Engineering, Commissioning and Operation of a Stirred Mill in the Arctic Circle
*S. Simard1, L. Racine1, F. Desilets1, G. L’Écuyer1 F. Robichaud2, A. Gelinas3, J, Bournival3, D.J. Reid4, and D.Roy4,
1Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited Meliadine Mine Suite 879 Rankin Inlet, Canada X0C 0G0 (*Corresponding author:
2Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited Head Office Suite 400, 145 King Street East, Toronto, Canada M5C 2Y7
3Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited Construction Nunavut, 93 rue Arseneault Suite 202 Rankin Inlet, Canada X0C 0G0
4Soutex inc. 1990 rue Cyrille-Duquet, Local 204 Québec, Canada G1N 4K8
*This paper was presented at the 57th Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Operators Conference, on 21-23 January 2025, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. To view the full paper select download file below.
ABSTRACT
The Meliadine mine, strategically located near the western shore of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, stands approximately 25 kilometers north of the hamlet of Rankin Inlet and
290 kilometers southeast of the Meadowbank mine. The mine marked a significant milestone by pouring its first gold bar in February 2019 and achieving commercial production in May 2019. Originally designed with a throughput capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day (t/d), the mill underwent several upgrades to reach 5,500 t/d by 2022, and is now undergoing a major expansion project aimed at increasing its throughput to 6,250 t/d.
Meliadine’s original single-stage SAG grinding circuit had already been upgraded in 2022 with new hydrocyclones and a new SAG shell lifter design in 2023 that collectively helped increase the throughput to 5,500 t/d. In order to achieve the targeted 6,250 t/d, the addition of a secondary grinding circuit was deemed
necessary. A trade-off study was completed and determined that the best choice was to go with a 4500HP Metso Vertimill due to lower specific energy consumption and reduced generation of ultra-fine particles compared to a traditional ball mill when top fed. This presentation describes the construction, commissioning, and initial results from Phase II of the secondary grinding expansion.
KEYWORDS
Stirred Mill, Commissioning, Comminution, Trade-off, Operational Readiness, Ramp-up