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By R. A. Hemstock

"OIL EXPLORATION in Western Canada has produced outstanding results in the past few years. From such successes as Leduc and Redwater on the western plains, oilmen are now moving north in the ever-widening search for oil. They are reaching new frontiers and meeting new problems presented by this vast hinterland.One of the least known but most troublesome phenomena which will be encountered is permafrost. This term relates to a thickness of soil or other superficial deposit, or even of bed-rock at variable depths beneath the surface, in which a temperature below freezing has continually existed .for a long time. This permanently frozen ground affects, in many ways, oil exploration and exploitation. Seismic records are changed, pipe lines cannot easily be ditched into the ground, formation of wax is speeded-up in tubing and pipe lines, roads are difficult to build, and foundations of buildings and even of drilling 'rigs may require entirely new methods of construction.Permafrost underlies roughly one-fifth of the entire 'land surface of the world. It covers the northerly portions of Eurasia and North America. In the area that we are here concerned with, the southern boundary of permafrost extends south of east from about latitude 59°N. on the Pacific coast across the Rocky mountains, through Great Slave and Athabasca lakes, to cape Henrietta Maria, at the junction of Hudson bay and James bay (see Figure 1). Geologists generally agree that permafrost first appeared in the Pleistocene or Ice Age as the result of abnormal ground freezing."

Jan 1, 1952

By J. Hoover

"IntroductionThis chapter will discuss the operational and maintenance aspects of a heavy media cyclone circuits as applied to coal processing and using magnetite as the media. It deals with heavy media bath separators in terms of types of media, equipment, circuits, media recovery, maintenance, and product handling. It will detail heavy media cyclone operation and supplement the previously described topics.The heavy media cyclone was first developed in the Netherlands by the Dutch State Mines in 1945. A cyclone plant was not built in North America until 1961. Traditionally, heavy media cyclones have been used to treat size fractions between 1lz in. (12 .6 mm) and 35 mesh (0.5 mm). High maintenance related to heavy media bath separators has recently prompted some plants to crush all raw coal to minus 2 in. for treatment in heavy media cyclones.The heavy media bath separators utilize only the force of gravity to make the separation between heavy and light particles. This requires lengthy retention time which can lower capacity and also is inefficient for finer particles. A heavy media cyclone utilizes centrifugal forces which are 20 to 200 times greater than the force of gravity. This means the separation between coal and the impurities occurs very quickly, therefore a low retention time is required allowing cyclones to have high tonnage capacities. Also these greater forces allow better separation for the finer particle sizes.Heavy media cyclones are now widely used to produce both metallurgical and thermal coal. Work is in progress to reduce magnetite consumption, extend wear life, increase tonnage capacity, improve separation efficiency and automatically control these cyclone circuits."

Jan 1, 1989

By K. Nagai

The Asian projects are now in their second terms after the five-year first terms. Ultrafined-grained steels were developed in lab-scale and/or in practical process. Basic approach has been performed to explore the evolution mechanisms of ultrafine-grained microstructures. There have been investigated two approaches to make the ultrafine grains: the "recrystallization route" and the transformation route. In the "recrystallization" route, heavy deformation at low temperature is necessary for the ultra-refinement. In the transformation route, making the high density of ferrite initiation sites in the deformed austenite, especially of the heavily compressed austenite structures, is essential for the ultra-refinement, and further hindering the ferrite growth is also inevitable to utilize the high initiation rate. Strength and toughness are dramatically improved by the ultra-refinement. Fatigue property is also excellent. The poor uniform elongation can be enhanced by the design of the second phase dispersion. At the same time the application has been also pursued from various viewpoints of engineering to take advantages of the ultrafine-grained steels. Bridge, ship, construction, automobile and other high strength parts are being attempted for the application.

Jan 1, 2004

By D. W. Rogers

Several commercial polyacrylamide flocculants most widely used in Western Canadian mineral processing plants have been analyzed chemically and compared in standardized settling tests as aids to thickening and clarification. Data are included for both dry and liquid-type flocculants. Percentages of active ingredients in these commercial products varied Widely. Performances were compared on the basis of: equal additions of active ingredients, nearly equal molecular weights and nearly equal degrees of ionic character. Based on zone settling velocities and supernatant clarities of siliceous slurries coagulated by lime additions, dry flocculants proved more economical than liquid flocculants. Using these same two criteria, the most highly anionic were more effective than either weakly anionic or non ionic polyacrylamide- type flocculants.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. A. Finch, M. Mimezami, M. S. Hashemi A.

The adsorption of magnesium and calcium ions on sphalerite and pyrite is discussed. These ions are common in process water and often considered be detrimental in sulphide flotation. The study attempts to characterize the adsorption mechanism, which has been less studied than the oxide system. Generally for oxides metal ion uptake occurs when cations are hydrolyzed. Our findings reveal that magnesium and calcium adsorb on sulphides at pH below hydrolysis, but adsorption is not chemical. At higher pH, charge reversal occurs that does correspond to presence of hydrolysis products. Advances

Jan 1, 2009

By R. D. Merer

The production of low- and medium-Btu gas from coal provides a more economic source of energy for most industrial users than pipeline-quality coal gas (SNG), although the latter has received more publicity. The paper reviews existing and advanced methods of coal gasification, with particular emphasis on the production of low- and medium Btu gas for industrial and utility use. Some of the ways in which coal gasification can be integrated into power cycles and industrial plant energy balances are discussed.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. Shibata, N. Murayama

"Rare earth elements are present in more than 100 minerals, of which monazite, bastnaesite and xenotime are typical. Rare earth elements have excellent chemical and physical properties for industrial use in functional materials such as phosphors, magnets, electronic components, abrasives and catalysts. China produces more than 90 % of the world’s rare earths, and Chinese trends significantly influence the demand and price of rare earths. From the viewpoint of resource securement, it is desirable to separate and recover rare earth elements from low-grade resources and wastes. Phosphate gypsum, which is a by-product of wet phosphoric acid manufacturing, contains low concentrations of rare earth elements. In this research, the separation and recovery of rare earth elements from phosphate gypsum were investigated. A series of recovery methods including washing of phosphate gypsum, leaching of the rare earth elements with sulfuric acid, adsorption and desorption of rare earth elements by using ion-exchange resin, and precipitation of rare earth oxalates were carried out. The separation of rare earth elements from Ca2+ simultaneously leached from phosphate gypsum was also investigated."

Jan 1, 2014

By G. Kallfa P. Geo

Exploration at both Greenfields and Brownfields stages entails business risks of different nature and success rates. Greenfields exploration is exceedingly assumptive and the success rate of exploration or return on investment is low because exploration is an inherently risky business. Brownfields exploration on the other hand is less risky, as the geology is better understood, but generally speaking since the larger ore bodies close to surface have already been found the return is lower. In addition, most exploration at the Brownfields stage is generally more expensive due to extensive use of drilling. Surface geology mapping and expensive drilling have been key technical contributors to most exploration programs over the last two decades. However, as client expectations, logistics, target depths and complexity of exploration programs increase, there has been a growing emphasis on using geophysical techniques to complement other methods. Integration and optimization of various geoscientific disciplines is becoming more important in successful exploration programs of the future to reduce exploration risks, successful integrated exploration requires putting reliable geophysical parameters and correspondent petrophysical property contrasts into an assumed or conceptual geological model. This paper discusses a new multi-parameter geophysical methodology finalized in a unique conceptual geologic model which can be used either as a root model in grassroots exploration or as an efficient tool in Brownfields exploration to successfully find satellite orebodies of almost any size. The application of a new multi-parametric geophysical approach to Brownfields exploration is illustrated with examples from Manitoba, including a past producing nickel sulphide deposit in Lynn Lake and the Reed Copper deposit, currently in development.

May 1, 2013

By M. Piche

The western part of the Hauy Formation of the Opemisca Group, occurring near the town of Chapais, is described in this paper. As it has been defined previously, the Formation is composed of a succession of subaerial andesi tic lava flows with some interbedded proximal volcaniclastic sediments. Towards the East, these volcanics yield to coarse grained fluviatile sediments having similar composition to the interbedded lavas. Further east, the composition of these sediments is more arkosic with dioritic and tonalitic fragments. It is proposed that these arkosic sediments are a part of the Stella Formation which has been described by Dimroth et al. (1982).

Jan 1, 1984

By Fred Horne

1N THIS PAPER, the writer proposes to limit his comments to few generalized phases of the subject, based on his personal experience in the midwestern United 'States and in one section .of the Coal Branch in Western Alberta. The following statistics are submitted to show the importance that strip mining has assumed in the coal mining industry of the United States. In 1914, 1,281,000 tons of strip coal were produced, amounting to 0.3 per cent of the total production. In 1948, the total was 13~,505,000 tons, representing 23.3 per cent. In 1949, the percentage figure dropped slightly and this can be partially accounted for by the labour disturbances prevalent throughout the year. In 1914, there were 48 power shovels and draglines being used in the stripping of coal; in 1949 there were 3,712, not to mention other types of coal stripping equipment such as bulldozers, tractors and scrapers, rotary excavators, and stackers. At the bituminous coal mines in Western Canada, strip mining was introduced only a few years ago, two of the major reasons for its development being the need for increased production during the war and post-war years and the need to hold the line on increasing production costs, but even in these few years the percentage of strip production has in-creased to such an extent that some mines that, five or six years ago, were producing all their tonnage from underground operations are today obtaining up to 80 per cent of their total output from strip mines.

Jan 1, 1951

By A. Kobzhanov, S. Saparova, S. Brochot, D. A. Mango

KATCO (an ORANO Mining and Kazatomprom joint venture) is the largest in-situ leach uranium mining operation in the world, exploiting the Muyunkum and Tortkuduk uranium deposits in southern Kazakhstan. After extraction from the deposits, uranium is then transported via a hydraulic network to be purified in three processing plants located near these deposits. Within KATCO, with the support of ORANO Mining and CASPEO, in 2018 and 2019, a large project that had as its main objective to improve the uranium accounting system was implemented. The objective of this paper is to describe this project and all the changes that it entailed. At KATCO plants, a black-box approach was previously used for uranium accounting. However, it is recommended to use all the available measurements and to deploy a data reconciliation model (between well-fields and plant) as the reconciliation uncertainty is overall lower and it provides a more accurate uranium balance. During the deployment of this project, the rules and algorithms to generate the uranium accounting report, the associated flow diagrams (for uranium accounting), the streams, units of operation, stocks, reporting and Key Performance Indicators calculation rules were re-defined.

Jan 1, 2020

The writer presents a concise summary of eleven recent discoveries made in the Maritime Appalachian area, with suggestions for fur the research. This information may prove helpful to geologists working in other fields and to students contemplating further avenues of research in mining geology and exploration. INTRODUCTION THIS paper is not intended as a research study on the subject, but i. merely a brief review of eleven discoveries that have been made in the Canadian Appalachian area. Furthermore, this is not a critical analysis of the merits of any one geophysical method, but it is an un-prejudiced observation of how these discoveries were actually made and what techniques were apparently most fruitful. Some generalizations are attempted whicl1 may suggest further avenues of research in the field of mining exploration. The writer wishes to thank his colleagues in the field for their comments, which he was able to in-corporate into this paper. In particular, he is grateful to Dr. Paul Bevan and

Jan 1, 1963

By H. M. Woodrooffe

This paper deals with the laboratory facilities at the Mines Branch for carrying out research in the industrial minerals field, and also reviews current programs in ceramics and construction materials, in non-metallic minerals and in the milling of industrial minerals. It then discusses the application of these pro-grams to industrial problems.

Jan 1, 1967

By K. Robertson, K. A. Scalise, K. C. Kocsis, M. B. Teixeira

"Many deep and highly mechanized underground metal mines require cooling. In many cases, appropriate working conditions might be fulfilled by ventilation alone, but some require the implementation of cooling systems. The most common cooling systems are bulk air cooling and localized cooling. These systems are effective, but they use considerable amounts of electricity. Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) can supplement existing cooling and heating systems, while geothermal systems can cool the mines in their entirety if there are significant sources of geothermal energy are present. A major advantage of geothermal and GSHP systems are their renewability, which reduces the carbon footprint of the mine.INTRODUCTIONThe western United States has abundant alternative energy sources including a high potential for geothermal energy. Geothermal utilization is a viable energy alternative that many areas throughout the world have access to because high geothermal potentials are located near areas of volcanic activity such as along plate boundaries, mid-oceanic ridges, rift valleys and hot spots (IRENA, 2017). There is significant potential to use geothermal energy for many applications. With constantly evolving and innovative technologies being developed, an increasing number of geothermal applications are becoming feasible. The western United States is an ideal candidate for alternative energy applications due to the geothermal availability and the emergence of modern technology. This paper investigates the incorporation of renewable methods and the alternative energy possibilities of Barrick Goldstrike, located in northern Eureka County, NV and Rio Tinto/BHP Billiton’s Resolution Copper mine located in Superior, AZ.RENEWABLE SYSTEMSGeothermal SystemsGeothermal temperatures are typically defined as either high or low temperature systems(Shengjun, Huaixian, & Tao, 2011). The high-temperature reservoirs (>220°C / 428°F) are feasible forlarge, commercial production of electricity with dry stream and flash stream systems (Shengjun, Huaixian, & Tao, 2011). Low temperature systems, below 220°C (428°F) (Shengjun, Huaixian, & Tao, 2011), aremuch more difficult to use for energy production. Low-temperature reservoir heat can be harnessedthrough the implementation of a binary cycle plant. The working fluid for a binary cycle plant is eitherorganic (Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)) or an ammonia-water mixture (Kalina cycle). Organic fluids andammonia-water mixtures have low boiling points that allow for the recovery of heat from low-temperaturesources (Eymel Campos Rodriguez, et al., 2013). The efficiency of the binary cycle plant varies depending upon the fluid, thus the proper selection of the fluid is critical for maximum energy output"

Jan 1, 2019

By F. R. Deluca

"ClassificationClassification is a combination of mechanical and hydraulic operation which separates a pulp into two portions according to their respective settling rate. The finished product, the overflow, is removed from the other product, sand, which requires further grinding.Pulp is the uniform suspension of solids in a liquid. Overflow is the fines and therefore the more slowly settling portion of the pulp which is carried over the top of the classifier by the flow of water; sand is the coarser and more rapidly settling portion of the original pulp which is discharged from the classifier by the mechanical action of the rakes or conveyed out by a ""screw"" .Selective classification is classification that has for its object the concentration of the heavy constituents of the original pulp in the sand product so that it may be ground finer than the lighter constituent.Classification is used as follows:I. To make a size separation, for example, a sand-fines separation so that each product may be given a different treatment.2. For closed circuit grinding so that the maximum size of particles entering the circuit is limited, and so that the useful work is increased by enabling the mill to operate mainly on the particles that require the reduction.3. For differential grinding of the heavy mineral constituent and the gangue. In this case, the heavy mineral is concentrated in the sand product and is reduced further, while the lighter gangue material overflows the classifier.The selection of the proper size and type of classifier is determined by the function required, the character of the ore, and the tonnage to be handled, the initial cost and the operating cost."

Jan 1, 1989

By Roy T. Bowles

This paper focusses on technological developments which occurred in the village of Deloro, Ontario between 1868 and 1919. These developments illustrate the manner in which improved metallurgical processes linked Ontario mineral resources to industrial expansion. Overview of Deloro The village of Deloro is in Hastings county, about 5 miles from the village of Marmora, the site of the old Marmora iron works and the more recent Marmoraton iron mine. In this area, the Canadian Shield meets the Great Lakes lowlands. The first settlement in the vicinity occurred in the 1820s and was associated with the Marmora iron works. Settlement grew around agriculture. Gold was discovered in Hastings county in 1868. Deloro - the name derives from gold - developed as a concentrated settlement in proximity to several gold mines and the related processing activities. By 1901, substantial smelting works were successfully producing gold and arsenic from local ores. The village was developing as a company town within the framework of benevolent paternalism. For reasons associated with markets and with local ore supplies, the Deloro mills were idle for a period beginning in 1902. Developments in later periods connected Deloro to world events. In 1903, silver was discovered at Cobalt, Ontario. By 1907, M.J. O'Brien, who owned mines at Cobalt, had purchased the Deloro works and was using them to process Cobalt-area ores*.

Jan 1, 1999

By H. Vendette, N. R. Dando, A. Moras

The thorough analysis of results obtained from different testing campaigns performed on an alumina dry-scrubber pilot installation treating aluminum potline offgases, suggests a clear relationship between the emissions of gaseous fluoride and the fluoride saturation level of the alumina. The integration of this relationship into the development of a new generation of alumina dry scrubber represents an intriguing challenge regarding the design of more efficient air pollution control equipment. An innovative scheme challenging conventional industry practices was proposed. From theoretical simulations, the reduction in fluoride emissions can potentially be reduced by as much as 50% in the summer season. To validate this innovative approach, Solios in partnership with Alcoa Primary Metals, modified one of the Aluminerie de Deschambault's systems by adding new temporary equipment on the operating units and subjecting it to several test campaigns. This article presents the first results obtained in testing this new and innovative approach on alumina dry scrubbers used to capture fluoride emissions coming from aluminum electrolysis potlines.

Jan 1, 2006

"Introduction The first documentary record of coal nurung on Vancouver Island was that of the Hudson Bay Company operations in the Suquash area in 1836. Between 1836 and 1862, the Hudson Bay Company mined some 65,000 tonnes from this Suquash field and the Nanaimo coal fields discovered in 1851. However, systematic mining of coal did not take place until the Hudson Bay Company holdings were sold to the Vancouver Coal Company in 1861, and a rival company under Robert Dunsmuir was established in 1869. These two interests under various organizational names and jointly as the Canadian Collieries (D) Ltd. (1928) developed and exploited the coal seams of the Nanaimo and Comox Basins from 1852 to 1966. Because of the proximity of the coal outcrops to tidewater, the coal was readily marketed to ocean-going and coastal ships for fuel. However, during the turn of the century the main market was to meet the demand of the developing cities along the west coast of Canada and the United States for residential and commercial heating. Island-based copper smelters and brick factories, and the coming of the railroads motivated by steam engines increased the demand. This economic success of the industry continued until 1922 when a peak production of over 1,750,000 tonnes was reached. Following 1922 labour unrest in the industry, which affected the certainty of supply, and the availability of alternatives in the form of California petroleum and mainland coal combined to cause a rapid and steady decline in the demand for Island coal. In spite of post-and pre-wartime prosperities the trend could not be reversed. Serious coal mining phased out in the Nanaimo area in 1939 and in the Comox area in 1967. puring the 114 years in which the industry flourished over 75 million tonnes of coal were mined from more than 30 mines and a minimum of ten new mining communities were established on Vancouver Island."

Jan 1, 1985

By W. G. Worcester

THE chief object in presenting this paper on bentonite is to attract general attention to one of the least known and most neglected industrial minerals of Canada, a mineral of extensive commercial possibilities, as evidenced by its development and exploitation in other countries, principally in the United States and Germany; countries upon which some of our most important Canadian industries are dependent for their supply of special clays, such as Fuller's earth and activated bentonite. It was in view of these conditions and the knowledge of the presence of large quantities of bentonite in the Canadian West that the work here reported on was under-taken. While the investigational studies have not been completed, the results indicate that among the many samples tested there are some of real merit and industrial importance. While it has been the author's privilege to examine deposits and samples of bentonite from all of the Western provinces, his chief activities in the field and in research studies have naturally been confined largely to Saskatchewan materials. Notwithstanding this, however, this paper is presented in the hope that it may stimulate a more general interest in, and study of, Canadian bentonites as a whole, a matter of such importance that provincial boundary lines should be overlooked. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BENTONITE According to Schurecht and Donda (1), bentonite is commonly composed of the mineral montmorillonite, (Mg,Ca)O.Al203 5SiO2 .nH2O, though some are known to consist of beidellite, Al2O3 3SiO2.nH2O: where n is approximately 4, and in certain cases the Al2O3 may in part be replaced by Fe2O3. For present purposes, however, it may be sufficient to state that, in general, bentonite is a "soapy' clay-like mineral or group of minerals composed largely of hydrous aluminium silicate, but frequently carrying small percentages of the alkalies, alkaline earths, and free silica, as well as silicates, gypsum, and other admixed detritus such that purification is usually necessary.

Jan 1, 1937

By J. A. Finch

Samples of feed and product from a closed grinding circuit treating a heterogeneous lead-zinc ore were taken. The feed was subjected to laboratory batch grinding in a rod and ball mill with the objective of simulating the closed-circuit size distribution. It was concluded that the batch rod mill can closely simulate this product if only the over-all size is considered, but mineral-by-mineral large differences occur. If, as is suspected, the mineral sizes are the important factor in flotation, the differences could lead to problems in interpreting flotation results. An example of mineral recovery as a function of size is described to illustrate the potential problems.

Jan 1, 1979