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By R. O. Grieve

"IntroductionCALEY (1945) and Evans (1950) pointed out that certain instances of convergence between Devonian and Silurian horizons, frequently evident in wells drilled for oil and gas in Ontario, appear to be related to local thinning of salt beds in the Salina formation and they suggested that leaching of the salt beds may have occurred. Exploratory drilling by Imperial Oil Limited since 1945 has brought to light several examples of structures similar to those discussed by Caley and Evans. The writer has had the opportunity to examine cuttings and data from wells which penetrated these structures and the attempt to interpret them in the light of the theory of leaching and subsidence proposed by Landes ( 1945a) to explain the marked brecciation and deformation of Upper Silurian and Middle Devonian sediments which crop out in the Mackinac Straits region of northern Michigan has led to the observations presented in this paper."

Jan 1, 1955

By Ali Bunjaku, Lauri Pesonen, Hannu Johto

It is well known that there are many ways to process copper concentrates into copper anodes using the pyrometallurgical route. All modern copper smelting technologies are fundamentally energy efficient and environmentally safe options, and therefore choosing one depends on the desired capacity range, feed impurity levels, plant location, flexibility needs, overall energy use, and of course smelter economics in both the short and long term. This paper focuses on comparing different solutions which have potentially the lowest variable opex (operational expense), meaning in practice finding out which technology offers the best chances for profit maximization under certain scenarios. For the comparison, we chose to have a closer look at Outotec Flash Smelting (FSF) – Peirce-Smith Converting (PSC), Outotec Flash Smelting (FSF) – Outotec- Kennecott Flash Converting (FCF), Outotec Ausmelt TSL Smelting (ASF) - Peirce-Smith Converting (PSC), Outotec Ausmelt TSL Smelting (ASF) - Outotec Ausmelt TSL Converting (ACF), Mitsubishi Smelting Process (MIT), Bottom Blowing Reactor (BBR) – Bottom Blowing Continuous Converting (BCC), and Side Blowing Furnace (SBF) - Top Blowing Converting (TBC) since these seem to be the main state-of-art technologies now being applied in many recent copper smelter projects around the world. The work was carried out by modelling each smelting route by using the new HSC SIM 9 simulation software and applying operation time, energy, and consumables consumption numbers for each unit process and stream. Combined with cost data, the exercise produced a rich set of information which will be shown in detail for each area per scenario. The authors’ goal here was to provide a fair comparison where each technology can be evaluated from various perspectives such as electricity use or refractory consumption. INTRODUCTION Copper can be produced either pyrometallurgically or hydrometallurgically. The hydrometallurgical route is used only for a limited amount of the world’s copper production (~20%) and is normally only considered in connection with in-situ leaching of copper ores. On the other hand, most of the copper extraction from Cu-Fe-S minerals is pyrometallurgical (~80%) (Schlesinger 2011, ICSG 2017). Thus, several different processes can be applied for copper production, including the following state-of-the-art technologies: Outotec Flash Smelting (FSF) – Outotec-Kennecott Flash Converting (FCF) Outotec Flash Smelting (FSF) – Peirce-Smith Converting (PSC) Outotec Ausmelt TSL Smelting (ASF) - Peirce-Smith Converting (PSC) Outotec Ausmelt TSL Smelting (ASF) - Outotec Ausmelt TSL Converting (ACF) Mitsubishi Smelting Process (MIT) Bottom Blowing Reactor (BBR) – Bottom Blowing Continuous Converting (BCC) Side Blowing Furnace (SBF) - Top Blowing Converting (TBC)

Jan 1, 2019

By M. N. Pons, E. Benizri, B. Laubie, A. Bani, Université de Lorraine LRGP, P. Kidd, A. J. M. Baker

"Serpentine (i.e. ultramafic) outcrops in Europe cover more than 10,000 km2 and have a low-fertility and low-productivity, making them unattractive for traditional agriculture. In general, these areas are slowly abandoned by local farmers, affected by strong rural exodus and landscapes undergo a process of closure. However, ultramafic landscapes have the potential to provide multiple ecosystem services that can contribute to Europe’s goals towards insuring food security, production of renewable raw materials and renewable energy. Phytomining (agromining) aims at cultivating metal hyperaccumulator plants that are able to accumulate Ni and other strategic elements from metal-rich soils and transport them to the shoots (>1%), which can then be harvested as a bio-ore. Such metal-rich biomass can be used to recover highly valuable metals, e.g. nickel (Ni) and also to produce energy (heat, electricity). Nickel agromining can thus offer an eco-efficient alternative to classical pyro- or hydrometallurgical processes without disturbing the soil cover and the geology from soils and rocks that would be considered as low grade ores or sterile material for conventional mining methods.Phytomining agroecosystems can lead to better soil resource efficiency and can offer a fully integrated, new agromining agriculture that could cover thousands of km2 in Europe, benefit local communities with a sustainable rural development and provide a wide array of ecosystem services which will need to be optimised under a life cycle assessment methodology:1. Production of bio-sourced metal products2. Production of energy biomass3. Restoration of soil fertility for conventional agriculture (Ni stress)4. Limiting Ni intake by local populations and farmers5. Use and conservation of local biodiversity (plant and soil fauna and microflora) as cultivated ecosystems6. Store carbon in cultivated soils7. Enhance pollination activity at landscape level.Nickel agromining could therefore change the economical balance in historically-disadvantaged ultramaficregions of Europe"

Jan 1, 2016

By James F. Allan

"The Kipawa yttrium-zirconium prospect is located about 150 km south of Noranda, Quebec. Yttrium-zirconium mineralization occurs in an elongate, regionally metamorphosed and deformed peralkaline complex in the Grenville terrain. The mineralized zone, as defined by =.0.10% Y2O3, is 1300 m long and 10 m to 30 m wide. Zirconium content typically ranges from 0.50 to 1.20% ZrO2, The mineralized zone strikes northwest and dips 20 degrees to 35 degrees to the southwest. It occurs at the structural base of the peralkaline complex in syenite gneiss and calc-silicate rocks and is conformable with both the footwall contact of the complex, and the layering and gneissosity in the enclosing rocks. Minerals of economic interest are eudialyte (sodium-zirconium silicate), mosandrite (sodium-titanium silicate), britholite (calcium-silica phosphate), and a few other uncommon zirconium and titanium silicate minerals.The highest and most continuous yttrium grades occur in the upper part of the syenite gneiss unit in areas containing eudialyte, mosandrite and minor britholite. Yttrium also occurs in britholite in calc-silicate rocks and in mosandrite in syenitic rocks in the lower part of the syenite gneiss unit. Both the yttrium-bearing minerals and yttrium grades are erratic in the lower part of the unit. Zirconium is generally more uniformly distributed than yttrium. A peralkaline granite gneiss phase of the complex intrudes the syenite gneiss and possibly truncates it, and the mineralization, near the southern boundary of the mineralized zone.The mineralized zone is coincident with a radiometric anomaly and discontinuous yttrium and zirconium soil anomalies.More drilling and metallurgical studies will be required to determine the economic viability of the yttrium and zirconium mineralization at Kipawa."

Jan 1, 1992

By J. R. Pacheco

Paranapanema group has decided to implement the business system SAP R/3 in all companies of the group in order to replace all current applications. This project has taken nine months to be completed. This paper describes the phases of this implementation, with focus on the Plant Maintenance component. In addition, it gives an idea of the effort required to implement SAP R/3 on an organization the size of Paranapanema group.

Jan 1, 2007

By H. Al-Kazzaz

The effects of laser power and joint gap on the welding quality of 2-mm butt joints of ZE41A-T5 sand castings were investigated using a continuous wave 4 kW Nd:YAG laser system and 1.6-mm EZ33A-T5 filler wire at a welding speed of 6 m/min and surface defocusing. The smooth weld profiles with the minor welding defects were obtained at a laser power of 4 kW and joint gap of 0.3-0.4 mm. The hardness values in the fusion zone are similar to those of the base metal but there is a drop in the heat-affected zone after a natural aging of 18 months.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. M. Reyes

Flow field hydrodynamics of serpentine flow channels was investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The velocity profile simulated by the CFD model was evaluated with respect to experimental results from the literature. Rectangular and tapered flow channels were compared with respect to mixing and water management capabilities, and pressure drop. The CFD model was further developed to account for electrochemical reaction on the cathode side to determine which channel configuration was most effective in reactant conversion. The velocity profile differences between the channels were found to impact reactant conversion, as the rectangular channel had the highest conversion. With respect to water management, although the tapered channel was found to have a higher overall pressure drop, the rectangular channel was found to have higher shear and pressure forces acting on simulated liquid water droplets in the channel.

Jan 1, 2005

By Robert Thomson

"The Cobalt camp is by far the most productive camp of the Temiskaming silver-cobalt area. The date of discovery, 1903, is an important one in the history of Canadian mining; from then on prospecting and mining grew rapidly to take the prominent places they now hold in Canadian life.At Cobalt, prospectors and operators, who were to play prominent parts in other Canadian camps, received their initial training. The exploration campaigns leading to the discovery of several new camps were organized at Cobalt, and a considerable part, indeed, of the funds for these campaigns were profits from mining at Cobalt.The discovery of the Cobalt camp was purely accidental, not the result of any purposeful search. Fred LaRose, a blacksmith employed in the construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, discovered mineral, afterwards determined to be valuable, within a few feet of the right-of-way. This discovery became part of the very productive LaRose mine. The publicity given this discovery, particularly by Willet G. Miller, later Provincial Geologist of Ontario, led to the rapid development of the camp.ProductionCobalt is a great camp by virtue of its silver production; cobalt is also important, although clearly subordinate. Copper, nickel, arsenic, and bismuth are by-products of mining for silver and cobalt and have not been of great importance to date.The following table gives the metal content of ores, concentrates, etc. from the Cobalt camp for the years 1904 to 1954 inclusive, as reported by the mines (l):"

Jan 1, 1949

By H. E. Lake

VERY EARLY in the initial stages of underground development work at Eldorado's Beaverlodge operation, the decision was made to use mill tailings as a backfill product. Mining and milling commenced in June, 1953, using locally available sand as backfill, while test work and installation of a plant was carried out to prepare ?and deliver the tailings to the mining areas. The first use of tailings was made in February, 1954, a sandslime separation being carried out with hydraulic cyclones. To date (January. 1956), approximately l 40,000 tons of fill have been used in the stoping areas, providing very effective support in a 50 deg. Vein system of cut-and-fill mining. The recoverable portion of the mill tailings amounts to 40 to 45 per cent, which has resulted in a product giving a percolation rate of 6 to 10 inches per hour. Owing to the fact that Eldorado has milled from 15 to 2 5 per cent more ore than it has mined, through the purchase of custom ore, the degree of control on the sand-slime separation has not been as critical as it might normally be when the filling operation must depend only on the tailings from ore mined. A description of the conditions involved and of the plant as finally installed is given below. It might be mentioned here that, with the impending increase in milling capacity from 700 tons to 2,000 tons p.er day, the present plant will be considerably altered within the ensuing year to handle the increased tonnage and distribution.

Jan 1, 1956

By G Anders

The effectiveness of two types of powder used in long-wall slashing was compared. The evaluation of the results can serve as a good example of how the application of statistical methods to underground test data can help to minimize the number of tests to be carried out. The conclusions are stated concisely, including a definite assessment of the reliability of the tests. Introduction AN assignment at the Algom Nordic mine called for a performance comparison between 70 per cent Cilgel B and 75 per cent Dygel in longwall stope slashing, particularly taking into account, in both cases, the build-up of bootlegs as dependent on hole deviation. Stopes were usually 8 to 10 ft. high and inclined at about 17 degrees. Starting from a raise, they were widened by consecutive longwall slashes to 60 ft., and, al-lowing for drift pillars, were approximately 300 ft. in length along the incline.

Jan 1, 1964

By L. Freitag

"The Dollard oil field in southwestern Saskatchewan is a stratigraphic trap of irregular shaped perimeter. The reservoir is a low-angle monoclinal structure with a dip of approximately 100 feet in 5 miles from west to east across the long axis of the reservoir. Production of. 23° API gravity crude is obtained from a Jurassic sand referred to as the J-2-A, at an approximate depth of 4,500 feet. Reservoir studies and fluid analyses revealed that the crude is highly undersaturated, having a solution GOR of approximately 130 cubic feet of gas per barrel, that the reservoir has no definable water table, and that it appears to be of a closed-boundary type. Oil production was marked by a rapid pressure decline and it was soon evident that the greatest ultimate recovery would be best obtained if the natural driving energy of the reservoir were augmented by some artificial energy source. In support of a pressure maintenance programme, studies were conducted on flood-pot recoveries of large-diameter cores, and a potentiometric model study of the field was made. These studies indicated that a successful water flood would be obtained. The Dollard field was unitized in 1955 and pressure maintenance started in March 1956."

Jan 1, 1959

By J. Satur

In copper mineral processing, pyrite coexisting with copper sulfide minerals like chalcopyrite is separated by flotation as tailings and its oxidation in tailing dams causes the formation of acid mine drainage. This paper proposes carriermicroencapsulation (CME) as a new method for suppressing pyrite flotability, as well as its oxidation. In this method, an organic carrier combined with Ti is used to form a thin Ti02 layer on pyrite, which gives a hydrophilic property and acts as a protective coating against oxidation. To form the coating, a ground pyrite sample was treated with Ti-catechol complex solution under various conditions. Bubble pick-up experiments and flotation experiments showed that the treatment of pyrite with Ticatechol complex changed the hydrophobic nature of pyrite into hydrophilic even in the presence of xanthate as a flotation collector. Oxidation testing of the CME-treated pyrite by 0.02 kmol m-3 HN03 showed that Fe release was suppressed by the CME treatment with respect to the control. This is assumed to be due to the formation of Ti02 coating on the pyrite surface. The effect of CME treatment on chalcopyrite wettability is also discussed.

Jan 1, 2007

By David Morrison

Our present longwall problems in Cape Breton can be grouped under five main classifications. These are: (1) Roof control on the face and on the main roadways leading thereto. (2) Transportation of coal along face and levels. (3) Mechanical loading at the face. (4) Safe method of conducting and applying power at the working faces. (5) Dust nuisance. The usual layout for longwall operation in Cape Breton is to have three, and sometimes four, faces in line with each other, the length of face being from 400 feet to 500 feet (see Figure 1), and producing between 425 and 500 tons per face. Each wall is serviced by a well constructed roadway for transportation of coal, men, and materials, and is operated as an independent unit. Each wall works under a regular cycle of operations: first, cutting and boring; second, drawing hardwood chocks, building midwalls, and shifting panlines; and third, loading. The present method of roof control and operation of longwall faces has developed through trial and error since the commencement of longwall miring in Cape Breton. The basic method of roof control in all longwalls in Cape Breton is: rigid support of the roof in the immediate vicinity of the working faces by hardwood blocks, as shown in Figure 2, accompanied by a cushion support furnished by continuous midwalls, 12 feet wide, constructed of stone obtained from the waste and spaced at 50-foot centres. These midwalls are kept forward to within 4 feet to 10 feet of the working face and allow a gradual subsidence of overhead strata, thus preventing any sudden break at the working face.

Jan 1, 1947

By R. J. Brailey

"A USER'S VIEW OF CONVEYOR WEIGH SCALESThe Sudbury Operations of Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited includes seven mines, three concentrators and a smelter. The flow of ore, concentrates, fuel and fluxes between and within these plants requires measurement for accounting and control. The design, installation and maintenance .of weighing systems falls within the responsibility of the Instrumentation Department of Falconbridge Nickel Mines thus al lowing a common approach to conveyor weighing problems and the benefit of a common spares supply. This paper gives a brief overview of the recent experience with conveyor scales within the Sudbury Operations and discusses the problem areas.GeneralThe best way to establish the total amount of material going to or from a process is with a bucket and a stop watch. Unfortunately the flowrates involved in mining plants make the buckets very large, but wherever it is feasible static weighing is the preferred method of determining total quantity. This applies particularly to batch systems, where the material can be brought to rest long enough to allow a very accurate weight determination. Any form of weighing in motion is susceptible to variations in the forces of the transporting system. A belt scale is affected by its position on the belt, idler alignment, support stiffness, variations in belt tension, material spills and build-up, and a host of other factors all of which require careful consideration in any installation.As with instrumentation applied to any system the plant should be designed to ensure that the best results can be obtained from the equipment. This means getting the scale supplier together with the conveyor supplier as early as possible in the designing of a new plant. Any corners cut in scale installation will be paid for later in poor results and/or increased maintenance."

Jan 1, 1975

By S. H. Schulz

100 YEARS AGO, on the first of August, 1877, the mining engineer Friedrich Koepe was granted the patent rights for a hoist driving ropes on the principle of friction. It was named after him: the Koepe hoist. On the occasion of this centenary, the main features of the Kcepe principle are described.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. R. Guillet

Salt is restricted to five major beds in south western Ontario, totalling as much as 200 m in thickness. These beds are located at depths ranging from 270 m to 750 m below the surface, fringing Lake Huron and the Detroit River from Windsor to Kincardine, and extending inland as far as London. Manitoulin Island, the Bruce Peninsula and the north part of the Niagara Escarpment form the northeastern rim of the Michigan Basin, a major structural depression in which the salt was deposited 400 million years ago when much of North America was covered by the Silurian sea. Salt is mined underground at Windsor and Goderich; it is also brought to surface as brine through deep wells at Windsor, Samia and Goderich. Artificially- created caverns in salt beds are extensively used for storage of liquid hydrocarbons at Windsor and Samia.

Jan 1, 1984

By N. Afrin

The microstructure and tensile properties of AZ31B-H24 magnesium (Mg) alloy after friction stir welding (FSW) were evaluated. The grain size was observed to increase from approximately 5 µm to about 9 µm after FSW. The obtained Hall-Petch type relationship showed a strong grain size dependence of the hardness values. While the FSW led to about half of the yield strength of the base magnesium alloy, the ultimate tensile strength after FSW could reach about two thirds of that of the base alloy. The hardening capacity of the FSWed samples was about twice of that of the base alloy. The strain hardening exponent of the base alloy was found to be about 0.1 whereas it became larger than 0.3 for the FSWed samples. After yielding the base alloy showed a high initial and almost constant work hardening rate, corresponding to linear hardening stage II, followed by stage III with a decreasing hardening rate. Stage II linear hardening was observed to be absent in the FSWed samples.

Jan 1, 2007

By Jean-Pierre Birat, François Hanrot, Gérard Danloy

Global warming presents an enormous challenge to the steel industry, which is both carbon-intensive and energy efficient. Lean production can provide some short-term emission mitigation, at the level of the Kyoto requirements. In the middle term, more use of scrap will also help alleviate emissions. But to reach much larger reductions in GHG emissions, on a par with the likely targets that will be set after the Kyoto period, the steel industry will have to imagine new production paradigms, which constitutes its most formidable challenge for the years to come. Carbon capture and sequestration, processes leaner in carbon use, electricity and hydrogen from green sources will have to be added together in a patchwork of process routes, which will have to be developed at great risk in the next decade, hopefully through broad international cooperation.

Jan 1, 2004

By F. R. Ploeger, J. H. Crocket

"IntroductionRocks in the Kirkland Lake district form part of the Timiskaming Group, a south-facing homoclinal sequence of wackes, conglomerate, trachytic flows and pyroclastic rocks and syenitic intrusive rocks. Hewitt (1963) indicates that the thickest section, about 5 km, of the Timiskaming Group rocks is attained in Lebel Township. Several writers (Thomson, 1948; Hewitt, 1963; Hyde, 1978; Jensen, 1978; and Downes, 1979) have observed that the Timiskaming Group unconformably overlies the Keewatin volcanics, particularly along the northern contact. Recent work by Downes (1979) in McGarry and McVittie townships to the east of Kirkland Lake has shown that much of what had formerly been classified as Timiskaming actually belongs to an older group of rocks, the Larder Lake Group (Jensen 1978).General GeologyA series of fluviatile, braided-stream sedimentary rocks (Hyde, 1978) form the oldest of the three major rock suites at Kirkland Lake. Conglomerates constitute a large proportion of these sedimentary rocks and typically contain a large percentage of a variety of locally derived alkalic rock clasts as well as the distinctive red jasper iron-formation pebbles (Fig. 1a). The associated wacke units can be massive to finely bedded and are interbedded with the conglomerate. They also contain a large alkalic tuffaceous component.Interbedded with these sedimentary rocks are alkalic extrusive rocks, including tuffs, agglomerates, breccias and flows, which represent episodes of fissure and explosive crater eruption (Cooke and Moorhouse, 1969). The tuffs, although dominantly alkalic in composition, are commonly reworked and contain sedimentary features such as graded bedding, scouring and crossbedding (Fig. 1 b). The trachytic flows are massive to porphyritic and outcrop mainly east of Kirkland Lake in the adjoining townships. Altered leucitic porphyritic flows, locally referred to as red and green spotted trachytes, commonly occur."

Jan 1, 1982

By Eugene Larochelle

The serpentine of the Eastern Townships of Quebec is more or less seamed and impregnated with chrysotile asbestos, of which we note two types: the cross-fibre and the disseminated fibre. The cross-fibre type always appears in fibres or crystals arranged parallel to one another, and disposed at right angles to the walls of the matrix serpentine. The length of fibre of these veins, which run in every conceivable direction, even crossing ?one another, varies from microscopie dimensions to three and sometimes four and even five inches. It is the principal form of asbestos found in the serpentine of Thetford Mines, Black Lake, Coleraine, and Asbestos. The disseminated-fibre type, which is the main product of the serpentine of Broughton township, in which ate located the mines at East Broughton, does not form veins, but occurs in the serpentine without any definite arrangement. There is a difference in the toughness and hardness of the rock of the two types, the Broughton serpentine being softer than that at Thetford. The disseminated-fibre section of the serpentine belt is probably more regular in its content than is the cross-fibre section. Nevertheless, it contains no 'crude,' which is the most valuable of asbestos, and the fibre is usually shorter than the cross-fibre average.

Jan 1, 1928