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By M. Tiedtke, T. Crary, P. MacPhail, M. Ounpuu

"The SGS carbon-in-pulp (CIP) / carbon-in-leach (CIL) model was used to evaluate and optimize the carbon circuit at Alamos Gold’s Young-Davidson Mine. Plants samples (pulp and carbon) were tested in a series of small scale batch experiments to determine rates of gold leaching and adsorption on carbon from a combined flotation concentrate/tailing product. The testwork data, along with existing plant data were then used to model the performance of the existing CIL plant and optimize the circuit to improve performance and overall recovery. The primary purpose of the modelling exercise was to determine the most cost effective way to lower solution losses at the plant. The modelling was also used to learn how the various parameters in the CIL circuit affect solution losses and the gold inventory tied up on the carbon. This resulted in recommendations for minor changes in the CIL flowsheet, which were successfully implemented in the plant. The approach, results and plant changes are presented.INTRODUCTION This paper presents the details from testwork conducted on samples from Alamos Gold’s Young- Davidson gold mine which is located near the town of Matachewan, approximately 60 km west of Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario, within the southwestern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The objective of the test program (completed by SGS Canada in 2013) was to investigate and model the combined flotation concentrate / tailing carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit and suggest ways to improve gold recovery. The metallurgical test program included mineralogy, rheology, and carbon modelling testwork. Plant information was provided during the test program and used in the optimization process. Upon completion of the testwork, plant changes were recommended and implemented at site (October 2014). Plant results from 2014 to 2017 confirmed the modelling results."

Jan 1, 2018

By P. Rosario

"Industry practice for high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR) assessment and sizing relies on tests using pilot-scale machines with 0.7–1.0 m roll diameters. Typically 1–10 t of sample are required, depending on the level of study and resource complexity. This is challenging during early-stage development, which hinders incorporating HPGR into designs. With support from the Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization, researchers at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at The University of British Columbia developed bench-scale piston–die press tests (PPTs) that correlate to pilot- and full-scale HPGRs. This paper describes a new regression model to estimate the HPGR-specific throughput rate using both PPT results and an HPGR database. A case study is presented to show how the current PPT method is used for engineering studies. ¦ KEYWORDS Empirical modelling, High-pressure grinding roll (HPGR), Piston–die press test (PPT), Sizing and scale upRÉSUMÉ La pratique en vigueur dans l’industrie concernant l’évaluation et le calibrage d’un cylindre de broyage à haute pression (HPGR, de l’anglais high-pressure grinding roll) dépend d’essais menés à l’aide de machines à l’échelle pilote dont les diamètres de bobine sont de 0,7 à 0,10 mètre. On a généralement besoin de 1 à 10 tonnes d’échantillons en fonction du niveau de complexité de l’étude et des ressources. C’est une pratique difficile durant les premières phases de développement, qui empêche l’intégration du HPGR dans les plans. Bénéficiant du soutien de la Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization (CAMIRO, l’organisation de recherche de l’industrie minière canadienne), des chercheurs du Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering (l’institut Norman B. Keevil de génie minier) de l’université de la Colombie-Britannique (UBC) ont mis au point des essais en laboratoire sur des presses à matricer à pis¬ton (PPT, de l’anglais piston–die press tests), qui mettent en corrélation les HPGR aux échelles pilote et réelle. Cet article décrit un nouveau modèle de régression qui évalue le taux de production spécifique aux HPGR à l’aide des résultats tirés des PPT et d’une base de données dédiée aux HPGR. Une étude de cas est présentée afin de décrire l’utilisation de la méthode actuelle des PPT dans les études techniques. ¦ MOTS CLÉS calibrage et mise à l’échelle, cylindre de broyage à haute pression (HPGR), essai sur presses à matricer à piston (PPT), modélisation empiriqueINTRODUCTION It is widely accepted that high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) are a viable, energy-efficient solution for modern comminution flowsheet design. Table 1 summarizes select examples of HPGR applications in the mining industry. The main benefits of HPGRs are energy savings, which leads to lower operating costs, and stable operating characteristics that can better cope with variations in ore hardness compared to the conventional autogenous (AG) or semi-autogenous (SAG) mill-based comminution circuits."

Jan 1, 2019

By K. L. Ford, D. R. Lentz, J. H. Rickard, R. P. Taylor

Abstract - Coupled gamma-ray spectrometric and lithogeochemical studies throughout the Heath Steele Mines area, Bathurst Camp, New Brunswick, indicate that primary and secondary geochemical differences exist between the stratigraphic footwall and hangingwall crystal tuff units which host the massive sulfide deposits. Of particular interest is Th, and to a lesser extent, Zr and Y, which are more concentrated in the hangingwall than the footwall crystal tuffs, whereas the opposite is true for TiO2. This expands on earlier lithogeochemical-chemostratigraphic results concentrated in the eastern part of the Heath Steele belt that led to revision of the local stratigraphy, and necessitated a structural re-interpretation of the area with implications for exploration. Although K depletion (decreased K and K/Th) is typical of chloritized footwall zones of chloritization, these features were not fully apparent here due to the recessive nature of these altered zones. In situ radiometric analysis using a portable gamma-ray spectrometer is a rapid, inexpensive analytical technique for chemostratigraphic characterization of rock units within volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit settings, provided there is a contrast in the distribution of natural radioelements, particularly Th and K.

Jan 1, 1998

By R. E. Eyre, L. P. Landucci

C URRENT practice in the zinc concentrate roasting plant of The Consolidated Mining arid Smelting Company of Canada Limited, at Trail, B.C., involves passing the furnace effluent gases through an electrostatic precipitator for the recovery of dust. After removal of the dust the gas is treated for recovery of sulphur dioxide by conversion into sulphuric acid ( 1). However. as roasting techniques improved, and furnace productivity in-creased, the rated capacity of the precipitator was exceeded and it was necessary to consider various means of improving the dust recovery. A study of methods indicated that a baghouse using silicone-treated glass fabric, might be suitable for this particular application. Glass fabric was chosen because the temperature of the roaster effluent gases would range from 450°F to 500°F and tempering air was undesirable to avoid dilution of the sulphur dioxide gas.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. Schmidt

The development of set of laboratory experiments, intended to help undergraduate students meet Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board requirements for Engineering Design outcomes, is described.The laboratory, which is part of a third year level course in hydrometallurgy, is aimed at advancing the ability of students to generate and use experimental results to design an industrial copper leach/SX/EW plant. Emphasis is placed on the students demonstrating the ability to use of their engineering knowledge in weighing the pros and cons of the various process options that they test in converging to a final flowsheet. INTRODUCTION Over the past number of years the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, CEAB, has dramatically shifted the way that they evaluate undergraduate programs. In the past, the focus was on measuring of the quantity and quality of material the students were intended to learn as well as the methods and resources used to deliver that material. Now, rather than principally evaluating the inputs of programs, the focus is more on measuring the quality of the outputs from the programs, i.e. the quality of graduating students. In this regard, the CEAB has developed a list of twelve attributes that learners must develop in the course of their studies. Engineering programs must, not only demonstrate that their curriculums provide opportunities to develop these attributes, but must measure student proficiency in each of these attributes as they progress toward graduation. One particular graduate attribute that Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering has encouraged its faculty members to develop content for is “design”. Engineering Canada (2018) defines this attribute as “an ability to design solutions for complex, open-ended engineering problems and to design systems, components or processes that meet specified needs with appropriate attention to health and safety risks, applicable standards, and economic, environmental, cultural and societal considerations”. The previous laboratory component for the hydrometallurgy course was a collection of unconnected experiments covering leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and electrowinning. Like in other undergraduate courses, students would perform stand-alone experiments, make the specified measurements, do the specified analyses of the results, and report the findings, all as strictly detailed in the lab manual. The vision for the new lab was to create an experience that would more closely mimic an industrial research program whereby students would start with a given feed material and would progress through a series of connected experiments. Emphasis is placed on the student demonstrating competency in, not only, generating and analyzing experimental data, but also in using the data along with their engineering knowledge to design and evaluate the pros and cons various plant configuration options. Principally, students are asked to weigh cost, safety, and environmental concerns in converging to their final flowsheet. In designed the leach circuit, students must weigh the costs/benefits of varying leach temperature. Higher leach temperatures will yield faster and more complete copper dissolution, which will allow for the specification of relatively smaller leaching circuits, saving capital costs. However, hotter acid solutions are more dangerous to handle and require increasing amounts of energy to heat the slurry, increasing operating costs. In solid/liquid separation, students must weigh the pros and cons of the addition of a flocculent to assist settling. The flocculant will allow for the design of a thickener circuit that employs units with a relatively smaller area, but will result in a thickener underflow with a lower pulp density, which may necessitate a larger number of thickeners. In addition, the environmental concerns of producing a tailings product that contains an organic contaminant should be addressed. In solvent extraction, students must specify the number of stages of loading and stripping, as well as organic and aqueous flowrates to produce suitable raffinate and rich electrolyte streams. Finally, in electrowinning, students will compare the costs/benefits and risks of the use of precious metal coated titanium dimensionally stable anodes (DSAs) versus conventional Pb based anodes.

Jan 1, 2019

By M. J. Collins, B. Parekh, A. Hasenbank, B. Hewitt

Newcrest Mining Limited, originally as Lihir Gold, has operated a pressure oxidation plant for the recovery of gold from refractory ore since 1997. The mine and gold plant are located on Lihir Island in Papua New Guinea. Design of the original pressure oxidation circuit was based on the results of pilot plant tests conducted by Sherritt in Fort Saskatchewan. Following a decision to expand the plant in 2008, Lihir Gold contracted Sherritt to design a new autoclave. The design exercise utilized the original pilot plant test results, commercial process results at Lihir, and an understanding of advances in autoclave technology since the original plant was built. The new Lihir autoclave will be the largest horizontal, multiple-compartment autoclave in the world. The design process for the pressure oxidation expansion is described in this paper.

Jan 1, 2011

By N. Samman, S. N. Lau

"A series of new, grease-based, solvent free open gear lubricants were developed to meet the demanding service requirements of mining equipment. The use of these products has resulted in better performance under conditions of temperature extremes and in terms of longer component lives. They have gained widespread acceptance within the mining communities for such applications as the lubrication of mining shovels, draglines and ball mills.These products are WHMIS non-controlled and are environmentally acceptable. The benefits and advantages of using this type of product to lubricate mining equipment as well as the field evaluation and experience will be discussed."

Jan 1, 2002

By J. S. Stachulak

"The main ventilation design features adopted at Inco to safeguard personnel against the effects of fires are described in this paper. Measures taken to prevent and detect fires due to spontaneous combustion, and fires involving conveyor belts, are described in detail.IntroductionConsidering the over-all picture of present-day mining operations, the expenditure required to provide a proper system of mine ventilation and fife control should be regarded as a sound investment that will pay back in increased mining efficiency, improved safety, health, and morale of the miners.Mine ventilation control and mine fife detection and fighting are inseparable, because a ventilation system can spread deadly products of combustion just as efficiently as it does life-sustaining oxygen. Therefore, the possibility of a mine fife occurring is of particular concern.The first objective is to prevent a fife.The second objective is to design the ventilation system so that a positive fresh air supply can be ensured on each main level regardless of the location of the fife.The third objective is to be able to detect the fife at an early stage and to extinguish it before it can develop into a major fife. Accordingly, at Inco, very extensive measures are taken to prevent fires and to locate, isolate and extinguish them rapidly. To obtain an early warning, it is not sufficient to know that a fife has started, but it is also necessary to know where the fife is burning."

Jan 1, 1994

By J. S. Stacbulak

"The main ventilation design features adopted at Inco to safeguard personnel against the effects of fires are described in this paper. Measures taken to prevent and detect fires due to spontaneous combustion, and fires involving conveyor belts, are described in detail.IntroductionConsidering the over-all picture of present-day mining operations, the expenditure required to provide a proper system of mine ventilation and fife control should be regarded as a sound investment that will pay back in increased mining efficiency, improved safety, health, and morale of the miners.Mine ventilation control and mine fife detection and fighting are inseparable, because a ventilation system can spread deadly products of combustion just as efficiently as it does life-sustaining oxygen. Therefore, the possibility of a mine fife occurring is of particular concern.The flirt objective is to prevent a fife. The second objective is to design the ventilation system so that a positive fresh air supply can be ensured on each main level regardless of the location of the fife. The third objective is to be able to detect the fife at an early stage and to extinguish it before it can develop into a major fife.Accordingly, at Inco, very extensive measures are taken to prevent fires and to locate, isolate and extinguish them rapidly. To obtain an early warning, it is not sufficient to know that a fife has started, but it is also necessary to know where the fife is burning."

Jan 1, 1994

By J. W. Rogers, S. K. Schwartz

"The Cape Breton Development Corporation (CBDC) is a federal Crown corporation which operates two coal mines (Phalen and Prince Collieries), a coal preparation plant, a railway, a central workshop and a deep water shipping facility.The Sydney coal field consists of 11 major seams, which range from 0.8 m to over 3.7 m in thickness. Of the 2.4 billion tonnes of known coal resources in the field, approximately 550 million tonnes can be mined with present mining technology. These parameters define reserves which extend more than 8 km beneath the ocean to a depth of 1200 m. With today’s design and present high production faces, the colliery life is projected at approximately 20 years."

Jan 1, 1996

By A. P. Craig

"I HAVE BEEN looking forward to addressing this particular audience about Trans-Canada Pipe Lines because you men, more than most, understand the problems of the pioneer. Trans-Canada Pipe Lines qualifies as a pioneer on two counts: it is certainly pioneering a completely new industry in Canada -the long-distance transmission of natural gas -and it has at least a few of the problems that are expected and normal to any pioneering venture.This morning, I’m going to try to give you a sketchy picture of our project and a brief report on its current status and our progress to date; and then a broad picture of Canadian markets for natural gas.The physical characteristics of the Trans-Canada Pipe Lines project have been discussed so often that I am not going to take the time today to quote a lot of statistics on pipe sizes, miles, tons of steel, etc. Suffice it to say that this project, estimated to cost approximately $350,000,000, will be the longest large-diameter gas pipe-line ever built anywhere.Let me try to paint a broad picture of this great national project, using only a few basic 'round' figures.First, it involves exploration for and development of the natural gas fields in Alberta and other provinces -the cost of which will run into hundreds of millions of dollars.Then comes the gathering, stripping, and cleaning of the gas before it can be delivered to Trans-Canada. This will cost close to $100 million.Next we have the Trans-Canada Pipe Lines project for transmission of the gas to Eastern markets -estimated to cost $350,000,000 during the first three to four years and making natural gas economically available to one-half the population of Canada."

Jan 1, 1955

By G. E. Veins

A three-phase, continuously-operated, 250 kv.a. electric smelting furnace has been installed at the Mines Branch, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Ottawa, for the experimental treatment of ores and by-products of interest to the Canadian mining, metallurgical, and chemical industries. In the operation of this furnace particular emphasis is placed on the accumulation of quantitative data which will be useful in determining the most suitable smelting technique and the nature of the products, and in arriving at preliminary conclusions regarding the cast of power and electrodes. The results obtained in the experimental smelting of iron, manganese-iron, titanium- iron, nickel, and chromiumiron ores, and of a number of industrial by-products, clearly show the value of such treatment for materials of this type.

Jan 1, 1957

By A. R. Chambers

Malagash received its name from the Indians many years ago on acco.unt of its turbid (milky) waters, although,' the red men did not appreciate the significance of this turbidity, and were, of course, entirely ignorant of the crystal beds of pure salt that lay beneath their feet. The salt lake of the Mississippian, or Lower Carboniferous period, in which these beds occur, was apparently a large one, for there is evidence of its existence at intervals all the way from Sydney, Cape Breton, to St. John, New Brunswick, 300 miles as the crow flies, and there is no knowing what its other dimensions may have been, as much of this horizon is now buried on the one side beneath the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and on the other underneath the Atlantic ocean. About midway of the area and underlying the counties of Colchester and Cumberland, there occurs a synclinal basin of which the Malagash salt outcrop forms only a small portion of its northern limit. This basin has been described very fully by A. C. Hayes. (1) The operations carried on at Malagash since Hayes wrote his report have brought to light very little in the way of new geological data, except to confirm his pre-dictions as to the probable faulting of the salt strata, and the effect which these faults would have on mining operations.

Jan 1, 1924

By Euler De Souza, J. Daniel Stinnette, Julian Varaschin

"This paper outlines some of the factors that affect the airflow required for the ventilation of modern diesel-powered equipment and of electric equipment and examines how they can be applied in determining reasonable ventilation rates for Tier IV compliant diesel equipment and for electric equipment operating in mining environments. Airflow calculations for modern diesel-powered equipment and for electric equipment are more complex and must be based on a combination of factors that are unique to each mine. Methodologies for ventilation rate determinations for each case are proposed in this paper.INTRODUCTIONTraditionally, airflow requirements for production and support equipment operating in underground mines have been determined by multiplying the vehicle power by a ventilation rate that was either mandated by regulations or determined empirically from known quantities. However, in light of the drastic reductions to diesel equipment emissions mandated by the US EPA Tier IV and EURO Stage 4 regulations, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the underground mining industry among those responsible for the ventilation of planned new mines or the expansion of current mines. The question remains, what ventilation rates should the ventilation system designer apply for modern diesel equipment?Also, given the ongoing development of grid/battery-electric equipment and active construction of fully electric mines, it has become critical to determine adequate airflow rates per brake kilowatt of electric engine power. One of the most important criteria for determining ventilation rates for electric equipment is the amount of heat they generate, as this is the most significant emission produced by electric equipment (which do not produce exhaust gases or particulates). Therefore, ventilation rates required to dissipate heat from electric equipment must be suitably determined for all electric vehicle fleets operating in underground mines."

Jan 1, 2019

By J. Makgatho, P. Condori, J. Winnett, Fischerm D.

"Palabora Mining Copper (PMC) has two autogenous mills that have been in operation since 1976. The mills were originally designed to treat 30 000 t/d of open cast copper ore in a closed circuit with cyclones. As the ore body went deeper the open cast method of mining was changed to block caving, a consequence of this was the dolerite content (hardest barren material) increased significantly, increasing the production rate of pebbles and thus reducing the milling capacity. In order to cope with the increased ore hardness and to increase mill capacity, a second ball milling stage and pebble crushing were incorporated to the circuit. The above actions created new challenges to the circuit operation and bottlenecks in different areas of the milling circuit.This paper reports the holistic work performed on the Palabora autogenous milling circuit including the implementation of a mill constraint control scheme, the implementation of a pebble removal system from the circuit and a new circuit configuration."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jas. G. Ross

Introduction Asbestos, a mineral known and used in ancient times, has become an article of commerce only during the life of the older asbestos miners in Quebec. The diversified uses of this adaptable substance are now numbered by the hundreds. Wherever insulation or resistance to heat may be required, asbestos, either by itself or mixed with some other material, may be employed to advantage. Regarded as a curiosity for centuries, it is now in such common use that it is familiar to all. The demand for long fibre for use in the manufacture of textiles and brake-lining, and for shorter fibre for making shingles, paper, and insulation materials, serves to support the industry of mining asbestos-bearing rock and milling the fibre from it in Canada, South Africa, Russia, Cyprus, and the United States. The commercial use of asbestos dates only from 1876, in which year large deposits were discovered in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Prior to that year a small amount of long fibre amphibole asbestos was produced in Italy. Occurrence In Canada In the Eastern Townships of Quebec, along the line of the Quebec Central railway, is an area of serpentine rock. It extends westerly into Vermont and easterly to Gaspe. A part of it, the section from Danville to East Broughton, contains areas in which occur deposits of commercial asbestos fibre of the chrysotile variety. Pits have been opened on some of these deposits at Danville, Coleraine, Black Lake, Thetford Mines, Robertson, and East Broughton. Thetford is distant 68 miles from Quebec city, East Broughton lies 25 miles to the northeast of Thetford, while Danville is 45 miles to the southwest of Thetford.

Jan 1, 1927

By John D. Godfrey

A brief account of economic developments in and around northeastern Alberta is presented and mention is made of mining and industrial developments currently of interest in the area. Planned and projected operations are briefly discussed for this region. The history of geological surveys and mining activities in the Shield area of Alberta and the adjoining parts of Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan is traced. Reassessment of the presently-known economic picture of northwestern Canada in conjunction with some recent information on Precambrian structures of northeastern Alberta points to some interesting mining possibilities, particularly in and around that province.

Jan 1, 1960

By E. G. Charlesworth, M. J. Robertson

"Abstract - Gold mineralization in the Main Reef Complex at Sheba Gold Mine is hosted within shear zones in a sequence of shales and greywackes of the Fig Tree Group. Competency contrasts between these rocks and a steeply dipping chert unit provided a locus for the development of right lateral steeply dipping shear zones. A set of flatter dipping shear fractures crosscut these zones with their intersections defining a system of en échelon ore shoots.Mineralization is both of vein type and disseminated strata-controlled replacement type. The latter occurs mainly within the wall rocks to the shear zones. Arsenopyrite and pyrite are the major sulfides, with arsenopyrite being confined largely to greywacke beds and pyrite to the more iron-rich shale units. Gold was introduced, together with minor sphalerite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and early arsenopyrite, toward the end stages of a first pyrite phase. The mineralizing fluids were introduced along dilated cleavage planes and, emanating from these, produced a series of replacement fronts. Mineralization was syntectonic to late tectonic and occurred under conditions of progressive deformation, resulting in sulfides which are concentrated in the hinges of shear-related folds and semi­ massive sulfides within tension fractures which are folded, attenuated and fractured .An analysis of the structures shows a sequence of events in which an initial ductile simple-shear event with a steep sense of movement was succeeded by a more brittle strike-slip event. Mineralization is temporally related to the latter. This evolution in structural style was probably related to reactivation of the Sheba Fault as a transcurrent fault during emplacement of large granitoid bodies."

Jan 1, 1994

By Stefan Boshkov

THE ADVENT of mining at great depth has brought to the fore the question of stresses around mine openings. The many-pronged attack on this problem is certified by the accelerated appearance, in the mining literature, of articles on various topics related to this subject (1). Whereas it may be agreed that we, of the mining profession, have fallen woefully behind in research and the development of an understanding of this important facet of the general problem of mining, it must also be accepted that the analysis of the stresses in a mine structure is usually more complex than is the case in the majority of structures encountered and dealt with in civil engineering. Whereas homogeneity and isotropy are readily acceptable for most metals, such properties are but crudely approximated in rocks. Whereas the external loads on a structure in civil engineering may be readily determined, those on a mining structure are subject to ?conjecture. Whereas the limits of the structure may readily be defined in civil engineering, the boundaries of the mining structure are, in most cases, indeterminate, and subject to intelligent guesswork, at best.

Jan 1, 1956

By Jean Scott, G. A. Collins, G. W. Hodgson

WHILE it is well known that trace metals in crude •oils and distillates have been a matter of deep concern to refining engineers because of the damage done .by the metals to cracking catalysts and refractories (8, 5), the trace metals in crude oils may be of great benefit in correlation studies and in origin studies. During the geological processes in which the oil is formed from •animal and vegetable life, the hydrocarbons are subjected to a host of inter-related reactions, both physical and chemical. It has been well demonstrated that the lighter materials, certainly the short-chain paraffin hydrocarbons, are degradation products of the heavier molecules, and it might be concluded that for correlation studies it would be advisable to direct attention as much as possible not to the degradation products of the large molecules but to the large molecules themselves. Be this as it may, the methods at •hand to conduct the study are not particularly precise and, in the past, attention has centred on the simpler small molecules, as evidenced by the great mass of work involving distillation and chromatography with painstaking separation of the simpler 'front-end' hydrocarbons.

Jan 1, 1954