Introduction to the stirred milling of nickel laterites for upgrading nickel

ABSTRACT

The stirred milling of nickel laterites offers possibilities for improving liberation and selective size reduction of soft nickel-bearing minerals in laterites. Batch grinding tests were performed in a netzsch™ lME4 stirred mill on siliceous goethitic, goethitic, and saprolitic nickel laterites. Tests on the −2,000 μm sample displayed the effects of selective comminution. The −38 μm product of grinding the −2,000/+38 μm feed confirmed the effects of selective grinding and nickel upgrading. Size classification followed by stirred milling is recommended for nickel upgrading. The energy requirement in the stirred milling was also investigated.nature frequently result in specifications that can be made simpler, more economical, and better focused on the project’s goals. This paper surveys current specification writing practices and proposes an improved approach recognizing that product design, procurement, manufacturing, and quality are interrelated in a successful project. The lessons learned here can apply to all types of machinery specifications.

L. Tong and B. Klein

Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

M. Zanin, W. Skinner, K. Quast, and J. Addai-Mensah

Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

D. Robinson

Minerals Down Under National Research Flagship, CSIRO Process Science and Engineering, Waterford, Western Australia, Australia

http://dx.doi.org/10.15834/cimj.2015.3

CIM Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2015, pages 15-26

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