Barbosa, Bergerman, da Fonsecaca
Published in Proceedings of the IMPC2020 Congress, SAIMM
ABSTRACT
Located in the state of Pará, Brazil, the Sossegocopper and gold mine consists of a heterogeneous geological deposit. Its complexity derives from the hydrothermal alteration, the ore-forming event, which modified the host rocks, such as granite, and metamorphosed volcanic rocks into several mineral assemblages. Different mineral assemblages have led to differences in abrasiveness.
A few Bond abrasion tests conducted during the mine feasibility study did not provide a robust abrasiveness database, thus the variation of physical properties for some mineralisation host rocks was not possible. Although several test methods may be used to determine ore abrasiveness, the Bond method is the one most commonly used in the mining industry. Despite being simple to carry out, this test method has certain limitations as to particle size and the amount of ore sample required, which often makes it difficult or even impossible to apply in the early stages of a project and in geometallurgical studies.
The Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées(LCPC) test may provide an alternative, as it requires a smaller amount of fine-grained material. This study aimed to provide data on wear properties of various ore types from Sossego mine using the LCPC method. It included validation for 40 different oresamples using the Bond test as a benchmark. The results showed good correlation, indicating it may be possible to use the LCPC test as an alternative to the Bond abrasion test. A high abrasiveness index was found for acid metavolcanic rock, confirming theresults observed in Sossego mill’s operating database, pointing to a mineralogical drive to amorphous quartz.
Keywords
Abrasiveness, geometallurgy, copper ore, Bond abrasion test, LCPC
AUTHORS
P. de A. Barbosa a, M. G, Bergerman b*,and E. da Fonsecaca
a) Planning, Process and Quality Management of Sossego Mine / Base Metals Division, Vale, Brazil
b) Polytechnic School/Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Resource Evaluation and Mine Planning/Exploration and Mineral ProjectsDivision/Vale, Brazil
*Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the University of Sao Paulo’s Mineral Engineering Post-graduate Program and Vale/ITV for supporting this research project. We also thank CNPq for its financial support under the Universal Project No. 449932/2014-1 and for the research grant CT2016 –308767/2016-0