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By R. C. Rowe

DR. W. F. GRAY (Contributed discussion, presented at meeting by Mr. S. C. Mifilen): Mr. Rowe's suggestion that the Institute should organize itself to interpret the needs of the mining industry to federal and provincial mines departments should commend itself to our membership as sensible and practical, and as one which these public administrative bodies may welcome. One has to start with the premise that those who head the departments of mines in question have the welfare of the industry at heart. Also, it must be postulated that the technical viewpoint of our membership is necessarily free of political considerations. With these reservations, one ventures to state that both Mr. Rowe in his communication to the present session of the Institute, and Professor M. Y. Williams in his earlier communication to the Western Meeting, on The Geological Survey and Mining Development (1), voice the regret general among our membership at the abandonment of the honoured name, and to some extent of the status, of the Geological Survey of Canada. The writer, in 1932, devoted his Presidential Address to the Institute to an appreciation of the value to Canadian mining of the Geological Survey of Canada (2), affirming the desire of the Institute "that the work of the Survey shall be maintained at the highest pitch of efficiency the resources of our country will permit, because, to scrimp expenses on the Survey, is 'to save at the spigot and lose at the bunghole'." He believes that is still the opinion of the Institute, and, if contraction of the usefulness of the Survey is feared by our members at this time, it is incumbent upon the Institute, in fairness to those who direct our government, to say so in precise and explicit terms. Mr. Rowe puts the situation pithily when he writes: "We have reached a stage in our development where a stock-taking and co-ordination of existing knowledge and data is essential. This is a part of that basic function of Dominion mineral technical services which is national and not provincial in its scope".

Jan 1, 1939

By Meifeng Zhi, Yuqing Niu, Xixin Chang, Fengqi Zhao, Weimin Qiu, Hao Wang, Zhenqian Wen, Zujun Shu

An applicable Eluex process was developed for acid in-situ leaching (ISL) uranium mine in Bayanwula. In this process, uranium was adsorbed with strong base anion resin from the pregnant solution, then the loaded resin was eluted by sulfuric acid. After D2EHPA extraction, the concentrated eluate was enriched, and the loaded organic phase was stripped by sodium carbonate. The yellow cake was obtained by sodium hydroxide precipitation at last. The uranium concentration in the loaded strip solution was 52.8 g/L. Parameters of the process were determined, and the impact of the Eluex process in underground leaching was also investigated. In industrial design, 95% of raffinate went back to elution and 5% back to in-situ leaching. No significant effect on uranium leaching or resin adsorption was found.

Jan 1, 2020

By M. D. Lawton, P. Steen

"Drilling results from the established levels at AngloRouyn Mines Limited had indicated inadequate tonnages to meet the planning schedule. It was decided to develop the main zone of the orebody below the bottom working level of the mine. The orebody dips north at an average of 50 degrees and plunges to the west at about 10 degrees. Due to the need for rapid development of this area, a decision was made to use trackless equipment.This paper describes the method used and highlights the use of small 5-ton diesel trucks as carriers for the 2-cu.yd LHD machine. The method achieved advances of about 1,000 feet per month, at a dip of 12 degrees over a length of close to 2,000 feet, using as few as 20 men per day."

Jan 1, 1971

By J. P. Harrison, R. Roostaei

"In this paper we investigate the consequences of using conventional triaxial peak strength criteria in the polyaxial stress conditions that occur around the end of a long circular underground opening. A series of 3d boundary element analyses were performed using Examine3D to determine the stresses induced around the tunnel in different in-situ stress conditions. To discuss the applicability of a triaxial strength criterion in failure prediction, strength factors were computed for both the Ottosen polyaxial strength criterion and the triaxial Hoek-Brown criterion. Assuming that the Ottosen criterion is an accurate indicator of strength factor, the discrepancy from this value due to the Hoek-Brown criterion is the error in prediction.In order to simultaneously show the error in prediction and actual strength factor, a quantitative bivariate colour scheme is used to visualize the results. This allows rapid identification of regions with large error, and where either unsafe or overly conservative conditions occur. We show how the inappropriate use of triaxial criteria rather than polyaxial criteria leads to an under- or over-estimation of strength factor, and can result in uneconomic or unsafe design. Extending the analysis to different in situ stress regimes shows how the in situ stress conditions affect the assessment."

Jan 1, 2015

By M. M. Papic, J. C. Whitehead

"A sample of Hat Creek coal has been extracted using supercritical aromatic solvents in a laboratory-scale extraction unit. Extract yields in the range 21 to 27 per cent of dry-ash-free coal were obtained.These yields are significantly lower than yields available from high-volatile bituminous coal and some lignites. Thus in a combined extraction/hydrocracking scheme for the production of liquid fuels from Hat Creek coal the char product would exceed that required to supply the energy and hydrogen requirements of the process. Excess char could be used for the production of power or gas for sale.IntroductionThe Supercritical Gas Extraction (SGE) process developed by the U.K. National Coal Board operates in two stages: an extraction stage in which a coal extract is separated from mineral matter and undissolved coal and a subsequent hydrogenation stage.The SGE process is based on the ability of a compressed supercritical fluid to dissolve relatively high molecular weight substrates. It is operated under conditions where a hydrogenrich portion of the coal is selectively extracted in a short residence time extraction stage leaving a hydrogen-deficient char. The process schematic shown in Figure I illustrates that the extract produced is separated from the solvent and passed to a conventional hydroprocessing stage while the char product is utilized in the production of heat, power and hydrogen for the process. An extract yield in the order of 50 per cent dry-ash- free coal represents a ""balanced"" case for such a process in which there is just sufficient char for the provision of these commodities."

Jan 1, 1985

By H. A. Steane

THIS PAPER describes the re-grind section in the 2,000-ton per day, lead-zinc flotation mill of Canadian Exploration Limited, near Salmo, B.C. There are two re-grind units in operation, one in the lead circuit, and one in the zinc circuit. In each unit, the rougher concentrate is re-ground ahead of the cleaning circuit. These re-grind units have made valuable improvements in the concentrate grade, and with no loss in recovery by over-grinding galena or sphalerite. Since the initial installation of this re-grind section, the plant throughput has been increased gradually from 1,600 tons to 2,000 tons per twenty-four hours, and, as shown by the screen analysis of mill tailing, a coarser overall grind has been accepted, from 55 per cent to 45 per ?cent minus 200 mesh. There has been no increase in grinding capacity, but two mills have been taken from the main grinding circuit and used for the re-grind circuit.

Jan 1, 1958

By R. Erpelding

High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) are said to be a good option in new grinding circuits. Due to their low energy consumption compared to other grinding systems such as SAG milling, there is a strong incentive to check their behaviour for certain ore types. With rising energy prices the operation will become even more beneficial in future. As published in the past, the HPGR is claimed to increase the liberation of the valuable mineral component within an ore. An investigation at the research centre of Polysius was conducted to substantiate the liberation behaviour in finish grinding operations. A pilot scale HPGR test unit (POLYCOM MAGRO) with a roll diameter of 950 mm and processing capacity of 80 t/h was used. Grinding tests were completed with a screen and a two stage drying air separation process (SEPOL). Analysis included standard screen analysis, fractional XRF and modern MLA technology. A technique was developed to oppose the amount of produced slimes (resuming bad flotation) against the positive effect of producing high mass fraction at flotation-easy sizes. The paper shows how effective the use of a dry grinding separation could be in terms of production of mass of liberated metal.

Jan 1, 2012

By Mel Owen, Bob Tipman

"A number of studies have identified the presence of heavy minerals in the Athabasca oil sands. A 1996 Mineral Development Agreement study into the recovery of Co-Products identified low operating costs, a simple flowsheet and access to market as key drivers in advancing interest in a viable project.Commercial bitumen extraction processes recover 50% of the titanium heavy minerals and 85% of the zircon into froth containing 1 % of the feed solids. Froth treatment tailings grade is 11.5% Ti02 and 3.6% Zr02.Processing this high grade feed in a combination of flotation, roasting, screening, gravity concentration and magnetic separation, results in concentrates of rutile, leucoxene, ilmenite, zircon and rare earths of marketable quality.A combination of high grade feed and a simple process lead to operating costs among the lowest in the industry. Low cost heavy minerals and low energy costs indicate an intriguing potential for low cost pigment production in Alberta. The production of heavy minerals from oil sands remains one of the largest untapped resources in the Province of Alberta1.0 IntroductionThis paper describes the results of an investigation into the recovery of heavy minerals from tailings produced by the major oil sands plants. The study was carried out under a Canada-Alberta Mineral Development Agreement (Alberta Chamber of Resources 1996). The MDA Co-Products Study examined the potential for the economic recovery of heavy minerals from oil sands tailings."

Jan 1, 1998

By H. Attia, S. Engin

This paper presents a practical approach for determining the optimal spindle speed and the depth of cut in a milling operation within the ever-increasing economic and technical constrains. Analytical modeling and experimental work has been carried out to predict chatter in such operations. The stability lobes determined from this analysis were then used as a constraint in the optimization of the cutting process. The optimal cutting conditions are determined for two different objectives: maximum metal removal rate and minimum cost per unit. It is demonstrated that this approach can be generalized to impose multi-level constrains, e.g., surface integrity and machining accuracy. The approach presented in this work was examined and validated on three NC milling machines. The productivity improvement, cost reduction, while respecting part quality requirements, is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 2006

By Z. Y. Liu

A local additional potential model (LAPM) was developed to illustrate the role of strain rate in stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of pipelines. According to LAPM, both density and mobility of the local active spots on the steel surface, i.e., dislocation emergence points, increase linearly with strain rate. Generation of such active spots introduces an additional negative potential locally, affecting the electrochemical reaction and, consequently, the susceptibility of the steel to SCC. Electrochemical corrosion measurements, slow strain rate tests and electrochemical hydrogen permeation test were combined to demonstrate the validity of LAPM to illustrate pipeline SCC in an acidic soil solution. It is found that a maximum of the SCC susceptibility occurs at strain rate of 10-6 s1, which is associated with an enhanced hydrogen evolution due to the local additional potential (LAP) effect.

Jan 1, 2010

By T S. Cochrane

A variety of practical tests have been tried in the mining industry to determine the support properties of mine roof bolts. Such tests include torsion wrench readings, hammer blow tests and the use of plates with built-in tension indicators. This paper gives some details of pull tests with a hydraulic jack, as carried out in coal mines of western Canada. M A~Y criteria exist for establishing the efficiency of roof bolting, and the one adopted de-pends on the nature of the problem and on the individual leanings of the investigators. Consequently, sufficient studies have not been made from a common viewpoint or under similar geological and techno-logical conditions to compare these methods of evaluation. However, regardless of whether certain tests provide sufficient factual data to form a basis for theoretical research on bolting or not, many of these tests can and do provide a positive means of judging the suitability of chosen roof bolting techniques and equipment under definite geological conditions.

Jan 1, 1963

By Trygve Høy

"Important stratabound lead-zinc deposits in southeastern B. C. occur in rocks that range in age from Proterozoic Helikian to Middle Cambrian. The Sullivan deposit, and similar but smaller deposits in the Sullivan area are the only important deposits that occur in clastic rocks with little carbonate content. The highly deformed and metamorphosed Shuswap deposits, of probable Hadrynian to Helikian age, are in mixed marble, calc-silicate gneiss and pelitic schist assemblages, rocks transitional between clastics and carbonates. Deposits in younger rocks, such as the Kootenay Arc deposits in the Lower Cambrian Badshot-Reeves Formation and the Monarch -Kicking Horse deposits in Middle Cambrian dolomite, are hosted by platformal carbonate rocks.An important regional control for the distribution of deposits appears to be a northeast-trending tectonic zone that crosses the Rocky Mountains and the Purcell Mountains just south of the Sullivan area, and projects southwestward toward the Salmo camp at the southern end of the Kootenay Arc. Pronounced northeast-trending gravity and magnetic anomalies, basic volcanism of Hadrynian age (the Irene volcanics west of Creston) and a preferred alignment of Mesozoic granitic rocks indicates that the zone coincides with deep crustal structures. Within the zone are dramatic and abrupt thickness and facies changes in Hadrynian Windermere rocks and lower Paleozoic rocks, and on the east side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in Helikian Purcell Supergroup rocks, indicating that block-faulting was active intermittently within the zone from Helikian through to lower Paleozoic time. Right-lateral and reverse movements occurred on northeast-trending tear faults within the zone in Mesozoic time."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. P. Wiser

THIS paper discusses testing and quality control of milled asbestos fibre. It has been composed with the intention of: (I) Summarizing past, present and probable future methods of testing and classifying the various grades of commercial asbestos produced by the Quebec asbestos industry. (2) Acquainting those unfamiliar with the methods used for evaluating, testing and controlling the grading and the quality of Quebec chrysotile asbestos fibres with some of the physical and chemical procedures currently used for that purpose. (3) Discussing some of the complications facing the producers, such as variations in the orebody and special requirements of asbestos manufacturers. ( 4) Detailing some of the present quality control methods. SUMMARY OF PAST, PRESENT AND PROBABLE FUTURE TESTING METHODS Past During the first years of production of commercial asbestos in the Province of Quebec, fibre testing and quality control were based principally on dry screen analysis and visual inspection. These methods were gradually expanded during the period from 18, 90 to 1932. In 1932, standardization

Jan 1, 1962

By Arthur M. Whiteside

Discussion of the laws bearing upon the economics of mining in this province at once resolves itself under three headings: (a) The rights and obligations of holders of mineral bearing lands; (b) Taxation of mines; (c) Regulation of methods adopted in financing mining operations. Titles: The law relating to titles is contained in the Mineral Act, Placer Mining Act and Coal Mines Prospecting Act. Origin: Mining laws in force in this province and elsewhere on the continent had their origin in the rule-of-thumb regulations adopted by prospectors themselves, when, far from the centres of civilization and the seats of the courts of justice, they found it necessary, for mutual protection, to fix the conditions of possession by right of location, and to prescribe the duties to be performed in order to enable the individual to maintain his ground against all comers. These regulations have been codified and added to by legislatures, until we find adequate protection and safeguard to property in the laws of this province.

Jan 1, 1924

By J. B. Yianatos, F. A. Contreras

Mineral carrying rates across the pulp-froth interface in the range of 1.4-3.2 tph/m2 and bubble surface coverages between 7 and 22 %, have been determined in large rougher flotation cells operated under normal conditions. To evaluate these variables, measurements of bubble size distribution, bubble load and size distribution of particles collected by true flotation, were performed at different concentrators. A model for estimating the bubble surface coverage at the pulp-froth interface level as a function of bubble load, Sauter mean bubble diameter and particle size distribution of the mineral collected by true flotation, was developed. Bubble loadings in the range 24-70 kg/m3, bubble sizes between 1.5 and 3.2 mm and superficial gas rates between 1.2 and 2.0 emfs, were measured in copper rougher flotation cells under normal operating conditions. Estimated bubble surface area fluxes were in the range 31 to 62 cm2/s/cm2- Results of carrying rates and bubble surface coverage, at the pulp-froth interface, were significantly lower than the maximum carrying rate for the collection zone, indicating that in this case is difficult to achieve maximum carrying rate at the pulp-froth interface level. The main constraints regarding carrying capacity limitations are then related to the froth transport characteristics (i.e. cell design, froth residence time, froth stability, froth recovery). Advances in Mineral Processing Science and Technology Proceedings of the 48th Annual Conference of Metallurgists ofCIM Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Edited by

Jan 1, 2009

By John H. Fowler

Nova Scotia has been mining and exporting industrial minerals for over two hundred years. As an industrial mineral producer, this province continues to rank as the number one gypsum mining and exporting region in North America. Mining of many other commodities is ongoing, supplying many local and export markets. In all, excluding aggregate producers, there are nineteen industrial mineral producers operating at thirty sites producing nine commodities including anhydrite, barite, clay and shale, dolomite, gypsum, limestone, salt, silica sand and stone (Fig. I). Numerous aggregate producing operations supply all the province's aggregate requirements and export some of these materials to other regions of Atlantic Canada and as far away as Bermuda (Fig. 2) . Production value of industrial mineral commodities in Nova Scotia for 1982 was $105 million , representing 39% of the total value for all mineral production for the year. Because of the general improvement in the economy, indications are that the 1983 value of production will be higher.

Jan 1, 1984

By T. V. Nethery

Introduction A brief account of the East Malartic fire is essential if this paper is to serve the purpose implied by its title. The fire originated in the timbers of No. 4 shaft at the 10th, or 1,570-foot, level; this was the top or collar of the underground sinking operations. At the time, sinking was in progress and the shaft bottom was 242 feet below the 12th station horizon, or 618 feet 'below the l0th level. Above the l0th level, the shaft was not in use as the surface plant was not yet completed. The shaft crews descended from surface in No. 3 vertical shaft to the l0th level, where they transferred to No. 4 shaft, a distance of 1,450 feet. Of the sixteen shaftmen mucking at the shaft bottom, four were able to reach safety. One shaftman was overcome by fumes midway between the two shafts on the l0th level, while attempting his escape. The remaining eleven men climbed as far as the 11th station and there succumbed to carbon monoxide. No. 4 shaft, inclined at 61 degrees, bad been raised and timbered from the 10th level to surface; this bad been followed by sinking operations below the l0th. Two air hoists had been set up in the footwall of the shaft, 110 feet above the 10th level, and directly behind compartments No. 2 and No. 4. The waste from the shaft bottom was hoisted in 28-cubicfoot buckets on mono rails and dumped over standard shaft sinking doors into waste chutes built into No. 1 and No. 3 compartments. The five-compartment shaft, 7 ft. 8 in. by 34 ft. 6 in. overall size, was heavily timbered. In addition to the standard shaft timbers of 8 in. by 8 in. and 8 in. by 10 in. B.C. fir, the hanging-wall and ends of the shaft were laced with 4-inch spruce lagging. This represented approximately 300 board feet of timber in placee for every foot of shaft. The cause of the fire bas never been determined, despite every effort to do so. The inquest held for those who lost their lives in the fire was an extremely thorough one, but only the location of the origin, and not the cause, was established.

Jan 1, 1950

By C. J. Preston, R. E. Ström, G. R. Baiden

"On January 1st 1996 Inco Limited, Tamrock OY, Dyno Explosives Group and CANMET formed a consortium for the development of robotic mining equipment. This project is a five year research and development agreement that combines the talents of the above organizations to facilitate the creation of mining equipment and systems for robotic mining.The projects are based on the communication system developed by Inco Mines Research and currently sold and marketed by Automated Mining Systems Limited. Main projects include the development and implementation of a positioning and navigation module (including a software mapping system that will be inherent to each piece of equipment), robotic systems for development and mining, and software systems to support the use of this equipment. Included in the program is the establishment of a test mine, at Inco’s 175 ore- body at Copper Cliff. This facility will allow collaboration of companies and research organizations for the design and testing of techniques and equipment for Robotic mining.This paper discusses the creation of this new research alliance, the Mining Automation Program or MAP."

Jan 1, 1997

By W. A. Bain

"AbstractProduction from the Excelsior Reservoir has amounted to approximately one million barrels. This production has caused a 'Pressure •drop of 10 p.s.i. from the original pressure of 1,245 p.s.i.g. Volumetric balance calculations indicate that the pool as being produced by a water drive whose strength is •probably unsurpassed in Western Canada. It has also been shown by 'unsteady state' calculations that the reservoir will still be above the saturation pressure of 915 p.s.i.g. at the time of depletion. The average permeability of the producing formation is approximately 1,000 millidarcys and, consequently, well draw-downs are very low. The field is essentially a bottom-water drive and calculations have shown that gravity drainage will greatly assist the recovery of oil. Water flooding data on several cores •have placed the flushing efficiency at •approximately 50 per cent, which indicates a recoverable oil-in-place of 17.7 million stock tank barrels. Calculations and field data indicate that the MER for the early life of this field is probably as high as 8,000 to 10,000 stock tank barrels per day.IntroductionTHE EXCELSIOR NISKU oil reservoir is located about twenty miles northeast of Edmonton. The field was discovered in November, 1949, by Imperial Excelsior N.o.1 well, in Lsd. 13, Sec. 3, Twp. 56, R. 22, W. 4, at a depth of 3,850 feet.Since discovery, development has continued on a 40~acre spacing pattern. At the end of 1951, drilling over approximately 80 per cent of the estimated productive area of 1,680 acres had established 32 we1ls capable •of production. The field •has been fairly well delineated by dry holes on all but the eastern flank ."

Jan 1, 1952

By T. G. Joseph

ABSTRACT: The Canadian oil sands provide some of the harshest mining conditions in the world. Asoperations demand ever bigger tools, the toll on large mobile mining equipment is high, with structurallife often half of that expected. Soft ground conditions predominantly lead to fatigue failure scenarios, poor stability, and inconsistent payload evaluations. These challenges are not solely a concern for Canadian oil sands mines; there are far-reaching implications for surface mining equipment in any poor ground-operating environment. This paper focuses on the basics of payload evaluation, motion response and a simple estimate of structural life for haulers.

Jan 1, 2011