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By J. N. Van der Merwe, M. Mathey

"The development and mechanical characterization of coal-crete, a composite material generated from coal fragments and some binder material, is described in this paper. Coal debris was obtained from a colliery in South Africa. The binder used in the study basically consists of cement and water, and further ingredients are added to the mixtures, such as sand, fly ash and polymers, in order to investigate alterations of the mechanical properties of coal-crete.Results from over 220 mechanical tests on coal-cretes with various binder mixtures give consistent trends for the material’s behaviour. Linear relationships are suggested between the uniaxial compressive strength, Young’s Modulus and the indirect tensile strength of the coal-crete.It is shown that mechanical properties comparable to coal can be achieved. Coal-crete is therefore suitable for physical modelling of mining situations in experimental studies and for use as backfill in underground coal mines. The latter application is particularly attractive when refuse coal is used as aggregate material. The indicated trends in this study may be used as a guideline for individual coal-crete design needs. However, some uncertainty remains as to the influence of particle shape, size and gradation, coal rank and age of the coal-crete. These aspects are recommended for further research."

Jan 1, 2015

By E. M. Timoshenko, A. V. Tarasov

The results of laboratory, bench-scale and semi-commercial investigations of a method for adding surfactant (technical-grade lignosulphonate) to the process of pressure leaching of nickel-containing pyrrhotite concentrates have been discussed. Lt has been demonstrated that feeding of technical-grade lignosulphonate distributed along the length of an autoclave ensures a reduction in its requirement by a factor of 1.5 to 2 as compared with single-point feeding; it also results in a decrease by 5% in the unit requirement of metallized iron-bearing precipitator in the process of non-ferrous metals precipitation and reduces by 0.05 to 0.1% (abs.) the nickel and copper contents in the tailings of the given process. Technical solutions have been proposed for commercial introduction of the process.

Jan 1, 2004

By D. Farrish, W. A. Grell

"IntroductionMost base metal mines sell their concentrate to a custom smelter. The two parties concerned therefore draw up a contract which would detail the conditions under which concentrate sales will take place. The contract will identify treatment and marketing charges (including escalations), deductions for metal losses in the smelter, pricing formula, timing of payments, penalties for deleterious elements, etc.An understanding of the smelter contract is important to the mineral processor, for it will determine how he operates the plant to maximize economic return.Description of Contract ClausesUsing copper concentrate as an example, the smelter contract generally contains the following three basic charges:I. Metal Deductions- as the smelting process does not recover all the metal contained;2. A Smelting Charge- expressed per ton of material to cover costs on the bulk material such as receiving, unloading, thawing in winter, sampling, roasting to drive off sulphur, smelting through the matte and blister stages to recover mostof the copper and precious metals;3. A Refining Charge- expressed per pound of copper.The following is a review in some detail of a number of clauses which could be considered typical of a treatment and marketing type of copper concentrate sales contract. Most normal considerations in an agreement could be covered by the following types of clauses.Terminology- covers definitions, units of measurement to be used (e.g. short tons, troy ounces, etc.), currency (Canadian dollars). The term ""unit"" may be defined - l OJo of a ton of concentrate, e.g. one unit of copper means 20 pounds of copper per short ton of concentrate."

Jan 1, 1989

By Erik Q. Dahl

The strength of green and sintered pellets during reduction under various conditions in a laboratory kiln has been investigated. Equipment and test methods are described, together with the results obtained. The strength of sintered pellets drops sharply when the reduction starts, and goes through a minimum at the 70 per cent oxidation level. At more advanced reduction, the strength increases with increasing metallization. Successful use of green pellets as kiln feed requires that more attention be paid to the pellet preparation than is necessary when producing pellets for separate sintering. In particular, the ores have to be ground to a greater fineness. The initial strength of green pellets is low. Below the 70 per cent oxidation level, however, the strength of these pellets is about the same as the strength of sintered ones. Additions of such materials as silica, limestone and anthracite coal; within reasonable limits, affect the strength only slightly.

Jan 1, 1966

By L. Tong

"The oxidation of Quebracho was evaluated by acid-butanol assay, which indicates depolymerization of Quebracho. Anthocyanidin, an oxidation product of Quebracho, is stable at 95?C for up to 2 h. The ionization, complexation, and oxidation properties of Quebracho were discussed. Complexation of metal-Quebracho occurs at ambient temperature. The formation of complex precipitates is influenced by the acidity of the solution. Temperature is another important parameter that influences the oxidation and the complexation of Quebracho. Quebracho-ferric complex precipitate forms at 90?C, 0.1 mol/L H2SO4. The formation of Quebracho-metal complex in the leach solution is a possible reason for the consumption of Quebracho. Quebracho molecules adsorption on the mineral surface is reduced by consumption of Quebracho, resulting in poor sulfur dispersing effect in the leaching process. INTRODUCTIONQuebracho is used as a sulfur dispersing agent (SDA) in the pressure leaching of zinc concentrate as stated in U.S. Patent No. 3,867,268 (1975). It prevents the zinc sulfide particles from being coated with molten sulfur, thus preventing the inhibition of the zinc leaching reaction. Recently, the sulfur dispersing effect of Quebracho was investigated in the oxygen pressure leaching of nickel concentrate. The oxygen pressure leaching of pentlandite can be represented by reactions 1-3."

Jan 1, 2012

By C. G. Anderson

As the global demand for copper and gold steadily increases and the need for environmentally sound processing also grows, successful hydrometallurgical treatment of enargite (Cu3AsS4) concentrates has come to the forefront. This type of concentrate contains considerable arsenic so that successful arsenic fixation, for example as scorodite, is of the essence. This paper outlines the successful application of low temperature and low pressure nitrogen species catalyzed (NSC) hydrometallurgical pressure oxidation of enargite concentrates. The successful stabilization of the arsenic as an iron arsenate compound is discussed. Also, the use of experimental design software is highlighted as a process application and optimization tool.

Jan 1, 2006

By John Hansen

This paper has been written for presentation at the 103rd Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum, April 29 to May 02, 2000. The paper addresses blast pattern fragmentation and diggability versus the blasting technique used. RESUME The author is the Vice President for Thunderbird Mining Systems. In this capacity he manages the mine site installation of surface mining mobile equipment monitoring and navigation systems. These systems are onboard instrumentation and software systems designed to: ??measure and log mobile equipments? production and health; and ??direct the equipment operators via onboard displays that show comprehensive maps and engineering instructions. The author is a mining engineering graduate from the Royal School of Mines. His work experience includes front line supervisor and mining engineer for Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting, mining engineer for Teck Corporation, and mining consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

May 1, 2001

By K. Kawagishi, K. Matsumoto, Y Koizumi, H. Harada

A new burner rig for cyclic and hot corrosion testing of Ni-base superalloys and high-temperature coatings has been developed at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan. The concepts of the rig design include: use of kerosene as fuel, easy operation for materials research and multi-specimen testing capability per test run. The burner rig consists of six blocks including combustion block, corrosion-solution injection block, furnace block, specimen block, controller block and outdoor facility block. During verification testing, it was confirmed that the rig had accurate specimen temperature control within ±1? from 600 to 1100? and automated easy operation. Cyclic testing of several Ni-base superalloys was conducted. The results from 50 cycle testing indicated that a new NIMS alloy developed for 1700? class gas turbine had higher oxidation resistance than CMSX-4. This new burner rig testing capability at NIMS can be very useful for future oxidation, hot corrosion and coating durability studies.

Jan 1, 2010

By A. Bhowmik

Uranium Refining is the process in which undesirable neutron absorbing elements such as Boron (B), Gadolinium (Gd), Cadmium (Cd), Europium (Eu), Samarium (Sm) and other heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Co, Ca, Mg etc.) are removed to make it nuclear pure. At present, Uranium refining is carried out by solvent extraction process by using organic based solvent e, g. TBP diluted with Kerosene. The above process generates lot of nitrate bearing liquid waste and degraded organic. In order to eliminate use of hazardous organic and ammonia for Uranium refining altogether, a new process has been developed. In the new process, Yellow Cake is dissolved in nitric acid and uranium peroxide hydrate is precipitated selectively from the solution leaving all the impurities in the solution by using commercial grade hydrogen peroxide at a pre-defined pH, U conc., temperature and stoichiometric quantity of hydrogen peroxide under mild agitation. The precipitate is filtered and washed with DM water to obtain nuclear pure product meeting purity standard as per ASTM C ? 753-99.The product is spray dried and calcined to obtain uranium oxide. The process eliminates use of organic, flammable, toxic chemicals, consumes less quantity of nitric acid and uses environfriendly chemical hydrogen peroxide. The process is simple and can be integrated in the mill. A patent application is entering national phase in several countries including CANADA and abstract/full paper is available in WIPO publication no: WO/2009/013759.

Aug 1, 2010

By E. Ozberk, N. Gibson, W. G. Davenport

"In the 1950s, Canada produced more than ninety-five percent of the non-communist world's nickel and achieved dominance in terms of production, technology and pricing policies.Over the past thirty years there have been dramatic changes in the nickel industry to the extent that Canadian production is now less than thirty per cent of the total.In this document we have presented statistics relevant to this transformation and reviewed the technology, particularly with regards to energy and environmental considerations.Under the new market conditions nickel producers are likely to face more difficult competition than they have encountered in the past.The economic scene and measured nickel reserves dictate that for the purpose of increasing production, new nickel smelters will not be built in Canada in the foreseeable future. However, in order to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, Canadian nickel smelters will possibly go through some modifications or rebuilding.IntroductionThis paper presents a review of the Canadian nickel industry in relation to the world nickel industry. Major changes are described which have occurred in the characteristics of the nickel market over the last thirty years. The pre sent status of the nickel market with respect to Forecasting future trends is reviewed and attempts are made to predict what further changes will take place in the next two decades. Comparisons are made of the economics of producing nickel from sulphide ores and oxide ores and the advantages and disadvantages the Canadian nickel producers face.A brief critique of the existing and emerging nickel production technologies in Canada and the world is carried out and attempts are mad e to predict the changes which may take place in the foreseeable future."

Jan 1, 1983

By J. P. Harrison, R. Roostaei

"In this paper we investigate the consequences of using conventional triaxial peak strength criteria in the polyaxial stress conditions that occur around the end of a long circular underground opening. A series of 3d boundary element analyses were performed using Examine3D to determine the stresses induced around the tunnel in different in-situ stress conditions. To discuss the applicability of a triaxial strength criterion in failure prediction, strength factors were computed for both the Ottosen polyaxial strength criterion and the triaxial Hoek-Brown criterion. Assuming that the Ottosen criterion is an accurate indicator of strength factor, the discrepancy from this value due to the Hoek-Brown criterion is the error in prediction.In order to simultaneously show the error in prediction and actual strength factor, a quantitative bivariate colour scheme is used to visualize the results. This allows rapid identification of regions with large error, and where either unsafe or overly conservative conditions occur. We show how the inappropriate use of triaxial criteria rather than polyaxial criteria leads to an under- or over-estimation of strength factor, and can result in uneconomic or unsafe design. Extending the analysis to different in situ stress regimes shows how the in situ stress conditions affect the assessment."

Jan 1, 2015

By S. Jayasekera, A. M. T. S. Bandara, J. Kyle, E. Koenigsberger, L. Koenigsberger

The extraction of rare earth oxides from fluoroapatite rich phosphate concentrates often involves a weak acid leach of fluoroapatite and a sulphuric acid bake of the leach residue followed by water leach and precipitation to obtain an intermediate product. The main aim of this study was to determine and rationalize the solubility of rare earth metal ions in synthetic solutions representing various process liquors at the temperatures 40, 60 and 80oC. The liquors contained different acid and metal ion concentrations with respect to sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and sulphate salts of sodium, magnesium, aluminium, potassium, calcium and iron(III). A solid of mixed rare earth carbonates was used as the source of rare earth metal ions. The solubility tests and characterization of solids using XRD were conducted at Murdoch University laboratories as part of the process development for the Arafura Resources Nolans rare earth project. The composition of initial carbonate solids and the solids and solutions formed after saturation were analysed for rare earth and other elements at TSW Analytical Laboratories in Perth using ICP-MS and ICP-OES. The precipitated solid in sodium-rich acidic sulphate solutions is the double salt NaRE(SO4)2 based on the solid assays. However, in acidic solutions free of sodium or of low concentrations of sodium the precipitated solid appears to be RE2(SO4)3.

Jan 1, 2014

MR. J. F. MYERS, Consulting J3eneficiation Engineer, Greenwich, Conn.: In the written discussion contributed by Mr. F. C. Bond in item ( 2) (page 515), speaiking about the significance of the ratio of mill diameter to the make-up ball diameter, he states: "When this ratio exceeds 100 the power and capacity of the mill are de-creased"; and the paragraph ends with a reference to the 30 per cent ball volume "with some de-crease in mill capacity". I believe this broad statement is incorrect. When we are dealing with a non-cataracting mill, pre-ceded by a good rod mill, there is a slight increase in capacity, but the power does drop. The second point that I consider needs consideration is Mr. Bond's item (8), Proper Mill Speed (page 516). This paragraph should be qualified to cover single-stage mills only. It does not apply where a rod mill is followed by a non-cataracting ball mill. The statement as is, with no qualification, gives an erroneous idea of proper mill speeds.

Jan 1, 1957

"Ore deposits containing rare earth elements normally contain small amounts of the radioactive elements thorium (Th) and/or uranium (U). These are the naturally-occurring isotopes U238, U235, and Th232 (and associated decay-series daughter products) that are ubiquitous in nature, and that contribute a small percentage of the natural background radiation exposure encountered by humans. The presence of these radioactive materials in the ore deposit creates potential hazards to human health and the environment that must be dealt with properly in the mining, processing, and refining of the ores, as well as management of waste streams and residues. This paper presents an overview of the environmental and safety issues associated with U and Th, with particular emphasis on rare earth mining, processing, and refining projects; the regulatory approaches followed to ensure that rare earth deposits are developed, operated, closed, and decommissioned safely; and the development of information during the project predevelopment work and permitting processes that feed into the design, operation, and closure of tailings impoundments and milling/separation/refining facilities. Case studies will be presented subject to the availability of relevant public information. INTRODUCTIONNearly all ore deposits containing economically-recoverable rare earth minerals also contain small amounts of the radioactive isotopes for the elements thorium (Th) and/or uranium (U) and their associated radioactive decay products. Therefore, the handling and management of these materials in mining and mineral processing operations must be performed so that workers and the environment are protected from harm from Th and/or U (and their radioactive decay products), just as they must be protected from any other potentially harmful constituents present in the ore or introduced in processing. Examples of these might include ores with high sulfide content, which may pose a risk of acid rock drainage, or chemicals used in ore processing and metals production.The purpose of this paper is to present information on how rare earth mining and processing projects with ores containing Th and/or U can be developed, operated, and decommissioned safely according to applicable regulations intended to protect worker health & safety and the environment.It should be noted that some countries are considering developing Th as a feedstock for producing nuclear energy, which could have some effect on future development of rare earth ore deposits. To avoid confusion, that issue is not discussed in this paper."

Jan 1, 2012

By B. R. Rakishev

When transferring from the railway transport to the combined automobile-conveyor transport by stripping works at coal mines, it was proposed to form at the working zone a concentration horizon for reloading part of the stripping volumes at the railway transport. The procedure is adduced for substantiating parameters of bloc-panels, depending on the step of transferring of reloading points in interrelation with the intensity of the working zone?s development with observing the balanced movement of parts of the stripping zone relative to the temporary concentration level.

Aug 1, 2013

By W. Hunka

PACIFIC PETROLEUMS, Ltd. first discovered commercial quantities of gas in the Peace River area in 1952. Development of gas wells in this area is quite ex-pensive due to low penetration rates. To improve the economics, the potential of the wells in many cases had to be increased. At that time, well stimulation was still in its infancy in Canada and in this area, in particular, no treatment of any consequence had been attempted. Therefore, trial-and-error was the only means available to determine the stimulating technique that would give optimum results. Various fluid treatments were available and these were used wherever the application was warrant-ed. This paper covers acid fracture and explosive treatments as carried out on various gas-bearing horizons.

Jan 1, 1958

By Takanori Kokubo, Kenta Suzuki, Tomohiro Sasaki, Toshiya Anami

"Previous work has shown that the strengthening Al-Mn alloys with copper leads to the formation of an undesirable reduction in recrystallized grain size. In this study the mechanisms of strengthening and recrystallization behavior in a continuously cast automotive heat exchanger fin stockof Al-1.1wt%Mn-0.5wt%Fe-0.3wt%Si with a0.3wt%Cu addition were investigated. Metallurgical analysis revealed that the Cu strengthening was dominated by the formation of dispersoid particles, while solid solution strengthening decreased with the Cu additions. This result is attributed to the decrease in the amount of Mn solid solution. The post brazing recrystallized grain size was reduced compared to that not containing Cu. It is postulated that the Cu addition leads to a decrease in the amount of Mn in solid solution which leads to a finer grain size. This effect is attributed to Mn in the aluminum matrix inhibiting boundary migration but allowing other grains to grow during heat treatment. The results are rationalized based on particle stimulated nucleation (PSN), wherein dispersoid particles are more likely to become active recrystallization nuclei during the heat treatment. The increase in the number of active dispersoid particles with Cu addition is correlated to the recrystallized grain structure.INTRODUCTIONImprovements in properties such as strength, braze ability and corrosion resistance in thermal fin stock alloys are all means to gain improved efficiency in heat exchangers particularly in automotive applications. While Al-Mn alloys dominate automotive heat exchanger fin stock alloy, even small chemical compositional changes can profoundly influence these properties (Kawaharaet al., 2004; Yoshino et al., 2009). The microstructure (particularly the grain size and shape) also plays a key role in determining the product performance and hence the thermo-mechanical processing (TMP) must also be considered. The casting method (typically conventional direct chill, DC, or continuous casting) significantly influences the properties in no small part due to the very different TMP routes that are used. Continuous casting is generally favored for fin stock applications as its higher cooling rate (which can be 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than DC casting) leads to finer as-solidified intermetallic particles and an increase in super-saturated solid solution elements (such as Mn)that are known to improve fin stock performance such as strength, braze ability(Okiet al., 2008)."

Jan 1, 2018

By T. E. Morimoto

Summary The Research Council of Alberta has made a series of tests with the cyclone washer to investigate the influence of the following operating variables: underflow apex diameter, .specific gravity of medium, pulp ratio, density distribution of the feed, and size analysis of the feed. The results obtained for all the variables studied, except size analysis of the feed, are included in this paper. The tests were made with smaller underflow apex diameters and lower specific gravity .suspensions than have been recommended by Cerchar for the sharpest separations. However, what is considered to be sufficiently good cleaning was accomplished with a suspension of 1.30 specific gravity and an underflow to overflow diameter ratio of 0.56. It was found that the sharpness of separation was not affected appreciably by variations in specific gravity of suspension or underflow apex diameter provided that the density of separation was within the normal range of washery operation. Cyclone performance was not too adversely affected by decreasing the pulp ratio. The minimum figure which gave reasonable separation was 4 to 1. The tests with various density distributions of feed revealed .that the degree of washing difficulty had no detrimental effect on the .sharpness of separation given by the cyclone. Introduction A major problem of the bituminous coal industry today is that of reducing the ash content of the finer sizes (minus 1/4-inch) of coal. This problem is particularly acute in Alberta, where, because of tectonic movement subsequent to deposition, the coals have been rendered friable, and bands of impurities have been intimately mixed with the clean material. As a consequence, most Alberta coals, as mined, contain a large proportion of fines and have a high inherent mineral-matter content. The advent of mechanized mining and stripping operations ?has further aggravated this problem.

Jan 1, 1952

By Alan A. Barton

Introduction The Little Long Lac mine is situated in the Thunder Bay mining district, township of Errington, Ontario. The mine is located on the south side of the most westerly bay of Little Long Lac. The property consists of 36 claims, which comprise some 1,400 acres. This group of claims was staked in August, 1932, by Tony Oklend and Tom Johnson, and, after surface sampling, was optioned by the present controlling interests, who diamond-drilled it during the winter of 1932-33. In early spring, a small steam-driven plant was installed, and shaft sinking commenced on June 1st, 1933. During the summer, all supplies are transported to the mine from Hardrock station, at mileage 18 on the Canadian National Railway line from Longlac to Port Arthur. At Hardrock, which is seven miles from the mine, the railway skirts a bay of Little Long Lac, and supplies are loaded directly from railway cars to scows. Two scows are used, of 30-and 45-ton capacity, respectively. A 36-ft. pointer, powered by a 35 h.p. engine, is used as a tug. A good winter-road has been cut out from Geraldton to the mine, for winter transportation. Geraldton is about two miles north of the mine, and is also located on the Canadian National railway. A hard-surface road is now being constructed for summer as well as winter use. Geology The Little Long Lac gold area covers the northern limits of a large synclinal structure, the contact of the Keewatin flows and sediments, striking about twenty degrees north of west, with the dip of the sediments varying from eighty degrees north to seventy degrees south, the average being around eighty degrees south. The vein worked by Little Long Lac Gold Mines occurs in massive sedimentary rock of about the composition of arkosic or quartzitic greywacke, and consists of a shear-zone up to fifteen feet in width, striking N.75°E. and dipping steeply to the south, which has been filled by numerous narrow, parallel quartz veins and. veinlets. These are well mineralized. with arsenopyrite, pyrite, and some chalcopyrite and stibnite, and carry considerable quantities of visible gold. They show more than one age of quartz deposition, the quartz being fractured and re-cemented. The arkosic rocks separating the veins and veinlets are also slightly mineralized with pyrite. Work to date has indicated the probability that the vein-shear is controlled by local drag-folding.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. M. Oliver

THE Falconbridge property is almost completely covered with over-burden to a depth varying from 60 to over 200 feet. This overburden consists of grave], sand, and boulder, with bands of very fine silt, and there is usually a layer of water-bearing quicksand adjoining the r:ock surface. In previous shafts sunk at Falconbridge, this water-bearing quicksand had given considerable trouble, and further difficulties were expected in sinking No. 5 shaft, due to its greater size. The method described in this paper is the one adopted in sinking this shaft, after the matter had been carefully considered. No. 5 shaft is located 2,400 feet east of the old main No. l shaft, and is sunk in norite in the hanging-wall of the ore-body, which is, however, ? practically vertical to the deepest known intersection. The greatest depths of overburden prevail on the south side, or footwall, of the ore-body, and this, together.. with the fact that the footwall is wet and more badly fractured, swayed the final decision to sink in the hanging-wall. After the shaft site had been chosen and cleared, a diamond drill was set up a few feet away and a hole bored to a depth of 405 feet to test the over-burden and character of the norite bedrock. The depth of overbudren indicated by the hole was Ill feet, with the last 10 feet water-bearing. The norite was rusted and broken up for only a few feet below bedrock. A steel sinking shield (Figure l) was assembled at the shaft location, and consisted of 5/8-inch plate, 5 feet deep, built around a frame of 6 inch by 6 inch angle-iron, and braced at the corners with the same material. Twelve-inch I-beams held the shield as rigid as possible. In order to reduce binding against pebbles to a minimum, the shield was constructed with a 1-inch batter on all sides.

Jan 1, 1938