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By H. J. White

Haynes International, a world leader in the manufacture and production of nickel, and cobalt base alloys has invented and developed a low cost high temperature material, with a unique combination of superior oxidation resistance and weldability/ fabricability. HAYNES® HR-224TM (Ni ? 27.5Fe ? 20Cr ?3.8A1 ? 0.3Si ? 0.3Ti) forms a planar/ continuous/ adherent aluminum oxide film at high temperatures which has been shown to effectively limit chromium poisoning in solid oxide fuel, cell, systems. A 20,000 pound vacuum induction melted (VIM) + electroslag remelted (ESR) heat has been melted and converted into various product forms: sheet, plate, bar, welded tubing, wire, etc. The alloy was designed for service in severely oxidizing environments recuperators, automotive catalytic converters, wire strand annealing furnace tubes, etc. and has been of great interest to solid oxide fuel, cell, manufacturers as a materials of construction in balance of plant (BOP) design. This manuscript presents the physical, properties, mechanica, properties, and oxidation resistance of the alloy compared to other materials being considered for solid oxide fuel, cell, design

Jan 1, 2010

By H. P. Dibbs

An account is given of the application of neutron activation analysis to the rapid, non-destructive determination of copper in minerals, using a 14-MeV neutron source. Elements that interfere in the determination of copper by this method are given, together with the errors in the estimation of copper that result from the presence of varying amounts of these elements. The possible use of a compact "sealed-tube" 14-MeV neutron generator for the field assay of copper in minerals is discussed.

Jan 1, 1970

By B. D. Sparks, I. E. Puddington, F. W. Meadus

The continuous separation of bitumen from Athabasca tar sands, with a high clay content, has been demonstrated. Recoveries of 95 per cent or higher have been obtained. Further processing of this product, to produce an accept-able type of crude oil, would require less heat than currently used in the hot-water process. Also, by comparison, substantial savings in equipment and operating costs are indicated.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. H. Nafziger

A novel process has been developed for preparing directly workable steel ingots from prereduced iron ore pellets by a two-stage process. The pellets are continuously charged into an electric arc furnace, where molten metal is separated from the gangue. The molten metal flows out of this furnace through a hollow nonconsumable graphite electrode immersed in a molten flux in an electroslag furnace. The molten metal solidifies on a continuously withdrawing base plate to form the ingot. A variety of standard carbon and alloy steel ingots . free of porosity , were produced using suitable decarburizers and ferroalloy additions. Some advantages of the two-stage process include: (a) consumable electrode fabrication is eliminated; (b ) no expensive deoxidizers are required; (c ) the uncontaminated electros lap flux can be reused; (d) energy consumption averages 25% less than in a conventional electric arc - electroslag operation ; and (e) the operation is continuous.

Jan 1, 1977

By S. Kelebek, E. Yalcin

This paper reports bulk flotation characteristics of a pyritic gold ore sample from the Barry District, Quebec using isopropyl and amyl xanthates. The ore sample was highly floatable with particles showing tendencies for self-aggregation that was most apparent in the first stage of flotation. A possible reason for this is discussed. The gold concentrate grade-recovery performance with respect to the particle size is presented for the rougher-scavengers as well as for the cleaners. The effects of copper sulphate as an activator, fuel oil and NaSH as a sulphidising agent are discussed along with the recovery by size behaviour.

Jan 1, 2011

By Brian C. Asbury

Gold-bearing quartz veins with auriferou pyritic wall rock alteration haloes at the Komis deposit near Waddy Lake in northern Saskatchewan occur in fractured Archean intermediate volcanic rock flanking a plutonic felsic intrusion. Three ore zones totalling 1.5 million tonnes grading five g/t gold have resulted from a combination of patterns of high density of fracture-filling quartz veins created by contrasting competencies of four predominant rock types and preferential gold deposition in magnetitebearing andesite host rock. Pre-glacial surface weathering remobilized gold from a nearby pyritized intermediateto- felsic dyke to form the EP Zone with a wide variety of supergene accessory minerals. Much of the EP Zone wa eroded by glacial action to forn1 a highly anomalous gold-bearing till dispersion train which facilitated its di covery.

Jan 1, 1986

By G. R. Guillet

THE LATE Dr. D. F. Hewitt, Ontario's foremost authority on industrial minerals, was the first to point out the importance of urban minerals when he produced figures (Hewitt 1968) to prove that the Toronto-Hamilton area was Ontario's second largest mining camp in 1966 (Fig . 1). In that year, the value of mineral production within a 60-mile radius of downtown Toronto exceeded individually that of Steep Rock, Kirkland Lake, Timmins, Manitouwadge and Elliott Lake. Only the nickel and precious-metal production of Sudbury .surpassed in value that of Toronto's pits and quarries. Although that position was unchanged for some years during the early sixties, it was admittedly an unusual situation: gold was still pegged at an artificially low value; uranium was stagnant; and Texasgulf had not entered the scene. However, the point had dramatically been made. The combined value of production from hundreds of sand and gravel pits and dozens of limestone and shale quarries was of formidable proportions. The mining industry of the urban fringe could not be denied. Construction aggregates, cement, building stone and bricks were fueling an apparently insatiable appetite for urban expansion and redevelopment.

Jan 1, 1978

By G. Hamel

The LCL&L process (Low Caustic Leaching & Liming) is a patented hydrometallurgical route developed by Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) to economically process spent pot lining (SPL) generated by aluminum cells. The three resulting end-products (carbonaceous, fluorinated and caustic liquor) are inert and have valorization possibilities. An industrial size pilot plant located in Saguenay (Quebec) was inaugurated in mid-2008 to demonstrate and optimize the technology. This paper describes characteristics of the LCL&L process and the experience acquired by RTA since the plant's start-up, including ramp-up capacity and technology challenges that were overcome. Possible end-products valorization methods are also presented. The carbonaceous end-product can be separated into carbon and brick rich fractions and used as either alternative fuel, reducing agents, or as raw material for third party processes. The development of a conversion process for the fluorinated end-product would allow its reuse as a substitute to fluorspar mineral for aluminum fluoride production. Finally concentrated caustic liquor is already valorized at the nearby RTA Vaudreuil alumina refinery.

Jan 1, 2011

By A. Zorkovská, S. Castro, P. Baláž, Z. Bujnáková

Enargite (Cu3AsS4) belongs among refractory copper minerals with very low hydrometallurgical extractability of copper. An application of enargite leaching in acid solutions leads to simultaneous dissolution of copper and arsenic and the final leach solutions have to be treated for the separation of both elements. However, the alkaline leaching of enargite is selective. Arsenic passes into leach while produced copper sulphide represents the raw material suitable for pyrometallurgy. The hydrometallurgical processing of mineral can be influenced positively by mechanochemical route. We have shown that more than 80 % of arsenic can be extracted from enargite concentrate by atmospheric alkaline leaching at 95 °C when mechanical activation in an attritor is applied. The produced Cu2S can be further treated with elemental iron where mechanochemical intervention is applied in the second stage of enargite processing. The final product forms Cu/FeS nanocomposite from which copper nanoparticles can be easily separated. The illustrated concept of copper obtaining from copper sulphide is an example of so-called “dry” processing, as reactions in gas and liquid phases are excluded. This concept of environmentally friendly metallurgical processing can be classified as an impetus for novel technology to produce copper from enargite concentrates.

Jan 1, 2012

By C S. Beals

The Dominion Observatory was founded in 1905 and, from the beginning, it work included research in both astronomical and geophysical science. During its first years, up to 1916, the Observatory also included geodetic surveying as part of it scientific program. Although, at the beginning of the century, geophysics did not have the close connection with mineral exploration that it now holds , the founders of the Observatory were men of vision, and they laid a solid foundation for the application of the techniques of geomagnetism, gravity and seismology to an understanding of the Canadian terrain of plain , mountains, seacoasts and shield area . The particular sphere which the Observatory occupies in the field of geophysics has been evolving over a period of many years and it has now a rather definite relation to the work of other government bodies, university science departments and industrial organizations. We have, for example, an over-all responsibility for the regional magnetic mapping of Canada and, as the magnetic field is subject to slow but steady changes, we produce new magnetic maps of the country every five years. These maps indicate the strength and direction of the magnetic field, the variation of the compass and the rate of change of the magnetic elements.

Jan 1, 1963

By Toivo Toivanen

The paper begins with a brief history of the nickel industry in Finland, and then deals with the introduction of the flash smelting process. The main part of the paper is devoted to nickel refining, which is studied under four main headings -grinding, leaching, electrolyte precipitation, and nickel electrowinning. Flowsheets are illustrated, and the equipment used is described. Analyses of the material in the various stages, from concentrate to high-grade nickel matte, are also presented. N ICKEL made its appearance in the Finnish mining industry forty years ago, when a nickel deposit was discovered at Petsamo in Lapland. Mond Nickel Co. received the concession for this deposit from the Finnish Government, and the Petsamon Nikkeli Company constructed a mine and a nickel smelter (1), the completion of which was prevented by the 1939 Winter War. The mine and smelter were, however, completed soon afterwards in spite of World War II,

Jan 1, 1964

By M. M. C Jiménez, D. C. Buzzi, D. C. R. Espinosa, J. A. S Ténorio, G. F. R Oliveira

In this work the extractive and selective capacities of solvent extraction synergistic systems to recover nickel and cobalt were evaluated. The liquor used was from the high pressure acid leaching process (HPAL). Initially the industrial liquor, processed from lateritic ores, was analyzed to identify the concentrations of the metals. Experiments of synergistic solvent extraction were performed later. The extraction liquid-liquid was carried out with a mixture of Cyanex 272 (CY) and Ionquest 290 (IQ) extractants. The process was executed with the temperature of 65 ºC, pH of 5.2 and the ratio aqueousorganic 2:1. Systems of 80% kerosene and CY 20%, CY 16% - IQ 4%, CY 12% - IQ 8%, CY 8% - IQ 16%, CY 4% - IQ 16%, IQ 20% were studied during 20 minutes. The results of this paper showed that the mixture of these two extractants doesn’t improve significantly the recovery of nickel and cobalt from liquor.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. D. Vance, G. R. Corbett, S. D. Butt

Surface wave imaging is a relatively new seismic technique that generates subsurface depth images without having to drill boreholes into the ground, and is rapidly becoming a standard tool in non-destructive geotechnical characterization. This paper presents a case study of the application of these surface wave techniques to image shallow abandoned mine workings at the Montague Gold Mines district near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This district has numerous steeply dipping narrow vein workings from historical mining activity, and has actively subsiding and collapsing crown pillars. Due to the rugged conditions at the site and the relative narrowness of the openings (often less than 1 m), a surface seismic system was developed that had improved portability and lateral resolution over other available seismic imaging systems. Seismic surveys were conducted over two sites where independent evidence indicated the presence of shallow mine workings. At one site, a comparative gravity survey was also conducted. The seismic data was processed to generate velocity vs depth images. Overall, the velocity images show vertical zones of zero velocity in the same lateral positions where historical mapping, current subsidence and gravity surveys indicate the presence of steeply dipping workings. Further, the velocity sections are consistent with the thickness of the till cover at each site and the possible weakening of crown pillars at one of the sites.

Jan 1, 2005

By K. Mirkhani, P. Gebski, W. Ying

The campaign life of an industrial metallurgical vessels strongly relies on the quality and quantity of the refractory lining. An operating furnace or converter refractory lining can be assessed either by thermal modeling or by acousto ultrasonic-echo (AU-E) technique or a combination. AU-E is a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) stress wave propagation technique that has been utilized on a wide variety of smelting vessels for over 12 years with good success. AU-E can determine the thickness of remaining refractory lining, estimate the thickness of build-up or accretion, detect and locate metal penetration and impregnation into the lining, and identify hydrated or cracked areas of refractory. This paper details the AU-E principles, equipment and recent improvements to the data analysis to further improve speed and accuracy. In addition, the paper discusses the AU-E accuracy and limitations through a diverse and vast array of practical examples including a comparison with thermal modeling and physical measurements.

Jan 1, 2011

By Gurupraveen Ramanathan

Shallow-dipping orebodies (45°–60° dip) present significant challenges for underground longhole stoping, particularly due to limited gravity flow, drill misalignment near the footwall, increased potential for dilution from hanging wall overbreak, and deviation from drill string sagging at shallow angles. These geometrical and operational constraints often lead to unblasted ore wedges and excessive overbreak when standard practices are applied. This study develops a structured, data-driven framework to optimize longhole stoping in such conditions by integrating five key focus areas: (1) mining method selection, (2) stope and drift design, (3) drill and blast optimization, (4) equipment selection, and (5) performance evaluation. The suitability of longitudinal longhole stoping was validated for narrow vein geometries using orebody analytics and prior case studies. Geometric modeling was employed to determine optimal stope height (15–20 m) and stope width (1.5–2.5 m), with drift widths adjusted based on orebody dip to maintain drill access and minimize unbroken ore. Drill and blast design emphasized sequential blasting over multi-ring methods to improve void control, reduce wall damage, and enhance fragmentation. Specific burden and spacing guidelines (e.g., 1.8–2.3 m burden; 2.5–3.0 m spacing) were applied based on stope width and dip angle, and patterns were selected based on geometry—dice-5 for narrow stopes, and 3-hole rows for wider stopes. Drill rigs—including top hammer and ITH models from Sandvik, Epiroc, Boart Longyear and CMAC-Thyssen—were evaluated for compatibility with drift dimensions and alignment accuracy. Equipment was matched based on dip, drift width, and the ability to access the footwall at shallow angles. Sensitivity analysis quantified how changes in geometry, drilling accuracy, and blast design affect ore recovery, dilution, and operating cash flow. Results show that tailored drift and stope geometries, combined with proper blasting and rig selection, can boost ore recovery to over 95% and reduce dilution to below 5% in optimal conditions. This methodology offers a practical and economically optimized solution for shallow-dip mining scenarios.

May 4, 2025

By D. H. Flather, J. W. Hendry, K. Drover

Black Hawk Mining Inc. has completed a comprehensive program on the prediction and management of acid rock drainage (ARD) at their Keystone Gold Mine (Keystone) near Lynn Lake, Manitoba. The program, initiated in 1994, followed a phased approach utilizing initial acid-base accounting (ABA) results and subsequent laboratory kinetic testwork to define site-specific sulphide oxidation and neutralization consumption rates in waste rock. Net acid generating waste rock at Keystone was defined through the kinetic testwork as waste rock yielding a net potential ratio (NPR) of less than two. A preliminary waste rock management program based on blending of potentially acid generating and acid neutralizing waste rock was advanced. Subsequent refinement of the management program followed the analysis of over 1580 ABA samples collected from individual blast holes during the initial bench development phase of the Keystone pit. Uncertainties in actually achieving adequate blending within the dumps at a mining- scale resulted in the development of a revised waste rock management program based on segregation. Recognizing that any successful management plan requires that the ARD characteristics of the waste rock be identified prior to in-pit blasting, the extensive ABA database was utilized to develop a rapid characterization scheme. By implementing a characterization scheme based on total sulphur concentrations and fizz rating, waste rock could be quickly segregated without delaying the natural flow of ore from the pit. Interestingly, it also became apparent that gold values were strongly correlated with total sulphur, such that traditional fire assays were supplanted with a simple and more cost-effective total sulphur determination. The program highlights the importance and benefits of collecting and exploiting data beyond that necessary to acquire appropriate development permits.

Jan 1, 2000

By Gui Hua Wang, Xin Chang, Zhong Ying Han, Yuan Fang Cheng

"According to the geometrical characteristics of triangular meshes, Triangular Mesh Split Model (TMSM) based on a finite element method is proposed to simulate cracks propagation of fractured rock. With TMSM, stress intensity factors at the tip of cracks are obtained by far-field contour integral. Meanwhile, vector cross multiplication is adopted to fix the cracking unit, and maximum circumferential stress criterion is used to determine the crack propagation angle. Then crack dynamic propagation simulation is realized through local mesh split or node movement at crack tip. With this method, the crack can split apart a unit or extend along the mesh boundary, so the crack could extend along an arbitrary path and is not restricted by the initial mesh. The applicability of the mesh split algorithm is verified by the crack propagation examples of wing crack and multi-fractured rock mass with holes. The results show that this method not only has higher accuracy of fracture parameters calculation, but also can accurately simulate the crack initiation and propagation of rock under complex stress state such as tension, compression and shear. In addition, the far contour integral is introduced to determine the crack tip stress intensity factor and there is no need to reconstruct a singular element at the crack tip or to intensify the meshes. Compared with the existing mesh reconstruction algorithm, this method significantly improves the computational efficiency.INTRODUCTIONGenerally, rock is neither the full continuum, nor entirely discrete body, but rich in geological defects, such as joints and cracks. A large amount of geotechnical engineering practice shows that most fracture of rock is closely related to the internal joints, cracks and crack expansion (Horii et al., 1985; Wong et al., 1998). Although the classical theory of fracture mechanics established the theoretical foundation of crack initiation, propagation, so far it is still extremely difficult to characterize the propagation of airfoil-typed crack and the interference problem of multiple cracks. Up to now, the micromechanics mechanism research of crack propagation of fractured rocks has still been a hot research topic of rock fracture mechanics."

Jan 1, 2015

By Gordon G. Duncan

Historical Sketch Occurrences of native copper have been known along the Arctic coast of Canada, especially in the vicinity of the. Coppermine river, since the early part of the eighteenth century (See map, Figure 2, insert). In 1769, Samuel Hearne, a clerk of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Churchill, was sent to explore the 'copper mines' from which natives had been reported to secure copper for tools, fishing spears, etc. After two successful attempts, he reached the Coppermine river in 1771, accompanied by Indian guides. This hazardous trip was indeed a remarkable feat when one considers the vast distance covered, a great deal of which was barren lands. At Bloody falls, (See Figure 1) on the Coppermine river, Hearne's Indians swooped down on a party of sleeping Esquimaux, who gathered there each summer to fish, and murdered the entire band encamped on that side of the river. Hence the name of the falls. Hearne's knowledge of minerals was undoubtedly limited. He reported having seen the copper mines from which the natives were securing the copper, but he failed to prove the economic possibilities of the copper occurrences or to give an accurate description of any deposit. Sir John Franklin visited the area in 1821. He and other members of his expedition, namely, Richardson, Back, Kendall, and Hood, reported native-copper float to occur in the vicinity of the Coppermine river and Bathurst inlet.

Jan 1, 1931

By V. G. Papangelakis, A. Dani

"Alkaline pressure oxidation, particularly in the presence of trona as additive, can be used to oxidize high carbonate refractory gold ores as it prevents the formation of CO2 in the autoclave. However, the presence of silica in the ore can lead to the encapsulation of pyrite due to the solubility of silica in alkaline solutions and its subsequent reprecipitation on the reacting pyrite surface, leading to the formation of a passive layer. This fundamental study investigates the chemical composition and thickness of the passive layer on a rotating pyrite disk using XPS and SEM, as a function of process conditions at 230°C, in an aqueous slurry containing silica sand, sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate under 100 psi of oxygen overpressure.INTRODUCTIONAlkaline pressure oxidation (POX) has been used successfully to treat high carbonate refractory gold ores, which contain carbonates in addition to sulphides, most notably at Mercur and Goldstrike mines operated by Barrick Gold. There are several advantages to using alkaline POX over its acid counterpart, especially due to high carbonate content. First, it eliminates the production of CO2 in the autoclave without resorting to pre-acidification, which allows for high oxygen utilization. Second, alkaline POX suppresses the formation of elemental sulphur and intermediate sulphur oxyanions (such as thiosulphates and dithionates), which reduce gold recovery. Third, the use of sodium hydroxide or salts prevents the formation of anhydrite scale by forming soluble sodium sulphate. Other advantages are the use of cheaper materials of construction and the formation of non-acidic residue that do not require further treatment prior to cyanidation (Thomas, 2005).Sodium carbonate in particular is a promising reagent for alkaline POX because it was shown to significantly accelerate the kinetics of pyrite oxidation by molecular oxygen, when compared to other reagents such as sodium hydroxide, sodium borate and calcium hydroxide. This has been attributed to the following factors: a) the faster oxidation kinetics of Fe2+-CO3 complexes compared to Fe2+ oxidation, b) the buffering effect of carbonate ions on the acidic pyrite surface, and c) the increased solubility of oxidizing Fe(III) species due to carbonate complexation (Caldeira, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By Edward R. Lauer

Energy conservation is an integral part of Canada's energy strategy. We must pursue conservation and energy management vigorously if we are to remain competitive in domestic and world markets, and minimize our reliance on external energy sources. Energy management in industry is discussed from three viewpoints: (l) as a means of directly improving profitability; (2) as a major factor in the supply picture; and (3) as a significant influence on Canada's balance of payments and over-all economic well-being. The Federal role in promoting a voluntary industrial energy conservation program is described.

Jan 1, 1977