Search Documents

By Makhlouf Boubahziz

The HNIA field is part of the Tinrhert project which consists of developing 17 fields containing essentially gas with a few small rings of oil. It is considered as one of the main fields in this project in terms of its area and the number of geological structures that has formed it. It is a wide anticline of Cambro-Ordovician age, orientated NNE-SSW and located in the South-eastern part of Illizi basin. This structure extends from Alrar-center in the North, to the North of In Amenas in the South. The area is 1350 km2. The main reservoirs forming HNIA field are the Devonian (F2, F3 and F4), Siluro-Devonian (F6) and Cambro-Ordovician. These latest are formed by 4 sandy units alternated by layers of shale and shaly silt termed from the base to the top as follow: Unit II, Unit III-3U, Unit IV-2L and Unit IV3; these units are the subject of this study. The HNIA field is essentially gas, up to day this field is at the stage of appraisal and evaluation in order to establish a development plan; therefore the main target of this study is to contribute to this frame work. The following objectives are: ?To build a structural model of the study area. ?To integrate all the sedimentological, structural and petrophysical data in order to build a 3D geological model

Aug 1, 2013

By Patrick R. Stephenson

The Australasian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the ?JORC Code?) has been operating successfully for 14 years, and has an ancestry dating back over 30 years. Together with complementary developments in stock exchange listing rules, the Code has brought about substantially improved standards of public reporting by Australasian mining and exploration companies. The Code is regarded as a world leader in its field, and has been used as a basis for the development of resource/reserve reporting standards in other countries. The reasons for its success are varied, foremost amongst them being its adoption in full by the Australian and New Zealand Stock Exchanges, and the ability and willingness of mining industry organisations to bring Competent Persons to account when necessary. The latest revision of the JORC Code was undertaken in 2002/03, based in part on releases of upgraded reporting standards in Canada, United Kingdom/Western Europe and South Africa, and the 2003 edition is expected to be released mid-year. Two of the more significant changes are: the introduction of a requirement for a Competent Person to be responsible for the documentation upon which Exploration Results are reported; and inclusion in the definition of a Competent Person of a reference to ?Recognised Overseas Professional Organisations?, being overseas professional organisations to which Competent Persons may belong for the purpose of preparing documentation for the submission of reports to the Australian Stock Exchange.

May 1, 2003

By K. John

"THE most recent estimate of minteable coal reserves in Saskatchewan was made by the Federal Royal Commission on Coal (1944- 6). Saskatchewan was then estimated to have some 24 per cent of the Canadian reserves and two-thirds of this is located in what is called the Souris-Estevan area, which lies in the southeast corner of the Province and border's on the International boundary. It is also estimated that there are some 61/2 million thousand-tons in this area of lignite coal which grades 8,000 B.t.u. or less and has a moisture content ranging from 30 to 33 per cent. Ownership of coal rights in the Province is widely dispersed between the Crown, individuals, and corporations, and a recent survey disclosed that 40 percent of ownership was vested in the Crown and 60 per cent in private individuals and corporations. Coal rights on Crown lands may be leased at an annual rental of $ 1.00 an acre. Under such leases, a royalty of 5 cents a ton is levied on all coal mined. A royalty of 7 cents a ton is levied on coal produced from lands where mineral rights were purchased from the Federal Government prior to the transfer of jurisdiction over natural resources to the Province, in 1931. An annual mineral tax of 50 cents per acre has also been imposed by the Provincial Government on all coals within a defined producing areas."

Jan 1, 1952

By B. Tougas

Recycling of titanium represents an important economic activity due to high cost of the material and the amount of returns of machined parts which represent the bulk of finished titanium products (typical "buy to fly" of 10 in the aeronautic industry). In the present work, the metallurgical quality of 76 mm in diameter and 20 cm ingots poured in coated graphite mold will be assessed against the nature and condition of application of 4 coatings namely aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide and zirconium oxide with 4% aluminum oxide. The metallurgical quality has been evaluated in terms of alpha case thickness, microstructure and composition. Microhardness from surface will be assessed against casting conditions. Least square regression analysis have been use to optimize casting conditions.

Jan 1, 2011

By Tom Brady

A major focus of ground control research presently being conducted by the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is to incorporate weak rock masses (such as are associated with operations in the Carlin Trend in Nevada) into existing design relationships. The original database that led to most of the empirical design relationships presently employed in hard-rock mining was derived from fair-to-good-quality rock. In this study, the relationship between weak rock quality and opening design (nonentry/entry methods) is being investigated. The common factor in all mines is a weak back or wall. This work attempts to provide tools that will enable a mine operator to make economic decisions that will also ensure a safe working environment.

May 1, 2003

By Y. Hanada

Electrorefining at higher current density is desirable due to the increase in productivity attained without expanding the plant size. However, increasing the current density in common commercial practice causes problems such as anode passivation, dendritic deposition, cathode impurities and energy consumption. In general, agitation of the electrolyte is effective in suppressing these problems. To apply the agitation to commercial practice effectively, the method of agitation is important. One possible method is agitation by gas injection. In this study, fluid motion characteristics with gas injection between electrodes were investigated using a water model. Flow patterns were observed and fluid velocity was measured using a particle tracking method. It was found that the time-averaged velocity near the electrode walls was of the order of 0.1 m/s in the conditions. The flow was highly turbulent. The turbulent component of velocity was the same order as the time-averaged velocity. The mass transfer coefficient between the wall and fluid doubled when the effect of turbulent intensity was taken into account. The effects of gas injection on the electrolysis behaviour at high current density were discussed in terms of the mass transfer. It is suggested that gas injection could suppress the problems at high current density.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. J. Chase, C. Davies

"The Merelani graphite-tanzanite deposit is located in northeast Tanzania, 14 kilometers south of Kilimajaro International Airport and in close proximity to the towns of Moshi and Arusha. The graphite mineralization is hosted by relatively undeformed linear Proterozoic metasedimentary gneisses, several of which have been subjected to hydrothermal alteration resulting in tanzanite mineralization. Exploration work comprised detailed geological mapping coupled with pit and trench channel sampling and a subsequent 1500 meters of diamond drilling. In addition, metallurgical tests have shown the graphite to be of unusually coarse flake size, crystallinity and high purity.Feasability studies have shown the economic viability of a major coarse flake graphite deposit with the measured resource to 50 meters in excess of 9 million tonnes assaying over 85 graphitic carbon. Production is due to start by the end of the first quarter of 1994 with the processing plant design capacity initially set at 15 000 tonnes per annum.In addition to graphite production, tanzanite will be produced through selective mining within the graphite open pit in the upper horizon and from underground workings within the lower horizon.The Merelani graphite-tanzanite deposit will be the first major orebody to be exploited through means of private funding since Tanzania gained independence"

Jan 1, 1994

"These guidelines have been prepared to assist the Qualified Person(s)in the planning and supervision of exploration programs which will be reported under National Instrument 43101. The Companion Policy of NI43101 references the guidelines and states that issuers and Qualified Persons should follow them.Exploration Best Practices GuidelinesPreamble: These guidelines have been prepared to assist the Qualified Person(s) in the planning and supervision of exploration programs which will be reported under National Instrument 43-101. Such exploration programs must be under the supervision of the Qualified Person who will be responsible and accountable for the planning, execution and interpretation of all exploration activity as well as the implementation of quality assurance programs and reporting. These guidelines are also recommended for use in the planning and execution of exploration programs which will not be reported under NI 43-101. This set of broad guidelines or ""best practices"" has been drawn up to ensure a consistently high quality of work that will maintain public confidence and assist securities regulators. The guidelines are not intended to inhibit the original thinking or application of new approaches, that are fundamental to successful mineral exploration.Results should be summarized and reported in a Technical Report of good professional quality in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 and Form 1 contained in that instrument. All exploration work from which public reporting will ensue must be designed and carried out under the supervision of a Qualified Person (""QP""). A QP is defined in National Instrument 43-101 as an individual who is an engineer or geoscientist with at least five (5) years' experience in mineral exploration, mine development, mine operation or project assessment, has experience relevant to the subject matter of the project or report and is a member in good standing of a recognized professional association."

Jan 1, 2003

By Dennis L. Murr, James E. Wennen

"The through-put and energy efficiency of an autogenous (AG) grinding mill are adversely affected by variability in rock size and rock competency. This applies to both fully autogenous and semi-autogenous (SAG) grinding circuits. In this paper we focus on an approach to overcome the problem of inconsistent mill through-put related to variability in mill feed size and rock competency. The focus is on ores containing hard, competent rock. This approach consists of preparing feed to an autogenous mill that contains 20% coarse media rock and 80% of material crushed to pass 37 mm. Results of pilot-scale testing for two iron-ores will be presented to show that a 10% to 12% reduction in unit energy consumption is possible with prepared feed, compared with feeding the mill with conventional primary crusher discharge.INTRODUCTIONIn the past 30 years or so, autogenous grinding and semi-autogenous grinding have been the comminution technologies of choice for most mining and mineral processing operations. These technologies saved both capital and operating expenses associated with the installation and operation of multi-stage crushing and screening plants required for conventional rod mill – ball mill circuits. However, SAG and AG are inherently inefficient in terms of energy consumption, especially for very hard ores. In cases of hard ore, changing characteristics of rock fed to the mills causes wide fluctuations in mill capacity, which contributes to the inefficiency. Rising electric power costs make this the most expensive unit operation used in the extraction of valuable minerals from an ore. The objective of the concept discussed here is to reduce the energy consumption in AG grinding for hard ore and eliminate the use of large-diameter steel grinding balls that are required for SAG grinding"

Jan 1, 2012

By Tim Gartner

This paper introduces a new application of a proven technology to provide dynamic, voltage regulation in underground mine electrical distribution systems. This technology acts to ?stiffen? the electrical power feeding continuous miners and generally raise and improve the voltage regulation at the continuous mining machines which may be located over long cable distances from the mine incoming electrical substation. This is extremely valuable for large underground continuous mining operations that use high power electrical mining machines fed over very long cable lengths (measured in 10s of km, from mine shaft to mine operating face). This new technology provides fast acting dynamic voltage regulation (voltage support) while starting continuous borers and extensible conveyor belts. Additionally, if the mine suffers from a lower distribution voltage due to long cable lengths, this new technology will raise the overall voltage at the mining machine, which can increased mining machine production and lead to longer motor life. The technology is based on voltage source converters operating as static VAR compensators specially packaged for the harsh underground mine environment. While static VAR compensator technology has been successfully used in utility and large industrial applications for many years (including open pit mining and arc furnaces), it has not (until now) been applied in underground mining. The paper will present the problem of poor voltage regulation in underground mines on weak electrical utility networks. It will then discuss some of the alternatives that have been used to resolve this voltage problem. It will then introduce the new technology used to solve the problem and review the issues involved in using this technology in the harsh underground environment. Finally, the paper will present preliminary performance results from an actual installation in a large underground continuous mining operation in Canada.

May 1, 2003

By J. D. Templeton

A petroleum well that is not in use because it has ceased to produce oil/gas economically and dry holes are referred to as abandoned wells. Once a well is abandoned it is plugged with cement and can take anywhere from two days up to a week to cure depending on the number of plugs in the well. Since plugging a well costs capital, most wells are abandoned at the lowest possible cost and with the minimum obligations set by regulation agencies. These wells can present an enduring liability to petroleum companies. However, the depth and abundance of abandoned petroleum wells makes them an economically attractive source of geothermal energy. Geothermal energy harvested from an oil/gas well is a renewable energy source as long as it is extracted in a sustainable manner. The energy can be used to generate electricity, used directly for heating, incorporated into a water desalination process, or used by a heat pump for heating/cooling applications. In this paper we examine the possibility of extracting geothermal energy from abandoned oil/gas wells by studying the heat transfer in underground geothermal heat exchangers installed in these wells. The design configurations for the geothermal heat exchangers embedded inside a petroleum borehole can be a u-tube design or a shell and tube design (i.e. double pipe). Using in-situ gathered information from some representative petroleum boreholes, the effects of key parameters such as geothermal gradient, ground temperature values, and the flow inside of the tubes are evaluated. In order to provide a constant power production the inlet temperature can be adjusted to keep the difference between outlet and inlet temperatures equivalent. Higher differences between inflow and outflow temperatures will result in a less sustainable load put on the in-situ geothermal energy. Adding insulation to certain sections of the designs can minimize the transfer of thermal energy from the fluid to the surroundings. Insulation can also limit the thermal loss between the inflow and outflow tubes in the shell and tube design. Minimizing the energy loss of these designs leads to an increase in the outlet temperature, meaning a higher grade of heat. The sustainability of long term geothermal heat extraction is a balance between the rate at which geothermal energy is extracted and the rate at which the ground formation can replace this heat. Higher outlet temperatures can lead to a larger amount of power generation, and a higher coefficient of performance for heat pump applications.

Aug 1, 2013

By Changyoon Kim

Technological advances in mobile systems, such as smartphones and tablet computers, provide engineers with new opportunities to enhance the current facility management processes. Equipped with powerful system processors, touch screens, and wireless communication capabilities, mobile systems enable the experience of omnipresence of facility information. Building information modeling (BIM) also enables improvements in facility management. With an advanced data structure and visualization capacity, BIM can be used in numerous applications for facility management. This study aims to incorporate the strength of mobile systems and BIM in facility management. The proposed system, which utilizes smartphone technology, allows engineers to conduct facility management functions, such as maintenance planning, inspection, and assessment, irrespective of a user?s location. The integration of building information modeling in a system provides detailed visual information of the building components. A case study was conducted to verify the applicability of the mobile system in terms of the hardware functions, system design, and user interface. This proposed system, with its study results, provides a guideline as to how mobile systems can be effectively integrated with BIM for improved management of facility information.

Aug 1, 2013

By Robert S. G. Chapman, Kieran M. J. Downes

The Sulphide-Preview Lakes area is located 45 km northeast of La Ronge in northern Saskatchewan. It lies within the southern portion of the Proterozoic La Ronge Volcanic-Sedimentary Belt. Two styles of gold mineralization are present in the Sulphide Lake area , stratabound gold mineralization is intimately associated with a pyrite-pyrrhotite-arsenopyrite-bearing graphitic argillite unit within a sequence of intermediate to felsic volcaniclastics. Past operators established three mineralized zones along this horizon with combined reserves for two of the zones, of about 175,000 tons at 0.22 oz/ton Au. In the Preview Lake area , gold mineralization occurs in variably sheared gabbro/quartz diorite sills within a mixed sedimentary-felsic volcaniclastic sequence. Gold occurs with arsenopyrite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite associated with quartz veins and stringers. A sulphidebearing graphitic argillite unit occurs in close proximity to the mineralized shears. Past operators delineated seven mineralized shear zones, two of which were drilltested. Average gold grades reported are in the 0.1 to 0.2 oz/ton range with erratic values up to 5.0 oz/ton.

Jan 1, 1986

By D. W. Heard

Electrospark Deposition (ESD) is a low heat-input, high energy density, micro-welding process. The short pulse duration and high-pulse frequency, in combination with the small amount of material transferred during each pulse, results in the evolution of extremely rapid cooling rates, believed to approach 105-106 °C/s [1]. This rapid solidification event results in the refinement of the microstructure to the nanostructured or amorphous level [2, 3]. Figure 1 displays the resultant microstructure of an Al-17%Si alloy deposited by the ESD process. Furthermore, it was determined that the microstructure of the deposit remained unchanged after subsequent layers were welded onto the presented layer. Freeforming of materials is a rapid prototyping process in which the deposited feedstock is built-up to the desired geometry in a near-net shape manner. Figure 2 displays the automated set-up employed produce three dimensional freeformed objects via multiple deposition trials of the ESD process. The automated XYZ table is equipped with CNC software to transform CAD renderings into three dimensional tool paths. Figure 3 displays an Al-12Si freeformed gear (2" diameter, 12 teeth) produced by the ESD process, prior to removal from the substrate. An SEM analysis of the freeformed component showed that the microstructure did not coarsen during the deposition of subsequent layers during the freeforming process, as depicted in Figure 4, resulting in the production of a bulk nanostructured component. This paper represents a summary of the capabilities of ESD to fabricate advanced materials possessing refined microstructure. In particular, results on the microstructural evolution obtainable for various wear-related systems will be presented. In addition, the feasibility of using the ESD process to freeform three-dimensional objects via multiple deposition passes will be presented and accompanied by a characterization of the properties of the freeformed component. [1] R. N. Johnson, "ElectroSpark Deposition: Principles and Applications," in Society of Vacuum Coaters, 2002, pp. 87-92. [2] J. Milligan, D. W. Heard, and M. Brochu, "Formation of nanostructured weldments in the Al-Si system using electrospark welding," Applied Surface Science, vol. 256, pp. 4009-4016. [3] S. Cadney and M. Brochu, "Formation of amorphous Zr41.2Ti13.8NilOCul2.5Be22.5 coatings via the ElectroSpark Deposition process," Intermetallics, vol. 16, pp. 518-523, 2008.

Jan 1, 2010

By Robert MacPhail, Louis Racine, Bret G. Cousins

"Sodium Isopropyl Xanthate is employed in a wide variety of sulphide flotation procedures due to the specificity over other xanthates and the cost savings over other sulphide collectors such as thionocarbamates, xanthogen formates and dithiophosphates. An investigation carried out by Tennants Research Technology Applications (TRTA), has produced a chemically enhanced SIPX that has shown all the advantages of normal SIPX along with improved recoveries.Currently, FLEX 31 is manufactured at the Prospec Chemicals xanthate plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Prospec, founded in 1983, produces approximately 4500 tonnes of xanthates per year and is presently undergoing expansion to produce approximately 6000 tonnes. The proprietary process for FLEX 31 is a new addition to plant operations that include the production of xanthates, thionocarbamates and xanthogen formates.This paper will cover the testwork on the zinc flotation circuit at the Louvicourt Mine in Val d'Or, Quebec. This testwork indicated that FLEX 31 could replace SIPX due to the ability of the FLEX to improve zinc flotation kinetics without adversely affecting final concentrate grade. FLEX has presently replaced SIPX in the zinc circuit at Louvicourt.BackgroundThe Louvicourt deposit is hosted by greenschist facies Archean volcanic rocks located in the southeast portion of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. In the Val d'Or area, the volcanic rocks form an east-west striking, steeply dipping and south-facing sequence composed of thick mafic and ultramafic flows of the Lower Malartic Group.The joint venture has three partners-Aur Louvicourt Inc. (30%), Novicourt Inc. (45%) and Teck Corp (25%). Aur Resources holds 30% interest through Aur Louvicourt, a wholly owned subsidiary and is the operator of the project. Novicourt Inc. is 60.9% held by Noranda.Approximately 75% to 85% of Louvicourt's revenue comes from the sale of copper; 10% from gold (in the copper concentrate); 7% from zinc and 3% from silver (also in the copper concentrate) The copper at Louvicourt is fairly ""fast floating"". About 60% of the copper in the ore can be concentrated in the first flotation cells with feed grades of approximately 4% copper.The initial testwork and pilot trials had indicated that it would be difficult to achieve zinc grades over 52% and recoveries would have to be kept at a level amenable to salable concentrate grades. The actual mill results, with a fine regrind, achieved zinc grades of 55% to 56% at about 75% recovery."

Jan 1, 1996

By Edward R. T. Tiekink

Metal complexes continue to find therapeutic applications for the treatment of a wide variety of human ailments. Amongst these, gold(I) thiolates are used to treat rheutmatoid arthritis but, usually in combination with other treatment or as a last resort. New therapeutic uses of gold, both as gold(I) and gold(III), are being sought, including against cancer, the focus of the present contribution. It will be demonstrated that certain gold(I) complexes show exciting cytotoxicity profiles, rivalling those of cisplatin and standard chemotherapeutic agents. More importantly, anti-tumour activity is demonstrated in vivo, albeit in a mouse model. The presentation will give a brief overview of ?metals in medicine? with a focus on gold and will summarise some recent advances in the development of goldbased anti-tumour agents.

Oct 1, 2003

By Y. Qi

A cell-level nonlinear dynamic model of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based on physical diffusion principles is built in this note. It demonstrates that reactant diffusion processes from gas flow bulks to triple phase boundaries (tpbs) play an important role in the dynamic behaviors of SOFC. The simulation shows that under certain condition, the effect of the double layer capacitance may be neglected. The phenomenon of slow rise of voltage in current interrupt experiment may be explained by the dynamic behaviors of partial pressures in the vicinity immediately above tpbs.

Jan 1, 2005

By W. T. Boyes, J. M. Harrison

"Squall Lake Gold Mines, Limited, owns a group of claims at Squall lake, northern Manitoba, about 75 miles east of Flin Flon and 3 to 4 miles north of the Nor-Acme mine at Snow lake. Gold mineralization was discovered in this locality several years prior to 1944, but it was only in that year that a comprehensive examination of the occurrences was begun. Development work to the end of 1946 has been encouraging and the deposits show interesting relations to rock structure.GEOLOGICAL SETTINGThe gold occurs in a sill of biotite-hornblende diorite at or near its contact with gneisses derived from arkosic sediments . In detail, the contact between the diorite and the arkose to the southeast of it is irregular, with interfingering of the two rock types. On the northwest side of the sill, between it and Squall lake, the rock is staurolite schist (see accompanying sketch-map).Several mineralized shear zones are known, of which those shown are the most important. Within the zones, the diorite is silicified and somewhat carbonatized. Fairly coarse arsenopyrite is the chief sulphide mineral in these zones but, locally, they contain also pyrite and pyrrhotite. Where quartz and chlorite are present, rather coarse gold is associated with them. In that part of the main zone where gold assays have been most consistent, the diorite is rich in albite."

Jan 1, 1954

By C. Barnett

"A description of the Geco orebody has been given by W .L. Brown and R.C.E. Bray (1). The mill flowsheet and equipment were described by M.J.S. Bennett, D. Wild and C. Lawton (2). Mill capacity is now 4, 150 tons per operating day of copper, silver, zinc and lead ore. A recent flowsheet has been published in the - Canadian Mining Manual (1966).Soon after the start of production in September 1957, it became apparent that large tonnages of sand would be required by the mine for backfill pruposes. Initial experimental work on the preparation of sand fill from the flotation tailings was begun in late 19 59. Cyclones of local manufacture, in a variety of sizes, were tested quite successfully. There were, however, several obvious advantages with some of the custom-built cyclones and a recommendation was obtained from the Techniquip Company. A single Krebs D-10-B cyclone was tested experimentally in 1960.INITIAL TESTWORKExperimental results showed that with our relatively coarse grind (in the order of 53 % minus 200 mesh) 75 - 80% of the flotation tailings could be recovered as backfill sand with one stage of treatment. Percolation rates of four inches per hour were obtained with cyclone inlet pressures in the range of 20 - 25 psi and feed densities of 20 - 23% solids."

Jan 1, 1968

By A. Hasselbring

Sub-Level stoping was used in this country at least as early as 1912, at the Magpie mine in Michipicoten. The fundamental principles of the system are the same wherever it is used, but modifications have been adopted in the Michigan iron mines and in several Canadian mines. It is a system whereby a suitable body of ore may be developed quickly and worked cheaply, with a low initial expense, and by miners of quite ordinary ability. The basic method, described in the following pages, may be modified to meet conditions where one or more factors are not in accord with normal sub-level stoping requirements. In suitable ground, sub-level stoping is probably the most satisfactory method yet devised for underground hard-rock mining. It is so simple, straightforward, and safe that no special training of a crew is necessary. Any miner capable of drifting and raising can carry on the work necessary for sub-level stoping after the shaft has been sunk. The method is suitable, however, only for reasonably wide ore-bodies, the minimum width of ore to which it can be economically applied being somewhere in the neighbour-hood of thirty feet. The development programme is simple. Assuming, for purposes of illuslustration, an ideal ore-body, two thousand feet long, dipping nearly vertical, and varying in width from forty to a hundred feet, this programme would be as follows. The shaft should be sunk on the footwall side about sixty feet outside of the ore-body and near its centre. Levels are then established at suitable intervals, usually 125 feet. On each level, a cross-cut is run to the ore-body, and there a main-haulage drift is driven in either direction to the end of the ore. Cross-cuts are then run at 25-foot intervals, so that ore-chutes can be spaced about 25 feet centre to centre each way. It is not necessary that these cross-cuts be extended to the walls of the ore-body, if the position of the walls is known; they are extended just far enough to make room for the correct location of the chutes.

Jan 1, 1934