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"AbstractThe Sedimentary Basin area of Western Canada, which lies between the Precambrian Shield and the Cordilleran mountain area, covers approximately 800,000 square miles. Sediments ranging in age from Cambrian to Tertiary are present and, of these, horizons in the Upper and Lower Cretaceous, Jurassic, Mississippian, and Devonian have yielded commercial oil and gas flows. Producing horizons in the Cretaceous and Jurassic are sandstone, while all those of the Palaeozoic are carbonate rocks such as red limestone or dolomite (bioherms). Shows of oil and gas have been encountered also in the Cambrian and Triassic sediments.The broad structural features of this vast expanse of sedimentary rocks are the Moose Jaw syncline, the Sweet Grass-Battle River arch, the Alberta syncline, the Foothills belt, the Rocky and Mackenzie mountains, the Great Bear-Slave Lake basin, and the Mackenzie Delta Basin area.This contribution outlines the .stratigraphy and structure of the Basin area, and gives examples of present producing oilfield structures and stratigraphic traps.Part 1.-Regional StratigraphyIntroductionThe vast expanse of relatively undisturbed sedimentary rocks of western Canada has long been recognized as prospective territory to search for oil and/ or gas. This search in western Canada dates back before the turn of the century, but, considering the size of area to be explored and tested, the effort an<l money expended upon it, which, before the recent discovery of oil at Leduc, Alberta, appeared large and fruitless, now seems almost ridiculously small. A check-up of effort and money expended prior to and since the Leduc discovery would undoubtedly reveal that more wildcatting and development has taken place during the last two and a half years than during all previous years combined. The figures would astound not only the average citizen, but many within the industry itself."

Jan 1, 1950

By The Staff

"THE Wabana iron ore mines, owned and operated by the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation, Limited, .are on Bell Island in Conception bay, on the east coast of Newfoundland. Mining began on surface in 1895 and, although open-pit work is still done on a small scale, the entire output may be considered to•be derived from extensive submarine workings. In 1958 the average daily production of hematite ore was close to 12,000 tons, almost all of which was concentrated in a heavy-media plant. SUMMARYThe character, occurrence, and extent of the submarine bedded deposits enabled early operators to meet prevailing market demands with the minimum attention paid to exploration. Mechanization of the mine and the pressure for sustained high tonnages since 1955 have emphasized the importance of an expanded exploration and development programme.A serious handicap has been the impossibility of utilizing normal diamond drilling methods to explore ore conditions in advance of mining faces. Drilling between tl1e bedded zones has been done but the major difficulty has been to delineate ore reserves in the lower bed, which has the greatest ore potential of the three mineable seams."

Jan 1, 1960

By C. H. B. Leitch, T. N. MacAuley, R. L. Linnen, A. E. Williams-Jones

"The Trout Lake stockwork molybdenum deposit is temporally and spatially related to the emplacement of a late Cretaceous granodiorite-tonalite stock in southeastern British Columbia and contains an estimated 49 million tonnes grading O.I9% MoS2- No metal zonation patterns are apparent, with the exception of peripheral tungsten skarn, and exploration was guided largely by geological interpretation. It is typical of the granodiorite, or fluorine-poor type of molybdenum deposit. Molybdenite is contained within a quartz-feldspar vein stockwork and coeval dissemination in igneous (and less commonly metasedimentary) hosts. In general, molybdenite is strongly associated with alkali feldspars, but in detail it is intimately associated with incipient muscovite replacement of albite and K-feldspar; veins that lack feldspars are also typically barren of molybdenite. These textures suggest that fe/dspathic alteration (and precipitation in veins) was an important precursor to mineralization, and the occurrence of similar textures elsewhere (e.g. Henderson) suggest that early feldspathic alteration is important to the genesis of molybdenum deposits in general. Molybdenite deposition at Trout Lake was preceded by contact metamorphism, skarn and potassic alteration, and was overprinted by muscovite-ankerite (phyllic) alteration. Only moderate temperature changes are recorded by the metamorphic and alteration mineral assemblages (350°C to 450°C}; however, with time, fluids became increasingly more acidic and enriched in C02- In light of the intimate molybdenitemuscovite intergrowths, the decrease of pH probably exerted a major control on mineralization.IntroductionGranite-hosted molybdenum deposits can be classified in terms of the composition of the related intrusion, e.g., the granodiorite and granite types of Mutschler et a!. (1981), or the calc-alkaline, alkali-calcic, and alkalic types of Westra and Keith (1981). They have also been classified on the basis of their fluorine contents (Theodore and Menzie, 1984) with the fluorine-rich and -poor varieties roughly corresponding to granite- and granodiorite-type deposits, respectively. For economic reasons, most exploration and research has concentrated on the high-grade/large tonnage granite-type of deposit, exemplified by Climax. F1uorine-poor, granodiorite-type deposits are, however, the most common type in Canada and have been mined in the past (e.g., Endako). In this paper, the authors summarize the research that has been carried out on the fluorinepoor Trout Lake deposit (Boyle and Leitch, 1983; Linnen, 1985; Linnen and Williams-Jones, 1987; 1990) and use what has been learned to develop guidelines for the future exploration of fluorinepoor, granodiorite-type molybdenum deposits."

Jan 1, 1995

By M. Cai

"It is well known that Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) plays a critical role in triggering rockburst damage in burst-prone underground mines. To estimate the PPV distribution around excavations, advanced numerical modeling can be used. In wave propagation numerical modeling, velocity field is often assumed to be uniform around an excavation. However, it is observed that wave velocities near mine openings are not constant, but rather non-uniform. Wave velocity in a rock mass depends on many factors such as rock quality and confinement. In particular, confinement has a large influence on wave velocity. The confinement around an excavation is low at the wall boundary and increases gradually and reaches a constant value far away from the excavation boundary. Hence, stress redistribution due to excavation will have a profound influence on wave propagation in underground mines. A better understanding of the influence of excavation effect on wave propagation helps to interpret the field observation of rockburst damage and improve mine safety. For this purpose, a non-uniform velocity model need to be constructed and the influence excavation effect should be taken into account in numerical wave propagation modeling.In the present study, a non-linear velocity model is developed firstly by considering the influence of confinement on wave velocity. This model links wave velocity to confinement explicitly. A coupled numerical method is then developed and used to study the seismic wave pattern around excavations in underground mines. Two codes, FLAC and SPECFEM2D, are coupled in the analysis. The motivation of developing the FLAC/SPECFEM2D coupled approach is to take merit of each code, such as the stress analysis capability in FLAC and the powerful wave propagation analysis capability in SPECFEM2D. The coupling process is realized through three steps: (1) static stress redistribution around an excavation is analyzed in FLAC; (2) data for coupling analysis, such as non-uniform velocity field (based on the new developed velocity model), mesh, absorbing boundaries, etc., are generated by FISH functions in FLAC and passed to SPECFEM2D; and (3) wave propagation modeling is performed in the SPECFEM2D considering a fault-slip seismic source. Because stress redistribution around the excavation is considered, non-uniform velocity field for the SPECFEM2D model can be obtained and this is a notable feature of this study. Very large difference in the S-wave response in these two modeling approaches with uniform and non-uniform velocity fields can be seen from the modeling results.Using the FLAC/SPECFEM2D coupled modeling approach, accurate velocity models can be constructed and this in turn will help to produce accurate PPV distribution around the excavations. Accurate PPV contours can be used to identify high rockburst risk zones for improved dynamic ground support strategy."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Kramer, T. Hartmann

In the Hydrometallurgical processes, the presence of the so-called “crud” is a constant challenge in solvent extraction. Crud is a stable emulsion which forms along the interface between the aqueous and organic phase. The spread is influenced by the following parameters: first, wind blows the dust and impurities into the open sedimentation tanks. Second, the undissolved solids such as sand transported in the PLS causing problems in conjunction with incorrect agitator design. The crud fraction can decisively impact the efficiency of the hydrometallurgical extraction because the phase interface can constitute a large fraction and the sedimentation tanks cannot react flexibly to it. In the downstream process of the seriesconnected sedimentation tanks, they are thus all contaminated with crud. At the same time, the necessary mass transport is significantly impeded at the phase boundary between organic phase and aqueous phase due to the crud formation. The transfer of the organic phase into the electrolysis cell can result in a “burnout” of the cathode. The carry-over of this electrolyte into the extraction can cause problems with the pH regulation. The carry-over of the organic components into the raffinate also leads to contamination of the leaching circuit. The continuous treatment of the crud with a 3-phase decanter centrifuge is extremely effective in combating this problem. This technology splits all three phases from each other and they are consequently continuously separated. All subsequent process steps exhibit a stable, uniform effectiveness. The main advantage for the customer is that fluctuations in the process are eliminated and the organic phase can be recirculated back to the extraction. The recycling of the solvent alone justifies the investment in less than 6 months as examples from South Africa and Chile show. To operate solvent recovery in daily operation fully automated online at the optimum limit, the decanter centrifuge is equipped with a concentration-dependent pond adjustment called DControl®. By this means, we can guarantee our customers the maximum possible solvent recovery and minimise the solvent costs in this process step. This system is presented in detail in this paper.

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Hardy

"The structural design of mine headframes is challenging due to the significant differences in the geometry, rigidity, and behaviour of these structures compared to conventional buildings. The differences are related to the main purpose of these structures, which is not human occupancy, but rather the support of hoisting equipment. The main objective of this paper is to present the seismic elastic behaviour of headframe structures in comparison with conventional buildings, which is the base case for the definition of seismic loads. This paper highlights the impact of backlegs on the dynamic behaviour of mine headframes, more specifically the resulting torsional sensitivity. INTRODUCTION The design of industrial structures is often governed by industrial processes rather than by architectural constraints. In ground-mounted hoisting plants, the structural configuration of headframes must allow clearances around conveyances and ropes while resisting the lateral loads associated with the hoisting equipment. Typically, these structures use backlegs to withstand the lateral loads, which leads to highly irregular structures with unconventional dynamic behaviour. The codes and standards applicable to the structural design of mine headframes in Canada are often incomplete or not adapted to the reality of practising engineers. This situation creates confusion, and engineers must look at various guidelines and international standards to support the engineering calculations required for the design of these structures. The loads resulting from the support of hoisting equipment, such as ropes and conveyances, are usually simple to calculate and are determined based on the information from manufacturer and industry related guidelines. Moreover, the loads associated with snow accumulation and wind are calculated applying the same methodology used for conventional buildings, without any major issues. On the other hand, the seismic loads are often difficult to calculate based on the methodology from the National Building Code of Canada due to the significant differences in the dynamic behaviour of the structures. The resulting structures may be either over-designed or worse, under-designed. Hence, there is a lack of uniformity in engineers’ designs. The latest edition of CSA S16-14 “Design of steel structures” includes Annex M (Informative) “Seismic design of industrial steel structures” to help designers close the gap between the requirements of traditional regulations and actual engineering practice."

Jan 1, 2019

By V. Schwinn, P. Fluess, N. Cauderlier, J. Bauer

From a strategic and economic point of view, the development of fine grain high strength steels for long distance pipelines is intensified world wide to satisfy the demand for natural gas in the future.The project related property profiles based on strength, toughness, crack arrest and sometimes resistance against HIC at defined design temperatures require an effective structural refinement using advanced steelmaking and processing in the rolling mill. The microstructure of modern line pipe steels ranges from ferritic pearlitic to ferritic-bainitic and structures where bainite is the dominant component, possibly upgraded by secondary phases. This paper illustrates microstructures and properties of recent orders on line pipe steels both for onshore and offshore application using different processing routes in the plate mill. Examples will be given for SAWL 485 offshore grades, X65 HIC and X70 HIC onshore grades, respectively. Finally, production results of a recent X80 order will be presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By Ken McClure, Alex Day

Located North of Williams Lake British Columbia, Gibraltar Mine is the fourth largest open pit Copper mine in North America. Gibraltar commenced Copper concentrate production in 1972 with a mill throughput rate of 30,000 tons per day. A series of expansion projects, including installation of a second SAG mill with variable speed drives in 2013, has increased mill throughput to 85,000 tons per day. Over the past 24 months, Gibraltar Mine in partnership with Spartan Controls has executed several advanced process control programming projects culminating in the implementation of a Continuous Speed Controller (CSC) for the most recently installed SAG mill. This paper covers development and results for the SAG mill speed controller. INTRODUCTION In January 2016, the price of Copper fell below $2.00 USD per pound, the lowest price in 7 years. Gibraltar Mine faced a significant challenge; how to maximize profit in an environment where capital spending was not an option. An opportunity was quickly identified to improve performance through increased automation and advanced control of the grinding processes. Beginning in March 2016, Gibraltar Mine partnered with Spartan Controls to introduce Advanced Process Control (APC) to the grinding circuits. The collaboration between metallurgical and process control engineering disciplines proved to be effective for achieving gains in throughput, reliability and productivity for the mill process. The Gibraltar milling facilities include 2 grinding-flotation plants for concentration of chalcopyrite ore with throughput rates of 58,000 tons per day (Concentrator 1) and 38,000 tons per day (Concentrator 2). Each of the two concentrators has a 34’ diameter SAG mill powered by 2 GE 4800 kW synchronous electric motors. For SAG 1 (in concentrator 1), power is transmitted through 2 Eaton Airflex clutches. For SAG 2 (in concentrator 2), the motors are driven by 2 TMEIC Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). All programming is done using DeltaV, which Gibraltar uses as its Distributed Control System (DCS) and Human Machine Interface (HMI).

Jan 1, 2019

By G. R. Cope, C. D. Spence

"The Mac porphyry molybdenum prospect is located 100 km east of Smithers in central British Columbia. The identification of anomalous levels of molybdenum, copper, and silver in three adjacent lakes, sampled during a regional lake sediment survey, lead to the discovery of molybdenite mineralization in float. Subsequent magnetic and soil geochemistry surveys, together with prospecting and mapping, located the source of the float. Mineralization is hosted by a leucocratic granite stock of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Francois Lake Intrusions which has intruded Carboniferous and Permian Cache Creek Group volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The stock measures 500 m by 300m at surface and is mineralized throughout. Sulphide mineralogy is simple and consists of molybdenite with minor pyrite and local chalcopyrite. Molybdenite occurs within fractures and as selvages along quartz stockwork veins and is best developed near the margins of the stock.Known mineralization is coincident with distinct soil geochemistry and magnetic anomalies. Two additional areas of the property display similar features and these remain to be tested.IntroductionThe Mac property is situated in the Babine Lake area of central British Columbia on NTS map sheet 93K/13E, approximately 100 km east of the town of Smithers (Fig. 1). The property lies on the western margin of the Hogem Range at the northern tip of the Nechako Plateau. The centre of the claim block lies at 54°51 ' 30""N and 125 °34 '30""W.Topographically, the claims are characterized by gently rolling hills ranging in elevation from 900 m to 1500 m. Slopes are forested with tall conifers and underbrush is minimal. Flat-lying areas are swampy with tall grasses and scrub brush.Presently, the property is only accessible by helicopter from bases located in Smithers and Fort St. James. Recent road construction by the British Columbia Forest Service has brought road access from Burns Lake to within 5 km due south of the property. It is expected that in the near future, roads will be advanced into the claim area to facilitate logging of mature timber."

Jan 1, 1995

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

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

Jan 1, 2015

By Liang Zhen, Jian-Tang Jiang, Guo-Ai Li, Xiao-Ya Wang

"Deformation behavior of 2A97 aluminum alloy containing coarse secondary phases was studied using uniaxial hot compression (HC, 340–490°C, 0.4001–1 s-1). The flow stress could be described by a Zener-Hollomon parameter in hyperbolic sine function with the hot deformation activation energy of 237 kJ/mol. Based on the experimental data and dynamic materials model, processing maps were generated to demonstrate the hot workability of the alloy. The coarse secondary phases experienced dissolution by varying degree under different deformation temperature, which producing different effects on the microstructure evolution. When deformed at relatively low temperatures, a mass of fine grains shaped up in the original grains and grain boundaries, and the dominating deformation mechanism was believed to be dynamic recrystallization. As the deformation temperature rising to 490°C, most secondary phases disappeared and few recrystallized grains were observed, indicating that the secondary phases dissolved sufficiently along with dynamic recovery occurred during the hot deformation. Particle stimulated nucleation related to the coarse secondary phases was believed to promote the recrystallization and the recrystallization behavior was sensitive to deformation temperature.INTRODUCTION Al-Li alloys has received much attention as new promising structural materials in the aircraft and aerospace industries, due to their lower density, higher elastic modulus and improved fatigue crack growth resistance in comparison with the conventional commercial aluminum alloys (Ou Ling, 2015). 2A97 alloy is one of the 3rd generation Al-Li alloys targeting at comprehensive improvement of aviation aluminum alloy and applications for wing spars and ribs to other internal structures for transport aircraft. Al-Li alloys are usually formed by hot deformation, either by rolling or extruding. The deformation behavior and resulted microstructure evolution during the forming process mainly dominates the formability of the alloy and the serving performances as well. Therefore, the deformation behavior and microstructure evolution at elevated temperature need be made clear for optimizing the hot processing parameters and controlling microstructure evolution."

Jan 1, 2018

By George Langford

Introduction The manufacture of ductile beryllium is one of the most interesting problems confronting the metallurgist today, and one which becomes more acutely in need of resolution as the uses for beryllium increase. Beryllium belongs to the hexagonal group of metals along with zinc, magnesium, and cadmium. The melting point of the metal is about l,280°C. ± 5°C. Due to its brittleness, the metal&apos;s chief use is as an alloying agent in copper and iron. The very low absorption coefficient of beryllium for x-rays makes the metal ideal for x-ray windows, and, similarly, because of its low capture cross-section for neutrons, the metal holds a preferred position in the field of nuclear physics. Modern x-ray diffraction methods were responsible for explaining the mechanism whereby zinc metal, although brittle when cast, could be made ductile at room temperature. The diffraction patterns of zinc and magnesium indicated the importance of the parts played by recrystallization and preferred orientation in this mechanism. It was with this in mind that an Investigation into the recrystallization and preferred orientation of beryllium was undertaken. The investigation, after a series of experiments were conducted involving cold-working and annealing, yielded the recrystallization temperature curve for beryllium. Both the texture of preferred orientation and the effect of recrystallization on this texture when subjected to compressive stresses were also determined. W. A. Alexander, J. K. Swinton and L. M. Pidgeon, in their investigation on The Recrystallization Temperature of Beryllium (C.I.M., Trans., Vol. L, 1947, pp. 657-664), utilized the Brinell ball as a means of cold straining the metal. Sufficient strain was developed to estimate the recrystallization curve for the metal. However, in order to determine the lowest recrystallization curve, as well as to develop a preferred orientation structure, larger deformation than that possible with a Brinell ball was required. The plastic deformation of beryllium can be carried out at an elevated temperature above 700°C. Above 850°C., the metal is quite ductile and can be readily compressed or extruded.

Jan 1, 1948

By R. B. Humphrey

Cut-and-fill mining methods at the Thompson Mine have undergone significant changes since production began in 1961. Changes have been introduced in almost all aspects of the mining operation, from the original timbered chutes and air-operated slushers to the present-day bored raises, footwall ore passes and load-haul-dump units. This paper describes the evolution of mechanized cut-and fill mining methods, highlighting the changes in design for stopes and service openings, ground support methods; hydraulic filling and ventilation systems. A mechanized stoping area is described from the initial mining concept through design, development, construction and mining cycles.

Jan 1, 1979

By C. Boudreault, M. Fortier, S. Fafard

In the forging industry, the increasing trend is to use DC cast billets as forging stock to replace extruded stock. However, there is little technical information available in open literature. In order to gain a better understanding of the behaviour of cast stock during deformation, a study was initiated to evaluate the impact of an homogenisation treatment on the billet prior to cold forging. Axisymmetric upsettings of cylindrical samples machined from DC billets were achieved in order to evaluate and compare flow stresses, crack initiation and propagation. Results show a 30% decrease in flow stress after homogenisation. Observations of the deformed samples show major cracking for the as-cast material. Optical microscopy and SEM observations have related the crack initiation to decohesion around ß -AlFeSi particles and subsequent growth along the constituent path. Homogenisation effectively breaks up and transforms the ß phase, present as platelets in the cast product, into smaller spherodised a-AlFeSi particles. This has the effect of preventing crack growth in the forged product. The homogenisation treatment also resulted in the reduction of Mg and Si in solid solution. The softer matrix generated 29% less die wear when compared to the as-cast structure. Based on the results of this study, it is thus recommended to homogenise cast billets prior to cold forging.

Jan 1, 2006

By Bahjat Khoshaba, Bern Klein, Haixing Yan, Libin Tong, Andrew Bamber

"When a conductive or magnetic particle was put into an electromagnetic field introduced by an electromagnetic sensor, the particle can influence the electromagnetic field which can be used to characterize this particle. The electromagnetic technology based on eddy current theory was explored to investigate its potential in both the separation of minerals and the pre-concentration of a base metal ore. Samples tested in the study included the minerals obtained from Ward’s Science and the low grade copper ore particles obtained from Mount Polley Mine. The effects of mineral type, sensor frequency, particle size, particle position on the sensor surface, and particle lift-off on the magnitude and phase of the electromagnetic spectra were investigated. The electromagnetic spectra of various minerals show that it is possible to separate chalcopyrite or magnetite from tested minerals, simply based on the magnitude of the spectra. The spectra of the ore particles were determined by the mineral in the particles with the strongest signal. The effect of the pre-concentration of the low grade copper ore is determined by the association of chalcopyrite with magnetite. Direct sorting is the mechanism in the separation of mineral particles, while indirect sorting is the mechanism for low grade ores.INTRODUCTIONSensor-based sorting technologies include radiometric, X-ray transmission, X-ray fluorescence, near infrared, photometric, inductive, microwave heating and so on. Sorting not only discards barren rocks away from the concentrator but also recovers metal bearing that would be lose to the waste dump. The benefits of pre-concentration using sensor-based sorting are achieved on reduced energy consumption for comminution and reduced water usage on a volume per weight of metal basis (Bamber, 2008; Gunson, Klein, Veiga, & Dunbar, 2012; Kleine & Wotruba, 2010; Knapp, Neubert, Schropp, & Wotruba, 2014; Kobzev, 2014; Lessard, de Bakker, & McHugh, 2014; Mazhary & Klein, 2015; Robben, Wotruba, Robben, von Ketelhodt, & Kowalzcyk, 2013). Amongst others, high frequency electromagnetic sensors were developed for ore sorting at MineSense Technologies Ltd. and are subject of this paper. Improving the understanding of ore heterogeneity is the basis for developing a successful semi-bulk or bulk sorting systems by incorporating the sensors in the material handling equipment (MineSense Technologies Ltd., 2016). The present study focuses on the bulk sorting potential and bulk sorting mechanisms of the electromagnetic technology in the pre-concentration of minerals or ores."

Jan 1, 2016

By K. Huang

"Solvent extraction (SX) is one of the most effective techniques for the multi-metal separation. However, repetitive pre-treatment of feed-in solutions and/or multi-steps two phase equilibrating in conventional SX processes were always unavoidable due to the poor separation selectivity between those metals with similar physicochemical properties. In this paper, our recent efforts, aimed to develop a “Three Liquid Phase Extraction” (TLPE) strategy for one-step separation and selective enrichment of different metals respectively into three coexisted liquid phases, are reviewed. Various feasible “Three Liquid Phase Systems” (TLPS) are evaluated. The TLPE technique provides a potential possibility for multiphase extraction to separate multi-metals.INTRODUCTIONLiquid-liquid Solvent Extraction (SX) is one of the most effective techniques for metal separation and purification. Traditionally, extraction and separation of multiple valuable metals from the leaching solutions of complex ores, industrial wastes and byproducts have to face such difficulties that multiple target metals with similar physicochemical properties co-exist in the solutions, and therefore their mutual separation selectivities are very poor. In conventional organic-water two phase SX processes, repetitive pre-treatment of feed-in solutions including the adjustment of the solution acidity, removal of impurities and/or multi-step liquid-liquid two phase equilibration were always unavoidable (Wang and Chen, 2001). Only one of the target metals is obtained in each extraction step, therefore the whole separation processes for multi-metal separation are typically very long and costly.Liquid-liquid-liquid three phase extraction is a developing technique for separation of complex systems containing multiple target components (Tan, 2003; Shen, 2006; Yu, 2009). The technique is in fact a three-liquid-phase selectively partitioning of different target components through the control of phase-forming behaviors of extraction system to create a unique separation medium with three co-existed liquid phases. The separation selectivity of “Three-Liquid-Phase System” (TLPS) may derive from its three-layered liquid phases from up to down with different hydrophobic or hydrophilic environment, and therefore each phase has its own specific selectivity for dissolving of an individual component. In a well designed “Three-Liquid-Phase System” (TLPS), multiphase extraction and selective separation of different components respectively into three different liquid phases can be achieved by only one-step of extraction. Owing to its distinct advantages, “Three-Liquid-Phase Extraction” (TLPE) technique has found many potential applications in purification of various organic chemicals (Shen, 2007) and biological activities (Chen, 2002; Tan, 2006; Jiang, 2008), treatment of environmental wastewaters (Shen, 2006; Yu, 2009; Yu, 2010; He, 2012), extraction of valuable components in natural products (Liu, 2010) and separation of multi-metals in complex leaching solutions (Jin, 2009)."

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Härting, D. T. Britton, M. Nzikou Mamboukou

"Copper containing different types of nanocomposites have been characterized for nanolabelling and ID. Three types of the rare earth nanoparticles were used for this study, the oxide and the sulphur compound of the Eu and Tb. Characterization techniques uses SEM, and Raman for morphology, chemical composition, and optical characterization respectively. It has been shown that it is possible to include the rare earth particle in a copper matrix without damaging its physical properties. INTRODUCTIONThe development of new materials, often involves the addition of new properties without changing the beneficial properties of the original material (Chen et al., 2009; Khana et al., 2007; Patil et al., 2008). Nanocomposites are nanostructured materials, whose structural elements including clusters, crystallites or molecules, of dimensions ranging between 1 to 100 nm (Moriarty, 2001), or a composite material where one of the phases is a one, two or three dimensionally nanostructured material (Nanotechnology, 2006; Wang, 2001). Nanocomposite materials research is a fast growing area due to the high demand for materials for specialized applications (Edelstein & Cammarata, 1998), such as biolabelling, magnetic storage media, solar energy transformation (Jisen et al., 2004), and resistance welding applications (Bessergenev et al., 1997; Kwon et al.,2006).The properties of the nanocomposite materials depend not only on the properties of their individual parent materials, but also on their morphology and the interfacial characteristics. Thus, significant efforts have been focused on the control of the nanoscale structures via innovative synthesis approaches. Therefore, novel materials of unique properties may be obtained by combining properties from the parent constituents into a single material (Balan, 2006; Garcia et al., 2009). Possible effects of nanocomposites in the original material may include changes in the mechanical properties such as hardness , wear resistance (Rafaja et al., 1987), and electrical properties (Britton et al., 2003). The inclusion process may therefore be used to tailor materials to have particular mechanical, electrical and optical properties (Das et al., 2009). However, to fully understand the nanocomposite, it is necessary to study the fundamental properties of both the host matrix and the inclusions (Li, 2008)."

Jan 1, 2012

By J. K. Shaw

The science of low temperature engineering is well entrenched in mining. Uses for common cryogens, including liquid oxygen (LOX), liquid nitrogen (LN2), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the gas and minerals industries are reviewed. Potential future applications are discussed within the scope of mining, particularly in refrigeration and ventilation. The second part of this paper focuses on the Linde cycle, which is at the heart of most liquefaction plants. Steady state equations describing the mass and energy flows are presented. The paper concludes by explaining the concept of a wind powered Linde- Hampson cryogenic cycle and assessing, with scoping calculations, the technological feasibility of producing cryogens with an intermittent source of (renewable) energy.

Aug 1, 2013

By CIM Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve Committee

Industrial minerals are generally considered to include non-metallic minerals, mineral products, or materials that provide raw material inputs for the construction, chemical, and manufacturing industries. They are often relatively low-value and bulky materials that are generally used close to where they are produced; however, some raw materials may be transported hundreds of kilometres to manufacturers and customers (ENDM, 2021). They do not include the metallic minerals, mineral fuels, or gemstones, and are used in industries based on their physical and/or chemical properties (Wikipedia, 2021). In contrast to most metallic minerals, a general distinguishing characteristic of the industrial minerals sector is their general low degree of market elasticity in relation to the market prices and product specifications. The estimation of either a Mineral Resource or a Mineral Reserve (MRMR) for an industrial minerals deposit can be affected to a significant degree by a number of factors that are not typically applicable to metallic mineral deposits. These factors can include such considerations as the particular physical and chemical characteristics of the final product, product quality issues, market size and market access. In some cases, such information may be confidential and proprietary. One of the key challenges of the industrial minerals sector is to define a commonly accepted listing of which types of minerals, materials, or mineral deposits can be considered as industrial minerals (Mining Standards Task Force, 1999). Although definitions for what constitutes an industrial mineral can vary in detail, general descriptions can be found in American Geosciences Institute (2021), Fastmarkets IM (2021), Snowden (2019), SME (2021) and Wikipedia (2021). A brief listing of some of the materials and minerals that are generally considered to be industrial minerals is provided in Table 1. For the purposes of this document, all references to industrial minerals include not only the minerals, materials, and mineral deposits themselves, but also the various commercial products that are derived from these sources.

Nov 19, 2023

By T. G. Joseph, A. Sharma

ABSTRACT: Ultra-class haul trucks operating in oil sand face operational and maintenance issues as a result of soft underfoot conditions (Joseph, 2002). With exposure to frequent high g loading events, tire life is reduced due to sidewall belt fexure and frequent ground contact. Therefore, an improved under-standing of the interaction between tires and oil sand is needed. This paper examines the outcomes of a series of static and cyclic loading tests, performed using a scale tire on rigid, sand, and oil sand surfaces. Geometric predictions are made regarding the footprint area and vertical deformation of an ultra-classtire on similar surfaces.

Jan 1, 2011