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By A. R. Laplante

"In this paper, the performance of the Knelson Concentrator and of the batch and continuous Falcon Concentrators are compared. The units are based on different operating principles, and as such they perform quite differently. The Knelson yields very high free gold recoveries over a wide size range of both the recovered and rejected species. It is ineffective in recovering very fine ( <15 µm) or flaky gold, as encountered in flotation feeds, concentrates or tails. It is the: preferred unit for gold recovery from grinding circuits. The batch Falcon is effective in the fine range, typically less than 37 µm for gold. Its recovery zone is quickly saturated when there is significant heavies in the feed. It works best as a pre-concentration unit. The continuous Falcon is a versatile unit which is capable of recovering fine heavies (density down to 5 g/cm3 ), especially from coarser gangue. INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this presentation is to describe the mode of operation of two Canadian centrifugal concentrators, the Knelson and Falcon. It is hoped that it will prove informative to prospective users in the selection, testing and optimization for applications of either machine. The work is based on testwork both in Canadian mills and at McGill. I am indebted to many colleagues at these locations. Appropriate references will be made to articles further describing the work, either already in the open literature or in preparation.Although this work is meant to be more practical than scholarly, it is appropriate to begin by considering how the two units achieve selective recovery. This will become useful in establishing a suitable testing methodology, which will then be described, and interpreting typical results. In the last section I will attempt to define appropriate applications for the two units. This is a thankless task, as I am likely to miss some applications or to make projections based on partial results, as much of the work is still in progress. In deference to the reader and both manufacturers, areas where reasonable doubt still remains will be identified."

Jan 1, 1993

By Janice Zinck, Ian London

In recent years, the secure supply of critical and technology metals has become increasingly important tomajor industrialized economies that seek to sustain their industrial base and develop advanced technologies, such as clean energy. Canada, with its significant reserves of rare earth element (REE) and other metals, has an opportunity to supply some of the global demand for these materials. However, to transition from promising mineral deposits to marketable products, investment in strategic research and development (R&D) and expertise is needed to address the complex technological challenges around the production, separation and processing of these metals, and to better understand the global market for these key commodities. To this end, in its April 2015 budget, the Government of Canada committed to invest $23M over 5 years to accelerate production of REE and chromite/ferrochrome. The goal of this program, developed in close association with industry, is that Canada contributes a sustainable supply of REE to the global market. The research and development program will provide the technological capacity to establish a Canadian REE industry. This paper will discuss REE R&D advances achieved in the first year of the program in areas of mineral characterization, beneficiation, leaching, separation and environmental management and will highlight the Canadian model of collaboration where industry (e.g. prospective producers, technology companies), government, academia and other stakeholders work closely to ensure that the R&D is targeted, innovative and effectively deployed and commercialized.

Jan 1, 2016

By T. R. Heflin

The paper provides a comprehensive discussion of pump selection for the hydrometallurgical industry. Material suitability, in addition to proper size and design, will provide extended life for pumps in erosion /corrosion service.

Jan 1, 1979

By Sadan Kelebek, Gerhard W. Heinrich, Peter F. Wells, Peter J. Whittaker

"Based on plant mineralogical data & circuit modelling, a pilot plant campaign was conducted at Strathcona Mill to identify options for improving the performance and operating flexibility of the copper-nickel separation circuits. Emphasis was given to options for combined treatment of the two feed streams (primary nickel ore rougher concentrate and copper ore circuit concentrate) to obtain more flexibility in the use of existing column flotation capacities. The pilot test results demonstrated that circuits which incorporated preconcentration prior to column flotation gave the best metallurgical results. Maximum column carrying rates were also related to the preconcentration. Predictions that increased circulating loads from the column scavengers would improve copper-nickel separation performance were confirmed.IntroductionThe copper-nickel separation circuits at Falconbridge's Strathcona Mill produce a high grade (>30% Cu) copper concentrate most of which is treated at the Falconbridge Kidd Creek smelter near Timmins. The remaining nickel concentrate which still contains approximately 20% of the feed copper is combined with other lower grade nickel/copper concentrates and shipped to the Falconbridge nickel smelter. The separation is required because of the limited capacity for copper processing in and downstream from the nickel smelter. Since no nickel is recovered at present in the Kidd smelter, the challenge is to minimize the nickel content of the copper concentrate.At present there are two independent separation circuits treating the rougher concentrates from the copper and nickel circuits as shown in Figure I. The minerals treated are mainly chalcopyrite and pentlandite but there is up to 25% of the copper present as cubanite in the copper ore. The circuits were kept separate because the flotation rates and froth characteristics were very different, probably because of the presence of cubanite and the large difference in the concentrate grades feeding the circuits."

Jan 1, 1995

By P. Cielo

"Nondestructive inspection is an important quality control tool in the material processing industry. Being nondestructive, such a control may be applied to the whole production, as long as the available techniques are fast and easily automated. Ideally, nondestructive testing (NDT) methods should operate in a noncontact configuration in order to be deployable on-line with minimum perturbation of the production process.After a short introduction to the most common NDT techniques, with particular emphasis on ultrasonic, radiographic and electromagnetic methods, a few new approaches which are under development at the Industrial Materials Research Institute, (Boucherville, Quebec), are reviewed. Noncontact techniques such as laser ultrasound, thermoelastic and thermographic methodologies will be described, and their applications to materials of industrial interest will be discussed."

Jan 1, 1989

By M. Beech-Jones

The increased emphasis on the efficient utilization of capital and mineral resources has led to several new advances in the science of mineral separation. One example of a recent development is the application of high-capacity high-intensity wet magnetic separators to fine hematit e recovery by a leading Canadian iron ore producer. The iron ore recovery feasibilit , flow-sheet development, circuit operation and metallurgical performance are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1979

By Hajime Miki, Gde Pandhe Wisnu Suyantara, Ahmed Mohamed Elmahdy, Hidekazu Matsuoka, Kyushu University, Tsuyoshi Hirajima

"Selective flotation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite was studied using various surface treatment methods such as electrolysis, ozone treatment, and plasma. Oxidation via electrolysis method indicated that only chalcopyrite surface is affected by electrolysis due to conductivity difference with molybdenite. Oxidation treatments and XPS analyses indicated that chalcopyrite became hydrophilic due to deposition of oxidized iron on its surface. Various oxidizing methods also showed that chalcopyrite was selectively oxidized and this can apply selective flotation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite. The possible mechanisms are proposed in this work based on surface analyses and thermodynamic calculations.INTRODUCTIONCopper sulphide minerals often associate molybdenite (MoS2) which is one of the most important by-products (Wills, 2006). It is important to recover molybdenite perfectly not only since molybdenite is valuable mineral, but also contamination of molybdenite into copper concentrate or contamination of copper mineral into molybdenite concentrate indicates penalty for both concentrate values (Wills, 2006). Conventional separation of copper sulphide and molybdenite has been achieved with sulphide bulk flotation followed by selective molybdenite flotation with NaHS addition since NaHS works as a depressant for copper sulphide. However, this current process shows imperfect molybdenite recovery and depressant such as NaHS needs to be used under specific flotation plant since it might be environmental contaminant. Hirajima et al., (2014) have been studied selective flotation of molybdenite and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), which is the most important copper mineral, with plasma pre-treatment. They reported that plasma pre-treatment process followed by washing treatment can improve molybdenite floatability and depress chalcopyrite. This result is attributed to surface oxidation and selective conversion of chalcopyrite and molybdenite wettability. It may be hypothesized that another surface oxidation methods could give a similar result as plasma treatment process. To test this hypothesis, in this study, as comprehensive study of oxidation effect, various oxidation methods such as electrolysis, ozone, and plasma were investigated. Electrochemical measurements, thermodynamic calculations to predict the chemical reactions happened during the process, various surface analyses, and flotation experiments were carried out."

Jan 1, 2016

By Robert B. Parsons

"The annual onslaught of provincial budgets and tax changes is complete, and once again the Canadian taxpayer is being asked to dig deeper into his pocket to fund old and new programs. It is noteworthy that 1987 tax reform promised lower taxes, but a broader fax base. Five years later, we still have the broader tax base, but the lower faxes have gradually crept up to pre-tax reform levels. Surprise! Surprise!IntroductionThe last edition of Tax Notes commented on some important proposals announced in Manitoba&apos;s 1992 budget. In this issue, Tax Notes summarizes the 1992 budget proposals of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. These budgets reflect the continuing trend of transferring responsibilities and the related costs-from the federal government to the provinces. As well, the budget papers bear witness to the respective governments&apos; political stripes. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec are seeking higher tax revenues. Only Quebec continues to acknowledge the importance of the mining industry in its annual budget documents."

Jan 1, 1992

By Xianglin Yang, Hong Zhong, Jingjing Xiao, Guangyi Liu

"The selective adsorption of a flotation collector to a mineral plays a crucial role in enhancing the hydrophobicity of targeted mineral particles for attaching air bubbles in pulp. The recent progress of the structure-reactivity relationship of flotation collectors, the characterization methods for mineral surfaces with adsorbed collectors and their commercial application are reviewed in this paper. Particular emphasis is placed on the density functional theory (DFT) for understanding the reactivity of new collectors, the surface analysis techniques including time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), in situ scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) to characterize mineral/collector interface, and the flotation technologies for optimizing recovery of valuable minerals. Especially, the recently developing collectors such as Gemini, alkoxyalkylthiourea, dithiourea, amide-hydroxamate and oximido-thiol surfactants, and their specificity to given minerals are evaluated. Based on this crucial review, it is evident that the structural modification approaches for minerophilic or hydrophobic groups, and combined surface analysis approach for further understanding the adsorption mechanism of collectors on mineral surfaces will lay a solid foundation for the future development of flotation collectors. INTRODUCTIONIn mineral processing, flotation is the main process for separation and recovery of valuable minerals from the ores contained them (Fuerstenau et al., 2007). One of the key requirements in flotation process is to increase selectively the surface hydrophobicity of the targeted minerals by collector adsorption so that these mineral particles can preferably attach to air bubbles in a slurry or pulp (Fuerstenau et al., 2007). Flotation collector is a kind of functional surfactant, which is composed of polar and non-polar groups (Somasundaran, & Wang, 2006). Non-polar portion, commonly being linear, branch or ring hydrocarbon group, is termed hydrophobic group. The polar portion, exhibiting strong affinity to mineral surfaces, is known as minerophilic group (Nagaraj, 1988). According to mineral types including saline, oxide and sulfide minerals, flotation collector divides into sulfide and oxide mineral collectors. For efficient recovery of valuable minerals from the refractory complex ores, insights into the adsorption mechanism, hydrophobic model and subsequent flotation approach of flotation collectors have been regarded as an indispensable issue in mineral processing."

Jan 1, 2016

By I. Stanoev, V. S. Stoilov, I. Gradinarov, E. D. Visariev, I. A. Bonchev, Aurubis Bulgaria

"Aurubis is the leading integrated copper group and the world’s largest copper recycler. In Copper smelter Aurubis Bulgaria (Pirdop), the residual copper in the slags from Flash furnace and Converters is recovered by flotation. The slag processing comprises: pit cooling, crushing, two stages grinding (autogenous and ball) and flotation. The copper concentrate is thickened and then is filtrated by vacuum disk filter. The thickener overflow is sent to settler for additional clarification. A resent throughput increase resulted in higher solid content in the thickener overflow due to insufficient thickener area. Different scenarios to overcome the issue were evaluated (new thickener, reagents and reconstruction). An increase of the thickening area by installation of lamella modules was chosen as the most promising option. Three lamella modules (1 m3 each) were installed in conventional thickener for the test. Number of sampling campaigns was done to evaluate the effect on solid content in overflow. Parameters of the dewatering cycle were collected during sampling campaign. The products grain size distribution was defined - thickener feed, thickener overflow with and without lamella. The thickener overflow with lamella modules has 2.12 g/L less solid content. The decrease was 71.8%. According to the tests results, the whole conventional thickener was reconstructed with lamella modules. The thickener area was increased by more than 400 m2.INTRODUCTIONIn Copper smelter Aurubis Bulgaria, the copper in slag from the Flash furnace and the Converters is recovered by flotation. The scheme of slag processing is crushing, two stage grinding (autogenous and ball) and flotation. Till 2010 the grinding cycle in the plant was in two stages: the first stage was AG Mill 70×23 working with a classifier and the second stage was ball mill 3.6/5.5 working with a hydrocyclone. In 2010 a new AG Mill 65×78 with hydrocyclone was put in operation in order to increase throughput of the plant. The second stage of the grinding cycle was not changed."

Jan 1, 2016

By Robert B. Parsons

"The Canadian Exploration Incentive Program (CEIP), which was announced by the federal government on May 3, 1988, promises to maintain the viability of flow-through shares as a financing mechanism which has proven to be so crucial to the health of the junior exploration sector. This month, Tax Notes examines, the main features of CEIP, which will come into play on January J, 1989. IntroductionOn May 3,1988, the Honourable Marcel Masse, Minister of Energy Mines & Resources, and the Honourable Gerald Merrithew, Minister of State (Forestry and Mines) announced the Canadian Exploration Incentive Program (CEIP). Under CEIP, the federal government will make cash payments to eligible applicants equal to 30% of eligible exploration expenses. CEIP payments will be available with respect to both mineral, and oil and gas, exploration. In essence, the program will replace the ""mining exploration depletion allowance"" (MEDA) presently applicable to mineral exploration, and the Canadian Exploration and Development Incentive Program (CEDIP) which is presently available to the oil and gas exploration sector.This paper discusses briefly the main features of CEIP insofar as the program will affect mineral exploration. The comments herein are based on the Canadian Exploration Incentive Program Act which received Royal Assent on July 21, 1988, and on a discussion paper which was released by EM&R in May 1988. The bulk of the rules relating to the program will be in the form of regulations which have yet to be finalized. It is understood that EM&R would like to have the regulations in force by October I, 1988, when the oil and gas portion of CEIP becomes effective. (The rules relating to mineral exploration will become effective January I, 1989)."

Jan 1, 1988

By A. David MacPhail

"Highland Valley Copper is a large volume producer of copper and molybdenum concentrates. Production is by conventional truck and shovel operation combined with an extensive ore handling in-pit crushing and conveying system.Grade of the two orebodies is low at 0.4% copper and 0.007% molybdenum and this demands a production rate in excess of 260 000 tpd at a stripping ratio of 1: 1. Mining cost has to be kept at minimum levels to keep the mine profitable and thus, it is necessary to keep in the forefront: of technology. As well as the in-pit crushing system, the mine has pioneered the use of shovel weighing coupled with a state-of-the-art dispatch system.Maintenance of the equipment is carried out at the on-site mine maintenance shop with assistance from local shops for engine and wheel motor rebuilds and other large jobs such as those requiring stress relieving. Shovel and truck rebuilds are undertaken by mine crews. Both long- and short-term planning is designed and scheduled in the mine engineering section. Outside consultants are used to assist in slope design, reclamation and blasting technology."

Jan 1, 1992

By Waghmarem Umesh V., Vinay Jain, Pradip, Beena Rai

"The hematite surface plays a vital role in several processes of industrial and technological importance, such as, in beneficiation of iron ores, catalysis, and geochemical processes. Therefore, it is imperative to have a clear description of the structure and composition of this surface, which forms the underlying basis for such a wide variety of complex phenomena. Particularly, from the perspective of beneficiation of Indian alumina-rich iron ore slimes and fines, a clear understanding of the surface structure and composition of hematite surface and its difference from the alumina surface will facilitate identification and/or design of selective reagents which can be used to separate the two minerals. In this work, the hydroxylated hematite (0001) surface was modeled using density functional theory (DFT). The computed planar relaxations are consistent with X-Ray crystal truncation rod diffraction results reported in the literature. It is demonstrated that only one type of surface, that is, the (OH)3-Fe-H3O3-R is stable under aqueous conditions, as the relaxations for the second type of termination: (OH)3-Fe-Fe-R do not match quantitatively with experiments suggesting that its coexistence with the (OH)3-Fe-H3O3-R surface is unlikely. A detailed analysis of this surface shows that two of the three (OH) groups are not connected to the Fe surface atom. Instead, they form H2O molecules by combining with the H-atoms on the O-layer beneath the Fe-terminated surface leaving the Fe surface-atom bonded to only one OH-group. This undercoordination of Fe-atoms on the surface explains its higher reactivity as compared to hydroxylated alumina.INTRODUCTIONThe hematite surface plays a vital role in several processes of industrial and technological importance. A few examples are: flocculation/froth flotation of iron ores (Ravishankar, Pradip & Khosla, 1995), catalysis (Muhler, Schlögl & Ertl, 1992; Samsonov, 1973), and geochemical processes (Brown, Henrich, Casey, Clark, Eggleston & Felmy et al., 1999; Sposito, 1989). Therefore, it is imperative to have a clear description of the structure and composition of the hematite surface, which form the underlying basis for such a wide variety of complex phenomena. Particularly, from the perspective of beneficiation of Indian alumina-rich iron ore slimes and fines, this is an important problem, as a clear understanding of the surface structure and composition of hematite surface and its difference from the alumina surface will facilitate identification and/or design of selective reagents which can be used to separate the two minerals. Our current research focus is at employing molecular modeling techniques to come up with such selective reagents and then test their efficacy in the practical scenario through selective dispersion – flocculation labscale experiments and subsequently plant trials. Obviously, the correct structure and composition of the hydroxylated hematite surface is a fundamental prerequisite for such investigations."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. Lemay, G. Morin, C. Desmeules

"Incorporated in 1976, Sidbec Normines was mandated to exploit a deposit of specular hematite at Fire Lake. A combined effort of three companies, Sidbec, which holds 50. 1 % of the actions, British Steel Corporation another 41.67 % and finally Quebec Cartier Mining, a subsiduary of U.S. Steel Corporation, with still another 8.23 %.The deposit is located 60 miles north of the town of Gagnon. The extracted ore is crushed, in a giratory crusher, to-8 11 chunks, and from there, it is transported, by rail, to a concentrator at Lac Jeannine.A concentrate containing 65.5 % Fe and 5.5 % Sio2 is produced, using conventional methods like autogeneous mil ls and spirals. The concentrate is then transported by rail to the Port Cartier installations.The installations in Port Cartier include a secondary concentrator, a pellet plant, and stockpiling facilities for pellets and concentrate. The pellet plant has two product lines in paralel, producing a total designed tonnage of 6 millions tons of iron ore pellets, of which 3mi11ions tons are used in direct reduction furnaces.The secondary concentrator is designed to remove a portion of the silica contained in the ore, usually less than 2 % Si02 should remain from the original 5.5 % Si02 in order to produce iron ore pellets which are well suited for use in direct reduction and electric furnaces."

Jan 1, 1981

By H. W. Smith, D. Guerin

"This paper describes the development of a dynamic model for a full- scale (64 tonnes/hr) grinding circuit consisting of an open-circuit rod mill feeding a ball mill operating in closed circuit. The object of constructing such a model is to investigate the static and dynamic behaviour of potential control schemes. Model selection, data processing and parameter estimation are discussed, and static and dynamic results of simulations are presented. Conclusions are drawn with regard to the adequacy of the model for such studies, and likely limitations on control of such circuits.IntroductionThe model developed here is intended to represent the grinding behaviour of the grinding circuit at the Lake Dufault division of Falconbridge Copper Mines Ltd. This circuit has been fully described elsewhere. At the time of the work described, the ball mill discharge was fed to a four-cell flotation bank , the tailings of which are combined with the rod mill discharge in the cyclone feed pump sump. As the emphasis in this study is on grinding behaviour, and as only I per cent of cyclone feed material is removed in these cells, no attempt has been made to include flotation behaviour in the simulation. One effect of the presence of flotation cells in the grinding circuit is, however, to necessitate somewhat finer grinding than might otherwise be needed: this will have effects on mill parameters.The paper is organized as follows. First the selection of models is discussed, paying particular attention to the problem of selecting simple, yet adequate, flow models for the mills. Then data gathering is described. The method of deriving mill model parameters is explained, and the results presented. Mass balancing of cyclone data and the determination of cyclone model parameters are described. The linking of the models into a full simulation is outlined, and sta tic and dynamic results presented. Finally, the results are discussed and conclusions drawn ."

Jan 1, 1980

By S. N. Bhatnagar, S. K. Haldar

"Mineral exploration is an expensive speculative venture and calls for optimization of sampling. Exploration is generally planned in grid pattern to be conducted in phased manner. The objective of any such campaign is to assess the quality, quantity and its reliability. The traditional estimation methods are unable to provide a means of calculating the degree of reliability. Application of mathematical models can quantify the precision of estimation and bring forth decision-making criteria at any stage.In this paper three statistical and geostatistical models, viz., Frequency, Probability, and Semi-variogram, have been employed to evaluate sequential exploration data of RampuraAgucha zinc-lead deposit. The optimization in exploration for a specific objective has been highlighted.IntroductionAny exploration campaign demands heavy resource investment starting from the collection of the first sample to the production of the first ton of ore. The best estimation would be if the entire orebody is taken out and sampled. However, this is neither possible, nor desirable. Drilling is the primary tool of geological sampling. It shares the major portion of the investment and, thereby, warrants critical analysis at every stage during the ongoing exploration projects.The exploration program should be conducted as a well planned scheme based on a sequential evaluation approach in a phased way to achieve a specific objective. It would then be possible to evaluate exploration data at the completion of each phase by employing computer-based mathematical techniques to quantify the precision of the estimate for fulfillment of objectives. The subsequent drilling program should be modified accordingly."

Jan 1, 1987

By Arthur Lieu

Outline Removal mechanisms of Se and Mo in the Key Lake Bulk Neutralization circuit Bulk circuit Detail process modification in the Key Lake BN circuit Process performance after commissioning Objective Legacy effects of Se and Mo from the historical operation of Key Lake mill were shown to have an negative effect on the regional biota in the downstream environment. The water treatment circuit was not designed to remove Se and Mo from the effluent. Reduce Se and Mo concentrations in final effluent under0.028 0.028 ppm ppm and 0.3 and ppm ppm(CNSC regulatory limits).(limits).??????

Nov 1, 2011

By Neil Schofield

"The estimation of recoverable ore reserves for feasibility in precious metal deposits such as Pine Creek must account not only f or the extreme variability of the ore grade but also for the complexity of the geology. Compatible models f or both must be adopted. Further, very selective mining demands reserve estimates be based on small selection units whose individual grades cannot be estimated reliably from the exploration drilling data.Multigaussian kriging is one method based on a multivariate normal model for estimating recoverable reserves under such conditions. In this paper, a non-mathematical description of the multigaussian model is presented together with its application to the Pine Creek Gold Deposit. The results, when compared to the first year of production, are encouraging for the model but not without surprises.Together, Part 1 and Part 2 of this study combine a detailed and geologically conditioned variogram analysis with an appropriate estimation method for a highly variable low-grade gold deposit. This and other studies of gold deposits familiar to the author show convincingly both that while the appropriate geostatistical skills and techniques are necessary to tackle the question of reserves, equally important but often discounted is the need for an appropriate and compatible geological model. IntroductionThe Pine Creek gold mineralization is associated with saddle reefs, and quartz and quartz- sulphide veining within the Enterprise Anti cline. The anticlinal structure is complex and, prior to mining, the mineralization was considered to be mainly strata controlled. Grades vary up to 160 grams in l .5rn core samples with coefficients of variation in excess of three.The estimation of the recoverable reserves for such a depo sit must account for both the geological complexity and the extreme variability of the gold grade.Part 1 of this work presented the geological model for the deposit and summary statistics 0 f the gold data. A detailed structural and variogram analysis considered both gold grades and the normal score (or gaussian transform) of these gold grades for different composite sizes."

Jan 1, 1988

By R. W. Pugh, S. L. Ma

"High carbon rods are typically used as the grinding media in rod mills. Usually an AISI I 090 grade of steel is used which provides the high hardness needed for abrasion resistance and sufficient toughness to prevent rod breakage.Work to improve performance in the past has mainly concentrated on increasing the hardness for improved abrasion resistance. This has been accomplished by adding alloys to the steel which uniformly increase the hardness across the rod section.However uniformly increasing the hardness of the rod produces a more brittle product and at high hardness l1evels can lead to rod breakage problems. Heat treatment processes can be used to selectively increase the surface hardness to high levels while maintaining the core at lower hardness levels to give a product that wears slower without breakage. AltaSteel has developed and mill tested a higher hardness heat treated grinding rodThis paper describes the development of a simple model to predict performance improvement with different hardness profiles and the AltaSteel heat-treated grinding rod process. Mill characteristics of the Endako operation are summarized and predicted performance improvements based on hardmess are compared to the approximate 25% achieved in trials running since July, 1991 at this mill. Early results of other mill trials are also presented.INTRODUCTIONAltaSteel, in Edmonton is a major supplier of grinding media. We have a strong desire to continually increase the quality and performance of our products and thereby improve the efficiency of our customers' processes. In the area of grinding rods, we wanted to produce a product with a significant improvement in wear rate. Second to energy, rod consumption usually represents the next highest cost in processing. This paper presents our development of a heattreated grinding rod that has reduced consumption by about 25% in trials to date."

Jan 1, 1993

By S. Dallaire

With the attainment of high temperatures it becomes possible to process any kind of material (particularly ceramics) in their liquid state. In the plasma spraying process, the material to be sprayed is rapidly heated until it is molten and is propelled by high velocity gases onto a surface where it adheres, to give protective coatings for a wide range of applications. The method could be considered as one of the most versatile and rapid to build up thick deposits (of plastics, metals, ceramics, cermets) and also free-standing artifacts for particular requirements without resorting to lengthy forming and sintering studies. Although plasma spraying is at the production stage in industry, advanced processes have also been developed for economically producing a wide range of new materials. This paper illustrates the benefits of the process and evaluates the challenges it represents.

Jan 1, 1987