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By G. Vibert Douglas

NICKEL minerals are known in New Brunswick but have never been reported from Nova Scotia. The attention of the writers was drawn to an occurrence of pyrrhotite, reported to carry nickel, at the Second Gold brook, Middle river, Cape Breton. The purpose of this paper is to record the occurrence and give an account of the general geological association. In a later paper it may be possible to give greater details? than are available at present. GEOLOGY The area lies at the edge of a plateau of Precambrian rocks which forms the panhandle of Cape Breton island. This plateau has a general elevation of 1,200 feet. Middle river, with its tributaries, the First, Second, and Third Gold brooks drains the area. The lower country to east and southeast of the plateau is underlain by lower Carboniferous sediments. The rocks of the plateau are presumably of Precambrian age but have never been definitely correlated with the Gold-Bearing Series of the mainland. ?There i:s; however, some resemblance, although they have apparently been more intensely mountain-built. They are essentially fine grained, sheared quartzites and slates . The general strike is east and west, with a north dip of 45° to 55°. There are smalllocal drag-folds in the area. The only igneous rock in the immediate vicinity is an intrusive pink porphyry. It has small phenocrysts of quartz and feldspar. It has intruded the sediments generally along the structural planes, but in places crosses the structure . Its intrusive character is further proved by the fact that it contains xenoliths of the quartzite.

Jan 1, 1937

By Paul Stothart

Agenda 1)Key Political and Policy Issues 2)Relevance to the Mining Sector ?All parties vying to be the greenest ?Regulation, indoor air, health issues combined into Clean Air Act ?International carbon markets ?Kyoto Protocol ?legal force ?Spawning clean energy technologies? ?Effectiveness of present approaches?

May 1, 2007

By J. A. Hillier

"IntroductionThe purpose of sampling is to remove a portion of material from a stream which is representative of it in size, moisture and mineral content.To prevent the effects of segregation, generally caused by the way in which a conveyor, pipe or launder is loaded or directed, the sampler should cut proportionally the entire cross section of the stream.If one conveyor transfers to another at a right angle, fines may be dropped on the near side, and the coarse material thrown to the opposite side. Segregation can also occur as a result of the motion of a conveyor belt passing over the idlers causing the coarse material to roll to the sides of the belt.When slurry changes direction of flow in a launder or pipe, the heavier and coarser fraction will centrifuge to the outside of the curve and tend to remain on one side of the stream. Similarly, if two streams joining in a common launder are not mixed at the point of confluence, they will continue down the launder unmixed . This effect is particularly noticeable in a plastic lined launder.Therefore, a proportional sample is usually accomplished by a constant rate of cutter travel across the entire stream, making certain that the cutter is not full or splashing over before reaching the end of travel.The cutter should operate on a constant interval based on time, tonnage and uniformity of flow. The opening should be at least three times the width of the largest piece to be sampled. The cutter width is more critical with ore samples where particle sizes are large. With slurry samples, the opening is usually much larger than the minimum in order to obtain sufficient samples"

Jan 1, 1989

By Paul Stothart

Context ? Industry is active in urban, rural, and remote regions ? Faces a range of environmental challenges and ?social license? issues ? There are also Aboriginal and northern issues ? Also very active internationally, with associated challenges ? Environmental/social groups often target the industry ? The important contribution of the industry should not be overlooked Useful Minerals and Metals Minerals are intrinsic to the residential, municipal, communications, and transportation infrastructure of modern life. Examples: Hybrid motors - nickel hydride batteries Water purification systems ? nickel, rare earth elements Catalytic converters - cerium Screens and monitors - several rare earth elements Clean electricity - uranium Circuitry - gold, copper, aluminium, lithium, titanium, silver, cobalt, zinc Instruments - copper, silver, nickel, cobalt, copper, brass Protective products ? zinc, calcium carbonate, sulphur

May 1, 2008

Heap leaching accounts for around 20% of the global production of copper. In heap leaching coarsely crushed ore particles are contacted with an aqueous lixiviant percolating through large packed beds (heaps) of the ore particles, with the loaded solution collected at the foot of the heap for metal recovery, solution make-up and recycle. While dominant for copper oxide acid leaching, it finds application also in copper sulphide (bio) leaching. Despite their apparent simplicity, heaps are in fact complex chemical reactors in which a number of competing sub-processes determine the overall rate of metal extraction. Therefore, meaningful prediction of copper production rates from heaps, as well as operational optimisation and control, all hinge on a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of these complexities. The paper gives a comprehensive overview of the various sub-processes in copper heap leaching and their interactions, including those relating to mineral-particle-solution-gas phase interactions at the micro-scale bulk transport and distribution of solution in unsaturated dense beds at the macro-scale. On the basis of a more fundamental understanding and modelling, the potential for optimized operation offers new opportunities for the extraction of value from both low-grade and complex polymetallic ores. INTRODUCTION Heap leaching is one of the percolation leaching technologies, which includes in situ leaching, dump leaching, heap leaching and vat leaching (Bartlett, 1998). The common phenomenon in all these technologies is the transport of leach solution through a fixed bed of ore particles, which interacts with the solid as it migrates along its path. The target minerals are released into solution and with its flow are carried out of the bed. The targeted dissolved metal species are recovered from solution through various hydrometallurgical techniques, especially solvent extraction (SX), before the barren solution is returned to the leach process. Heap leaching is practised in three main types of applications: sulphuric acid leaching of copper oxide ores, cyanide leaching of gold ores as well as the oxidative acid leaching of secondary copper sulphide ores, usually with the assistance of certain microorganisms and, more recently, in the presence of chlorides (CaCl2, sea water). While gold heap leaching dates back to the 1960s, large scale copper heap leaching commenced in Chile from the 1980s, and sulphide heap leaching emerged essentially as a consequence of acid leaching from mixed oxide/sulphide ores from the 1990s (Watling, 2006).

Jan 1, 2019

By W. J. D. Stone

"INTRODUCTION Over the past decade, a number of publications have described the advances in High Intensity Wet Magnetic Separation. A number of significant, but small capacity installations were made and are successfully operating. These were followed some three years ago by larger installations treating ilmenite gravity concentrates; at least one machine treating 25 tons per hour of new feed was installed and is successfully operating.However, this still did not result in general acceptance that High Intensity Wet Magnetic Separation could be applied on a large scale. Neither did it dispel the feeling that High Intensity Wet Magnetic Separation was ""expensive"" and hence, confined to small scale – high value applications suchas the cleaning of tin concentrates. In addition, there is the usual reluctance of being the ""guinea pig"" which has resulted in waiting to see ""someone else"" make the first large installation decision. Such a decision and installation has now been made.Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to show that High Intensity Wet Magnetic Separation has been commercially accepted on a large scale and to show its general application to the base metal mineral industry.Examples are confined to a few specifics due to the large volume of preliminary test data that is available. The art has now reached the stage where much of the preliminary work should be taken through to serious evaluation."

Jan 1, 1971

By Sarah Bélair, Denis Beltrami, Deka Moussa Ragueh, Valérie Weigel

"Scandium is a highly valuable element belonging to the rare earth elements (REE) but it has different chemical and physical properties from those of lanthanides. This metal is generally used in aluminum-scandium alloys and in fuel cells but the development of its market is slowed down by its high price (more than 1000 US$/kg for a 99.0% grade product). Indeed, the low scandium content in the continental crust (an average of 22 ppm) and the difficulties to extract it selectively from solutions containing high impurity concentrations increase the cost of the recovery processes. Nowadays, scandium is primarily recovered as a byproduct.ERAMET is developing a hydrometallurgical process in Gabon (Mabounié) in which the scandium content in the deposit reaches 10 to 100 ppm. The Maboumine project consists in the extraction and purification of uranium, niobium, tantalum and REE from Mabounié ore. In the frame of this hydrometallurgical project, ERAMET had also studied the feasibility to recover scandium as a byproduct. During the ore leaching, uranium and rare earth elements including scandium are solubilized into the pregnant leach solution (PLS). Among the various methods investigated to recover scandium from the PLS, liquid-liquid extraction using Primene JM-T as extractant was chosen and tested first at laboratory scale and then at pilot scale. Selective stripping of the loaded organic was carried out by using phosphoric acid solution, allowing the selective recovery of scandium from thorium and zirconium partially extracted from the PLS by Primene JM-T under the process conditions."

Jan 1, 2016

By Y. Mercadier, M. Ait-Ali, M. Dostie

"This paper presents the results of an analytical study to assist in the design of blast furnace tuyeres, including a prediction of the heat transfer process.IntroductionA blast furnace tuyere must be made of a material which must con serve its geometric and structural integrity in the environment of the fire-ball of the furnace. It must be cooled by a fluid forced through its internal cavities in such way as to keep its maximum temperature below the allowable limit. The prediction of the convective heat transfer coefficient inside the tuyere is of great importance in the design of new tuyeres with increased service life. We have developed a computer program which can predict the convective heat transfer coefficient for two-phase flow. This paper shows how the program work s and how it can be used for the numerical simulation of tuyeres.To simulate the h eat transfer conditions in water-cooled tuyeres, one has to predict:a) The heat flux (radiation and convection) generated by the combustion gases. This was evaluated using the single-zone gas-furnace model. This model yields results which are of the right order of magnitude. A more fundamental study of radiation heat transfer based on combustion and gas concentration s will be reported in a future publication.b) The local convective heat transfer coefficient at all points with in the tuyere.Prediction of the Convective Heat Transfer CoefficientTo calculate the convective heat transfer coefficient for refrigerant stream, semi-empirical correlations developed by the nuclear industry were adopted. These correlations permit us to analyze the entire range of the convective boiling range, as shown in Table 1. Our first attempt, with a single-phase flow correlation, has shown the need to take nucleate boiling into account."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. W. Merks

"The accuracy of a measurement on minerals and ores can be assured by applying suitable and unbiased procedures but its precision is a function of the number of primary increments and their mass, the number of lots per consignment or samples per shift, and the number of measurements on analysis fine samples.Experimental data will be used to show how the variance components for sampling, sample preparation and analysis contribute to the total variance on which precision statements for the final measurement are based. This type of experiment should not only form part of quality control programs at mines and smelters, but also underly the criteria on which the design of manual sampling regimes and mechanical sampling systems for bulk solids and slurries should be based.Sampling systems and regimes can only be adjusted and optimized if the variance component for each step in a quality evaluation process is measured. Knowledge of precision characteristics lies at the core of effective loss prevention and control programs."

Jan 1, 1985

By F. McIntosh Galbraith

EMPLOYING geophysics to find ore was for a long time considered by the Canadian mining fraternity to be a performance of dubious value: in a category somewhere between the practice of sorcery, and using a divining rod to locate underground water. With increasing knowledge, however, and with constantly improving instruments, a solid speaking acquaintance with this adolescent science is becoming an integral part of the mining geologist's stock in trade. And quite properly so: for, in the established mining districts, the ore deposits which could be easily found, by ordinary prospecting methods, have already been located. There remain; however, in almost all of the principal mining camps, areas which are covered to varying depths by glacial debris; and it is here that the obvious opportunities exist for the successful application of geophysical methods. Geophysical results must always be considered in the closest possible relation to the local geology; and, in reality, the 'doodle-bugs' are simply additional tools for the geologist (in the same category with a plane table or a microscope). The Sudbury Basin is a shining example of precisely this state of affairs. Detailed geological mapping has not significantly altered the position of the outer norite contact as placed on Dr. Coleman's original map of the district. What detailed examination has done, of course, has been to reveal the accuracy with which the contact can be placed in different parts of the district, and to show up, in consequence, areas in which further work might reasonably be expected to disclose hitherto unknown or unsuspected ore. Viewed in this light, the proportion of the norite contact which is covered by substantial quantities of overburden is astonishingly large.

Jan 1, 1939

By S. V. Burr

"IntroductionOne of the more puzzling geological enigmas, in the writer's opinion, is how rock can move sideways with respect to other rock. In the writer's study of regional northwest-southeast folding in North America (Burr, 1980), he may have found the answer to horizontal offset.Horizontal OffsetSideways movement or horizontal offset does not mean that the movement was, or is, horizontal. As indicated below, the actual movement may be at a high angle from the horizontal. However, it is the horizontal VECTOR, or offset, which is measured on surface by geologists. Vertical movements (thrust, normal, reverse) can be understood, as they involve blocks of rock , generally separated on four to six sides, which have been pushed up or subsided. Vertical faulting across dipping strata can produce APPARENT horizontal offsets. However, this thesis deals only with ACTUAL offsets.The ProblemFigure 1 is a plan view of a simple hypothetical horizontal offset. Three vertical dykes are intersected by a fault lineament. Two dykes exhibit no movement; the middle dyke has been offset a distance (a). Vertical faulting would have produced no horizontal offset. How can a horizontal distance (a) disappear or appear? Rock expands or contracts in infinitesimal amounts.SolutionThe map (Burr, 1980) shows the writer's interpretation of regional northwest-trending folds in Ontario. The writer made two observations about horizontal offsets during his thirty year study of these folds:1) All major horizontal fault lineaments strike at a high angle to the northwest fold axes. Many of the northwest-trending lineaments are fault s, but their movement is essentially vertical.2) Close to many of the known horizontal offsets (and several lineaments), there are areas where plunge reversals are so frequent and close together it is impossible to draw in all the fold axes at a scale of 1 inch = 4 miles, and, in the highly faulted Espanola area southwest of Sudbury, Ontario, all the indicated folds cannot be easily separated at a scale of 1 inch = 1 mile. The writer has observed folds less than 30 feet apart next to the strong Puskitamica-Chibougamau fault in northern Quebec."

Jan 1, 1982

By C. J. Cattarello

"The Langmuir Mine is located seventeen miles south-east of South Porcupine in Langmuir Township.The property was developed as a Joint Venture between Noranda Mines Limited and the International Nickel Company of Canada with Noranda responsible for the operation of the property.The Mine came into production in June 1973 at a rate of 700 tons per day of nickel ore.MINING The mining method selected for the Langmuir Project was a sub-level retreat method. This consisted of driving sub-levels longitudinally in the ore body at 35 foot, intervals with the sub-levels being connected by a ramp from each main level for the use of trackless mining equipment.GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE LANGMUIR MINE The deposit is situated about 1,000 feet west of the shore of Carmen Bay at the south of Nighthawk Lake in Langmuir Township. The area is underlain by andesite and rhyolite flows with iron formations which are intruded by gabbro, diorite, peridotite and late precambrian diabase dikes."

Jan 1, 1975

By Andrew Artzer, Michael Moats, Jack Bender

Antimony and bismuth in copper electrorefining electrolytes can cause cathode contamination, leading to the careful control of their concentrations. This study examined the laboratory scale removal of bismuth and antimony from an electrorefining electrolyte using a solvent extraction mini-pilot plant. The ability of a proprietary phosphonic acid ester extractant (REX-2) in a commercial diluent was studied in a simulated commercial setting. Antimony and bismuth were both extracted effectively from the electrolyte (72% Bi and 70% Sb removed) and Bi was effectively stripped (92% Bi recovered) with 400 g/L sulfuric acid. A final strip solution was obtained from the SX circuit containing 0.36 g/L Bi, 0.043 g/L Sb, 1.3 g/L Cu, and 0.18 g/L As. Unfortunately, most of the extracted Sb remained in the organic phase. Following the pilot study, experiments were performed to examine the precipitation of bismuth from the aqueous strip phase and the removal of antimony loaded on to REX-2. INTRODUCTION For many years, antimony and bismuth have been some of the most problematic impurities in copper electrorefining (ER) (Bardwell & Lapee, 1933). Along with surface roughening, high concentrations of Sb and Bi can contaminate the copper cathode and precipitate at the copper grain boundaries. This drastically reduces the drawing ability of the metal (Bender & Emmerich, 2016). For these reasons, it is necessary to control Sb and Bi concentration in the cathode, which is done by controlling their concentration in the electrolyte. Conventionally, Sb and Bi concentrations are controlled by maintaining a proper As/(Sb+Bi) molar ratio in the anode and arsenic concentration in the electrolyte. Antimony and bismuth are removed during electrolyte purification using liberators (electrowinning cells) and/or ion exchange. Liberators treat an electrolyte bleed stream from the ER circuit and electrodeposit increasingly impure copper as the copper concentration of the solution decreases. Traditionally, first stage liberators reduce the copper concentration from ~45 g/L to ~15 g/L and produce saleable copper. Second stage liberators decrease the copper concentration to ~8 g/L (Biswas & Davenport, 1980) which results in contaminated cathode that is returned to anode production (Biswas & Davenport, 1980; Wang, 2004). Further electrolyte purification is not always required but third stage liberators can be used to reduce copper concentration below 2 g/L which results in significant removal of As, Sb and Bi and very impure deposits which are recycled to a smelter or used for As production. However, liberators do not have very high energy efficiency (Acharya, 2014; Ando & Tsuchida, 1997) and below 0.5 g/L copper, highly toxic arsine gas may form (Biswas & Davenport, 1980).

Jan 1, 2019

By Chigova. Terence

In 2008, Anglo installed the Modular IntelliMine® System at its Kleinkopje Mine (AKK). As part of this deployment, Anglo also used the Change Management Consulting Service offered by Modular to ensure a successful installation. This paper outlines the benefits that AKK has realized through the deployment of the system, including a 15% improvement in tonne/kilometers per hour (TKPH). The mine benefited from the improvements provided by the system almost immediately by utilizing change management to more effectively integrate IntelliMine technology into their processes. This case study includes details about the deployed system, the implementation of change management, and recommendations to ensure success in future projects.

May 1, 2010

By R. Druffel, P. Wittke-Gattermann, M. Wittke

"The two tubes of tunnel Hirschhagen along the highway A44 in Germany, underpass the federal road B7, a railway line and the valley of the river Losse close to the city of Hessisch Lichtenau. The ground in the area consists of Triassic sand- and siltstones (""Buntsandstein"") as well as tertiary clays. Prior to tunneling, the groundwater in the area is planned to be lowered by means of a gallery of deep wells. As a basis for the design of this dewatering gallery, two large pumping tests have been carried out. The results of these tests have been evaluated by means of 3D-Finite Element analyses. By means of the large-scale model, the influence of the anisotropy resulting from jointing and bedding and the influence of fault zones in the area have been taken into account, which lead to a thorough basis for the design of the dewatering gallery.INTRODUCTIONThe 4.2 km long Tunnel Hirschhagen of the highway A 44 crosses below the federal road B7, a railway line and the river Losse close to the city of Hessisch-Lichtenau in central Germany. Both tunnel tubes are located in a subrosion depression in which Triassic sandstone and tertiary clay prevail. It is planned to lower the groundwater table in the area of the meadow of the Losse prior to tunnel heading [1]. Groundwater lowering is planned to be achieved by means of a series of large pumping wells. The bottom of the river Losse will be sealed in order to avoid direct inflow of water from the river into the ground (Fig. 1 and 2)."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Brent Hiskey

At present, approximately 80 % of the worlds mine production of copper is achieved by smelting and electrorefining. The principle aim of copper electrorefining is to satisfy the large demand for extremely pure copper. It is remarkable that high quality copper cathodes with the required purity (99.99+% Cu, ASTM B115-10) and structural characteristics (i.e. deposit density and morphological texture) are produced from impure copper anodes dissolved in electrolytes containing a variety of impurities. This is accomplished with the proper control of operating parameters such as: current density; temperature; copper and sulfuric acid concentration; agitation; substrate preparation; and the application of electrolyte additives. The basic elements of the electrolysis of copper have not changed significantly over the past 150 years since the early developments of James Elkington. Importantly, our fundamental understanding of the underlying electrochemistry has advanced considerably. This is especially true regarding our knowledge of the mechanistic role of additives during the electrocrystallization of copper. This is a very complex subject and modern electrochemical techniques and the development of surface characterization and imaging instruments has helped immensely in our ultimate understanding of how additives control the deposit structure and morphology. The purpose of this paper is to review the historical development and application of electrolyte additives in copper electrorefining and to examine our current knowledge regarding their use. INTRODUCTION The first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed in August 1858. Regrettably, this cable failed shortly after the initial connections. After several more failed attempts, improvements in materials and copper quality resulted in successful communication between Europe and America on July 28, 1866. In many ways this hallmark event demonstrated the need for high purity copper. The first copper refinery in the world was commissioned in May 1869 in Pembrey, South Wales by partners Josiah Mason and James Balleney Elkington. (Historical Note). The 1865 and 1868 British patents issued to James Balleney Elkington were the foundation for the first commercial production of high purity electrolytic copper (Elkington, 1865, 1869, 1870). This important achievement was made possible primarily by the invention of the dynamo which was based on the fundamental operating principles advanced by Michael Faraday. A symbiotic relationship between copper refining and the dynamo was henceforth established. The dynamo provided electric current for electrolytic refining of copper and the electrorefining tankhouse provided pure copper which was required for the generation and transmission of electricity.

Jan 1, 2019

By Jennifer Young

Presentation Outline ? Introduction ? Aboriginal Inclusiveness ? Common interpretations, practices ? Aboriginal Community Expectations ? Lessons Learned ? Native Code of Conduct Introduction Jennifer Young ? Nestu'et (Mi'kmaq) means: becoming wiser, becoming more knowledgeable Aboriginal Inclusiveness ? Internal hiring strategies (affirmative action) ? Incorporating cultural awareness programs ? Approaches in governmental/organizational policy development Practices in negotiating economic development and fiscal sharing strategies

May 1, 2010

By A. J. Paul Laprairie

"ADVANCE planning of mining methods, from the first development openings to stope layout and pillar recovery, has long been accepted as a normal method of operating a mine. Recently, mine managers have become increasingly aware that advance planning of cost and accounting controls can also be considered a normal method of operation. The use of such controls is wide-spread in manufacturing industries. In mining, the gold mines of South Africa have pioneered, with marked success, in this field and have been closely associated with most of the research and field work in accounting control. Canadian mine managers are also beginning to realize the advantages of using planned costs. The control procedures which subsequently have been introduced at various mines have come to be known by such names as ""Responsibility Costing"" or Budgetary Control"".Budgetary control, the term used in this paper, is based on the concept of decentralized authority with centralized control. ;The control is achieved by measuring results against yardsticks which are in the form of budgets or standards. Bud-gets are made for the future activities of each possible operation as planned by the department head, and attention is directed to variations from this plan. Furthermore, the control process charges to each operation only those costs which are incurred directly for that operation, and which can be controlled by the person in charge. Thus, budgetary control relates results to the officials responsible for those results. Expenditures are analyzed according to the organizational structure of the mine and the people who run it, and not according to production processes."

Jan 1, 1960

By W. Melnyk, L Pokhilenko, J. A. McDonald, A. Hall

The Camsell Lake property comprises 270 000 acres located about 240 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Kimberlite has been located in two areas of the property:

Jan 1, 2001

By J. Wild, M. Ounpuu, G. Chevalier

"The requirements for a finer grind at Heath Steele have resulted in the investigation of agitated milling as a cost effective alternative to conventional tumbling ball mills.The grinding unit is a vertically agitated, or stirred ball mill. Grinding occurs as the result of the motion of a single vertical rotor equipped with protruding pins which impart a stirring action to the ball charge. A comparative evaluation of a 30 kW SALA Agitated Mill (SAM), and a 1.5 m x 2.5 m copper-lead regrind ball mill has been conducted at Heath Steele.An overview of agitated milling as it applies to the reduction of sulphide ore will be the primary topic for discussion. Specific parameters including energy efficiency, media consumption, operating costs, and the mechanical aspects of the SAM operation will be presented.Evaluation of the agitated mill has shown that improved grinding performance at much lower work indices than those of the conventional ball mill is possible. Media consumption has proven to be comparable on an average g/kWh basis, but the mechanical availability of the mill has been low.INTRODUCTIONConventional tumbling ball mill grinding has proven to be an energy inefficient process. Energy losses occurring within the ball mill itself can be attributed to particle friction without breakage, kinetic and potential energy losses, plastic and elastic deformation and the production of heat and sound (Lynch, 1977). It can be generally stated that a certain amount of the input energy will be converted to another form as a necessary by-product of particle breakage. Theoretical interpretation of experimental results indicate that the energy required for breaking the ore particles in a ball mill varies between I% and 25% of the total energy input (SME, 1985)."

Jan 1, 1993