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By D. Kershaw

"A world-scale surface mining operation is associated with the Syncrude Oils ands Plant. Each day over 300 000tonnes of oils and are mined and transported to the process plant to produce 129 000 barrels of synthetic crude oil.Examples of research and maintenance engineering programs which have resulted in substantial gains in dragline and bucket wheel conveyor system productivities are discussed. Two central themes within these programs, which go beyond the usual technical support associated with a large surface mining operation, are pursued:1. the approach taken to determine the causes of component failures and provide Syncrude performance specifications to allow manufacturing industry to respond with more appropriate products; and2. systems and equipment studies which have led to higher productivity in the major mining equipment and the development of an auxiliary feed system.IntroductionA world-scale open pit mining operation is associated with the Syncrude Oils ands Plant located near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. Over 300 000 tonnes per day of oils and are mined and transported to the process plant. Fifty million barrel s of synthetic crude oil were produced in 1987, which represents 10010 of Canada's crude oil requirement.following tree clearing and surface drainage, overburden is removed by mobile equipment ahead of oils and mining. Draglines excavate the 40 m depth of feed grad e oils and which is windrowed on the dragline bench. Bucketwheels reclaim the oils and from the windrows for transport by conveyor systems to the extraction plant surge pile.The Syncrude mine is operated in four essentially equal quadrants, each serviced by a dragline and a bucketwheel conveyor system. The mining face in each quadrant is approximately 2 km long and reclaimed oils and is transported by 1830 mm shift able conveyors over distances up to 6 km. Individual conveyors vary in length up to 2500 m.The Syncrude plant started operating in late 1978, and Figure I shows the mine production history through to the end o f 1987. Annual production volumes have increased from 50 million tonnes of oils and in 1979 to 105 million tonnes in 1987.The period from 1982has seen a change in operating philosophy, away from striving for very high production rates, to operating at sustained targetted levels within the measured capacity of the equipment. Higher over-all production volumes have resulted from being able to operate for more hours at these rates. This same period has also seen much greater emphasis placed on routine inspection of the equipment and planned preventive maintenance to avoid problems which could otherwise impact on production."

Jan 1, 1990

By A. I. A. Salama, M. W. Mikhail, R. J. Mikula

"The Coal Research Laboratory (CRL) of CANMET along with other research organizations in coal-producing countries envisage major benefits from computer applications in coal preparation, Some of these benefits are greater system flexibility, improved coal preparation plant performance efficiency and efficient utilization of manpower, all of which result in economic benefits. Computers can be applied for both on-line and off-line purposes; this paper focuses on the on-line applications from the process control point of view.A critical discussion of the different analog and digital process control systems is presented. Recent developments in Great Britain, West Germany, Poland and Australia on automation and instrumentation using on-line measurements of coal ash and moisture contents are identified.The CRL research and development strategy aimed at achieving on-line computer control of an automated coal preparation plant is presented.IntroductionIn the past twenty years an enormous progress in the area of computer technology has been noticed. Computer applications in industrial processes offer greater system flexibility, improved plant performance efficiency and efficient utilization of manpower. Significant computer control development in mineral processing has already been achieved. Although progress has been made in the area of computer applications in coal preparation, more effort is needed to utilize the full potential.The computer applications in coal preparation can be viewed as off-line and on-line. Considerable progress has been reported in the area of off-line computer applications, especially in the areas of modelling, performance evaluation/prediction and statistical analysis. However, only modest progress in on-line applications has been reported(1-7). This paper will focus on: online instrumentation and process control applications, different analog and/or digital control systems, on-line automation and instrumentation in other countries and CRL strategy toward pilot plant automation."

Jan 1, 1985

By S. S. Rahman, A. Gholami, M. A. Aghighi

"This paper provides a foundation for studying the growth of fractures in presence of other discontinuities and different anisotropies of low permeable hydrocarbon formations and helps to improve the design strategies for multistage fracturing.The multistage fracturing technology has recently been used to exploit low permeable hydrocarbon reservoirs. However, the mechanism of hydraulic fractures interaction and the impact of local heterogeneities on ultimate trajectory of the growing hydraulic fractures are not yet understood in depth. A fully coupled poroelastic Finite Element based model is developed to investigate the mixed mode propagation behaviour of growing hydraulic fractures. This model takes advantage of an explicit representation of the fracture which enables us to take the effects of rock and fluid related parameters into account. Moreover, impact of fracture geometry and leak-off phenomenon is investigated. The refined mesh around the crack provides the added advantage of more detailed stress distribution, pore pressure change and back stress in the vicinity of the fracture and in particular at the fracture tip. The potential deviation propensity of the fractures is evaluated based on the fundamental rule that fractures propagate perpendicular to the direction of the minimum horizontal stress.This study shows that pressurization of transverse hydraulic fractures results in the reorientation of local principal stresses, particularly in vicinity of fracture tips. Variation of flow patterns clearly influences the evolution of shear stress around the fracture tips which will potentially lead to mixed-mode I and II fracturing and consequently, fracture deviation. The presence of local heterogeneities such as preexisting fissures and/or fractures is a main source of such pore pressure induced stress redistribution and reorientation and potential deviation of hydraulic fractures.Most existing models ignore or simplify the effect of pore pressure/stress coupling as well as the fracture geometry and fluid flow within the fracture. Also, the fluid leak-off from the hydraulic fracture into the formation, which is a controlling factor in fracture growth, is often considered using analytical models. Taking advantage of a fully coupled porelastic model along with an explicitly discretized fracture, this study provides a more realistic insight into the complex fracture propagation processes of multistage fracturing operations particularly in presence of reservoir geo-mechanical complexities."

Jan 1, 2015

By Robert B. Parsons

"Next month will mark the anniversary of the release of an important federal study on a mineral policy for Canada. The study, entitled ""Mineral Policy-A Discussion Paper"", provides well-researched coverage of a broad range of issues that are of interest to the mining industry. Unfortunately, there is a real possibility that the discussion paper will wither and die on the vine, unless the federal and provincial governments, and the private sector, collectively ensure that some of the key considerations which are raised by the paper are acted upon.IntroductionAlmost one year ago, on March 8, 1982, Federal Mines Minister July Erola released an important study entitled ""Mineral Policy-A Discussion Paper"". The discussion paper, which presents the government's assessment of the opportunities and constraints facing the Canadian mineral industry in the 1980s, was prepared within the context o f three principal objectives-strengthening the resource base on which the industry rests, ensuring the adequacy of research activities needed to support development of the resource, and furthering the development of markets for the resource It is clear that, in today's economic climate, not even the most generous incentives would turn the industry around: what is needed is a sound base for future development, when this is possible. In this regard, the discussion paper is an excellent stepping stone, in that it reviews a wide range o f fundamental policy issues which touch on all facets o f the mining industry."

Jan 1, 1983

By F. Kitzinger

Electromagnetic testing of wire rope has become more and more reliable over the past two decades. This improvement is partly a result of an unprecedented progress of electronic technology, which permitted the development of a new breed of testing instruments. There are two basic methods for the electromagnetic testing of wire ropes, the AC method and the DC method. Both methods rely on magnetic field disturbance caused by mechanical anomalies in the rope structure. The wire rope under test is passed through a magnetic excitation field, which can be a weak alternating field or a strong static field. Because the alternating field is produced by an alternating current, these instruments are of the AC type(l). In the early days of ND-testing, strong permanent magnets were not yet available; therefore, the static magnetic field was produced electromagnetically with direct current. Instruments based on static excitation are still called DC instruments(2), even though the field is now produced by a permanent magnet. Both these methods have certain characteristic features. The AC method can detect loss of metallic area caused by corrosion or other effects, whereas localized faults such as broken wires are better detected by the DC instruments . The basic principles of the wire rope testers have remained unchanged over the years and the improvements present in the new instruments usually reside in the signal processing and recording sections. The Instrumentation Department of the Noranda Research Centre* has been involved in a four-year development program which resulted in a new type of wire rope tester, the Magnographv** . This new instrument in many ways represents a considerable departure from the traditional wire rope testers. The Magnograph has already been patented in Canada and the U.S.A.(3), and patent applications are pending in other countries.

Jan 1, 1979

By Jean-Luc Collins

"This paper shows how simple reliability concepts such as mean time between failures and mean repair time can be used efficiently to help increase equipment availability and so reduce the economic losses associated with unreliability.More specifically, the paper shows how these simple concepts can be used in maintaining an appropriate balance between fleet failure and repair rates and how they can be used for setting up priority repair rules f or queuing equipment.IntroductionA profitable mining operation must handle large quantities of ore and waste at the lowest possible cost. To achieve this objective, the operation must optimize the productivity of its fleets of equipment by efficient management of the time element. Figure I shows some basic equipment activities in an open pit operation while Figure 2 shows a tree diagram describing some time elements of these activities.It should be noted that the only time a piece of equipment can generate a profit is when it can be found in the operating status. In order to maximize this time element, the sum of the other time elements must be minimized because the total time is always fixed.This paper shows the application of simple techniques capable of reducing the waiting time for repair (maintenance delay) by using simple reliability concepts."

Jan 1, 1988

By W. B. Evans, D. P. Taylor

"ANFO has two major disadvantages as an explosive low density and no water resistance. ANFO can be blended with more dense, water-resistant explosives to form ""Heavy ANFO"". The use of emulsion or slurry explosives as a matrix is an attempt to correct deficiencies on the basic ANFO while maintaining cost effectiveness.This paper will deal with four main topics.1. Product description, general properties, strengths and weaknesses.2. Technology of ""Heavy ANFO"" , the emulsion matrix concept and the range of products.3. Relative performance and economics in various rock types.4: Current status in Canada and worldwide, and the expectations for future use.IntroductionANFO has been in use for roughly three decades and remains the explosive of choice where conditions are suitable. ANFO has not become the universal explosive - despite its undoubted superiority in cost effectiveness - because it has serious flaws as an explosive. The most serious of these flaws are the low density and absence of water resistance in ANFO. Low density implies a low concentration of explosive energy in a borehole. The amount of energy available can be increased by. adding an energetic material, generally aluminum, or by drilling more holes. Both solutions add considerably to the over-all costs. The absence of water resistance in ANFO is inherent and can only be overcome by changing the fundamental nature of the product. The history of research in the explosives industry since the advent of ANFO is mainly the story of the various attempts to overcome one or both of ANFO's shortcomings.Many technologies and products have been developed to compete against ANFO, among them slurries, emulsion s and the so-called Dense ANFOs (ANFO with an extra nitroalkane liquid sensitizer). None of them was cost-competitive with ANFO so their market penetration has been limited to wet holes or specialized applications. The exception to this result is Heavy ANFO. The aim here was to have the best of both worlds, the high density and water resistance of emulsions or slurries plus the low cost of ANFO. The concept is very simple. ANFO is about 50 % air, roughly 30% in the prills and 700,10 between the prills . The air in the prills provides the necessary sensitivity but the air between them is waste volume. If one fills this volume with a high density, waterproof product, the resultant mix will be denser and more water resistant than ANFO and with very little added cost. This basic concept was invented by B. Clay in the 1970s and is covered by Canadian Patent No. 1 115 959. The water resistance and/or density of the mix can be tailored by changing the emulsion level. Because Heavy ANFO is relatively inexpensive while providing good in-hole densities and water resistance, it can compete successfully against all other bulk products. It competes against ANFO and Al / ANFO by allowing pattern expansion and reducing over-all costs while it competes against emulsions and slurries on price."

Jan 1, 1987

By J. Lebl, S. Bharti, D. J. Cornett

"This paper presents the design and application of blasthole mining to an area at Strathcona Mine previously employing post pillar cut-and-fill. Extensive mining in the area had led to gradually deteriorating ground conditions and post pillar stoping was no longer considered acceptable. Alternative methods had to be investigated.Conventional methods for mining in poor ground were rejected because of the high cost. Blasthole mining was selected because iI offered good productivity and safety with acceptable costs. The design of this approach involved field investigations and the use of numerical modelling to simulate the different blasthole options and their impact on ground stability. The blasthole design incorporated reinforcement with cablebolts, use of a radio-controlled remote LHD unit, large-diameter holes, blast design and wall control. Potentially unstable areas were outlined during mining with ground monitoring instruments and the results used to modify mining plans during the production phase.IntroductionIn underground metal mines there is a need to improve safety and productivity and lower mining costs in order to maintain reasonable rates of return on investment. This requires the application of good engineering design to both mine planning and ground control in order to optimize production and costs and to forecast potential problems during mining. The task becomes more important when extensive mining leads to gradually deteriorating ground conditions, making existing mining methods and techniques no longer acceptable from a safety point of view. Alternative mining methods must, however, be sufficiently productive to ensure profitability. This paper presents an example of the engineering design and operating approach used by Falconbridge in dealing with such a situation at Strathcona Mine."

Jan 1, 1983

By David R. Ray, Arthur J. Pyron, William F. Thomann

"Proterozoic plutonic and volcanic rocks in the Franklin Mountains, west Texas, exhibit similar values in average concentrations of equivalent uranium (eU), equivalent thorium (eTh) and equivalent potassium (eK) when compared to Proterozoic igneous rocks of the southwestern United States. Variations of radioelement concentrations for all Proterozoic igneous rocks of the Franklin Mountains range from 1.1 to 357.1 ppm U, 2.1to 259.1 ppm Th and 2.5 to 10.2% K.Recent geologic mapping of the Proterozoic rocks in the Franklin Mountains revealed several types of granites previously unrecognized, and these warrant further exploration for U and Th resources. Fluorite-bearing granites and riebeckite pegmatites are likely targets for further investigation, as these have the highest U and Th concentrations compared to all other granites.IntroductionThis is a summary of the paper presented at the CIM Geology Division Uranium Symposium held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, September 8-13, 1981. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of uranium (U), thorium (Th) and potassium (K) in Proterozoic igneous rocks in the Franklin Mountains, and compare radioelement concentrations to Proterozoic igneous rocks elsewhere in the southwestern United States.General GeologyThe Franklin Mountains are located in west Texas and southcentral New Mexico, within the southeastern part of the Basin and Range Province o f the southwestern United States. The Franklins are a complex fault-block range trending northsouth with strata dipping toward the west. Ages of the rocks range from Proterozoic to Cretaceous. Harbour (1972, 1960) provides the most recent account of the general geology of the Franklin Mountains. Most recent accounts of the detailed Pro Proterozoic geology o f the Franklins are provided by Hoffer (1976), Thomann (1980, 1981), Pyron (1980), Ray (1982) and McCutcheon (1982)."

Jan 1, 1983

By E. Goodwin

"Maclaren Forest Products Inc.Lime is commonly used for the neutralization of acid, and the removal of heavy metals in mine waste waters. However, the precipitation of heavy metals as hydroxides must take place under conditions of controlled pH, to produce minimum concentrations of dissolved metals. An account is presented explaining the concepts applied to lime-treatment processes at Bell Mine during the period of a supernatant discharge to Babine Lake; October 18, 1982to January 25, 1983. IntroductionBell Mine of Maclaren Forest Products Inc., Babine Mining Division, an open-pit copper mine, is located on Newman Peninsula, Babine Lake approximately 65 kilometres northeast of the town of Smithers, British Columbia (Fig. 1).A depressed market for copper metal in 1982 forced a management decision to suspend operations at the mine for an indefinite period from October 3 I, 1982. For some time prior to the mine closing date, mine management was concerned about the increasing level of supernatant in the tailings pond , and its possible effects on the stability of the dam when cycloning of mill tailings ceased. Consideration of these potential hazards led to an application being filed with the Provincial Waste Management for a permit to discharge the excess water to Babine Lake. This large lake, an important link with several significant salmon spawning sites, is a major contributor to the British Columbia commercial fishing industry. Jurisdiction for the environmental affairs in the area is shared by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Environmental Protection Service, and the Provincial Waste Management Branch. These agencies were directly concerned in the formulation of discharge permit following joint consultation, and exchange of information with the company on environmental concerns. An approval was finally granted to discharge approximately 1,000,000 cubic metres of supernatant from the tailings impoundment at Bell Mine into Hagan Arm, Babine Lake from October 18, 1982 with a daily discharge not to exceed 9000 cubic metres. Provisions were made that a particular discharge procedure be followed, and that the company would be responsible for setting up a sampling and monitoring program to safeguard the quality of the effluent."

Jan 1, 1986

By N. A. McPherson, P. C. Stevens, A. J. Rigby

"There has been a consistent move in recent years to continuously cast small billets while utilizing ceramic stream protection between tundish and mould. The need to have ceramic stream protection has developed from a need to improve billet surface quality by submerged pouring. The need to protect the ladle to tundish stream in conjunction with tundish to mould protection is explained.The continuous casting of thin slabs is at the development state and will require a great deal of ceramic development to ensure the economic viability of the project. An insight is given to the main problems.IntroductionDuring the early development period o f the continuous casting of steel in the late 1940s and 1950s, much of the work was carried out on small cross section products. For example, the continuous casting of 50 mm square billets was carried out on a production scale in the United Kingdom at Barrow. Slab casting was initiated on a production basis on 100 mm thick stainless steel slabs at Atlas Steel, Weiland, Ontario. In the case of slab casting the thickness increased gradually until it was similar to Slabbing Mill feedstock , i.e. in the range 200 mm to 250 mm , although stainless steel continued to be lower at around 185 mm thick.For billets , a significant proportion of steel is now cast at around 100 mm square which creates specific difficulties when casting with a submerged pour - mould powder practice. The move back to smaller cross sections is further emphasized by the current interest in "" Near Net Shape Casting"" . If this move continues, then significant development will be required to create the refractories used between tundish and mould in the continuous casting process.Two specific areas which will receive attention are; (I) the casting of small cross section billet s; and (2) the casting of thin slab."

Jan 1, 1990

By Lorne Roberts

"This paper describes: how Falconbridge's fire protection system meets the needs of the Lockerby Mine; why the system was chosen over other alternatives; how it is unique, but can be applied to any underground situation; details of the system; how it was installed; the role of a fire protection company; and general considerations when choosing afire-suppresant system.IntroductionIn May 1981, after about three years of searching for the best fire protection system for the re-opened Lockerby nickel mine at Whitefish, near Sudbury, Ontario, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. installed an AFFF type of fire suppression system. It was designed and supplied by the Fire Protection Systems Division of Levitt -Safety Ltd.The system protects against loss of life, equipment and/or production, and it complies with legislation should fire occur in a fuel storage area and/or scooptram garage and service bay at any or all of the three levels near Shaft No.2.About 18 months after Levitt-Safety began working with Falconbridge, the system was designed and installed at a cost considerably less than that which would be incurred if fire damage caused the loss of two days of production.The fire protection system, which overcomes a limited water supply, is a self-contained balanced pressure proportioning system. It senses the flow and automatically determines the correct concentration of foam to water. It is triggered by a release mechanism which operates a bank of nitrogen cylinders, which in turn pressurize a pressure vessel to expel the foam concentrate and water from the tanks. This solution is piped to sprinkler heads in the specific area."

Jan 1, 1982

By John E. Udd

"In this paper the author presents the results of the 1992 CIM survey of graduates in minerals and technology programs in Canadian post-secondary institutions. As usual, the trends are out-of phase with the economic state of the industry. People who chose a minerals career in the prosperous days of the late 1980sare now entering a labour market in recession.The cyclical nature of enrollments is illustrated in a series of figures showing the trends since the CIM survey Wa5 begun in 1956 (and even earlier for mining engineering).In the survey, the respondents were asked to provide comments on their perceptions of the problems specific to minerals education in Canada. The large number of responses have led the author to the conclusions and recommendations given in the final part of the paper."

Jan 1, 1993

By Marke Wong

? Vietnam?s economy is growing so fast that gross domestic product (GDP) growth remained above 8% in 2005 and exports are rising steadily at 25% per year. ? Demand for electricity is expected to increase 18% per year through 2010 requiring an additional estimated 7,547 MW before 2010 ? Domestic coal demand is expected to be over 45 Mt by 2010. ? The Quang Ninhcoal deposits are estimated at 6.5-7 billion tons (350m) Vietnam News Agency. Saturday, May, 6, 2006. ? National resources are now estimated at 10 billion tonnes; not including a relative new coal bed discovery estimated at 210 billion tonnesin the Red River Basin.

May 1, 2006

By Robert B. Parsons

"There is a widespread concern that certain of Finance Minister Michael Wilson's Tax Reform proposals will likely lead to a significant decline in flow through funding after 1988. This does not bode well for the junior exploration sector, which relies heavily on flow-through to finance exploration programs. The exploration industry is actively pursuing various solutions to the problems posed by Tax Reform, in order to ensure that flow-through has a future.IntroductionWhile the proposals contained in Finance Minister Michael Wilson's Tax Reform White Paper may not be as far-reaching as some people had expected, nevertheless the combination of the existing tax rules and proposed new rules offers sufficient complexity to keep pencils sharpened for many months. After having had an opportunity to study Tax Reform since June 18, 1987, the sharpened pencils are suggesting that the White Paper is not without its shortcomings and pitfalls. Insofar as the mineral exploration industry is affected, there is widespread concern that adoption of certain Tax Reform proposals could spell near disaster for mineral exploration in Canada. More specifically, there seems to be a consensus among the industry, as well as some federal and provincial government officials, that the announced phase-out of the ""mining exploration depletion allowance"" (MEDA) would reduce the appeal of flow-through shares to the point where only a fraction of exploration funding would be financed in the future by flow-through."

Jan 1, 1987

By D. Laguitton

"Mathematics, process theory, process practice and computer applications are the main disciplines that contribute to developing useful techniques for computer simulation of mineral and coal processing plants. As in any multidisciplinary effort, communication or transfer mechanisms must be developed to facilitate the flow of experience between participants of different backgrounds. These mechanisms include written reports, verbal communications, workshops and transfer of computer programs. The SPOC project at CANMET is devoted to computer simulation and as such has addressed, or will address in the near future, problems inherent to methodology transfer. The first major output of the project was the material balance program, MATBAL2, which has been acquired by over 30 organizations. Program documentation, industrial workshops and summer student programs have been used to effect the transfer. This experience is discussed and the future outlined.IntroductionComputer simulation has become a common tool in many different fields of human activity during the past two decades, as illustrated in Figure 1. The total number of articles abstracted in Chemical Abstracts under the general subject entry of “Simulation"" has been following a pseudo-exponential growth since 1972 and was approaching 5000 in 1980, whereas no such entry was even used prior to 1967. This represents over a dozen papers published daily on the subject and should continue to grow to higher figures. Still, progress toward accepting modelling and simulation in mineral and coal processing has been very slow. It will be shown later that this slow acceptance is a cause rather than a consequence of the limited success of the various attempts made so far to draw unambiguous benefits from simulation applications. The real cause of the difficulties in fully accepting the new methodology lies in the multidisciplinary aspect of modelling and simulation, which does not suit the traditionally conservative approach that prevails in designing and operating large and costly processing plants."

Jan 1, 1982

By Ludwig Strah

"The paper outlines the history of rubber mill liners beginning with the awarding of the first North American patent rights in 1923. It includes the early-day applications and installations of the 1920s and 1930s through to their present-day application. Over-all rubber mill liner design is discussed in relation to present day installations employing rubber mill liners in various grinding applications. A brief overview is given of a manufacturer's procedures to produce rubber mill liners.IntroductionIn early 1910, it became apparent that the productive life of the silver mines in Cobalt, Ontario, could be substantially prolonged by mining lower-grade ores.The mining of lower-grade ores required the establishment of treatment facilities which initially employed jaw crushers, stamp mills, jigs and concentrating tables. The recovery of silver in other than a coarse metallic form required the additional step which was introduced at that time: the cyanidation of silver concentrates from the tables. The resultant requirement for increased and improved recovery led to the introduction of grinding mills, i.e. tube mills.Shortly after the introduction of the tube mills to the Nipissing Mine's mill in 1914, the idea of using rubber as a mill liner material was spawned. However, no action was taken due to the advent of World War I. It is interesting to note that the idea of rubber mill liners emanated from having used pieces of solid rubber tire as an emergency repair on a set of liners when a liner had broken and no immediately available spare was on site.The credit for this ingenuity and subsequent application for a patent on rubber mill liners falls to James John Denny, the mill superintendent, and Rolla Barnum Watson, the general manager of Coniagas Mines Limited. The patent application was formally made on December 3, 1921. The U.S. Patent Office issued Patent No. 1,470,597 on October 16, 1923."

Jan 1, 1982

By Andrew Cormier

"The Early YearsThe Grand Lake coal fields in New Brunswick undoubtedly can claim the distinction of being the first part of North America from which coal was mined and exported. The diaries of the Governor of Massachusetts during the first half of the 17th century clearly establish this fact. There is also a reference in the Massachusetts Colonial Records which indicate that coal exports to New England were carried on as early as 1639.It has generally been believed that Cape Breton mined and exported the first coal; but no account has yet been found to show that this took place earlier than 1676. Both at Grand Lake and Cape Breton the coal was near the surface and removed by hand.When the country passed entirely into British control, Joseph Garrison, a grantee of Maugerville in 1765 moved to Jemseg. While surveying the north side of Grand Lake he discovered outcroppings of coal on the shore of the lake and further inland along the banks of streams. It was he who named Newcastle Creek in reference to Newcastle in England, which was widely known for its coal mines. Joseph Garrison died in 1783, the same year that an influx of United Empire Loyalists increased settlement in Newcastle Creek in the area now known as Minto. Many Loyalists also settled on the shores on both sides of Grand Lake.At a number of points where streams cut channels through the overlying strata, the coal seams were exposed and it was at such outcroppings that the early operations were carried on. A tunnel was driven in the seam from the foot of the bank, affording both an outlet for the coal and natural drainage from the workings. The coal was loaded into boxes and wheeled over wooden tracks to a point on the surface where it could be dumped into wagons and hauled either direct to destination or to where it could be loaded into boats and conveyed via Grand Lake, Jemseg and Saint John river to points of distribution.In the latter part of the 18th century and first years of the 19th century, farmers were undisturbed by mining the coal found on their lands. This was soon to change and resulted in many years of contention between landowners and the Legislative Assembly.New Brunswick became a separate province from Nova Scotia in 1784 and the seat of government moved from Saint John to Fredericton in 1788. The new province had its first priorities; the establishment of counties, the building of roads, and the development of its natural resources. From 1805, records of coal and land development are fairly complete. These records show the increasing interest of the Province in developing the coal fields. This interest resulted in the granting of coal leases to many friends of the government, without any regard for the wishes of the farmers who owned and had occupied the land for many years. The farmers fought back with lawsuits and other forms of dissension but with little success. By the end of the 19th century there were very few farm operators left in the area."

Jan 1, 1992

By Nick Vagenas

"Loading and transportation are important activities of the mining process. Automation of these activities in underground hard rock mining has been discussed for a long time. This paper deals with the performance evaluation of a prototype automatic Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) vehicle (a 7-ton GHH LF LHD model) operating in Zinkgruvan mine, Sweden. The purpose of the data analysis is to evaluate the operational and maintenance characteristics of the automatic LHD system in the mine. Graphical and numerical methods have been used for the statistical analysis of the data. IntroductionDuring the past years, the idea of integrated automation and tele-operation on Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) machines (Fig. 1) has attracted considerable interest in the Swedish mining industry. This is mainly due to the demand for improvement in the working environment and due to the rapid development of economic and reliable microprocessors for mining vehicles. Several advantages can be foreseen with the application of a Remote-controlled/Automatic LHD (RAL) system in underground mining. Some of them are (1)':• better utilization of working hours;• less interruption in production at shift changes;• better operational control of a fleet of vehicles;• improved safety; and• one operator may be able to operate more than one vehicle simultaneously."

Jan 1, 1993

By Peter Harben

"This paper discusses the benefits of industrial minerals, their sources of supply, price and marketing trends, and their increasing use as substitute materials and ""strategic"" minerals. IntroductionKaolin finds have yet to spark the kind of frenzy associated with the 1849 California gold rush; no dolomite deposit has ever gained the notoriety of the Comstock Lode; and few industrial minerals are counted among the currently fashionable list of "" strategic mineral s"". Nevertheless, the glamorous zhine associated with metals may be somewhat superficial; further digging provides perhaps the real foundation of modern society - industrial minerals.They are often tagged as common, everyday materials that are simply dug out of the ground, crushed and hauled to a local point of consumption. Although this description is accurate in the case of road aggregates, sand and gravel, and the like, there are many exceptions to this rule. The term industrial minerals is rather nebulous, covering as it does the mundane and esoteric, the chemically active and the refractory, the $2 and the $10m-a-ton product. All of these minerals influence every facet of modern life from fertilizers to fire retardants, ceramics to cars, construction to clothes, and toothpaste to tennis courts. Their usefulness is well illustrated by the variety of industries they serve; the main ones are listed in Table 1. It is now time to dismiss the notion of non-metallics as the ""third world"" of natural resources business after the metallic and energy products by dispelling some of the myths regarding abundance, variety and value of the group's sixty-plus products."

Jan 1, 1982