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By Bjarne Ekberg

"The most economical way of dewatering mineral concentrates is to reduce the moisture content in the material mechanically using thickeners and filtration avoiding thermal drying whenever possible. In addition to this, the dewatering process should produce low moisture cake, high quality liquid, consume little energy. As a part of the dewatering process The CERAMEC® capillary filter has been proven to meet these requirements in over 150 installations. The filtration is done by using ceramic filter plates with small pore size. The capillary action in the filter medium secures gas free filtration at good vacuum, and due to the small pore size, filtrate is crystal clean and particle free. The energy consumption is minimal. This paper will discuss results from filters installed at Pyhäsalmi Mine Oy in Finland where the technology was has been used since the late eighties. Results from more recent installations like Los Pelambres in Chile and LKAB in Sweden will also be discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe idea of using capillary action to make dewatering more efficient was invented two decades ago. Ten years later whole filter plants utilizing the new method were delivered to mine concentrators for dewatering of mineral concentrates. Further development of ceramic membrane plates made it possible to meet the requirements in iron ore dewatering. In addition to low cake moisture, high capacity and low energy consumption, there are a lot of environmental advantages in using capillary filtration. One of them is clear filtrate.CAPILLARY FILTRATIONA micro-porous filter material behaves like a large number of narrow capillaries forming a network. When a pressure difference ?P is applied over the wetted, hydrophilic pore with the radius r, the force striving to push the water out of the pore will be ?Ppr2. The force striving to hold the water in the pore will be the vector force 2pr? cosa of the surface tension ? and the cosine contact angle a. Equalling those forces and solving the equation for ?P we get"

Jan 1, 2003

By L Bartsch, M Kelahan, E Wingate, J-S David

The use of column flotation cells for recovery of phosphate is becoming more common practice in certain parts of the world (Brazil, Russia) where igneous phosphate ores are processed. Igneous phosphates are generally finer grained (< 200µm) than some of the traditional sedimentary phosphates (<400µm). Australian phosphate from the Georgina basin is sedimentary, but has a much finer grain size (typically < 106µm) than similar deposits in North Africa and the USA.In 2013, Arianne Phosphate completed a bankable feasibility study for the development of their igneous phosphate deposit at the Lac a Paul site in Quebec. Initially, lab test work and bench scale piloting indicated that using traditional mechanical flotation would be able to produce adequate concentrate grade and an economic level of recovery, but would necessitate the installation of a complex and operationally challenging flotation circuit. Later pilot plant testing using column cells resulted in a significant reduction in process complexity and facilitated the processing of the -20µm ore fraction which resulted in a 10% increase in P2O5 recovery and a 5% increase in concentrate grade %P2O5.Flotation column testing achieved a concentrate grade of 38.6% P2O5 at a P2O5 recovery of 90%. Using a mechanical flotation cell circuit, the concentrate grade was 36.4% P2O5 with a P2O5 recovery of only 78.8%. A noticeable feature of the testing was the simplicity of the column flotation circuit configuration (Rougher + 2 stages of cleaning + Cleaner Scavenger) compared to the mechanical flotation cell circuit (Rougher + Scavenger + 3 stages of cleaning).The financial benefit for this case study was estimated using a sales price of US$ 195/t FOB for a 38.6% P2O5 product, and an assumed cost of production of US$ 95/t, the netback price is calculated at US$100/t. For a daily milling rate of 55,000t/d, the improved flotation performance provides additional concentrate production of 1,203t/d. Using the netback price calculated above, this calculates to additional gross profit of US$ 120,260/d.Annualised, this equals US$ 40.7 million in additional revenue for a similar or reduced CAPEX.The use of column flotation on fine grained phosphate ore types often requires fine grinding and desliming to liberate the phosphate value, such as the Australian sedimentary phosphate ores. This may enable the development of deposits previously regarded as uneconomic.This paper discusses the potential benefits available to operators, and developers of new projects, for the use of column flotation cells in their metallurgical circuits as assessed by an engineering company.CITATION:Wingate, E, Kelahan, M, David, J-S and Bartsch, L, 2015. Does it make cent$ to use flotation columns for phosphate beneficiation?, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 353–365 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By Steven W. Schmauch

The Farlin Creek study area encompasses 610 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Beaverhead County, Montana. A mineral survey was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey in 1984. Bureau of Mines personnel reviewed literature and county mining records, and examined prospects or mineralized areas to determine its mineral potential. Geological Survey personnel evaluated the area by geochemical sampling and geophysical surveys. The study area is included in the Mount Baldy mining district. Nearby mineralized Quartz veins or tactite bodies apparently do not extend into or exist within the study area. No significant gold or economic detrital minerals were found in samples from streams draining the area. All of the study area is leased for oil and gas.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. W. Stewart

ONE of the postwar problems posed for mineral engineering educators is the desire of some mature student veterans to finish their college education under the G. I. Bill of Rights as quickly as possible, a desire that is quite understandable. Not only have they lost several years of education, which they wish to make up as quickly as possible, but many are married and have families and want to become productive as soon as possible in order to support their families properly. The obvious solution to this problem, if it really is serious, would appear to be a continuation of the wartime Accelerated Program, as it was carried on in most colleges and universities. As a matter of fact some schools are known to have continued their wartime programs in one or another form. To ascertain just what our mineral engineering schools generally are doing to meet this postwar problem, last April a questionnaire was sent to administrative officers at colleges and universities

Jan 1, 1946

By H. Takamoto, M. Ichinose

"The basic objectives of mine roadways are to provide sufficient cross sections in order to meet the needs of accommodation of equipment, transport, personnel travel and ventilation. However, many roadways become damaged to the extent of needing maintenance, generally dinting, and in some cases requiring re-ripping. The damaging of a roadway is a result of several factors including geological properties of surrounding strata, method of roadway formation, support systems and so on. Among these factors, strata conditions play important effects on the stability of roadways and other mining activities. Weak rocks cause excessive roadway closures, and water softens some rocks and worsens the closure problem. In Indonesia, over 250 Mt of coal is now produced from almost surface mines. In the near future, some coal must be mined from underground. Unfortunately, the mechanical properties of coal measures rocks are not so good to open underground mines. In this paper, a scientific discussion on the effect of water on the stability of roadways is given on the basis of results obtained by means of in-situ investigation and laboratory tests both in Japan and Indonesia."

Jan 1, 2011

By Rob Grant, Manuel Lopez Cano, Mike Briggs, Ken Fletcher

The scorched desert sands and life giving waters of the River Nile in Egypt have been the back drop to awe inspiring engineering feats for over 4,700 years. The latest engineering marvel to grace the land of the Pharaohs is the Mubarak Pumping Station Project at Toshka. This ambitious project aims to open up an area of 607,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of barren desert to irrigation based farming with the supply of 29 million tonnes (32 million tons) of water per day, drawn from Lake Nasser on the river Nile. It is anticipated that this currently unpopulated area of southern Egypt will soon flourish and become home to several million Egyptians who will conduct their lives around the water supplied by the 230 kilometers (144 miles) of concrete canals. An integral part of the pumping station is the intake canal. The canal was excavated in two sections – the dry excavation, and the wet excavation. The wet excavation comprised of some 5.5 million cubic meters (7.2 million cubic yards) of rock to be drilled, blasted, and excavated, from the surface of the lake. The challenge at hand was how to achieve this safely, quickly, and cost effectively, with water depths of up to 45 meters (148 feet), excavation depths of up to 47 meters (154 feet), blast production rate peaks of up to 30,000 bank cubic meters (39,200 bank cubic yards) per day, blistering summer air temperatures up to 60°C (140°F), and security concerns about the storage of large quantities of explosives in the Middle East region. The solutions to these challenges were engineered by UEE Explosives and centered around the use of a microgel bulk explosive called Rioflex™ and an international team of engineers and operators from three continents. The microgel and accompanying pumping system allowed pumping rates of up to 17,400 kg (38,400 lb) per day, and more importantly, enabled the bulk product to remain as an oxidizing matrix whilst in transport and storage, transforming into an explosive only moments before being pumped into the blastholes. This case study outlines the underwater drill and blast process employed at the Mubarak Pumping Station Project at Toshka, and the novel solutions to the unique challenges encountered.

Jan 1, 2004

The commercial development of the shallow (2200 ft2 400 ft) Windalia sand reservoir at Barrow Island provided the opportunity to conduct an intensive drilling programme using equipment and techniques designed for optimum performance.During the initial exploratory and reservoir delineation phase, 12 specific Windalia test wells were drilled using drilling equipment with an optimum depth range of 6QOO ft - 8000 ft and a 9 5/8 in by 7 in. casing programme was employed. The average time from commencement of move-in to rig release exclusive of coring for five representative wells was 187 hr during this phase.Development drilling commenced December 1966 with one rig, with the second in operation January 1967.As of January 1 1968, 168 development wells had been completed. The two rigs employed are drive-in units equipped with a telescoping .gelf raising doubles mast.Optimum depth range with 4 1/2 in. drill pipe is 2500-4000 ft. Casing programme is 8 5/8 in. by 5 1/2 in. Efficient performance was achieved immediately. The average time from commencement of move-in to rig release for 15 wells drilled early in the development programme was 99 hr.By application of experience and further modification of techniques, performance was improved to an average time of 72 hr per well for 15 wells recently completed.The major drilling problem on Barrow Island is surface hole drilling due to the very hard surface limestone combined with complete loss of circulation at sea level.In this operation, significant improvements have been effected. During the exploratory phase drilling, 12 1/4 in hole to set 9 5/8 in. casing, average penetration rate was 23 ft/hr. At the commencement of the development programme penetration rate, drilling 10 5/8 in. hole to set 8 5/8 in. casing, was 28 ft/hr for the 15 early wells considered, improving to 55 ft/hr for the 15 recent wells considered.This programme is a team effort and much credit must be given to the enthusiastic co-operation of the two drilling contractors.The current field record is 2 days 4 hr with a 4 1/2 hr move including the drilling of mousehole and rathole.

Jan 1, 1968

By Cecilia Arrue, Dominic Fragomeni, N. O. Lotter

"A statistically designed benchmark mill survey was carried out in July 2005 at the Kidd Creek Concentrator, D Division circuit, which processes Ni/Cu ore from the Montcalm deposit. A structured statistical survey approach was followed, together with defined quality controls, which would assign a 95 percent level of confidence in the result.A set of six surveys were completed over a limited time; the corresponding stream samples of the surveys found acceptable were combined to obtain high confidence composite samples. The head grade of each survey is compared to two distributions to test its acceptability; surveys that fail to conform to these trials are rejected. The accepted set of surveys, which is a robust representation of the process, is prepared into a composite for QEM-SEM analysis and mass balance purposes.Where the above practice is a standard procedure in Falconbridge for QEM*SEM purposes, in this case each individual two-hour survey unit was measured and analysed for a mass and value balance. It is shown that none of the individual mass and value balances close as well as the composite set of accepted two-hour survey units. This founding is in keeping with the averaging properties of the Central Limit Theorem.INTRODUCTIONMontcalm OperationsNi/Cu bearing ore from the Montcalm deposit is being processed at the Falconbridge, Kidd Creek Concentrator in a modified D Division circuit. The circuit was commissioned in the fall of 2004. Ore is crushed at the minesite to –19 mm and trucked to Kidd for delivey into the 4 parallel fine ore bins.Ore is milled in a rod mill followed by cyclones and 2 parallel ball mills. The grinding circuit treats Montcalm ore at an average feed rate of 100 wet tonnes/hour (750,000 tonnes/annum) and produces a flotation feed particle size of 83% -53 um. A simple flowsheet including bulk Cu/Ni roughing and 2 bulk cleaning stages followed by Cu/Ni separation in 2 stages is practiced. Soda ash is used as a pH modifier in bulk flotation. SIBX is the collector. Lime and Dextrin are added into Cu/Ni separation for the depression of pentlandite."

Jan 1, 2007

By Youzhen Zhang

The drilling boom is the key component of a roof bolter, and it has significant impact on the performance, safety, and reliability of the overall working device. In this paper, the experimental modal parameters of a drilling boom at low frequencies are identified with the Laplace wavelet correlation filtering method. Based on the obtained experimental parameters, a finite element model of the drilling boom is revised using an optimization algorithm to improve its accuracy. The dynamics of the drilling boom are analyzed through its modal and harmonic response. As a result, an improvement for the drilling boom is proposed to fix the weak links and enhance the dynamic performance.

Jan 1, 2012

By Christopher Mark

The first International Conference on Ground Control in Mining opened with the topic of pillar design. Two classic papers were presented, one by Bieniwski and the other by Wilson. Unfortunately, the two methods were so radically different from each other that it was nearly impossible to reconcile them. Adding to the confusion were the many other pillar strength formulas (such as the Salamon-Munro, the Holland-Gaddy, and the Obert-Duvall, just to name a few) that were also available. Little wonder that discussions of pillar design in those days often ended with anguished cries of ?but which formula is the right one?? The past 25 years have seen substantial progress in the science of coal pillar design. Indeed, one testament to the improvement is the relative scarcity of papers on the topic at recent Conferences. Two factors have been largely responsible for the progress that has been made. The first has been the collection of large data bases of actual case histories of pillar performance in a variety of settings, from shallow room-and-pillar mines through deep cover longwalls. These have made possible the development of empirical design procedures that are closely linked to real world experience. The second important factor is the development of sophisticated computer models that can accurately simulate pillar behavior and roof/pillar/floor interactions. Together, these two lines of research have led to a new understanding of pillar mechanics that identifies three modes of pillar failure: ? Sudden, massive collapse, accompanied by airblast, for slender pillars (width/height<4) ? Squeezing, or slow, non-violent failure, for most room and pillar applications (4<w/h<10) ? Entry failure or bumps for deep cover and longwall applications (w/h>10) It is particularly satisfying that the insights gained from numerical models broadly support those obtained from the empirical studies. While far less controversial than in the past, pillar design problems continue to arise. One recent example is pillar design for highwall mining. NIOSH has just released a software package, called ARMPS-HWM, which employs a number of modern pillar design concepts. Since highwall mining web pillars are long and slender, the greatest danger is that of a sudden collapse. ARMPS-HWM suggests two possible prevention strategies, one which concentrates on the SF of the webs, and the other which creates a ?pressure arch? using properly sized barrier pillars. The paper will close with a discussion of some current needs in coal pillar design, including: ? Updating older empirical methods, such as ALPS, where changes in technology (new types of roof support, more demanding ventilation requirements, faster retreat rates) may have made some of the original case histories obsolete. ? Methods for determining site-specific coal strengths, focusing on bedding plane strength and other factors that may effect confinement, as input for both empirical and numerical design. ? Improved methods for evaluating coal pillar performance for environmental issues, such as surface subsidence and hydrologic impacts, which consider such factors as depth, w/h ratio, water immersion/drainage, and time dependent seam strength.

Jan 1, 2006

By G. A. Kosick, C. A. Harris

"Metallurgy at the Polaris Mine is approaching an impasse, with lead and zinc concentrate grades and recoveries approaching their theoretical maximums. In an effort to increase productivity, plant throughput and operating material costs became a major focus of milling personnel.one method of increasing plant throughput was to minimize flotation circuit upsets by; standardizing operating strategy, decreasing control action response time of operators, increasing training of operators, and providing a more available decision support system for operators.To achieve these goals, Polaris personnel decided to utilize expert system technology to develop a real-time process controller for the flotation circuit which would be capable of justifying its actions to operating personnel.This paper describes the procedures followed in constructing the first process controller in the mineral industry which is based on the principles of Artificial Intelligence.IntroductionThe Polaris Concentrator was constructed in 1980 on a barge in Trois Rivieres, Quebec and towed to its present location on Little Cornwallis Island, North West Territories, about 1450 kilometers from the North Pole. The plant presently treats about 2,800 MTPD of new feed with average feed grades of 3% Pb, 13% Zn and 5% Fe. Current production averages 36,000 tonnes of lead concentrate and 220,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate annually.In an effort to increase the efficiency of the concentrator, the decision was made to implement an innovative control system on the flotation circuit. This system would embody and utilize heuristics ""rules-of-thumb"" gained from operators to make on-line process decisions. It would also justify these decisions on a demand basis."

Jan 1, 1988

By Tom Olsen, Tom Ohrling, Peter Taggart, Chris Martin

"North American Palladium commissioned the new concentrator at the Lac des Iles mine in the summer of 2001. The 15,000 tonnes per day mill replaced the existing 2,400 tonnes per day facility, as part of a major mine expansion.At Lac des Iles, the grain size distribution of the platinum group minerals (PGM) is bi-modal. Roughly two-thirds of the PGM are relatively coarse-grained, and often associated with fast floating copper and nickel sulphides. The remainder is ultra-fine, and locked in silicates, which poses a special challenge to the metallurgist. The previous mill typically recovered just the fast-floating mineralisation, but to achieve target recoveries, the new mill has to recover a substantial amount of the ultra-fine PGM. The metallurgical challenges associated with the recovery of fine-grained PGM in the talcous Lac des Iles ores, are described.The paper describes the approach used in circuit optimisation, and how metallurgical and operational optimisation raised palladium recoveries by more than 6% in six months, by tuning the circuit to recover some of the ultra-fine PGM mineralisation.BACKGROUNDThe Lac des Iles mine, owned and operated by North American Palladium Limited, is located about 115 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The mine originally opened in December 1993, and prior to 2001 included a mill capable of handling 2,400 tonnes per day of ore delivered from the nearby Roby pit.Following an intensive exploration programme conducted in 1999, and a detailed feasibility study, conducted in 2000, North American Palladium initiated a mine expansion project, the objective being to expand milling throughput from 2,400 tonnes per day to 15,000 tonnes per day. This required construction of an entirely new mill, which was commissioned in May 2001."

Jan 1, 2003

By David R. Quigley, Patrick R. Dugan

First reports of microbial coal solubilization appeared in the early 1980&apos;s (Fakoussa, 1981; Fakoussa and Truper, 1983; Cohen and Gabriele, 1982). These degradations, which occurred at ambient temperature and pressure, resulted in a dark brown to black viscous liquid and required days to weeks to occur. Rates and degrees of coal biodegradation varied from coal to coal. Hard coals were not extensively degraded (5-7%) while low-rank coals such as Leonardite, a sublignite, were completely solubilized. A correlation between degree of weathering or oxidation of coal and the coals susceptibility to biological attack was observed. This led to oxidative pretreatments as a method to enhance microbial degradation of coal (Strandberg and Lewis, 1986). Products of microbial degradation of coal are water soluble solids that do not have significant solubilities in organic solvents (Wilson, et. al., 1987; Quigley, et. al., 1987; Quigley, et. al., 1988a). Solutions of solubilized coal did not separate or form precipitates which suggested that they were true solutions and not colloidal suspensions. Biosolubilized coal contained more oxygen than starting material suggesting that microbial attack of coals involved oxidative cleavage of carbon-carbon bonds. This small change in oxygen content was the only change observed in coal structure during the biosolubilization process. Many coal solubilizing microorganisms have been isolated. Some are lignin degrading organisms such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium and various Streptomyces species (Gupta, et. al., 1988; Wilson, et. al., 1987). This was not unexpected since the structures of lignin and low-rank coals are similar. These organisms produce an enzyme complex, ligninase, that utilizes hydrogen peroxide to oxidatively cleave the bond between a and ß carbons of an aliphatic chain bound to an aromatic nucleus. Another important organism is Trametes versacolor (syn. Coriolus versacolor, Polyporus versacolor). Even though this organism produces a ligninase (Dodson, et.al., 1987), coal solubilization has been attributed to the enzyme laccase (Pyne, et. al., 1987). Laccase utilizes molecular oxygen to oxidatively cleave a - ß bonds using a mechanism similar to that observed for ligninases (Kawai, et. al., 1988). Other coal solubilizing microorganisms have been isolated from coal outcrops (Ward, 1985; Ward, 1988), but enzyme activities responsible for coal solubilization have not been identified. Research at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory has focused on those mechanisms involved in coal biosolubilization. An

Jan 1, 1989

By R. Sharma, I. Miskovic, S. Miskovic

Solvent extraction (SX) is a widely used method for the extraction of copper from pregnant leach solutions or other ionic solutions in hydrometallurgical applications. About 17% of total refined copper production worldwide is produced using SX followed by electrowinning (EW). Conventional SX units, such as mixer-settlers, consume a large amount of extractant, offer poor process control and yield low extraction efficiency. Extraction efficiency is poor due to low specific interface area, crud formation, emulsification, and slow phase separation stage. Micro solvent extraction (micro-SX) is a rapidly developing technology that provides an opportunity for improved process control, higher extraction efficiency, lower residence time and, as such, has a potential to reduce the environmental footprint of SX operation. In this research, extraction of copper ions in an acetate buffer media is investigated using D2EHPA with kerosene as a diluent. Chemical factors such as extractant concentration and ionic concentration of aqueous phase are varied to determine the optimum conditions. Subsequently, the extraction efficiency and reaction time of new micro-SX reactors are compared against previous bulk SX studies. Extraction in the microfluidic reactor was observed to be faster with a residence time more than an order of magnitude lesser than bulk SX. This study forms a prelude for developing new modular micro-SX units which will enable continuous, effective, and safe operation on a large scale. In future studies, numerical and analytical models validated through this work will help eliminate rigorous experimentation and enable faster design and fabrication of micro-SX units. INTRODUCTION Conventional industrial solvent extraction (SX) units such as mixer-settlers, extraction columns present various disadvantages. Low specific interfacial area, crud formation, and emulsification in industrial reactors lead to long extraction times and severely hamper extraction efficiency (Priest et al., 2011; Chen et al., 2017). Microfluidic extraction considerably improves upon the current extraction practices by (1) creating a large surface to volume ratio that enables rapid mass transfer across the interface, (2) better process control, and (3) easier separation of phases (Kashid, Renken, & Kiwi-Minsker, 2011; Ciceri, Perera, & Stevens, 2014). These factors establish micro-SX as a crucial mode for process intensification. Although, a micro SX unit has significantly low processing volume than conventional extraction methods, their throughput can be increased via massive parallelisation (‘numbering up’), which is an area of active research (Darekar, Singh, Mukhopadhyay, & Shenoy, 2016a; Kriel, Woollam, Gordon, Grant, & Priest, 2016).

Jan 1, 2019

INTRODUCTION It has been impossible for the student, the practicing engineer, and the geologist to find all of the essential elements of mineral appraisal and mineral economic analysis in a single text. Indeed, the most recent texts on mine evaluation are over 20 years old. Many of the basic principles of mine sampling and evaluation have not changed over the ensuing years, but with the advent of the digital computer the entire scope of mineral evaluation has been expanded to encompass superior techniques that heretofore were not possible when using manual methods. The old manual methods for ore reserve computations and the techniques for assignment of area of influence to drill-hole samples are now as antiquated as the Model-T Ford. With the computer making possible solutions that had not been practicable in terms of time and effort, it is important for the practicing explorationist and mining engineer to understand many of the new concepts and principles that can be applied with the resolving power of the computer. Many practicing mineral industry professionals have been disappointed by certain computer programs and thus have some reservations about computers being able to solve their very real problems. Often the gap between the practicing engineer and the ivory tower theoretician applying modern computer techniques is too broad to be bridged with scattered, fragmented publications. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF TEXT It is the intent of this book to update and to unify a great many scattered reference works used in the mineral industry today. The ensuing pages are addressed both to the professional already working in the mineral industry who needs information on computerized methods as well as to the serious student seeking to grasp the fundamentals and modern techniques of mineral appraisal and feasibility. These techniques are based on sound mathematical principles and theory, with the computer as a tool-but a very essential tool-for the solution of the problems involved. The computer can be of value only if it is programmed by those having sufficient expertise to use its inherent problem-solving capability, and the output is interpreted by those who are sufficiently acquainted with its operation to understand the data it produces. In the pages that follow the author intends to outline in considerable detail all the essen-

Jan 1, 1980

By Roy Lindsay, Paul O'Hara, Gary Halverson

"The New Britannia Minesite is located in Snow Lake, Manitoba, 420 miles north of Winnipeg (figure 1). The mine previously operated from 1949 to 1958 extracting some 5.39 million tons of ore at a 0.150 opt gold grade. From 1959 to 1986 the property was held by Nor-Acme and Hudson Bay Exploration and Development and in 1987 High River Resources Ltd. Optioned the property, dewatered the mine and conducted a diamond drill program between the 1 780 and 2400 levels. In 1988 two companies, Nor-Acme Mines Ltd. and High River Gold Mines Ltd., negotiated an option agreement with INCO Gold whereby !NCO assumed management control of all site exploration work. During this period, a bulk sample of 10,000 tons was extracted from the 1780 level with no further exploration recorded after its removal. Both Hudson Bay Exploration and Development and INCO Gold conducted feasibility studies on reactivating the property but at a calculated capital cost of Cdn $70 to $80 million found the rate of return on their investment unacceptable.In 1991 !NCO Gold merged its interest with the assets of TVX Gold Inc. and in February 1994 TVX Gold Inc. and High River Gold Mines Ltd. entered into a joint venture partnership to develop the Snow Lake property, naming TVX Gold Inc. the operator. Upon completion of a feasibility study in April 1994 by Bharti Engineering Associates Inc., a decision was made to reopen the Britannia Mine at an established project cost of US $33 million.Project construction commenced in July 1994 with the hoist house excavation. The first concrete for the hoist house level footings was poured on August 4, 1994 and the project was completed on October 1, 1995 at a cost of US $36 million. The first gold pour took place November 4, 1995.This paper not only presents the metallurgical aspects of the operation but also describes the novel approach used to complete the design and construction of the site facilities."

Jan 1, 1996

By R. O. Burt

"Gravity Concentration, the oldest form of Mineral Processing, remains of major importance to the Industry. Current applications of Gravity Concentration are briefly examined.The Paper details one approach to the development of a Gravity Concentration Plant, from laboratory and mineralogical techniques, through Pilot Plant testing, where applicable, to the actual design of the plant.INTRODUCTIONGravity Concentration, once the major method of concentrating minerals has, for much of the twentieth century been regarded, like the dodo bird, as obsolete. However, in more recent years it is enjoying something of a renaissance, and is once again being treated as a useful, economic alternative in the Mineral Processing Engineers' arsenal.An indication of the broad application of gravity concentration is the variety of minerals presently recovered. A list is given in Table 1; this list is not exhaustive."

Jan 1, 1984

By Gordon T. Clark, James R. Struthers, Celal Kirandag

INTRODUCTION Project Background The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) hired the Seattle office of Parsons Brinckerhoff to lead a team of consultants to produce an Environ-mental Impact Study and perform conceptual and preliminary engineering. The pur-pose of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement project is to replace the existing earthquake damaged and aging viaduct and sea wall, adjacent the downtown waterfront of Elliott Bay, with structures that have improved earthquake resistance and that maintain or improve mobility and accessibility for people and goods along the existing corridor. With an estimated replacement cost over $4 Billion and construction duration exceeding 8 years, it is one of the largest transportation design projects on the West Coast of the United States today. Seattle, Washington is a city of over 2 mil-lion people in the Northwest corner of the United States. Ever since the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, Seattle has been considered a departure point to Alaska. Because of this, the street along the waterfront was named the Alaskan Way in 1930. Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall The Alaskan Way Viaduct (AWV) carries State Route 99 along the shoreline of Elliott Bay through downtown Seattle and is a vital part of Seattle’s highway system. The viaduct carries approximately 110,000 vehicles per day or 25% of all north-south traffic through Seattle (Figure 1). It is 3.4 km (2.1 mile) long with 3 lanes in each direction and was constructed of cast-in-place reinforced concrete between 1952 and 1956. The wear and tear of daily traffic, salty marine air, and several earthquakes have taken their toll on the facility. Studies in the mid-1990s provided early evidence that the viaduct was nearing the end of its useful life. The viaduct’s increasing age and vulnerability was apparent by crumbling and cracking concrete, exposed rebar, weakening column connections and deteriorating railings. In early 2001, a team of structural design and seismic experts began work to determine whether it was feasible and cost-effective to strengthen the viaduct by retro-fitting it. In the midst of this investigation, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Puget Sound region (the Nisqually Earthquake, located 56 km (35 miles) from Seattle and deep below the surface) caused moderate damage to the reinforced concrete structure. WSDOT closed the viaduct for inspection and repairs intermittently for several days over a period of several months.

Jan 1, 2007

By Xingtian Hui

Due to variation in the geological natures of underground coal mines, especially when the entry?s roof/floor are soft and weak, it is vital to select an appropriate roof bolting system to ensure entry stability, coal production, and miner?s safety. No single type of roof bolting system perfectly fits for various types of openings, even within a mine. From the results of continuous research on roof bolting in the past 10 years, the authors used a novel concept of ?Self-screwed? mechanism to develop five types of roof bolting under a patented Self-screwed Tube Bolting System (STBS)©. This roof tube bolting system can be applied to meet different timing-strength requirements under varying mining conditions to increases the stability of mine workings. This paper outlines the structures and mechanisms of the five types of self-screwed roof bolting systems along with their unique characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and limitations. Two case studies using a Self-screwed Tube Drilling Bolting (STDB)©, one of the five types of roof tube bolting systems, show the principles of mechanics, suitability and parameters for a mine entry and a subway?s construction/ supports in the surrounding soil layers and soft sands, respectively are presented. The results confirmed the time dependent anchorage capacity between predictions and on-site measurements. Currently, other types of the self-screwed tube bolting systems are also being applied to different coal mines in China to increase entry stability and meet safety requirements.

Jan 1, 2009

By D N. Castendyk, J L. Mauk

The world-class Waihi (&gt;6.6 Moz Au, &gt;41.8 Moz Ag) and adjacent Favona (&gt;0.5 Moz Au) deposits are within a single volcanic-hosted epithermal Au-Ag district located in the southern Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. Gold and silver mineralised quartz veins at both deposits are hosted in porphyritic andesite flows of the Waipupu Formation. Both deposits have veins surrounded by intense widespread hydrothermal alteration that is characterised by the assemblage of quartz, pyrite, adularia, illite or interstratified illite-smectite, plus less common chlorite and albite, which is locally overprinted by minor calcite or rare kaolinite. Quantitative mass transfer calculations using Gresen&apos;s general metasomatic equation indicate that hydrothermally altered andesite at both deposits is enriched in silicon, potassium, rubidium, barium, sulphur, gold, arsenic and antimony, whereas sodium, strontium and calcium are mostly lost. Iron and magnesium show mixed gain and loss. Element gain or loss can be directly related to the prevailing alteration mineralogy. Addition of potassium, rubidium and barium coupled with the concomitant loss of sodium, strontium and calcium in intensely altered wall rocks corresponds to the replacement of plagioclase by adularia or illite. Partial retention of sodium and calcium reflects the presence of hydrothermal albite and calcite, respectively. Mass balance calculations show distinct element gain and loss that can be related to the intensity and type of alteration mineralogy. However, because most rocks are intensely altered and the progression into less altered peripheral rocks is not observed in this study, the lateral extent of elements gain or loss is unconstrained with anomalies extending at least 200 to 300 m away from major veins.

Jan 1, 2003