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By RAYMOND C. HARTVIKSEN

The Drumbo Mine is located near Highway 401 between Woodstock and Kitchener in southwest Ontario. The tabular flat-lying gypsum bed is between 1.5 to 2.4 m thick and is situated near the base of the Salina Formation, about 116 m below surface. The mine is owned and operated by Westroc Industries Limited. The 3.8 m diameter shaft was drilled using a Hughes CSD 820 drilling rig and a liner sinking technique new to the North American continent. The shaft was completed in the fall of 1977, and remaining facilities were finished in the fall of 1978. Gypsum production started in December 1978, employing the conventional room-and-pillar method of mining.

Jan 1, 1984

By K. N. Subramanian, H. Kanduth

"It is well known that chalcopyrite can be dissociated into simple sulphides by heating with elemental sulphur at about 475°C:CuFeS2 + S -> CuS + FeS2Experimental work was undertaken to determine whether this ""activation"" could be used to advantage in the selective leaching of copper from chalcopyrite concentrate.A method of treating copper concentrate with molten sulphur was developed and the activated product was leached in dilute sulphuric acid using oxygen, ferric iron or manganese dioxide as the oxidant. The object was to obtain a solution suitable for electrowinning with minimal purification, but it was impossible to obtain rapid extraction of copper without simultaneously dissolving a large proportion of iron. This was attributed to the fact that some of the copper was present as a low iron-copper sulphide (idaite) and that the pyrite formed during the ""activation"" step was more easily oxidized than natural pyrite."

Jan 1, 1973

By M. Meratian

The in-situ methods have been developed in production of aluminum matrix composites. A commonly adopted in-situ method involves reaction between a metal oxide and aluminum to produce alumina particles or whisker reinforcements. Aluminum-alumina particle composite was fabricated by in-situ method where alumina particles were produced from reduction of copper and silicon oxides by melting and casting aluminum. Aluminum matrix composites reinforced by Copper and Silicon alloying elements and alumina particles have been obtained. The size and shape of alumina particles were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size of alumina obtained from mixture of SiO2 and CuO was bigger than the alumina particles obtained from CuO.

Jan 1, 2007

By S. Rash Ahmadi

Welding is highly reliable and efficient metal joining process. In welding the metal adjacent to the weld joint is subjected to severe thermal conditions. As a result, complex changes in metallurgical structure occur in this region. These changes in structure depend on the material and the temperature history experienced. Friction stir welding (FSW) is relatively a new welding process in which, heat is generated by friction between the tool and the workpiece. The amount of heat conducted into the workpiece determines the quality of weld, residual stress and distortion of the workpiece. The objective of the current work is to study the transient temperature in a friction stir welding. So, a three dimensional transient analytical model is used to study the thermal distribution during the welding. Heat input from the tool shoulder alone is considered in the model. The process parameters like axial load, welding speed and tool rotational speed, used in actual FSW process are taken to build the model. This analytical model is very useful for select the optimized affected parameters in friction stir welding. The model illustrates the comprehensive equation including actual affected parameters in FSW and it can be used for different materials. In addition to the above the thermal history finds application in design of welding tools.

Oct 1, 2011

By K. E. Waters, N. Brodusch, R. Gauvin, A. Jordens, Teng. C., H. Demers

Rare earth elements (REEs) become increasingly significant for renewable energy devices and high-technology electronic products because of their large-scale popularity and applications. In this project, a field-emission scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the composition and distribution of REEs-bearing minerals. X-ray elemental maps were acquired with a large area x-ray detector (60 and 80 mm2 collecting area) and annular detector (60 mm2 collecting area), which allow fast x-ray acquisition at high count rate. These elemental maps were transformed into phase maps, which are used to identify the composition of the mineral phases and the REEs distribution over a large area. The phase maps are an easy way to distinguish the phases with and without REEs and compare the efficiency of different REEs extraction processes. Different methods (manual and automatic) for producing phase map were studied by comparing the distribution of REEs obtained from the same area.

Jan 1, 2015

By N. Shi, T. G. Joseph

ABSTRACT Before any large plant is moved onto an oil sands dominated surface, particularly those surfaces encountered in-pit, it is imperative that the ground be evaluated for bearing capacity. A 2230 tonne mobile in-pit hopper/crusher facility designed for operation in the Canadian oil sands was modeled. This evaluation focused on track and outrigger pad versus ground interactions as the key performance indicators of appropriate ground performance below the unit in both operating and repositioning propel modes. A study of cyclic oil sand behaviour was also inferred from laboratory cyclic plate load data as an extension of the simulation model indications.

Jan 1, 2013

By S. N. Yu

Tele-operation manipulators applied in this paper are systems for the remote handling and management of pyroprocessing related facilities in an Argon cell of the KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). Generally, these kinds of systems are composed of a master-slave system and its peripherals installed along the wall of the cell, with the master transmitting the user?s own motion to the gripper directly. This study introduced various considerations and modifications to improve the remote handling performance. The analysis of an operator's ability using his/her own upper arm motion range while manipulating the MSM, and considerations of its manipulation margin and the related tool modifications are also included. Finally, the test results of several remote handling tasks are presented, and an adequate operation strategy for the tele-operation system of hot-cell type facilities is proposed.

Aug 1, 2013

By S. H. Seyedein

A mathematical model was developed to study fluid flow and solidification in a single-roll casting system. Fluid flow coupled with energy equations were solved numerically using a finite volume method. A body-fitted coordinate transformation technique was adopted to handle the irregularly shaped domain. In order to couple the continuity and momentum equations, a SIMPLEC algorithm was used. A fixed-grid enthalpy method was considered to model the solidification in the system. The turbulence effect on flow field was modeled using a low-Re k-e model The model developed in this work was further run under various conditions to optimize the operating parameters of the process.

Jan 1, 2004

The morphology of environmentally assisted cracks in stressed pipeline steel has been investigated, For a dilute and neutral solution (NS4) simulating ground water in contact with the steel, semi-elliptical cracks grow faster on the surface (2c) than in the depth (a), hence, the aspect ratio (a/c) decreases, This is explained using a deterministic concept since corrosion is dominant and the primary constraint is the conservation of charge, By contrast, when mechanistic conditions prevail, significant growth occurs in the depth, When underloads are imposed in the loading history, temporary accelerations in crack growth occur because corrosion rather than mechanical effects become dominant.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. McEachern

At the Annual Meeting of this society, held in Halifax last year, a paper entitled "Closed System Breathing Apparatus" was read by I. C. Mackie, metallurgist, British Empire Steel Corporation. Coming from such an authority it was most instructive and illuminating. The purpose of the paper was to emphasize the necessity of a full supply of oxygen and the danger of oxygen shortage in the use of rescue breathing apparatus. In connection with this he pointed out: "In times of emergency, when life is at stake, rescue men cannot be restrained from using their utmost endeavor, and unless the apparatus is adequate to meet the heaviest load, the result may be fatal to the wearer. The body's demand for its oxygen requirement is absolutely imperative and must be granted at once. We can do without food for many days and without water for many hours, but we cannot do without full requirements of oxygen even for a few minutes. Furthermore, the victim of oxygen shortage gets practically no warning. He may fall helpless or unconscious before realizing that he is in a serious condition." Hence the necessity for expelling all the nitrogen from the breathing-bag and filling it with pure oxygen; also filling the lungs of the wearer with oxygen before he begins to use the breathing apparatus. This practice is general at all the collieries under the British Empire Steel Corporation.

Jan 1, 1924

By M. F. Gallerneault, V. Fallah, A. Howells, W. M. T. Gallerneault

"The occurrence of recrystallization in cold-worked aluminum sheet during the brazing process leads to loss of strength, an inhomogeneous grain structure and reduced corrosion resistance. AlMgScZr alloys are known for their extraordinary recrystallization resistance due to the influence of Sc and Zr addition on their microstructure. Here, we investigate the effect of alloy composition (i.e. Mn, Mg, Sc, Zr content), cold-roll reduction and pre-aging treatment on the recrystallization behavior of cold-rolled sheets at brazing temperatures typically used during the manufacture of heat exchanger units. The analysis of recrystallization behavior is carried out through microstructural characterization and the results are compared with the behavior of a commercial, AA3xxx-based heat exchanger alloy.INTRODUCTION Control of recrystallization is of critical importance during brazing, which is a widely-used joining technique for aluminum alloys in aircraft structures (Heinz, 2000) and automotive heat exchangers (Miller, 2000; Marshall, 1993). Due to excessive local heat at brazing temperatures, the cold work texture of aluminum alloys in the cold-rolled sheets may undergo a local recrystallization process (Marshall, 1993). This leads to the formation of an inhomogeneous microstructure and thus anisotropic mechanical properties (Miller, 2000) and low corrosion resistance (Marshall, 1993) across the sheet. X800, a commonly-used Al-Mn alloy series for automotive heat exchangers applications, has been developed specifically for a higher strength as well as an enhanced corrosion resistance as opposed to the traditionally-used AA3003 alloy (Marshall, 1993). X800 alloys, however, exhibit a low recrystallization resistance at normal brazing temperatures, i.e. 590°C. In contrast, Al-Sc-Zr alloys have been shown to exhibit an extraordinary recrystallization resistance at such temperatures (Riddle, 2004) while also being corrosion resistant and possessing a high room-temperature strength (Fuller, 2002). This has been shown to be due to the formation of coherent, nanoscale Al3(ScZr) precipitates that effectively impede grain boundaries while also exhibiting very slow coarsening kinetics at high temperatures (Riddle, 2004; Jones, 2003; Ocenasek, 2001). In this study, we analyze the recrystallization behavior of X800 alloys under brazing conditions through introducing Sc and Zr into the system as well as varying the Mn and Mg content. The effect of processing route is also studied by introducing a pre-aging stabilization treatment as well as varying the cold-roll reduction prior to the final brazing anneal."

Jan 1, 2018

By W. L. Ennis

Introduction This paper outlines the causes of underground fires at Noranda Mines and the precautionary measures taken to guard against such fi res. Shafts There are six shafts (Figures and lA) on the property, of which N os. 1 and 2 are abandoned. Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are the present working openings from surface and No 6 is an internal shaft. No. 3 is used primarily as a service shaft, while Nos.?1 and 5 are the main hoisting shafts. Orebodies The orebodies are of two distinct types. There are the massive sulphide bodies, and the areas of mineralized rhyolite containing gold values and a silica content high enough for fluxing purposes. The massive sulphide bodies contain chalcopyl'ite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and minor amounts of sphalerite and magnetite. The concentration of particular sulphides varies even within the same body. It is the areas high in pyrite, and to a lesser degree those, high in pyrrhotite, that are of particular interest.

Jan 1, 1950

By E. L. Jones

THE concentration of tin in the tailing from Sullivan ore has been de-scribed by H. R. Banks, superintendent of the Sullivan concentrator, in a paper presented at the annual meeting of the B.C. Division of the Institute in October, 1941(1). The reduction of the concentrate EARLY EXPERIMENTAL WORK Experimental work on the smelting of Sullivan tin concentrate was done in Trail. Preliminary tests in the laboratory indicated that the concentrate could be successfully treated in an electric furnace. A small electro-thermic pilot plant was built and, at the same time, reduction tests were made in an oil-fired reverberatory furnace. Both types of treatment gave satisfactory results. It developed that no fluxes, other than those already in the ore and in the ash of the reducing agent (either coke or coal), were needed. By using an excess of iron, a complete recovery of the tin in the slag was obtained, but with 20 to 30 per cent iron in the tin. A counter-current treatment was thus indicated, viz., the primary slag was first treated with hard-head (iron-tin alloy) from the refining and final slag smelting, producing tin with 2 to 4 per cent Fe. This secondary slag was subsequently treated with scrap iron to produce tin-iron alloy, and a final slag low enough in tin to waste. By following this line of endeavour, a tentative flow-sheet was drawn up and a successful operation was established. Without resorting to electrolytic refining, a metal comparable in purity to standard tin was produced. Metallurgical results and operating costs were found to be very similar with an electric furnace or a fuel-fired furnace. 'However, electric furnace smelting was chosen because the furnace required was smaller, and because some doubt existed as to the cleaning of the final slag in the reverberatory furnace reduction.

Jan 1, 1944

By J. A. Finch, A. M. Elmahdy

Blending frothers is becoming common in flotation practice apparently enhancing performance. However, there have been no studies to understand the blend mechanism. In this paper, the effect of two frother blends ofF150 (polyglycol) with MIBC or pentanol (both alcohols) on bubble size, gas holdup and froth height is reported. The blends focused on a small addition of the polyglycol to the alcohols as base frother. The tests showed that the bubble size at blend concentration below the critical coalescence concentration (CCC) of the base frother was decreased but was significantly larger above the base CCC. Froth build-up showed a strong synergistic effect.

Jan 1, 2009

By L. M. Lowe, D. B. Chambers, D. G. Feasby

"Potentially economic deposits of rare earth elements (REE) often contain elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), primarily thorium and uranium and their associated radioactive decay products. The concentrations of NORM usually exceed typical background levels of natural radioactivity, sometimes by factors of ten or more, and can be of concern relative to occupational radiation protection and the management and disposal of REE mineral processing and metallurgical wastes. This paper provides a summary of the radiological issues normally encountered in the REE concentrate production industry. In addition to an introduction to background radiation and radioactivity, including the thorium and uranium radioactive decay series, radiation levels expected to be encountered in REE concentrate production are outlined. The occupational, environmental and regulatory aspects of REE production related to NORM, including radiation dose limits, radioactive waste disposal guidelines, and threshold VALUES (for the application of transport regulations, are presented.INTRODUCTIONConcurrent with the increasing demand for new sources of rare earth elements (REE) to meet modern industrial needs, there is also an increasing awareness of the radioactivity associated with the REE ores and resources. This is an especially important consideration in addressing questions from the public and local communities who are often concerned about “radiation” and “radioactivity”. Public concern is heightened by reference to legacy issues that arose during times of less regulatory oversight; as well, the benefits of modern technologies, practices and regulation are overlooked. Such concerns are also often inflamed by unfounded claims by non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). Thus, it is important that all concerned have a full understanding of just what the potential risks from radiation associated with REE are, or are not. This paper provides an overview of the sources of radioactivity, the potential implications of radiation and radioactivity in the REE industry, and a brief discussion of established and reliable methods of managing exposure to radiation and radioactivity."

Jan 1, 2012

By Sergio Bustos

A significant expansion project is under way at KATCO?s Torkuduk In Situ Leaching (ISL) operation to increase uranium production up to about 4000 tU/year. Higher flows and lower uranium concentration are expected in the rich solutions coming from the well fields. Therefore, extra adsorption and elution columns and modified operating conditions are required to deal with the increased demand for uranium transfer from the ISL solutions to the eluate solution, which goes to the uranium precipitation section. Resin adsorption and elution performance have been interpreted and projected by using Mac Cabe-Thiele equilibrium diagrams. The resin load, the adsorption mass transfer coefficient, the adsorption zone height and the eluate concentration have been estimated for the expected changing operating conditions associated to the future mine plan. This information has allowed to improve the present operation results and to define the main process design criteria for the expansion project.

Aug 1, 2010

By Hervé Toubon, Matthieu Davrinche, Jim Corman, Mamane Bello Boubacar Kinassa, Pierre Amadieu

Orano Mining maintains a significant level of Innovation and Development Research for its sites in Canada, Niger, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and France. This effort is formalized within the six major thematic programs below, which include more than one hundred affiliated R&D projects:  Geological understanding, tools and methods for exploration  ISR technology (geology, modeling, mining development tools)  Mining technology (SABRE)  Ore treatment and processing (in particular via our Centre for Innovation for extractive metallurgy, CIME)  Environment (radiochemistry, modeling, tools and methods for remediation)  Digital Mine (sensors, transmission, database, and data modeling) This paper describes the main actions of these six programs, their stakes, and their progress. There is no single path leading to innovation but fostering an innovative context and a structured project approach are essential ingredients to successful development and industrial deployment. As a result, Orano Mining has, over the years, developed a disciplined methodology for R&D portfolio and project management. This methodology, presented here, targets a reduction in time to implementation while valuing both the expertise and the work in project mode.

Jan 1, 2020

By A. Belleau, F. Lavoie

"Quebec Iron Ore Limited (QIO), a subsidiary of Champion Iron Limited (Champion), secured assets in early 2016 from the previous Bloom Lake operations in the heart of the Labrador Trough region of Northern Quebec, Canada. A plan was developed to bring the Bloom Lake facility back in operation once the iron ore market conditions improved. The project restart involved several aggressive moves to change operational effectiveness, one of which was the utilization of the existing Phase 1 Plant with an upgraded process flowsheet and equipment. The production target was 7.4 million tonnes per annum of 66% iron ore concentrate with an approximate 10% increase in iron ore recovery. The Phase 1 upgraded flowsheet was initially based on review of historical Phase 1 data and pilot testing data undertaken during the original Phase 1 operation and was finalized once additional metallurgical test work and process modeling was carried out by Mineral Technologies in late 2016. The final upgraded flowsheet is comprised of rougher spirals, rougher middling scavenging spirals, and an up-current classifier (UCC) with overflow scavenging spiral stage. A portion of the gravity circuit tailings treated by a series of wet high intensity magnetic separators (WHIMS) to boost overall iron recovery. This paper will describe the efforts taken to test and design the Bloom Lake Phase 1 upgraded flowsheet and report on the plant performance since commissioning in first quarter of 2018.SITE HISTORY The Bloom Lake iron mine property is located approximately 13 km north of Fermont, Quebec, and 10 km north of the Mont Wright iron ore mining complex, property of ArcelorMittal Mines Canada. The Bloom Lake mine facilities include a 32 km railway to efficiently transport the high-quality iron concentrate to a loading port located in Sept-Iles, Quebec. The Bloom Lake property was first explored in 1951 and went through multiple minor exploration campaigns by different companies up until 1998. A major exploration program was conducted by Quebec Cartier Mining (QCM) in 1998. This program included line cutting, surveying, diamond drilling, geological mapping, mini-bulk sampling, bench-scale preliminary metallurgical test work and preparation of a “mineral resource” estimate."

Jan 1, 2019

By Kamran Esmaieli

Open Pit Mining Through Underground Voids: Challenges Main Challenges/Hazards: Unexpected collapse of the pit floor and/or pit walls; The loss of equipment and/or people into underground voids; Loss of explosives from blast holes that broken through into the underground voids. How to address these challenges? An important step that must be integrated into mine planning and design is the accurate detection and delineation of underground voids. (i.e. probe drilling, Geophysical techniques, laser scanning,?); Leaving a pillar of adequate thickness between the working bench and the underground voids; Backfilling the underground voids from surface using vertical or inclined raises; Monitoring the working locations (pit floor and pit slopes) to detect movements.

May 1, 2013

By G. G. Campbell

"HistoricalBARYTES was mined in Nova Scotia as early as 1874 from a deposit at Five Islands, on the north shore of Minas Basin. The first record of the presence of the mineral at the Walton site appears in a report by Selwyn in l893, who states: ""Barytes in considerable quantity occurs in veins in lime-stones at Walton and Pembroke"". The exact site of the present workings was marked •on a map published by Fletcher in 1905.The economic •possibilities of this deposit, however, were not recognized until 1940, at which time we were at war with Germany, who up to that time had supplied 50 per cent of the world's requirements.At that time the Nova Scotia Department of Mines, recognizing the need for certain strategic minerals, induced Canadian Industrial Minerals, Limited, to send prospectors into 'the area to look for manganese. No manganese deposits were found, but a deposit of barytes was directed to their attention, and exploration and development work on the occurrence was proceeded with.IntroductionThe south shore of Minas Basin between the Avon river at Windsor and the Stewiacke river at Maitland has long been known as a potential source of mineral wealth. It had attracted the attention of mineralogists and in the past had produced considerable tonnages of manganese ore and gypsum. Depletion of ore in surface and near surface deposits resulted in a dwindling production, until today only deposits of gypsum are worked."

Jan 1, 1952