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By R. H. Fett

T HE APPROACH to maintenance must always be ?completely positive: there must be no question of putting off difficult problems until it is more convenient to tackle them. By this it is meant that a piece of machinery or equipment which, by experience, is known to be due for a check should not, merely because it appears to be operating satisfactorily, be left until it reaches a critical .condition and breaks down. The mentality of the Maintenance Manager must be completely orderly and methodical and he should, in fact, possess a ledger-book mind, having a debit and credit outlook. The debit side would be that applying to time out of service, cost in wages, material, personnel involved, etc., and the credit side that relating to continuous operational time of the locomotive and therefore to the ultimate benefit of the mine and the personnel who work there. The Maintenance Manager is not concerned with design problems, and although he and the personnel under his jurisdiction are not engaged in productive work, he and his staff do, nevertheless, add greatly to or detract from the overall efficiency of the organization. Provided the machinery placed in his care is good to start with, he must take the best steps he possibly can to keep it running. However, he may, on occasion, be forced to improvise and this is where the ingenuity of a clever man rises to the occasion.

Jan 1, 1956

By J. E. Moyle

The costs of labour and electric power are of prime concern to almost all industrial enterprises, and various methods of reducing their impact on production costs are constantly being developed. Automation is one of these schemes, and has received a good deal of attention in the past few years. In the mining industry, compressed air is almost universally used, and its cost is significant. Although the compressor machinery now in use has achieved a high degree of development, the hazard of explosion and fire still exists in these systems. There is thus considerable resistance in some quarters to suggestions that such installations can be safely and successfully automated. The Milliken power plant consists of two 30,000 lb. /hr. fully equipped high-pressure boilers, four H.P. air compressors, a steam turbine for stand-by power, and several L.P. compressors and vacuum pumps. With the installation of automatic and protective equipment in the machinery section, the shift force has been reduced from three to two men.

Jan 1, 1963

By D. C. Fraser

Copper occurs invisibly in a geo-logical environment characterized by swampy conditions and an accumulation of forest peat. This swamp, located in southeastern New Brunswick, contains up to ten per cent cop-per (dry weight), in the organic sediments. This occurrence appears unique in that the metal is apparently organically combined in a chelate compound. Unlike the acidic nature of most peat bogs, the pH of the cup-riferous peat is nearly neutral. Analyses of the peat and associated soils have indicated that the bulk of the copper is contained in the organic sediments. It appears that the cop-per distribution is affected by capillarity, evaporation and the growth of frost crystals, and that the copper fixation is effected by organic sequestration resulting in the metal being bound to the nitrogen or oxygen components of the forest peat. While such a fixation mechanism is not definitely established as responsible for the immobilization of the metal, the facts at hand are compatible with

Jan 1, 1961

By D. J. MacKinnon

"The Canadian Copper Company, formed in 1885, began mining the nickel-copper ores of Sudbury in 1887 and producing nickel-copper matte from its smelter in 1888(1). Although it was quickly appreciated that the separation of nickel and copper (i.e. refining) was critical to the production of a marketable nickel product, refined nickel was not produced in Canada until about 1918. From the beginning of the industry, there was considerable political agitation to refine nickel in the Province of Ontario(2). The companies, however, claimed that the existing processes, viz. the sodium sulphide ""tops and bottoms"" process operated by the Orford Copper Company of New Jersey, U.S.A.(1,3,4) and the carbonyl process(5,6) developed by the Mond Company at Clydach, Wales, were too costly to operate in Canada. Nickel was first refined in Ontario about 1918 when the International Nickel Company opened a nickel refinery at Port Colborne, Ontario(6). Initially, however, the refinery at Port Colborne employed the Orford sodium sulphide process, and the first electrorefined nickel in Canada was produced in 1920 by the British America Nickel Corporation whose mine and smelter were located in Sudbury, Ontario, but whose electrorefinery was located at Deschenes, Quebec, near Ottawa, Ontario. The purpose of this article is to outline the early history of nickel electrorefining and to trace the significant developments which led to the first successful commercial electrolytic nickel refinery in Canada. The development of an electrolytic process for refining nickel is due largely to the efforts of four individuals, viz. Carl Hoepfner, Hans A. Frasch, D.H. Browne and ultimately N.V. Hybinette, and the contribution of each is discussed separately below."

Jan 1, 1999

By John Starkey

This paper examines 5 years of SAGDesign testing data with particular emphasis on the grinding test results from two recent projects, the Fortune Minerals Limited NICO project, and the Aurora Energy Resources Inc., Michelin deposits, located in the Northwest Territories and in Labrador respectively. The context is to compare these results with the SAGDesign database. The required SAG mill pinion energy for these two ores showed vast differences, even though both ores had similar average Bond Ball Mill Work Index values - about 13 kWh/t each for the two deposits respectively. Bond Rod Mill Work Index values for NICO ranged up to 19.7 kWh/t for the hardest ore, confirming the harder nature of the coarse material. SAG mill pinion energy to grind the NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper ore from F80 152 mm to T80 1.7mm varied from 16 to 35 kWh/t, while for Michelin uranium ore, it varied from 2 to 9 kWh/t. NICO ore is harder than any other material encountered to date using SAGDesign testing. SAG pinion energy is more than double the ball mill pinion energy using a transfer size T80 of 1.7mm and a final grind P80 of 74 microns. For NICO, the ore is ?off the charts? for simulation design techniques because there is no comparable operating SAG mill treating ore that is this macro-competent. For Aurora, the relationship between SAG and ball mill pinion energy is reversed in that the SAG mill requires less than half of the ball mill pinion energy using a transfer size T80 of 1.7mm and a final grind P80 of 90?. Because these discoveries are so important for grinding mill design, their impact will be dealt with in future papers, at the August METSOC Conference in Sudbury, and at the September SME Workshop in Tucson. It has now been concluded that the ratio of SAG pinion energy to Bond Ball Mill Work Index, is valuable data to use in designing a SAG/ball mill grinding circuit, to help choose the power split needed.

May 1, 2009

By R. E. Whitehead

"Abstract - Biotite from aplite that appears to have crystallized simultaneously with disseminated Cu-Mo mineralization at MacLeod Lake in northern Quebec yields K-Ar dates in the range 2032 ± 44 Ma to 2097 ± 47 Ma. The mean value, 2065 Ma, is some 400 Ma younger than the 2485 ± 64 Ma date obtained from a hornblende concentrate separated from a granodiorite sill that is spatially, but apparently not genetically, associated with the disseminated Cu-Mo deposit. The mean biotite date of 2065 Ma at MacLeod Lake, a K-Ar date of 2055 Ma reported from an area 50 km east of MacLeod Lake and published dates of about 2000 Ma for galenas from the Chibougamau Cu-Au ores, suggest a widespread thermal and mineralization event, in that part of the Superior Province east of James Bay, that differs from the common late Archean mineralization that is related to volcanism and metamorphic-intrusive activity.Sommaire - Les datations au K-Ar sur des biotites qui auraient cristallise en même temps que la minéralisation disséminée en Cu et Mo dans une aplite mise en place au Lac MacLeod, au nord du Québec, s'échelonnent entre 2032 ± 44 Ma et 2097 ± 47 Ma. La datation moyenne, soit 2065 Ma, est d'environ 400 Ma plus récente que la datation obtenue pour un concentre de hornblende extrait d'un filon-couche de granodiorite qui est spatialement mais ne serait pas génétiquement associée à la minéralisation disséminée en Cu et Mo. La datation moyenne de la minéralisation au Lac MacLeod, soit 2065 Ma, la dataion au K-Ar à 2055 Ma citée pour une région à 50 km à l'est du Lac MacLeod, de même que les datations d'environ 2000 Ma établies pour des galènes qui se trouvent dans le minerai aurifère et cuprifère à Chibougamau, suggèrent un phénomène thermique répandu qui aurait produit la minéralisation dans cette région à l'est de la Baie James, dans la province du lac Supérieur. Ce phénomène serait diffèrent de celui qui aurait produit la minéralisation répandue d’âge archéen tardif qui elle serait associée à l’activité volcanique et à l‘activité intrusive accompagnée de métamorphisme."

Jan 1, 1992

By H. Wilton Clark

"IntroductionTHE CANADIAN use of short-period delay-action detonators in coal shooting has been carried on for about two years, mostly in British Columbia, and this is a preliminary report on progress to date. Entire coal faces are being shot successfully with one application of electric current.The electric blasting cap came into use about the beginning of the century. The low-tension electric cap, the type most commonly used, consists essentially of a metal tube containing an initiating explosive. Two wires lead into the end of the cap and are connected inside the cap with a short 'bridge wire .of very high resistance. This •bridge wire is buried in a match-head of a readily ignitable powder composition. When current goes through the lead wires, the bridge wire becomes extremely hot and sets• off the match-head which, in turn, ignites the powder just below it in the tube. This explosion sets off the main charge of explosive. Thus, by connecting a group of caps to a source of electric .current, a number of charges could be exploded simultaneously. This immediately became of great value to mine and quarry operators. Explosives could now be used to break up large masses of material at one time, as against the older, slow method .of blasting small amounts with single charges.The next step was to develop a delay detonator which would allow charges of explosive to fire one after the other, one or two seconds apart. Such detonators allowed first blasts to relieve some rock burden before the next charge fired, giving the second charge an easier task in forcing out more rock, and so on for the rest of the series of charges."

Jan 1, 1953

By Jerry Handford

Investing in the Development of our Future Workforce ?Collaborative partnerships with educational institutions, industry associations, governments and other businesses. ?Programs: »Co-op / Discipline Student Program »Trades Development Initiatives »Operator Training Programs »General Student Program »Careers Next Generation / Community Careers Co-operative

May 1, 2006

By Magdy Ibrahim

This paper presents experimental design and development of a low-cost remote sensing hardware designed to support automated site data acquisition for near real-time progress reporting of construction operations. The developed hardware utilizes open source microcontroller equipped with multiple sensors that include 3D accelerometer, GPS, Data logger and Bluetooth. The use of open source microcontroller makes the developed design cost effective; freeing it from the need for costly license fees. Its platform configuration is flexible; enabling the addition of temperature, weight and other sensors, Wi-Fi and Xbee capabilities to suit individual field applications. Pilot tests have been carried out in laboratory and outdoor environments. The results prove effectiveness and robustness of the developed configuration. The paper provides description of the individual components used in the development of this prototype hardware. It also describes the technical characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the developed hardware. The findings of comparison with alternative technologies used for outdoor tracking of construction operations are presented. The comparison is carried out with respect to range, cost and suitability for outdoor environment. The developed hardware is expected to support a wide range of applications including tracking of earthmoving operations, highway construction and onsite resources. As well, it is expected to enhance safety on construction jobsites.

Aug 1, 2013

By G. Kordosky

The experience of one plant regarding degradation of copper solvent extraction reagents in the presence of 20 to 30 g/1 nitrate in the leach solution was described at Cobre 2003. However, little information is available about the degradation of copper solvent extraction reagents where the nitrate concentration of leach solution is much lower. Analysis of plant organic samples taken from an operating copper SX plant over a long period of time shows that small amounts of nitrate in the leach liquor can be a significant contributor to reagent degradation provided certain other conditions are present. These conditions are discussed and cautionary suggestions on copper SX plant operations in the presence of even low levels of nitrate in the pregnant leach are made based on industry experience with copper solvent extraction plants and copper solvent extraction reagents.

Jan 1, 2007

By D. Zagidulin

Short term electrodeposition experiments (up to 80 min.) at two current densities 220 and 275 A/m2 with varying concentrations of thiourea and glue were performed to determine the optimum levels of glue, thiourea and current density for industrial copper electrorefining. White Light Interference Microscopy was used to acquire digital images of the morphology of the electrodeposited copper. Scaling analysis was employed to pa-rameterize the morphological information encoded in the images. The limiting rough¬ness, *, the critical scaling length, Lc, and the aspect ratio, 4*/ Lc, were determined as a function of the deposition time and the amount of organic additives. These parameters were used to calculate the dynamic exponent, B, the roughness exponent, 1/z, and the as¬pect ratio exponent, y, plotted as a function of glue and thiourea concentrations. These 3D plots allowed us to find conditions corresponding to the minimum of B and y, at which the deposited copper is characterized by a small roughness and a dense structure.

Jan 1, 2007

By G. B. Harris

A new process for the recovery of copper and associated base metals from a polymetallic massive sulphide ore is described. The massive sulphide contains copper and especially nickel sulphide in a mineralogical form which negates both good recovery and high grades in concentrates using conventional flotation methods. Flotation concentrate processing and smelting from this ore is therefore probably not an economically viable option. Utilising the properties of high concentration chloride brines, a flow sheet has been developed and tested whereby the recovery of all of the metals and some of the power requirements for the plant itself can be derived from the ore. The new process overcomes the less-amenable-to-flotation ore characteristics, and provides the opportunity of economic processing in remote locations where the dependency on fossil fuels is both a logistical and an economic concern. The Ferguson Lake deposit of Starfield Resources in Nunavut, Canada, is the subject of this paper, which focuses on the leaching and copper recovery unit operations of the proposed flow sheet.

Jan 1, 2007

By John F. Dougherty

Recently, there has been much debate as to the relevance of reporting financial results using the conventional accounting systems, which is based on historical costs, during a period of rapid inflation. In the following paragraphs , the symptoms, if not the causes, of inflation, its detrimental effect on the financial soundness of business in general and the financial reporting changes being advocated to overcome perceived weaknesses in the present financial reporting system in accounting for the effects of inflation will be reviewed. Finally, a course of action as a sound approach to the financial reporting problem will be recommended.

Jan 1, 1978

By Shoma Sinha, Nirmal K. Sinha

Deformation in a material at any temperature is known to consist of two major components - a reversible (elastic) part and an irreversible part (often called plastic). What is not universally known is the fact that at high temperatures greater than about 0.4Tm, where Tm, is the melting point in Kelvin, the reversible part includes not only elastic but also a delayed elastic (recoverable but time dependent) component. A very simple computational model is presented here for a constant-strain stress relaxation test (SRT) on the basis of a three-component constant-stress rheological equation derived from strain relaxation and recovery test (SRRT) data. It is shown that the rapid stress reduction during the early periods of relaxation when the stresses are high is governed primarily by delayed elasticity irrespective of the imposed strain level. This is in contradiction to the popular concept prevailing today. The asymptotic approach to a quasi-stable stress rate at longer times and lower stresses is, however, controlled by viscous flow (power-law creep). The validity of the theory is examined by comparing the predictions with experimental results obtained for a titanium-base alloy Ti-6246 at 0.45Tm.

Jan 1, 2004

By G. A. Gross

Nearly 90 per cent of the iron ore produced in Canada is derived from iron-formation or bedded iron deposits. About 70 per cent of this consists of concentrates obtained fom iron-formation; another 20 per cent was formed by natural enrichment processes. Four principal varieties of iron-formation are recognized -the Algoma, Superior, Clinton and Minette types. Differences in their geology, mineralogy, chemical composition and environment of deposition are of special significance in their evaluation as ore.

Feb 1, 1966

By Harold L. Gibson, Don H. Rousell, Ian R. Jonasson

"Abstract - The Sudbury Structure consists of three major components: 1) the Sudbury Basin; 2) the Sudbury Igneous Complex which surrounds the basin as an elliptical collar; and 3) an outer zone of shatter-coned and intensely brecciated footwall rocks. Although the Sudbury Event which formed the structure may be unique, the area has, in fact, been shaped by a series of tectonic, magmatic and mineralization events which can be considered in terms of two Wilson cycles of continental extension and closure. The first cycle, from 2500 to 1700 Ma, included the following events: doming (uplift of Levack Gneiss Complex); NE-SW extension (Matachewan dikes); N-S to NW-SE rifting (faults, mafic intrusions, sedimentation, and Ni-Cu-PGE and U mineralization); NW-SE extension (Nipissing diabase, and Ni-Cu-PGE, Ag, Co mineralization); and NW-SE and NE-SW closure (Penokean Orogeny, 1900 to 1700 Ma) with superimposed meteorite impact (1850 Ma, Ni-Cu- PGE, Zn-Cu-Pb deposits). The second cycle, from 1700 to 1000 Ma, included: N-S extension (alkali metasomatism, Au); N-S extension (hornblende diabase dikes along the Murray fault set); NNESSW extension (olivine diabase dikes); NE-SW extension (Fecunis Lake fault set); and NW-SE closure (Grenvillian Orogeny).The rich and diverse Ni-Cu-PGE and subordinate Zn-Pb-Cu and Au mineralization of the Sudbury region is related to endogenic and impact-triggered crustal extension and magmatism. The Sudbury Structure apparently was the site of a triple junction or hot-spot. The Sudbury ores, although located within an impact structure, are analogous in terms of age and tectonic setting to Ni-Cu-PGE and Zn-Pb-Cu ores elsewhere in the world. Meteorite impact accentuated on-going ore forming processes and magmatism at Sudbury."

Jan 1, 1997

By Harold L. Gibson, Don H. Rousell, Ian R. Jonasson

"The Sudbury Structure consists of three major components: 1) the Sudbury Basin; 2) the Sudbury Igneous Complex which surrounds the basin as an elliptical collar; and 3) an outer zone of shatter-coned and intensely brecciated footwall rocks. Although the Sudbury Event which formed the structure may be unique, the area has, in fact, been shaped by a series of tectonic, magmatic and mineralization events which can be considered in terms of two Wilson cycles of continental extension and closure. The first cycle, from 2500 to 1700 Ma, included the following events: doming (uplift of Levack Gneiss Complex); NE-SW extension (Matachewan dikes); N-S to NW-SE rifting (faults, mafic intrusions, sedimentation, and Ni-Cu-PGE and U mineralization); NW-SE extension (Nipissing diabase, and Ni-Cu-PGE, Ag, Co mineralization); and NW-SE and NE-SW closure (Penokean Orogeny, 1900 to 1700 Ma) with superimposed meteorite impact (1850 Ma, Ni-Cu- PGE, Zn-Cu-Pb deposits). The second cycle, from 1700 to 1000 Ma, included: N-S extension (alkali metasomatism, Au); N-S extension (hornblende diabase dikes along the Murray fault set); NNESSW extension (olivine diabase dikes); NE-SW extension (Fecunis Lake fault set); and NW-SE closure (Grenvillian Orogeny).The rich and diverse Ni-Cu-PGE and subordinate Zn-Pb-Cu and Au mineralization of the Sudbury region is related to endogenic and impact-triggered crustal extension and magmatism. The Sudbury Structure apparently was the site of a triple junction or hot-spot. The Sudbury ores, although located within an impact structure, are analogous in terms of age and tectonic setting to Ni-Cu-PGE and Zn-Pb-Cu ores elsewhere in the world. Meteorite impact accentuated on-going ore forming processes and magmatism at Sudbury."

Jan 1, 1997

By M. Okada

Consumption of refined copper in Asia, especially in China and India, has soared, and the copper price is at its historic height. New smelters and refineries have been built in the region with state-of-the-art technology to meet the unprecedented demands. Supply of copper concentrate, on the other hand, has fallen short of the growing demand for concentrate by the smelters and refineries with expanded production capacities. The shortage of copper concentrate is attributable to the delay in the mining development, caused by the prolonged price slump of before 2005. The mismatch between supply of concentrate and smelting and refining capacities may cause disorderly movement of copper price, and hamper the sound development of the industry. The recent high copper price may prompt substitution with alternate materials. With electrical and thermal conductivity and workability, copper is one of the most customer-friendly materials. It is regrettable for both customers and suppliers if the high copper price would become an impediment to promoting copper use. Some outdated and environmentally unfriendly facilities still operate. In view of recent lower-grade copper concentrate with higher sulfur content, these facilities must reform their equipment to environmental-responsive one. The current level of per capita consumption of refined copper in Asia shows that the demand of copper will further grow. It is necessary to realize stable supply of refined copper and stable copper price, to help developing countries including China and India to economically take off. Hence, it is essential that the development of the copper industry be accompanied by environmentally friendly facilities, and harmoniously increased capacities between mining and smelting and refining.

Jan 1, 2007

By Robert B. Parsons

"As the 1981 annual reports of Canadian mining companies one by one see the light of day, it becomes clear that softer metal prices and rising costs are the main problems which beset the industry today. These problems are certainly not lightened by that familiar monster lurking in the shadows-taxation! Recent taxation trends in Canada, and the existing tax regimes for the mining industry, continue to be a major bugaboo.This examination by ""Tax Notes"" of the impact of current taxation trends on the mining industry is based on a speech delivered recently by Robert D. Brown, senior tax partner of Price Waterhouse, Canada, to the annual meeting of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers in Dallas.IntroductionThe purpose of this paper is to tell a story-and it is a story with a moral. The first thing to recognize is that, with depressed metal prices and weakening western economies, high taxes, in and of themselves, are not really the cause of the Canadian mining industry's present doldrums. However, the character and level of mining taxes in Canada has had a profound influence on the development of the industry over the past decade, and the expectations of what the future holds for mining men in Canada will equally play an important role in the future development of the Canadian industry. Our tax system has, in the past, served as a negative and destabilizing influence in the mining industry: it has contributed to a major short-fall in investment commitments and hence in the contribution which the mining industry can make to the Canadian economy, and the adverse effect on the industry of previous high marginal tax rates was made far worse by the confusing, contradictory and perverse nature of the tax system itself."

Jan 1, 1982

By Carl O. Nickle

"IntroductionIF I WERE ASKED what are the two most important single factors in shaping the growth of Canada to date, and in building its future, the answer would be: first, the treasure house of natural resources on and below the surface over the length and breadth of our country; and two, the pioneering spirit and 'get up and go' of many of our people. The two factors are inseparable. Without the pioneering spirit, the natural resources of land, forest, stream, and the subsurface would have continued •to be useless,. Idle assets. With the pioneering spirit, Canada's natural resources have been and are creating economic revolutions.Western Canada oil and natural gas rank high on the list of such revolutions. Calgary, your meeting place today, is the birthplace of this economic revolution, one that has already sharply altered the economy .of the middle half of Canada, particularly that of Alberta; is increasingly making its weight felt on the economy of all Canada; and is helping re-shape world thinking on sources of vital petroleum supply for both peace and war. Calgary is today the 'operation headquarters' for the great bulk of a huge exploration and development programme that now extends over a quarter of a million square miles of Canada's West. As a Calgarian, •therefore, I am particularly happy to have this privilege of talking about oil and natural gas to members of the C.I.M.M., who play a key role in the development of all Canada's varied natural resources."

Jan 1, 1952