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By B. K. Ayres

Modern management of uranium mine or mill waste storage facilities (WSFs) often requires that they be remediated or decommissioned with a cover system. In addition to creating a self-sustaining landscape that supports the end land use, cover systems are intended to reduce long-term risks to human and ecological receptors from the stored waste to acceptable levels. The performance and longevity of a cover system will be strongly influenced by the features or shapes of the WSF final landform. Hence, cover systems and landforms must be thought of as an integrated design. Based on the author’s experience, the most important elements of the design process for maximizing the potential of WSF final landforms / cover systems being sustainable over the long term are noted in this manuscript. Several key items that must be considered and addressed during the planning phase of constructing a WSF final landform are also described. Various methods for monitoring performance of a WSF final landform are also reviewed. Key aspects associated with decommissioning a tailings WSF and waste rock pile at the former Cluff Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan are included to illustrate many of the practical insights provided in this paper.

Jan 1, 2020

By A. A. Brant

ONE of the reasons advanced for the decline in prospecting and discovery is that, as regards surficial examination, the law of diminishing returns is becoming applicable. Fewer surficially unprospected fields remain; therefore, fewer discoveries by such means result. Much in the nature of mineral resources remains to be unearthed, but even now, and more so in the future, will discovery depend on painstaking petrographic and structural mapping, aided, where necessary, by judicious applications of all the complementary scientific knowledge and devices (e.g., thin section microscopy, geophysics, and drilling) that experience proves effective in localizing a mineral deposit even beneath drift, lake, or muskeg. It is to be expected, then, that the rate of discovery will decrease, that the cost per discovery will greatly increase, and that the work of discovery will become more and more the careful, methodical assembling of field data, conscientiously interpreted on the basis of scientific knowledge by trained, experienced operatives. In view of these trends, the status of applied geophysics to Canadian mining exploration and development work might well be reviewed. The niche which geophysics may occupy relative to geological surveying and drilling has been clarified by the last twenty years' experience. The cloud of somewhat justifiable scepticism that followed the 'geophysical promotion' period of the late 1920's has lifted. Mining, exploration, and finance companies, in open-minded fashion, are seeking sound advice as to what are the scope and limitations of the geophysical methods at present practised. The purpose of this paper and the following one is, therefore, as far as lies within the author's power, to review briefly the geophysical methods at present in practice in Canada, and, at greater length, to joint out impartially and critically their scope, merits, shortcomings, an possible future development. The treatment will be non-technical, the hope being that an accurate statement of the present status of geophysics in Canada may do much to result in a sounder, saner growth of what, in the future, shall undoubted} y prove an increasingly useful tool in exploration and development work. ?

Jan 1, 1942

By Shuai-Jun Li, Xia-Ting Feng, Xian-Jie Hao

"The anisotropy of rock is of great importance to the rock engineering. To investigate the anisotropic character of slate, the rock samples of slate under different confining pressures and bedding plane angles was conducted on the MTS. The results indicated that the relationship between bedding plane angle and elasticity modulus, friction angle, cohesion and strength was shown as U pattern. The minimum value of them is located from 30°to 45°.In addition, the elasticity modulus and Poisson's ratio increase with the increasing confining pressure. The slate behaves brittle failure both in the uniaxial and triaxial compression. The failure pattern of uniaxial compression is generally tension failure, and triaxial test usually shows shear failure. The failure angle decrease with the increasing of confining pressure.INTRODUCTIONThe anisotropy of rock is that loading in different orientations the rock has different mechanical properties. The anisotropic property of rock is always an important problem in rock engineering (Hoek E. & Brown E. T., 1980). J. C. Jaeger (1960) first presented that transverse strength criterion for sliding fracture on joint surface. Later he revised rock parameters to anisotropy empirically for isotropic Mohr- Coulomb criterion. His main idea is revising cohesion according to loading direction (J. C. Jaeger, 1971). Then, many scholars study a lot on transverse strength criterion. E. Z. Lajtai (1969) considered the influence of connecting rate in all directions in joint groups for shear strength in intact rock; R. Mclamore and K. E. Gray (1967) referenced the theory of J. C. Jaeger. They not only revised cohesion also revised friction coefficient. Y. M. Tien (2000, 2001) made further study on the influence of connecting rate in joint group to transverse strength. R. Nova (1980) studied on the variation of strength when rock specimens in triaxial pressure and complex stress paths. O. Cazacu(1998) put forwards a new anisotropic strength criterion for analyzing rock strength. S. Pietruszczak(2000) introduced fabric tensor for characterizing inner seismic structure and he built an anisotropic strength criterion containing the invariants of stress tensor and seismic fabric tensor."

Jan 1, 2015

By Staff

The Tetreault mine, operated by the British Metal Corporation (Canada), Limited, holds a unique position in Canadian mining, being the only steady producer of zinc in Canada east of the Rocky mountains. Its importance in Canadian zinc production may be gauged with some accuracy, since, in 1927, it was responsible for over 13 per cent of the zinc output of the Dominion. In addition, it also made valuable contributions to the production of lead, silver, and gold. Location: Situated in the foothills of the Laurentian mountains, 600 feet above sea level, 20 miles from the St. Lawrence river, and 52 miles due west from the city of Quebec, the property is in the township of Montauban, county Portneuf, Province of Quebec, as shown in Figure I. The municipality of Montauban, immediately adjoining the mine, has a permanent population of 700 people and is six miles by road from Notre Dame station on the main line of the C.N. Rys. between Montreal and Chicoutimi-Notre Dame being n6 miles by rail from Montreal. Connection by 19 miles of dirt-and-gravel road with the Provincial highways' system of Quebec Province, the city of Quebec, which is distant 78 miles, can be reached by automobile in less than three hours, while the distance to Montreal by road is 16o miles .

Jan 1, 1928

By G. M. Card, K. D. Card, B. V. Sanford

The Canadian Shield and its extensions are traversed by an orthogonal system of north-west and northeast trending arch-style uplifts. These basement arches were formed by repeated vertical movements along pre-existing structures during compressional and extensional tectonism connected with events in surrounding Proterozoic and Phanerozoic orogens and ocean basins. The arches in?uenced patterns of sedimentation and tectonism in the intervening epicratonic basins andmarginal platforms throughout the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. Movements on the arch structuresalso triggered minor magmatism and controlled the location and timing of alkalic rock-carbonatite, kimberlite, and related intrusions in the Canadian Shield, the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, and West Greenland.

Jan 1, 1997

By S. C. Robinson

"IntroductionALTHOUGH most uranium deposits of the Canadian Shield lie along its western and southern margins, those of the Lake Athabasca region extend easterly along the north shore of the lake and beyond to Charlebois lake. The western end of this belt of deposits, in the vicinity of Goldfields, is 80 miles from the Palaeozoic contact, and its eastern end, at Charlebois lake, is 240 miles from the nearest Palaeozoic rocks.Deposits in this belt may be grouped in four districts, which are, from west to east:(1) The Goldfields district, an area approximately 20 miles square, centred on Beaverlodge lake and extending eastward from St. Joseph's point to Moose channel.(2) A small area in the vicinity of Sucker bay, which is about l0 miles east of Fond du Lac.(3) An area including Middle lake to the northwest shore of Black lake at the Nisto mine.(4) A fairly large area extending northward from the eastern end of Black lake, through Charlebois lake to Spreckley lake.HistoryThe region has stimulated interest in mining circles since the reconnaissance survey of J. B. Tyrrell of the Geological Survey of Canada in l893, who reported concentrations of iron along the north shore of lake Athabasca. The deposits were staked and re-staked up to the early 'twenties' but are too lean to form ore."

Jan 1, 1952

By I. C. Christopher

Introduction The geology of the Cochen-our Willans gold mine has been described in reports by the late Dr. H. C. Horwood (1) in 1940 and by Dr. J. P. Nowlan (2) in 1947. Information from these and other (unpublished) reports has been incorporated in the present paper, together with some recent ideas regarding structural features which are at present being used to locate ore shoots. Location and History The mining claims of Cochenour Willans Gold Mines, Limited, occupy 705 acres in Dome township, on the east shore of Red lake opposite McKenzie island. Adjoining properties are those of McKenzie Red Lake Gold Mines on the west, Boymar Gold Mines on the north, Marcus Gold Mines on the east, and Martin-McNeely Gold Mines on the south. The claims of the original group were staked by W. M. Cochenour, Dan Willans, and H. G. Young, and the Cochenour Willans Syndicate was formed in 1928. Work was carried out by the Syndicate and several other companies during the next eight years with inconclusive results, due to the irregular occurrence of the ore. In 1936, Cochenour Willans Gold Mines, Limited, was incorporated and production was finally started late in 1939.

Jan 1, 1951

By G. M. Card, K. D. Card, B. V. Sanford

Abstract-The Canadian Shield and its extensions are traversed by an orthogonal system of northwest and northeast trending arch-style uplifts. These basement arches were formed by repeated vertical movements along pre-existing structures during compressional and extensional tectonism connected with events in surrounding Proterozoic and Phanerozoic orogens and ocean basins. The arches influenced patterns of sedimentation and tectonism in the intervening epicratonic basins and marginal platforms throughout the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. Movements on the arch structures also triggered minor magmatism and controlled the location and timing of alkalic rock-carbonatite, kimberlite, and related intrusions in the Canadian Shield, the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, and West Greenland.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. J. R. Schaller

NO. 3 winze, the sixth shaft to be sunk on the San Antonio property, is practically a duplicate of No. 3 shaft, which was the main shaft prior to the installation of the larger hoisting equipment in 1939. It is collared on the tenth, or 1,500-ft., level, and goes down vertically to the sixteenth, or 2,500-ft., level, with a loading pocket, spill pocket, and sump below this. It is 1,000 feet east of No. 3 shaft. All ore, men, and materials are handled through the latter. The winze location with reference to the rock formation is shown in Figure 1. (In plan, this section strikes N.30°E. and cuts most of the main orebodies of the mine normal to their strike.) It is collared eighty feet inside the footwall contact of the basalt and cuts through it before reaching the eleventh level. In this location there will be no ore tied up in shaft pillars, as the closest ore to the shaft is on the tenth level, and here it is eighty feet northeast of the collar. The winze headframe and hoist-room straddle the main haulage to the No. 3 shaft, on the tenth level (see Figure 2). At no time during the excavation for the headframe and hoist-room was the general routine work of this haulage held up.

Jan 1, 1941

By Iain G. Bruce

The need to improve supply reliability while improving our environmental record during the past half decade of low metal prices has required the mining industry to prioritise expenditures. Quantitative Risk Assessments using third party reviewers and specialist risk management teams have assisted in identifying hazards that can both disrupt supply and impact the receiving environment. Graphical displays using risk ellipses can simplify the presentation of the results in a Probability-Consequence (PC) graph. Development of risk acceptability envelopes using readily available financial data superimposed onto the same PC space assists management to prioritise their risks and focus on risk reduction measures. Development of this system and examples of the successful implementation of the system from several recent projects are described.

May 1, 2003

By John E. Udd, Peter Leinberger, Roman Kozarycz

"This paper is based on work done by the authors in a study of the structural features at a quarry excavated in Chazy limestone on the Island of Montreal. Observations on failures on the quarry walls and benches were recorded, and back analyses of small-scale failures were carried out, thus enabling an assessment to be made of the in-situ strength properties of the rock. Using this information, and data from shear tests in the laboratory, the authors made an analysis of the stability of the south wall of the quarry.IntroductionQuarrying, and excavating for foundations, in the Montreal area involves the removal of million s of tonnes of rock on an annual basis. Even when compared with the quantities mined at major open-pit mining operations, the production figures are impressive. At present, for example, crushed stone is produced at almost 20 quarrying operations either on, or near, the Island of Montreal. The annual capacities of the larger quarries are in excess of one million tonnes each. Lesser, but still substantial, production is achieved at the smaller quarries.Excavations, for foundations , especially during periods of peak construction activity, must also involve large quantities of rock . The writers, however , are not able to produce an estimate of the actual annual tonnages originating from excavations."

Jan 1, 1981

By Leslie McHattie

?Intelligent mine? conjures up a futuristic image of unmanned extractors and loaders working in harsh conditions in a remote lunar landscape. The promise of increasing mine fleet productivity and solving the problem labor shortages in mining regions can certainly be achieved today through remote controlled extraction and automated hauling. The technology is available and it doesn?t seem to be so much science fiction when Google?s self-driving cars hurtle down the freeway. ?Intelligent mining,? on the other hand, implies the application of information technology at every phase of the mining value chain, from exploration and geological modeling to equipment, operations and maintenance, and logistics and transportation. These are really industry-specific, enterprise-class software solutions focused on using information technology to support the business processes of mining and make them more efficient and effective. Overlaying the physical world with the digital or virtual world enables us to model and simulate our assets, giving us the ability to effectively design, build, and ultimately optimize the performance and reliability of our assets throughout the lifecycle. The digital asset, often a 3D model, is created initially during the engineering and construction phase, and is handed over to the operator before the mine goes into operation. Combined with geospatial or geographic information systems, the operator has a complete digital representation of the physical world, which forms the foundation for risk and performance management, along with compliance and regulatory reporting. Laser scanning and positioning technology can be used to create point clouds ? information models consisting of millions of data points ? which enable the visualization and representation of the ?as-operated? reality. But consider that once the mine is in operation, it throws off an endless stream of data in the form of performance and condition data from sensors and monitoring devices on fixed and mobile assets through networks, servers, and services. This ?big data? can be processed and analyzed to spot trends, help predict events, and formulate reliability strategies as early as the design stage (e.g., reliability-centered design). ?Intelligent mining? implies that massive amounts of data augment the reality of the physical mine, plant, and equipment. This embedded intelligence can be used to optimize operational efficiency, increase asset availability and utilization, improve safety and environmental integrity, and maximize return on investment. Lastly, the sweet spot for intelligent mining is seen in the convergence of consumerization and industrialization. The application of ?consumer? technologies that we use every day on our iPhones and Android devices, such as cameras, motion sensors, and positioning in an industrial context, are producing ?immersive? experiences. Overlaying the digital world on the physical world and connecting them accurately through intelligent positioning results in ?intelligent infrastructure,? which is safer and more sustainable. Bentley Systems works with many mining companies and engineering, procurement and construction companies involved in all aspects of mining infrastructure development. In fact, 10 of the top 20 mining companies ranked by market capitalization are users of Bentley software, including all of the top five. In addition, Bentley provides software solutions to the world?s leading engineering, procurement, and construction companies, as well as owner-operators, who design, build and operate the world?s infrastructure. Bentley?s solutions for mining and resource extraction industries help increase the efficiency of capital projects associated with the design, procurement, and construction of mines and processing plants, as well as the operation and maintenance of mining fleet and equipment.

Aug 1, 2013

By M MacMillan

THE following is a brief description of the method of hoisting ore automatically at the No. 14 shaft of Mcintyre Porcupine Mines, Limited, Schumacher, Ontario. All ore and waste below the 3875-ft. level is hoisted up No. 14 shaft from the 7000-ft. level to the 3000-ft. level. Seventy to seventy-five per cent of the mining is done in this area. The shaft consists of four compartments: a man way, a ventilation compartment and two skip compartments. The hoist, located on the 3500-ft. level (see Figure l), is an 80-in.-diameter, 4-rope friction winder, utilizing two 6-ton front-dump skips in balance. The hoist is powered by a 1,100-h.p. A.C. motor, the maxi-mum speed being 2,400 ft. per minute. The operation can be either manual, push-button automatic from the pocket, or fully automatic. Men can be raised or lowered in the skips, using a collapsible aluminum platform placed inside the skip box.

Jan 1, 1963

By T. Fekete, D. L. Flocks, R. T. Hart

The plugging effect of bacteria was investigated by injecting various concentrations of dead bacteria cells though sandstone cores. Pressure profiles along the cores were recorded periodically during the injection cycles. The plugging effect was analyzed using a plot of the ratio of reduced permeabilities to the initial permeability versus input volume. Results indicated that Tock permeability has little effect on plugging, but that the concentration of bacteria in the injection water has a significant effect on plugging characteristics. The pressure profile curves showed that bacteria penetrated several inches through the core but that the greater portion of the bacteria accumulated at the in-put end of the core.

Jan 1, 1960

The methods employed for the addition of uranium to steels and cast iron in the Physical Metallurgy Division are outlined. It has been found that the segregation of? uranium is a major problem in aluminum and/or silicon killed steels and that the cooling rate is important in al-lowing the segregate to settle to one area, which can subsequently be discarded. The unsegregated areas were found to be extremely low in total oxygen, acid insoluble aluminum (AizOg) and, in some cases, slightly lower in nitrogen. Uranium recoveries, based on analyses of the unsegregated areas, were quite constant, at about 45 per cent, regardless of the type of uranium master alloy used for the addition. No segregation of carbon, manganese, silicon, sulphur, phosphorous, chromium or copper was observed in these steels. In commercial heats, the recoveries ranged from 7 to? 29 per cent for ladle additions to oxygen converted steel. When the steel was fully deoxidized prior to the uranium addition, recoveries ranged from 49 to 66 per cent, regardless of the steelmaking process.

Jan 1, 1964

By N. M. Stubina, P. J. Lind

Barrick Gold is in the process of building several new mines and implementing new processes at existing mines for which metallurgical technology is of key importance. The roles of the company's Strategic Technology Solutions team and the Barrick Technology Centre are discussed within the context of their responsibilities within Barrick's Operations Support group. The paper will present an overview of the development of the technology centre from the former Placer Dome Research Centre to its current form supporting strategic technology, capital projects, and operating sites. Novel approaches to research and development will be presented as well as an overview of some of the technologies developed from bench-scale to pilot-scale, and beyond.

Jan 1, 2011

By E. Herrera Alarcón, L. Mariscal Samaniego

The Teniente Converter (wet charge type) was commissioned in august 1995 and was designed to smelt 744 tpd (metric tons per day) of dry copper concentrates. Its products are white metal (73% Cu) that is sent to the Peirce Smith converters, slag that is cleaned in Reverberatory Furnaces and the process gases that are sent to the Sulfuric Acid Plant. Since its start up, the Teniente Converter smelting capacity was increased 1.6 times, from 800 tpd to 1,280 tpd using 33% oxygen-enriched air, and reaching an operative availability of 97%. By the other hand its campaigns have reached a record duration of 530 days without hot patching tuyeres and a partial refractory lining repair in the last four campaigns. This paper describes the most relevant improvements, as well as the strategies that had been used to reach these achievements.

Jan 1, 2007

By G. Kipouros, M. Dadvand, A. Dadvand

"A novel methodology was developed to obtain a 3D porous layer with a high aspect ratio of porosity on a titanium electrode. The porous structure allowed more active material such as hydrous ruthenium oxide to be accommodated during the fabrication of the supercapacitor, resulting in an exceptionally high capacitance per surface area. The electrode demonstrated a remarkably high capacitance of 4,800 mF/cm2. The porous layer was composed of functionalized nanoparticles of TiO2 organized in a perfect 3D hexagonal close-packed array that resulted in a highly porous 3D structure. The layer was used as a template to electrolessly deposit a thin layer of silver prior to the electrodeposition of active material. KEYWORDS Capacitance, Porous, Ruthenium, Silver, Supercapacitor, Titanium RÉSUMÉ Une méthodologie innovante a été mise au point afin d’obtenir une couche poreuse tridimensionnelle (3D) affichant un rapport d’aspect élevé en termes de porosité sur une électrode en titane. La structure poreuse permet d’utiliser une matière plus active telle que l’oxyde de ruthénium hydraté durant la fabrication du supercondensateur, ce qui se traduit par une capacité exceptionnellement élevée par surface active. L’électrode affichait une capacité remarquablement élevée de 4 800 mF/cm2. La couche poreuse était composée de nanoparticules fonctionnalisées de dioxyde de titane (TiO2) organisées dans un arrangement regroupé parfaitement hexagonal en 3D, qui a engendré une structure en 3D hautement poreuse. Cette couche a servi de modèle pour le dépôt autocatalytique d’une fine couche d’argent avant l’électrodéposition de la matière active. MOTS CLÉS argent, capacité, poreux, ruthénium, supercondensateur, titaneINTRODUCTION There is a growing demand for integrating compact energy storage elements into electronic circuits due to the miniaturization of electronic circuits, sensors, and actuators, and the increasing importance of portable and wear-able devices incorporating more advanced electronic technologies that operate in controlled or uncontrolled environments to gather, process, store, and communicate information (Deng, Ji, Chen, & Banks, 2011; Beidaghi & Wang, 2012; Chen, Ramachandran, Mani, & Saraswathi, 2014). The manufacturing of compact energy storage elements needs to be compatible with the electronic circuit microfabrication processes. Recently, interest in integrating miniaturized supercapacitors into electronic circuits has increased due to their high charge–discharge rate and long operating life; however, ultra-high power miniaturized supercapacitors suffer from low energy density, hence requiring significant enhancement in their energy density for various applications (Deng et al., 2011; Beidaghi & Wang, 2012; Chen et al., 2014)."

Jan 1, 2019

By J. M. Réjean Gagnon

"Quebec Cartier Mining Company is currently mining a low-grade iron ore deposit in northeastern Quebec. The Company is producing some 8,000,000 dry gross tons of concentrates per year, grading about 66 per cent iron. The pit, which is located on the keel or hinge line of a fold, will eventually be about 1,000 feet deep with a surface area of 8,000 by 2,600 feet. The most significant structural discontinuities in the mine are the natural bedding planes and secondary perpendicular joints. The exposed walls are subjected to a sub-Arctic climate and heavy blasting occurs approximately six times a month.QCM utilizes design and operating techniques to control rock fall. Steps are also being taken to analyze the ultimate over-all pit slope stability."

Jan 1, 1968

By A. J. Brown

This paper presents an economic evaluation of resin ion exchange and solvent extraction for the purification and concentration of uraniferous solutions derived from sulphuric acid leaching operations. Capital and operating costs are related to the uranium tenors of pregnant solutions. The conclusions drawn herein apply only to cases where resin and liquid ion exchange are technically feasible process alternatives. It is shown that solvent extraction is economically favoured for pregnant solutions at tenors greater than 0.90 gpl U3O8. Pregnant solutions with tenors below 0.35 gpl U3O8 are best treated by resin ion exchange. Between these concentrations, the economics are marginal and the favoured process is indistinguishable within the limits of accuracy of this study.

Jan 1, 1979