| Abbreviation |
Description |
| Acid leaching |
Leaching using acids (acid solutions) as reagents. |
| ADR |
American Depositary Receipt; a security representing the right of ownership in the deposited securities of a foreign company, certified by receipts issued by a US depositary bank. |
| Agglomerate |
Sintered ore produced in the process of agglomeration. |
| Agglomeration |
A method of formation of relatively large porous blocks (agglomerates) from fine ore or powder ore by sintering (roasting) of ore. In this process, easily fusible materials fix solid particles with each other while getting harder. |
| Anode |
Crude metal (nickel or copper) obtained from anode smelting and fed for electrolytic refining (electrolysis) whereby it is dissolved. |
| Blasting operations |
Detonating explosives in natural rock formations for the purpose of controlled destruction and removal or changing its structure and form. |
| Cake |
Solid residue from pulp filtering received as a result of leaching of ores, concentrates or intermediate metallurgical products as well as purification of technological solutions. |
| Cathode |
Pure metal (nickel or copper) obtained as a result of electrolytic refining of anodes. |
| Concentrate |
A product resulting from ore enrichment, with a high grade of extracted mineral. The concentrate is named after the prevailing metal (copper, nickel, etc.). |
| Concentration |
Artificial improvement in the mineral grades in the rock for metallurgic purposes by removing a major portion of waste rock not containing any beneficial minerals. |
| Conversion |
Autogenous pyrrometallurgical process, where ferrous and other detrimental impurities are oxidized and residue as slam. The result of the conversion is blister copper (copper concentrate smelting) or high grade matte (copper and nickel concentrate smelting). |
| Cuprous ores |
Ores containing from 20% to 70% of sulfides. Mineralization is as follows: nickel – 0.2-2.5%, copper – 1-15%, platinum group metals – 5-50 g/t. |
| Deposit stripping |
Permanent mining that opens access to the entire mineral deposit from the surface or its part of it, and provides for the preparatory mining. |
| Dilution |
Contamination of a mineral resource with non-commercial grades and surrounding formations which leads to decreased content of a useful component in the mined material as compared to its original content. Dilution results in increased mining and transportation costs of the mineral resource, and deterioration of technical and economic performance of concentrators. The level of dilution depends on the mode of occurrence, equipment used, development methods and mining work organization.
For ore deposits with favorable geological conditions the dilution factor may be up to 10%, and goes up to 35-40% for difficult occurrence positions. |
| Disseminated ores |
Ores containing from 5 to 30% of sulphides, from 0.2 to 1.5% of nickel, from 0.3 to 2% of copper, from 2 to 10 g/t of platinum group metals. |
| Drying |
Removal of moisture from concentrates, performed in designated drying furnaces (to a moisture level below 9%). |
| Electrolysis |
A series of electrochemical oxidations through reactions at electrodes in contact with an electrolyte, by the passage of an electric current from
an external source. |
| Extracted ore |
Natural minerals containing metals or their compounds in the economically valuable amounts and forms. |
| Filtration |
The process of reducing the moisture of the concentrates by moving liquids or gases through porous medium. |
| Flash smelter |
An autogenous smelter for processing of dry concentrates. Smelting occurs during the flow of crushed rock and gas oxidizer (air, oxygen) which suspends particles of melted metal. The heat generated by the oxidizing reaction is actively used in the process. |
| Floatation |
A process of concentration by selectively attaching air bubbles to mineral particles within pulp. Dry mineral particles attach poorly to the air bubbles and rise through the suspension to the top of the pulp, producing foam. The minerals that moisten well do not attach to the bubbles and remain in the pulp. Thus, the metals are separated. |
| Gas condensate |
Product produced from natural gas fields and representing a mixture of hydrocarbon liquids. |
| Heap leaching |
Leaching conducted at a specific artificial or natural site with impermeable ground through spraying piles (heaps) of ore with chemical solutions. |
| High-grade matte |
A metallurgical semi-product produced as a result of matte conversion. Depending on the chemical composition, the following types of high-grade matte are distinguished: copper, nickel and copper-nickel. |
| Horizon |
All workings located along a specific layer and designated for mining. |
| Indicated mineral resources |
Resources representing that part of mineral resources for which tonnage, densities, shape, physical characteristics, grade and mineral content can be estimated with a reasonable level of confidence. It is based on exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. The locations are too widely or inappropriately spaced to confirm geological and/or grade continuity but are spaced closely enough for continuity to be assumed. |
| Inferred mineral resources |
Resources representing that part of mineral resources for which tonnage, grade and mineral content can be estimated with a low level of confidence. It is inferred from geological evidence and assumed but not verified geological and/or grade continuity. It is based on information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes which is limited or of uncertain quality and reliability. |
| Leaching |
Selective dissolution of any or a number of components of the processed solid material in organic solvents or water solutions of inorganic substances. |
| Matte |
Intermediate product in the form of alloy of ore sulfides and non-ferrous metals with varying chemical composition. Matte is the main product in which precious and auxiliary metals are accumulated. |
| Measured mineral resources |
Resources representing that part of mineral resources for which tonnage, densities, shape, physical characteristics, grade and mineral content can be estimated with a high level of confidence. It is based on detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. The locations are spaced closely enough to confirm geological and/or grade continuity. |
| Metal extraction |
Ratio between the quantity of a component extracted from the original material to its quantity in the original material (as a percentage or fraction of an integer). |
| Metal grade |
The ratio between the amount of metal in the material and the total gross weight of the material, expressed as percentage or grams per ton (g/t). |
| Mine |
A mining location for extraction of ores. |
| Mineral deposit |
A mass of naturally occurring mineral material near to the surface or deeper underground, which is suitable for economic use in terms of quantity, quality and conditions. |
| Mineral resources |
Is a concentration or occurrence of material of intrinsic economic interest in or on the earth's crust in such form, quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. |
| Mine workings |
The general term for parts of a mine or quarry that have been excavated during mining. |
| Open mining |
The process of extracting minerals by surface excavations in open mining. |
| Ore body |
Natural occurrence of ores linked to a certain structural and geologic element or a combination of such elements. |
| Ore mixture |
A mixture of materials in a certain proportion needed to achieve the required chemical composition in an end product. The metallurgical ore mixture may include ores, ore concentrates and agglomerates, return slag, dust from dust collecting units, metals (mostly in scrap). |
| Ore reserve |
Ore reserves represent the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses, which may occur when the material is mined. |
| Oxide |
A compound of a chemical element with oxygen. |
| Probable ore reserves |
The economically mineable part of an indicated, and in some circumstances, a measured mineral resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses which may occur when the material is mined. |
| Proved ore reserves |
Ore reserves that represent the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses which may occur when the material is mined. |
| Pulp |
A mixture of crushed minerals with water or a water solution. |
| Pyrometallurgical processes |
Metallurgical processes performed at high temperatures. In accordance with the technological characteristics, the following types of pyrometallurgical processes are distinguished: roasting, smelting and conversion. |
| Refinement |
The process of extracting high purity precious metals through their separation and removing impurities. |
| Rich ores |
High-sulfide grade (over 75%) ores. Mineralization is as follows: nickel - 2-5%, copper – 2-25%, platinum group metals – 5-100 g/t. |
| Roasting |
A process performed upon heating and keeping various materials (ores, concentrates and etc.) to eliminate light components and change
the chemical composition of such material at temperatures enabling various chemical reactions between solid components of the processed material and gases and insufficient for melting of solid components. |
| Shop area |
A part of (metallurgical) shop. |
| Skip |
A device in the form of an automatically unloading case that is moved along the pulleys of a skip-winding machine, designed to transport minerals or rock along vertical and reclining shafts to elevate an ore mixture. |
| Slag |
Melted or solid substance with a varying composition covering the liquid product in the course of metallurgical processes (obtained from melting of ore mixture, processing of melted intermediate products and metal refining) and including waste rock, fluxing substances, fuel ash, sulfides and metal oxides, products of interaction between processed materials and lining of melting facilities. |
| Sludge |
Powder product containing precious metals precipitated during electrolysis of copper and other metals. |
| Smelting |
A pyrometallurgical process performed at temperatures enabling
the complete melting of the processed metal. |
| Suction system |
A mechanical device used to draw away (remove by force of suction) pollutant emissions and gases from workplaces and get samples of air or gas to test its contents and dust condition. |
| Sulfides |
A compound of metals and sulfur. |
| Tailing pit |
A complex of hydraulic structures used to receive and store mineral waste/tailings. |
| Tailings |
Waste materials left over after concentration operations containing primarily waste rock with a minor amount of precious metals. |
| Thickening |
The separation of liquid (water) from solid particles within the dispersion systems (pulp, suspension or colloid) based on natural precipitation of solid particles under gravity in waste basins, thickeners and centrifugally in cyclones. |
| Underground (sub-surface) mining |
A set of stripping, preparatory and sloped excavation works on a natural resource. |
| Vanukov furnace |
An autogenous smelter for processing of concentrates. Smelting is performed in a bath of liquid slag and matte which is intensively rabbled by a mixture of air and oxygen. The heat generated by the oxidizing reaction is actively used in the process. |
| Waste heat boiler (WHB) |
A heat-retrieval unit used to produce steam without a furnace using
the hot by-product gas from metallurgic operations, industrial furnaces, power generators or combustion engines. |
