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Agenda 1.Energy consumption and energy costs ?focus and failings 2.Energy efficiency methodologies, people and supporting tools 3.Energy cost saving case studies from three minerals processing plants 4.The operations team and the supporting role of Operations IT 5.Conclusion: Reducing energy consumption and energy costs There are many good Energy Efficiency Methodologies ?Energy and GHG Emissions, Management Guidance Document, The Mining Association of Canada ?Energy Savings Toolbox ?An Energy Audit Manual and Tool, Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) ?Lean and Energy Toolkit, Achieving Process Excellence Using Less Energy, www.epa.gov/lean ?Energy Efficiency Opportunities Assessment Handbook, www.energyefficiencyopportunities.gov.au

May 1, 2010

By M. Isac, R. I. L. Guthrie, S. Ge

The Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys have shown exceptional potential as structural materials for transportation applications. These alloys have proved to be good candidates to be processed as thin strips via the Horizontal Single Belt Casting (HSBC) process. The HSBC process is a near-net-shape casting technology, which involves casting molten metal directly into thin strips, close to the final product thickness, at high cooling rates. It offers an efficient, economical and environmentally-friendly approach to the production of metal strips. Fluid mechanics and associated heat transfer are important aspects of any casting process, and the novel HSBC process is no exception. Three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS FLUENT 14.5 were performed, in order to assess the importance and effects of the various operational conditions of the HSBC process. This enabled process parameter optimization. Numerical predictions were validated against experimental casting results.

Jan 1, 2014

By Éric Côté

Introduction The 425 Main Ore Zone ? Block of ore partially mined in the late sixties; ? Area was sealed off for over 30 years due to SO2 emissions from oxidizing fill material; 425 Project goal ? Bring the zone back into production without jeopardizing the mine; ? Minimize risks associated to SO2;

Feb 1, 2008

By A. Chaisantikulwat

Most solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) modeling emphasizes steady state cell operation. However, understanding the dynamic behavior is essential to predict the performance and limitations of SOFC power systems. In this work, we demonstrate a dynamic model of a SOFC, and we simulate a feedback control scheme that can maintain output voltage despite load changes. Dynamic response is determined as the solution of coupled partial differential equations derived from conservation laws for energy, mass and electric charge. From such a model, the step responses to system input variables can be determined. Low order dynamic models that are sufficient for feedback control design can be derived from the step responses. The development of the partial differential equation model is outlined, and the limitations of the control system are discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

By G. P. Demopoulos

"The recovery and separation of platinum-group metals (PGM) from primary and secondary materials currently attracts a lot of interest due to the high value of the metals and their increasing demand for high-tech applications. Thus, the traditional refining processes are gradually replaced by newer more efficient separation techniques such as solvent extraction and ion exchange. In this paper the classical and modern refining techniques are reviewed and the pertinent solution chemistry dictating proper processing strategies in each case is discussed. The technological advantages of the modern separation methods are emphasized and reference to the recovery of PGM from primary as well as secondary materials is given. INTRODUCTIONDue to their outstanding physicochemical properties, such as catalytic activity, conductivity and corrosion/oxidation resistance, precious metals now find extensive usage outside of the traditional jewellery and investment industries. The increasing use of precious metals in such areas as electronics and catalysis, as well as their increasing high value, has led to a growing interest in their recovery and separation from primary and secondary materials.Quantitatively the demand of platinum metals in the western world by area of application is described in Table I. Platinum and palladium represent 90% of the total demand, Rh and Ru 8% and the remaining is taken by Ir and Os. In terms of value the following were the average prices (US$/oz) of the metals in the second half of 1986: 500 Pt, 125 Pd, 1200 Rh, 650 Os, 400 Ir and 80 Ru. Due to these prices, exploration, mining, reclamation and refining activity were very high in South Africa, the biggest producer of Pt metals in the world, as well as in other areas: United States (Stilwater deposit), Canada (Sudbury, Marathon and Lac des Isles, Ontario; Kenly Lake, Quebec, etc.), Australia, Europe and elsewhere"

Jan 1, 1989

By Angela L. Paveley

Economic viability of base metal mining is complicated by a volatile market that can cause fluctuations in the growth and stability of the mining industry. Nickel is mined primarily for use in manufacturing industrial stainless steel and plating materials. It is essential that nickel production be sufficient to respond to current and future market demand. A Post-Pillar cut and fill mining complex is currently producing nickel sulfide in Northern Manitoba. From 2006 this area has shown a steady increase in the annual production, rising from 11 million pounds to 25 million pounds in 2010, and accounting for 33% of the total production for the Manitoba Operations. It is expected that fine-tuning the mining process can safely enhance ore recovery, improve production consistency, and increase economic viability of the deposit. The Post-Pillar Optimization study was initiated by the local technical and operational departments at the mine and analyzed from July 2010 to March 2011. The purpose of this study was to determine if portions of non-recoverable pillars can be slashed without jeopardizing pillar strength. This ideal case would optimize ore recovery and reduce variability in the ore mining rate. Numerical modeling and geo-mechanical material properties analyses, completed by the rock mechanics group, define the maximum drift width at 32 feet and the minimum pillar width at 18 feet. Thus, it was suggested that up to 3 feet could be slashed from two sides of the standard 24 foot pillars without damaging ground integrity. The field data collected indicates that additional ore could be recovered without compromising the safety of the workplace and the integrity of the complex. Consequently, technical and operational groups work jointly to achieve pillar optimization. Approximately 500,000 pounds of nickel was extracted from the complex via pillar optimization from July 2010 to March 2011. Economic analyses show the pillar optimization method developed for the mining complex is a proven, value-added opportunity. The mining complex remains a safe workplace and has retained ground integrity.

Nov 1, 2011

By Jean-Francois Magnan

"The old conventional process to produce lithium raw material dates from 1954 (CA patent #504477A). This process produces low purity lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) only. To obtain battery-grade carbonate, another polishing process is needed. To further obtain lithium hydroxide, another chemical conversion process is needed. That is why historically, the value of lithium hydroxide has always been higher than that of the lithium carbonate precursor. With the old conventional process, the low quality lithium carbonate is precipitated from a lithium sulfate solution (Li2SO4) by adding soda ash (sodium carbonate and its impurities). The resulting reaction produces significant quantities of sodium sulfate (salt cake) as a by-product with amounts larger than the impure Li2CO3 recovered with part of the soda impurities. When this conventional process was invented, the salt cake by-product was not an issue: it was discarded in a river near the plant. This practice cannot be done today in North America. While looking to find a solution for salt cake, electrolytic salt splitting of Na2SO4 into NaOH and dilute sulfuric acid appears as a technically feasible solution to get a rid of the salt cake. However, the sodium sulfate salt splitting process has difficulties to economically compete with the chlor-alkali process, which produces millions of tons of NaOH from sodium chloride (NaCl) every year.In contrast, the process developed by Nemaska to directly produce LiOH by Li2SO4 salt splitting not only solves the environmental problems related to the conventional process to produce lithium carbonate raw material, it also produces very high purity lithium hydroxide monohydrate directly at very competitive OPEX cost in comparison with industry peers (Figure 1). It also drastically reduces the amount of reagent and the direct greenhouse gas emissions."

Jan 1, 2016

By C. Sorel

The PAREX code has been developed since the nineties by CEA and AREVA to describe the PUREX process implemented in the French fuel reprocessing plants. It enables the calculation, either in steady or transitory states, of the behaviour of the different elements of interest at each process step. The high customized structure of the software allowed the implementation of various phenomenological models describing solvent extraction systems dedicated to uranium purification from crude ore to spent fuel. After qualification of the implemented models, the code was used to perform the design of flowsheets, for safety demonstration analysis or for operational assistance.

Aug 1, 2010

By A. Innus, R. Pelletier, C. Allaire

Refractory used for molten aluminium confinement is typically assessed separately for thermo-physical properties and molten aluminium resistance. This present work provides a case study comparison of four commercial refractory products that were subjected to a test procedure that combines mechanical impact, thermal shock with molten aluminium contact. The main conclusion of this work is that physical and mechanical property values by themselves do not, and cannot, predict the response of refractory to potential interactions between molten aluminium contact and thermal shock and mechanical impact. Adequate physical simulation is imperative to quantify the effect of such interactions.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. Arson

We modeled mode I fracture in shale with an equivalent damage zone (CDM), a cohesive zone (CZM) and discontinuous enrichment functions (XFEM). In the Differential Stress Induced Damage model (DSID model) used in the continuum approach the total work input is equal to the sum of the energy released by crack debonding, the energy dissipated by crack opening, and the elastic strain energy stored in the bulk outside of the damage zone. In CZM and XFEM, the overall stiffness of the rock mass in the process zone drops as soon as the fracture starts propagating (unstable fracture propagation), whereas rock elastic properties in the CDM equivalent damage zone evolve smoothly with the displacement imposed at the boundary of the domain. In the CZM and XFEM, fracture propagation stabilizes after a turning point: this point coincides with damage initiation in the DSID model. As a result, the total energy of the rock mass calculated with CDM is about twice as large as in CZM and XFEM. The relative energy components of the rock mass are in the same order of magnitude and follow the same trends in the three models. This numerical study compares the evolution of dissipated energy potentials during mode I fracture propagation, and is expected to provide a basis to predict the amount of energy released by discrete fracture growth vs. damage propagation in the fracture process zone.

Jan 1, 2015

By David Meadows, Elmer Palmer, Steve Dixon

As part of the Goldcorp Inc growth plan Minera Peñasquito SA de CV has developed its polymetallic deposit with a large “state of the art” concentrator to process lead and zinc ores. The plant consists of two grinding lines including 38ft diameter SAG mills and 24ft diameter ball mills. During mid to late 2009 concentrator commissioning activities commenced. First concentrates were produced in October 2009 and now the plant is meeting its design basis of 65,000 mtpd per line. This paper describes the design and operational experience to date for its grinding circuit design, together with the recently commissioned HPGR crushing circuit.

Jan 1, 2012

By Gennaro Delisle

"Les Services TMG (Niobec) currently treat a niobium ore in the Chicoutimi area of Quebec. The mineral pyrochlore is present in a carbonatite deposit which assays 5% to 7% apatite.The ore is ground to minus 65 mesh and deslimed at 10 micrometres. Part of the carbonates are floated with a fatty acid emulsion and rejected to the tailings as a first step to ensure the proper conditions for the flotation of the pyrochlore concentrate. The carbonate concentrate is 65% minus 44 micrometres and is composed of dolomite, calcite, 22% apatite and a minor amount of silicates.A laboratory investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of extracting apatite from the carbonate concentrate. This led to the development of an economic flowsheet to produce high-grade apatite concentrate. The apatite is depressed with phosphoric acid, and the pH is adjusted at 4.8-5.0 with sulphuric acid. An additional amount of fatty acid is added to permit efficient flotation of the carbonates. 1n a second stage, the silicates left behind with the apatite concentrate can be removed by depressing the apatite with AIC3 while floating the silicates with a secondary amine.The results of the laboratory tests indicate the possibility of producing an apatite concentrate assaying 38.3% P2O5 (83.7% BPL) with a recovery of 66.2%. Pilot-plant tests undertaken at the concentrator yielded a concentrate of 34% P205 and recovery of 76%."

Jan 1, 1981

By W. Almdal

"To compete in the ever expanding global market, companies must continuously improve. Benchmarking, a tool that can help determine where the best areas for improvement are, is more than comparing measures, it is comparing how business is carried out and how decisions are made. The key to success is in integrating benchmarking results into the organization, so that those most affected by the results own them and are empowered to use them as a positive change agent. This is a necessary step to achieving substantive change to practices and achieving optimum performance improvement. IntroductionBenchmarking is a powerful tool that can assist in the continuous goal of improvement. Benchmarking is more than comparing productivity rates or unit costs, it is seeking out best practices and assimilating them into a business to provide a positive change agent.Benchmarking is a continuous process - is time consuming, labour intensive, and requires a lot of discipline. There are no easy answers and no easy solutions, just a lot of work. The results, however, are nothing short of spectacular. More and more companies are adopting benchmarking practices because it is a key tool of the learning organization and will become part of the way business is done, part of the way it is managed. Business must change to stay ahead or to get ahead and benchmarking can accelerate the process of business change. Improvements in an organization can happen faster and more effectively with a benchmarking approach."

Jan 1, 1994

By G. Sperlins

"IntroductionBrenda Mines Ltd. is a low-grade open-pit mining and milling operation located near Peachland, B.C. Brought into production in late 1969, the plant treats an average of 30,000 tons per day of an ore that contains 0.130% copper and 0.030% molybdenum.The operation is divided into six areas of responsibility, namely the mine, mill, plant, accounting, industrial relations and purchasing /stores departments.The purchasing and warehousing area handled in excess of 11,000 items valued at $31,000,000 in 198J. Over and above this, the warehousing area issued in excess of 74,000 line items valued at $15,000,000 during that same period.Materials Management- DefinitionWhat is meant by the term ""Materials Management""? Reference to the dictionary will reveal that a material is ""that of which anything is composed or may be constructed; the tools, instruments, implements', etc. for doing something"". Management is defined as ""the act, or manner of managing; the skillful use of means to accomplish a purpose"". Presumably combining these words defines materials management.Of greater importance are the materials managers who will carry out the function. At Brenda Mines Ltd., all employees and suppliers contribute to the materials management function. Each has a specialized knowledge of the materials used in his field. Each has a different view concerning the use and description of the same material. The key is to focus this knowledge so as to make the materials management system useful to everyone."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. F. Henderson, N. H. . C. Fraser

"Camlaren Mines, Limited, owns a group of claims near Gordon lake, in the Northwest Territories about 45 miles northeast of Yellowknife. The Hump vein on the property was explored continuously from the summer of 1937 to December, 1938, when all work was stopped. The two-compartment vertical shaft sunk near the vein is 380 feet deep and drifts and cross-cuts on the 200- and 350-foot levels total 2,241 feet . This exploration indicated 13,177 tons of ore with a gold content of between ½ and 1 ounce a ton1GEOLOGY AND STRUCTUREThe property is underlain by remarkably fresh greywacke and slate of the Early Precambrian Yellowknife group. The thickness of the b ~ds averages 1 to 2 feet, although that of the coarser greywacke may be 10 feet or more. Most of the greywacke beds show a gradation in grain from sandy at the base to slaty at the top. They are composed of chlorite, sericite; carbonate, and detrital quartz and feldspar grains.The structure of the greywacke and slate underlying a part of the property of Camlaren Mines, Limited, is shown in Fig. 1. The beds are isoclinally folded so that they dip at steep to vertical angles and at many places are overturned. The axes of the folds are 50 to several hundred feet apart, and generally plunge at angles of 45° or steeper. The beds along the axes of the folds generally meet to form a sharp V, and at the point of the V, or axial part of the fold, the beds are commonly ruptured . Minor faulting movements along the broken crests of the folds in many cases result in well-defined shear zones. Discontinuous quartz veins and irregular lens-like masses of quartz lying more or less parallel with the bedding are plentiful throughout the sediments, but tend to be concentrated along the ruptured and sheared, anticlinal and synclinal fold axes ( Fig. 1)."

Jan 1, 1954

By Jorge Blanco, Joaquin Gotor, Enrique Delgado, Carlos Frias

Since 2009 Cobre las Cruces (CLC) has successfully operated a sustainable mining business near Seville, Spain, applying the most advanced hydrometallurgical technologies to process secondary copper sulphide ores through atmospheric leaching in ferric sulphate media and using oxygen sparging in a cascade of ten reactors. In comparison to conventional copper smelters, the CLC hydrometallurgical process does not generate SO2 gas, airborne emissions or slags. The copper ore is ground and sent directly to atmospheric leaching reactors; flotation is not required, and consequently, copper extraction is maximized at 93-95%, while producing 72,000 t/y copper cathodes of the highest purity (99.999 wt.% Cu, Grade A). Reserves for the CLC deposit were estimated at 16 million tonnes of ore averaging over 6 wt.% Cu and containing principally a chalcocite mineralization. Other copper bearing species include digenite, covellite, chalcopyrite, bornite and enargite. Pyrite represents over 70 wt.% of the ore. In the CLC leaching process, chalcocite reacts with ferric sulphate at approximately 90 ºC and copper is released into solution while ferric ions are reduced to ferrous ions. The ferric sulphate leachant is regenerated continuously by oxygen injection and consumes sulphuric acid. It is remarked that pyrite plays a crucial role to yield high copper leaching rates. When pyrite is oxidized, a small proportion of iron is co-leached and some sulphuric acid is generated. The CLC leaching technology has been designed to allow a certain level of pyrite oxidation, which is positive in many ways: (i) to maintain a Fe/Cu ratio in solution; (ii) to facilitate Fe(II) oxidation; (iii) to produce a high redox potential; and (iv) to counterbalance a bleed solution that removes some iron. Moreover, galvanic interaction between pyrite (cathode) and chalcocite (anode) can substantially increase atmospheric leaching kinetics and efficiency (copper recovery).

Jan 1, 2016

Partnership with MiHR ? AHRC and MIHR jointly developed Mastering Aboriginal Inclusion for Mining ? Customization specific to mining Mining is unique? ? History of Aboriginal peoples and the land ? Unique community needs ? Effects of Impact Benefit Agreements ? Remoteness of mines ? 1200 Aboriginal communities located w/in 200km of active mines or exploration ? Long term effects of the land

May 1, 2009

Situation Brands & Employment Value Propositions of mining sector firms are perceived negatively Competitive labour market is generally not aware of the diversity of mining careers Jobs requiring unique skills & experiences are no filled Traditional means of generating awareness to attract candidates is not aligned with how youth (for example) uses technology throughout the recruitment process Gobal economic downturn

May 1, 2009

In terms of throughput, product size and power draw, grindcurves provide a measure of the response of the mill performance to changes in mill operating parameters – usually mill filling. Since presenting the principle in 2006, grindcurves have been applied to a wide variety of AG and SAG mills. Mill response has been carefully measured for variations in: mill fillings from 15% to 40%; throughput by a factor of two; power by 50%; feed blends; liner profile; and mill speed from 65% to 80%. The outcomes of this extensive program of work are presented as the measured grindcurves. How they have enhanced our understanding of mill operation and how they may be applied to practical daily mill control is discussed. It is proposed that this technique provides a viable and valuable mill control tool that may find extensive application in the industry.

Jan 1, 2012

By L. Kilpinen, K. R. Kay, H. B. Fowler

"FOREWORDThe International Nickel Company of Canada has built four ore concentrating plants since 1950. The fifth and largest is now under construction. In each successive plant, the level and type of instrument control and sophistication of control techniques have increased as experience was gained. The type of control progress is illustrated in Fig. 1.At Frood-Stobie the high degree of instrumentation and the level of control were made possible by the constant evolution of techniques and improved instrument hardware technology. We have established in practice concepts that are sound, although many modifications to instrument sensor types and locations 1-rere often necessary. It is generally true that at other existing Inco mills, it is possible to run ""all manual"" for protracted lengths of time because of operator availability and dependence. The Frood-Stobie Mill is the exception, and it is the degree of reliability of the instrumentation hardware and level of maintenance that has made this possible."

Jan 1, 1971