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By M. Leroux, S. R. Rao, J. Kim, J. A. Finch

"Continuous in-plant testing of collectorless Cu/Pb bulk flotation on Lyon Lake ore at Matlabi Mines Ltd. Was conducted using a portable circuit based on 5 L mini flotation cells. It is concluded that collectorless Cu/Pb flotation is a reliable phenomenon for this ore over the usual range of plant operating conditions.IntroductionFlotation of some sulphide minerals without the use of conventional collectors (e.g. xanthates) is now widely recognized. The requirement appears to be some degree of oxidation, although the nature of the surface product formed is still uncertain (Luttrell and Yoon, 1984; Buckley and Walker, 1988). The phenomenon has been termed ""collectorless"" or ""self-induced"" flotation. One of the minerals most responsive to coUectorless flotation is chalcopyrite; in contrast pyrite and sphalerite show little response and galena usually shows intermediate response (Hayes et al., 1987; Shannon and Trahar, 1986).Most of the work on collector1ess l1otation has involved single mineral or batch flotation on ore samples. There are only occasional references to collector1ess l1otation under plant conditions (Sandstrom and Jonsson, 1988; Vargas, 1990; Boyce et al., 1970). Creating and maintaining the appropriate oxidation conditions and differences in water quality are among the reasons why the phenomenon may not transfer readily to the plant (Grano et al., 1990). Periodically from the spring of 1989, Mattabi Mines Ltd. ran full-scale tests of collector1ess bulk CulPb flotation while treating Lyon Lake ore*: the observations confirmed the laboratory finding that chalcopyrite and galena floated without collector (Leroux et al., 1989).To explore this finding continuous in-plant testing using mini flotation cells was conducted which is the subject of this paper. The main objective was to determine if collectorless flotation was a reliable phenomenon over the expected range of redox conditions in the feed pulp to bulk CulPb roughing. As background, the previous work (Leroux et al., 1989; Martin, 1988) is briefly reviewed."

Jan 1, 1994

By R. H. Fett

T HE APPROACH to maintenance must always be ?completely positive: there must be no question of putting off difficult problems until it is more convenient to tackle them. By this it is meant that a piece of machinery or equipment which, by experience, is known to be due for a check should not, merely because it appears to be operating satisfactorily, be left until it reaches a critical .condition and breaks down. The mentality of the Maintenance Manager must be completely orderly and methodical and he should, in fact, possess a ledger-book mind, having a debit and credit outlook. The debit side would be that applying to time out of service, cost in wages, material, personnel involved, etc., and the credit side that relating to continuous operational time of the locomotive and therefore to the ultimate benefit of the mine and the personnel who work there. The Maintenance Manager is not concerned with design problems, and although he and the personnel under his jurisdiction are not engaged in productive work, he and his staff do, nevertheless, add greatly to or detract from the overall efficiency of the organization. Provided the machinery placed in his care is good to start with, he must take the best steps he possibly can to keep it running. However, he may, on occasion, be forced to improvise and this is where the ingenuity of a clever man rises to the occasion.

Jan 1, 1956

By J. A. Allan

The utilization of natural deposits of salt is one of the oldest industries in Alberta. In 1820, Sir James Richardson visited Salt river, and in the same year D. W. Harmon states chat "clown Slave river, there are several places, where almost any quantity of excellent dean white salt may be taken, with as much ease as sand along the seashore. From these places the greater part of the northwest is supplied with this valuable article". This reference is to the salt chat occurs around springs on Salt river at the northern boundary of the Province. This and other occurrences will be described later in this paper. It is not on account of the development of salt and gypsum in Alberta chat this paper has been prepared, but rather to draw attention to the widespread distribution of salt-bearing and gypsum-bearing rocks, and to the stratigraphic importance of these rocks . The origin of the deposits of salt, gypsum, anhydrite, and dolomite is discussed, and the economic significance of these minerals is considered. There is no salt production reported from Alberta in 1928.

Jan 1, 1929

By Rolf Andreas Lauten, Adam Pratomo, Dani Ramdani, Helminton Sitanggang

A universal challenge for the mineral processing industry is the diminishment of high grade ores. Instead, low grade ores, sometimes also containing problematic gangue minerals is the reality. With lower head grades the industry has to put more effort into processing to maintain the output and achieve suitable recoveries. In an effort to reduce the impact of declining head grade, a biopolymer was evaluated as an additive in the gold leaching operation at Antam Pongkor in Indonesia. Laboratory testing revealed that biopolymer usage lead to an increased gold recovery without apparent negative impact on the other parts of the process. Further plant trials revealed both a recovery increase around 1.3% and higher throughput (9%) in the presence of the biopolymer. Some scenarios that can explain these findings will be discussed.

Jan 1, 2014

By J. F. MacGregor, M. Hou, D. Hodouin

"RésuméDe nouvelles méthodes efficaces sont maintenant devenues nécessaires pour traiter les quantités massives de données en temps-réel que collectent les ordinateurs industriels modemes. Les méthodes statistiques multi variables comme l'analyse en composantes principales et la projection sur des structures latentes sont des méthodes analytiques bien adaptées aux données industrielles bruitées et mal conditionnées. L'efficacité de ces méthodes est illustrée sur des données historiques collectées dans une usine de broyage et de flottation. Trois cent cinquante observations de quarante quatre variables de procède ont été utilisées pour démontrer les aptitudes de ces méthodes pour l'analyse préliminaire de données, la classification des régimes opératoires, le contrôle de qualité et la modélisation empirique des precedes.AbstractBecause of the availability of powerful industrial computers which collect huge amounts of real-time data in mineral processing plants, there is a need for efficient methods to extract relevant information from them. Multivariate statistical techniques, such as principal components analysis (PCA) and projection to latent structures (PLS), are well suited to analyze these large sets of noisy and ill-conditioned data. The power of PCA and PLS is illustrated on historical data from a grinding and flotation plant. Three hundred and fifty observations of forty-four process variables are used to show the capacity of these techniques for preliminary data analysis, classification of operating regimes, process monitoring, and process empirical modelling."

Jan 1, 1993

By A. Ehsani

"Seas and oceans constitute about 70% of the earth’s surface. They contain an enormous stock of various mineral resources such as sedimentary (marine placers), massive sulfide ore deposits, manganese nodules and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. Sea and ocean floor ore deposits could well contribute to the meeting of ever-rising demand for raw materials in the metal industry. In this regard, more research and development in science and technology appear to be required to ensure maximum benefit from the mineral resources of seas and oceans. Since the 1960s, a variety of mineral and metallurgical processes have been studied and developed to deal with marine ores and to extract metals such as gold, nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, tin, platinum group metals (PGM), zirconium, thorium, etc.In marine environments, there are many parameters which can affect the selection of the mineral and metallurgical processes. These include the extent and grade of the deposit, mineralogical and chemical properties of the deposit, and physical properties of minerals present with particular reference to particle size distribution and mineral liberation size.In this paper, we briefly review the latest trends in processing and extraction of marine mineral resources. Mineral processing technology is mostly applied for recovery of precious metals i.e. gold and PGM, in particular, from marine placers. In general, pre-treatment (sizing, classification, dewatering), gravity concentration techniques (shaking tables, spirals, jigs, etc.,), flotation, magnetic, and electrostatic separation are the options for enrichment of marine placer ore deposits. In the case of massive sulfides, manganese nodules/cobalt-rich crusts, hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical methods (as proven technological methods) can be exploited for extraction of metals from concentrates after physical separation or directly from marine ores. The hydrometallurgical treatments involve acid (e.g., sulfurichydrochloric) and alkaline (e.g., ammonia) leaching with different reducing agents and pre-treatments such as roasting. Alternatively, pyrometallurgical treatments involve mostly smelting, chlorination and segregation processes."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. J. Buckler

Many metallurgical processes use submerged gas injection to increase the contact area between gas and liquid phases in order to promote faster overall reaction rates. The work presented in this paper is part of an experimental investigation to measure the gas-liquid interfacial area available in bubble plumes within molten metal baths. Measurements of the nitrogen absorption rate during submerged injection into molten iron baths have been used to estimate the interfacial areas of the bubble plumes. A theoretical model was used to predict the superficial nitrogen transfer rate under mixed liquid phase mass transfer -interfacial reaction control. The interfacial area was calculated by dividing the overall nitrogen absorption rate by the superficial rate. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the interfacial areas measured in our laboratory with data from a comparable system reported in the literature. The experimental results were compared with the predictions of three theoretical models and one empirical correlation. The models of Turkdogan (3) and Zhao and Themelis (5) gave the best agreement with our data.

Jan 1, 2004

?Bank Lending to the Mining Sector affected by 2 broad factors since Mid 2008: 1. Economic Downturn (?the Real Economy?) for mining companies directly reflected in lower metal prices (current and forecasted). In the case of gold companies, minimal effect. 2. Financial Crisis (?the Credit Crunch?) as it has affected the lending activities of those banks active in the mining sector.

May 1, 2009

By L. Cáceres, G. Leinenweber, P. Bustamante

"Given the severe scarcity of fresh water sources in Northern Chile the use of seawater has become the only alternative to allow mining expansion. This option however poses several technological challenges as a result of the high concentration of natural salts that promote various forms of metal corrosion. Therefore the steel piping protection has been a constant challenge for design engineers responsible for solving the problems of corrosion. Known protection alternatives are varied and expensive, a few of them are rubber coatings, protection based centrifuged concrete, extra wall thickness of pipes in combination with corrosion inhibitors, extra wall thickness of pipes without using corrosion inhibitors, and the use of highly corrosion resistant steel materials.In this framework the aim was to study the corrosion kinetics of carbon steel pipe API 5L X70 under electrochemical and weight loss testing. The test conditions include a range of seawater velocities between 0.2 to 3.0 m/s.For electrochemical experiments the API 5L X70 steel specimen was a 4 mm diameter disk embedded in an 8 mm diameter Teflon rod and exposed to seawater. Duplicated coupons were placed in a standard test apparatus that was built according to the standard ASTM D 2688 – 94.The main results were: a) corrosion mechanism explained in terms of the counterparts partial processes which are the hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reaction; b) for the test specimen a corrosion band like feature that suggest a lateral dispersion of aggressive solutions from corrosion pits; c) a range of corrosion rates between 1 and 1.96 mm/year for flow rates between 0.2 and 3.0 m/s; and d) a convenient inhibitor dose between 20–25 mg/L for optimum inhibition efficiency to obtain a maximum value of 80% for corrosion efficiency."

Jan 1, 2016

By C. Tong, B. Hilscher

"Sensor based ore sorting is being rapidly adopted by the mining industry. The ability to boost mill feed grade by rejecting waste grade rocks early in the process has proven revolutionary for some operations.This paper briefly reviews the current position of ore sorting in the industry, as well as abridged results from specific operations such as Barrick, McEwen, New Gold, and two others. The paper also introduces the concept of “Profit Recovery™”, the measuring of recovery based on rock profitability rather than just metal content.IntroductionSensor based ore sorting is being rapidly adopted by the mining industry. The ability to increase mill feed grade by rejecting waste grade rocks early in the processing stage is proving to be revolutionary for some operations. These potential outcomes have been too invaluable to be overlooked by both producing operations and prospective projects, thus leading to a wide range of studies on ore sorting. In addition, the advent of ore sorting has also called for a new standard of recovery analysis. The answer to this is the creation of a new term and concept - Profit Recovery™.This paper evaluates the most recent results of ore sorting in the mining industry, and presents the results from five different mining operations. Additionally, this paper will discuss and evaluate the Profit Recovery™ of each of these operations. The goal of this paper is to address common concerns regarding ore sorting rejects and their actual impact on project economics.State Of The ArtOre Sorting is a sensor-based sorting and pre-concentration technology implemented before the processing stage that is used to reduce the amount of waste reporting to the mill feed. This technology can also be utilized to recover ore from previously uneconomic waste, as well as reduce the mill energy and reagent consumption (Tong, 2012). In greenfield projects, sensor-based sorting can further provide value by reducing processing capital costs. The decline of available high grade orebodies and decreasing head grades has further increased the attractiveness of pre-concentration, and subsequently ore sorting (Lessard et al., 2014).There are currently two notable types of sensor-based sorting: bulk and rock-by-rock. Bulk sorting consists of live, high tonnage sorting that can be installed on a scoop or on a conveyor belt with a diverter. Rock-by-rock is a selective sorting method that scans and sorts individual rocks on a conveyor belt, and rejects rocks using air jets or mechanical levers. Figure 1 shows a diagram for a typical air jet sorter."

Jan 1, 2018

By Matthew Blecha

The Tribag copper deposit is one of the rare examples of mineralized breccias in the Canadian Shield. The breccia is a pipe-like body, and consists of granitic, diabasic and volcanic fragments embedded in a vuggy, quartz-carbonate matrix. The mineralization is essentially chalcopyrite and pyrite, with minor molybdenite, sphalerite, galena and other sulphides. The main ore zone is saddle-like in shape, and is enveloped in a zone of chloritization, sericitization and clay-mineral alteration. It is suggested that the breccia is of the diatreme type. Introduction T HIS paper is based on eighteen months of field work, including surface and underground geological mapping and core logging, and on the survey of relevant literature. No significant amount of laboratory work has been done as yet. Location and Access The Tribag Batchawana property is located 40 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, about 10 miles east of Lake Superior. A 17-mile, all-weather road connects the property to the Trans-Canada highway to the south, and 4 miles of a 12-mile road remain to be completed to link it to the Algoma Central Railway to the northeast.

Jan 1, 1965

By Craig Dirk

Agenda Applications of ?GPS ?Drill Navigation ?Cycle time monitoring ?UDS / Boom Stress monitoring ?Payload systems ?Laser Surveying Future Applications

May 1, 2006

By J. Lee

A monolithic caisson is one of the major structural components commonly used in the construction of docks, breakwaters, and container terminal quay walls. Since the structure of monolithic caissons is typical and somewhat simple, its design process is also typical and repetitive, but still time consuming. To reduce the total time and enhance productivity, we developed a parametric model in Revit to automatically generate a 3D model of a monolithic caisson. It is designed to generate the Revit model of a caisson with concrete body and reinforcing bars. The size of caisson, the number of reinforcing bars, and the space between reinforcing bars are automatically changed when users update parameters. This paper presents how we developed this parametric family in Revit for monolithic caisson design and how it would enhance its design process.

Aug 1, 2013

By W. Gordon Muir

This paper deals with the exploration, development and current operations of the salt mine at Goderich, Ontario operated by the Sifto Salt Division of Domtar Chemical Limited. The rock salt is obtained from a bed 1,760 feet below the surface, 75 feet thick, extending under Lake Huron. Annual production is in excess of one million tons. Large mobile equipment is used. Details of this equipment, as well as the shaft layout, which permits the equipment to be lowered underground with a minimum of trouble are outlined. Mining, crushing and screening procedures' are rev1ewed. Reference is also made to productivity salt distribution and uses.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. R. Rivenbark

"The coal handling plant represents an investment of about $100 million in coal handling and storage equipment. The coal receiving is done by a continuous ship unloader that can handle ships in the 60 000 T range at Q rate of 1750 /ph. A unique feature in the system is a stacker/reclaimer unit which will work inside a dome storage structure. The coal for the unit will include any low sulphur coal that can be delivered by sea at an economical price blended with New Brunswick high sulphur coal.ThE flue gas scrubber is a wet limestone system capable of 95% SO2 removal. The scrubber will utilize about 150 000 tonnes of limestone per year and will produce commercial grade gypsum by the forced oxidization method.IntroductionWith the need for new generating capacity being required, New Brunswick Power reviewed, in 1985, its options for the next unit. The study indicated that the most attractive option for New Brunswick Power would be a coal-fired unit capable of receiving imported coal at a sea port. The site selection process resulted in three site options being considered.The existing Coleson Cove and Dalhousie sites, and the Belledune site were considered. To meet load distribution needs, it was then decided that the unit had to be located in the northern section of the province, thus eliminating the Coleson Cove site. The Belledune site was selected because it had the capacity to have additional units added where as the Dalhousie site would have only been able to accommodate one unit"

Jan 1, 1994

By M. L. F. Gameiro

The aim of this study was to check the feasibility of non-dispersive solvent extraction to recover copper from ammoniacal solutions using hollow fibres as contactors. Data of mass transfer using the B3-diketone LIX 54 as extractant was obtained. The influence of tube and shell hydrodynamics on the extraction rate of copper was studied. The overall mass transfer coefficient of copper was calculated from the experimental data by performing steady state material balance. Simultaneous extraction and stripping experiments were carried out using different volume ratios of feed phase to stripping phase. The results obtained showed that practically all the copper content was removed from the ammoniacal feed solutions. The recovery of copper reached nearly 100% in several extraction-stripping experiments.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. R. Dinn

On the afternoon of Saturday, June 23rd last; there was an unusual occurrence at the surface plant of the Dominion Coal Company's Caledorria mine, Glace Bay, which operates on the Phalen seam, here lying at a depth of 170 feet from the surface. On that day, the writer, who was attending a business conference in the General Office about a mile distant from the Colliery, received a telephone call to the effect that there was a strong odour of gasoline or kerosene in the wash-house and lamp-house of the Colliery, and that the attendants in both the wash-house and the lamp-house had become ill and had had to be sent home. Instructions were given at once to cut off the electric current, and to close all doors to prevent access to the building. When the writer arrived at the plant and questioned the workmen, he was led to the belief that the gasoline tank in the lamp-house (used in connection with flame safety lamps) had leaked and that the gas, having volatilized, had displaced sufficient oxygen to cause the trouble. Emphasis was being placed on the kerosene, or, as some said, the gasoline, odour. In the lamp-house, there is a small shuttered window which opens on a corridor. Here the workmen receive their lamps from the lamp attendant. An examiner, with a flame safety-lamp, proceeded to test the atmosphere within the building by passing his lamp through the open window, since, if the trouble was due to volatilized gasoline, a gas cap would be shown on the flame of the safety-lamp. After holding the lamp for a few seconds inside of the window, he withdrew it and remarked, "There's no gas cap" . Almost immediately the lamp fell from his hand and he dropped unconscious to the floor of the corridor. The writer, who was standing beside him, felt no ill effects and removed him at once from the corridor. Steps were immediately taken to revive him ( artificial respiration) , and in about ten minutes he became conscious and was breathing naturally. In making the examination, his head was not inside the window, but in line with the frame of it. It was apparent that some gas more deadly than the hydrocarbons from gasoline was present.

Jan 1, 1934

By D. Fredlund

The decommissioning of uranium tailings facilities often requires the design of a suitable cover system. In northern climatic environments there is a portion each year that can be considered to be ?inactive? while the remainder of the year can be considered to be ?active?. There are numerous engineering design assumptions required when analyzing both the ?active? and the ?inactive? portions of the year. Cover systems are subjected to complex boundary conditions and nonlinear unsaturated soil properties. The proposed paper describes the steps necessary for the preparation and the analysis of a multi-year climatic database for the design of a cover system in northern environments. The paper also explains how climate can be classified and how observed variations from one year to the next can be taken into consideration in cover design. The results of climatic records at two different sites are used to illustrate conditions that need to be taken into consideration when designing soil cover systems.

Aug 1, 2010

Weekly Capacity ? Current Schedule Rate (198.5 tonnes / hour) X Skip Time (112.7 hours) X Effectiveness (85%) = Weekly Capacity (19,015 tonnes) Capacity Conclusions - Existing hoists optimized are best option for Fraser Morgan (>20M + schedule for other). - Peak will have to be managed. - Critical to have equipment & infrastructure in best possible condition to ensure reliability.

Feb 1, 2008

What Bottleneck? ??Resurgence of BC Mining Industry; ??Climate of heightened activity ?Increases pressure placed upon regulatory agencies; ??Current EA and permitting system, when Federal agencies are involved, remains duplicative and inefficient ?not necessarily leading to better decision making; ??Inefficiencies will impederecovery

May 1, 2006