. Newman, R. J. St. Eloi

"The requirements for a metallurgical acid plant treating smelter gases are both unique and demanding in terms of sulphur dioxide treatment and emission control. Since start up in 1981, the copper smelter at the Kidd Creek Division of Falconbridge Limited has undergone several major expansions. The expansion and modification of the acid plant has been an integral part of this process. Both production demands and government regulations dictate that this metallurgical acid plant be unique in terms of operating flexibility. The variable capacity to treat a wide range of sulphur dioxide concentrations, and the operating flexibility to control emissions are the topics of this paper.INTRODUCTIONThe Kidd Creek Division of Falconbridge Limitied is a base metal mining and metallurgical complex located in Timmins, Ontario. The discovery of the original copper-zinc-silver orebody was announced in April, 1964. Mining operations began in 1966 with a 9000 tonne per day concentrator coming on stream in November of that year. In April 1972, a 108 000 tonne per year zinc plant was commissioned. Over the years the facilities have been expanded, such that the concentrator now has the capacity to process 13 000 tonnes of ore per day . To expand zinc production, the world&apos;s second installation of the Cominco/Sherritt pressure leaching facility was completed in 1983 to bring total zinc production capacity to 125 000 tonnes per year. In 1973, serious planning for a smelter operation began. In early 1975, after studying both continuous smelting and flash smelting processes, a decision was made to proceed with the technology offered by Mitsubishi Metal Corporation of Japan. The Mitsubishi Continuous Smelting Process was to be used for the smelter and the Onahama No.3 tankhouse technology for the copper refinery.The smelter, which uses the Mitsubishi Continuous Smelting Process for the continuous production of blister copper from concentrate, went on line in June 1981. It has been expanded from its original capacity of 60 000 tonnes to 100 000 tonnes per year of copper.From the very early design stages for the metallurgical complex, the company had adopted a policy of constructing and operating modern plants which would meet existing and anticipated environmental standards. With this in mind, the decision was made to utilize the proven technology of fixing sulphur dioxide emissions, in the form of sulphuric acid. A 636 tonne per day single absorption contact acid plant was built to serve the zinc plant in 1972. In 1981, an 883 tonne per day double absorption contact plant was built to serve the needs of the copper smelter. The copper smelter acid plant has since been expanded to a design capacity of 1692 tonnes per day and it is the main focus of this paper."

Jan 1, 1989

By A. Meek

This report compares the compressed air driven rocker shovel to the newly developed Warthog Non-throw development end loader. The two machines were compared on aspects such as safety, loading potential, energy efficiency and costs. The objectives of the comparison were to determine whether or not the replacement of the rocker shovel with the Warthog will be operationally and financially justifiable. The results from this study were obtained from underground observations and time studies on the machines, as well as consultations and data collection at the shaft and suppliers. This paper compares only the Warthog loader to the Trident 215 rocker shovel used at Anglo Platinum?s Brakspruit shaft and does not compare the other models of rocker shovels, which are fundamentally the same but will have different loading potentials and specifications. Cleaning times for the rocker shovel are based on underground observations at Brakspruit shaft. These times can be influenced by factors such as blasting practices, compressed air pressure and operator experience and skill. For this reason the times will most likely vary at different shafts. The Warthog cleaning times are based on manufacturer specifications and results from trial stages and therefore further work is required to confirm cleaning times achieved.

Jan 1, 2009