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By D. H. d Hamly

THE work of Brown and others at Pittsburgh (Brown, Baum, Yant, and Schrenk, 1938)(1) and the success of their light field microprojector (Figure 1), have shown that the microscopy of dust quantitation can be greatly improved. It has been shown that dark-field microprojection of dust spots on konimeter slides is possible (Pullen, 1940), and this paper is a discussion of the new microprojector and a new counting method which is made practical by this instrument. The microscope makes possible the ready determination of the dustiness of mine ventilation air. Reduction of the dust concentration from a dangerous to a safe level involves one or more of the following: reduction of dust production, filtration of the air stream, or dilution with non-dusty air. Each of these raises important engineering problems of time and costs, and trustworthy information on the state of dustiness of the air is required ?both before and after the employment of any method of reduction. Records of this information may be divided into two broad classes concerned with safety: (1) the level of dustiness, and (2) the quantity and kind of dust produced by a machine under a given set of conditions. Though the first requires only one determination for a given time and place, numerous routine records are required to show the continuous safety of the air in an actively producing mine. Though repeated samples are required, highly accurate counts are not needed to show safety or to indicate whether a substantial increase in the non-dusty ventilation air has produced a proportionate decrease in the dustiness of the mixed air. The Devers and Gathercole konimeters have proved satisfactory instruments for this purpose in Ontario.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. L. Karyakin

The report focuses on the process measurements of the mass of rock in the bucket power shovels and dragline excavators. The mathematical models are suggested of AC and DC electric drives of excavators. These models are a basis for calculation methods of the electric drive electromagnetic torque. The design schemes of mechanical equipment of excavators considered to account the situation of bucket in the plane of the boom. The methods of static moment allocation and identification of the excavator technological operations are developed. The results of the work are experimentally tested on power shovels with bucket capacity of 12 and 18 m3.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Sutherland Brown

"The ProblemMany science activities receive substantial funding from governments without much direct economic benefit accruing to state or individuals. In contrast, the search for knowledge has never been an acceptable so le justification of geoscience activity, perhaps because of its utility right from its inception. William Smith's geological activities were embraced because of their usefulness in building canals. Utility has been expected ever since.For decades it has been accepted at senior level s of government, without much understanding of the process, that geological surveys are necessary as a basis of resource evaluation and utilization. Recently, government treasury board s, staffed with economist s, have questioned these near axioms and in many cases the budget s of geological surveys have reflected their stone y-eyed appraisal s. Are government surveys necessary? Can their functions be reduced? Can some or all of their functions be privatized?Government geologists have been muted in trumpeting their successes outside their own ranks. Companies have been reluctant to give specific public feedback on the work of government surveys that have truly aided or guided them toward discovery. Lack of acknowledged linkages between survey work and discovery has dogged survey managers in budget reviews. Impoverished surveys cannot perform adequately so the circle is completed and the doubters' prophecy fulfilled. This is the genera l problem; British Columbia is the archetypical province."

Jan 1, 1986

By David M. Parkes, George E. Davies

"Mathematically, the proposed formula is: ""Human Effectiveness + Technological Improvement = Success in the Nineties"". A brief review is made of geology, level of technology, management and labour situations, and range of production costs in coal producing countries. This comparison shows keen competition for Canadian coals, especially from the People's Republic of China, South Africa and Australia. Domestic competition comes from nuclear energy, hydro-electric generation, natural gas (if permitted) and eastern United States coal.The huge increase in the size and power of surface mining equipment in the last forty years led to modern large-scale open pit mining. While conventional truck and shovel operations will continue to be widely used, more continuous mining and conveying systems will be installed as pits become deeper and haul distances longer. Computer systems will become more sophisticated and their applications more widespread, leading to higher productivity and closer control of all operations and equipment performances and to partial or complete automation of certain operations.The underground revival will be driven by a new generation of mining people, cooperating to produce over 3 million t/y from 300 m longwall faces retreating over 3 km resulting in mine productivities of over 40 tonnes per man shift, as is already achieved in several mines throughout the world. Continuous operation using on-line control system will assist in consistent production with availabilities over 75%."

Jan 1, 1991

By L. M. Dwarkin

Strip mining in Western Canada, though of considerable importance, is a fairly recent development for many of the operators in the district. Adding to the difficulty of unfamiliarity is the fact that a great deal of the stripping is done on pitching seams, for which the engineering and economic principles of setting the most advantageous strip ratio are not readily apparent. The novelty of the operation combined with the complexity of the principles involved can easily lead to misconceptions as to the determination of the economic ratio. Definition of Strip Ration There are two commonly accepted meanings of the term strip ratio: (1) The ratio of feet of overburden to be stripped per foot of coal recoverable. (2) The ratio of cubic yards of overburden per cubic yard or ton of coal. The first definition is inapplicable to pitching seams so, throughout this paper, strip ratio will be taken as the ratio of cubic yards of overburden to be removed per cubic yard of coal recoverable. Economic Ratio In the case of flat seams, the strip ratio is fixed by existing natural conditions, and the magnitude of this ratio determines whether stripping is economically feasible. With pitching seams, however, the strip ratio is a variable. On the outcrop, there is usually some coal which can be obtained with little or no stripping. As the work is carried down the pitch of the coal seam, the proportion of overburden continually increases until a point is reached where it is no longer economical to continue the operation. The question immediately arises as to the location of this point, and this resolves into the problem of determining the most favourable strip ratio, or, to use the accepted term, the economic ratio.

Jan 1, 1949

By M. V. Rowley, D. D. Warkentin

With high commodity prices, tightening operating budgets and increasing disposal costs, there is an increasing interest in processing municipal waste streams, such as the ash derived from combustion processes. This paper describes laboratory development work for a process to recover metal values from the finer fractions of these wastes. The work was initially aimed at recovery of copper and the removal of lead and other heavy metals from the ash residue, but results showed gold and silver recovery to be an important objective as well. The process uses gravity and flotation as the principal separation steps, with gold recovery occurring mainly in the flotation stage. The particle size range and chemistry of the ash presented numerous challenges to developing a suitable flotation method, but an effective flowsheet was developed by separating the ash into a fine fraction and a separate slime fraction, each with a unique flotation strategy. Specialized conditioning stages and careful reagent selection have resulted in effective gold and silver recovery from a range of ash types and sources. The work has resulted in a patent being issued for a process based on this novel approach to the treatment of combustion wastes.

Jan 1, 2017

By Gema Ribeiro Olivo

The hydrothermal Au-Pd deposits are hosted by the jacutinga in the Lake Superior-type iron-formation of the Itabira Group, Minas Supergroup. Jacutinga is a highly sheared, metamorphosed, hydrothermally altered iron-formation composed of hematite, magnetite, quartz, talc and phlogopite (Cauê) or muscovite (Conceição) and minor tourmaline, palladian gold, arsenopalladinite, mertierite II and palladeisite (hydrothermal) and native gold, native palladium Pd-Cu-oxides, and kaolinite (weathering products). The highest concentrations of Pd-Au occur in quartz and hematite veins parallel to the S1 foliation (Corpo Y, CorpoX, Aba Leste and Central orebodies, at Cauê and a single orebody at Conceição) or parallel to the S2 foliation (Aba Norte). The average ore grade is 30-40 g/t Au+Pd. The characteristics of the Au-Pd ore favor an epigenetic model for gold and palladium concentration in the iron-formation. During the D1 deformation and peak metamorphism, the oxiziding, acid and hot hydrothermal fluids transported Au and Pd preferentially as chloride complexes. The reaction of the fluid with the dolomitic carbonate (the probably protolith of the jacutinga) would have dissolved carbonate and K-feldspar to form muscovite or phlogopite and tourmaline, resulting in an increase in solution pH and a decrease of Cl concentration and subsequent deposition of gold and palladium minerals.

May 1, 2003

AT the Annual General Meeting held in Winnipeg last March, the whole of one of the technical sessions was devoted to a special Symposium on Geological Investigations in Canada, introduced by a paper entitled The Geological Survey (lî which had been specially prepared by Dr. G. A. Young, Chief Geologist of the Survey, and had been published in the February BULLETIN, prior to the meeting. Geologists from each of the provinces contributed to the Symposium, including directing officials of the geological divisions of provincial Departments of Mines, representative geologists from the Universities, and company and consulting geologists. Space, unfortunately, does not permit publication of a complete record of the proceedings,_ or even inclusion of all contributions to the discussion. The following summary, however, gives what is believed to be a fair cross-section of the opinions expressed by representatives from each Province. The Symposium resolved itself largely into a discussion as to how the Geological Survey and the several provincial bureaus or divisions of geology could co-operate most effectively in the important task of carrying out geo-logical investigations, with avoidance of duplication of work and waste of effort, and, so far as broad principles are concerned, there was remarkably close agreement among those participating in the Symposium as to how the various types of investigation should be allocated as between the Federal and Provincial organizations. Briefly, the concensus was that the Geological Survey can render the most effective assistance by conducting reconnaissance investigations, with mapping at 4 miles to one inch, leaving to the provincial organizations the more detailed, and hence more local, studies and mapping at larger scales. There was general agreement that the preparation of base maps, essential to systematic geological investigation, is a service devolving upon the Federal Government.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. L. McAllister

"MASSIVE sulphide deposits are found in two areas of New Brunswick, the St. Stephen area and the Bathurst-Newcastle area. In both, the geology in the immediate vicinity of the sulphide bodies is largely inferred from drilling results as outcrop is not plentiful and is, in fact, almost lacking in most places. With few exceptions these deposits have not been explored by underground methods. Consequently much of the. detail on the geology will only become known over a period of years as economic conditions make mining feasible.Much of the information contained in this paper has been supplied directly by company geologists. As a result of the number of contributors, some confusion of nomenclature bas to be anticipated. Cross-sections and plans of the individual deposits are, in most cases, as supplied by the companies concerned. Most of the interpretations are the responsibility of the author."

Jan 1, 1960

By C. D. Williams

The following paper deals with some of the aspects of the law as it relates to the oil and gas industry in the Province of Alberta, but it should be stated here that consideration of this large subject will be confined to discussion of only those laws, rules, and regulations which affect actual exploratory operations. The paper will not touch on those branches of the law which deal with such matters as income tax, customs, and other kind red subjects which are of a highly technical nature and which are more properly the field of the specialist. Generally speaking, any system of law consists of certain major components. There must be, firstly, a national authority capable of ensuring the existence of the state itself and of maintaining the stability and continuity of its institutions; secondly, a philosophy of government covering the relationship of the state to the individual and of the individuals to one another; thirdly, a body of law to effect the purposes of the philosophical principles; and, fourthly, a judiciary to arbitrate any disputes that may arise from such relationships. All of these components and the system itself are, of course, subject to a varying degree of modification with the changing times and with the influence upon them of other systems of law. Now. while it is true to say that all systems of law comprise these similar basic features, it is apparent that the end result of any two systems of law in their impact upon the individual may be quite different.

Jan 1, 1951

By B. R. Conard

Copper refining at Vale Canada (previously known as Inco) has been associated with Ni production. Because Cu and Ni carry risks for adverse health endpoints through inhalation exposure, it is critical that their aerosol levels, and the metallurgical processes through which they enter the air, are understood. Because certain Ni substances have been linked to respiratory cancers, it is also important to characterize the amounts and types of Ni compounds in occupational settings. This paper describes electrorefining and electrowinning operations near Sudbury, Ontario (1930–present), and gives aerosol measurements (1978–present).

Jan 1, 2014

By A. M. L. Cushing, S. Kelebek

Presently, adsorption is one of the effective methods of removing toxic contaminants from waste waters. The contaminants from metal mining industrial operations include an effluent water containing various types of heavy metal species at concentrations beyond the maximum allowable limits, which are 0.5 ppm and 0.3 ppm for nickel and copper species, respectively. Adsorption behavior of copper ions pre-chelated with diethylenetriamine (DETA) and triethylenetetramine (TETA) onto natural bentonite and peat has been investigated. Both natural bentonite and peat was found to be capable of removing these copper-polyamine complexes from aqueous solutions relevant to process water effluents. However, the adsorption capacity of bentonite was significantly higher than that of peat. Two models were used to study the adsorption kinetics: a pseudo-first-order rate expression and a pseudo-second-order rate expression. For both adsorbents, the data conformed best to the pseudo-second-order rate expression. Representation of the experimental data through adsorption models was also investigated. Out of the four cases considered, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms, it was found that for both bentonite and peat, the copper polyamine adsorption data conformed best to the Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption model. The Langmuir model also represents the bentonite-copper polyamine adsorption system reasonably well as the second best case, suggesting that the amount adsorbed on bentonite might be a monolayer with strong affinity.

Jan 1, 2015

By M. Jayaraman

With the ever increasing demand for commodities, due to changes in lifestyle and increase in population, people are striving to find ways to keep up. Mining is one essential element in the solution. Though being a powerful boost to a country?s economy, mining can have disastrous effects in the absence of waste management practice and technologies; because of the harmful heavy metals and toxic chemical waste that is generated as a by-product in mining operations. It is an established and documented fact that pollution is a major concern for communities having to live with it. Disproportionate water consumption significantly impacts local rivers and ponds thereby reducing freshwater availability and have given rise to social conflict. In light of these misgivings, management and treatment of mine water and waste has gained considerable attention recently. In this paper, we summarize some of the treatment methods that can be adopted by mining companies to reduce their environmental footprint. Appropriate treatment solutions depend on various factors including available space and capital cost for treatment solutions, type of mining waste generated, current state of the mining plant, geographical location, and other location specific issues. Incorporating waste and water management solutions as a priority within mining operations is critical for addressing increasing regulatory requirements and a starting point for initiating other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Collaboration among mining companies, NGOs, local community, and government facilitates successful projects which build trust leading to long term relationships. In this paper we also talk about the benefits of implementing a CSR project that captures the focus of local communities and allows the mining company to focus on operations. Implementing a sustainable business model that incorporates the broader community impacted by projects will continue to benefit even after the mining company ceases operation in that location. The challenges involved with implementing effective CSR projects, which require measuring and reporting effectiveness to create a positive social, economic, and environmental impact is also presented in this paper.

Aug 1, 2013

By E. Zucker

In this paper, as in the 1960 CIM paper of the same name, s1gmf1cant new developments in electrical-mechanical mining equipment are briefly described. These include static thyristor-supplied D.C. drives for mine hoists, load-haul-dump systems, process controls with small and medium-size computers, and several other new items of equipment and Concepts. All the new hardware descriptions are given in the context of over-all process integration. This means the actual mechanical linking together of two or more processes and the preliminary step in the development of production-line mining.

Jan 1, 1969

By Quenton Johnson, W. A. Gough, David Carr

"This paper describes the application of the BrainWave Model Predictive Controller (MPC) and Advanced Control Expert (ACE) Advanced Supervisory Control System on the SAG Mill, Ball Mill, and Rougher Flotation cells for a new gold processing line at the Oceana Gold - Haile Gold mine in Kershaw, South Carolina. For this project, ANDRITZ supplied the control system design and programming, operator-training simulator and advanced control. The advanced control was tested against the IDEAS™ dynamic simulator, and commissioned during the startup of the processing plant to help achieve target production as quickly as possible. Operators were able to run the equipment in a consistent and optimized manner from an early stage of the plant operation, increasing efficiency and profitability. MPC is able to reduce process variability beyond the best performance that can be obtained with conventional Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control methods. MPC is able to optimize the control of processes that exhibit an integrating type response in combination with transport delays or variable interaction, which are characteristic of many gold processes including SAG mill weight control and Flotation cell froth level control. The experience and benefits of applying MPC during the startup of a new gold processing plant are presented in this paper.INTRODUCTION Mineral processing operations present many challenges for automatic process control due to variations in unmeasured ore properties, material transport delays, and non-linear response characteristics. Advanced process control technologies such as expert systems and multi-variable model predictive controllers are often used to improve the control of these processes to increase productivity and recovery efficiency. Typically these systems are applied after the mine has been in operation for a period of time. For this project, a complete dynamic process simulator was developed using the IDEAS platform for the purpose of training operators before the plant was constructed. Operators were able to become familiar with the process and the control system in order to become proficient in the use of the controls before the plant was ready to start. They were able to practice abnormal condition management including startup and shutdown of the process using the simulator and develop complete Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for these situations. The simulator was also used to test the control system functionality and operator Human Machine Interface (HMI) configuration to reduce errors and improve the performance of the control system during plant start-up."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. Poplawski

In mineral processing plants, cyclones typically perform the classification duty prior to the downstream recovery process. Particle size distribution of the cyclone overflow is an important parameter and can be viewed as the product of the comminution process. Too coarse of a product will likely have poorly liberated valuable minerals and make recovery difficult. Too fine of a product may represent a missed opportunity to increase plant throughput and/or also result in low recovery due to poor kinetics. “Near-line” particle size measurement instrumentation has been in place for several decades, its availability and low measurement frequency have typically been inadequate for reliable use in automatic control. CiDRA Minerals Processing has developed a novel and robust technology that provides a highly reliable and low maintenance system for “on-line” measurement of the particle size in the overflow of individual cyclones. The system is based around a wetted sensor design with no moving parts and provides a real-time trend of the desired target grind size parameter. The system does not require sampling and associated sample transfer piping that is prone to plugging, thus avoiding high maintenance requirements. Plant data and benefits realized from the latest installations of the CYCLONEtrac PST will be presented. INTRODUCTION Impact-based real-time hydrocyclone particle size measurement Acoustic impact-based particle size tracking is a unique method for measuring and controlling the particle size in cyclone overflow streams. The implementation of this technology is centered upon a sensor probe that is inserted into the overflow slurry stream via a two-inch (50 mm) hole in the overflow pipe (Figure 1). Particles within the slurry stream impact the surface of the probe generating travelling stress waves within the probe. A sensor converts these travelling stress waves into an electrical signal and proprietary signal processing techniques convert these signals into a particle size measurement that is output every four seconds. The sensor is constantly in contact with many particles in the slurry stream, thus obtaining information from orders of magnitude more particles than traditional sample-based technologies. The sensor has no impact on cyclone performance because it is located downstream of the hydrocyclone and the presence of an air core ensures there is no change in the back pressure seen by the hydrocyclone.

Jan 1, 2019

By K. T. Aye

An investigation into the leaching of chalcocite and covellite in cyanide solutions at concentrations typically encountered daring gold cyanidation has been conducted. The results indicate that, for both minerals, the extent of leaching is greater under anoxic conditions, but is still incomplete even in the presence of free cyanide ions, with undissolved copper solids remaining in equilibrium with solution species. The speciation of the sulfur and cyanide reaction products in solution are interpreted in terms of the fast formation of a copper(I)- cyanide complexes in solution and a sulfur-rich copper(I) polysulfide solid phase, which then reacts more slowly to produce thiocyanate ions.

Jan 1, 2011

By Harry Jomini

Introduction The Wakefield plant of the Aluminum Company of Canada, Limited - a member of the Aluminum, Limited, group of companies - produces magnesia, magnesia fertilizer ingredient, and hydrated lime, from brucitic limestone. Wakefield is on the Gatineau river in Wakefield township, Quebec, some 22 miles north of Ottawa. The plant is near the western bank of the river adjacent to the Ottawa-Maniwaki highway and branch line of the Canadian Pacific railway. The plant is unique in the sense that it is the only place in Canada where brucite is processed. It is also distinguished for its outstanding safety record, as not a single lost-time accident occurred during either 1948 or 1949. The plant is amply provided with safety and comfort provisions in keeping with the standard practice in all of the twelve plants operated in Canada by Alcan and its associated companies. History Following the identification of brucite in the Rutherglen and Bryson districts in Ontario, occurrences of the mineral were discovered in the Wakefield area, Quebec, in 1939. After exploratory work on these deposits and investigation by the Bureau of Mines, Ottawa, on a method of extracting the brucite from the ore, a plant for treating the ore from the Maxwell property was built in 1941 by the Aluminum Company of Canada and commenced operations in early 1942. The process used is more or less in accordance with the method worked out by Mr. M. F. Goudge of the Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1950

By N. W. Hendry

ABSTRACT Exploration by geophysical methods and diamond drilling of an occurrence of chrysotile asbestos, located ten miles east of Matheson, Ontario, was commenced on March 25th, 1949, by the Canadian Johns-Manville Company, Limited. The asbestos is associated with a narrow sill-like body of basic and ultrabasic rocks which strikes northwesterly across portions of Munro and Beatty townships. To date, asbestos zones of commercial interest, many hundreds of feet in length, width, and depth, have been outlined by diamond drilling along a 2-mile length of serpentine. The fractures occupied by the asbestos veins are closely associated with the regional faulting in the area. The mining of the first occurrence, or A orebody, will be by open-pit methods. Milling will commence at a rate of 50 tons an hour. INTRODUCTION OCCURRENCES of chrysotile asbestos in Munro township have been known at least since 1914 and references to them appear in reports published by the Ontario Department of Mines in 1915 (1) and 1919 (2). J. G. Ross (3) in his excellent publication on Chrysotile Asbestos in Canada, mentions an occurrence in Munro township. The area was first mapped in detail by J. Satterly, of the Ontario Department of Mines, in 1944, and brief mention is made of chrysotile asbestos in Satterly's preliminary report (4), which was published the following year.

Jan 1, 1951

By W. A. Green

Introduction While pilot-mill operations were being carried on at Flin Flon, as described by R. E. Phelan (1), a detailed topographic map was being made of the area in the vicinity of the ore-body for later use in laying out plans for the final plant. The area covered by this survey was 6,600 feet by 6,600 feet, with contours on 2-foot intervals. As mentioned by Mr. Phelan, it was definitely decided at the end of November, 1927, to take up the option on the Flin Flon property and to proceed immediately with the plans for construction of a metallurgical plant at Flin Flon to treat 3,000 tons of ore per day, and of a hydro-electric power plant at Island Falls, Saskatchewan, to supply power for the future operations at Flin Flon. Railway Built From The Pas to Flin Flon Just as soon as the decision was made to go ahead with the construction work and opening-up of the property, it was of course essential to give immediate attention to the building of a railway to the mine. Many years previously, a preliminary survey had been made for a railway to branch off the Hudson Bay railway at a point 4.7 miles northeast of The Pas, and, during certain negotiations in 1925, the Provincial Government of Manitoba had agreed to guarantee the railway bonds necessary to finance the building of the line, so that it was possible to organize for this work immediately. A contract was let by the newly organized Manitoba Northern Railway Company to the Dominion Construction Company, Ltd., and Tomlinson, for the building of the railway to the mine, a distance of approximately 87 miles (see Figure 1). The Manitoba Northern railway is a subsidiary to the Canadian National railway, and all engineering and supervision of the contractors was done by the Canadian National engineers. Actual construction work was started in January, 1928. The first 52 miles of the railway from The Pas to Cranberry Portage is over fairly level, although slightly rolling, country, and a considerable portion of the route is over muskeg area. Rails were laid on top of the frozen muskegs. Gravel deposits were opened-up along the line and, before warm weather; sufficient ballast .was distributed in the muskeg areas to prevent thawing under the track, and thus give the necessary support to allow uninterrupted transportation over the line.

Jan 1, 1935