Use of grinding and liberation models to simulate tower mill circuit performance in a lead/zinc concentrator to increase flotation recovery

Weller, K.R.; Morrell, Stephen; Gottlieb, Paul

doi:10.1016/0301-7516(95)00076-3

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…It can be observed that the liberation in a given size class from -212+150 µm down to -38+20 µm is invariant of the particle size distribution, which conforms to the previous results of Vizcarra et al (2010), Wightman et al (2008), Weller et al (1996), Manlapig et al (1985), and Bérubé and Marchand (1984). An unusual behaviour in the liberation of chalcopyrite can be observed at the -20+10 µm for the feed and the 5-minute product where the liberation decreased with size.…”

Section: Mineral Liberation Distributionssupporting

confidence: 75%

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Investigation of the breakage mechanism in high speed disk-type impeller stirred mills and its influence on the mineral liberation

Resabal¹

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The goal of comminution is not only size reduction but most importantly is the liberation of the minerals of interest so that they can be effectively separated from the gangue in the downstream separation process. It has been known that comminution has a significant influence on the way minerals are liberated and in recognition of this, it is important to have a better understanding of how the liberation properties of the minerals are affected by the method of size reduction. This thesis investigates the type of breakage mechanism in stirred mills, particularly at the regrind stage, and how it influences the liberation properties of the minerals of the rougher concentrates.Three rougher concentrates of the Tampakan ore were selected for this study: Primary (contains chalcopyrite as the main copper-bearing mineral); Medium Sulphur (contains bornite as the main copper-bearing mineral, with a significant amount of chalcocite; and High Arsenic (contains bornite as the main copper-bearing mineral with the presence of chalcocite and a copper-arsenic mineral in the form of enargite). These concentrates were comminuted in the M1.5 V Netzsch stirred mill at different durations to produce different product size distributions. Progeny particles were then characterised using the JKMRC'S mineral liberation analyser (MLA) on a size-by-size basis.It was found that the dominant breakage in stirred mills is attrition based on the observations on the particle size distributions of the feed and the products as well as the evolution of the shape of the particles as grinding progressed.The mode of breakage in stirred mill was assessed based on the observations of the patterns in the particle size distributions and the evolution of the particle shape in the products ground for different durations. A shifting of the peak towards finer size fractions with increasing grinding time which is characteristic of an impact breakage mechanism was not observed in the products of the stirred mill. The peaks observed in the feed were still present after grinding, although the size of the peaks at the relatively coarser size fractions significantly reduced while the peaks found in the fine size fractions increased with increasing degree of comminution. This trend in the particle size distributions between the feed and the products is an evidence of an attrition mode of breakage.iii Analysis of the particle shape distributions of the feed and the products showed that attrition produced two populations of particles -the core particles which inherit the shape of the parent particles and either remain in the current size fraction or goes to the next smaller size fraction with shapes that are generally elongated and smooth; and the attrited particles that are chipped off from the surface of the parent particles and report to the +10 µm and -10 µm size fractions. Furthermore, it was also observed that while breakage via attrition makes the particles smoother, it does not always result in the production of rounder particles as the result of this ...

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Section: Mineral Liberation Distributionssupporting

confidence: 75%

“… The effect of the breakage mechanism in stirred mills on the size-by-size liberation properties of the minerals has not been determined yet, since the earlier observations of Wightman et al (2008), Weller et al (1996), Manlapig et al (1985), Bérubé and Marchand (1984) were made on tumbling mills.…”

Section: (Equation 215)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of the breakage mechanism in high speed disk-type impeller stirred mills and its influence on the mineral liberation

Resabal¹

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“…Australian research groups such as the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) have, for more than 50 years, been leaders in the development of comminution models and their application in simulation. JKSimMet [7][8][9][10][11], as one of the most widespread simulation softwares used over the world, has been normally used for cost-effective design prior to the construction of mineral processing plants or modification of the existing circuits to improve performance or adapt to the changed feeding conditions [9]. The specific energy of tumbling mills such as autogenous (AG), semi-autogenous (SAG), and ball mills have been successfully predicted by the Morrell model [12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…0.295`6 500 1000000 q´1 10000´p 0.295`1 10000 1000000 q¯" 0.71 kWh{t (8) where K 3 is 0.19, x 1 is the P 80 (µm) of the circuit feed, x 2 is the P 80 (µm) of the circuit product, and M ia is the coarse ore work index and provided directly by the SMC Test. The specific energy consumptions of the jaw crusher, HPGR and ball mill circuits were calculated using Equations (9)- (12).…”

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confidence: 99%

Study on the Selection of Comminution Circuits for a Magnetite Ore in Eastern Hebei, China

Liang

Wei

et al. 2016

Minerals

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Standard drop weight, SMC, and Bond ball work index tests have been conducted to investigate the comminution circuit of a magnetite ore located in Eastern Hebei, China. In addition, simulations based on JKSimMet and Morrell models have been performed to compare the specific energy consumption of various comminution circuits. According to the desired capacity and the ore communition characteristics observed, a simulation was conducted to determine the size and driving power of the grinding mills. The SMC and Bond ball work index experiments as well as the Morrell model indicated that the order of the specific energy consumption of comminution was "Jaw crusher + HPGR mill + ball mill" < "Jaw crusher + ball mill"< "SAG mill + ball mill".

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“…A simplified method of modelling liberation was used in MINDRES to predict size and liberation changes in fine grinding devices (Weller, Morrell & Gottlieb, 1996). The methodology proved to be useful for ores where the liberation by size profiles were similar in the feed and product streams.…”

Section: Mindresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling and simulation approaches for exploiting multi-component characteristics of ores in mineral processing circuits

Foggiatto¹

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With many of the world's richest ore deposits already depleted, deposits with complex mineralogy, higher competence and lower grades are now being targeted and mining projects have progressively increased in scale. The mechanical constraints, processing performance and cost limitations of conventional processing technologies when applied to high-throughput low grade resources are becoming increasingly apparent, motivating engineers to investigate practices such as selective blasting, pre-concentration, preweakening, selective grinding and design of circuits that can be actively controlled to respond to variable feed characteristics. Provided the ore is amenable to these processes, they have the potential to deliver improved efficiency and can help in absorbing process instabilities caused by ore variability.In order to confidently simulate circuits in which these processing strategies can be applied and quantify their potential benefits, a configurable simulation interface called the Model Developers' Kit (MDK) developed at the JKMRC has been used. It features a multicomponent modelling and simulation engine that allows dealing with multiple components in the feed, accommodating different competencies of ores, utilising physical separation opportunities and tracking the grade reporting along the different potential processing routes.Three case studies were selected for the development of methodologies for exploiting multi-component characteristics of ores in the modelling and simulation of comminution and separation circuits in MDK and to trial the ability of different circuit designs to respond to variable stream properties.For each case study, component types were selected based on the characteristics of the selected ores, multi-component models were fitted to industrial measured data, followed by simulation of circuit design scenarios aimed at optimising grinding and separation efficiencies. These methodologies demonstrate the behaviour of individual components and quantify the performance of various flowsheets that treat mixtures of minerals or processing streams with different competencies and ores with preferential deportment of high-grade material after crushing and grinding stages. These simulations demonstrate that the composition and properties of multi-component systems can be used advantageously to improve circuit performance and energy efficiency.ii Declaration by authorThis thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis.I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the com...

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Use of grinding and liberation models to simulate tower mill circuit performance in a lead/zinc concentrator to increase flotation recovery

Cited by 13 publications

References 1 publication

Investigation of the breakage mechanism in high speed disk-type impeller stirred mills and its influence on the mineral liberation

Investigation of the breakage mechanism in high speed disk-type impeller stirred mills and its influence on the mineral liberation

Study on the Selection of Comminution Circuits for a Magnetite Ore in Eastern Hebei, China

Modelling and simulation approaches for exploiting multi-component characteristics of ores in mineral processing circuits

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