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By B. C. Jago, H. Derbuch

"The Freightrain kimberlite is located on the Brodeur Peninsula, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Twin Mining is exploring the pipe and adjacent land (79 claims/655 km2) using a combination of airborne geophysics, soil sampling, diamond drilling, trenching and bulk sample processing. The pipe originally was discovered by Cominco Limited in 1975, re-evaluated in 1993 by Lumina Investment Corporation, when it was staked as the Zulu pipe, and subsequently covered by three claims in 1998 by Helix Resources who called it Freightrain.The Freightrain pipe coincides with a strong, ovoid-shaped aeromagnetic anomaly. It is the only surface exposure of kimberlite within a 30 km long linear trend of fourteen aeromagnetic anomalies that are up to 600 m in diameter.The pipe is exposed in the crater facies, near the transition into diatreme facies as indicated by the occurrence of pyroclastic kimberlite characterized by abundant olivine macrocrysts, juvenile lapilli and kimberlite autoliths set in a serpentine-calcite matrix. Olivine, Cr-pyrope garnet and chromite are the most abundant macrocrysts; clinopyroxene, ilmenite and phlogopite mica occur in minor to trace amounts. Garnet and chromite harzburgite, garnet lherzolite, garnet-spinel lherzolite and rare eclogite dominate the xenolith population.Garnet and chromite mineral chemistry indicate encouraging diamond prospectivity and that potentially diamondiferous garnet and chromite harzburgite were the principal sources of diamond in the mantle at the time of kimberlite eruption.Single clinopyroxene grains define an ~42 mW/m2 sub-continental geotherm that is rooted in the diamond stability field. This compares to a slightly hotter geotherm (~48 mW/m2) for adjacent Somerset Island kimberlites with an origin in the graphite stability field. This data accords with the general lack of sub-calcic Cr-pyrope garnet, diamond inclusion chromite and diamond in Somerset Island kimberlites."

Jan 1, 2002

By Celine Y. Zhang, Chloe J. Feng, Charles Q. Jia, Donald W. Kirk

Oil sands petroleum coke (OSPC) is a by-product of coking - a high-temperature process that converts the mined bitumen to the synthetic crude oil (SCO). For every barrel of the SCO produced, about 20 kg of OSPC are generated. Over 70 million metric tons of OSPC have been produced and stockpiled as a result of the development of oil sands industry in the past few decades. Unlike conventional petroleum coke, OSPC has uniquely high impurity contents, particularly sulphur (~ 7 wt%) and metals (e.g. vanadium at ~0.15 wt%), which has hindered its large-scale applications as a solid fuel. Vanadium is a valuable metal that is widely used as an alloy for strengthening steels. The stockpiled OSPC contains about 100,000 tons of vanadium, while the world’s production in 2013 was only 75,600 tons. At the current price of $25US/kg, the OSPC-bound vanadium represents a total value of $2.5 billion US dollars. In this work, we investigate the technical feasibility of extracting vanadium from OSPC. The work focuses on the characterization of vanadium in OSPC and the conditions for effective extraction of vanadium from the OSPC.

Jan 1, 2015

Mineral resource development activities impact the health and well-being of many people, from workers, to families and surrounding communities. In the decade up to 2010, mining revenues increased from 6% to 14% of Australian GDP, and minerals contributed 55% of total exports, with a growth in mining employment from 1% to 1.7% of the national workforce (Connolly and Orsmund, 2011). The growth in Australia?s minerals operations is mostly located in remote areas, or in rural communities with a limited population. As a result, operations have increasingly implemented long distance commuting (LDC) programs, often called ?fly-in, fly-out? (FIFO) and ?drive-in, drive-out? (DIDO), as a staffing strategy to meet rapid industry growth in locations with limited local populations. The rapid expansion of the minerals industry has resulted in considerable public debate about the benefits and costs to all sectors of Australian society. In response to the concerns of constituencies from many parts of Australia, the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, The Hon Simon Crean MP, asked the House Standing Committee on Regional Australia on Tuesday 23 August 2011 to inquire into and report on the use of ?fly-in, fly-out? (FIFO) and ?drive-in, drive-out? (DIDO) workforce practices in Regional Australia. The recently published report highlights the national interest and the diverse opinions about this practice in Australia. Resource extraction companies have developed several options to meet the accommodation requirements of their long distance commuting workforce. In this paper, initial results are reported from an ongoing survey of FIFO (and other non-residential) resource industry workers (n = 286) in the Australian resource extraction industries. The purpose of this study was to better understand how accommodation arrangements may impact on the health, wellbeing and job satisfaction of non-resident workers; and to attempt to find a relationship between different accommodation variables and workforce wellbeing and retention. In doing this it investigates evidence for the linkage between accommodation factors, hours of work, health, well-being, job satisfaction and job retention in the LDC work force.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Lee Barrett

"THE COAL INDUSTRY of the United States• and Canada has made great progress in recent years. Coal mining in •the old days represented one of the most arduous tasks for labour and industry, but over the years great progress has been made in reducing the effort required from labour. Also, the tonnage produced per man, the cost of the coal per ton, and the overall safety of the operation, have been greatly improved.Looking back over the past fifty years:, the era can be divided into four principal parts: (a) hand-loading, (b) track mining methods, (c) off-track mining methods, and (d) continuous mining. For many years, all of the coal was won by hand-mining methods. The first forms of mechanization •resembled the move from the horse •and buggy to the automobile. Early track mechanical mining methods were usually adaptations of the direct methods involved in hand-mining, with each improvement directed toward some specific process. A revolutionary development came about with off-track mining methods. The first efforts in this direction were provided by off-track mechanical loading machines, which loaded the cars •on track and differed from conventional track mining methods only in that the loading machines themselves operated on the mine floor. With the advent -of the shuttle car about ten years ago, true off-track mining came into being, and real progress in this direction began to be made.At the present time we •are at the beginning of a new era -.the era of continuous mining. There will be a period of development with some time needed before the system is generally applied throughout the industry, but -already enough •has been done to indicate rather dearly what the future holds in this direction."

Jan 1, 1953

By G. M. Behrend

"The mining and processing of mineral ores is a very old industry which is steeped in tradition. Rising demand for metals has recently forced the exploitation of lower-grade orebodies which require extensive beneficiation. The high capital expenditures involved, together with market pressures for high-quality concentrates and pellets, have forced the development of new process technologies which are heavily dependent on automatic process control. Development of suitable instrumentation has been rapid and it is being applied to mining processes today with a high degree of sophistication. The drive for higher efficiency and profitability goes on and has reached a level at which modern digital computers appear to be the only answer. However, the efficient application of a digital process computer is extremely complicated and is therefore approached by the mining industry with considerable hesitation.Some of the benefits promised by the digital computer can be obtained today by other means, which are more manageable and can provide immediate payoff. The result would be a building-block system which would utilize the digital process computer as its final component, to perform true plant optimization, free from routine chores."

Jan 1, 1971

By C. W. Taylor, F. L. Martin

"THE DICTIONARY defines Metallurgy as the ""science or art of separating metals from their ores and refining them for use"". In these days, however, such a definition is not detailed enough.The modern science of metallurgy is based on two fundamental sciences, physics .and chemistry, and is sub-divided into two major fields: Process Metallurgy and Physical Metallurgy. These fields of metallurgy are now so comprehensive and involved that even the graduate metallurgist has to specialize in one or the other.In recent years, the relatively new science or technology of non• destructive testing has also entered the industrial scene, with tremendous impact and ramifications. So much so that, certainly, no .discussion on metallurgy can be complete without including some reference to it.Obviously, one paper cannot hope to cover in detail the relationship of the whole science of metallurgy to the mining industry. Consequently, only a very brief reference will be made to the field of Process Metallurgy, our major concern being with Physical Metallurgy and Non-Destructive Testing."

Jan 1, 1960

By Ralph D. Parker

THE subject matter of this paper will be primarily restricted to the metallic mineral industry, which last year was responsible for almost 60 per •Cent of the total value of Canada's mineral production. It has been written that, in the broad sweep of eternal time, sixty years is as transient as a flicker of lightning in a summer night's sky. In the history of mankind and human endeavour, however, six decades can encompass momentous events and far-reaching •circumstances, all of which affect the lives of men and change the destiny of nations. This observation is con-firmed very positively by a study of our Canadian mining history, from either the broad viewpoint of human progress or the more specialized viewpoint of national economy. The past sixty years have witnessed vast changes in the economic importance of mining in this country's affairs, and also in the technology of the industry. Mining has emerged from the days of rule-of-thumb practice and is now taking on the stature of a highly diversified science.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. Font

The RAF or copper fire refining process at the Caletones smelter of CodelcoChile consists of several pyrorefining stages that successively lowers the levels of S, Fe, Pb, As, Sb, Te, Se and to some extent 0 in the copper melt, allowing the production of high quality fire-refined copper of 99.93 % purity (RAF copper). This chemical feature of the RAF copper is only achieved by quite long processing times, and a considerable consumption of fluxes and fuels in the RAF vessels. The main goal of this study was to improve the RAF process performance by thermodynamic considerations and industrial scale tests, i.e., an in situ approach for the process as featured by intensive sampling, characterization and subsequent modifications. Thus, both theoretical and industrial data were derived, and based on kinetic and thermodynamic evaluations, a higher operational standard was achieved for the RAF process. These new operational practices allowed enhancing the overall economic of the RAF process, by reducing the time and operational costs, and consequently increasing the availability of the vessels.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. H. Samuel, P. Burke, F. Mucciardi, J. Gruzleski, S. A. Musmar

A new thermal analysis technique has been developed and tested. It utilizes the enhancement in heat transfer characteristics associated with a recent advancement in heat pipe technology. Heat is extracted from a liquid sample of a melt taken in-situ within a vessel or furnace. The rate of heat extraction is such as to cause the sample to solidify. The technique was tested in both laboratory scale and industrial scale (Grenville Castings, Perth, Ontario). A 356 Al Alloy, subjected to various melt treatments was used to perform the tests. Classical thermal analysis was also performed simultaneously using a preheated graphite cup and at the same melt conditions. The comparison showed the potential of the new technique over classical thermal analysis. The major advantages of the new method are that it conducts the analysis inside the melt (i.e. a physical sample is not removed from the melt), it consumes less time and the cooling rate can be precisely controlled during the solidification process. Moreover, the resolution of the results is better than that of conventional techniques. Aluminium

Jan 1, 2006

The steam-filtration process for dewatering solids involves the application of slightly superheated steam to a filter cake during filtration. The mechanism by which the technique promotes water removal has been deduced from bench-scale experiments on coal and on granular iron ore concentrates. The mechanism, along with some of the applications and limitations of the process, is presented. Introduction I N the steam-filtration process, slightly super-heated steam is applied to the filter cake during filtration to remove more water than can be extracted by conventional filtration. Although this process was developed by Burton for coal filtration (1), it should have far wider applicability; certainly, it could be used to treat any mineral product, because only low-temperature steam is needed and most conventional filtration equipment can be easily adapted to it. As few restrictions apply to this process, however, it is important that its more obvious advantages and disadvantages be appreciated and, especially, that the criteria on which economic evaluations can be based are understood.

Jan 1, 1965

By Descarreaux. Jean

"The Abitibi volcanic belt was sampled along a cross section extending from Matagami to a point east of Rouyn. A few samples were also collected in Louvicourt township, Quebec. The major elements were determined for 344 samples, and rock names were defined using normative minerals. The analytical data were studied by means of variation diagrams. The Abitibi volcanic belt is characterized by rocks belonging to both the tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magmatic series, but they show some differences as compared to some typical reference series, particularly those from Japan. Basalt is the predominant rock type and accounts for 44 per cent of the sampled outcrops. The volcanic rocks are relatively poor in K2O and TiO2. Regionally, the volcanogenic copper-zinc mineralization is associated with the calc-alkaline volcanic sequences. Locally, within such sequences, some types of abnormal deviations from the averages are recognized only in association with the copper-zinc mineralization. The anomalies are ascribed to hydrothermal alteration consisting of the introduction of MgO and removal of N a20; enrichment in K20 is also observed where zinc mineralization predominates. Examples of such anomalous zones show that, in places, this alteration phenomenon can be quite extensive. Petrochemical characteristics can be used as geochemical ore guides in exploration programs."

Jan 1, 1973

By T. Majcherczyk

Shaft lining reinforcing analysis of two shafts under construction has been presented in this study. The first shaft was driven from the surface, while the second was deepened. Mining and geological conditions have been studied with respect to the lining capacity. The improvement of shaft stability comprised two elements, i.e. reinforcement of the shaft lining capacity and improvement of the strength properties of the rock mass. In both tested cases, the particular hazard was connected with non uniform loadings of the lining, which could generate shearing stresses within lining structure. Thus such elements as armored concrete with high strength properties, bolting and injection sealing of the rock mass, and the use of special ring reinforcing the shaft lining have been used in order to reinforce the shaft-rock mass system. Practical conclusions related with new technological solutions, allowing the rock mass and shaft lining reinforcement, have been included for the present study. Practical conclusions related with new technological solutions, allowing for rock mass and shaft lining reinforcement, have been also included to the present study.

Aug 1, 2013

By W. S. Dyer

The Minto coal basin lies in the central part of the province of New Brunswick, near the head of Grand Lake. The village of Minto which is the centre of mining activity of the district, lies about 35 miles east of Fredericton and somewhat greater distances to the north and west of the cities of St. John and Moncton respectively. Although coal has been mined in the basin for a number of years, it was not until recently that the production became sufficient to warrant a thorough geological investigation. The summer of 1922 was spent, in accordance with in structions from the Director of the Geological Survey, in making a detailed study of the geology and coal resources of the Minto coal basin, which is covered by the Minto and Chipman map sheets, each embracing an area of 200 square miles. The present paper is a short outline of the principal results obtained in the field. The writer wishes to acknowledge the assistance cheerfully given him by the managers and officials of the various companies operating in Minto. He wishes especially to thank Mr. W. B. Evans, Manager of the Rothwell Coal Company, for assistance in the collection of fossils and for the generous supply of information relative to the early history of the coal field.

Jan 1, 1924

By K. C. Lahiri, H. P. Das, G. G. Sarkar

"The petrographic components of any particular rank of coal often show some distinct physical and chemical characteristics. Therefore, their pro-portionate distribution in a coal greatly influences the technological behaviour of the coal.In any size or gravity separation of a coal, the petrographic constituents become segregated to different degrees in some preferred size or specific gravity range. Therefore, a knowledge of the petrographic nature of the washed and/or screened fractions is often considered essential in selecting the most efficient method for coal preparation and in exploring the proper evenues for its utilization.A graphical method is described in this paper to indicate the mineral-matter content and the petrographic components of the washed fractions of a coal at different ash levels of separation in the form of a new washability diagram. This diagram can be conveniently used to assess or predict the petrographic composition of clean coal or sinks corresponding to any desired ash level in the cleans. With the help of this diagram, it is also possible to locate the yield level of cleans at which maximum enrichment of vitrinites and exinites occurs with the least amount of mineral-matter content."

Jan 1, 1971

By T. Saksala

In this paper, the embedded discontinuity approach is applied to finite element modeling of rock fracture. A rate-dependent constitutive model based on the embedded displacement discontinuity theory is developed to describe the mode I, mode II and mixed mode fracture of rock in tension and compression. The bulk material is described as linear elastic until reaching the elastic limit. Beyond this limit, a ratedependent exponential softening law governs the evolution of the embedded displacement jump. The present approach incorporates the rock heterogeneity by random description of the mineral texture of rock. Moreover, the inherent initial microcrack populations of natural rocks are accounted for as randomly oriented embedded discontinuities. Numerical examples demonstrate the model behavior in uniaxial compression and tension. The effect of loading rate and confining pressure is tested as well in 2D numerical simulations. These simulations show that the model captures the main features of rock in confined compression and uniaxial tension. The developed method has the computational efficiency of continuum plasticity models. However, it has an important advantage of accounting for the orientation of introduced microcracks.

Jan 1, 2015

By Pierre Montrueil, Marcel St-Amant

Within the next few years, underground mobile equipment will be partially automated. Mining methods will integrate more and more automation. Such an evolution will be possible only if adequate underground communication systems are developed. This is expected due to the available competence in Canadian telecommunication, to the economic pressure on the Canadian mining industries for international competitiveness and to the social changes where a better working environment (i.e. less accidents) becomes a major concern. CCARM propose the concept of a Production Area Network for Automated Mobile Units called PANAMU as an intermediate size communication system. It can be implemented using mature present-day technology and it can be integrated in some mine wide communication systems. It can evolve so as to incorporate new technologies because of its modular concepts. In this paper, the communication requirements are estimated, the amtmptions are defined, the concepts of the PANAMU are presented and an over- view of its implementation is described. CCARM presents this article to the mining industry as a document for discussion.

Jan 1, 1994

By N. Hosking, M. Nichols

Aluminum alloys are increasingly used for automotive body construction but are susceptible to filiform corrosion or paint blistering in service. Filiform corrosion resistance of two 6000-series aluminum alloys was investigated in this work. Test panels were produced with full automotive coating layers and scribed parallel and perpendicular to the rolling direction. The corrosion exposure comprised an inoculation step with acidified salt solution followed by a 6-week exposure period at 95% relative humidity and either 25°C or 70°C. Greatest corrosion activity was measured on the alloy with higher copper content, AA6111. Higher temperature exposure led to greatly enhanced corrosion activity for AA6111 compared to the lower temperature exposure. The 70°C exposure also led to greater mean corrosion-affected area measurements for the low copper aluminum alloy, AA6022, but the effect was not as stark as that observed for AA6111. Rolling direction affected the propagation direction, and possibly mechanism, of the corrosion effects. Cross-sectional analysis revealed dense corrosion products within the filament, comprising mostly aluminum and oxygen but with traces of chloride and sulphate. Development of varying filament and blister types on a single test panel and the progression of corrosion underneath a filament into the substrate indicate that several corrosion mechanisms can develop on the test panel, testament to the complexity of the corroding surface developed on an aluminum automotive body panel.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. J. Hyett, N. Hedrick, J. Blackall

The Garford bulb anchor is a modified cable geometry developed and patented by Garford Ply Ltd. of Australia, and which has recently become widely available in Canada. It is produced by deforming the seven wires (including the central kingwire) of a standard cable into a bulb" (Fig. 1). Laboratory cable pull tests indicate that the bond capacity of the 25 mm Garford bulb anchor is comparable to the nutcase cable, in excess of the birdcage cable, and significantly higher than standard 7-wire strand. Its comparative advantage over the latter is most significant for tests at low radial confinement and high water:cement ratio grout, which corresponds to operational conditions of low quality rock (i.e. weak, highly fractured rock masses, foliated hanging walls, failed ground, etc.) and poor installation quality control (perhaps the most common explanation for cable bolt failures). It is under such conditions that cable bolting is often ineffective. The most impressive result is that for a reduction of the effective rock mass modulus by a factor of five, the Garford bulb cable capacity remains virtually unchanged.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. B. Mitchell

Many of the pre-production and plant startup problems that we regard as inevitable are actually caused by poor organizational methods. Traditional methods of organization can be modified to provide clear definitions of responsibility, continuity and depth of involvement of key personnel in order to overcome these problems.

Jan 1, 1966

"Geological investigation in the Appalachian region of Canada began more than 150 years ago. The distribution of rock formations, and their ages and regional structure are today reasonably well known in most parts of the region to 1-or 2-mile scale. Most Newfoundland geology is known only to 4-mile scale. About 200 earth scientists carry out research in the region, of whom about 25 per cent are government employees, 50 per cent university staff and graduate students, and 25 per cent industry employees.Increased activity is needed toward both regional analyses and problem studies through the efforts of multi-disciplinary teams. The ultimate objectives of earth science must be the discovery and development of mineral re•-sources and the use and conservation of natural material in the environment, all for the benefit of the local in-habitants. To accomplish this, the scientific community must carry out an array of research projects ranging from the technical products of geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys through to the research products de-signed to renew theories and hypotheses bearing on natural processes. Some scientific sub-objectives are listed.Recommended is the increase and broadening of communication among Appalachian scientists, specifically those resident in the Atlantic Provinces. It is proposed that an Appalachian Division of the Geological Association of Canada be formed to provide a forum for discussion of Appalachian topics. In addition, a committee or council of university, industry and government earth scientists should be formed to examine the state of the science in the region, to identify programs of investigation and individual projects of research, and to recommend methods of approach. If the committee succeeds and the scientific community acts upon the recommendations, the quantity, quality and pertinence of research will increase, and earth science will better serve Appalachian society."

Jan 1, 1970