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By M. C. Bétournay, J. E. Udd

"The legacy of abandoned mines in Canada creates issues that impact on both the health and safety of Canadians and the environment. Solutions to the problems of abandoned minesites require a detailed understanding of site conditions, the engineering solutions which may be relevant, and planning for effective use of the land. In this paper, the authors outline the basic thrusts that have been developed at CANMET to address this problem. These include: multiprovincial agreements to develop a national database; methods of site rendering; a ten-year research program to develop engineering approaches; the review of a large number of case studies; and outlining the associated risks. Examples of the applications of this research are provided in the areas of: municipal, provincial, and federal co-operative projects; site-specific applications; and international linkages."

Jan 1, 1997

By Reinis Sipols

AGENDA ? Introduction ? Definitions and Key features ? PEA - Preliminary Economic Assessments ? PFS ? Preliminary Fesibility Studies ? FS ? Feasibility Studies ? Costs and Risks ? Cash Flow, Economic Analysis and Reporting ? Recommendations for Improved FS accuracy INTRODUCTION ? The reporting of material information on mineral deposits has been governed by NI 43-101 legislation for almost a decade. ? The investment sector depends on the independent, professional QP to provide objective observations, comments and recommendations through all levels of geological, engineering and financial evaluation until a mine construction decision has been made.

May 1, 2013

By M. Bryson, A. E. Brady, W. Dawes, G. Beer, N. Sehlotho

Mkango Resources Limited is developing the Songwe Hill Rare Earth Element Project in southeast Malawi. Since being awarded the exclusive exploration licence for the project in January 2010, Mkango has completed an extensive work programme including detailed mineralogical studies, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and trenching, environmental and social studies, two phases of diamond drilling, and extensive metallurgical test work. In October 2012, the company announced a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate comprising an Indicated resource of 13.2 million tonnes grading 1.62% total rare earth oxides (TREO) and an Inferred resource of 18.6 million tonnes grading 1.38% TREO. The Indicated mineral resource estimate formed the basis for commencement of the Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS). The mineralogical program identified the fluorocarbonate mineral, synchysite, and the phosphate mineral, apatite, as the primary rare earth element (REE) bearing minerals. Extensive flotation testwork conducted at Mintek in South Africa has resulted in an effective regime to increase the REO grade 2.6 times. Initial leaching testwork by Mintek identified that a selective hydrochloric acid (HCl) leach can target the gangue minerals with minimal REE dissolution. Recent testwork undertaken at Nagrom in Western Australia has expanded on this work to develop a two stage HCl leach process incorporating HCl recycling. A downstream processing route of purification and cerium rejection to produce a cerium depleted high grade REE concentrate suitable as feed to a separation facility is proposed.

Jan 1, 2014

By W. R. Bacon

"The Canam property is in southern British Columbia, 24 miles southeast of Hope. It is reached by 5 miles of road from Mile 26 on the Hope-Princeton Highway.Between the years 1930, when the property was discovered, and I 938 development work by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited included some open-cuts and six adits totalling 2,700 feet in length. Canam Copper Company Ltd. explored the property intermittently from 1947 to 1955 by diamond drilling and underground work, including driving No. 10 adit. From surface down to the level of No. 10 adit, about 1,250,000 tons of ore has been outlined with an approximate grade of 1.25 per cent copper, 0.8 ounce silver per ton, and 0.01 ounce gold per ton. The ore in the upper part of the deposit also contains a little molybdenum and a little uranium.In June, 1955 Canam Copper Company Ltd. made arrangements to have the property brought into production under the direction of Mogul Mining Corporation Ltd. of Toronto, and a new low level adit has been started.GENERAL GEOLOGYThe principal rocks on the Canam property are chert, cherty argillite, and argillite. They are considered to be Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous in age. Although massive bands to 150 feet in thickness occur, these rocks are in general thinly bedded. Conformable bands of pyrrhotite, a fraction of an inch in thickness, are not uncommon in the well-bedded rocks, and fine tourmaline can be observed in various places.The sediments strike slightly west of north and dip quite steeply, generally eastward; however, sharp divergences from this general attitude are fairly common.Dark grey dioritic sills, in which slender prismatic crystals are conspicuous, are fairly common in the sediments. In general the sills are less than 25 feet in thickness, but a few are as much as 100 feet thick. Under the microscope the sills are seen to consist largely of amphibole (pargasite) and plagioclase (near An50)."

Jan 1, 1949

By B. E. Halbert, K. T. Himbeault, S. L. Fernandes, R. L. J. Phillips, B. J. Topp

The Beaverlodge uranium mining and milling facilities operated from 1952 to 1981 with about 94% of the ore extracted from the main underground mine and 6% from smaller satellite deposits. Decommissioning work occurred from 1982 to 1985 involving periods of shutdown, salvage and reclamation. Transition phase monitoring, leading to eventual delicencing commenced in July 1985. Over the last 15 years, discharge from the tailings management facility (TMF) and a fresh water stream, impacted during the operational phase by tailings spills, has improved in water quality for most parameters of concern. Loadings to the environment of three key contaminants (radium-226, total dissolved solids, and uranium) have consistently been less than during the operational phase with radium-226 having the greatest variability. Outstanding environmental issues associated with the recovering drainage system formerly used for tailings disposal, are being addressed in an enhanced environmental monitoring program to commence in 2000. Changes in water chemistry and the natural re-introduction of aquatic organisms are issues of concern. In the meantime, application for release from selected satellite areas commenced in 1999. This paper reviews the issues which have arisen during the transition phase, outlines how they have and are being addressed, and provides a comparison of original and current predictions of the recovery process under way at the former Beaverlodge mine site.

Jan 1, 2000

By W. E. Newton

THE following notes are offered primarily to show that industrial minerals or their products have a much more important place in the metallurgical industry than is perhaps generally realized, and with the hope also that some statement by the metallurgical consumer of the relative merits of various materials for particular requirements or services will l;>e of value to the industrial mineral producer. These notes are not in any way presented as complete. Also, some of the statements made may be debatable. The grouping adopted is as follows: (1) Refractories; (2) Fluxes; (3) Construction materials; and ( 4) Miscellaneous applications. Fuels are not dealt with in the present paper. REFRACTORIES GENERAL: Refractories are materials which will withstand high temperatures with-out melting or becoming markedly soft or pasty. While their primary function is to withstand heat, they are usually called upon to resist one or more of the following destructive influences: abrasion, pressure, corrosion by slags or fluxes, and rapid changes in temperature. Refractory materials may be conveniently divided into three classes: (1) Acid refractories-consisting of silica, or containing silica as their chief constituent. They combine more or less readily with metallic oxides, forming silicates, and are hence termed 'acid'. The most important of these are quartz, quartzite, siliceous sand, tripoli, Dinas rock, and ganister. Most fire-clays, although generally considered neutral sub-stances, contain relatively small amounts of free silica and are, to that extent, acid. (2) Neutral refractories-the term is merely relative in most cases, since, at high temperature, many of the refractories that are classed as neutral will react chemically with a strong base, functioning as a weak acid; or, conversely, with a strong acid, functioning as a weak base. Chrome and graphite are the most nearly neutral of all the commonly used refractory materials.

Jan 1, 1936

By Terence M. Gordon, Mati Raudsepp, Gregory M. Dipple

Four methods of measuring mineral abundance in a rock are examined for their potential in assaying for high-tech industrial minerals. One method uses X-ray powder-diffraction data and the other three rely on whole rock chemical data and information on mineral assemblages and mineral compositions. All four methods were employed to estimate wollastonite content in diamond drill core of skarn collected as part of an exploration program and are compared to visual estimates of wollastonite content from core logs. These techniques for assaying wollastonite span a considerable range ofaccuracy and expense, and combined, define a non-linear relationship between these variables. Accuracy increases rapidly relative lo expense up to total costs of about $50 per analysis. Assay methods in the $50-100 per analysis range have associated errors of 5-10% relative and probably suffice for most exploration programs. Improvements in accuracy above this level require a much larger investment. The most expensive assay technique (-$300 per analysis) yields the most accurate measurement of grade (relative error -1%). Its application may best be limited to periodic checks on other assay techniques and for fine-tuning ofmineral separation procedures.

Jan 1, 2001

By J. B. Hamilton

The advantages of generating and distributing electrical energy direct from the coal-fields so closely affects the mining industry that a few remarks on the unbalanced phases of coal distribution is worthy of attention. The value of coal imported into Canada from 1912 to 1921 exceeded the sum of $580,000,000. In 1922 Ontario imported 1,640,000 tons of anthracite and 9,440,000 tons of bituminous coal. I submit that the use of Saskatchewan lignite in an electrical super-power plant equipped for the carbonizing of coal, and disposal of excess gases would be the commencement of a solution of the fuel shortage in Ontario. As Saskatchewan becomes more and more populated and manufacturing increases, the amount of by-product carbonized fuel available for shipment to Ontario will increase, and its shipment to that province would decrease the trade deficit of the national balance sheet. If and when this is carried out it will mean a better and wider market for Alberta fuels in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Jan 1, 1924

By S. Shimaya, T. Maejima, M. Shimo

"The authors conducted the in-situ gas-tightness tests in a fractured rock at the Namikata underground LPG storage site in Ehime prefecture, Japan. The test consisted of two independent setups, a gas-tightness test that used boreholes, and a chamber-scale test that used a horizontal drift sealed with a concrete plug. In each test, the gas pressure was increased up to the onset of the measurable gas flow to obtain the maximum containment pressure. This paper discusses the hydraulic conditions for gas leakage initiation and the importance of the pore pressure measurement for monitoring the gas-tightness of the LPG storage cavern based on the test results.INTRODUCTIONJapanese first underground LPG storage plant was constructed by JOGMEC, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, at Namikata in Ehime prefecture in granitic rocks (Kato et al., 2007). The “hydraulic sealing principle” (Åberg, 1977) that utilizes groundwater flow into an unlined cavern to prevent the leakage of gas through fractures in the surrounding rock mass was employed for storage of LPG. This paper describes the results of the in-situ tests performed at the Namikata Site to obtain information on fundamental gas-tightness characteristics of fractured rock. Two types of in-situ tests, a borehole gas-tightness test and a chamber gas-tightness test, were carried out near the storage caverns. Figure 1 shows the cavern layout of the Namikata underground storage plant and the test locations. The storage facilities consist of three caverns (W26m×H30m×L485m). The cavern crown lies at a depth of 150m below the sea level in Cretaceous granitic rock (Figure 1). Water curtain boreholes excavated from the water gallery tunnel at EL-125m level are located above and side of the caverns to prevent water drainage from fractures during the construction stage as well as during operation. The borehole tests were performed from a drilling adit excavated from the eastern end water gallery tunnel, while the chamber test was conducted at the southern edge of an exploratory drift extending from the central water gallery tunnel."

Jan 1, 2015

By Raju S. Sagi

This paper deals primarily with the different types of drilling methods used by the Iron. Ore Company of Canada for sampling the soft and friable hematite-limonite (secondary) iron ore deposits found in the Scheferville area. The problems associated with drilling, sampling, sample handling and sample preparation. for chemical analysis of these ores are discussed. Systematic evaluation of the various drilling methods led to the selection of an integrated drilling system. This system consists of a rotary dual- tube - reverse-circulation drill, with tricone bit, polymer mud and mechanical sample splitter, The historic al development of this drilling system is described in detail, as are the equipment , sample flow and quality control checks carried out to obtain representative samples. This integrated drilling and sampling system has been used satisfactorily on a routine basis for determining the grade and tonnage of ore for the various deposits for the last five years (1972-76) in the Schefferville area.

Jan 1, 1977

By F. Habashi

Lead is an ancient metal, has been produced to-date from its ores exclusively by pyrometallurgical route. The process suffers from high operating cost and excessive pollution problems. Extensive research has been going on since the beginning of the twentieth century to find a non-polluting process for its production and a solution for its complex refining scheme. It has been assumed correctly that the hydrometallurgical route should be the most promising. Pilot plants have been constructed and operated for a reasonable periods, but no process has proved to be satisfactory. As a result, a number of smelters and refineries have been shut down. The present review analyses the situation and suggests that the best route to treat lead sulfide concentrates is by leaching with fluoroboric acid, HBF4, containing ferric fluoroborate, Fe(BF4)3, and electrolyzing the solution in a diaphragm cell - - a process recently invented by Italian metallurgists. In this process, any silver present in the concentrate remains in the residue together with elemental sulfur and can be recovered by known methods.

Jan 1, 2008

By G. A. Peebles

"This paper describes the various types of radiometric instruments and the techniques of their operation for grade control, sampling, assaying and probing drill holes at Eldorado Nuclear's uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan. Modifications that have been made to these instruments are discussed, and suggestions are made for the development of more refined and specialized radiometric equipment."

Jan 1, 1969

By A. Ignatieff

"A practical picture of the effects of stress and of the structural environment in an extraction area in a bedded deposit is described, and the main factors of ground control where principles of rock mechanics can be applied are discussed. Reference is made to early work in Europe, where systematic rock mechanics studies started in coal mines, as well as to the early work in the Canadian coal mines.During the past two decades, considerable theoretical and experimental knowledge, pursued both in the laboratory and in the field, has accumulated throughout the world, but the state of the science still does not permit application of substantiated theory such as is found in the design of above-ground structures, largely because of the complexity of the rocks. The mining engineer, as oppm1ed to the civil engineer, is constantly faced by exposures of new ground that is often subject to unpredictable discontinuities. However, the rationale already developed by rock mechanics principles and experimentation provides concepts and information that may be useful in selecting mining layouts. These concepts and existing measuring techniques can also assist ground control as mining progresses.Many of the bedded deposits, much as coals and evaporites, have pronounced deformation properties, and there are limitations in making stress measurements within short distances of mine openings or extraction areas. On the other hand, the measurement of movement of the hanging wall (roof) and footwall (floor) of roadways and extraction faces, as well as the sides of pillars, provides a most useful tool in assessing ground stability.This paper is to be regarded as a brief progress report with particular reference to Canadian applications of rock mechanics to bedded deposits."

Jan 1, 1968

"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 J. L. Miller, R. W. Burns

This paper sets out the various phases of bringing a merchant bar mill into operation from feasibility consideration through financing, design and scheduling to completion.

Jan 1, 1967

By Arthur Notman

In view of the alarm expressed in many quarters over the increased production of copper to come from Canada and Africa in the future, it is of interest to study the history of the principal producing districts of the world and to attempt to forecast the future part to be played by them. Tables 1 and 2 record the world production and that of the United States, together with their respective rates of increase, both in percentage and actual amounts. The important point in this record is the decline in rates of increase for both the world and the United States, but more particularly in that of the latter, since 1881. The increase for the United States in the last decade is less than that for any decade since 1881, and is only 20 per cent of that for the decade 1911-20. The increase for the world is less than that for the two preceding decades, and is only about 65 per cent of the war decade 1911-20. Referring to Table 1, the decade 1871to1880 showed an increase of 32.l per cent in the world's production, which was the low until the last decade, ending 1930, which shows an increase of only 24.5 per cent. These decades both represent periods of economic stress following wars. In the first case the recovery was very sharp, the percentage increase in 1881-90 reaching a high of 86.4 per cent. It would seem dangerous, however, to assume that a similar high will be reached in the next ten years, because of the severity of the depression brought about by the Great War and the probability of its influence extending well into the next decade.

Jan 1, 1931

By L. Li, K. Jiang

China is the world largest producer and consumer of zinc. Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (BGRIMM) is one of major research and engineering institutes for nonferrous metallurgy in China. This paper (presentation) introduces the development of China’s zinc smelting industry, key production processes and main producers. The process research and development are reviewed as well as BGRIMM’s R&D activities in the last decade. China's refined zinc production was 4,829kt in 2012, accounting for 38.6% of world production. Primary production was 4,722kt. There are around 150 refined zinc producers in China. The traditional fluid bed roasting - leaching jarosite is still a dominant process for primary production and its production accounts for about 60% of country's total production. However, the direct leaching process is gaining market share. Seven direct leaching plants with 330kt/a capacity, including autoclave leaching and the Outotec direct leaching, have been put into production by June 2013. Five autoclave leaching projects with 590kt/a capacity are in the pipe line and are expected to be commissioned in 2014 and 2015. To cut the production cost and improve smelter economics, process research to optimize the production flow sheet, to improve the iron removal and to enhance the recovery of co-existed rare metals were carried out. The development trends of China’s zinc smelting industry from the view of cutting production cost, improving energy efficiency, increasing comprehensive utilization are discussed accordingly.

Jan 1, 2014

By Sophia Wong

Nickel is used in a wide variety of applications from consumer goods to industrial uses. In many of these uses, nickel contributes to the environmental attributes of the product. The challenge, however, is measuring that contribution, comparing it to the environmental cost of production, and communicating the role of nickel to the customer in a way that is easy to understand. This paper presents the Nickel Institute?s approach to climate change as a global commodity industry association, and discusses where we stand with regard to some of these key questions. It also identifies issues for the nickel industry moving forward ? challenges that are likely to be common to other commodities.

May 1, 2009

By A. Luckita, A. Samtani, R. Barus, J. R. Donald, J. Syarifuddin

In conventional Rotary Kiln-Electric Furnace (RK-EF) laterite nickel processing, management of dust continues to be problematic. A more efficient processing of dust represents an opportunity for energy efficiency, increased production, and productivity. PT International Nickel Indonesia (PTI), together with Vale Base Metals Technology Development (VBMTD), has successfully developed and implemented a novel flowsheet enhancement that capitalizes on these opportunities. In the novel flowsheet, the dust recycle stream is moved forward in the RK-EF laterite nickel smelting process. The dust is injected into the kiln's main burner, as opposed to being recycled to the dryers. A similar treatment of dust is commonly practiced in the cement industry; however, application to nickel smelters has not been fully developed to date. This paper describes this dust insufflation technology, the process through which it was developed for laterite nickel processing, and summarizes the lessons learned. A key conclusion is that successful new technology development requires a multi-disciplinary team involving members from research and development, study management, engineering consulting firms, project implementation management, process technology and operations.

Jan 1, 2011

By T. Bhambhani, Mukund Vasudevan, Partha Patra, D. R. Nagaraj, P. Somasundaram

Selective Ni separation from ultramafic ores rich in serpentines has been a huge challenge in the mineral processing industry, and therefore highly inefficient. Analysis of the root causes of the challenges and consequent development of robust processing solutions were the main goals of the Cytec-Columbia. University-Vale Joint Development Program. In this context, the subject of this paper is limited to one of the key findings of this research program which is the influence of fibrous serpentines on grade-recovery characteristics. Specifically, the poor flotation behavior is characterized by an atypical reverse C-shaped grade-recovery curve.

Jan 1, 2011