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By W. van der Merwe

With the gold industry looking to process more complex ores, the online measurement and control of cyanide addition to the gold leaching circuit has become more crucial. This paper compares the two commonly employed "free" cyanide online analysis methods (amperometric and potentiometric end-point silver nitrate titration) with the common site laboratory rhodanine endpoint silver nitrate titration and ion selective electrode methods. Measurement differences between these methods are presented and discussed for cyanide solutions containing copper and zinc with varying cyanide to metal ion ratios. The resulting cyanide available to leach gold is also compared with these measurements.

Jan 1, 2011

By P Hulteberg

In this article, an integrated catalytic reactor design approach to produce PEMFC-quality hydrogen is evaluated. The design is based on a high level of heat exchanging perfonned internally, highly active noble metal catalysts and a woven wire mesh catalyst support system. It consists of an integrated steam refonner and a catalytic burner section, a water gas shift section and a preferential carbon monoxide oxidation section. The reactor design is described and experiments perfonned to evaluate the two reactors built are reported. The two reactors have a maximum output of 3 Nm and 10 Nm3 hydrogen/h respectively. In the larger unit, a total of six fuels, three gaseous (methane, natural gas and liquid propane gas) and three liquid (naphtha, ethanol and methanol), were evaluated. The larger unit was also used to investigate how variations of parameters such as steam-to-carbon ratio in the steam reforming part of the system and the relation between oxygen and carbon monoxide in the preferential carbon monoxide oxidation affect the reactor perfonnance. The smaller unit was used, after implementing automatic control, to run a system life time test for 480 h. The refonner system perfonned according to specifications on almost every aspect.

Jan 1, 2005

By Liu Liu

In the recent 10 years the rapid development of Chinese steel industry has attracted the attention of the world. The technological progress of converter steelmaking has played an important role in this process. First of all, slag splashing has been extensively adopted by Chinese steel companies in various sizes of converters from largest to smallest ones, and even including those using special hot metal containing V and Ti. Remarkable metallurgical results have been achieved. Up to now the average converter campaign life has reached nearly 10,000 heats, and the longest exceeds 30,000 heats in three melt shops. Based on this process, the long-life combined-blowing converter steelmaking technology has been developed. Slag splashing has been used to form a gas permeable "slag mushroom" on the top of bottom nozzles to protect the nozzles. In order to keep the effective bottom blowing, furnace bottom thickness control technique has been developed to prevent the furnace bottom growth. It makes the service life of bottom nozzle the same as the converter campaign life (average 10,000 heats and longest > 30,000 heats). The complete combined blowing was ensured through out the furnace campaign. Concentration product [C][0] is in the range of 0.0023 ~ 0.0030%, the T.Fe in the slag is lowered by 4 ~ 6%, and the [0] in steel is decreased by 100 ~ 250 ppm.

Jan 1, 2004

By A. Robles-Vega

Personnel of Mexicana de Cobre, a subsidiary of Southern Copper located in Nacozari, Sonora Mexico have been working in the past few years on the development of a process to treat and manage, in an environmentally accepted practice, the residues and effluents generated during the process. To date, this team has been reviewing existing technologies and also has explored new alternatives. At the end of this phase, a novel, efficient and complete process has been configured which will be able to treat some solid and liquid streams such as Teniente converter dust, Peirce Smith converter dust, a Sb-rich precious metals slag, copper refinery electrolyte bleed, acid plant blowdown and an acid bleed of the precious metals plant. The process will consist of a leaching stage, followed by a very selective copper precipitation using novel technology which has been named as back reactions. After copper precipitation, impurities (As, Sb and Bi) will be precipitated mainly as arsenic trisulfide (As2S3) using H2S(g) which will be generated by means of a new process developed in our company. At the end of the process, small volumes of arsenic trisulfide will be vitrified and then disposed as a stable residue.

Jan 1, 2007

By Mari Yamamoto

Controlled thermolysis of gold(I) complex, [Au(C13H27COO)(PPh3)], at 180 °C for 5 h under an N2 atmosphere affords the new type of monodispersed spherical gold nanoparticles capped by myristate and a small amount of PPh3 ligands (average diameter 23±1.5 nm), in spite of no use of solvent, reducing agent and stabilizer. Much attention has been paid to the preparation and structure determination of transition metal nanoparticles, because of their widespread use in technological applications.1 In general, the chemical reduction of metal salts and organometallic complexes2 by the use of reducing agent is carried out to prepare gold nanoparticles. In some cases, a large amount of solvent and stabilizers such as surfactants,3 polymers4 and ligands5 are used to prevent agglomeration of particles and control the particle size. For instance, Brust et al. reported a two-phase reduction of AuCl4 - by NaBH4 in the presence of dodecanethiol as stabilizer to prepare gold nanoparticles.6 On the other hand, O?Brien et al. recently reported an one-phase preparation of gold nanoparticles by the reduction of AuCl4 - by NaBH4 in the mixture of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide and octadecylamine which act as both solvent and stabilizer, but this procedure also needs reducing agent.7

Oct 1, 2003

By John G. Ayttes

"The following is a review of the advance of raise boring and its current position. The viewpoint presented is that the mining industry, through its worldwide acceptance of raise boring, has acknowledged the success of the method in general. Acceptance, however, does not imply complete satisfaction with either the equipment or current operating costs. Therefore, a brief review of how boring costs are being r educed is presented, citing examples. Recent raise borer applications of special interest are presented to show adaptability of current equipment, and some special projects in the planning stage are highlighted."

Jan 1, 1972

By C. H. Stockwell

RICE LAKE-BERESFORD LAKE area, situated 100 miles northeast of Winnipeg (Figure 1), is Manitoba's foremost gold mining district, although it is exceeded in gold production in the Province by the Flin Flon base-metal mining district. At present, the area is producing at the rate of about one and three-quarter million dollars annually, almost entirely from the San Antonio and Gunnar mines. The total production to date is about $14,000,000. Of this total, over $7,000,000 has come from the San Antonio mine, over $2,000,000 from the Gunnar mine, about $4,000,000 from the Central Manitoba mine, and the balance from several smaller properties. The writer has led Geological Survey parties in the area for the past four summers. The present paper gives a summary of the results of this work and also includes the findings of C. S. Lord, who was in charge of a party for one year. Much valuable information was obtained from earlier published reports on the area and from officials of mining companies, to whom the writer is indebted for their kindly co-operation. It is impossible in this short paper to give proper credit to the earlier workers or to discuss certain points o disagreement between their conclusions and those presented here. For further information the following references may be consulted.

Jan 1, 1940

"Dry crushing trials at pilot scale have shown that the IMPTEC Super-fine Crusher has the capacity to generate ultra-fine products from hard mineral assemblages presenting at either coarse or fine feed sizes. The super-fine crusher was introduced at the 27th International Mineral Processing Congress in Santiago Chile, with results from a range of duties, which demonstrated the crusher’s potentially expansive operating scope. This paper focuses on current preparations to progress the technology from pilot scale to commercial scale within a concrete production plant, where lead blast furnace slag will be crushed to ultrafine sizes to generate an active silica product for use as a supplementary cementitious material, which can replace Ordinary Portland Cement. A key objective of the operation is to demonstrate an economical route to reducing the cost of concrete production, improving concrete quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The paper also highlights the potentially key contribution super-fine crushing can make to the long-term viability of iron ore beneficiation by simplifying comminution flow-sheets and reducing operating costs. There is every indication that the technology has the potential to feature universally in metalliferous and industrial mineral flow-sheets. INTRODUCTIONToday’s IMPTEC super-fine crusher is the successful end product of development work over 19 years and is the third particle size reduction device conceived, built and tested over that time. The concept evolved as engineering design progressively developed a mechanism capable of harnessing a highly efficient combination of fundamental particle breakage mechanisms. Early development trials at pilot scale indicated that super-fine crushing had the potential to establish a wet or dry, media free, low energy route to ultra- fine products from hard mineral assemblages. Having achieved some impressive results from open circuit pilot tests on fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag it became clear that the cement industry may well provide opportunities to apply the technology commercially. Following expressions of interest from local cement and concrete plant operators, IMPTEC negotiated an agreement to undertake commercial trials with a SFC 350 super-fine crusher installed on site at a concrete supply plant in South Australia. Super-fine crushing scope was recently expanded following further expressions of interest from research groups involved in the processing of iron ores. Pilot trials are progressing in these areas."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. P. LeBis

This article attempts to relate the concept of utility to the risk involved when only a small number of projects (compared to their probability of occurrence) are accessible to a firm and to quantify utility when other financial and physical parameters are known.

Jan 1, 1978

By P. Wanjara, M. Xiao

During fusion welding of aluminium alloys, the avoidance of defects (such as porosity, oxides, hot cracking, undercutting) as well as the ability to optimize the microstructure-property characteristics in the assembly are critical for the stringent manufacturing specifications in the aerospace industry. In this work, aluminium alloy (AA) 2024 was electron beam welded autogenously as part of a study to determine the influence of parametric conditions on the characteristics of the heat affected and fusion zones to obtain optimal welding conditions. In particular the evolution in the weld geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties were examined as function of the processing conditions, including beam current, beam focus, beam oscillation, linear heat input and welding speed. For optimized parametric conditions, microstructural examination of the joints revealed narrow fusion and heat-affected zones comprising of dendritic structures without the occurrence of defects that enabled a maximized joint efficiency.

Jan 1, 2006

By N. Dahata

Earlier research has indicated that an addition of titanium master alloy to aluminum alloys, results in improved fillability, grain refinement and finer pores. B206 alloy differs from other alloys used in automotive industry, with lower titanium level. This paper examines the effect of alloy chemistry (copper and titanium levels) and grain refinement (A1-5`)oTi- 1%B grain refiner) on grain size, microstructure and microporosity in B206 aluminum alloy. In this study, characterization of grain size, microstructure and microporosity was carried out using light optical microscopy (LOM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results have shown that the addition of 0.05 wt % titanium resulted in grain refinement of B206 alloy. With an increase in titanium to 0.25 wt further grain refinement, much reduced pore size and uniform distribution of pores resulted. These results suggest that B206 with proper addition of titanium has a promise as an alloy for automotive casting.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. K. McKean

THE task of establishing a new corrosion testing laboratory is more difficult than it need be because there is very little information on the subject available in the literature. Many articles describing tests and results may be found, but a wide search will unearth only passing remarks on the different types of equipment that may be selected for accelerated corrosion tests. An article describing some of the apparatus needed in a corrosion laboratory should be of help to those interested in building a new unit or in making additions to an old one. In May of this year, the writer was given the assignment of equipping a laboratory for general corrosion testing, to form a part of the new Physical Metallurgy Research Laboratories of the Department of Mines and Resource~ at Ottawa. With the help of senior members of the staff, along with what could be gathered from other sources, a list of necessary equipment was compiled and a plan for arranging it in the rooms was decided upon. Where possible, the apparatus was constructed in the excellent machine shops at the disposal of this Department, while the rest was placed on order with the manufacturers.

Jan 1, 1945

By S. Beitler

The availability of renewable energy does not meet the demands of consumption. Hence, fossil fuels will continue to be an important energy source, and coal promises to cover the requirements for the coming decades. Because of its high energy content, deep lying bituminous coal and anthracite are important for energy generation. One trend in the future of coal mining is thin seam mining, because thick seams more and more have been exploited. A well-known and approved longwall mining method for thin seams is plowing which has big advantages compared to a shearer because of its compact design. The extraction of those thinner coal seams will become more and more important in coal industry and therefore the plow will receive more attention in future. Most approaches in longwall automation are focused on the shearer and need a more or less intelligent exploitation machine. Therefore those approaches cannot be used for the plow technology. The authors introduce a shield-data-based horizon control (SDHC). The developed approach integrates the shield data provided by the roof support and process monitoring into the horizon control process to keep the plow in seam even if the seam trend changes. This control concept can be used for the shearer as well as for the plow. The basic idea of SDHC for plow application will be introduced in this paper and first simulation results will be shown.

Aug 1, 2013

"Pilot plants for pressure hydrometallurgy represent special design and project execution challenges. Over the past twenty years, Zeton has designed and fabricated a variety of world-class pressure hydrometallurgical pilot-plant facilities, and this paper discusses design considerations and strategies related to such projects. Project execution methods are also discussed, and guidance is given for the selection of materials of construction and for the selection of appropriate pressure and temperature design points for pressure hydrometallurgical pilot equipment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the need for process similarity with future commercial operations and the realities of pilot-scale equipment.INTRODUCTIONThe process technology developer or owner and the designer/fabricator of a new pilot-plant facility are faced with some difficult technical choices even after the decision to build a dedicated plant has been taken. A pilot-plant project is usually on the critical path of a large commercial project involving investments many multiples greater than the capital cost of the pilot plant. Schedule savings in the design, manufacture, and commissioning of the pilot plant or in a rapid completion of the experimental program can be disproportionately beneficial to the overall development project. However, inappropriate shortcuts resulting in major oversights can be disproportionately problematic.A number of considerations and suggestions for both the project execution approach and the process engineering design of pressure hydrometallurgical pilot-plant facilities are presented as a guide for potential owners and operators of new pilot-plant equipment and facilities."

Jan 1, 2012

By E. Mohammadi Zahrani

In this study, Mg-doped fluorapatite (Mg-FA) nanopowders were prepared through a sol-gel, technique and characterized. Designated degree of Mg2+ ions incorporation into the apatite structure was indicated by the x value in the general formula of (Ca10-xMgx (PO4)6F2), where x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1. XRD, AAS, FTIR and TEM techniques were utilized to characterize the synthesized nanopowders. In vitro bioactivity of the powders was evaluated in simulated body fluid. Powders had a crystallite size less than 100 nm. It was concluded that Mg-substitution could alter bioactivity and dissolution behaviour of Mg-FA. These two parameters were proportional to magnesium content of the powders.

Jan 1, 2010

By L. Paulino, C. E. Zangiacomi, J. Yamamoto

"This paper presents the learning from Alcoa Po9os de Caldas Smelter in Brazil, after several energy restrictions resulting from the failures of three rectifier units at its power switchyard. Starting on December 27th, fuses and diodes failed in three rectifier units of Potline #1, causing a long and dangerous power interruption. Even after current was reestablished, amperage was only 70% of the line target leading to a bath freezing process that lasted for around 48 hours. The process engineering team played with several potroom parameters as pot resistance, bath and metal levels, alumina feeding and bath chemistry in an attempt to minimize impact on the potline metal output and energy consumption. As it will be illustrated, the first battle was to keep the pots running on a ""survival"" approach. After that, several changes took place on the procedures used to run at reduced current which were considered rather successful. Finally, some recommendations will be given to foresee and prevent transformers and rectifiers from undesirable failures."

Jan 1, 2006

By H. Westengen

The AE alloy family exhibits remarkable combinations of properties when utilized as high pressure die castings. This performance relies on the fact that the rapid cooling rate resulting from the direct contact between the molten alloy and the steel die walls effectively refines the structure through rapid solidification. Furthermore, the rare earth additions modify the solidification pattern, dramatically reducing the solidification interval. A solid shell forms at temperatures exceeding 500C, reducing the tendency for die sticking and inverse segregation. As a result, the die castability is excellent, giving parts with a smooth and shiny surface. Unlike other magnesium die casting alloys developed to improve elevated temperature creep properties, AE alloys do not suffer from the commonly observed tendency to introduce brittleness. This feature is attributed to the fact that the massive magnesium- aluminium intermetallic phase is substituted by a finely dispersed lamellar structure of Al-RE intermetallics. The resulting combination of excellent elevated temperature properties and good ductility, as well as excellent corrosion resistance, means superiority of these alloys for demanding automotive engine and chassis applications.

Jan 1, 2006

By S. Kelebek

Batch flotation tests were carried out using samples from stockpiles that were up to 1.5 months old as well as fresh samples oxidized in the lab for up to six months. Head grades and size distributions of samples were equalized whenever possible. The samples from stockpiles and oxidation experiments produced inferior nickel grade-recovery compared to the fresh sample. The poorer grade-recovery performance was attributable to two factors. First, a significant dilution effect was observed due to complete flotation of pyrrhotite. Secondly, the same stockpiling conditions caused nickel losses that were attributable to non-floatability of some pentlandite. Application of a high pH of 10 compared to the regular pH of 9.2 slowed down pyrrhotite flotation kinetics, but was not able to prevent complete flotation after 8 minutes. The samples oxidized in the lab did not match full characteristics of stockpile samples. They provided somewhat better selectivity for pentlandite. Some correlations were observed on a qualitative basis between surface characteristics such as elemental sulphur formation, activation and flotation behaviour. Oxidation conditions, which induce floatability on pyrrhotite while causing incremental loss in pentlandite floatability appear to be the root cause of difficulties in the processing of oxidized forms of these ores.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. G. Pathan

Rock and soil mechanics investigations were carried out in block VIII at Thar Coalfield, Pakistan. Most of the strata were mainly composed of sand, with an average content of 67.68 %. Laboratory studies of rock and soil samples from drill hole GT-01 revealed that the strata in block VIII are very weak with an average uniaxial compressive strength of 3.59 MPa, an average tensile strength of 0.68 MPa, an average Young?s Modulus value of 0.234 GPa, an average cohesion of 129.19 KPa, and an average friction angle of 55.47°. Slope stability analysis, based on a probabilistic approach, was carried out using Slide-V software. Monte Carlo simulations have been applied to investigate the probability of failure in the slopes of an open pit lignite mine in block-VIII. From the slope stability investigation, it was found that the probability of failure is 0 % at a slope angle of 16°.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. Lu, J. B. Wiskel, D. G. Ivey, E. Niemi, H. Henein

Simulated TMCP using a Gleeble was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the austenite to ferrite cooling rate, coiling temperatures of either 400°C or 500°C and the magnitude of plastic deformation at the coiling temperature on the hardness of a Grade 483 (X70) steel. For comparable apparent cooling rates and deformation conditions, the hardness of the samples were independent of coiling temperature The application of a minimum compressive deformation > 8% was required to increase hardness at both simulated coiling temperatures of 400°C and 500°C. An increase in hardness was also observed with increased cooling times between 800°C and 500°C (i.e., slower cooling rates).

Jan 1, 2005