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By J. Donovan

Underhand cut and fill mining is being planned for selected areas at the David Bell Mine where high ground stresses have resulted in particularly challenging mining conditions. In order to test the placement and performance of a variety of underhand cut and fill paste mats three different designs have been installed and extensively instrumented along the A-Zone 9C ore sill. The sill is approximately 87m long, 4.0m high, and 5.0m average width. The sill was broken into 3 sections each of which will contain one of the sill mat designs. The underhand sill will be mined 3.75mW x 4.0mH, allowing for some overbreak while minimizing the risk of the back span exceeding the design limit of 4.0mW. Each test sill mat includes pre and post-support and includes 0.5m (18?) broken muck mat placed along the sill floor. Upon developing beneath these mats quantitative and qualitative measures will be used to determine which design is the most suitable for application in underhand mining at David Bell.

May 1, 2007

By L. M. Cumming

"The contact between dolomite of the St. George formation (Cambro-Ordovician) and limestone of the overlying Table Head formation (Middle Ordovician) is a regional disconformity. This is best illustrated from exposures on Pointe Riche Peninsula, near Table Point, and along Port au Port Bay. The contact occurs along 180 miles of the west coast of Newfoundland from St. John Island in the north to the western part of Port au Port Peninsula in the south. A disconformity of the same age occurs between the Romaine and Mingan formations on the north side of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.Dolomitic beds beneath the disconformity locally contain concentrations of base-metal sulphides. Sphalerite occurs in dolomite pseudobreccias of the St. George formation at Zinc Lake, 7 miles northeast of Daniels Harbour. The 'Western Newfoundland Lower-Middle Ordovician regional disconformity is interpreted as having originated on and near the edge of a broad platform, and to have provided an important regional geological control in the localization of zinc mineralization."

Jan 1, 1968

By R. S. Adhikari

It is necessary to assess the physical and functional conditions of highway bridges at regular intervals to ensure they still meet their service requirements. Currently, this condition assessment is mainly performed through visual inspection, which has been identified with several limitations (e.g. the timeconsuming assessment process and heavy reliance on inspectors? personal experience). In order to overcome these limitations and enhance the current inspection practice, this paper presents a novel method for automated bridge condition assessment using a hybrid sensing system. Under the method, existing conditions of bridge components are first captured with a stream of point clouds and color images. Then, the bridge components and the defects inflicted on the components are detected utilizing their visual patterns. The detection results are mapped to the point cloud. This way, the 3D information of the components and defects can be retrieved. The bridge condition assessment can be made effectively through the 3D visualization of this information before carrying out any on-site detailed evaluations.

Aug 1, 2013

By Kéiko H. Hattori, Neil T. Pettigrew

"Abstract- The Legris Lake Complex is a northeast-trending, 7.3 km long by 3.5 km wide, maficultramafic intrusive complex located in the western Wabigoon Subprovince of the Archean Superior Province. It is one of a series of mafic-ultramafic igneous complexes, the most notable of which is the Lac des Iles Complex, host to Canada’s only producing Pd mine with reserves of 93.5 Mt grading 1.53 g/t Pd as of December 2001 (North American Palladium Ltd., Annual Report 2001). Cu-Ni- PGE mineralization was first discovered in the Legris Lake Complex by a local prospector late in 1999. Shortly thereafter, the property was jointly optioned by Avalon Ventures Ltd. and Starcore Resources Ltd., who continue to discover significant Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization.One of the most notable features of the Legris Lake Complex is the occurrence of extensive brecciation caused by multiple injections of volatile-rich magma. The Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization is hosted by leucogabbro within a 2 km long by 600 m wide, highly brecciated area in the northwestern area of the Complex. The mineralized rocks contain disseminated to blebby sulfides (1 to 5 vol.%), comprising chalcopyrite + pyrite ± pyrrhotite + millerite ± pentlandite, typically surrounded by epidote. The majority of the Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization displays low ratios of Pt/Pd (~0.20) and high ratios of Cu/Ni (~2.9), which are similar to those of the Lac des Iles and the River Valley mafic-ultramafic complexes. The lithologies in Legris Lake Complex bear similarities to the heterolithic gabbro of the Twilight and Roby Zone deposits at the nearby Lac des Iles mine. However, the mineralization at Legris Lake, which is restricted to leucogabbro overlying unmineralized clinopyroxenite, is similar to that of stratiform deposits such as the Stillwater and Munni Munni complexes. The mineralization at Legris Lake is best explained by the late-stage, immiscible separation of a sulfide melt from volatile-rich parental magmas and the subsequent minor redistribution of metals by deuteric fluids."

Jan 1, 2001

? A BARGE WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE BOTTOM OF A COMPLETED PIT. ? THE PROVEN BAUER CUTTER TECHNOLOGY WILL BE INSTALLED ON THE BARGE AND A DEWATERING PLANT WILL BE INSTALLED NEAR THE BASE OF THE PIT RAMP. ? THE WATER LEVEL IN THE PIT WILL BE RAISED BY 20- 40 METRES AND REMAIN CONSTANT OVER DURATION OF MINING. ? THE CUTTER WILL BE LOWERED TO MINE 10 METRE DEEP BENCHES ON A CHECKERBOARD PATTERN TO AN ULTIMATE DEPTH OF 200 METRES. ? THE 5? MINUS CUTTINGS WILL BE PUMPED TO THE DEWATERING PLANT, DEWATERED, AND TRUCKED TO SURFACE.

May 1, 2003

By M. B. McClenaghan

"The Matheson area of northeastern Ontario is of great interest for mineral exploration because of its geological similarities with the adjacent Timmins, Kirkland Lake and Larder Lake gold camps. Exploration in the area, however, is hampered by the presence of an extensive and thick cover of glacial sediments. For this reason, till geochemistry has become an important exploration method. The Ontario Geological Survey&apos;s Black River-Matheson (BRiM) reconnaissance till sampling project, carried out between 1984 and 1988, was designed to aid exploration in the Matheson area by documenting the Quaternary stratigraphy and providing a database of till geochemistry. Till samples were collected by backhoe trenching of surface pits in areas of thin drift (< 5 m) and by sonic overburden drilling in areas of thicker drift. This paper summarizes the results from the shallow till sampling component of the BRiM project.Two hundred and eighty-two surface samples were collected from Matheson Till, the youngest till sheet in the area, which was deposited during the Late Wisconsinan. For each sample, the non-magnetic heavy mineral (> 3.3 S.G.) and fine (- 250 mesh) till fractions were analyzed geochemically. In addition, visible gold grains were recovered by panning the heavy mineral fraction. Five areas that display multi-element anomalies in both till fractions warrant further investigation: (1) western Egan Township, overlying the Bradley Lake Syenite; (2) around and south of the Munro and Croesus mines, in Munro and Guibord townships; (3) central Garrison Township overlying the Garrison Stock; (4) south of Ore Car Lake in northern Thackeray Township; and (5) southeastern Harker Township. In these areas, Matheson Till has a local provenance and the bedrock sources for these anomalies are nearby in the up-ice (north northwest) direction. Due to the fine-grained nature of gold in bedrock deposits in the BRiM area, the small size of most gold grains recovered from till samples (< 50 um) and the variable distribution of gold in the heavy mineral concentrate and fine fractions, the fine fraction in addition to the more commonly used heavy mineral concentrate should be used for gold exploration.Surface till samples have been affected by weathering to a depth of = 3 m. Weathered till is characterized by a very low carbonate content in the matrix fraction, the absence of sulfide grains in the heavy mineral concentrate and higher concentrations of copper, nickel and zinc in the fine fraction than in the heavy mineral concentrate. As a result of the weathered/ oxidized nature of the surface till samples, the fine fraction is a better sampling medium for base metal exploration."

Jan 1, 1992

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 J. T. Vehkala, S. S. Kerr, D. E. Robertson

"Since the late 1970s, extensive work has been carried out at Placer Dome Inc. &apos;s Dome Mine to develop new mining methods and equipment to improve the productivity of narrow vein mining (Mining Magazine, Oct. 1986, pp. 308-317; Mar. 1988, pp. 176-/79). This work has been focused on mining veintype deposits varying from 0.9 m to 1.5 m in width using open stoping and cut-and-fill mining methods.In 1989, the Dome Mine entered into a contract with Ram Raising Ltd., a joint venture company of Angus Martin and I.S. Redpath Ltd., to develop and mine a narrow vein test stope using an Alimak Raise Climber. Early results have been favourable, indicating that Alimak methods can be used successfully to mine narrow vein are.HistoryThe Dome Mine, which has been in continuous operation since 1910, is located in South Porcupine, part of the city of Timmins, Ontario. The mine is wholly-owned and operated by Placer Dome Inc. and is part of Placer Dome Inc.&apos;s international stable of of 19 mines."

Jan 1, 1990

By Victor Maksaev, Marcos Zentilli

"Abstract - The Domeyko Cordillera, the westernmost uplifted crustal block of the composite High Andes of northern Chile (20°S to 28°S) hosts a narrow N-S trending belt of Late Eocene-Oligocene giant porphyry copper deposits, which include Collahuasi, Chuquicamata, El Abra, La Escondida, and El Salvador. These deposits are spatially and genetically associated with the closing igneous activity along this range, prior to a 30 km eastward jump of the magmatic front in response to tectonic plate interaction. The porphyry copper deposits are also spatially associated with a major intraarc strike-slip shear system, the Domeyko Fault System. Although the tectonic uplift of the 3000 m to 5000 m high range has generally been assumed to be mostly Miocene in age, field relationships suggest that the Domeyko Fault System and tectonic uplift were active as early as the Eocene, coinciding with porphyry copper emplacement between 41 Ma and 30 Ma. Apatite fission track (FT) thermochronology provides both age data and a time-temperature history for rocks since they cooled below a temperature of ca. 125°C (equivalent to a depth of 4 km to 5 km under normal geothermal gradients) on their way to the surface during exhumation, or after a heating event. Apatite FT data from the Paleozoic crystalline basement of the Domeyko Cordillera indicate that at least 4 km to 5 km of rocks were eroded during exhumation of this tectonic block between ca. 50 Ma to 30 Ma (Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene), a time that immediately precedes and overlaps with the emplacement of giant porphyry copper deposits. The FT data constrain the age and duration of a period of crustal thickening and extensive erosion known as the Incaic compression, an event recognized in the Andes of Chile and Peru. Assuming that cooling was due to denudation alone, modelling of the FT data allow estimation of denudation rates between 200 and 100 m/My during this period. In contrast, exposures of pre-porphyry Paleocene intrusives on the western edge of the Domeyko Cordillera reveal apatite FT ages that are concordant with biotite 40Ar-39Ar dates, indicating shallow emplacement, fast cooling and negligible exhumation. The apatite FT ages of the Chuquicamata and El Abra porphyry copper deposits are only marginally younger than their 40Ar-39Ar dates, implying fast cooling/exhumation of shallow mineralizing systems (ca. 2 km to 3 km). Their FT time-temperature history is compatible with extremely low rates of exhumation (ca. 50 m/My) since about 30 Ma (Early Oligocene). This limited extent of erosion, due to exceptional aridity, has greatly contributed to the preservation of rich supergene enriched blankets above some of the porphyry copper deposits.A model is proposed, which is consistent with field relationships, geochemical, and geochronological data. High relative velocities and intermediate-angle oblique convergence between the Nazca and South American plates in the Eocene-Early Oligocene led to intra-arc transpression partitioned into reverse faults of opposing vergence and a right-lateral shear system (the Domeyko Shear System) localized along the magmatic front. Crustal shortening and thickening led to uplift within the Domeyko Fault System and to erosion of at least 4 km to 5 km. Crustal thickening deepened the zone of magma generation, and magmas accumulated in the lower crust, allowing small volumes to rise rapidly to shallow levels along transtensional domains of the regional shear system. A similar model of crustal thickening and shortening before and during porphyry copper emplacement in zones of transtension may also apply to the Miocene-Pliocene giant porphyry copper province of central Chile."

Jan 1, 1999

By Qiling Zhang, Zengqian Hou, Xiaoming Qu

Abstract - The Okinawa trough is an active back-arc-spreading center in which submarine hydrothermal exhalation (black chimneys) and sulfide mineralization are forming. Fluid inclusion composition in minerals of the hydrothermal feeder zones in the JADE field shows that the hydrothermal systems are extremely gas-rich. There are two independent and co-existing fluids, CO2-hydrocarbon and saline fluids. Microthermometry and Laser Raman Microprobe (LRM) analyses on individual fluid inclusions of the CO2-hydrocarbon type, dominated by CO2 and containing minor CH4, C2H4, C2H6, N2 and H2S, are almost equivalent to the fluid inclusion composition of a natural gas field. The saline fluid is mainly composed of H2O and contains minor Na+ and K+. It is close to a H2O-NaCl, or H2O-NaCl-KCl system, with salinities from 3.7% to 7.5% NaCl eq. Before venting on the seafloor, the fluids experienced immiscible separation. One of the end-member fluids is downward circulating seawater that interacted with sub-seafloor rocks. The other was gas (volatile)-rich fluid derived from a shallow magma chamber. The immiscibility separation of fluids resulted from the decrease of temperature and pressure of the hydrothermal system and continuous input of magmatic volatiles. The saline fluids in this system are discharging to form sulfide chimneys and black smoke. Meanwhile, CO2-rich fluid discharges as CO2 bubbles through hydrate pipes. A large amount of CO2-CH4-H2S gas or fluid in the upper part of the hydrothermal system, and reaction of this gas or fluid with saline fluids, finally enables the accumulation of metal sulfides.

Jan 1, 1999

By I. B. Schalamuk, R. E. de Barrio, M. J. Pons, M. B. Franchini, L. Meinert

"Several Fe, Fe-Cu, and Cu-Ag prospects hosted by Mesozoic carbonate-rich sedimentary rocks that were intruded by diorite stocks define an approximately 20 × 200 km belt along the Andes Cordillera of southwest Mendoza province, Argentina (34°-36°S). This belt includes the Hierro Indio and Vegas Peladas Fe skarns, Las Choicas, and several other Cu-(Ag) prospects.The main features of the Fe skarns include: association with mantle-derived middle Miocene (~15-11 Ma) diorite stocks and sills; widespread alteration including epidote ± amphibole ± magnetite endoskarns, and zoned garnet (Grs0-66 Adr32.5-100) ± magnetite ± pyroxene (Di24-50 Jo2-9 Hd74-41) exoskarns formed from oxidized, saline, high-temperature brines (530º-660ºC; 60-70 wt.% NaCl equiv.); and magnetite-hematite orebodies associated with quartz ± epidote ± calcite ± actinolite formed at lower temperatures (290º-436ºC) from saline fluids (32-50 wt.% NaCl equiv.) of magmatic origin.West of the Fe skarn belt, the Valle Hermoso district covers more than 300 km2 and hosts several poorly known Cu-(Ag) prospects (estimated 30 Mt with 1.5% Cu and 20 g/t Ag). These prospects share many characteristics with the iron oxide copper-gold-type systems and manto-type Cu deposits of northern and central Chile. One of the prospects (Las Choicas) is located at the apex of a regional 015°-trending anticline, along the contact of stratified calcareous sandstone and limestone (Neocallovian-Oxfordian) with a diorite pluton. This pluton has positive Ta and Nb anomalies (on normalized diagrams) and a high Ti content, features uncommon in Miocene diorites associated with Fe skarns and of magmas derived from sub-arc mantle sources. Alteration at Las Choicas includes early widespread chlorite + calcite ± albite ± scapolite ± ilmenite or titanite ± apatite, and local actinolite ± hematite ± biotite alteration of diorite and sedimentary rocks along contacts. Later Cu mineralization (1%-10% Cu) is associated with calcite ± albite ± quartz alteration in fractures, vein networks, and crackle breccias. Mineralization is zoned from bornite ± chalcopyrite ± millerite with Zn, As, Mo, Ag, and U anomalies in the main orebody, through chalcopyrite-rich breccias with Zn anomalies, and chalcopyrite ± tetrahedrite vein networks with Sb, As, Ag, and Zn anomalies in the uppermost zone, to a Cu-depleted pyrite-rich envelope with Co anomalies, and finally to late, barren calcite veins in distal zones."

Jan 1, 2007

By Steve Scott

Green Economy Toyota Prius Hybrid contains about 50 kg of copper. All-electric cars have about 100 kg of copper. From where will all the copper come? Wind turbines have 1 metric ton of copper China is building 221 cities of 1 million people by 2025 (13 cities per year from 2008) = 10 New Yorks. The Greater Toronto Area has 5.6 million people, so a new GTA every 22 weeks!

May 1, 2013

By William D. Gallant, Thomas M. Barczak, Carol Tasillo

"This paper describes the results of full-scale testing of several multi-layered wood crib configurations that were tested in the Bureau of Mines mine roof simulator in cooperation with the Cape Breton Coal Research Laboratory and Cape Breton Development Corporation of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Nine different crib configurations currently being used as wood packwall supports for advancing longwall applications in Canada were evaluated. Configuration parameters understudy included the aspect ratio (height-to-width relationship) and percentage of solid material used in the crib construction. Test results and generalized wood crib behaviour are discussed in detail. Recommendations are made concerning crib constructions to maximize strength and stability. A cost benefit analysis of multi-layered wood crib configurations is made. A comparison of laboratory results and underground observations of several wood packwall supports in the Sydney coalfield suggest in situ load capacity is less than that measured in laboratory testing. Reasons for the apparent decrease of in situ load bearing capability are described.IntroductionA cooperative effort was undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Mines with the Cape Breton Development Corporation (CBDC) and the Cape Breton Coal Research Laboratory (CBCRL) to evaluate the behaviour of gateside packing materials used in advancing longwall mining applications in the Sydney coalfield. As part of this effort, full-scale tests were conducted on wood packwall supports in the Bureau&apos;s 3-million pound (13.3 MN) active load frame.Nine different pack configurations were evaluated as part of this study. The wood packwall supports were multi-layered crib constructions from 6 in. (0.15 m) by 6 in. (0.15 m) cross section timbers using timber s 30 in. (0.75 m) and 60 in. (1.5 m) in length . The percentage of solid material in the crib constructions varied as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. A summary of crib constructions is provided in Table 1."

Jan 1, 1991

"In the first half of 1990, Cambior earned $1104 million, or $0.37 per share, on revenues of$66.4 million. The company&apos;s strong cash position, attained late in 1989 and in the beginning of1990 through the exercise of warrants, put working capital at $83.8 million as of June 30, 1990. Long-term debt was reduced by over $10 million during the weak gold market, leaving the company with a debt to equity ratio of only 0.03. Production for the six first months of 1990 was 107 720 oz. Au, an increaseof24% over the corresponding period in 1989.Financial Profile/Results and Corporate Financial StrategiesTotal revenue for the 1989 fiscal year was $116,883,000 compared to $109,848,000 for 1988. The 1989 results achieved despite a lower average gold price, resulted from a higher level of commercial gold production and a 115% increase in investment income over 1988. Investment income rose to $3,568,000 in 1989 due to higher levels of cash assets.Cambior&apos;s mine operating costs increased 19% to $68,561,000 in 1989 from $57,472,000 in 1988. This increase resulted from rising operating costs at the Doyon Mine ($250/oz to $274/oz) due to the shift from open pit to underground operations, as well as from the start -up of three new mines with relatively higher costs. These costs have reached a stable level that should be maintained for the next few years.In 1989, net exploration expenses were $6,838,000, down 31070 from 1988, partially due to the Canadian tax reforms introduced since 1987. Depreciation and depletion grew by $1,432,000 in 1989, reflecting a higher volume of commercial production from the Pierre Beauchemin, Lucien C. Beliveau and Chimo mines.Net earnings for 1989 amounted to $17,661,000 or $0.73 per share compared to $17,438,000 or $0.74 per share in 1988.Cambior has an exceptionally liquid and strong balance sheet. As at December 31, 1989, net working capital stood at $85.6 million, with a total assets base of $338.6 million. With a long-term debt (including gold loans) of $21.5 million and shareholders&apos; equity of $277.2 million, Cambior has a debt to equity ratio of 8%. All but about $100,000 of long-term debt is in the form of gold loans.The total market value for Cambior&apos;s stock as at September 10, 1990, stands at $420million, based on recent stock market prices. Cambior&apos;s stock and warrants are traded on the Montreal and Toronto Stock Exchange."

Jan 1, 1990

By A. M. Girodo

"Dorbyl Heavy Engineering has been manufacturing winders since 1949 mostly for the South African mining industry.Table 1 shows that the vast majority of winders have been double drum winders. At the greater depths with larger ropes being employed, it became apparent that multi-rope winders would be needed. The high stress variation in Koepe winder ropes at great depths especially beyond 2000 m, ruled out this possibility. Thus the original concept was borne for the Blair multi-rope winder where the stress level variations in the rope would be as per the well known, tried and tested double drum winder. The Blair multi-rope was also devised to increase payload by using multiple ropes.With the increasing costs of transporting men and material coupled with fact that orebodies are getting deeper, various feasibility studies have been carried out by South African mining houses. For this reason Dorbyl Heavy Engineering has done conceptual design work of both double drum and Blair multi-rope winders with diameters up to 8.5 m dia (still well within our manufacturing capabilities). These feasibility studies have looked at depths approaching 4000 m*.This paper covers the typical duties leading to the choice of single drum, double drum, Koepe and Blair multi-rope hoists on South African gold mines. A brief synopsis of Dorbyl hoists in use in the South African mining industry, with some indications of future trends, will be discussed.With current installed depths of wind approaching 2500 m, the Blair multi-rope hoist has been used extensively for the heavier payloads.Some of the main considerations pertinent to the design of the Blair multi-rope hoist are illustrated together with the implications of using this type of hoist to winding depths of3000 m to 4000 m in the foreseeable future."

Jan 1, 1995

By R. W. Seedsman

In 1984 and 1985, two 7.6m diameter TBM tunnels were driven from the Donkin-Morien peninsula in Nova Scotia to access the Harbour coal seam. The design of the ground support was based on identifying zones of rock failure through the application of the Hoek Brown failure criterion and the early use of finite element analyses. In 1992, the mining project was abandoned and the tunnels allowed to flood. Monitoring data from the tunnel was subsequently used as a case study in the development of the concepts of brittle rock behaviour. In 2007, the tunnels were pumped out as part of a feasibility study into the reintroduction of longwall mining into the coalfield. There is a good match between observations of the collapse zones in the roof and sides of the tunnel and a simple elastic analysis using brittle parameters, a spalling limit of 5, and a low independent shear modulus. The brittle analyses form the basis of the design for the resupport of the tunnels.

May 1, 2009

By B. R. Neufeld, M. G. Heximer, S. J. Roach, W. G. Van Luven, D. G. Reynolds

"Teck Metals Ltd. operates an integrated zinc-lead complex at Trail, British Columbia, Canada. In the zinc plant, zinc concentrates are roasted to produce calcine, which is then processed in the leaching circuit for zinc recovery. Calcine is first dissolved at pH <2.0. This is followed by a precipitation stage using additional calcine that removes iron as a ferric hydroxide precipitate which is recycled to the lead operations. It is during this pH adjustment that impurities, notably arsenic, antimony and germanium, are co-precipitated with ferric hydroxide which is the primary removal phase for these elements. Recent processing conditions have resulted in lower iron inputs to the leaching circuit and this has resulted in insufficient co-precipitation of key impurities. This paper summarizes the influence of iron concentrations on impurity removal using laboratory and plant scale surveys, and emphasizes key specification limits for the primary iron removal circuit.INTRODUCTIONThe Sulphide Leach Plant (SLP) at Teck Metals Ltd., Trail Operations produces a zinc sulphate electrolyte from three different zinc bearing streams:1. Calcine, primarily containing zinc oxide, from the roasters2. Zinc electrolyte from the Oxide Leach Plant (OLP) is produced by leaching zinc oxide fume from the pyrometallurgical lead smelting operations3. Zinc slurry from the Zinc Pressure Leach (ZPL) autoclaveThe feed sources are blended and introduced to the iron removal process to precipitate iron in the form of a hydrolyzed iron precipitate which is recycled to the lead smelting operation. Along with iron, impurities, namely arsenic, antimony, germanium and silica, also co-precipitate; this process acts as the primary removal step for these elements. Following iron removal, the electrolyte is further processed in the zinc dust purification circuits. Cadmium and copper are removed in the cold stage circuit via zinc dust cementation, followed by cobalt cementation in the hot stage circuit."

Jan 1, 2016

By J. G. Mieczaniec

"A key element for a successful mining operation is the grinding circuit. It must be reliable, maintainable and must perform to or above design capacities for 95% of the time. Once chosen and installed major modifications are either prohibitive or very expensive. The selection of mills and drive system is probably the single most important decision made within the concentrator complex.Economic studies revealed that the optimum expansion for Lornex was a 68070 increase in plant throughput. This indicated that the new mill would have to be larger than the existing 32-foot mills.The Lornex ore has a wide range of hardness which has a great influence on mill throughput (Table 1). To smooth out the fluctuations, a blending program ha s always been in effect at the mine, coupled with ball charge control for the primary mills. As can be appreciated, an optimum balance is difficult to achieve. A sudden change to so ft ore with a high ball charge puts the mill into jeopardy with a constant speed drive.The blending philosophy would continue after the expansion, but with the addition o f a second primary crusher, it was envisaged to have the new mill process harder ore to maintain production targets. In theory, the new mill would have a proportionally larger ball charge than the existing mills.This scheme makes the new mill vulnerable for processing so ft ore for a fixed speed mill. Thus, variable speed seemed an attractive option.In early 1979 prominent mill manufacturers were invited to submit proposals for the new mill. Fixed and variable speed mills were to be considered with mill size ranging from 32-foot to 36-foot diameter. The proposals were to include the drive, ball charge, % critical speed, couplings, gears, etc. - the complete package. The recommendations were variable with most manufacturers submitting several alternatives. Recommended mill speed varied from 68% to 78% critical. The concept of variable speed was becoming more attractive, Lornex ultimately decided on a twin DC motor drive system for a 34-foot diameter mill.After start-up it was discovered that best throughput occurred at 78% mill critical speed or top speed of the drive motors. The motor speed range was adjusted upward from 186 to 200 rpm. Today the mills operate at 79% critical or a motor speed o f 193.5 rpm.Clearly the selection of the variable speed mill allowed the flexibility to optimize throughput."

Jan 1, 1985

By S. Masambi, S. M. Bradshaw, C. Dorfling

The presence of iron in base metal leach solutions complicates nickel and copper recovery processes. Leach solutions are commonly purified by precipitating iron as hematite, jarosite or goethite. Fast oxidation of ferrous to ferric is an important step to remove iron by precipitation at low pH values. This study reviews the ferrous oxidation mechanism and reaction rates in chloride media using molecular oxygen. This work contributes to the development of a better understanding of iron precipitation processing steps, which continues to be an important matter in hydrometallurgy. The specific objectives were to investigate (1) the effect of key process variables (acid concentration, copper concentration, and temperature) on the rate and extent of ferrous oxidation by dissolved oxygen and (2) the oxidation mechanism by varying chloride and hydrogen ion concentrations separately. Batch oxidation tests were performed using synthetic chloride solutions containing 45 g/L Fe and 3 g/L Ni at 50 and 80°C, dissolved Cu concentrations (0.3 to 3 g/L) and HCl concentrations (2 to 4.6 M). Regression analysis indicated that the significance of the effect of different variables on the extent of oxidation achieved after five hours decreased in the following order: HCl concentration > Cu concentration > temperature. Increasing the HCl concentration from 4 M to 4.6 M caused the degree of oxidation achieved after two hours to increase from 58.3% to 98.1%. The catalytic effect of dissolved copper on ferrous oxidation was more significant at low acid concentrations. Experimental data suggest that rapid oxidation of ferrous is possible at high HCl concentrations for two main reasons. First, the formation of ferrous chloride complexes allows ferrous oxidation to proceed without the formation of superoxide as an intermediate product (the rate limiting step in dilute acid solutions). Second, the formation of ferric chloride complexes stabilises the oxidation product.

Jan 1, 2016

By Neil Schofield

"The Pine Creek gold mineralization is associated with saddle reefs and quartz and quartz sulphide veining within the Enterprise Anticline. The anticlinal structure is complex and the mineralization was considered prior to development to be dominantly strata controlled. Gold grades vary up to 160 gin 1.5 m core samples with coefficients of variation in excess of three.The estimation of ore reserves for such a deposit must account for both the geological complexity and the extreme variability of gold grade.This paper describes the structural and variogram analysis of the gold grades and demonstrates the importance of incorporating the geological model in such an analysis. Variogram interpretation is greatly improved and greater insights into the finer geological structure areprovided. Part 2ofthis work presents the application of multigaussian kriging to reserve estimation for deposits with highly variable grade and which consequently demand highly selective mining operations. IntroductionThe Enterprise Gold Mine is situated some 220 km southeast of Darwin in Australia&apos;s tropical north. Gold is believed to have been discovered there in 1869 during the construction of the overland telegraph line.From 1894to 1915, some 75 000 ounces of gold were produced from 121 000 tonnes mined mainly by Chinese leaseholders. From 1906 to 1915, government-sponsored drilling led to the sinking of the Enterprise Shaft to 79 m and several drives were developed. Mining ceased because of war.Since late 1980, Goldfields Exploration Pty. Ltd. had explored on several mining tenements near Pine Creek under joint venture with the title holders, Enterprise Mines NL. This work culminated in the development of the current mine which opened on October 29, 1985.Feasibility studies to determine the economic viability of mining were based on ore reserves generated by project geologists using a sectional polygonal approach tuned to the interpreted geological control of the mineralization.The study motivating this two-part paper covers are-estimation of the recoverable reserve s using the geostatistical approach of multigaussian kriging developed at Stanford University, (Verly, 1984)."

Jan 1, 1988