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By C. L. Popp

The scope is to address issues confronted by parties in the mining industry such as: Mine planners, survey and engineering departments, field teams and subcontractors. Describing approaches and best practices for assembling a project team to identify and create modeling requirements and to implement beneficial results. 3D Machine Control and Guidance tools continue to reduce project risk and attract quality resources with skill sets new to the earthmoving industry. These tools increase production, reduce rework and help with government permitting.

May 1, 2013

By Desmond M. Levins

"Australia has almost twenty per cent of the Western World's low-cost uranium reserves, located mostly in the Alligator Rivers region of the Northern Territory. At present, only one uranium mill is operating in Australia, but a number of new mills are planned for the early 1980s.Details are given of Australian uranium mining and milling proposals and the measures taken to minimize their environmental impact. Major factors affecting environmental impact are discussed, including treatment of liquid wastes, water management, control of radon and other airborne releases, and disposal of tailings. IntroductionAustralia is entering a new phase in uranium mining and milling activity . In the first phase of operations, between 1954 and 1971, about 10,000 tonnes of yellowcake was produced at five locations. Most of the production came from the mines at Rum Jungle in the Northern Territory and Mary Kathleen in Queensland. In the 1960s, the demand for uranium slumped, and much of the yellowcake produced at Rum Jungle was stockpiled by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. The early uranium processing operations in Australia were typical of overseas practice at that time. Environmental problems were generally given low priority and pollution control measures were unacceptable by today's standards. There was little or no recycling of process water, acid waste streams were not neutralized and tailings dams were poorly designed. At Rum Jungle, oxidation of sulphides in waste heaps, tailings dumps and ore stockpiles subsequently led to destruction of vegetation and heavy metal pollution in a nearby river.In the early 1970s, major uranium deposits were discovered in the Alligator Rivers region of the Northern Territory. Significant orebodies were also located in the Great Artesian Basin in South Australia, in calcrete formations in Western Australia and at several locations in Northern Queensland. According to latest available estimates. Australia has about 160/0 of the Western World's uranium recoverable below $US 80 per kg U. Mining these orebodies will require pollution control measures more stringent than practised previously in Australia."

Jan 1, 1980

By John M. Gordon

DURING and after 1949, various groups of British mining engineers came to the Dominion Coal Company, Limited, at Sydney, N .S., to see at first hand the Dosco MINER ( 1). These visits culminated in 1952 with the ordering of four Dosco Miners by the (British) National Coal Board on an experimental basis through their Experimental Expenditure Funds. Others are now on order. The first machine was delivered in February, 1953, and, after slight alterations to suit the different power supply, the machine was made ready to work. Due mainly to the size of the machine, new rules and regulations governing its operation had to be put into effect and it was not until April, 1954, that the machine was put underground. It started to produce in June of that year. The three others were delivered early in 1955. The authors were sent to England by the Dominion Coal Company to install and demonstrate these machines and to work with the Coal Board engineers to- further interest in the machines in the British coal fields .

Jan 1, 1956

By C. A. Pickles, D. K. Xia

"In the last few decades, microwave energy has been widely employed in food processing, rubber and plastics curing, and in ceramic sintering. Recently, the application of micro waves as an energy source in extractive metallurgy has received considerable attention from a number of researchers. During the period from the mid-1960s to about 1988, the majority of the research was focussed on the behaviour of materials in microwave radiation. These research activities will continue to be important, since fundamental data on the interaction of microwaves with materials are vital for the successful application of the technology. Since1990, a number of potential applications of microwave processing have been investigated.These include: pretreatment of ores and concentrates, leaching, reduction, preheating of refractories, heating of slags and waste treatment. In this paper, the interaction of micro -waves with materials of interest in extractive metallurgy are reviewed and potential applications are discussed.IntroductionMicrowaves were first used in 1946 for the heating of materials, shortly after radar equipment was invented during the second world war. It was evident that microwaves were very effective for heating water and the technology was quickly adopted for drying and cooking. Since the introduction of the first microwave oven by Raytheon in 1952, many millions of domestic microwave ovens have been sold annually (National Research Council,1994; Atomic Energy of Canada and Voss Associates Engineering, 1990).In extractive metallurgy, microwaves are in the early stages of development (National Research Council, 1994; Atomic Energy of Canada and Voss Associates, 1990; McGill and Walkiewicz, 1987; Bradhurst and Worner, 1990;Peng et al., 1993). However, there are several reasons for the growing interest in the use of this technology in the field of metals extraction. These include the following potential advantages of microwaves: (1) rapid and selective heating of materials; (2) reactions can be catalyzed because the heating occurs on a molecular or atomic level; (3) clean and controllable energy source; (4) the gas volume is reduced and the atmosphere can be controlled as there are no gaseous combustion products; (5) the material is heated internally in comparison to external heating with conventional methods; (6)the temperature of the refractory can be minimized; and (7) the working environment is improved."

Jan 1, 1997

By W. M. Williams

"Although manganese is a metal virtually unknown to the layman, it is hardly necessary to point out to the engineer the importance of manganese in modern metallurgy, an importance intimately linked with iron (and steel), the basic materials of engineering construction for hundreds of years and certain to remain so for long into the future. World steel production will approach and perhaps reach 1 billion tons/year in the 1980s; with a manganese content between 0.5% and 1 % in ordinary steels, and more in specialty steels, manganese use worldwide will soon approach 15 million tons annually. Manganese was discovered and isolated in Sweden in 1774 by Karl Wilhelm Scheele (who also discovered molybdenum), but the element was only of scientific interest for several decades. By the early part of the nineteenth century, however, manganese oxide had become commercially available and was in use for colouring glass and for the production of chlorine. Commercial application in metallurgy appears to have been limited to the manufacture of crucible (or ""cast"") steel, a highquality product made by carburizing wrought iron, and melting it in small batches to make ingots which could be rolled and used for special applications, e.g. for the manufacture of fine tools or for ""steeling"" the cutting edges of implements such as wrought iron axes and chisels.* However, it was not until Bessemer's epoch-making invention of cheap steel in 1856, and the dramatic expansion of the steel industry thereafter, that manganese assumed the importance that it holds in modern steelmaking."

Jan 1, 1999

By P. Condori

Palabora Mining Copper has a unique ore body composition which unlike other copper ore bodies has three main components in significant proportions; these are copper bearing ore, magnetite and dolerite. The high content of dolerite, a hard barren material, creates a high proportion of pebbles which normally are recycled back to the mill. This action increases the mill bearing pressure and power progressively until corrective actions are taken. A logical action to solve the pebbles generation would be to incorporate a pebble crusher. This in fact was done however two fundamental issues were encountered; the high content of magnetite and existence of a cyclone classification section. Due to the high content of magnetite, metal detectors have not been able to work efficiently to separate tramp metal which causes damage to the pebble crushers. The existence of cyclones in the circuit had a detrimental effect on the final product when the pebbles crusher was online producing coarse sandy material. Due to the difficulties in treating pebbles via conventional procedures and the unique Palabora ore composition and characteristics, sorting technology was investigated at laboratory and pilot scale. It was found that a combination of optical and electromagnetic sorting could efficiently separate dolerite from the copper bearing and magnetite ores. This paper reports the findings of the laboratory and pilot scale work performed and discusses the additional benefits to the circuit.

Jan 1, 2012

By B. R. MacKay

Introduction The Corbin coalfield is one of the smallest, and at the same time one of the principal, producing bituminous-coal areas in southeastern British Columbia, and is unique on account of the great original thickness of one of its coal seams and the remarkable concentration of coal in a small area that has occurred through intense folding and faulting of the measures. These are such that the deposit has been referred to at times as "the world's thickest coal seam" and as" a mountain of coal." The determination of the number, thickness, and character of the seams present, and the structure, extent, and geological relationship of the several deposits, are of vital interest both to the operating company in its endeavour to evolve the most efficient method of mining these exceptionally thick deposits and to the Government in estimating the coal resources of the different fields. With the object of ascertaining these data the writer was assigned in 1930 to geologically map and study the Corbin coal deposit. A topographic map covering Coal mountain and the immediate vicinity on a scale of 1 inch =800 feet, with a contour interval of 25 feet, made by the Topographic Division of the Geological Survey, served as the base for the geological mapping.

Jan 1, 1931

By V. L. Eardley-Wilmot

Introduction We are all familiar with the bright and attractive colours of the roofs of our suburban houses and country cottages, but few of us fully appreciate the complex and highly technical nature of the business which produces these roofings. Roofing granules consist of small broken particles of certain types of rocks, burned clay products, or slag. They are used either in their natural state or artificially coloured and are affixed onto one surface of asphalt sheeting. Their main functions are to protect the roof against external fire hazard, prolong its life, and enable it to withstand extremes of weather over a period of years without deteriorating. Pleasing designs and colours are added attractions. The reverse, or inner side, of the sheeting is coated with a film of talc or fine mica to prevent it sticking when rolled up for convenience of handling for transport. The finished sheets or strips are cut into a variety of shapes for roofing shingles, or for sidings which resemble rows of bricks separated by mortar. In Canada, the consumption of roofing granules has increased fourfold in the past decade and indications are that the industry will continue to expand. At present, fourteen plants are engaged in manufacturing granule-coated roofings, but, apart from a relatively small output of natural granules by two producers in British Columbia, only one eastern producer makes both natural and coloured granules in Canada, and these only for its own use. The annual consumption is now over 77,000 tons of roofing granules valued at more than $1,600,000, but about 62 per cent of the tonnage is imported. It is thus apparent that the production of Canadian-made granules, both natural and coloured, could be considerably increased. This paper is presented in order to give an outline of the industry and at the same time to point out its difficulties and pitfalls.

Jan 1, 1946

By Oliver Hall

This paper sketches the mining at Noranda as it would be sketched to a visiting engineer. It does not follow quite the usual form, but is presented somewhat along the lines of a conversation. TO give the mining at Noranda its proper perspective, it is necessary to sketch the whole picture and outline: 1. History 2. Metallurgical Problems 3. Exploration 4. Mining Methods 5. Mining Details 6. Filling 7. Pillar Extraction 8. Costs HISTORY Noranda is a relatively young enterprise, with much of the personal character of its founders woven into it. The name Noranda is an abbreviation of Northern Canada and the name has been a happy one for an enterprise based on northern resources, tenacity and courage. The discovery credit goes to Ed. H. Horne. This intrepid prospector returned again and again to his sulphide discoveries on the shores of Osisko lake and, in 1922, after ten years of prospecting, succeeded in interesting S. C. Thomson and H. W. Chadbourne in his discoveries. The early exploration by L. K. Fletcher, from 1922 to 1925, for Thomson and Chadbourne, indicated promising, but somewhat perplexing, ore conditions. Mr. E. Hibbert and Mr. H. L. Roscoe rook on the task of preparing the mine for production and building a smelter in 1926, and this difficult task in this isolated area made steady progress and the smelter was blown-in in December, 1927.

Jan 1, 1937

"4.1. IntroductionThis chapter reviews the geochemistry of the platinum-group elements (POE) in sulphur-poor silicate rocks, and the limited data on POE in silicate, oxide, sulphide, arsenide and sulpharsenide minerals. The earliest geochemical studies of POE in silicate rocks, minerals and meteorites were carried out mainly by Goldschmidt, the Noddacks and their co-workers, and are reviewed in Crocket (1969). These researchers established the siderophile character of the POE, emphasized the common association of the group with sulphides in ultramafic-mafic rocks and suggested that very low concentrations of POE are typical of sulphur-poor silicate rocks and minerals. Much of these data were for Pt and Pd only and are more than 50 years old. Because of the poor sensitivity typical of the available analytical methods, few reliable data were obtained on silicate rocks in these early studies. Surveys of POE geochemistry demonstrate that the data base for sulphur-poor silicate rocks is very restricted, although considerable highquality data for Pd and Ir have been accumulated (Wright and Fleischer 1965, Yushko-Zakharova eta/., 1967, Mertie 1969, Crocket 1969, 1979, Keays 1981).Two recent publications, Vol. 71, No. 7 (1976), of Economic Geology (An Issue Devoted to Platinum-Group Elements) and Vol. 17, Part 2 (1979), of The Canadian Mineralogist (Nickel-Sulphide and Platinum-Group-Element Deposits), are of special interest. These volumes are clear testimony to the impressive progress made in the last decade toward describing the mineralogical and geochemical aspects of POE ore deposits, but at the same time demonstrate the constraints in modelling POE ore genesis due to our meager knowledge of the. POE content and distribution among minerals in the source rocks of ultramafic and mafic magmas. It is clear that the phases hosting POE in mantle source rocks are poorly understood. Nevertheless, Naldrett and Duke (1980) have shown that the absolute and relative concentrations of POE in magmatic sulphide ores are related to the degree of partial melting of mantle peridotites, and subsequent processes of batch equilibration and fractional segregation of sulphides."

Jan 1, 1979

By Mathieu Dubé

Good mechanical strength of green iron ore pellets is required to avoid breakage and excessive deformation during their handling and further processing. However, green balls with good resistance to handling are often too plastic, which impacts the bed permeability in induration furnaces. Measurements of plasticity, bed void fraction and green ball sphericity as well as bed permeability were carried out on various samples of green iron ore pellets having different mechanical strength. Results show that bed void fraction, sphericity and permeability all depend, to some extent, upon green ball mechanical strength (plasticity). Understanding and controlling the mechanical strength of green iron ore pellets would then help to maximize both the productivity of the induration process as well as the quality of fired pellets through a more stable firing process. Results of research work carried out at COREM, with the objective of improving green ball characterization methods, are presented in this paper.

May 1, 2007

By E. T. Turner

Introduction 1n assembling material for this paper on Wood Refuse Burning 1 turned first to the records of our early studies of the problem in order to learn how and why certain basic decisions were arrived at and also how it came about that the completed central steam plant differed so much from the original plans. It may be of interest, therefore, to outline the engineering problems as they presented themselves in the early part of 1948, and to indicate the economies involved. Although the principle of using wood refuse as boiler fuel instead of burning it to waste was quite sound, and in fact the practice had been in use for a long time in the boilers of many lumber companies, there was some guesswork as far as Hollinger was concerned in deciding how best to handle the large quantities of wood refuse involved and as to the type of boiler equipment necessary to .burn it efficiently. These problems will be examined first. Hollinger Boiler Equipment in 1948 Hollinger had four separate boiler houses, at Main, No. II, and No. 19 shafts, and a small unit at the compressor plant for heating purposes. Main and No. Il boiler houses operated all the year round; No. 19 and the compressor plant only in the winter. At Main there were four 36-year-old HRT boilers with total available h.p. of 500, at No. II, three 30-year-old HRT boilers with 195 available h.p., and at No. 19 two old field-type locomotive boilers capable of producing 95 h.p.

Jan 1, 1951

By DONALD E. BARNETT

Since the days of early settlement ew Brunswick has produced a variety of industrial minerals but it is perhaps only the recent discoveries of significant reserves of potash that have elevated the meaning of industrial minerals in their contribution to the provincial economy. With potash production commencing in July 1983, the role of industrial minerals will increase significantly to the value of mineral production in the province.

Jan 1, 1984

CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS (CWs) ?Human-Constructed ?Built Specifically to Remove Contaminants ?Can Treat a Wide Variety of Wastewaters Including Stormwater(SW) ?Three Major Kinds ?Pond Wetlands ?Free Water Surface Wetlands (FWS) ?Sub-Surface Flow Wetlands (SSF) ?HSSF & VSSF

May 1, 2009

By Linda Hodgson

1. Introduction ?Northgate Minerals Corporation is a mid-tier gold and copper producer with mining operations, development projects and exploration properties in Canada and Australia. ?Kemess Mine is Northgate?s principal operation. Where in the world is Kemess? ?Kemess is located in north-central British Columbia,430 kilometres northwest of Prince George. ?The Kemess South complex consists of an open-pit mine, a 52,000 tonnes per day mill and various ancillary support facilities including maintenance shops and housing for Kemess' 340 full-time employees.

May 1, 2010

By W. N. Hamilton

"Evaporites abound in the Western Canada sedimentary basin, recurring throughout the stratigraphic column and widely scattered over the basin region. Alberta, situated centrally over the basin, includes many of the evaporites within its borders, but only a few have the right geological conditions to form potential economic deposits of salt or gypsum. These include the Middle Devonian Elk Point Group and related evaporites, Upper Devonian Wabamun Group-Palliser Formation evaporites, and evaporites of the 'Triassic Charlie Lake and Whitehorse formations.Salt deposits underlie almost half of Alberta. The major deposits belong to the Elk Point Group, which includes thick salt units in the Lotsberg, Cold Lake and Prairie Evaporite formations. Another, younger salt deposit in the Wabamun Group has only local distribution. Elk Point salts have a maximum aggregate thickness of 430 m in east-central Alberta. The deposits deepen southwestward across the province, from minimum depths of210 m at Fort McMurray to 1820 m at Edmonton.The thickest, most extensive salt deposits are the upper Lotsberg and Prairie Evaporite salts. Both have excellent development potential. The upper Lotsberg is up to 150 m thick, consists of clear, very coarse crystalline halite with only minor impurities, and has a notable lack of non-salt strata in its succession. Analytical data for the Lotsberg Salt show extraordinary chemical purity. Prairie Evaporite Salt differs lithologically from the Lotsberg in having a significant non-salt component. The deposit is up to 200 m thick and consists of medium crystalline halite, brownish coloured and cloudy as a result of finely dispersed impurities. The main impurities-shale, anhydrite and dolomite-are most prevalent as interbeds in the salt succession, ranging from very thin laminae to beds several metres thick. Although of lesser purity, the Prairie Evaporite Salt is shallower, thicker and more extensive than the Lotsberg and the salt quality is quite acceptable for most industrial uses."

Jan 1, 1982

By G. D. Just

"Extensive mechanization of underground mining operations, improvements in blasting technology and the development of simulation models for systems evaluation has now made it feasible to optimize rock fragmentation and materials handling operations. Methods of achieving these objectives are described in this paper, with particular emphasis on the need to obtain precise field data measurements. Techniques are illustrated with reference to the sub-level open stoping system of mine production. IntroductionThe primary objective to be achieved in any mining system is to deliver a specified grade of ore to the mineral processing plant at a planned delivery rate and at the minimum total mining cost. Design and management of such a system is complicated by the large number of unit operations and the often unknown inter- relationships between the different unit processes. This particularly applies in underground mines, where planning restrictions and unit costs are much greater than in comparable tonnage sur face mining operations. These difficulties can often be resolved by the application of judgment based on extensive experience, but the costly trial -and-error methods required for new technology discourage innovation.Most modern medium- and large-scale mines are now extensively mechanized. Consequently, the performance of each unit operation by individual items of equipment should be predictable for a given set of conditions. An essential prerequisite is that quantitative performance data are available from field measurements. Such information can then be used to optimize the design and management of the complete mining system to achieve the minimum tot al mining cost. One of the most significant factors influencing all unit costs is the degree of rock fragmentation. The importance of this variable is indicated by the fact that opt imization of rock fragmentation implies minimization of tot al mining system costs."

Jan 1, 1980

By J. Lobel, M. Bourassa, J. A. Kozinski, B. Peng

Non-isothermal kinetics studies of the reduction phenomenon of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust generated in stainless steelmaking have been carried out. The dust was mixed with carbon as a reducing agent and dolomite as a binder to form pellets. A Thermo-Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) was used to determine the weight loss of pellets heated at an average rate of 40 K/min. up to a temperature of 1500°C. The degree of metal reduction was calculated by considering the pellet weight loss, and evaporation of moisture, dust, zinc and lead at high temperature. The reduction process was divided into three different steps. The first covers the 300°C to 760°C temperature range (from 7 to 18 min.), the second step ranges between 760°C and 980°C (18 to 24 min.), and the third covers temperatures above 980°C. Each step is characterized by different chemical reactions. Non-isothermal reduction kinetics equations were set up to describe each step. The kinetics parameters such as apparent activation energies and frequency factors were established. It was found that the first step was chemically controlled, while the second step was diffusion-controlled. Reduction behaviour in the third step was strongly dependent on the initial carbon content in the pellet. Chromium oxide (CrO) could only be reduced in this last step. High temperatures and higher initial carbon content favoured the reduction of CrO.

Jan 1, 2001

By R. K. Collings

"This paper summarizes research that was done at the Mines Branch, Ottawa, to evaluate samples of phosphogypsum for gypsum products manufacture. The samples were from phosphate fertilizer facilities at: Port Maitland, Ontario ; Valleyfield, Quebec; and Fort Saskatchewan and Redwater, Alberta. All samples were wet-screened, washed, filtered and calcined in a laboratory kettle at atmospheric pressure. Tests were also made at higher pressures in a small autoclave. The gypsum and resulting hemi-hydrate, being acidic, were treated before, during and after calcining with various bases. The hemi-hydrate products were checked for time of set, compressive strength and bond to gypsum wallboard paper. The results of this study indicate that phosphogypsum from each of the sources investigated has potential as a substitute for mined gypsum in gypsum products manufacture. Pilot-scale testing is recommended to confirm that the product would be satisfactory for the manufacture of plaster products on a commercial basis."

Jan 1, 1972

By Roger Potvin

Abstract The demand for pure zirconium and titanium metals in Germany increased considerably during the war. Pure zirconium was used in flash bulbs, in vacuum tubes, and in time fuses for bombs, where it has a decided advantage because it gives no gas in burning. Under the form of alloy, it was used with other rare elements for making substitutes for platinum; it was also used as a scavenging agent in high-grade steels. Metallic titanium was mainly used in connection with the manufacturing of special alloys. The authors were sent to Germany by the Department of Reconstruction and have investigated the German process developed for producing these rare metals. They describe the procedure and special equipment used for their commercial production in Germany during the war. General Metallic zirconium and titanium were .produced on a commercial scale in Germany by the thermal reduction, with metallic sodium, of potassium fluozirconate and titanium chloride, respectively, using a mixed potassium and sodium chloride flux. According to the information gathered, the sole German producer of these rare metals in pure form was the Deutsche Gold und Silber Scheideanstalt (commonly called Degussa), at their Werk II, 215 Gutleutstrasse, Frankfurt/Main, which was visited by the authors on September 18th, 1945. As far back as 1934, Degussa was carrying on active research on the manufacture of zirconium, and nearly one ton of the pure metal had been produced before September, 1939. Concurrently, a quite similar process was worked out for the recovery of titanium and it was in commercial operation in the year 1938, during which the production totalled about half a ton (metric). The demand, especially for pure zirconium, increased considerably during the war, attaining a total of about 48 tons during the period October, 1939, to the end of 1944, and reaching a peak of more than 15 tons in 1943. In 1944, the plant was slowed down due to the frequent and disastrous bombing by the Allies, especially in March and September.

Jan 1, 1946