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By Robert B. Parsons

"No Canadian or his family is likely to escape the effects of proposals for pension reform tabled on October 9, 1986 by Finance Minster Michael Wilson. New tax rules are proposed for Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), company pensions, and other forms of retirement plans. Draft legislation is expected to be released in the first half of 1987.IntroductionOver two years ago on February, 15, 1984, Mark Lalonde, then Finance Minister, tabled two White Papers. The first, Action Plan for Pension Reform, proposed improvements to the public pension system and increases in the minimum pension benefits standards to be mandated by the federal government. Since then changes have been made to the Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement and Canada Pension Plan programs. Also, benefits provided under pension plans subject to the federal Pension Benefits Standards Act have been improved significantly.The companion paper, Building Better Pensions f or Canadians, proposed to standardize and, in many cases, improve retirement savings through private plans by revising the tax rule s. The tax proposals in the Notice of Ways and Means released by Finance Minister Wilson on October 9. 1986 implement, with modifications, the tax treatment of retirement savings originally proposed in the May 1985 budget in response to that second paper."

Jan 1, 1987

By Lynn C. Fister

"Coal is rapidly becoming a major alternative to oil. According to the World Coal Study Final Report, total world coal trade could approach one billion tons annually by the year 2000. To facilitate the increased production and export market potential of the coal producing countries, advancements must be made to improve the transportation systems. Coal slurry pipeline systems could play a significant role in achieving these market forecasts.There are three major components to a coal slurry system the preparation plant, the pipeline and the dewatering plant. The experience and expertise gained from the Consolidation Coal Company system in Ohio, the Black Mesa system in Arizona and ETSI's Coal Evaluation Plant demonstrate that slurry pipeline technology is proven and available to meet the coal transport challenge.The costs of transporting coal by slurry pipeline can offer significant savings, as about 70 per cent of its costs are fixed. The reverse is true for railroads, where 75 to 80 per cent of the costs vary with inflation. All forms of transport-rail, barge and pipeline-will be required to move the massive volumes of coal. Coal slurry systems can provide a viable transport alternative.IntroductionThe importance of coal as a major alternative to oil is now well known and accepted throughout the world. Increasing oil prices over the last eight years have had a serious effect on national economics, particularly in those countries that are heavily dependent on oil. Coal can replace oil as the principal fuel source which could support world economic growth over the next two decades. This is the main conclusion of the World Coal Study (WOCOL) Final Report, published in May 1980.The product of that report was a result of considerable deliberation by key industry leader s and energy experts. The underlying message of the World Coal Study is that our energy and economic problems can be faced with confidence if coal use doubles by the early 1990s and triples by 2000, and if steam coal trade expand s considerably."

Jan 1, 1982

By Robert D. Brown, Robert B. Parsons

"Careful tax planning and proper attention to the regulations can result in an optimum deduction ""of the 25% federal resource allowance. Introduced in the Income Tax Act in1976, in part to compensate for the disallowance of provincial mining taxes and royalties. the 25% ""resource allowance"" is a permitted deduction in computing taxable income from mining and petroleum. However, the rules relating to the deduction are complex, and the importance of the deduction which can readily exceed 25% of net income- is frequently underestimated. This month, Tax Notes discusses the basic rules of calculating the resource allowance, and suggests some tax planning aspects which may warrant consideration.May 6, 1974 - "" .. . our provinces have adjusted royalties, mining taxes and other arrangements to derive what they perceive to be a fair share for the benefit of their people. However, a provincial resource is also a national resource... I am proposing that revenues derived by provincial governments in respect of production from a… mineral resource should no longer be.\ deductible in computing the income of the operator. .. I am proposing that. .. there be an extra abatement from federal income tax in respect of taxable production income.. .fifteen points in the case of mineral profits. .. "" - The Honourable John N. Turner, Minister of Finance. June 23, 1975-"" '"" to meet, at least in part, the request for some form of deductibility in the tax system for provincial resource levies... to offer more incentive to those who explore and develop in Canada. .. I am now proposing, the extra fifteen point abatement of federal taxes would be withdrawn... at the same time, I am introducing a new resource allowance, which would be an extra deduction from income equal to 250/0 of production income.. ."" - The Honourable John N. Turner, Minister of Finance."

Jan 1, 1980

By K. B. Chaudhuri, I. D. Webb, F. E. Rachor, F. A. Sauert

"A characteristic of all methods of copper concentrate smelting is that slags with a high copper content are produced at some phase of the operation. Recirculation to the smelting unit, electric furnace reduction or flotation are at present used on an industrial scale to recover the copper from these slags. This paper describes the application of the top-blowing technique, originally developed by KHD Humboldt- Wedag AG for refining of metallic copper, for the treatment of copper-containing slags. By this method, a mixture of a reducing gas and commercial oxygen is blown onto the melt at velocities which can be supersonic from the tip of a water cooled lance. The impingement of the reaction gas mixture on the surface of the slag forms a depression in the molten phase and a deflection of the jet which brings the slag into a rotating motion. This causes high rates of heat and mass transfer. Results of pilot-plant tests for batch and continuous treatment of slags are presented, and the potential applications of top blowing for industrial-scale operation are indicated. In combination with the cyclone as a smelting unit, this process appears to be economic for smelters of very low capacity."

Jan 1, 1980

By G. Grant Smith

In situ bulk density of coal is a variable applied to various aspects of coal resource evaluation, such as compositing ply analyses of coal attributes that are expressed on a weight per cent basis, and determining tonnages from volume estimates. Its value is a function of composition and porosity of the in situ material. When densities of ash-free coal, ash and water are fixed, in situ bulk density of a coaly mix can be expressed as a function of proportionate weight of ash in the mix. Correlations between in situ bulk densities and weight per cent ash contents of coaly mixes have been estimated for four general rank classes of coal (low medium volatile bituminous, high volatile bituminous, subbituminous, and lignitic).

Jan 1, 1991

By C. A. Rowland

"Plant owners and operators, plant designers and grinding mill manufacturers are giving much attention to the design and manufacture of autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding mills, particularly the mills that have large diameters and draw power up to 10,000 hp and greater. Reliable designs giving long operating lives are required in today 's ore processing plants.This paper reviews bench-scale and pilot-plant testing to determine first if the ore is suitable .to be ground by these methods and then reviews the data obtained from pilot-plant testing that is used to select the mills and the grinding circuit. The paper then discusses the use of the pilot-plant results to design the mills. The most important pilot-plant data used for mill design are power and the amount of ball charge to be used. The mill size selected is a combination of these factors. Pilot-plant data not only establish power requirements, but can be used in the selection of the type of drive, variable speed or fixed speed, and the operating procedure to be followed. This leads into the mill control circuit to be used. The total charge in the mill, the type of drive and mill discharge arrangements are needed in the calculation of stresses and bearing loads. Conclusions reached from pilot-plant work are used to obtain data for process design, and autogenous and semiautogenous mill design should be part of any test program incorporating either or both of these grinding methods."

Jan 1, 1981

By J. G. Bensley, K. S. Detheridge

"Many plants use computers for process control and most have computerized Management Information Systems but few have been able to have these systems interact with one another. Developing this system interaction is not a one-step process but requires careful planning and implementation. This paper describes two projects that were implemented to provide the bridge between the process control and management information systems of Cominco Limited. Both projects include the replacement of essentially process control systems installed in the late 1960s. These original systems provided an enhanced level of control in the form of Direct Digital Control (via computer/manual analogue control stations) and a management reporting capability of process data. The experience gained from the use of these systems over a period of fifteen years formed a basis for the evaluation and planning for the new systems. The new systems were commissioned in 1985 and 1986 and operating and further developments leading to a totally integrated process information and control system are underway. INTRODUCTIONThe concept of hierarchical control involves a control structure consisting of a number of defined levels. Each level performs a defined function with information consolidated and combined as it moves up through the hierarchical structure. The commonly accepted structure of a hierarchical control system echoes the structure of the plant which is being controlled. Referring to Figure 1:Level 0 - Sensors and ActuatorsSensors and actuators, such as thermocouples and flow control valves, interface directly to the process and are generally connected directly to the controllers or multiplexers at Level I.Level 1 - Regulatory ControlThis level provides basic PID control (proportional/integral/ derivative) typically using microprocessor based controllers and programmable controllers for digital control of motors and machines. Systems at this levelare usually segregated by plant unit, e.g, crushing, flotation, drying. Control is concentrated on achieving optimum conditions for a particular feed rate."

Jan 1, 1989

By Dave N. K., T. P. Lim

"A fast, reliable and accurate method for radium-226 determination in environmental water samples has been devised, using an alpha spectroscopic technique. The correlation between barium-133 and radium-226 in the barium-radium sulphate precipitation mechanism was studied and in the limited experimental recovery range, the coefficient of correlation was r = 0.986. A self-absorption study for various barium carrier concentrations was also undertaken to obtain the least broadening of alpha energy line widths. An optimum value of 0.3 mg barium carrier was obtained for chemical recovery in the range of 85%.IntroductionWith the increase in uranium mining activities, the migration and spread of radioactivity via various environmental pathways is of great concern. Because of its inherent biological hazard and relatively long half-life, (approximately 1620 years), raidum-226 is frequently monitored as a measure of radioactive contamination of the environment. It is, therefore, necessary to modify existing methods for rapid determination of radium-226 in environmental samples for quick corrective measures in the event of seepage, dam leakage or discharge violations."

Jan 1, 1981

By J. C. Botham, T. D. Brown

"Coke is the most costly item in steelmaking via blast furnaces . Recent innovations in cokemaking have been directed toward reducing this cost while simultaneously improving coke quality and expanding the range of coals used in the process. It is also important to meet increasingly stringent environmental legislation.Improvements in coke quality have been achieved by novel blend selection procedures, by charge density control using both selective pulverization and partial briquetting, and by the use of modifying additives.The Canadian Carbonization Research Association provides a focus for Canadian cokemakin g research which has demonstrated these technologies in a series of pilot-scale experiments."

Jan 1, 1980

By T. P. Riordon

"Major swings in the silver price since 1979, along with the ever constant fight to maintain ore reserves has forced United Keno Hill Mines Limited through several unique series of events in order to survive in the 80s.This paper is specifically meant to be a description of safety and productivity improvements achieved to ensure the survival of a silver mining community ill the Yukon. There are, however, other events and conditions that must be described to complete the story and this paper attempts to do that as well IntroductionUnited Keno Hill Mines Limited, a subsidiary of Falconbridge Limited, is the only silver producer in the Yukon. Operations are located in north central Yukon, in and around the small town of Elsa, latitude 62.5 °, about 275 road miles from Whitehorse. The Arctic Circle is about 185 miles due north of the town.Temperatures in 1986 ranged from a high of 28.5°C in July to a low of -37.0°C in November, however, much lower temperatures have been recorded in previous years. Due to the mountainous terrain the town of Elsa is completely in the shade from mid-November until early February, a period of about 12 weeks.The Elsa area, as is most of the north, is considered semiarid with an average precipitation level of about 15 inches. Vegetation, however, is quite abundant though slightly dwarfed at the townsite elevation of 3200 feet above sea level: Many of our operating and exploration portals as well as our open pits are above the tree line. Permafrost in the area has been recorded up to 400 feet below the surface."

Jan 1, 1988

By T. P. Kostek

"Historically, gear pumps and motors have been popular in the mining industry because of their competitive cost, simple yet rugged construction, ease of rebuild, and relative long life and insensitivity to contamination. However, with the ever increasing ""popularity"" of fire-resistant hydraulic fluids, both users and manufacturers of gear equipment must make special considerations to enable the equipment to continue giving satisfactory performance even with the water-containing fluids.The paper discusses 60-40 invert emulsions and waterglycolsIntroductionMuch information has been published on the specific characteristics of the various types of fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. Fluid manufacturers' literature and other publications have dealt with such specifics as fire resistivity, seal compatibility and wear rate characteristics. Gear pumps and motors have been, and will continue to be, applied successfully in hydraulic systems employing both the ""invert"" emulsions (60-40) and water-glycols as the hydraulic fluid.Because most external spur gear equipment has been designed to function with petroleum oil as the fluid medium, certain guidelines must be followed to ensure satisfactory service life. FluidsThere are a number of different types of fluids which fall in the category of"" fire-resistant"" , the most common'being phosphate esters, water-in-oil emulsions, oil-in-water emulsions and water-glycols. The two in most prevalent use today as hydraulic fluids are the water-in-oil emulsions and the water glycols"

Jan 1, 1980

By Robert B. Parsons

"The customary onslaught of government budgets this spring offers lots of interesting reading to the mining industry.While the favourable changes tend to get all the fanfare, there are some ""sleepers"" in the host of proposed changes which will be bitter pills for some mining people to swallow.IntroductionOn a scale of one to ten, the Canadian mining industry will probably give this year's federal and provincial budgets a score that is pretty close to five. Although some budgetary proposals are generally perceived to be favourable to the industry, there are other provisions (and lack of provisions) which are considered to be negative.This month, Tax Notes examines in a summary manner the principal features of the 1985 federal and provincial budgets which are of particular interest to this country's mineral industry."

Jan 1, 1985

By J. C. Kurnia

Methane is recognized as one of the prime causes of underground mine disasters around the globe. A cost-effective mine ventilation system and methane control is required to ensure a safe and productive environment in an underground mine whilst keeping energy usage and operating cost at minimum. Typically methane enters a mine environment or tunnel from localized distributed sources at high initial concentration. Hence, an understanding of its dispersion from discrete sources is important to design a methane management system via effective ventilation. This study employs computational fluid dynamics to model methane dispersion in an underground tunnel which has a number of discrete sources of methane and effective ways to dilute and or disperse it. Air flow distribution within the tunnel as well as methane dispersion is simulated by solving the governing transport equations subject to appropriate boundary conditions. First, the effectiveness of ventilation duct placement is examined. Several possibilities are explored and investigated. It is found that the common configuration utilized in underground mine performs best as compared to other configurations in maintaining the concentration of methane below permissible levels. Next, a novel intermittent airflow ventilation system is proposed and evaluated via simulation with the goal of reducing the energy cost whilst maintaining methane level in the mining face below the allowable level. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate effects of various factors influencing the effectiveness and performance of this novel intermittent ventilation system. This study will provide some new ideas for designing an efficient and effective underground mine ventilation system by lowering the net average amount of air that needs to be circulated in the tunnel for a safe operation. KEYWORDS

Aug 1, 2013

By M. R. Swaan, G. J. Stewart

"ABSTRACTThe application of failsafe techniques to ask the ""What if"" questions about any process has been well established in the chemical industry for many years. The unusual number of fatalities that occurred in Ontario during 1986-87, prompted Inco management to look at the Fail Safe techniques as a method of improving safety performance.INTRODUCTIONOne of the major areas at any time for potentially disastrous accidents is the shaft, where all men and materials must travel. In April 1987, Inco's Thompson Mine's first Fail Safe Team was established to look at its shaft operations. The initial group of eight people was made up of hourly equipment operators, mine foremen, engineering, maintenance and the superintendent. This group took the name of Shaft Risk Analysis Team or SRAT.The many tasks or jobs that are performed in a shaft prompted the team to divide the work under six major headings; slinging, moving men, skipping, dewatering, shaft inspections and moving materials. Each of these areas contained many different tasks which are interrelated. The only way to understand this interrelationship was to flow chart the steps that actually occur in getting any job done.The flow charting is done by the foreman and operators using existing standard manuals and their experience of what actually takes place. In many cases, it soon became apparent that they had been ""working around"" many problems created by their standards. Fine tuning of these flow charts takes place at the weekly meetings, where input from all involved leads to a better understanding of the actual job being analyzed and its potential hazards. Two major points need to be emphasized in getting good flow charting at a mine:I. It must never be blame oriented or you will never discover how the jobs are actually done and hence you won't know what to improve.2 . All team members must have equal voting rights in deciding how to put the charts together so that they have ownership of the finished product. It is far too easy to end up with amanagement view of the way it should be. Many different techniques or methods are being employed to improve the tasks and reduce the risks associated with any job once the basic flow chart is established. The ones found to be the most useful are highlighted."

Jan 1, 1989

By N. Lecuyer

"During early 1980, pre-production work commenced at the ""Les Mines Gallen"" project, north of Noranda, Quebec. As a result of the acid mine water associated with this property, a major pre-production phase included the installation of a water treatment plant to render the water environmentally suitable.This paper emphasizes the planning, installation and operational factors of the treatment plant necessary to the success of the mining operations and the maintaining of a clean environment.Introduction,T he Gallen Project is a zinc, gold and silver open-pit mining operation approximately 10 kilometres north of Noranda, Quebec. This property has a long history, with initial diamond drilling done in the early 1930s and underground mining taking place between 1953 and 1962. This property was reactivated in 1980, with production scheduled a t a rate of 45,000 ton s per month.Included in the reactivation plans for the property was the installation of a water treatment plant to treat the acidic mine water.Plant DesignThe requirements for the Gallen water treatment plant were two-fold. Firstly, it was necessary to neutralize the acid water and secondly to produce a sludge containing metal hydroxides and sulphates which would be stable when stored, and a clarified overflow meeting governmental regulations to be discharged to the environment.The flow sheet (Fig. I) will explain the process in treatment of the acid water.Acid mine drainage is treated with lime to increase the pH to 9.50. Metals in solution are precipitated as metal hydroxides and the 504 as calcium sulphate. The precipitate slurry is then aerated to convert ferrous iron to ferric iron, which is more stable for storage and disposal.The precipitate is next flocculated with a polymer flocculant and settled in the thickener to produce a sulphate/Hydroxide sludge and a final effluent discharged to the environment."

Jan 1, 1983

"In the past year, mining at the Doyon Mine has shifted entirely from open pit to underground. The mine produced 234 692 ounces of gold in 1989 and is expected to produce 225000 ounces in 1990. The Doyon Mill has been running slightly above design capacity, and recovery has increased 3%.IntroductionThe Doyon Mine is located 25 miles east of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec (Figure I).It is a joint venture owned by Lac Minerals and Cambior, with each holding a 50% interest. Lac Minerals operates the mine under the direction of a management committee.Production at the Doyon Mine began in 1980 with the start up of the Main Zone pit. Shortly thereafter the Doyon Mine became the largest open pit gold producer in Canada.In 1983, a ramp leading to the fourth level and exploration drifts were driven. Results were very encouraging, therefore the decision was made to sink a 2150-foot deep shaft, which was completed in 1986.In mid-1986, production began in the West pit, while underground mining of the West Zone started shortly thereafter, at the end of the same year.In 1987 the mill capacity was increased to 3300 tons per day and the Main Zone underground operations commenced."

Jan 1, 1990

By J. E. Marshall

"The concept of employing a project management team to coordinate all aspects of the construction of a new resource development has gained wide acceptance. This team can be formed from within the staff of large mining companies or contracted from major engineering firms and consultants. The mandate of the project managers usually terminates on successful startup of the operation. For frontier mineral developments in the Canadian Arctic or in the developing countries, startup and the initial year of operation represents the period in which the project is most vulnerable to technical, political and managerial problems. A complete change of the management team or the retention of the construction project managers and the resulting cost combined with the breakdown of organizational accountability within the operating staff .are unnecessary management problems.Independent project management services provide the commitment necessary to sustain the continuity of management through all project phases. Efficiency and the ability to make decisions quickly are characteristics of the many successful small mining companies. These qualities are necessary in the project management group, which will be responsible for up to 90% of the preproduction costs.Continuous project management in the construction and operational phases of a mineral development are common in the iron ore industry, but remain anomalous in the base metal, energy mineral and industrial mineral fields.The Nanisivik project on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic is used to illustrate the advantages of total project management through construction and operation.Total project management has further potential for foreign interests and financial and utility organizations desirous of participating in the Canadian mining industry, but with no direct involvement in the construction or operating management. Participation agreements in the operating phase of a project can be negotiated to have management fees related to both the production and the profits of the enterprise."

Jan 1, 1980

By Errol Ladner

The application of large-diameter bore holes in underground operations at Heath Steele was first tried in February, 1975. Since that time, 90,000 feet of 6-l/2-inch holes have been drilled, primarily in open blasthole stoping, for a total of 1.4 million tons, 37% of underground production. This paper deals with a review of drilling with conventional percussion longhole drills, a practice which is still utilized at Heath Steele, and the changeover to accommodate the use of larger blastholes in underground operations. The discussion will include layouts for 2-inch-diameter blasthole stope blocks, 6-inch-diameter stope blocks, trials for I. T.H. (in-the-hole) stope rooms, and drill pat/ems, drilling and performance. The complexity involved in the development, drilling and blasting of 2-inch blastholes is overcome by the over-all simplicity of drilling and blasting in I. T.H. stopes. This has made the practice of open blasthole stoping more economical and efficient. The future indicates an increase in the company's I. T.H. program. Investigations are being undertaken regarding longer holes to decrease development costs. A VCR stope is also being developed for trial.

Jan 1, 1979

By J. A. E. Bell

"Inco has shifted part of its traditional extractive research effort at its J..Roy Gordon Research Laboratory in Mississauga toward new, value-added products. Most of the effort is being expended on new Ni powders for batteries and new Ni-coated products which will be produced in Inco's carbonyl nickel refineries. New products under development are Ni-coated powders, Ni-coated fibres and ultra-fine Ni powders. Other new products for advanced material applications include controlled expansion composites, NiGOLD strip, Thermal barrier coatings on Inco alloys, and plasma coatings.Research and Corporate Strategic ThrustsThe newest strategic thru st of the company is to increase the value of the primary metal products. These new products are to be in addition to any new alloys or downstream alloy fabrication.Historically Inco has had the highest research expenditures in the extractive metallurgy field in North America. This has resulted in many new processes including flash smelting , matte separation, fluid bed roasting, pressure carbonyl refining and cobalt electrowinning which have contributed to establishing Inco as the lowest cost nickel producer. The recession of the 1980s caused a restructuring of Inco research and corporate goals .As shown in Figure I, from 1975-1982, i.e. pre-recession, Inco spent around 33 million dollars per year on research. Some 48070 of that sum was spent in Corporate Laboratories in Sterling Forest in the United States and in the United Kingdom , mostly on alloy associated research. A further 10% was spent on alloy research at the alloy production facilities in Hunting- ton, West Virginia, and Birmingham and Hereford in the United Kingdom. On extractive research, 13% was spent by process technology groups at the plant s, 20% at the pilot plants in Port Colborne and 9% at the J. Roy Gordon Research laboratory.The relative research expenditures (Fig. 2) have decreased so that today they are at the same level as 1975-80. The research as a per cent of sales has been cut from 2.2% to 1.2% of normalized sales. A normalized sale price of $4.00/lb Ni was used in the 1988 figures. This was partly achieved by closing Corporate Laboratories. Most of the essential alloy research was moved to producing plants and total alloy research is now 27%.A new thrust initiated in the 80s was mining research which now accounts for 20% of research expenditures. Over a period of the past five years this research has doubled the mining productivity in Inco. The pilot plant expenditures have been cut in half. One entire research station at Port Colborne was converted into a platinum group metals intermediate refinery. The decrease in pilot plant expenditures has been compensated by full scale plant trials devoted to the S02 abatement program at Sudbury."

Jan 1, 1990

Terrane?s Canadian Assets Mt. Milligan, British Columbia Copper, gold (100%) Berg, British Columbia Copper, molybdenum (100%) Howards Pass, Yukon/NWT border Zinc (Option payments, and Royalty interest) Maze Lake, Nunavut Gold (Joint venture with Laurentian Gold Fields)

May 1, 2010