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By Elzbieta Mielczarski, Jerzy Mielczarski, Jan Drzymala, Yann Duval

"The monoalkyl ethers of polyethylene glycols are universal flotation reagents because they can be used as collectors, frothers, surfactants, and depressants. Their collecting power was demonstrated for different minerals including coal and quartz.It was confirmed in this work that monoalkyl ethers of polyethylene glycols could be used as collector in flotation of quartz in a monobubble Hallimond cell. Since feldspar does not float in the same cell, it was also shown that selective separation of quartz and feldspar in the Hallimond tube is possible. However, a trail to use the monoalkyl ethers of polyethylene glycols compounds for separation of quartz and feldspar by flotation of mixture of these minerals in a Mechanobr laboratory flotation machine was futile, indicating that these reagents required special environment for flotation.Most probable parameter responsible for a decrease in quartz flotation in the flotation machine is the hydrodynamics of process, and different adsorption/desorption conditions. To prove this, another series of experiments was carried out to separate quartz and feldspar, in which a laboratory flotation column was utilized. The performance of the flotation column was in between that of in the Hallimond tube and flotation machine. These experiments confirmed that the hydrodynamics of flotation plays a vital role in flotation of quartz with monoalkyl ethers of polyethylene glycol compounds."

Jan 1, 2003

By Scott C. Brown, Ivan U. Vakarelski

The particles commonly encountered in mineral benefication schemes have irregularites that are expressed at many different length scales. In part, this originates from preceding processes (e.g. makedown, comminution, handling and storage), which are known to chemically and physically modify the bulk particle and its surface. Interparticle tribology, dissolution and reprecipitation events along with large-scale mechanical stresses are just a handful of the interactions encountered during processing of particles prior to separation. It is feasible to imagine that each one of these events may impose a fingerprint of characteristic nanoscale, microscale, and macroscale morphological changes that can modify the overall interaction of these particles within a system. Suprisingly there are just a few works on how these resulting features can alter the performance of benefication schemes, and especially flotation.

Jan 1, 2003

By Genrich A. Denisov

Principles of ecologically friendly geo-technologies construction are formulated on the basis of the works of the leading scientists in the field of rational processing of mineral resources of the Russian Academy of Sciences. One of these concepts is a new direction in rotational disintegration of mineral and technogenic raw material with the purpose of effective subsequent enrichment. A large amount of practical experience has been accumulated in the industry on selective destruction by application of vibrational method on initial material with consideration of its physical-mechanical properties and mineral structure. This method is successfully realised in a conic inertial pulverisation devices constructed by Mekhanobr Institute (St.-Petersburg). A new construction of conical-inertial pulverisation with a modification of disintegration force has been developed recently at Mekhanobr Institute. It allows, in some cases, to increase selectivity of subdivision and to avoid over-disintegration. Advantages of “wet” subdivision methods in conic inertial disintegration devices are proved. The efficiency of such subdivision can be increased due to rational use of the phenomenon of a dislocation-dynamic diffusion. Its advantage is proved by the effect on disintegrated material by frequency-modulated variable electrical fields of low power. It was shown in industrial conditions, that the productivity of the spherical mill can be increased by 10 %, and that it also prevents ecologically harmful surface active substances (SAS) in milling zone and it reduces the dust content in the air. The techniques of tentative estimation of efficiency of various proceedings technogenic materials and their classification are created. The scientific fundaments of rational, ecologically friendly technology of processing and regeneration of various kinds of technogenic raw material are developed. A number of effective technologies on processing of wastes is developed and inculcated in concentration factories and metallurgical factories.

Jan 1, 2003

By Rebecca Hope, Derick Moolman, Frikkie Malan

"Despite the lip service that has been paid to pro-active plant maintenance processes over recent years, a significant portion of maintenance in industry is still reactive. The business driving force to prevent expensive production opportunity costs arising from “break-down maintenance” is obvious. Various benefits can be derived from successfully deploying remote equipment diagnosis technology and associated business processes.From an end-client’s viewpoint these include the ability to predict and take actions to prevent equipment breakdowns, increasing the lifetime of equipment by responding to appropriate operating instructions and therefore improving the return on capital expenditure. Better planning and scheduling of maintenance priorities and resources with performance measures like an Equipment Health Index are also possible. The knowledge that a qualified supplier engineer is constantly in touch with the operating conditions of their equipment, albeit remotely, is more than a comfort, and can be translated into quantifiable cost savings and improved supplier service levels."

Jan 1, 2003

By Victor Avdokhin, lvan Kovlekov

"Studies of the process of concentration of gold-containing sands and technogenic resources show that the main reason of gold losses is misbalance between size of gold particles and degree of roughness of mineral bed. This results in free circulation of small gold particles in pores with following washing off the particles from the bed by turbulent flows.We elaborated design of magnetic sluice, intended for improving efficiency of recovering fine gold by optimizing magnetic field of a magnetic system on the base of forming catching coat from magnetic mineralsThe magnetic sluice includes trough-shaped body from magnetic-conducting material. On the bottom of the trough, magnets are placed, and opposite poles of the magnets are oriented outwards. Thickness of the bottom is determined to be sufficient for locking magnetic lines of force of the magnets on each other. The magnets of rectangular plate shape are placed on the rough bottom, covering the whole surface or with spare areas; the magnets are placed across the trough with alteration of rows with the same pole orientation."

Jan 1, 2003

By Hamid-Reza Manouchehri

"The triboelectric charge attributes of some silicate minerals (i.e., feldspar, quartz and wollastonite) after contacting different triboecharging medium made of different materials were studied. The charge acquisitions by different size fractions of minerals were monitored and accordingly the energetic work function values, i.e., the main parameter determining the entity of triboelectric charges acquired by mineral grains, of the examined minerals were estimated. Moreover the separation behavior of different size fractions of these minerals through the electric field of a laboratory free-falling separator when the mineral grains are charged by different tribochargers were observed and considered as the electrical separation potential of the examined minerals.Furthermore, the role of adsorption of different chemical species on triboelectric charge characteristics and charge acquisition of mineral samples were described from theoretical point of view and the effects of some chemical reagents on triboelectric charge acquisition of the examined minerals were studied. In addition the separation behavior of chemically conditioned quartz, feldspar and wollastonite minerals, using different anionic and cationic reagents, through the electric field of a free-fall electrostatic separator before and after chemical conditioning were monitored.Finally an attempt was made to translate the findings from single mineral systems to a complex silicate ore, containing mainly of feldspars, quartz, and wollastonite. Different separation tests under various conditions were conducted to this complex silicate ore. Before passing through the separation device, the ore sample was conditioned by different cationic and anionic reagents and then was triboelectricaly charged by different tribocharging medium in order to find the effective reagent and tribocharging medium for separating silicates. Besides the role of temperature and humidity of the surrounding ambient in separation behavior were considered."

Jan 1, 2003

By Johann Botha, Niel de Clerk, Tony B. Lange

"PROCESS COMPLEXITYDespite many years of research and development, mineral and metallurgical processes are in general highly complex and still difficult to understand and control. One of the biggest factors contributing to this complexity is the highly non-linear, multivariate, chaotic nature of such processes.This complexity is magnified in production environments where business optimisation rather than beneficiation is the primary objective. Return on investment, sustainability, and social issues such as Aids and the environment all form part of the goal hierarchy of industrial concerns. In addition, international competition and price volatility all have a huge impact on these processes in terms of operational constraints.Therefore the optimisation and control of beneficiation processes must take into account many factors other than pure process variables such as flow rates and levels. For example, commodity prices and client requirements all need to be added to the control problem, which together with incomplete process knowledge and non-linearities etc., make automation and optimisation extremely difficult.The ideal solution is to have a controller which in addition to performing full non-linear constrained optimal control can at the same time take into account other non-process factors such as price and client satisfaction."

Jan 1, 2003

By M. Wright, A. H. Mwale

Opportunities to promote enhanced eco-efficiency (i.e. the simultaneous improvement in economic and environmental performance) for the minerals industry exist across the whole value chain. However, given the current operational models of major companies within the industry, and their focus on refining of primary ore bodies, it is important to understand where such opportunities might lie within minerals beneficiation, as it is here that major environmental pressures are felt. This paper examines the combination of unit technologies in a minerals beneficiation train, and explores the inter-relationship between energy input and water consumption for a given mineralogy and product recovery, as these are two critical environmental issues which affect the overall viability of many minerals plants. In particular, we review constitutive relationships for each of the sub-processes of comminution, flotation, and tailings dewatering, and suggest how these might be integrated into a unified hybrid model, with particle size distribution as the key design variable. Such a model can then be used to explore the trade-offs between different performance objectives (be these technical, economic or environmental) as part of a multiple-objectives optimisation exercise. In this way, it may become practical to envision situations in which concentrate grade and recovery are sacrificed, marginally, in order to reduce energy demand in comminution, and improve overall water recovery. In addition, this work provides a useful baseline against which to analyse the potential for dry processing. This becomes more relevant as the industry commits to advancing the sustainable development agenda in the face of the increasing life -cycle costs and impacts of minerals processing operations, coupled to declining ore body grades, and the desire to maximise recovery of minor and trace elements. Some specific observations for copper are offered, supported by operational data from Zambian copper mines.

Jan 1, 2003

By Patrick A. Turner, Timothy J. Olson, Abraham J. Schutte, Roman van Ommen

"The use of classifying devices in grinding circuits dates back to the early 1900’s when classifiers were installed to close ball mills. The search for ways to further improve grinding circuits led to the use of hydrocyclones in place of mechanical classifiers in South Africa in the early 1950’s. Today Hydrocyclones are considered as the best classifying devices to close grinding circuits. After 50 years of development the hydrocyclone has changed significantly when compared to the designs of the early days, but the focus to circuit optimization must be expanded to an understanding of the integral system consisting of mill, cyclone feed pump and cyclone.The key to good cyclone circuit design and operation in primary grinding circuits will be discussed including individual cyclone design features such as cone angle or materials of construction, as well as orientation and manifold configuration.Cyclone performance issues as well as maintenance considerations will be detailed in an effort to achieve consistent cyclone operation with minimal coarse solids in the overflow. “The importance of constant cyclone feed conditions is unquestioned today. The challenge of Cyclone sizing is a large number of not fully known variables prior to startup. The most significant unknown variable is slurry viscosity. Because of this, engineers often specify a conservative cyclone system that produces a finer than required separation. However, this approach often leads to higher circulating loads and a higher overflow density in order to produce the required separation. The higher cyclone overflow density results in a less efficient cyclone separation. The average concentrator can pick up 2-4% finer overall grind by having a more aggressive cyclone operation.”"

Jan 1, 2003

By Jeremy Bosman, Niel Lourens

"Cyclones are used in four main applications in primary wet heavy mineral processing plants i.e. upfront desliming, densifying, and concentrate stacking and tails deposition.UPFRONT DESLIMINGMany heavy mineral ore bodies are associated with high slimes varying from 15 to 60%. The increased viscosities arising from the slimes impact negatively on heavy mineral recovery in the spiral plant. Recoveries can be reduced by up to 10%. Cyclones have proven to be able to remove slime efficiently with acceptable loss of valuable heavy mineral in the overflow. For low slime applications, typically below 25%, it is possible to achieve the desired results using a single stage of cyclones, whilst for higher slimes, two stages of cyclones are required. The overflow of the primary stage is retreated through a second stage to minimize heavy mineral loss."

Jan 1, 2003

By S. Fiore, M. C. Zanetti, C. Clerici

The processes and fluxes of a cast iron foundry plant located in the North of Italy were analyzed in order to determine the amount and kind of wastes produced from the different activities. The main fractions are the molding sands, furnace muds and powders coming from the dust abatement plant, the exhaust lime, the furnace refractory, the metallic shotting and the sludges and powders coming from the dust abatement plant of molding lines for a total production equal to 800 t/d. All wastes were sampled and particle-size and chemically characterized to evaluate the best recycling or reuse solutions. Wastes were sieved and divided in three categories according to the particle-size dimensions: below 0.1 mm, between 0.1 and 0.6 mm and above 0.6 mm. The fraction above 0.6 mm dimension underwent magnetic separation to recover and quantify the potentially available iron fraction. The fraction between 0.1 mm and 0.6 mm was chemically characterized in order to understand if it could be fed to the sand regeneration plant. The below 0.1 mm fraction was characterized to evaluate the following recycling and reuse solutions: additive for molding sands and/or raw material for the concrete industry.

Jan 1, 2003

By Ronald Smeink, Ton de Gouw

"Reagents are an important cost-factor in the flotation of minerals. The mechanism of collectors and frothers has been studied extensively, but on depressants – probably the biggest cost-factor in the reagent suite – very little is actually known. Theories are frequently faced with the bare facts, pointing in another direction. Fundamental research is complicated by the fact that the amount of possible interactions in the flotation cell is almost unlimited and makes “change-one-parameter-at-a-time” experiments questionable and at least difficult to interpret. Also, the adsorption of depressants on the ore is very strong and desorption merely impossible. Detection methods therefore tend to be indirect and – therefore - non-specific about the location of the depressant on the ore.Depressants are supposed to adsorb selectively on gangue minerals; not on the valuable minerals in the froth. In order to be able to develop better and ‘’smarter’’ depressants, an analytical method is therefore required that will enable to detect which (=qualitatively) depressant, in which concentration (=quantitatively) sits where exactly (= selectively) on the mineral surface. (Answering the question: ‘’ Which minerals is located direct under the depressant?’’)And also: does the depressant compete with other reagents for that location? (like collectors) This analytical method is under development. The actual status of the method is promising and the results will be shown."

Jan 1, 2003

By James Y. Oldshue

"Very seldom is it possible when contacting a gas with a slurry to measure the dissolved gas concentration in the slurry, and even were it possible, seldom are equilibrium data available with a suitable Henry’s law constant.In general, by assuming a reasonable value for the dissolved gas concentration in the slurry and a corresponding equilibrium gas partial pressure P*, Kga values can be calculated for the pilot plant and scaled up. Then, with the same P* value at various reaction conditions, a mixer can be designed which is quite satisfactory, having a reasonable design factor for full-scale performance.We will take as an example a slurry of a known solids composition and use a continuous 4 tank system. By assuming a percentage saturation of the dissolved gas in the first tank, the dissolved gas concentration can be obtained in the other three tanks. It usually is possible to measure the off-gas composition in each of the 4 tanks. If the top of the tanks is connected in the form of a multi-compartmented horizontal autoclave, then a modified top off-gas composition in each compartment must be used."

Jan 1, 2003

By Dominic Howarth, Diana Drinkwater, Don McKee

At a time when the mining and minerals industry across the world is undergoing unprecedented change, the very fabric of the tertiary education system which is the principal source of trained professionals to the industry is in decline in many countries. The change sweeping the industry is globalisation as evidenced by the emergence of a relatively small number of increasingly dominant corporations with operations in most of the major mining countries. The education sector is struggling to provide sufficient graduates as the viability of small mining schools declines. That is only part of the problem as the global operating industry is increasingly seeking graduates who are comfortable working in different countries and cultures. One obvious response to the industry needs and developments is for the education sector to consider how it can best respond to the global opportunities. This paper presents the case for a global education network which is based on a network of international thinking Universities and which makes use of the latest in educational thinking and technologies to provide a quality education and in the process produce graduates fitted for international careers.

Jan 1, 2003

By Liu Chun-Bao Sun, Hong-Jun, Wei Zhang, Tao Xu

SABC circuits have gained widespread attention within China, and are being gradually applied to many mines. However, the domestic knowledge of comminution process is still relatively basic, and the design and production management of the application of SABC technology lack guidance of scientific theories. This research project focuses on the Phase I SABC milling circuits of Wu Shan Porphyry copper mine. Targeting the design and operation problems of existing process and circuit, and without increased investment and alterations in equipment, the new technologies will combine ordinary crushing and grinding theories as theoretical guidance, and borrow JK Simulation Software (JKSimMet) for analysis in order to optimize the comminution process, efficiently allocate production output and energy consumption, eventually resulting in increased production and energy efficiency. Using JKSimMet Simulation Software, and combining theoretical optimizing and practical production techniques, as well as the on-site situation, the eventual SABC comminution process and circuit optimization plan is: increasing the grinding Ball charge from 8% to 10% v/v in the SAG mill; Setting the Ball charge in the Ball mill to 27% v/v and the maximum operating power draw to 5 800kW; replacing the HP Series crusher with a TRIO TC84 crusher, which is without a power controller, and adding a pebble bin. The final optimization result is: Maximum system processing capacity increased between 20%-26.7%, specific energy consumption reduced by more 2.0 kWh/t, creating an economic benefit of over 300 million RMB, thus achieving the goal of increased production, reduced energy consumption, and improved profitability.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. C. Maffei, M. V. Lins Gonçalves

Ore concentration processes are a function of the respective particle size distribution; however, most of them do not use an efficient operational method to determine it. From a practical point of view, the surface area can be calculated for any size analysis. The physical principles for determining the size distribution in each method are different, for the results will not be compared directly. During the development of the research project of the sulfide ore flotation method using inert gas, different methods for calculating the specific surface area have been used, such as sieving, sedimentation/X-ray, laser diffraction and BET, i.e. specific techniques to determine the specific surface area of copper and gold ore concentrates. The statistical method of minimum squares was used to achieve practical correlation equations among them. Regarding these two ores, if one knows a specific surface area value using one of the methods above, one can predict the result of the others. Diminution of the reagent consumption was so controlled and it could be even decreased by using inert gas.

Jan 1, 2003

By Sarah K. DeBono, Alan J. Monaghan, Emmanuel V. Manlapig, Gregory J. Harbort

"The Jameson Cell is a type of flotation machine in which air and pulp are brought together in a vertical tube called a downcomer. Within the downcomer the air and pulp are dispersed into a dense foam of fine bubbles, which creates a favourable environment for bubble-particle collision and subsequent collection of hydrophobic particles. The intense collection zone within the downcomer can be considered similar to the zone between the rotor and stator in mechanical flotation cells.Research into the bubble-particle collision and fluid dynamics of mechanical cells rotor-stator zone has been limited by the difficulty of achieving accurate measurements in production sized machines. With the Jameson Cell the downcomer is largely external and separated from the flotation tank, allowing ready access to the primary contacting zone for measurement and analysis.An investigation has been undertaken into the operating characteristics of the downcomer relating to bubble-particle collision. An effective mapping of the downcomer has been made through measurements of void fraction and bubble size taken across cross sections of the downcomer. Analysis of these measurements has provided an interpretation of the variations in the air and fluid dynamics, bubble size and distribution throughout the downcomer chamber."

Jan 1, 2003

By Matti Kongas, Kari Saloheimo, Antti Remes

"The paper studies the control performance of the flotation process as a function of the measurement accuracy and sampling frequency of an on-stream XRF analyzer, using a simple dynamic model. An additional aim is to assess how the economical result of a mineral flotation process depends on the quality of process control based on the on-line elemental assays.An on-stream XRF analyzer measures the concentrations of slurry lines in a continuous cycle from several process points. The control performance depends on the analytical accuracy and sampling frequency of the concentration measurement. With a long cycle time, the state of the process changes before a new measurement becomes available. With short measurement times the statistical variance of the counted Xray pulses increases, increasing the random error in the analysis. In addition, the measurement accuracy depends on the concentration of the component to be measured from the slurry.To quantify the effect of analysis error and frequency to process control, a simple dynamic process model is created in the Matlab environment. Data from a copper flotation circuit is used as a test case. The process model comprises a first order reaction equation and the grade-recovery -relationship estimated from process data. The control was modeled using the control strategies implemented into a rule based advanced control system. The economical performance of the control was studied by calculating the overall net smelter return at various analyzer parameter combinations."

Jan 1, 2003

By Richard K. Komarek, Antonios Zavaliangos, Roman T. Dec

"The work in the paper introduces a 2-dimensional finite element model for analyzing particular material processing in a roller press. Two basic roller geometries are considered: (a) smooth rolls (used for milling and compaction) and (b) rolls with cavities, commonly used for briquetting. A model is presented that is suitable to analyze material behavior through all stages of the rolling process: feeding zone, nip region, neutral plane and release section. It can predict pressure, shear stress, slip of the material over the roller surface, material velocity field, failure of the compact during release and the course of other important process variables.MODEL, RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSAn associated Gurson model was employed as a constitutive model for the material. The calibration of the model was based on experimental results from an instrumented compaction die. Coulomb friction law was used to describe phenomena on the material/roller surface interface. Powder River Basin sub bituminous coal fines with moisture content 9% was used as a model material.Two finite element models have been set up, one for the briquetting roll and one for the “equivalent” flat roll. Approximately 3200 plain strain continuum elements with reduced integration (CPE4R) were used. Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) approach in conjunction with judiciously applied remeshing was employed with the commercially-available, dynamic explicit version of ABAQUS finite element code.Comparison of model predictions with experiment shows that there is an agreement in terms of the general trends of experimental values recorded on laboratory roller presses. Gurson model overpredicts stresses at low densities and, as a consequence, overpredicts roll force and roll torque."

Jan 1, 2003

By Francesco Montanari, Gianni Schena

"Recent improvements in X-ray computed tomography allow investigation of objects several tens of millimetres in dimension with spatial resolutions in the order of a few microns. These improvements are made possible by coupling the micro-focus technology adopted by some of the latest cone-beam X-ray sources with an increase in the efficiency of the detectors. The micro-focus technology allows the production of clearer images at high magnification by reducing the penumbra (fuzziness) associated with larger focal spot size.Even higher resolutions can be expected in the next few years with the commercialisation of nano-focus X-ray tubes. In practice one can inspect a system of fine composite particles and analyze the different mineralogical phases in each individual particle. Computed tomography allows accurate liberation studies, e.g. providing liberation spectra or washability data in tens of minutes. However, on-line application of micro-focus computed tomography is unlikely in the foreseeable future, despite rapid development.Dual-energy (DE) radiography is another X-ray technique, which allows retrieval of the volumetric content of valuable components in two-phase particles in a fraction of a second. A digital radiograph of a single two-phase particle produces a grey level image, where the luminosity of the pixels is determined by the sum of the attenuation levels of all the structures. Thus morphological and compositional effects concur to produce the radiographic image, which does not allow retrieval of the composition of the particle, as the 3D-structure of the particle is compressed into a 2D-image, with an obvious loss of information. Thus, in principle it is not possible to discriminate between thick, comparatively penetrable, and thin, comparatively impenetrable mineralogical components."

Jan 1, 2003