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By R. Rosenblum, J. Y. Kim, D. Shink, K. G. Stowe

"A small scale continuous flotation cell was designed and constructed at the Noranda Technology Centre to develop a mobile testing flotation circuit located next to the production circuit. This mobile small scale flotation pilot plant can easily and economically be set up at any circuit in a mill and used to evaluate and predict plant performance against a given flotation condition. The main feature of the cell, beside the provisions of automatic pulp level and feed rate control, is to provide a reduced surface to volume ratio approaching to that of an industrial machine.This paper describes the basic design and the results of various testwork carried out to date including aeration, conditioning, reagents, recirculation, flotation gas, etc. are presented in comparison with the plant production results. INTRODUCTIONStudy of the behaviour of an ore during concentration by flotation process starts, in general, with a series of tests in laboratory cells. Given the discontinuous nature of these tests, the information obtained by such a study is somewhat limited. It has long been recognized that laboratory test results are not always reproducible in pilot plant tests and subsequently, the pilot plant results do not always predict plant performance. The differences are often blamed on batch vs continuous operations, grinding media, size distribution, aging (oxidation), water quality, equipment, operator's skills, etc."

Jan 1, 1992

By P. Strand

Talk Outline ? Location and Regional Geology ? Two Unique Kimberlite Sources ? Mineral Chemistry ? Petrography, Age Dates ? Geophysics ? Exploration and Challenges ? Dyke versus Pipe dispersions ? Geophysics ? Prospecting ? Diamond Results ? Summary & Conclusions

May 1, 2008

By X. M. Zhou, T. Wu, He X. N.

"In order to study the support effect of concrete in the surrounding rock of a metal mine, the concrete and surrounding rock were comparatively studied. Firstly, the general situation of the ultra-kilometer deep shaft in Xincheng, surrounding rock and geological conditions are introduced. Secondly, the experimental scheme of material mechanical properties of surrounding rock and shaft lining concrete based on same standard dimension and shape are examined, and the mechanical tests of rock and concrete based on different shapes and sizes are carried out. The study shows that the compressive strength value and elastic modulus of the rock cube are 1.28 times and 1.78 times that of the cylinder, and the Poisson's ratio is 0.77 times. The dimensional effect law of the concrete cube and cylinder test data is consistent with the rock law. However, the test results of the concrete are less discrete than the rock; the test also shows that the strength and elastic modulus of the concrete lining of the main shaft of the Xincheng are much smaller than the surrounding rock that is also used as the concrete aggregate, which indicates that the support of concrete lining in the surrounding rock shaft behaved weakly. Based on the development of the modern NATM rock support theory, it is suggested that the mechanical test standard of artificial support materials should be unified into the mechanics test standard of natural rock, which will help to improve the accuracy and practicality of scientific calculation of geotechnical engineering.INTRODUCTIONConcrete and rock mass are usually attributed to a class of materials called frictional materials or geotechnical materials, of these two kinds of materials, the first is man-maded and the second is natural. The attentive scholar can find that there are many differences in the test criteria for the mechanical properties of the two kinds of materials among different industries or departments, reflecting the differences in their sources, tradition, and the application thoery of material strength among them.There is a situation wordwide, that there are many testing standards of the same material mechanical parameters such as elastic modulus, compressive strength, etc. The cube with a side length of 150 mm is adopted as a common sample in the architecture department in China, while a cylinder with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 100 mm is as a standard specimen in geotechnical department.Knowing that mechanical parameter values are strongly affected by the the size, shape of specimen and loading rate etc, that is to say the mechanical parameter values of the same material are completely different when obtained from different test with different standards. However, such a problem has been long neglected in geotechnical engineering."

Jan 1, 2019

By Walter Herd

For the past eight years, No. 2 mine of the Cumberland Railway & Coal Co., Springhill-a subsidiary of the Dominion Coal Co., Ltd.-has had an unenviable reputation for bumps. As the workings extended in certain directions under a greater cover, these bumps increased in severity and it became apparent some change in the system of extraction was necessary if the mine was to continue to operate. In September, 1924, following several fatalities resulting from bumps, the Mines Depart~ of Nova Scotia requested from the U. S. Bureau of Mines the services of George S. Rice, Chief Mining Engineer of the Bureau, to report on the conditions then prevalent in No. 2 mine, Springhill. °This request was promptly and courteously granted. Mr. Rice made a full investigation and a comprehensive and helpful report, which is embodied in the 1924 Annual Report of the Department of Public Works and Mines, Nova Scotia. Prior to 1925, the room-and-pillar method was employed, and in January of that year (there being a cessation of work from March to August due to labour troubles) longwall retreating on the west side, on a limited scale, and in a small section on the east side of the mine, was started. The major portion of the east side was not operated on this system till August, 1926, as there was developed a considerable area ready for pillar extraction between an arbitrary boundary and a point up to which bumps of any consequence had not been experienced. In ?the interval, development work for longwall retreating below the 5,900-foot level was vigorously pushed.

Jan 1, 1929

By A. L. Mular

"IntroductionThe mining industry has made slow but steady progress toward the automation of mineral processing plants over the last 35 years. The stimulus to automate is associated with important economic and hidden benefits, so that today, the latest in instrumentation and technology is being employed.This chapter assesses the status of instrumentation justified economically, defines levels of control and certain fundamentals of feedback control loops, describes typical sensors employed in concentrator circuits, summarizes control strategies employed therein, and briefly highlights trends in integrated plant control.Current Status of AutomationAs early as 1948, the mining industry began to show interest in automation, probably because of its close association with the petroleum industry. By 1958, some regulatory control had been achieved in various sections of a concentrator, particularly in crushing circuits. Successes were attributed primarily to the reliability of sensors employed in the corresponding control scheme. By 1961, computers had appeared on the scene, initially, for data logging purposes.From 1958 to 1965, very few new control strategies had been implemented. Guidelines in vogue at this time appeared to be:- Install proven automation, unless a good instrumentation department exists at the concentrator.- Do not bite off too much instrumentation at one time.- Do not purchase on price alone; instrumentation must function in the concentrator environment.- Do not purchase automatic control equipment to be fashionable.Such guidelines were employed1 because of a lack of: (a) quantitative process knowledge, (b) reliable primary sensors, (c) initiative to try something new, (d) trained personnel, and (e) understanding that older concentrators could justify automation in many situations."

Jan 1, 1989

By V. J. Southey

HOLLINGER mining operations have required development by 24 vertical shafts having a total length of 28,160 feet. Seventeen of these are sunk from surface and seven are interior shafts. Four surface shafts and three interior shafts are now active and, excepting the recently completed new main ore-hoisting shaft, the remainder are either abandoned, or are used for passes or for ventilation. The new shaft bottoms 60 feet below the 3,050 level, but there is much work to be done before it is placed in service. The term 'shaft practice' is intended to include shaft construction and a general treatment o typical equipment. It is a large subject for an organization the size of Hollinger and this paper is intended only to present the salient features. The writer wishes to thank the management for permission to publish this information and to acknowledge the advice and criticism o A. G. Irving, chief engineer, and the willing co-operation of other members of the Hollinger staff.

Jan 1, 1939

By Eugene (Gene) Bounds

The Mining industry faces many challenges, one of which is the demand to communicate over a variety of media, be it visual, sound, voice, data or any combination. Over the years multiple infrastructures have been put in place to overcome environmental obstacles and address these communication needs. A mine is an aggressive environment for electronic equipment and as such only the best quality equipment can perform under those special conditions of e.g. temperature, dust and humidity. Siemens Canada and its partner LComm will discuss a mining solution using a unique combination of technologies based on fibre optics, standard communication interfaces, passive antenna infrastructure and wireless services. The presentation looks at maximizing the use of infrastructure, reducing costs, addressing difficulty of communications coverage above and below the surface and the capability to future proof the capital investment as new requirements and applications are identified. Discussion will address: Wireless voice, high speed data Data acquisition for process control from sensors Video for remote control and security Miner safety and location Timely receipt of large volumes of information

Apr 1, 2005

By H. -L. Heikkilä, E. Peuraniemi

"Boliden Harjavalta Oy has a long tradition in the Finnish metal industry starting from the 1930's. The Smelter consists of copper and nickel flash smelting lines. Off-gases are captured in the acid plant to produce sulfur products. During the early years of production, the surrounding environment suffered from high SO2 and dust emissions. The first acid plant started in 1947, a few years after commissioning of the smelter. The flash smelting method was developed and commissioned in 1949. This created the basis for today’s environmentally sound metal production. Recent air emission reductions are related to treating lean ventilation and granulation gases. Emissions from the stacks are monitored with continuous measurement devices. SO2 and PM10 concentrations are also measured from the residential area and reported online in cooperation with Harjavalta community and other local industry.INTRODUCTIONProductionBoliden Harjavalta Oy smelts copper and nickel concentrates and refines copper in the western part of Finland. The copper concentrates come from external copper mines mainly in South America and Europe. Concentrates are unloaded at the Pori harbor and transported to Harjavalta by train from a distance of about 60 km. Boliden Harjavalta Oy has operations in Harjavalta and Pori. The smelter in Harjavalta produces copper anodes that are transported via railway to the copper refinery in Pori. The anodes are electro-refined into copper cathodes and by-products like Se, Ag, Au and Pt/Pd concentrate. In the Harjavalta smelter SO2 containing gases are delivered to a sulphuric acid plant where sulphuric acid and liquid sulphur dioxide are produced.Our nickel smelter smelts nickel concentrates on a tolling basis to produce nickel matte for customer needs. SO2 containing off-gases are delivered to the sulphuric acid plant for sulphur capture and modification into products.All our operations are certified according to the Quality, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. Boliden Harjavalta Oy was the first company in Finland operating in the metal and technology industry to be certified according to the Energy Management Standard EN 16001, currently this certification is done according to ISO 50001."

Jan 1, 2012

By Adrian Dance

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited?s Ahafo operation have been working with Metso Process Technology & Innovation (PTI) since early 2009 to increase mill throughput from a combination of controlled blasting practices and optimised primary crusher and grinding circuit conditions. For such Mineto- Mill projects, PTI?s methodology is termed Process Integration & Optimisation (PIO). Ahafo operate a SAG mill, ball mill and pebble crusher (SABC) circuit that processes a range of primary ore of varying hardness from different pits which is blended with soft oxide material. The PTI study focussed on ball mill limited material from the Apensu open pit. Following a benchmarking study of all blasting, crushing and grinding practices in January 2009, PTI recommended changes in both blasting and crushing conditions in order to generate a finer feed size to the SAG mill. Additional operating changes in the grinding circuit were recommended. A series of trials were conducted in November 2009 where three blasts were fired using a different blast design (hole diameter and explosive type) in the same area of the Apensu pit as the benchmarked material in January 2009. Top and bottom benches (or flitches) from each blast were sent exclusively to the grinding circuit and the material was tracked using PTI?s SmartTag? system. The results from the six trials showed a significant increase in primary ore throughput at a reduced blend of oxide material. Ahafo have since standardised on these modified blasting conditions for all Apensu ore zones and have been able to sustain higher throughput compared to historical performance on similar material. This paper summarises the phases of the PIO project, the changes made in operating practices and the outcomes of the blasting trials that validated the predicted increase in mill throughput.

Jan 1, 2012

By J. T. Fyles, C. G. Hewlett

"THE TOWN OF Salmo, rail centre for the Salmo lead-zinc mining district, is in southeastern British Columbia 26 miles by road east of Trail an about the same distance south of Nelson. The belt in which the mines occur is a few miles east of Salmo and extends about 6 miles north of the town and 17 miles south and southwest to the International Boundary. The belt includes the H. B. mine of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited, the Jersey mine of Canadian Exploration Limited, the Reeves MacDonald mine, and the Jack Pot property of New Jersey Zinc Explorations Limited.Since 1949, the Jersey and Reeves MacDonald mines have produced most of the lead and zinc in the district. From 1949 through 1954 these two mines together produced a total of 233,134 ounces of silver, 87,659,399 pounds of lead, 215,708,856 pounds of zinc and 475,397 pounds of cadmium. This amounts to more than 80 per cent of the total production of lead and 95 per cent of the total production of zinc from the district since the first recorded production in 1906. Reserves at the largest properties amount to several million tons of ore containing 4 to 7 per cent combined lead and zinc. Several prospects are potential producers.Regional StructureThe main structural units in the Salmo area are outlined in Figure I, and the major rock units of the stratigraphic column are listed in the following table. The lead and zinc deposits are replacements in a highly deformed limestone formation near the base of the Laib group, and all mineralized zones are on the south and east side of structural unit 2 (see Figure I)."

Jan 1, 1949

By Nicole Peter

When introducing digital training technology a practical approach helps address cultural concerns.  Solutions to help create acceptance are discussed.  Resistance to change may be deeply rooted in traditional mine training personnel.  Traditional training staff members may consider themselves less digitally-savvy and resist technological methods available to them. A transitional approach intended to help mitigate or resolve resistance is presented as a continuous improvement pathway toward full adoption.  This presentation contends every mine should welcome the benefit of a digitally connected critical enabler.  The adoption of a digitally savvy learning centre is often viewed a disrupter to existing practice.  Given a commitment-driven learning centre model, technology offers the opportunity to transition from a compliance-based training model to one of competence.  Learning and Development practitioners should welcome the latest advances in neuroscience, Bloom’s taxonomy of learning model, and principles which guide mine safety training as outlined by the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona. By employing digital applications to include animation, game-based simulations and immersive Virtual Reality (VR) these technologies create a viable digitally-savvy learning centre. We will outline the ingredients of a digitally enabled, or VR, Learning Centre to offer some observed benefits, successes, and potential short-comings. Much excitement in the industry surrounds implementation of simulation and/or VR headset training.  Given fair consideration of these as a ‘fit-for-purpose’ solution we examine the paradigm shift required to create real results for on-the-job learning.  Interim steps may be needed to meet the cultural transformation.   Simpler forms of VR, in the form of 3D models and VR environments as displayed on a large interactive touch screen, can serve to bridge this challenge and address a group learning environment. Features of the interactive 3D technology and ease of adoption are presented.  Usage of the touch screen is similar to that of a smart phone. It may be implemented as an obvious transitional tool.  To help describe merits of the interactive touch screen the presentation points out these sample underground and surface mine training applications. There are 3-D simulations such as ventilation, emergency response, support installation, and mine cycle and activity scheduling programs. These applications offer the ability to conduct entry examinations, complete digital pre-use checklists, and perform planned task observations in the virtual world of work. The tool may be used to teach the flow of hydraulics and do fault-finding on machinery such as loaders and dump trucks. Learners may navigate in a virtual mining environment to identify hazards, detect and assess abnormal ground conditions, address poor design features, and alleviate traffic constraints. It is possible to use connected physical controls to navigate machinery in the virtual environment. We conclude the presentation with a “compare and contrast” approach to cite potential cultural benefits by adopting a transitional method. 

May 4, 2025

By N. W. Bliss

"Bauxite has been the almost universal ore of aluminum for about 100 years, with most of the world's reserves oc¬curring in the developing countries. As a result of fiscal and political activities prompted in part by the energy crisis, the formation of the IBA combined with increasing freight and labour costs, these reserves are no longer as competitive or as secure as they once were. This has given fresh impetus to the development of processes for alumina production that utilize raw material other than bauxite. Canada has no bauxite and it is prudent to look for alter¬native raw materials within our own boundaries suitable for one of these processes.Of the three igneous rocks that have been used as a source of alumina, only anorthosite is considered as a potential source in Canada. The Al content would be extracted by a sinter process, which currently requires a raw material with a. minimum of 28% Al2O2. Thus, about 4 tons of anorthosite and 10 to 12 tons of limestone are needed to produce one ton of alumina. There are two petrologically distinct types of anorthosite, one containing the plagioclase andesine-labradorite and around 26% Al2O3, and the other containing upwards of 30% Al2O3, in by¬townite-anorthite; for our purposes they may be con¬sidered as low- and high-alumina anorthosite respectively. The high-alumina anorthosites are somewhat rare; the low-alumina anorthosites are much more common, partic¬ularly in Eastern Canada. Geologically speaking, there is no shortage of anorthosite in Canada. The reserves are im¬mense, although their low Al2O3 content coupled with con¬siderations of location, access and proximity to limestone could be constraints to their development. Fly ash from coal-fired thermal power stations and nepheline syenite can also be used in a sinter process, but neither is likely to be utilized in Canada in the immediate future.The H+ process utilizes an acid attack to leach Al from a raw material with at least 20% Al2O3. One of the best raw materials is kaolinite-bearing clay; not only is it high in Al, but most of it can be extracted. With the possible exception of the Whitemud clay in Saskatchewan, Canada is apparently deficient in clays with sufficient reserves to support an alumina plant utilizing the H+ process. Low-alumina clays with illite and montmorillonite may also prove to be a suitable raw material if advantageously sited with respect to industrial centers. The average shale con¬tains only 15% Al2O33, much of which may be contained in minerals, such as feldspar, not amenable to acid leaching. If shale is used as a source of alumina, it will be because it contains some other valuable commodity, such as oil or uranium, the extraction of which leaves the spent shale upgraded in extractable Al2O3 and lowers the over-all costs to a point where it is economic, Thus, rejects from coal washing plants are most commonly considered as a source of alumina; they are already mined, are available in large and ever increasing amounts, and may contain significant amounts of combustible material which upgrades the Al2O3, content of the resulting ash. Coal rejects from existing and developing coalfields in Alberta and British Columbia are a possible source of raw material, but present data indicate they may contain insufficient Al2O3."

Jan 1, 1976

By Paul W. Shelley, Daniel J. Hodges

The mining industry is undergoing a period of rapid transformative change.  This is the result of the social and financial accountabilities that the industry is faced with because of the world’s desire to cap average temperature increase to 1.50C above pre-industrial levels (UNFCC, 2016).  To limit global warming to 1.50C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030.  In hard rock mining, comminution is identified as the major energy consumer, being responsible for 40-60% of the electricity use.  It follows that comminution is the major greenhouse gas emission process of the mine.  All effort is being made to radically reduce the carbon emissions of comminution. Grinding media plays a large role in the energy consumption and carbon emission story.  In recent years industry practitioners have attempted to quantify the grinding media carbon footprint.  This paper makes a definitive contribution to that discussion.  The grinding media carbon footprint is quantified in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emission terms in the context of a grinding media supplier.  Major emission contributors, steel, natural gas and electricity are discussed in detail.  The steel industry transition is a key factor. The paper will explore the steel industry transition and its effect on grinding media manufacturing.  The carbon footprint of heritage steel process routes are analysed and compared with the process routes of the future.  Emerging steel making technologies are presented and discussed.  The future of the steel manufacturing and procurement route for grinding media is proposed. This narrative allows for a comparison between the heritage carbon footprint and the future carbon footprint of manufactured grinding media.  Of equal importance is the opportunity of reducing the grinding media carbon footprint in the field.  The paper explores possibilities of reducing the grinding media carbon footprint at the customer site.  Media in use options are presented that take account of the mineral characteristics, the mill dynamics, and the product metallurgy to optimise both carbon footprint and media performance. It is intended that this is a landmark paper in the discussion of the carbon footprint of grinding media.

May 4, 2025

By L. C. Lien

Tower crane layout (TCL) is a typical construction site layout (CSL) problem, which is suitable for a wide range of work assignments and site conditions. Tower crane is one of the key facilities for vertical and horizontal transportation of materials, especially for heavy prefabrication units such as steel beams, ready mixed concrete, prefabricated elements and large panel formwork such as machinery and equipment, and a wide variety of other building materials within a construction site. However, it is a difficult combinatorial optimization problem to determine the locations of tower cranes with materials quantity supply and demand for engineers. Swarm intelligence (SI) was very popular and widely used in many complex optimization problems which was collective behaviour of social systems such as honey bees (bee algorithm, BA) and birds (particle swarm optimization, PSO). This study applied a hybrid swarm algorithm namely particle bee algorithm (PBA) based on a particular intelligent behaviour of honey bee and bird swarms by integrates theirs advantages. This study compares the performance of PBA with BA and PSO for a proposed hypothetical construction engineering of TCL with materials quantity supply and demand problem. Results show that PBA performs better performance than the mentioned algorithms on a proposed hypothetical TCL problem.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. R. Harrington

BEFORE discussing some of the technical aspects of the steam generating plants of Nova Scotia Light and Power Company, Limited, it might be of interest to go back through history and see the development of steam generation in this public utility. Back around 1902 Nova Scotia Light and Power Company, Limited, had three slide-valve engines in-stalled at its Water Street, Halifax, generating station for a total capacity of 1,800 kilowatts. The plant remained at about this size until 1910 and in 1911 a 2,000 kilowatt steam turbine was installed to raise the total capacity of the plant to 3,800 kilowatts. In 1916, a 3,000 kilowatt turbine was installed and one of the slide-valve engines was removed to make a total plant capacity of 6,200 kilowatts. The total demand in the Company's service 8rea was at that time 4,000 kilo-watts.

Jan 1, 1958

By Deborah A. McCombe

"There are a number of important dates that must be disclosed when a Qualified Person (QP) is preparing a technical report for securities purposes. The dates are discussed in NI43-101 and the Form of the Technical Report, NI43-101F1. •,Effective date of the technical report •,Possible revision date of the report •,Effective date of mineral resources and mineral reserves •,Date of the personal inspection (site visit) •,Signature date of the date report (execution date) •,Date of the certificate of the QP •,Date of the consent of the QP The effective date of the report is basically the cut-off date for the information that is included in the technical report. The effective date should be close to the signature date. If there is too long a period between these dates, the QP runs the risk of new material information becoming available and then the technical report would no longer be current. The effective date is disclosed on the title page of the report and on the signature page. If a technical report needs to be revised to correct problems or disclosure deficiencies identified by the regulators, the QP will normally need to include a revision date on the title page of the report to distinguish the revised version from the original version. In these circumstances, the regulators will request that the original date of the report remain on the title page and the revised date will be below it. When a technical report must be revised, the QP must resign and date the signature page of the report and provide a new certificate and consent."

Jan 1, 2003

By D. S. Flett

"The current state-of-the-art of chloride hydrometallurgy for treatment of complex sulphide bulk concentrates is reviewed. General considerations regarding the various flowsheet steps are examined and options discussed. Then, individual flowsheets are presented and discussed. Finally, the forward prospects for chloride hydrometallurgy for treatment of complex sulphide bulk concentrates is considered and conclusions drawn concerning the likely application of this technology in the future. IntroductionHydrometallurgical processes for treating sulphide concentrates, in general, have received considerable attention over the last three decades or more. Many flowsheets have been developed, many pilot-plant studies have been undertaken and several processes are now successfully operating. For example, direct ammoniacal pressure leaching has been used by Sherritt Gordon Mines since the 1950s to extract nickel from pentlandite concentrates, the roast-leach-electrowin route is widely used to recover zinc from sphalerite concentrates and direct sulphuric acid pressure leaching of sphalerite concentrates has been successfully commercialized. Also, Duval Corporation operated a direct cupric/ferric chloride leaching process (Schweitzer and Livingston, 1982) with electrowinning to recover copper from chalcopyrite concentrates, this process (now closed) being the only chloride process which has been commercialized for a sulphide flotation concentrate. Despite these developments, it has long been considered, particularly for copper sulphide concentrates, that direct hydrometallurgical processes are in the main unlikely to be able to compete successfully with smelting for large-scale operations of simple high-grade single metal concentrates. As long as such concentrates can be produced commercially, smelting is likely to remain the principal processing route (Flett, 1981). This view is being challenged nowadays through pressure leaching developments made by Dynatec and CESL in Canada and the recent start-up of the Western Metals Gunpowder plant at Mt. Gordon in Queensland (Flett, 2000). Complex sulphide ores offer even greater opportunities because of the ability to produce a bulk sulphide concentrate from the complex sulphide ore with considerably higher metal recovery than is often possible from the production of individual metal sulphide concentrates from differential flotation. Interest continues to focus on hydrometallurgical solutions to these processing problems, particularly with regard to chloride hydrometallurgy. This paper, therefore, reviews current state-of-theart with respect to chloride hydrometallurgy"

Jan 1, 2002

By T. G. Joseph, G. W. Hansen

"This paper considers the duty cycle of an electric cable shovel and correlations with measured passive seismic responses of the underfoot oil sands material in-pit. It has been observed that the cyclic activity during operation of any shovel in the oil sands environment causes the material to deteriorate and provide a less than ideal footing for this large item of equipment, whose dead weight approaches 1500 tons with a footprint of merely 75 sq. yd. Consequences are manifested in the form of carbody and side frame cracks, and associated downtime, maintenance activity, cost, and subsequent loss of availability.The objective of these considerations, as part of the Oil sands-Equipment Interaction Program (OsEIP), currently a joint venture between Syncrude Canada Ltd., James Progithin International (JPi) Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., P&H MinePro and the University of Alberta, is to identify and provide feedback to the manufacturer and end user of adverse shovel-ground conditions. This would enable the manufacturer to incorporate greater knowledge into the design process and the end user to direct operations in an enhanced proactive maintenance stance."

Jan 1, 2002

By M. A. Upham

"MINING is Canada's second largest basic industry, producing material with a gross value of 2.5 billion dollars, led only by agriculture with 2.9 billion dollars. It pro-vides employment, directly and in-directly, for three quarters of a million people. Since the Second War, the value of mineral production in Canada has tripled. Economists forecast that over the next 15 years its value will triple again. Canada is a basic and leading supplier of nickel, iron, copper, zinc, lead and uranium. It is also a major oil producer, leads the world in the production of asbestos and in five years will be the leading producer of potash, a basic constituent of fertilizer.It can be seen that Canada's wealth and economic progress lies in being a primary producer of economic minerals and in building secondary industries to manufacture finished products from these raw materials. Canada's future in the field of mineral production looks bright, with our resources just starting to be tapped. Outside of the large expanse of Soviet Russia, we are by far the world's most fertile mineral exploration area."

Jan 1, 1967

By Norman Marr

Introduction In Canada, the mining industry and water-power development are intimately associated in that mining, which ranks second among the country's primary industries, depends principally upon hydro-electric energy for its large power requirements. On the whole, the Dominion has been very favourably endowed with water-power resources; generally speaking it is a well-watered country with numerous rivers and lakes located in are as where the topography favours water-power development. Precipitation, the raw material of water power, varies from an annual fall of more than l00 inches on the Pacific coast to about 12 inches in sections of the Prairies and the Northwest Territories; in Ontario and Quebec the annual average is 24 to 40 inches and in Nova Scotia about 45 inches. In its descent to the sea, the resulting run-off, much of it from considerable altitudes, creates sources of potential energy at every rapid and fall along the country's many streams and rivers. Many of the innumerable lakes in the Dominion provide storage basins for the regulation of stream flow, thus enhancing the potential power of available sites. While water-power resources are fairly well distributed across the Dominion, as is shown on the accompanying map of Canada showing power sites (Figure 1), it is particularly fortunate that those areas which are lacking in indigenous fuels have been compensated in large degree for this scarcity by being favoured with a high proportion of the total potential water power. This has an important bearing on the mining industry in that extensive mining operations can be economically carried out in the great Canadian Shield, which is lacking in commercial coal deposits but is rich in water-power resources. This Precambrian formation, which forms a wide belt around Hudson bay and in which many metalliferous ores are found, was 'subject to severe glaciation in a recent geological period, so that its river systems are comparatively young and are characterized by numerous lakes joined by short reaches of fast water, rapids, and falls which offer frequent opportunities for power development. The western Cordilleran region, which also is important in mining, has abundant water power. The accompanying geological map (Figure 2), prepared by the Geological Survey of Canada, shows the great extent of the Precambrian and Cordilleran regions and may be compared with the map of water-power sites to show the high incidence of water-power resources in these potential mining areas in which important mineral discoveries have already been made.

Jan 1, 1949