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By H. E. T. Haultain

Research is a much over-overworked word, sometimes a much abused word; the result of this has been that many who really need the word avoid it, shy away from it just as we do from that most useful word camouflage. We have not been altogether happy in our substitutes. Some years ago I spoilt a very good proposition by using the word investigation. There were those who thought that men and methods were to be investigated instead of simply processes. They expected disruption instead of co-ordination. The bad psychology up-set the scheme. The word experiment is even worse in its psychology. To the mind of the "practical" business man experiment denotes ignorance, waste of time and money and presupposes failure. It is not so long ago that the recognized way of improving the methods about a mine was to get a new manager. Until comparatively recently the average life of a boss in a mine in the West was under, rather than over, two years. Certainly was this the case in the smaller mines. Directors did not recognize that a cock-sure new boss was a greater experiment than a certain amount of feeling-his-way on the part of the old one. We always say that no two mines are the same but we are only now realizing to what extent the fine points of the game can and must be learnt on the job itself. One of the main differences between a small property and a large one lies in this study of the fine points of the game. In the early stages operation is the main point-get her going and keep her going.

Jan 1, 1924

By J. E. Lee

"This paper describes the current practices and experiences, and discusses design parameters concerning slurry pumping at Inco Metals Company in the Sudbury District. It deals mainly with the long tailing and concentrate lines. Subject matter is arranged under the following headings: pumps, lines, instrumentation, system design, operation.IntroductionThe Inco Metals Company is the mining and processing section of INCO LIMITED. In the Ontario Division, it operates 13 mines, 5 mills, a smelter, an iron ore plant and 3 refineries, all engaged in the mining and recovery of nickel and copper. This paper describes the slurry pumping practices in the mills of the Ontario Division.The PumpsWe have in our Sudbury area mills most of the available types of slurry pumps, in sizes from one inch up to twelve inches, a total of about 400 pumps. The rubber-lined, horizontal shaft pump is; most numerous. However, for certain applications, the hard-metal pump is essential, and is becoming more popular for general mill service. Two types of vertical shaft pumps are used. There are a few diaphragm pumps on small thickeners, but the larger thickeners have centrifugal pumps either directly connected to the under-flow or with one pump handling several gravity underflows. We have not used piston or plunger pumps in our mills."

Jan 1, 1978

By H. Stillman

The International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA) is responsible for guiding strategy and policy, and funding international initiatives that help deliver the benefits of copper around the world. ICA's technology initiative supports this mission by funding pre-competitive technology development and accelerating the commercialization of new copper-related technologies. The R&D portfolio includes some projects that defend existing applications such as plumbing tube and data cabling, but the majority of projects are designed to enable new applications for copper. The current technology portfolio is focused on leveraging copper's unique electrical, thermal, mechanical and antimicrobial properties to define and expand the role of copper in areas poised for future technological growth: reducing disease transmission, sustainable energy generation, reducing the environmental impact of production processes, and in increasing energy efficiency. Projects related to these areas are conducted at qualified external organizations including universities, early-stage firms, and large OEMs worldwide. This talk will provide an overview of ICA's technology initiative's principles, projects and partnerships to stimulate the audience to think about copper-related innovations.

Jan 1, 2007

By Stavros A. Argyropoulos, Radhakrishna Valiveti, Bernard Closset

"The use of microprocessors in metallurgy is currently increasing at a very fast rate. A large number of companies are offering systems ""off the shelf"" which are aimed at the data acquisition and process control market. There are two main drawbacks to these systems: first, they are usually quite expensive, and second, they are not completely compatible with the target metallurgical application. An alternative is to develop a microcomputer-based system "" in lab "".A dedicated microcomputer system has proved to be very useful in many metallurgical research applications(1,2)). However, in this system the analog input signals had to be transferred over long distances , and significant noise was introduced despite the use of shielded cables. In order to overcome this problem a network of low pass-filter s was designed and built. The usage of the abovementioned system brought the need to digitize the analog signals in-situ and transfer the digital signals, which are much less susceptible to noise over very long distances. This distinctly different design philosophy has become a reality with the evolution of microprocessor technology over the last few years. This design philosophy is utilized in this development."

Jan 1, 1984

By S. Vaidya, R. C. McKellar, N. K. Sinha

Nominally [001]-oriented nickel-base single crystal (SX) superalloy CMSX-10 was investigated at 900°C under constant load, equivalent to an initial stress of 700 MPa, for creep strains from 7% to fracture strain (18.2%). The cross-sectional dimensions of initially uniform cylindrical specimens were measured along their entire length after the tests. The cross-section changed from circular to near elliptical shape. The anisotropic deformation, measured in terms of eccentricity, increased with the increasing strain level, but for a given strain level, it remained constant along the entire length of the initially uniform gauge section. The results are discussed in terms of diameter, eccentricity, area, local stress and microstructural observations. The most striking observation was the fact that all the specimens displayed a yoke-like shape, or the reduction of cross sectional area, at two locations within the originally uniform gauge section. Such observations have not been reported in the literature for single crystal superalloys.

Jan 1, 2006

By F. Hashiuchi

In 1996, the Saganoseki custom smelter & refinery successfully shifted to a single flash smelting furnace operation and increased the copper production capacity to 450,000mtpy in 1998. As the next step, Saganoseki planned to further increase the productivity, especially in the area of P.S. converters and acid plant. As the results of modifications and operational improvements, the gas washing & cooling sections of the Saganoseki acid plant were consolidated from 3 to 2 lines, and increased the gas treatment capacity. The S02 converters in the acid plant were also modified to increase the acid production. By increasing the matte grade from 65 to 68%, six PS converters have been successfully integrated into four, while maintaining the production capacity and reducing the environmental burden in 2005. This paper discusses recent operational conditions and the results of implementation of technological improvements.

Jan 1, 2007

By A. L. Williamson

Bio-mining is a cost-effective, energy efficient and potentially environmentally protective method of exploiting a variety of ore deposits, from high-grade base metal deposits of nickel to lower-grade uranium and rare earth deposits such as are found in the uraniferous quartz-pebble conglomerate beds of the Quirke Syncline, Elliot Lake, Ontario. The effectiveness of bio-mining in Elliot Lake depends on the success of bacterially-influenced dissolution of metals of economic importance. The determination of both the dissolution efficiency and rate controls for uranium and rare earth elements from bio-extraction processes is critical to assess the potential for success of bio-mining along the Quirke Syncline. This poster provides an overview of proton-mediated biogeochemical dissolution of more than 50 elements, including uranium and rare earth elements from samples of the low grade uraniferous ore collected as drill core from the Elliot Lake area. The elemental data is quantified using advanced spectroscopic tools (ICP-MS and ICP-AES) to analyze solutions obtained from a series of environmentally controlled biologically-mediated uranium ore extraction experiments. The findings are being to guide design of larger scale bio-leaching experiments to further assess the potential for success of bio-mining along the Quirke Syncline.

Aug 1, 2010

By K. Sun, S. A. Argyropoulos

The assimilation and the exothermic behavior of Zn-Zr metallic powder compacts into molten aluminum was studied by measuring simultaneously the temperatures inside at the centerline of the compact, at its surface, and inside the molten aluminum bath, as well as the net downward force acting on the compact. In addition, the exothermic behavior of these compacts was also investigated in an argon protected atmosphere. The temperature rise inside the compact increases significantly with the mass ratio of zirconium in the compact and to a lesser degree with the aluminum bath temperature. Experimental results on the recovery of these compacts in molten aluminum will also be presented.

Jan 1, 2008

By P. Fellner, A. Sýkorová, J. Thonstad, J. Jurišová, V. Khandl

Adsorption of S02 on alumina used in the aluminium industry, so-called smelter grade alumina, was studied in the temperature range 15 C-120 C. The specific surface area of the smelter grade alumina was 88 m2/g. It was found that at temperatures lower than 40 C, sulphur dioxide is bonded to alumina reversibly by physical forces, and the adsorption can be described satisfactorily by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The heat of adsorption was estimated to be -33 kJ.mor1. At temperatures in the range 80 C- 120 C, which prevail in dry scrubbers in the aluminium industry, the heat of adsorption was determined to be -56 kJ.mor1. When S02 was adsorbed at temperatures higher than 80 C, about 30 % of the S02 could not be desorbed when heating the samples up to 250 C. In the presence of S02 and oxygen, the formation of sulphate was determined at temperatures above 90 C.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. Reinhardt, R. Uken, S. S. Chinnasamy

Au mineralization in the Kilpwal Gold Mine is confined to laminated quartz-carbonate lodes and associated alteration along the Klipwal Shear Zone (KSZ) in the upper Mozaan Group of the Mesoarchaean Pongola Supergroup. The brittle-ductile shear zone is characterized by inner and proximal hydrothermal alteration domains that are comprised of chlorite, epidote, sericite, pyrite, arsenopyrite and gold. Possible sources of gold are: (i) paleo-placer U-Au rich conglomerates from the lower Mozaan Group; (ii) the underlying mafic volcanics of the Nsuze Group; (iii) greenstone belts in the basement to the Pongola basin. Post-Pongola granites probably provided the heat to mobilize auriferous fluids into the KSZ.

Jan 1, 2011

By F. H. Samuel, J. E. Gruzleski, S. Valtierra, H. W. Doty, F. J. Tavitas-Medrano

319-type cast Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys are commercially important due to their popular use in automotive applications. Artificial aging heat treatments are commonly performed in these alloys to achieve precipitation hardening and, therefore, improve their mechanical properties. The present work was carried out to investigate the effect of conventional (at a constant temperature, as specified by the standard T6 heat treatment regime), and non-conventional multi-temperature and interrupted aging cycles on the hardness, tensile and impact properties of two 319-type alloys (with and without Sr+ Mg additions). The results show that certain multi-temperature aging cycles have a more favourable effect in improving some mechanical properties than conventional cycles.

Jan 1, 2006

By Amin Jafari

Macrosegregation has always been an important issue with the solidification processes, particularly in Direct-Chill Casting of Aluminum alloys, where uneven properties, surface and bulk defects and limitations in productivity can be arisen due to macrosegregation in the cast product. Following the global attempts to practically predict the macrosegregation, in the present work, a numerical model was developed based on an industrial scale DC casting process to simulate the solidification and macrosegregation in an Al-4.5%Cu billet. Interesting aspects of this investigation are concerned with an efficient numerical scheme to keep simplicity, consistency and desired physical resolution of the solidification phenomena together. In the mathematical model, coupled conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and species were solved numerically using finite volume method. A different numerical scheme, called SIMTLE, was introduced to link the energy and species equations with the phase diagram of the alloy. Calculations were performed on an industrial case and obtained results were compared to available experimental data to assure the performance of the model. Different macrosegregation features were predicted and discussed on the solidifying Al-alloy billet.

Oct 1, 2011

By Adriana Ramirez, Bradford C. Wesstrom, Blanca Olave

The Freeport McMoRan El Paso Copper Refinery optimizes electrolyte quality using a number of systems. The facility controls copper, arsenic, antimony and bismuth using electro-winning cells within the Tank House and Nickel Carbonate Plant Liberator Circuit (NCP). The NCP manages sulfuric acid content utilizing recycled electrolyte in the slimes autoclave as well as operation of the Acid Purification Unit, APU. The El Paso Refinery removes common sulfates using metal hydrolysis with sodium carbonate. Finally, a Mechanical Vapor Recompression, (MVR), at the water recovery plant removes sodium sulfate generated by the NCP. This paper will provide a summary of these operations. INTRODUCTION In the mid 1920’s Nichols Copper Company, in Laurel Hill, New York, recognized the need for a modern copper refining facility in the southwest. Because of the many railroad heads, affordable power and abundant labor supply, and the close proximity to regional copper smelters in Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico, El Paso became the ideal location. In December 1928, ground was broken for the joint venture refinery between the Nichols Copper Company, Phelps Dodge, and the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company. In September 1930, Nichols Copper Company became a part of Phelps Dodge Corporation after a stock exchange. In July 1938, Nichols Division officially became Phelps Dodge Refining Corporation. In March 2007, Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold acquired Phelps Dodge. Water is a precious commodity in the desert southwest, making conservation of this natural resource an important goal for the El Paso Operations. In the 1980’s, work on the treatment of slimes was improved through the use of pressure leaching of the refinery slimes using an autoclave. Due to the high tellurium content in the leached slimes solution, it was crucial to implement a method for its removal before the solution returns to the tank house electrolyte. A copper telluride cementation operation was installed for tellurium recovery and the ability for the recycle of the leachate and wash water to the refinery electrolyte. In October of 1997, ground was broken for the construction of the water recovery plant using an MVR to reuse process water, reducing water consumption by 25%. In 2002, electrolyte purification was further improved with the installation of an Acid Purification Unit, (APU) (Sheedy, Pajunen, & Wesstrom, 2007). The APU recycles 90% of the acids (both sulfuric and arsenic acids) back to the tank house electrolyte. The solution that passes through the APU is treated with soda ash to precipitate metals out of solution as carbonates and generates a sodium sulfate solution. This sodium sulfate solution is easily processed in the new water recovery plant, where the majority of the water recycles back into the plant as pure condensate. In 2012, the power plant at the refinery upgraded its Reverse Osmosis System to provide RO water to the tankhouse. This insured that the refinery would not have to bleed electrolyte for metals contained in well water such as: calcium, magnesium, iron and sodium chloride.

Jan 1, 2019

By Tim Grain Joseph

This paper considers the duty cycle of an electric cable shovel and correlations with measured passive seismic responses of the underfoot oil sand material in-pit. It has been observed that the cyclic activity during operation of any shovel in the oil sands environment causes the material to deteriorate and provide a less than ideal footing for this large item of equipment, whose dead weight approaches 1500 tons with a footprint of merely 75 square yards. Consequences are manifest in the form of carbody and side frame cracks, and associated downtime, maintenance activity, cost, and subsequent loss of availability. The objective of these considerations, as part of the Oil sands Equipment Interaction Program (OsEIP); currently a joint venture between Syncrude Canada Ltd., JPi Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., P&H MinePro and the University of Alberta; is to identify and provide feedback to the manufacturer and end user adverse shovel - ground conditions. This would enable the manufacturer to incorporate greater knowledge into the design process and the end user to direct operations in an enhanced proactive maintenance stance.

May 1, 2002

By José J. Suárez

As pressure grows for commodity pricing, new mines are more difficult to develop, the stock markets demand better financial returns from mining companies, resources for the developing and operations are scarce, and developing countries in Asia, and Africa demand more metals, it is important that mining companies effect better utilization of capital to develop capital projects. In the last few years, the costs for Capital projects have been impacted by the following factors:

May 1, 2013

By Bevan. P. A.

The general location, topography and climate are discussed briefly, together with an historical record of the deposit. General geology, grade control and ore reserves are covered at some length, and reasons are given for the operation being placed on a salvage basis.

Jan 1, 1973

By Geo. D. Furse

"The information that has accumulated regarding the geology of the McIntyre mine is the result of work by several geologists and, as might be anticipated, their conclusions have varied. The writer has been at the mine only a few years and due to wartime conditions has not been able to study and review the mine's geology as thoroughly as his predecessors. Where the writer's conclusions differ from those of previous authors, it should be noted that he has been unable to re-map all the workings in which flow contacts are exposed, but has endeavoured to describe the structure as indicated by the evidence he has been able to observe. He wishes to thank H. G. Skavlem and H. S. Robinson for their constructive criticism of this paper, and McIntyre Porcupine Mines, Limited, for permission to present it. A list of references is appended.The McIntyre mine is in the central part of the Pearl Lake section of the Porcupine gold area. It includes the ""bed of Pearl lake, twenty-two claims to the north of the lake, and the Platt Vet lot to the southeast. It is bordered on the west by the Hollinger and on the east by the Coniaurum property. The chief ore-bearing veins on the upper levels lie very close to the north shore of the lake, but some occur under the lake, and others of lesser importance are found to the southeast. The most important veins are Nos. 3, 5, 7, 10, and 25. Some of the veins extend into the Hollinger. on the west and others cross the east boundary into the Coniaurum. The total production since the commencement of milling in 1912 to the end of March 1947 has been $168,448,218 in gold and silver from the milling of 17,690,963 tons of ore."

Jan 1, 1954

By F. A. Charalambous

Brannerite is commonly referred to as a refractory uranium mineral as it is usually highly resistant to acid leaching. There is however widely varying literature data on brannerite leaching, with some studies reporting that brannerite leaching can be achieved under relatively mild conditions. The differences observed for brannerite leaching are most likely due to the high degree of variation in the composition and structure observed in natural brannerites. These aspects of brannerite chemistry however are not very well understood due to a lack of fundamental research. The aims of this study were to investigate and develop methods for synthesising brannerites of varying composition and to investigate the effects of composition on brannerite leaching in acidic conditions.

Aug 1, 2010

By W. Schubert, N. Radoncic

"The term “squeezing” is frequently used, although it is ill defined. Definitions like “large and long lasting displacements” raise the questions about the threshold values for the magnitude and duration of displacements. Large displacements during tunnelling frequently are observed in fault zones with high overburden. Whether this causes problems very much depends on the design approach used. On the one hand, the magnitude of expected displacements has to be predicted prior to excavation to provide for enough allowance for the displacements without violating the clearance profile. On the other hand, the support characteristics must be compatible with the expected imposed strains. As the magnitude of the displacements and thus the strains in the support depend on the support capacity and its characteristic (yielding potential), only well engineered systems will be successful.Experience in Alpine tunnels over the last decades has shown that closed shotcrete linings can sustain a strain of approximately 0.8% to 1% without failure. Any strain above this value inevitably leads to failure of the lining, and thus a loss of resistance, causing additional displacements. Based on a large number of simulations, a criterion for a critical overburden depth up to which closed linings can be used has been developed. Traditionally open gaps in the shotcrete linings have been used to allow for larger strains. To enhance the efficiency of the linings, yielding elements have been developed, which are integrated in the shotcrete lining, allowing large strains and controlled development of support resistance (Figure 2). When designing such yielding support systems, the development of the displacements, as well as the rheological behaviour of the supports must be considered. As the development of displacements to a large extent depends on the face advance, also the advance rate has to be considered, to be able to compare the time-dependent strength of the lining to the stresses developing as a result of the imposed strains. Another issue is the compatibility of the rock bolts with the large strains. With standard grouted bolts, there is a potential that the “fresh” grout is sheared due to the initially large strain rates. Special rib designs of the bolts allow for a higher strain tolerance.For successful tunnelling through fault zones quality monitoring and up-to-date data evaluation is of crucial importance. With advanced evaluation tools, changes in the ground conditions ahead of the face can be reliably predicted. With the help of empirical relations, the development of the displacements for different advance rates and supports can be predicted, allowing for the determination of the required overexcavation.The paper presents a review of the development of ductile elements, methods of analysis, and monitoring data interpretation."

Jan 1, 2015

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been a world leader in the development of innovative virtual reality technologies over the last 10 to 15 years. These developments have included developing the world?s first 360° surround, virtual reality (VR), stereo projection theatre system known as AVIE (Advanced Visualisation and Interactive Environment), which was developed by iCinema, a collaborative venture between the UNSW Faculties of Engineering and College of Fine Arts. The UNSW School of Mining Engineering has been responsible for development of mining applications virtual reality software modules and to date, has developed eighteen different mine safety training and mining engineering education modules which run in the AVIE environment. This platform and technology package provides a unique ?immersive environment? experience for groups of trainees or students who can engage with the simulated environment in the complete safety of the virtual reality theatre. In all of the major international mining industries, safety is of paramount importance, and training of personnel is an essential component of any comprehensive proactive safety management system. All personnel need to be aware of the inevitable hazards around them at all times, as well as understand appropriate safety and operational procedures. This can be done by conventional class-room style training sessions, or by provision of training documentation. However the effectiveness of such systems is often very limited due to the inability of trainers to engage with the audience for a lengthy period of time; or to convey the often complex and variable mining environments and situations which can exist in a typical mine. The ability to immerse the trainees in a virtual mine environment, with all the reality of an actual mine but with none of the physical exposure to actual hazards, provides a far more effective and engaging training experience. Furthermore, in the virtual world, trainees can be exposed to the very unlikely, but nevertheless high consequence hazards such as mine fires, falls of ground or outbursts, without any risk to their safety and well-being. The end result is that trainees will be far more engaged with the learning environment they find themselves in, and will develop a far higher level of understanding of the topics, rather than simply experiencing a passive class-room style learning environment offered by conventional training modes. The UNSW systems have been implemented widely within the Australian mining industry and the mining engineering education sector and are now being adopted internationally. This paper presents an overview of the innovative technologies involved in these virtual reality systems ? as applied to the mining industry. Modules developed for both mineworker training and mining engineering student learning will be presented, to illustrate the effectiveness and value of such a training and education approach.

Aug 1, 2013