Comparing strategies for grinding itabirite iron ores in autogenous and semi-autogenous pilot-scale mills

Rodrigues, Armando Fernandes da Veiga; Junior, Homero Delboni; Powell, Malcolm; Tavares, Luís Marcelo

doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2021.106780

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Ultrafine (−10 µm) material generated in the product (classification overflow, according to Figure 2), which is the basis for the slimes removed prior to flotation, was estimated as 18% for Route #1 and 20% for Routes #2 and #3, according to simulations. Such estimates are within the expected range of slime generation for a conventional processing route [25] and are also consistent with the results of the SAG mill pilot tests performed by Rodrigues et al [12,25] with itabirite ores. For the HPGR-based circuit, the proportion of ultrafine material simulated is within an acceptable range for the ore under study.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…This work is restricted to the analysis of the stages of size reduction (mainly crushing and grinding) and classification, aiming to reach a product that is appropriate for feeding a downstream flotation stage, which is the commonly used concentration method for this ore type [5,12]. As such, it is considered that the particle size for liberation is 150 µm [13,14], and it is recommended that at least 95% of the product is below this size.…”

Section: Case Study Scopingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Route #3 follows the traditional SAB circuit, i.e., SAG and ball milling. Despite other routes, including single-stage SAG milling or autogenous milling demonstrated potential benefits [12], the SAB route was selected owing to its robustness to variations in both RoM size distribution and grindability. Route #4 assumes operation of the VRM with a built-in air classifier.…”

Section: Ore Properties and Design Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The single-particle breakage and the compressed bed breakage in HPGRs were described by the same DWT data for crushers, based on simplifications suggested by Daniel [24]. The SAG mill was sized, scaled up, and simulated in JKSimMet ® [18], based on a selected test in a pilot unit (1.8 m diameter mill) with a similar itabirite ore [12,25]. This equipment was scaled up by selecting the appropriate dimensions to process the designed throughput, using the specifications of a commercially available industrial unit.…”

Section: Sizing Modeling and Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The estimates were based on empirical equations for calculating the wear of liners and grinding media and, in some cases, on industrial data. Some of the assumptions on prices are based on the work by Rodrigues et al [12,25]: US$1.95/kg for grinding media, US$0.06M for crusher liner, US$2.3M for ball mill liner, and US$2.6M for SAG mill liner. In the case of wear of the HPGR, an estimate of cost published by Amelunxen and Meadows [42], corresponding to US$1.8M for each roll changeover, was used.…”

Section: Economic Indicators Based On Cost Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holistic Pre-Feasibility Study of Comminution Routes for a Brazilian Itabirite Ore

2021

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Comminution is an essential step in processing itabirite ores, given the need to liberate silica and other contaminants from the iron minerals for downstream concentration and then pellet feed production. In general, these ores in Brazil are not particularly hard to crush and grind, but both capital (CAPEx) and operating (OPEx) expenditures in this stage of preparation can be critical for the project, in particular due to uncertainties in iron ore prices. Several circuits have been designed and are in operation for this type of ore in Brazil; however, it is not yet clear which technologies are more cost-effective and in which configuration they should be applied. This work critically analyzes four comminution circuits for an undisclosed case study. For these circuits, CAPEx, OPEx, and some environmental sustainability indices, as well as qualitative technical criteria, were used in the comparisons. This work concludes that two of these process routes, especially those based on more energy-efficient technologies (and one of these still rarely explored even at bench-scale), have demonstrated to be very attractive from multiple standpoints.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Case Study Scopingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ore Properties and Design Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sizing Modeling and Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Economic Indicators Based On Cost Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holistic Pre-Feasibility Study of Comminution Routes for a Brazilian Itabirite Ore

2021

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Modeling of Bauxite Ore Wet Milling for the Improvement of Process and Energy Efficiency

Petrakis

Komnitsas

2021

Circ.Econ.Sust.

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Size reduction is a necessary operation in mineral processing plants and provides the desired size for separation operations and the liberation of the valuable minerals present in ores. Estimations on energy consumption indicate that milling consumes more than 50 % of the total energy used in mining operations. Despite the fact that ball milling is an efficient operation, it is energy intensive, and its modeling is a great challenge. In the present experimental study, efforts are made to model wet milling of bauxite ores and identify the optimum material filling volume in the ball mill. Modeling is based on the characterization of the grinding products obtained after various grinding periods and the description of the particle size distributions using mathematical approaches, i.e., Gates-Gaudin-Schuhmann (GGS), Rosin-Rammler (RR), and logistic distributions. In addition, grinding kinetic models were applied to the experimental data in order to identify if the linear theory of the population balance model is valid during bauxite grinding. The experimental data revealed that the logistic distribution is a model that represents more reliably particle size distributions obtained after grinding and fits the experimental data better than the GGS and RR models. Regarding grinding kinetic analysis, it was found that grinding exhibits non-first-order behavior and the reduction rate of each size is time dependent. This experimental work is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal of UN, SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production and aims to improve the efficiency of ore grinding and thus reduce energy requirements and the associated CO 2 emissions.

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Transforming iron ore processing – Simplifying the comminution and replacing reverse flotation with magnetic and gravity separation

Rodrigues

Junior

Silva

et al. 2023

Minerals Engineering

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Comparing strategies for grinding itabirite iron ores in autogenous and semi-autogenous pilot-scale mills

Cited by 10 publications

References 5 publications

Holistic Pre-Feasibility Study of Comminution Routes for a Brazilian Itabirite Ore

Holistic Pre-Feasibility Study of Comminution Routes for a Brazilian Itabirite Ore

Modeling of Bauxite Ore Wet Milling for the Improvement of Process and Energy Efficiency

Transforming iron ore processing – Simplifying the comminution and replacing reverse flotation with magnetic and gravity separation

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