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By W. D. C. MacKenzie

IT IS almost exactly fifteen years since the discovery of the Leduc oil field and, as this luncheon is part of the Thirteenth Annual Technical Meeting of the Institute's Petroleum and Natural Gas Division, it seems, therefore, a singularly appropriate time to discuss the theme which the program committee has suggested for the occasion -the progress of the Canadian oil industry during the fifteen years since the discovery of the Leduc field. As you will see, I plan to take a few minor liberties with this suggested theme. I shall present ample evidence of growth and progress, but, at the same time, I want to refer to some areas where progress has been anything but conspicuous and to see what can be learned from these areas for the future. The achievements of the Canadian oil industry since the Leduc discovery in 1947 have been substantial, and the public is relatively familiar with the more spectacular developments.

Jan 1, 1962

By John F. Haberer

DURING the twentieth century Canadians have been steadily improving their standard of living. Originally, this improvement depended almost entirely upon the export of basic raw materials and a triangular system of trade with Great Britain and the United States. However, since the Second World War, Canadian living standards have improved still further because of the very rapid d0evelopment of secondary industries. As a result of this development, the present demand for scientists and engineers exceeds the supply, and interest in scientific research has never been greater. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the professional and economic status of Canadian scientists and engineers over the past half century. GROWTH OF RESEARCH It is difficult to determine accurately the amount of scientific research conducted in Canada since 1900. However, ?prior to World War I, it was limited and was connected mainly with primary industries and health. Government departments did some; university science faculties, overloaded with teaching responsibilities, did a little; and industry, which consisted mainly of subsidiaries of American and British firms, depended chiefy upon foreign sources for new information.

Jan 1, 1956

By L. J. Cunningham

I THINK it can be safely said that no mining operation, whetl1er open-pit or underground, is ever entirely free of water. It follows that every ton of ore bears a charge which represents, either directly or indirectly, the cost of keeping the mine workings as dry as possible. Water problems occur in all phases of mining operations. They cause difficult and costly drilling conditions during the exploration stage, they often seriously delay mine development, they can slow mine production and reduce efficiency, and they are a continued burden over the life of the mine. It is therefore in the interest of all mining men to be familiar with the methods and materials used for grouting. The most common grouting material is cement. Cement grouting is old and well established, and many engineers are familiar with its uses and limitations. The technique of cement grouting is relatively simple and fairly well understood, and the materials utilized are relatively in-

Jan 1, 1962

By D. W. R. George, J. L. Stewart

Developments in the last decade, which have contributed to increased productivity and decreased coke rates in the iron blast furnace, are reviewed. Future progress in blast-furnace practice is also considered.

Jan 1, 1966

By Donald P. MacKinnon

"This paper is a commentary on selected trends within the transportation industry.In general, innovations are taking place within all modes of transport (road, rail and water) serving the industrial minerals industry which will affect future distribution patterns, methods and costs. Significant technical innovations in the transportation of solids by• pipeline will also appear, perhaps in the near future, permitting the transport of specific commodities, including some industrial minerals. However, the timing and magnitude of the commercial exploitation of solids pipelines are heavily dictated by marketing factors and distribution system logistics, as well as by the innovations likely to take place within competitive modes of transport. Competitive technological developments will include increased ship capacities, improved bulk-handling facilities, larger and specialized bulk-handling rail equipment, unit trains, containerization, larger ""off-highway"" vehicles and greater inter-modal integration. Equally significant are some ""soft-ware"" techniques such as the growing interest in total distribution cost concepts. However, the impact of the developments will not be spread uniformly over all Canadian industrial minerals."

Jan 1, 1967

By Jack Craft

Local Environment Atmospheric conditions (or lack thereof) Drilling fluids are impractical Cuttings removal is a major concern Heat dissipation is a major concern Some tried-and-true mechanisms need air to function properly Gravity Low gravity means low downforce Microgravity means even less downforce Regolith Local dust may be highly abrasive Packaging for Spaceflight System mass is highly constrained The drill must fit within the spacecraft?s launch envelope Power is constrained

May 1, 2013

By K. Hasselwander, K. Knabel

"A significant area of Outotec’s business involves fluidized bed roasting. With several decades of experience, more than 300 reference plants and strong R&D capabilities, the company provides several industries with optimum processing solutions. Applications include oxidation and sulfation of sulfides found in copper, pyrite and zinc concentrates. Gold production and de-arsenifying roasting are also within this scope. This paper describes the latest furnace developments and includes novel trends. Moreover, hot and wet gas cleaning systems are examined focusing on unit operations related to the removal of components such as dust, SO2 for sulfuric acid production, fumes, halides, Hg, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides and metals.INTRODUCTIONGenerally, when defining roasting processes, it can be stated that the respective primary pyrometallurgical reaction is exothermic, of gas-solid nature and relates to a value solid product. These processes are a key focus within Outotec’s scope and include: (i) dead roasting (ii) sulfating roasting (iii) partial de-arsenifying roasting and (iv) two-stage, de-arsenifying roasting.Dead roasting involves the oxidation of a given sulfide, thus allowing for a subsequent leaching process, and has been applied to producing ZnO. Dead roasting of pyrite has also been extensively utilized with a primary goal of producing sulfuric acid. In contrast, sulfating roasting involves converting a sulfide to its sulfate, enabling a selective sulfation of components, such as Cu or Co, and their separation from ferrous components during leaching (produced sulfates are soluble). Partial roasting involves partially oxidating the metal sulfide to its oxide with the simultaneous production of gaseous As4O6, which is handled during gas cleaning. The solid product, containing hardly any As, is rich in S and can be fed to a respective smelter (e.g. in the case of Cu). Alternatively, if the production of oxide is required, a dead roasting step is added after the partial roasting step, with the overall process considered as two-stage roasting."

Jan 1, 2012

In several European countries, including Russia, it has become economically attractive to utilize peat as a fuel for power generation, the production of metallurgical coke, the production of fuel briquettes for the domestic market and low-Btu gas. Although the economic base and availability of energy supplies in Europe is much different than it is in Canada, regional economics here may warrant the development of peat as an alternative source of energy. Canadian peatlands cover several thousands of square miles and have historically been considered as waste land. Now, with the increasing costs of other energy sources, it is apparent that fuel peat should be re-evaluated as a potential energy resource. A nation-wide inventory of peat deposits has been prepared and reserves evaluated for some of these areas where field surveys have been carried out. The paper describes alternative mining methods developed to meet some of the various conditions encountered on virgin peatland . These mining techniques are generally based on current peat technology exercised in other parts of the world and would be applicable in some of the peat regions of Canada. Cost estimates have been prepared for peat production in regions of Canada, and the socio-economic aspects of a large-scale fuel peat operation are discussed. Several potential utilization schemes have been described, with particular emphasis on electric power generation. The paper makes recommendations for steps to be taken in the development of a fuel peat industry in Canada.

Jan 1, 1978

"The Hardy Cross algorithm offers a reliable method of solving network systems of fluid flow and has become widely used for solving water and ventilation flow networks. A limitation is that computational iterations and time to solve a network rises rapidly with the size of the model and modern detailed ventilation networks have typically grown to thousands of airways. Non-linear matrix solving methods can offer improved performance, however these are more complex and may be unstable if initial estimates are poor. This paper presents improvements that can be applied to the traditional Hardy Cross algorithm to greatly reduce iterations and solving time for large ventilation models. INTRODUCTION The Hardy Cross algorithm (Cross, 1936), was originally developed to solve water flow in city and urban pipe networks. Using principles of Kirchhoff’s electricity current laws, Hardy Cross developed an iterative algorithm for solving non-linear equations associated with network water flow. Traditional network analysis research refers to the various members of system networks as branches, nodes and meshes. This terminology has been changed in this paper to airways, junctions and loops respectively which are terms more familiar to engineers in mine ventilation. When Kirchhoff’s laws are applied to fluid networks, the following assumptions can be made: •The sum of fluid flows into a junction must equal the sum of fluid flows out of the junction.•The sum of pressure losses around any loop through a network system must be equal to zero.An iterative solution can therefore be achieved by initially guessing flow in a network, calculatingthe pressure losses around the network loops (Figure 1), and applying flow corrections using Newton’s method for each loop if the sum of the pressure losses does not equal zero. To solve the system, a loop must be defined for every segment or series of segments between a junction of 3 or more airways.The Hardy Cross algorithm has been used extensively for ventilation network analysis since the introduction of the first electronic computers (Tien, 1997), however numerous other variations and methods have since been developed through the use of matrices to solve the required system of nonlinear equations. Commonly used algorithms such as the Newton Raphson method (Brown, 1969), the Gradient method (Todini & Pilati, 1988), the Linear Theory method (Gupta & Prasad, 2000), and Coupled Network Solver (G. Danko, 2008) have found general use in fluid flow network solvers (Rossman, 2000). Despite poor and sometimes unpredictable convergence performance however, the Hardy Cross algorithm still has unique properties that make it attractive for ventilation models. Some benefits are:"

Jan 1, 2019

By G. J. Biefer

"Fatigue and corrosion fatigue measurements were carried out on five commercially available metals -four steels and an aluminum alloy -which are used as structural materials in mine shaft conveyances. In the corrosion fatigue measurements, drain waters collected in the shafts of three different Canadian mines were used as corrodents. The mine waters had been selected on the basis of their relatively large differences in acidity and/ or composition.It was found that the corrosion fatigue strengths of the four steels were similar, despite their differences in tensile properties, and that the type of water used in the tests had little effect on the results. Mild steel showed the highest and most consistent values of the damage ratio (ratio between the corrosion fatigue and the plain fatigue strengths at 107 cycles). The corrosion fatigue behaviour of the aluminum alloy (ASTM Type 6061-T6) was found to differ markedly in the three mine waters. A high damage ratio (i.e., superior performance) was shown in a mine water in which the corrosion attack was uniform; much lower damage ratios were shown in waters which produced localized corrosion attack. Corrosion rates were too low to be deter-mined conveniently by conventional weight-loss methods, but calculations from polarization curves provided a rapid demonstration that corrosion rates were distinctly lower in the mine water which produced high damage ratios."

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Crowder, A. L. Coulson

Ground support is a significant component of underground mining costs. The rehabilitation of failed support, however, is often much more expensive than the initial installation. This paper investigates whether the right type and length of support can be designed correctly the first time, through forward modelling of the support and the mining process. Back analyses demonstrate how high-quality instrumentation and monitoring can help with the estimation of the post-peak (post-failure) rock mass parameters required for a comprehensive analysis. A hybrid modelling approach combines a three-dimensional mine-wide boundary element model with a non-linear finite element model to allow for the failure process in the rock mass. The back analyses demonstrate that, for the case study site, the post-peak Generalized Hoek-Brown value of mr must be reduced significantly in order to properly simulate displacements observed in instrumentation data. High-quality instrumentation data is the key to post-peak rock mass parameter calibration. The procedures outlined in the paper highlight the need for a new hybrid numerical modelling package that can use the influence of three-dimensional mining-induced stresses to predict displacements in, and potential failure of, rock masses surrounding mining infrastructure in order to radically alter strategic and tactical mine design.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Peterson, D. D. Tannant, J. Todd

"A review of blast designs and improved blasting practices at the EkatiTM diamond mine is presented along with the results of three blast-monitoring experiments. Blast monitoring was undertaken to investigate blast damage mechanisms in the mine’s well jointed rock mass. Rock mass damage caused by production, pre-shear and wall control blasts was measured. EkatiTM uses 270 mm holes for production blasting, and 165 mm holes loaded with a decoupled charge for pre-shearing. The production blasts are loaded with bulk emulsion/ANFO blends. The mine plan involves using 30 m double benches. A 30 m high pre-shear is drilled and blasted prior to the production blasting that is done with sequential 15 m benches. This paper summarizes the monitoring equipment and data gathered to date. IntroductionThe EkatiTM diamond mine is located about 300 km northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The mine is a joint venture of BHP Diamonds Inc. (80%) and geologists Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson (10% each). The EkatiTM mine is Canada’s first diamond mine and BHP is the operator. The mine is accessed by air and by a winter ice road.The first kimberlite pipe mined at EkatiTM is known as the Panda pipe. The Panda open pit mine will have a total depth of 315 m (Fig. 1), a width of about 600 m, and a 50° overall slope. Initial ore production is 9000 tonnes per day.This paper summarizes the pre-strip blasting and the evolution of the production and wall control blast designs from 1997 to 2000. The initial blast designs and the rationale behind subsequent changes that took place are presented along with the techniques currently in use.The paper also briefly presents an experiment done to measure the rock mass response to blasting. Three blasts were instrumented with geophones, gas pressure sensors and time domain reflectometry cables. A brief summary of the instrumentation and data gathered is included."

Jan 1, 2001

The current mining operations at Newmont Boddington Gold Mine (NBG) commenced in 2008, and commissioning of the processing plant started in the latter half of 2009. Metso Process Technology and Innovation were engaged to assist NBG with commissioning and project ramp-up through the implementation of a comprehensive ?Mine-to-Mill? Process Integration and Optimisation project. This methodology entailed extensive data collection which included drill and blast audits, ore characterisation, comprehensive comminution circuit surveys and review of operational data to assess the limitations within the current mining and processing operations. The results of these investigations have been used to define the operating base line of both the mining and processing areas and identify improvement opportunities. The use of modelling and simulations, utilising actual production data, has allowed for multiple scenarios to be evaluated, minimising the requirement for actual trials and thereby minimising impact on the operation. Improvements implemented to date include: the introduction of routine rock strength measurement for inclusion in block models, modifications to blast design improving ROM fragmentation and downstream comminution process performance, and changes to improve performance of secondary crushing and grinding circuits. Close cooperation between the mine and plant personnel is playing a significant role in overcoming the challenges presented to this operation and further improvements are targeted for the second full year of process plant operation.

Jan 1, 2012

By J. De Geoffroy, T. K. Wignall

The paper describes a statistical method based on regression and classification analysis which is designed to assist exploration management in the selection of prospecting areas and drilling targets in regional programs. The classification is based on three criteria which are formulated from sets of relevant geological, geophysical and geochemical factors: (a) regression estimates of expected ore values, (b) Bayesian probabilities of success and (c) expected utility payoffs. The advantages of the method are: (a) rational and unbiased ratings for areas or targets in a manner consistent with management's goals; (b) calculation of probabilities of success and confidence intervals for the ratings, and (c) rapid and accurate handling of a large amount of data by computer programs.

Jan 1, 1970

By C. M. Campbell

The Inconceivable Wealth propaganda goes on apace. Premier King, at Vancouver, has stated that we still have, untouched, natural resources, "beyond the wildest dreams." Principal Currie, in an address before the Canadian Society in New York said that Canada's resources, "are as yet merely scratched and it is not possible to compute her almost fabulous natural wealth." Mr. Meighen, in the last election campaign announced that, "under the providence of God, Canada is more richly endowed, perhaps, than any other country in the world." Four years ago a despatch was sent to Premier King "on behalf of" this Institute advising him that "Inconceivable Wealth" in minerals in this country was assured. This was made as a statement ~f "incontrovertible fact." Specifically, this despatch stated that this wealth was on such a scale that the mining industry would in the future lead all others in this country. This inventory is still in effect as far as this Institute is concerned.

Jan 1, 1926

By N. T. Avard

THE profitable disposal and utilization of much of our slack coal, lignite, and other low-grade fuels is one of the major problems facing the coal mining industry of Canada today. It is my belief that the pulverization process applied to these fuels opens the door to greater efficiency and greater prosperity, and I wish to discuss briefly with you some features of its development and advantages to date. Indeed, the art of burning pulverized coal under stationary boilers is one of the romances of modern engineering. As a Nova Scotian, I feel some pride in the fact that at Chignecto Mines, N.S., was built in 1906 the first pit-mouth power plant on the North American continent. This was built to make effective for the first time Edison's dream of carrying coal for power by wire rather than by rail. This plant, built by the Maritime Coal, Railway and Power Company, Limited, success-fully utilized underfeed stokers for twenty years but in 1927 was replaced by a more modern plant equipped with machinery for burning pulverized coal, which is now operating very successfully. A further source of pride is the fact that the first boilers on this continent to be operated by pulverized coal were installed by the Dominion Coal Company at New Waterford, N.S., in 1912 and were satisfactorily operated during the lifetime of the plant. It is an acknowledged fact that average living conditions on a large part of the North American continent are far superior to those of any other people on earth. The reason is that we use so much more machinery per capita, and cheap power supply has been a large factor in bringing that about. Statistics show that where one horse-power was used one hundred years ago to assist man in his work, five hundred horse-power is used today. Truly a remarkable development and the key to our present high standard of living. Lack of coal in the chief industrial centres of Canada has forced the extra-ordinary development of the water powers which Providence has placed in those centres. How many of us realize that Canada stands second in the world in the per capita development of hydro power, Switzerland being first and the United States sixth? From this condition, we are reminded of the fact that the per capita foreign trade of Canada far exceeds that of our great neighbour to the South-but another illustration of the benefits accruing from our great power development.

Jan 1, 1937

By T. K. Akopyan, E. A. Naumova, V. V. Doroshenko, N. A. Belov

"A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the new Al-Ca-Mn-Fe phase diagram in the region of the aluminium corner is carried out using both thermodynamic calculations and experimental methods. Using the obtained data, the principal possibility of creating both cast and wrought sparingly alloyed aluminium alloys with calcium, manganese, scandium and zirconium at allowable iron contents of up to 0.4% that do not require solution treatment and quenching is justified. At the selected concentrations, the entire amount of manganese (1%) is practically included in the aluminium matrix, while calcium (~2%) and iron are in the multiphase eutectic, which has a fine structure. The joint introduction of 0.25% Zr and 0.1% Sc into the alloy leads to precipitation hardening due to the formation of the L12-Al3(Zr,Sc) phase during annealing. Based on the experimental data for the model multicomponent Al2CaMnFeZrSc alloy, it is shown that such alloys can combine high mechanical properties and good manufacturability during both casting and metal forming. This is due to the combination of a narrow temperature range of solidification with a fine eutectic structure.INTRODUCTION Hardening in branded aluminium alloys (both cast and wrought) is generally achieved by heat treatment of the T6 type, including quenching and artificial aging (Zolotorevskiy, 2007; Kaufman, 2004; Mondolfo, 1976). Heat treatment significantly increases the cost of the final products. Therefore, industrial companies are interested in developing alloys that can be hardened to the desired level without quenching. To solve this problem, alloys with scandium are the most suitable (Toropova, 1998; RØyset, 2005). This element (usually in an amount of ~0.3%) is one of the most effective hardeners in aluminium alloys, due to the formation of Al3Sc (L12) phase secondary precipitates, the size of which is less than 10 nm (Knipling, 2010; Fuller, 2005). These nanoparticles are formed during the annealing via decomposition of the supersaturated aluminium solid solution (hereinafter referred to as (Al)). This feature allows us to significantly increase the strength of aluminium alloys by simple annealing (at ~300°C), i.e., without heat treatment, including quenching. However, scandium is a very expensive metal, so its use as an additive is severely limited. The most effective method is the introduction of scandium together with zirconium (Lefebvre, 2009; Booth-Morrison, 2012). The optimal combination is the introduction of ~0.1% Sc together with 0.20–0.25% Zr, which, according to (Belov, 2006), gives approximately the same strengthening effect as the introduction of 0.3% Sc."

Jan 1, 2018

By Silvana Costa

The quality of life in remote mining communities is a significant factor that impacts the mining industry?s ability to attract and retain high quality workers in remote areas. The rapid growth of mining development, along with the shortage of skills and training globally are reflected in an increasing need to identify the ideal conditions for employee wellbeing and investigate ways to improve quality of life of miners and their families in remote locations.

May 1, 2007

By Gerald A. Crawford

"1880s - Unmasking the Sudbury Basin Falconbridge Ltd. turned 60 in 1988 but its roots go back more than a century to the discovery and development of the mineral resources of the Sudbury Basin. Nickel was first identified in the area in 1856 but sustained exploration awaited the early 1880s and the advance of the CPR westward from Sudbury. Rock was laid bare in the right-of-way and by forest fires and logging. Reddish oxidized outcropping or ""gossan"" were exposed, heralding the presence of nickel as the shape of this astounding geological formation gradually began to emerge. Many great mines of the area were opened up in this period on the south rim of the Basin west of Sudbury. To the east the ore dips below overburden, however, and Falconbridge remained a mere dot on the map until the turn of the century when Thomas Edison detected a magnetic occurrence by dip needle."

Jan 1, 1999

By I. Masters, K. Buban, M. Faris, M. Antonio, M. Collins

"AngloGold Ashanti Brasil, with assistance from Sherritt International Corporation, has recently commissioned a new autoclave for the pressure oxidation of refractory gold feeds at their Corrego do Sítio operation in Brazil. Design of the new plant, including feed acidulation, pressure oxidation, oxidized solids washing and solution neutralization circuits, was based on the results of test work conducted by Sherritt at their pilot plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. This paper describes the results of the pilot plant study as well as highlights of the design exercise.INTRODUCTIONAngloGold Ashanti Brasil (AGA Brasil) has recently commissioned a refractory gold pressure oxidation plant at the site of the original São Bento operation in Brazil. The design of the São Bento pressure oxidation facility was based on Sherritt technology; Sherritt carried out the original process development test work in the mid-1980s, provided a process design package and detailed specifications for critical pressure oxidation equipment and participated in the training of operators and commissioning of the plant. The São Bento plant was operated between 1986 and 2007, when the original ore body was exhausted (Silva et al., 2004). AGA Brasil purchased the facility from Eldorado Gold in 2008, with the intent of refurbishing the plant to process refractory gold concentrates produced from the nearby Córrego do Sítio mining area.Sherritt International Corporation has a long history in the development and application of commercial pressure oxidation and pressure leaching processes. Sherritt’s development of technology for the pressure oxidation of refractory gold ores and concentrates commenced in the 1980s in collaboration with Homestake for application at the McLaughlin project in California. This was followed by several commercial applications in Canada, Papua New Guinea and Brazil (Berezowsky et al., 1991). More than thirty pilot plant campaigns investigating the pressure oxidation of refractory gold ores or concentrates have been conducted by Sherritt since the 1980s, and projects with Sherritt contributions to the process development studies and/or engineering design account for about half of the commercial plants that have operated to date with this type of process (Collins et al., 2011a; 2011b)."

Jan 1, 2012