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By A. Darragh

"Past Growth The Canadian coal industry has grown rapidly during the past two decades. Coal production increased over four-fold between 1965 and 1982; consumption almost doubled, imports remained relatively flat, exports soared and total demand increased nearly two and a half times. Coal production grew during this period at an average rate of 8.60/o, compounded annually; this remarkable performance is shown in Table 1 and Figure 1. The relationship between production and consumption is shown in Figure 1, where in 1981 the total Canadian production of coal for the first time exceeded total Canadian consumption. ln Figure 2, the relationship between imports from the United States and Canadian coal exports is shown; in_ 1981 again for the first time, exports offshore exceeded imports into Canada. The rapid growth in Canadian coal use between 1965 and 1982 followed a major decline after World War II, as the country moved rapidly to an oil based economy. Changes in consumption patterns between 1945 and 1982 are shown ~n Table 2. Railway consumption of coal was reduced to zero m the early 1960s. The industrial and domestic consumers market share fell from about 660/o in 1960 to 6.70/o in 1975; this share, however, appears to have stabilized in recent years and actual volumes can be expected to increase in the future. The steel industry's share of the coal market fell over the same period, but the volume in recent years has remained fairly constant at about seven megatonnes per year.Perhaps the most significant change in consumption is in the share of coal consumed in the generation of electricity; this has increased from 80/o in 1960 to over three quarters of the total Canadian coal consumed in 1982. This increase in thermal coal consumption has been supplied by indigenous coal, and was accompanied by a decreasing share for coal imported from the U.S.A. into central Canada. It is expected, because of the nuclear power commitment in Ontario, that this share will continue to decrease, although the total volume of coal imported may increase slowly over time. This will likely also have a dampening effect on future coal sales to Ontario from western Canada."

Jan 1, 1985

By J. H. Gray

"IntroductionIn 1980, Fording Coal Limited started conceptual planning studies which led to major changes in the long-range mining plan at their Fording River Operations. These new plans have been completed and are now in operation.To assist personnel in a timely completion of this major revision to the long-range plan, existing in-house drill hole data base and scheduling systems were used and a computerized Mine Modelling and Planning System was purchased. With these tools, plan s were developed which led to completion of initial access to the peak of Eagle Mountain and the start of mining operations in March 1983. As mining area s open up and new geo logical data is obtained, detailed plan s are being extended and revised.With the geology and mine plan s on line, this work can now be done with less effort and plans ca n be adapted to provide flexibility in mining operations. Changes in market conditions can be accommodated by moving mining operations into different seams for different coal types. The computer systems are used to revise pit designs and schedules accordingly."

Jan 1, 1986

By M. Walawalkar, C. K. Nichol, G. Azimi

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential to the production of technologically advanced products, including wind turbines, electric and hybrid cars, automotive catalytic convertors, hand held electronic devices, and military defense systems. Their application in environmentally beneficial technologies puts them at a high priority for ameliorating environmental concerns. Because of their increasingly high demand and limiting resources, it is highly beneficial to find new sources for them. The present study is focused on leaching REEs from a phosphate based fertilizer by-product, known as phosphogypsum (PG). Global estimated world production of PG is about 240 million tonnes that is stored in the form of wet stacks adjacent to fertilizer production facilities, occupying vast amounts of land. PG also contains trace metals, which are detrimental to the environment, and hence it is crucial to monitor these stacks. We obtained our PG sample from Agrium Inc. (a fertilizer manufacturing company in Canada). We performed a comprehensive characterization of the PG sample and found that it predominantly contains Y, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm. For leaching purposes, we used hydrometallurgical acid leaching techniques. We investigated three acids over a range of operating conditions such as acid concentration, temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, and residence time. We achieved an average leaching of 81% with hydrochloric acid as leachant using operating conditions that can be easily replicated in industrial settings. If our process is implemented, not only will it reduce the size of the existing PG stacks (mitigating their environmental risks), but also enable the development of new innovative routes for extracting REEs, making countries like Canada less vulnerable to supply disruptions.

Jan 1, 2016

By R. G. Rosehart, S. Y. Lee

"The current investigation concerns the removal of arsenic from waste waters using ion-exchange resin and activated carbon as sorption media. Use of certain weak and strong base anion exchange resins permits the removal of arsenic. Arsenic may be loaded on the weak base resin in the pH range of 2 to 3 and on the strong base resin above pH 5. The elution of arsenic is successfully achieved using 0.5 M NaCl or a mixture of NaCl and NaOH. The activated carbon investigated was less effective on loading arsenic, but the arsenic loaded was easily eluted by simple pH adjustments."

Jan 1, 1972

By S. Isaac

The networks of interdependencies between elements in building projects, referred to as the project topology, are often complex and difficult for project teams to comprehend. It is hypothesized that a graphbased model of the project topology can be based on existing data in Building Information Models (BIM), facilitating the application of graph-theoretic algorithms to analyze this topology. The objective of this study is to propose an outline for the synthesis of BIM and graph theory. This synthesis is expected to contribute to the development of new tools for representing, managing and analyzing the design of building projects.

Aug 1, 2013

By Richard Simon

This paper presents an ongoing study on the use of borehole breakouts to estimate in situ stresses at depth in a Canadian underground mine. Breakouts were identified using an acoustic televiewer (ATV) probe. Rock samples were tested in a laboratory to determine their failure curve. Breakout analyses were performed using a 2D failure criterion and a multiaxial failure criterion. Analyses were carried out using both short-term (peak) and long-term strengths (the latter considered here as being represented by the damage initiation threshold DIT). The analyses have shown that the use of the longterm strength and a multiaxial failure criterion leads to results that are more consistent with stress measurements performed in the field, in the vicinity of the mine.

Jun 1, 2012

Carrying Energy ?Energy ?Power, data, signal, hydraulics, pneumatics? ?Needs to be conveyed from a stationary point to a system in motion ?Cable Carriers (steel and plastic), Festoon Systems, Cable Reels and Bus Bars Polymer Cable Carriers ?Life Line for modern machinery ?Transmitting power, data, signal, hydraulics or pneumatic energy ?Constructed and designed to work in harsh environments, at high speeds and to do this continuously ?Meet a wide variety of cable (Media) requirements ?Virtually maintenance free ?High efficiency

Nov 1, 2011

By A. Saki, P. Gebski, W. Ying

Industrial smelting furnaces are subjected to significant structural changes and deterioration caused by the conditions under which they operate. The current methods for the structural assessment of furnaces include visual inspections, analysis of thermal data, acousto ultrasonic-echo (AU-E) of the refractory lining and surveying of the key structural elements. Acoustic Emission (AE) non-destructive testing (NDT) technique has proven its capabilities for continuous monitoring of industrial installations and structures. Recently, Hatch Ltd. has been successful in applying acoustic emission for monitoring furnace tapblocks, and expanding the scope of the acoustic emission monitoring to the structural integrity of the entire furnace. The capability of detecting emissions related to the fracture development in the furnace shell, movement of the refractory, electrode arcing, combined with efficient source location algorithms makes an acoustic emission system a comprehensive tool for the real-time furnace integrity monitoring. In this paper the concept of such state of the art system for structural integrity assessment is presented. The initial results of the acoustic emission monitoring together with data analysis techniques are discussed.

Jan 1, 2011

By Lizelle Glaner

An investigation was carried out by Mintek to investigate the influence of additions of gold to ?Fecraloy?, alloys based on Fe-Cr-Al. The aim was to try and improve the oxidation resistance of the ?Fecraloy? alloys at elevated temperatures over extended periods of time. The ?Fecraloy? alloys are very oxidation resistant alloys already employed in industry as substrates for metallic catalysts in auto-catalyst systems for high performance cars. Since their life and durability is limited by the slow, but steady, oxidation of the substrates, any change in the growth or stability of the oxides could be an improvement.

Oct 1, 2003

By James Ball

The paper describes a new type of pump and related apparatus specifically designed to dredge sea-floor minerals from very great depths. The principle of operation of the dredging system is explained, and the factors which determine the equipment size and the power required for varying mining rates and depths of water are discussed. An estimate of the capital and operating cost of a commercial-scale mining system is presented.

Jan 1, 1968

By Donald A. Cranstone

"This paper provides a bird's eye view of the pattern of gold discoveries since 1823, the year of Canada's first gold find, up to 1983. Within this 160-year period, more gold was discovered in Canada during the last ten-year period (1973-1982) than during any previous decade. The record suggests that the potential for further major gold discoveries is high, which bodes welt f or the future of Canadian gold mining.IntroductionCanada has an impressive history as a gold producer. Since 1921 we have occupied second or third place among the world 's gold producing nations, after South Africa and most of the time the U.S.S.R. Canadian gold production over the last hundred years has added up to some 6 per cent of all-time world production.The sharp rise in the price of gold in the 1970s led to a surge of gold exploration, which in turn resulted in the discovery of significant quantities of gold in Canada. How do these recent discoveries rate in comparison with those of the more distant past? For example, are the quantities of gold in notable discoveries of recent year s, such as Hemlo and Detour, in the same league with the amounts of gold discovered around 1910 in the Porcupine and Kirkland Lake district s of Ontario? Can the combined gold content of the recent discoveries be likened to that o f the almost 40 major Canadian gold deposits, along with numerous smaller ones, discovered in Canada during the 1920s and 1930s? What are the implications of the more recent gold discovery record for future rate s of gold discovery in Canada?This paper attempts to glean answers to such questions from an overview of the period that begins in 1823, the year of Canada's first gold discovery. Gold deposits come in two major types: placer deposits and lode deposits in solid rock . Placer gold is distributed in sand and gravel. Gold in solid rock occur s mostly in gold ore filling fissures."

Jan 1, 1985

By R. F. Neider, W. R. Bain

"Expanding upon one aspect of a recent paper on ""Fluid Column Roasting at Sherbrooke Metallurgical Co. Ltd.,"" the present paper deals with the operation of the fluid column process to achieve substantial elimination of cadmium and lead during the roasting of pelletized zinc concentrates. Designed to meet the need for additional feed for Matthiessen and Regeler Zinc Company's vertical retort zinc smelter in West Virginia, without recourse to a sintering operation, the plant is capable of simultaneously attaining very low lead and cadmium levels on demand, through operation in the manner described. Fluidizing air admitted via the wind box is supplemented by natural gas admitted via a tuyere bank 15 ins. above the hearth, in quantities adjusted to maintain a reducing atmosphere within the interstices of the bed. In addition, careful attention is paid to bed temperatures, which run from 1,080° to 1,100°C. Under these reducing conditions, 90 per cent of the cadmium and 92 per cent of the lead in the feed are eliminated, the sulphate sulphur content is decreased by 0.5 per cent, sulphide sulphur is held at 0.6 to 0.08 per cent, and the zinc content correspondingly in-creases. The fuel value of the natural gas is recovered as extra steam, which carries a credit. There are some added difficulties with fume accretions, gas conditioning and gas -cleaning, some of which have yet to be overcome."

Jan 1, 1967

By Robert B. Parsons

"1984 was an eventful year in the courthouse f or observers 0/ the mining tax scene in Canada. For the first time in a number of years, the Federal Court heard several important tax cases which pertain directly to the resource industries. Tax Notes discusses/our cases that could affect the taxation 0/ operations and investment in the mining sector.Capital Gain or Income?Ever since tax reform, risk-takers in the exploration business have maintained that the taxation of capital gain s is a significant impediment to raising risk capital. It must be akin to rubbing salt in the wound, then, when an entrepreneur sells shares and the Court upholds Revenue Ca nada taxing the gain as ordinary income instead of capital gain. But, this is precisely what happened in the case of The Estate of Murray Watts, et al. v. The Queen.The issue that had to be decided by the Federal Court, Tri al Division, in this case was whether or not the profit from the sale of shares in Hearne Coppermine Exploration s Limited in 1968 was a capital gain, or income subject to tax.Hearne was incorporated in July, 1967. At that time, the three plaintiff s, together with seven other individuals, subscribed for 400,000 shares at 10 a share. The plaintiff subsequently subscribed for an additional 500,000 shares at $1.A pooling agreement was entered into by all ten shareholders regulating the disposition of any o f their shares; any sale required approval of seven of the ten initial sub scribers. It also provided for the sale of their shares 30 days after any public offering."

Jan 1, 1985

By Dale A. Walters

The thermal recovery of bitumen reservoirs by steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is often designed to maximize the operating pressure. In general, the benefits of higher operating pressures are higher steam temperatures that maximize the reduction of oil viscosity, potential permeability enhancement associated with lower effective stress and shear dilation, and a larger pressure window to allow flexible control of the producer. This is especially important for shallow reservoirs where the pressure window for injection and production is smaller. Higher operating pressure can reduce thermal efficiency (due to heat losses), but the other benefits usually compensate. The limitation of the maximum operating pressure is then based on maintaining caprock integrity. Thus, shear and tensile failure mechanisms must be quantified and managed. This paper presents a geomechanical analysis of caprock integrity for SAGD operation. Both analytical and numerical approaches are used to investigate the modes of caprock failure. Main factors in the analysis are the knowledge of the initial stress state and proper representation of the complexity of the geomaterials. Typical initial stress states for northern Alberta are presented showing the potential for low initial minimum total stress and elevated initial shear stress levels. The stress-strain behavior for the sand and caprock materials is discussed focusing on the potential for shear dilation in the sand and shear strength behavior in the caprock. Elasto-plastic constitutive models used to represent the sand and caprock are presented and compared using numerical analysis. The increase in pressure and temperature alter the stress state and disturb the soil matrix. This disturbance results in shear dilation of the sand matrix creating regions of enhanced permeability and porosity. Also, the transfer of stress and strain to the caprock causes dynamic stress changes and, therefore, dynamic behavior of shear and tensile failure conditions. Calculations are presented showing the stress paths associated with SAGD operations, suggesting better design of lab testing programs and the implications for shear dilation in the sand and shear failure in the caprock.

Jun 1, 2012

Proper water and thermal management is essential for obtaining high performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). A steady, two-dimensional water and thermal management model was developed, aiming at considering pressure drop, open circuit voltage variation with stack temperature, water vapor effects on membrane conductivity, which made the model physically more reasonable and more suitable for various operating conditions. The model could predict the distributions of a series of important parameters along the flow channel, and thus the effects of various operating and design parameters on the fuel cell performance could be investigated easily by numerical trial-and-error method. The modeling results compared well with the available experimental results from the literatures. The results also showed that the humidification is crucial for the performance of PEMFCs. The model could be a very useful engineering tool for the optimization of PEMFCs.

Jan 1, 2005

By Emmanuel Henry

Hanging wall deformation monitoring at the Kiruna Mine is a major concern for Luossavaara- Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) since underground production is deepening towards the Kiruna Town. In the quest for more effective monitoring techniques, LKAB decided to evaluate satellite-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry?s ability to monitor ground subsidence by generating continuous deformation maps from satellite radar images. While adopted by other geoscience-related industries, SAR interferometry is still relatively untested in the Mining industry. This paper describes how subsidence is actually monitored on the Kiruna Mine?s hanging wall and gives an insight on SAR interferometry?s principle. The encouraging results are discussed as well as the technique?s benefits (continuous deformation mapping, low cost, fast, etc) and limitations (sensitivity to snow and vegetation cover).

May 1, 2003

By Dennis Z. F. Mraz

"Because rock salt and pot ash formations contain particles capable of elastic deformation, the material has usually been compared with various rheological models containing elastic elements. Extensive laboratory testing of salt and potash samples resulted in various theoretical conclusions based on conditions quite different from those in a deep mine. It is felt that sufficient data have now been collected from underground measurements and observations to demonstrate the inelastic behaviour of salt masses in a deep mine. The conditions in deep salt strata can be defined as near hydrostatic, because the acting pressures are very high compared to the negligible elastic limit of the salt. The pressure field and creep around the single opening is a function of its shape, size and age. The same factors, together with extraction, determine the behaviour of the mining a rea. The application of the correct analytical method in mine design can significantly improve the excavation techniques and predetermine the long-term behaviour of openings."

Jan 1, 1973

By H. O. Seigel

Induced Polarization includes many types of dipolar charge distributions set up by the passage of current through consolidated or unconsolidated rocks. Among its causes are concentration polarization and electrokinetic effects in all rocks and the phenomenon of Overvoltage in rocks containing electronic conductors such as metallic sulphides and graphite. In normal rocks the polarization effects may be usually con-fined within relatively narrow limits and any large departures may be at-tributable to the presence of electronic conductors. In practice, Induced Polarization is measured in one of two ways. In the first a steady current of some seconds duration is passed and abruptly interrupted and the slowly decaying transient voltages existing in the ~round are measured after interruption. This is known as the "pulse", "transient", or Direct Cur-rent Induced Polarization (D.C.I.P.).The second method entails a comparison of apparent resistivities using sinusoidal alternating current of two or more frequencies, generally within the range of 1/10 to 10 c.p.s. Induced Polarization extends the

Jan 1, 1962

By Robert Yobou, Jacques Naho, Benjamin A. Allou, Jacques Carignan, Huan-Zhang Lu, Jayanta Guha, Koffi Pothin

"Résumé - Les seules productions de columbo-tantalite en Côte d'Ivoire sont effectuées dans les éluvions, colluvions et alluvions d'Issia, au Centre-Ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire. Même si un lien direct avec les roches granitiques est suspecté, aucune attention particulière n'a été accordée à l'étude de la minéralisation primaire en relation avec l'évolution de ces granites et des pegmatites associées. Ces granites, qui sont en intrusion dans les roches sédimentaires du Protérozoïque inférieur, comprennent: le granite orienté à deux micas (type Lobo), le granite orienté à muscovite dominante (type Bitapia) et le granite porphyroïde non orienté à muscovite dominante (type Issia). Les résultats de cette étude indiquent que les pegmatites à Nb-Ta-Be-Li sont liées au granite de type Issia. Les observations de terrain et les analyses sur roche totale montrent que: (1) les trois principaux granites de la région sont de type-S et peralumineux dans leur composition, (2) ils ont été formés pendant la période tardi- à post-Éburnéenne, (3) le granite de type Issia fut le dernier à se former.Les pegmatites liées au granite de type Issia ont été classées en quatre types : A- pegmatites stériles; B- pegmatites à Be; C- pegmatites zonées à Nb-Ta-Be; et D- pegmatites zonées à Be-Nb-Ta-Li. Les pegmatites zonées comprennent les zones suivantes: I- zone à aplite; II- zone graphique; III- zone à albite, microcline, béryl et columbo-tantalite; IV- zone à microcline massive; V- zone à quartztourmaline. Ces pegmatites présentent une zone d'altération métasomatique externe.La minéralisation de Ta, Nb, et Be est liée à la zone III des pegmatites de types C et D, la minéralisation de Li est associée aux greisens qui peuvent être observés n'importe où dans les pegmatites de type D. Les données de terrain et de laboratoire indiquent que le granite de type Issia est la roche parentale des pegmatites à éléments rares de la région. Les pegmatites minéralisées sont distribuées seulement autour du granite de type Issia et les patrons des terres rares des granites et ceux des pegmatites à éléments rares sont très similaires. Les analyses de la composition totale montrent un lien génétique entre le granite de type Issia et les pegmatites à éléments rares. Il est suggéré que les pegmatites ont été formées durant le transport et la cristallisation fractionnée du magma. Les éléments rares sont restés dans le liquide résiduel jusqu'à ce que les conditions favorables à leur précipitation soient atteintes.L'établissement de ce lien génétique ouvre des voies pour des nouvelles stratégies d'exploration."

Jan 1, 2005

By H. A. ?ye

The ISO TC 226 (Materials for the production of primary aluminium) has presently issued more than one hundred standards on the materials: alumina, pitch, petroleum coke, carbon anodes, carbon cathodes, ramming paste, fluorides and refractory). The object of the standardization work is to find methods that both material producers and smelters will accept. Methods that are specific for the operational conditions have been developed in addition to more traditional room temperature methods. Examples of important properties under operational conditions are: Air and C02 reactivity of anodes, Equivalent temperature for baked anodes, Sodium expansion of cathode blocks, Shrinkage and Rammability of paste, Penetration of electrolyte into refractories.

Jan 1, 2006