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By John D. Lupton

This paper will discuss the benefits and advantages of using 3D survey data in stope analysis. Obtaining detailed 3D survey data of underground mine progress and production is a challenge. It is almost impossible to ?see? around corners, underneath overhangs, or deep into dark, dusty, humid underground voids. Thus, valuable ore can remain permanently encased in backfill. Without the benefit of 3D survey data, underground mines have the difficult task of meeting grade quotas without the benefit of knowing exactly what has been mined. Lack of this data usually results in unfavorable month end Reconciliation factors, where grades must be adjusted to match grades assessed by the Mill.

Apr 1, 2005

By J. B. Edwards

"The case is presented for the use of simulators for the computer-based training (CBT) of mining plant operators and for introducing them to automatically controlled systems. As well as their use in the classroom, the role of simulators is examined for ""on-plant"" use in trouble-shooting, fault-finding and maintenance of automatic systems. Case studies are presented showing how specific simulators are becoming established or have potential in the areas of automated materials handling, machine testing, setup and guidance. The evolution of scientific simulations into simulators of widespread practical use is discussed and present-day limitations of computer speed and graphics are considered. Related areas of research for the Canadian Centre for Automation and Robotics in Mining (CCARM) are identified.IntroductionCCARM's Commitment to Simulator DevelopmentAs automation is progressively developed and exploited in mining operations, there arises an urgent need to educate and train staff responsible for its introduction and operation in our mines and for its maintenance. For this purpose , an essential ingredient of an automation program is the development of appropriate mining system simulators for use by a wide variety of personnel. The author has been fortunate to have been closely involved with the development of automatic control systems for a variety of mining machines and mining systems in the United Kingdom. A key ingredient of the research phase in each case has been the use of simulation techniques. As projects have moved toward their commissioning and exploitation phase, the simulations have evolved into simulators tailored for use by machine operators and maintenance personnel. Illustrative case studies are presented later. The researach of the newly constituted Canadian Centre for Automation and Robotics in Mining (CCARM) will likewise involve extensive simulation, and the development of simulators (from the scientific programs) for use at the mine by operators and technicians will be given high priority in the Centre's over-all work program."

Jan 1, 1990

By P. R. A. Andrews, R. K. Collings

"There are more than thirty-five deposits or occurrences of celestite in Canada, chiefly in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia. Deposits of economic interest are the Lake Enon and MacRae deposits in the Loch Lomond district of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Two Cape Breton deposits were operated from 1969 to 1976 by Kaiser Celestite Mining Limited, which supplied an upgraded celestite concentrate to an associated strontium carbonate plant at Point Edward, near Sydney.The MacRae deposit is of current interest because of its possible development for strontium carbonate production using the ""black ash"" process. This process involves chemical leaching, rotary kiln calcining with petroleum coke, washing and treatment with carbon dioxide.Celestite is the basic material used in the manufacture of strontium chemicals, principally strontium oxide, carbonate, nitrate, chromate, chlorate, chloride, sulphide and phosphate. Strontium chemicals, in turn, are used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics, in pyrotechnic devices, in the production of strontium metal and in other metallurgical applications. Recently, strontium ferrites have been introduced into permanent ceramic magnets."

Jan 1, 1991

By Donald F. MacDonald

THE cement plant nearest to Nova Scotia is not far from Montreal. Cement is a heavy product which, because of its relatively low value, cannot stand a high freight charge without unduly enhancing its cost. This is one reason why cement costs are high in Nova Scotia. The regular retail price per bag (8772 lb.) in Antigonish is 85 cents, which would be $3.40 per Canadian barrel of 350 pounds, or $3.65 per American barrel of 376 pounds.It is said that the lowest wholesale price in Halifax is 65 cents per sack, which would be $2.60 per Canadian barrel or about $2.80 per American barrel. According to U.S. Bureau of Mines statistics, the average factory price for cement in 1937 was $1.48 per American barrel, which is practically the same as the value per barrel indicated in Dominion statistics for the Canadian output during that year. The difference between $3.40 and $1.48 is $1.92. It is evident that the average user of cement in the Mari-times pays a stiff premium because Maritime cement raw materials have not been developed. Rock-wool, the manufacture of which is rapidly increasing in Ontario and the United States, is much needed for building insulation in the cold climate of Nova Scotia.

Jan 1, 1939

By D. H. Stonehouse

Of the f ive Canadian cement producing regions- Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie and Pacific-Ontario has the greatest capacity and normally produces the most cement. However, during the last 5 years the greatest activity within the industry in Canada has been in the Prairie and Pacific regions where major capacity increases have taken place. Most Canadian cement companies produce normal Portland, high-earlystrength Portland and sulphate resisting Portland cements. Some companies also manufacture moderate Portland cement, and low-heat-of-hydration Portland cement. Escalating energy costs highlight the need for technology research into more energy-efficient equipment for the energy-intensive cement industry. The industry is well integrated and plants are well situated to support construction in Canada. Expansion into the United States has become common during the past decade.

Jan 1, 1984

By I. Spector

A SHORTAGE of cement in the Prairie Provinces, together with an aggressive policy on the part of the Saskatchewan Government in bringing new industries to the province, combined to create a favourable set of conditions for the establishment of Saskatchewan's first cement plant on the outskirts of Regina. Built by Saskatchewan Cement Corporation Limited, this single-kiln plant, tl1e latest addition to cement producers on the Prairies, began operations in the Fall of 1956. Location of the plant followed the trend of building cement manufacturing facilities in market areas rather than at raw material sources. In 1957, all assets of the Corporation were taken over by Inland Cement Company Limited and the plant and quarry now operate as Saskatchewan Cement Company, an Inland division. The Regina plant's production makes up approximately eleven per cent of the productive capacity of all plants in the Prairie Provinces. At present, two types of cement are manufactured -normal portland and sulphate resisting.

Jan 1, 1960

By H. Deveci, E. Y. Yazici, A. D. Bas

The leach solutions of waste of printed circuit boards (WPCB) may contain a wide range of base and precious metals with different concentrations due to heterogeneity of these wastes in composition. Therefore, selection of a suitable metal recovery method is of practical importance for downstream processing of pregnant leach solutions of WPCB. Sulphuric acid leaching of WPCB in the presence of a suitable oxidant is capable of dissolving base metals as well as precious metals such as silver. In this study, cementation of silver from sulphuric acid leach solutions of WPCB using metallic copper, aluminum and zinc was studied. The WPCB sample was assayed to have a silver content of 694 g/t. A synthetic leach solution containing 20 mg/L Ag in sulphuric acid solution (0.51 M H2SO4) was prepared based on the silver concentration in pregnant leach solutions of oxidative sulphuric acid leaching tests. Total sulphate concentration ([SO4 2-]T) was kept constant using sodium sulphate at 1 M. Metallic powders of copper (-850 +600 µm), aluminum (-425 +45 µm) and zinc (-45 µm) were used in the cementation tests. The effects of metal type (Cu, Al or Zn), dosage of metal powders (above the stoichiometric ratio by up to 2000-fold) and temperature (20-80°C) on the rate and extent of silver extraction from the solution was investigated. The effect of presence of copper on the cementation performance was also tested. Under suitable conditions high silver recoveries (>90%) was achieved using metallic copper and zinc while aluminum yielded the lowest silver recovery (i.e. 40% Ag). The kinetics of cementation by zinc was comparatively higher than that of other metals. Increasing the temperature was observed to significantly enhance both the rate and extent of silver cementation. SEM-EDS studies were performed to characterise the metallic powders after cementation.

Jan 1, 2016

By J. McCreedy

"The addition of Portland cement to hydraulic sand fill has resulted in the production of stable and self-supporting cemented sand fill. The use of cemented fill in the mines of The International Nickel Company has resulted in substantial economies in timber requirements, de-creased dilution of ore and greater flexibility in mining methods.Coupled with special mining techniques, it has permit-ted mining by both cut-and-fill and shrinkage stoping methods to much greater depths than heretofore. The use of cemented sand fill has permitted revisions to undercut-and-fill mining which have significantly improved the efficiency of this method.Automated mixing systems have been developed for preparing cemented sand fill in surface sand plants on a continuous throughput basis. Control of cement-sand mixtures is obtained by the use of a mass flow measuring system and weighing cement feeders."

Jan 1, 1966

By A. W. Johnston, R. E. Barrett

"The Central Patricia mine is in the greenstone belt north of lake Sc. Joseph in northwestern Ontario. It is 90 miles north of Allanwater on the Canadian National railway and 220 miles east of the Manitoba boundary. The unusual feature of the ore of this mine is that the gold does not occur in quartz but in sulphide minerals filling fractures in iron formation.AREAL GEOLOGYThe rocks of the area in which the mine occurs belong to the Early Precambrian. They consist · of andesite lavas and tuff interbedded with greywacke-like sediments and iron formation . A siliceous phase of the sediments lying north and south of the greywacke enclosing the ore-bearing iron formation in places resembles a sheared and sericitized quartz porphyry. This is shown in the legend of Fig. 1 as quartz porphyry and quartzite, but it is possible that the quartz porphyry-like phase is sediment. A northwest- striking dyke of diabase crosses the property 3,000 feet east of the shaft ( Fig. 1).IRON FORMATIONAlthough there are numerous bands of iron formation in the v1cm1ty of the mine, ore has been found to date in only one main and two lesser zones. The iron formation bands range in width from a few inches to 60 feet, and are interrupted along their strike by gaps that are parallel and rake to the east at about 65°. The iron formation is definitely banded and laminated."

Jan 1, 1954

By R. P. Nicholson

On September 3rd, 1947, the Acadia Coal Company put into operation a central coal preparation plant. This plant was designed to process all coals mined by this Company in the Pictou County coal field. The problem, briefly, was to make a three-way separation of the raw coal fed into the plant. It was desired to remove all stone, metal, and wood from the marketable coal and to produce a splint coal from the raw material which would be suitable for making power. This splint coal product is belted directly to the power plant which is adjacent to the wash plant. To attain this object it was therefore necessary, first, to wash the raw coal, removing all splint, stone, metal, and wood. The stone, metal, wood, and highest-ash splint had then to be removed by a second washing in order to obtain the lower-ash splint for use in the power plant. The plant is on the east side of the Allan colliery, in the town of Stellarton (see accompanying photograph). It is of steel frame construction with wood siding, covered on the exterior with corrugated galvanized iron. Considerable concrete had to be poured for the foundation piers as the plant site is largely 'fill' ground. This necessitated the construction of extremely heavy footings containing a large amount of reinforcing steel. In all, 884 cu. yds. of concrete were poured for the various pits, tanks, and foundations; its average test was about 3,500 lb. per square inch. At the time the plant was constructed, the steel shortage in Canada and the United States was acute and, in order to obtain steel for the structure which is four stories high- an unused part of the Allan bankhead was torn down. Enough steel was obtained from this demolition to fabricate the new plant.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. W. Sanger

The establishment of a central steam-heating system in Winnipeg and its inauguration in October, 1924, has attracted a considerable amount of attention. Not only does it excite the curiosity of the engineer, but it has stirred financial and civic bodies throughout Canada to such a degree that there is now a much keener general interest in this particular type of public utility than has been shown heretofore. This does not mean that we may expect a mushroom growth of central-heating systems in all our larger Canadian cities in the near future, but it does mean that the pioneer work which Winnipeg is now doing will undoubtedly be used to guide others in their judgment as to the feasibility of similar projects elsewhere. The success of the municipal hydro-electric system in Winnipeg, and the low rates for electricity resulting therefrom, was without a doubt the most important factor influencing the citizens of Winnipeg to venture into this new field. The events which led up to the central steam-heating proposal in Winnipeg are interesting.

Jan 1, 1926

By Pedram Sahba

In today?s emerging economy, pooling resources is a growing trend to reduce overall system costs. Two important resources of every maintenance department are repair shops and spare parts. In this work, we consider a system consisting of mine drills at multiple areas in a mine. In each area, a number of identical drills are operational. When a failure occurs, the defective component should be repaired in a designated repair shop. The failed component can be replaced immediately if a spare part is available. Otherwise, the drill is down until a component is repaired and put back into service. In this paper, the effect of pooling resources is examined, and the conditions under which it is beneficial to pool the resources are investigated. In addition, determining the optimal number of stand-by units, equipment or spare parts, in each case is of interest.

May 1, 2013

By G. W. Poling

"Construction, equipping and planned operation of a new laboratory for engineering-teaching and research in coal and mineral processing is described. This facility will provide approximately 1860 m2 (20,000 ft. 2 ) of laboratory space with nearly half devoted to a new venture in coal preparation. Two high-bay, overhead crane-accessed areas will accommodate major unit operations for each of the ""coal"" and ""mineral"" laboratories. COAL PREPARATION FACILITIES:The coal facility provides three main functional areas:(1) Sample preparation (drying, blending, crushing, screening) and sink-float washability testing.(2) Unit operations U1igh-bay, serviced by crane).(3) Analytical laboratories.(l) Sample Preparation and Sink-Float TestingBreaking or comminution of coal will be accomplished using a rolls crusher, a hammer mill, a jaw crusher, or a pulverizer. Capacity to prepare coal at rates of up to approximately 4 tph will be provided by some of these units. Large diameter (~0.5m) baths of heavy organic liquids will be available for sink-float washability tests on coal samples of several kg. Particle sizes of up to 25 mm can be tested in these baths. Smaller scale washability tests on finer samples will be accelerated by centrifuges."

Jan 1, 1980

By B. V. Knelson

"GENTLEMEN:This paper will deal with centrifugal separation - theory and practical, and since the Knelson Concentrator is the only centrifugal concentrator with a properly fluidized bed, this paper will cover the Knelson Concentrator and its technical and structural advances over the last five years. As I am the person with the most experience in this line, I guess I am some kind of an expert; what kind I’m not sure, but some kind.This type of concentrator truly was developed because I’m lazy and I constantly look for easier ways to do things. My experience in the mining industry was very limited but I did realize in looking at placer operations, which is the application where I spring from, that it was tremendously labour intensive and my first reaction that ""my god, there must be some method or way-of handling product in a more efficient (and you can read that as being able to quickly recover very fine particle gold) way than was being shown at that time"". So, the Knelson Concentrator was born - about 6 or 7 years later. Our first attempt was a cone with about the same degree of slope as our present machine and since we had no knowledge of vibration dampening and centrifugal forces at that point, it was just an idea that this should work.Our first run was one of twenty minute duration. We did make that first machine variable speed by a mechanical belt system and we found that at about 240 rpms we were virtually shaking the gravel plant apart that we were attached to. So the first run was twenty minutes and back to the drawing board. However, that first run produced a concentrate so superior to anything we had seen previously, that we knew without any question, we were definately and accurately on the right track."

Jan 1, 1985

By T. Xu

"The CTL-500 centrifugal extraction machine, which was independently developed by Baotou Shibo Rare Earth Extraction & Equipment Co., Ltd., is presented in this article. The machine is based on centrifugal extraction principle and has been used in P507-HCl-RECl3 extraction system. Automatic control has been utilized in the system. In this paper, a comparison is made between centrifugal extraction and conventional mixer-settler extraction and satisfactory results are shown. INTRODUCTIONCentrifugal extraction is a fast and efficient liquid-liquid extraction method. The process includes solute transfer and separation of the two liquid phases. In the CTL-500 machine, the organic and aqueous phases individually enter a lower mixing chamber in certain proportions and are mixed and dispersed and solute thereby transferred from one phase to the other. The mixed phases pass into a rotating drum and the two liquid phases are separated under centrifugal force. As it flows upward, the aqueous phase, which has a higher specific gravity, flows away from the rotating drum centre towards the drum wall and the organic phase flows towards the drum center. The two liquid phases enter into collection chambers through independent weir plates and are discharged from the machine.The centrifugal extraction machine has been widely used in liquid-liquid separation, either without solid or with small quantities of solids (Chen, Zhang, Zhuo, Chen & Li, 2008; Duan, Jing, Zhu & Chen, 2007; Duan, Zhou & Zhou, 2006). Examples of the use of the centrifugal contactor include the separation of water from crude oil, treatment of heavy oil and diesel to eliminate water and salt; the extraction of penicillin, garlic oil, malathion, and interferon; the hydrometallurgy recovery of nickel, copper and uranium; extraction of edible oil, spice, refined oil and food color; treatment and recycle of print and dyeing wastes; treatment of hydroxybenzene-contaminated sewage by multistage extraction and separation of water from oil in ship sewage."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. J. Mitchell

"Centrifuge modelling of earth structures is a well-proven technique for evaluating the performance of prototype structures using physical models. The applications of this technique have increased dramatically during the last decade such that even the modelling of dynamic responses in structures has been accomplished.This paper presents the first model test results used to design a mine backfill. The models were tested using a 3 m radius 30 g-tonne geotechnical centrifuge which was constructed at Queen's University specifically for model studies on mine backfill stability and subsidence. The models represent the first production blast-hole stope to be mined at Westmin Resources Ltd. 's H. ~ Mine on Vancouver Island. This paper includes photographs of:model failures in the centrifuge and correlations of model test results with analyses based on unconfined and triaxial test data.IntroductionDuring the feasibility study and development stages for the H.W. Mine, Westmin Resources Ltd. conducted a comprehensive rock mechanics and backfill engineering program. The results of these studies indicated the need for assurance of backfill stability during pillar recovery on the initial blast-hole mining block. The cemented tailings backfill had to be free standing for heights up to 25 m and the potential for surcharge loading from a weak hanging wall zone, the potential for fill block sliding down-dip and the potential for seismic loading had to be considered in the design of the fill strength. The basic questions to be answered were: what cement content is required and will the resulting backfill costs be economic relative to the proposed mining method and sequence? Figure I shows a typical cross-section through the first mining block . The up-dip stope is to be mined first and backfilled with cemented tailings . The down-dip stope would then be mined and filled. Depending on ground conditions encountered, the complete intervening pillar could be recovered and the void backfilled with uncemented tailings or it could be recovered in small sections by exposing limited back and wall areas, backfilling with waste rock and I or cemented tailings . This latter method is commonly referred to as the Avoca method"

Jan 1, 1987

By R. J. Mitchell

"The use of hydraulically delivered classified tailings sands to provide ground support in large mining operations is still widespread despite recent developments of alternate backfilling methods and materials. The major disadvantages of the use of hydraulic fill are the costs and risks associated with slurry delivery. The main risk is that of bulkhead failure resulting from sand liquefaction due to insufficient operational control or due to dynamic loading from earthquake or rockburst. That risk may be eliminated by the pouring of a stiff cemented sand plug in the base of each stope prior to continuous fill pouring in that stope. An additional advantage of cemented plugs is that massive bulkheads are not needed. Instead, a temporary (removable and reusable) bulkhead can be used for plug forming.Physical model studies of fill pressures on a temporary bulkhead were carried out in a 3 m radius centrifuge facility. Fill pouring in-flight was carried out in order to model prototype stress paths. The results indicate that the average bulkhead pressure is likely to be less than 10 kPa under normal operating conditions and less than 20 kPa under the poorest anticipated operating conditions which include smooth walls, high slimes content and high water-content slurries. A portable bulkhead consisting of a central core and a surrounding sealing bladder was modelled and found to be effective. The use of different sizes of cores allowed the stress distribution adjacent to these bulkheads to be evaluated."

Jan 1, 1992

By Euler M. De Souza

"This paper presents a study developed to assess the potential use of salt tailings as backfill to control surface subsidence and as a mine bulkhead used to isolate areas of potential brine inflows. A series of index tests, centrifuge model tests and quasi-static creep consolidation tests were performed to evaluate the creep and consolidation properties of salt backfl1l and to evaluate the effect of brine inflow and brine infiltration on backfill behaviour. The centrifuge models were specifically designed to study the mechanical behaviour of salt backfill under the influence of brine inflow and long-term creep. Test results indicated that salt tailings could be applied underground as a bulkhead to seal off areas of potential inflow with the additional advantage of controlling room closure and local back instability. It is hoped that this study will assist mine planners to develop contingency plans to control brine inflow occurrences. IntroductionThe use of salt tailings as backfill is a technique that would assist in the control of potential brine inflows and surface subsidence, and would have a very positive impact on the long term adverse environmental effects associated with surface salt tailings disposal. A centrifuge testing program was designed to evaluate the behaviour of salt tailings as backfill; the effectiveness of salt backfill as a bulkhead used to isolate areas of potential brine inflow and the potential use of salt backfill to control surface subsidence. The testing program was also used to evaluate the creep-consolidation properties of salt backfill and to evaluate the effect of brine inflow and brine infiltration on backfill behaviour. This paper presents the results of the experimental centrifuge testing program and a comparison of results with models tested under I g using an electrohydraulic servo-controlled loading frame (MTS) and a creep consolidation cell. Applicability of the results to practical underground soft rock mining is also discussed.The centrifuge model tests indicated that salt tailings could be applied underground as bulkheads to seal off areas of potential inflow with the additional advantage of controlling room closure and local back instability. Because the applied stresses (1.2 MPa) and fill consolidation were relatively low, the centrifuge simulated bulkhead did not retain all of the inflow brine. At typical field stresses it is expected that the fill would be able to seal off panels with brine inflows. Further testing at higher stresses are suggested to determine the consolidation and stress levels at which the fill would completely retain any potential brine inflow head and positively act as mine bulkhead."

Jan 1, 1994

By André R. Laplante

"This presentation reviews three continuous centrifuge separators, the Falcon-C, Kelsey Jig and Multi-Gravity Separator, two units with possible synergies with centrifuges, the In-Line Pressure Jig and InLine Leach Reactor, and two centrifuge prototypes, the continuous Knelson and the Altair Jig. Typical applications, potential problems, promising synergies and general concentration mechanisms are discussed. A general discussion on the sources of information, the nature of the fluidization water flow, test work for potential centrifuge separations and the early life cycle of new technology, using centrifuge separators as an example, follows. ResumeCette présentation fait le point sur trois appareils de séparation centrifuge, le Falcon-C, bac oscillant Kelsey et Multi-Gravity Separator; deux appareils qui présentent des synergies possibles avec les centrifuges, le bac oscillant In-Line Pressure Jig et le système InLine Leach Reactor; et deux prototypes centrifuges, le Knelson continu et le bac oscillant Altair. On y présente des applications typiques, les problèmes d’opération les plus usuels, les synergies les plus intéressantes. On discute également des sources d’information disponibles pour le minérallurgiste, de l’impact du mode d’ addition de l’eau de fluidisation, de la démarche expérimentale a faire avant d’installer un centrifuge, et du cycle de développement de nouveaux équipements, en utilisant les centrifuges comme exemple.IntroductionGravity separation has undergone a renewal in the past 20 years, much of it attributed to centrifuge units. The semi-batch Knelson Concentrator has probably received the most exposure, but it is rather because of the shear number of units sold than the width and breath of its applicability. It excels at recovery very dense minerals in very small concentrations, and has become a workhorse of the gold industry. Falcon’s Super-Bowl comes a distant second, with very similar applications. A number of copycats are available, and are generically identified as “Knelsons.” This presentation will not address these units explicitly, but as possible synergies."

Jan 1, 2000

By JOHN H. HUDSON

Ceramic clays of the Prairie Provinces range in age from Lower Cretaceous to Pleistocene and Recent. Two significant ceramic clay horizons are the Paleocene Willo wbunch Member of the Ravenscrag Formation in Southern Saskatchewan and the Upper Cretaceous Whitemud Formation, which is found in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The Willowbunch Member is worked at one locale in Saskatchewan; the Whitemud Formation is worked at several locales in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Bentonite operations are found at Morden in Manitoba, Rosalind and Onoway in Alberta, and Wilcox in Saskatchewan.

Jan 1, 1984