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By H. Oterdoom, S. Pilger, T. P. Bui, J. Rotarius

"Most FeNi furnaces used to rely on post-combustion and off-gas cooling inside the furnace to eliminate the produced CO gas, and control the off gas temperature. As furnace load, capacity, and thus gas volumes increased over the years, this led to increased instabilities that can cause problems in controlling the operation. Some of the large capacity furnaces nowadays work with partial or full combustion outside the furnace, more similar to the steel industry. Forced combustion with or without enriched air and other additions can support in controlling post-combustion, stabilizing and even reducing off gas amounts, and affecting composition. This paper presents some of the possibilities and advantages of having a specially designed post-combustion system for the FeNi laterite industry, but that could also be applied to other processes as well.Large Scale Furnaces In the FeNi industry, the Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace (RKEF) process is still going strong in spite of continuous hope that hydrometallurgical processes will one day make the RKEF plant obsolete. Within the pyrometallurgical plants there is a continuous trend for larger scale furnaces. The development for a number of furnaces that were started before 1985 and increased capacity by “natural growth” is given in Figure 1. Natural growth refers to the development of the plants that after having mastered a certain level of operation, were ready for a higher load that could be installed either with a new furnace on the same site, or during a revamp. The advantages of natural growth are numerous, for example: •,Deep knowledge of the ore and its’ behavior, no need for testing, and little risk of surprises. •,Mining, laboratory, equipment, etc. is all proven technology for the conditions on site. •,Starting a furnace with increased capacity is a re-start, not a green-field commissioning. •,Typically, when increasing the production capacity of an existing plant, not the entire plant is commissioned for the first time, but only a part. In the FeNi laterite industry for example, the kilns may already have had the capacity to provide enough material."

Jan 1, 2017

By Chris M. Healey

"Abstract - Perhaps the single most significant variable in the evaluation of a mining project is the reserve estimate. Many parameters are considered when estimating reserves, among them geology. This paper examines the link between the quality of a reserve estimate and a good understanding of the geological controls for the deposit. A clear understanding of the geometry is essential to the accurate definition of the shape and size of the deposit. This includes the definition of any structural controls as well as the proper interpretation of the stratigraphy. Further when the distribution of grades is erratic and there is consequently a high nugget effect, there are significant problems in estimating the true grade of the deposit.Two Saskatchewan examples are presented, one with good knowledge of the controls and therefore good estimates of reserves, and the other with a poor understanding of the geology and resultant problems in deriving good estimates. In both cases the reserve estimates at various stages in the project development are compared to actual results from underground work. The first example is the Star Lake Mine where just about all the estimates were within 10% of the actual on both tonnage and grade. The Laurel Lake deposit is discussed to show how problems in interpreting the geological data make reserve estimation very difficult. Laurel Lake has the additional problem of erratic grade distribution."

Jan 1, 1992

By M. L. McAllister, M. Veiga

The mineral industry has seen many significant changes in the past decade. Increasingly, it has responded to unanticipated pressures and demands with a variety of voluntary initiatives. Yet there is still much to do. Mining now takes place in a different context than was the case in the past. Socio-economic, political and environmental considerations must now be integrated into traditional mining systems. This process of integration needs to involve industry, governments, academics, communities and other stakeholders to design a new approach to mining, one that can be fostered through interdisciplinary links and holistic strategies. This paper considers the meaning of sustainability in the context of the Canadian mining industry and explores the need for a broader vision for the mining industry. The role of technology is then analyzed and related to an initiative recently taken by Canadian universities to develop a national network for interdisciplinary research into sustainable mining, CaSM.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. Llewellyn

"Wear damage is responsible for very high maintenance costs and significant production losses in the oil sands industry of northern Alberta.It affects all areas of operations and involves a panoply of wear mechanisms from low stress sliding abrasion at extremely frigid temperatures during winter mining, to elevated temperature erosion/corrosion in processes where bitumen is converted to lighter hydrocarbon products.There is no universal panacea to defend against such diverse attack and a wide selection of resistant materials and systems is employed. These range from relatively soft rubbers which rely on their elastic properties for their protective capability, to some of the hardest ceramics and cermets which are currently available commercially.Details are presented of the characteristics and forms of the variety of wear materials being used and how they relate to the requirements of their areas of application. The review focuses on the practices followed at Syncrude Canada Ltd., which is the larger of the two commercial oil sands plants."

Jan 1, 1997

By G. Favini

A Bayesian decision model of minimun risk, based on the probability and costs of mine discoveries and non-economic projects, is presented for massive sulphide exploration in the Canadian Shield. The sample used for the model is composed of data relating to forty mines, sixty non-economic sulphide occurrences, and sixty occurrences of graphitic and pyritic material. These economic and barren samples consist of drill-tested occurrences which were, in varying degree, characterized by conductivity anomalies. Given the large size, the reliability and the homogeneity of the data base available for massive sulphide exploration, it is shown that certain statistical models can and should be utilized as a tool for decision-making by explorationists. Given this data base, information theory tells us that only those signals that are independent of one another will transmit information with minimum error. An ensemble of six significant multilevel signals, markedly independent of one another and consisting of numeric and geometric form descriptions derived from Bouguer anomaly, aeromagnetic and physiographic maps, were identified and evaluated by case studies. The use of these signals as input in a simple statistical procedure, or in a carefully planned and experienced visual appreciation scheme, can be of significant aid in decisions concerning the choice of favourable areas or sectors to explore in detail. The method of discriminant analysis is theoretically and practically suited for the statistical modelling involved. By way of a simulation on our statistical model, the efficiency of the model and of the underlying criteria is determined for historic cases and, by inference, for its validity in future exploration. An approximate optimized solution is derived from the model which suggests that over 90% of the known ore could be found by screening, according to a model such as that herein described, and drilling only 30% of the targets (mostly barren) normally identified and tested in current and past exploration.

Jan 1, 1979

By W. G. Jeffery

"The mining and mineral industries have been, and remain, a major component of the Canadian economy. There are approximately 560 producing mining establishments of which there are some 130 metal mines and an equal number of non-metal mines, the balance being quarries for stone, sand and gravel. For 17 metals and minerals, Canada ranks within the top five as a world producer. There are 29 metallurgical plants. Employment in mining, smelting and refining was about 150000 in 1990. Mineral production, including coal, is about $20 billion. Exports up to the metal stage amount to $15 billion providing a positive trade balance of some $10 billion.The producing industry has a wide diversity of products. The companies range from small single mining operations to large multinationals. In terms of technology the industry has always been in the forefront of cost-effective practice, either using home-grown innovation or freely importing technology from around the world,The Mining Industry Technology Council (MITEC) makes an annual survey of the exploration and R&D expenditures of the senior mining industry that is the mining companies that are involved in mineral production from their existing mines. It does not include those companies solely involved in exploration using funds raised through equity sales.Table 1 shows the actual R&D and exploration expenditures as a per cent of sales. R&D shows a rising trend since 1988although the drop in value of output due to lower prices must be recognized as contributing to the increase. The point about this compilation is that the mining industry re-invests some 4070 of its sales in both exploration and R&D in order to sustain itself. Exploration for the renewal of metal inventories for future mining is a process unique to mining. It is not classified as R&D, and the necessity for this investment goes unrecognized by those who state that the industry does not do enough R&D."

Jan 1, 1993

By H. O. Seigel

Induced Polarization includes many types of dipolar charge distributions set up by the passage of current through consolidated or unconsolidated rocks. Among its causes are concentration polarization and electrokinetic effects in all rocks and the phenomenon of Overvoltage in rocks containing electronic conductors such as metallic sulphides and graphite. In normal rocks the polarization effects may be usually con-fined within relatively narrow limits and any large departures may be at-tributable to the presence of electronic conductors. In practice, Induced Polarization is measured in one of two ways. In the first a steady current of some seconds duration is passed and abruptly interrupted and the slowly decaying transient voltages existing in the ~round are measured after interruption. This is known as the "pulse", "transient", or Direct Cur-rent Induced Polarization (D.C.I.P.).The second method entails a comparison of apparent resistivities using sinusoidal alternating current of two or more frequencies, generally within the range of 1/10 to 10 c.p.s. Induced Polarization extends the

Jan 1, 1962

By Zihe Ren, Edouard Asselin, Marcus Tomlinson, Tianbi Zhang, Jing Liu

"Raman spectroscopy is used to quantify the extent of disorder in the carbonaceous matter associated with preg-robbing ores. Previous studies of Goldstrike ores showed that the height and width of the peaks for the “D” (disordered) and “G” (graphite) bands, the so-called “Raman ratio” had a strong correlation to the preg-robbing value (PRV) measured for various ore samples. A brief literature review on Raman spectroscopy as it applies to preg-robbing ores is presented. Further, recent studies, presented here, have shown no correlation between the Raman ratio and the PRV for a wide variety of ores. This suggests that the extent of organic carbon crystal disorder is not the main factor in determining preg-robbing characteristics.INTRODUCTION Preg-robbing may arise from natural carbonaceous materials in the ore. Several mechanisms have been proposed in the past decades including a physical sorption process by the carbonaceous matter, or via the reduction of aurocyanide at the mineral surface (Abotsi & Osseoasare, 1986; Afenya, Osseoasare, & Abotsi, 1983; Tan, Feng, Lukey, & Van Deventer, 2005). Nevertheless, the mechanisms of preg-robbing remain poorly understood. Understanding the nature of the preg-robber is of practical importance for the selection of a suitable treatment process. Fine carbon particles in the ore have been recognized as preg-robbers due to their similarity to the activated carbon used in the carbon in leach (CIL) or carbon in pulp (CIP) processes. Previous research has illustrated that the activated carbon (also referred to as amorphous carbon in some literature) has a much higher absorption ability than pure graphite with high crystallinity (Adams & Burger, 1998). Adams et al (Adams, Swaney, Friedl & Wagner 1996) concluded that carbonaceous matter is largely responsible for the overall preg-robbing capacity of a given ore. However, the mechanism of carbon preg-robbing was still not clear mostly due to the complexity of amorphous carbon and its behavior in different solution matrices, and at different pH and temperature (Adams, 1990, 1993)."

Jan 1, 2017

By W. Dan Hausel

"Hundreds of diamonds have been found in the United States. The majority of the discoveries occurred during the 19th century as a by-product of placer gold mining. Most of these early diamond finds have no known source, and in many cases are situated in areas unfavorable for diamond exploration based on current models that require kimberlite or lamproite to be emplaced in a stable Archean craton or Proterozoic craton margin.Diamonds have also been recovered in situ from lamproite at Murfreesburo, Arkansas, from kimberlite in the Lake Ellen region of Michigan, and in several kimberlites in the Colorado–Wyoming State Line district. Unverifed reports also suggest that diamonds may have been recovered from other related intrusions at a number of localities in the United States.IntroductionTo date, diamonds have been recovered in situ from kimberlite in the Colorado–Wyoming State Line district and from a kimberlite in Michigan. Additionally, diamonds have been recovered from lamproites in Arkansas. Diamonds have also been reported from kimberlite in Kansas, and from peridotite in New York and Maryland. However, these latter reports have not been verified."

Jan 1, 1995

By E. M. De Souza, R. Penner

"Water is encountered at the majority of underground mines, both over their lifetime and during each stage of development and production. The dewatering system is one of the most important and costly components of an underground mining operation and it is often not well designed and analyzed. An effective design of a mine dewatering system will greatly reduce its energy cost as well as improve working conditions and reduce production costs. A computer-based system, called Qpump, has been developed to assist the underground operator to effectively design and/or assess over-all and local mine dewatering systems. The design features and principles used in the development of Qpump are introduced and an example which illustrates typical applications is presented.IntroductionTraditionally, dewatering operations have been given lower priority than many other operations in underground mining. Invariably water will be encountered during the sinking of the mine shaft, during development and subsequent production. The dewatering system thus becomes a very important component of an underground mine operation and, in fact, any mine manager will attest to the importance and necessity of an efficient mine dewatering system.The water problem is of varying importance at different mines. There are several factors that contribute to the water encountered. It is a function of the mining method and techniques utilized (backfill system, drilling and raising technology, dust control sprays, shaft water rings, etc.) and of prevailing conditions (ground water, rock structure and permeability). In some cases a mine may be so dry that little pumping is required while in others, the weight of water pumped may exceed by many times that of ore mined.The successful design and application of a mine dewatering system is dependent upon the operating conditions of each specific operation. There are no standard procedures and systems which can be used for all mining situations. However, an effective water system will greatly reduce the energy and production costs of a mine, improve working conditions and eliminate headaches because of flooded working places."

Jan 1, 1993

By C. Fleming, J. R. Goode

ABSTRACT: Data were produced from two uranium project studies that were conducted in 2008, both involving uranium recovery from leached slurry by resin-in-pulp (RIP) with strong base resins. In both studies, excellent metallurgical results were produced. The loaded resins were eluted with strong sulphuric acid and recycled through RIP circuits in an integrated process. Resin losses by either abrasion or mechanical breakage were immeasurably low. Metallurgical results from these two campaigns are presented, along with a case study economic analysis of RIP versus the alternative processes of counter-current-decantation or filtration and solvent extraction.

Jan 1, 2011

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 Norma G. González

La littérature et notre expérience en Bolivie dans une communauté minière très divisée comme celle de Huanuni nous montrent le besoin d?envisager des négociations gagnant-gagnant entre communauté et entreprise minière, non pas comme un point de départ, mais comme un résultat à atteindre, qui nécessite la préparation de conditions préalables. Cela implique fondamentalement de mettre l?accent sur le processus qui permettrait par la suite aux parties de mieux traiter les questions de contenu. Suivant cette hypothèse générale, l?initiative conjointe entre le Ministère des ressources naturelles du Québec et le CECI ?Développement des mécanismes de négociation entre communauté et entreprise minière? peut dégager, après un an et demi d?expérience pilote dans le site minier de Huanuni, département d?Oruro, Bolivie, les leçons préliminaires suivantes. Ce processus requiert: ??Agir, en tant qu?organisme consultant tierce partie, selon des principes et une méthodologie qui relèvent de la Communication publique et de la Médiation ; ??Comprendre et agir à partir de la ?réalité sociale? des parties en présence: l?entreprise minière, l?État et les différents groupes de la communauté; ??Intervenir sur les ?réalités sociales? des parties, par des actions d?éducation et de diffusion dans le but de préparer les personnes, les institutions et les organisations de la société civile, à des changements durables du modèle de communications existante; Approfondir la compréhension de la ?réalité sociale? du conflit (la culture du conflit, les méthodes populaires de résolution des problèmes et de gestion des conflits) afin d?offrire aux bénéficiaires les technologies appropriées pour la transformation de cette culture de confrontation violente en gestion constructive des conflits. Par ricochet, nous espérons ainsi faciliter l?attraction des investissements dans le secteur minier.

May 1, 2001

"Geological investigation in the Appalachian region of Canada began more than 150 years ago. The distribution of rock formations, and their ages and regional structure are today reasonably well known in most parts of the region to 1-or 2-mile scale. Most Newfoundland geology is known only to 4-mile scale. About 200 earth scientists carry out research in the region, of whom about 25 per cent are government employees, 50 per cent university staff and graduate students, and 25 per cent industry employees.Increased activity is needed toward both regional analyses and problem studies through the efforts of multi-disciplinary teams. The ultimate objectives of earth science must be the discovery and development of mineral re•-sources and the use and conservation of natural material in the environment, all for the benefit of the local in-habitants. To accomplish this, the scientific community must carry out an array of research projects ranging from the technical products of geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys through to the research products de-signed to renew theories and hypotheses bearing on natural processes. Some scientific sub-objectives are listed.Recommended is the increase and broadening of communication among Appalachian scientists, specifically those resident in the Atlantic Provinces. It is proposed that an Appalachian Division of the Geological Association of Canada be formed to provide a forum for discussion of Appalachian topics. In addition, a committee or council of university, industry and government earth scientists should be formed to examine the state of the science in the region, to identify programs of investigation and individual projects of research, and to recommend methods of approach. If the committee succeeds and the scientific community acts upon the recommendations, the quantity, quality and pertinence of research will increase, and earth science will better serve Appalachian society."

Jan 1, 1970

By Frank E. Lathe

During the war the National Research Council at Ottawa sent out questionnaires to the managers of nearly all the industrial plants in Canada. Inquiry was made as to the research equipment possessed, the number of research workers employed and the nature of the research problems which still remained unsolved. Practically all the companies reported that they had no special facilities for research, had no re-search workers and did not require the assistance of the National Research Council-because they had no research problems. Perhaps we have here one of the chief reasons why certain of our manufacturers find themselves unable to meet foreign competition. For hundreds of years the Indian tribes of northern Chile worked, in a small way, the copper deposits at Chuquicamata. They had no research problems and made no striking success of their mining operations. Then came an American company with a research problem, which they proceeded to solve. To-day the stock of that company has a market value of about $140,000,000.

Jan 1, 1926

By Daniel D. M. Adams

In 2004, Rio Tinto started a major project to implement Mine Monitoring and Control (MMC) systems worldwide. A detailed selection processes was undertaken and migration to a standard system was started. Today systems are operating around the world and serve as the core of to many business processes. Implementations include highly union areas, large mines, centrally managed mines, and remote areas. Each implementation has unique challenges but all are working towards the common goal with common systems. This paper reviews two projects that Rio Tinto has deployed in diverse conditions. The projects are the Rossing Uranium upgrade from the original Wenco system to the common standard and Iron Ore of Canada?s general technology upgrade. Also discussed is the future of mining at Rio Tinto, specifically the drill automation projects, and how it is utilizing the common standard MMC systems.

May 1, 2010

By T. G. Carter

"Tremendous progress has been made in recent years towards developing computational tools that allow ready solution of most common rock engineering problems, with amongst the most advanced of the tools focusing on evaluating engineered openings within Synthetic Rock Masses. These new codes have the potential to allow much more realistic design, but they must not be used without careful calibration – prior to – during and – post completion of any modelling. This paper explores some of the pitfalls of inadequate data collection and suggests more emphasis be given to calibration. Guidelines for minimum levels of parameter data are suggested for improving application of basic to sophisticated modelling codes.INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUNDTremendous progress has been made in recent years towards developing computational tools that allow ready solution of most common rock engineering problems. The degree of sophistication now possible with some of the available codes allows one to tackle extremely complex problems that were not thought tractable even a decade ago. Indeed, generation of synthetic numerical rock masses, based on discrete fracture network representations that closely mimic actual rock mass conditions, such as are shown in Figure 1, is today relatively straightforward, and not as user-challenging as employing state-of-the-art codes of even a few decades ago. This is largely because major improvements in computer graphics and in availability of ready-made user-friendly input-output interfaces have paralleled development of these new codes, now in some cases outpacing actual new analytical/procedure developments. This is something of a reversal from the first few decades of DOS-based rock engineering computational experience, when only rudimentary graphics were available and user-friendly input-output interfaces were virtually non-existent."

Jan 1, 2015

By Mitchell P. Rothman

This paper concentrates on profits and other measures of return in the Canadian mining industry, especially in the non-mineral-fuels sector. The paper examines the historical patterns of mining profits, both before and after taxes, as compared with profits in other sectors of the Canadian economy, as well as some of the more important influences on mining profits. These include the prices of mineral products, provincial and federal tax policies with respect to mining , and the effect of inflation on mining profits and the financial position of mining firms - in each case, comparing mining with the other sectors of the economy. Finally, the paper provides an analysis of current and prospective rates of mining profits in relation to the capital required to ensure the future viability of the Canadian mining industry.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. Bonin, R. P. Preston

"This paper presents a series of case studies where spherical camera photographs were used to generate 3D shaft models using photogrammetric methods. The shaft models were, checked for accuracy by comparing them to overlapping laser scan data, provided survey data or idealized shaft models. Short lengths of model were found to more accurately reproduce the shaft surface, with a best observed accuracy of 8 mm. Longer models encountered errors with accumulated errors as exhibited by slight deviations from vertical or slightly conical model shape. At present, the models are considered acceptable for general documentation and gross change detection. INTRODUCTION Shaft inspections are required by mining regulations in many jurisdictions and are commonly completed by trained mine personnel via visual inspections. This can be time consuming and prone to errors due to lapses in attention and the rapid travel rate required to inspect an entire shaft in a reasonable amount of time. Similarly, because of the time requirements, there can be impacts on other aspects of mining as a result of occupying the shaft for inspections. Spherical cameras with supplemental light systems offer a modern addition or alternative to conventional inspections. These cameras can be lowered relatively quickly to collect high definition, fully illuminated videos of the shaft that can be reviewed in detail later while the shaft returns to service (Gillis et.al., 2019). The use of cameras offers a further opportunity for valuable survey data generation from the same original data stream. The video data can be processed into three-dimensional (3D) models using Structure-from-Motion (Westoby et al., 2012) based photogrammetric methods. Depending on the quality of the source video and availability of survey control (required for all photogrammetry models) these models can be very accurate. Shaft surveying can be conducted with traditional theodolite methods but such surveys are time consuming and limited in their data density. Similarly, scans can be completed using conventional terrestrial laser scanners, but this requires a significant number of distinct setups to provide sufficient overlap between scans. Work is being conducted both on the laser scanning (SLAM, Durrant-Whyte & Bailey, 2006) and photogrammetry fronts towards kinetic scanning (Benecke, 2017) systems. The major advancement which is permitting these kinetic systems is Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) which can provide localization in GPS denied environments and reduce errors associated with the open traverse format associated with shaft scanning."

Jan 1, 2019

By D. J. MacKinnon

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

Jan 1, 1999