A recent policy decision by the federal government states an intention to reduce R&D spending on mining- related projects. This means mining companies will be forced to finance the lion’s share of any research projects already underway at the seven mine engineering schools across the country, plus any additional work the industry thinks should be done. This important industry/university interface should become one of the most effective means by which mining-related research is accomplished in Canada in the years ahead.
Take Laval University, in Quebec City, for example. It has become heavily involved in co-operative research with numerous mining companies over the past few years. A big 5-year grant from the Quebec’s Ministry of Education to carry out research in computer applications in the mineral industry has helped the university maintain a high level of research activity, especially in mineral processing and rock mechanics.
“We believe our graduates will be the future managers of the mining industry,” says Gilles Babery, head of Laval’s Dept. of Mining and Metallurgy. “They will be better equipped than today’s managers to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the mining industry through innovative technological developments.”
Research work at Laval covers several broad areas:
* Ground control and rock mechanics — Two computer programs have been developed in co-operation with mining companies. One, which was developed in co-operation with Mines Gaspe, simulates the stability of underground stopes in jointed rock masses; the other, developed for American Barrick Resources, simulates ore, drawing and blending in underground stopes.
New instrumentation methods for measuring tension in cable bolts have also been developed. Laval has published a handbook on the selection of rockbolts in hardrock mines as well. It was prepared for the provincial Mineral Research Centre (mrc) and is being distributed to all mines in Quebec. Work is under way on back-analysis of major ground failures in underground mines for the Noranda Research Centre.
* Mine ventilation — In a co-operative program with industry, measurements of air flows have been taken in various mines in both Quebec and New Brunswick. The purpose is to establish characteristic friction factors and compare two network simulation methods.
* Computer-aided mine planning — In co-operation with the Noranda Research Centre and the mrc, Laval is installing a cad work station to teach undergraduates and practicing mine engineers the ins and outs of computer-aided design and scheduling. Also, in co-operation with canmet, mcr and the Mines Association of Quebec, the department has made an extensive study of the impact of the bonus system on productivity and accidents in underground mines in the province.
* Mineral processing — Several projects are under way. Carbon-in-pulp process simulation and carbon selection methodology are being developed for the Destor mine. Also, computer programs are being developed to perform materials balance calculations in the cyanide mill at the Doyon mine.
Mass balance calculations for assessing trace element behavior and the effect of reagent addition is being studied for Lac Mineral’s Mattagami mine. Also, criteria for the selection of iron powders for copper cementation have been studied for Gaspe Copper. The department has also helped fine-tune the flotation circuits at Brunswick Mining & Smelting in Bathurst, N.B.
New grinding circuits have been studied for both Niobec Mines and BM&S.
The department also helped develop software packages that simulate the processing of ore under a nation-wide $600,000 project called spoc, driven, and mostly financed, by canmet from 1980-1986.
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