Multi-stage crushing plants, including high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) circuits, require more materials handling equipment than SAG and ball mill circuits. A temptation exists to neglect the energy consumption of materials handling when doing desktop comparisons of HPGR versus SAG milling circuit...
13-Mar-2015
The demand for minerals and metals is increasing. Head grades of ore bodies are dropping. Remaining ores are becoming finer grained, more complex, and more logistically challenging. Mineral processing – in particular comminution – already consumes a huge amount of energy. But in 20 years’ time, it w...
13-Mar-2015
It has been widely accepted to go for grate discharge ball milling when a coarse product is preferred or to avoid production of extreme fines, but overflow discharge mills are preferred for their simplicity of design and production of finer product. In grate discharge mills the product is discharged...
13-Mar-2015
The High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) is a relatively new comminution technology that has been shown to be more energy efficient compared to semi- autogeneous (SAG) mills. Full and fair consideration cannot be given to HPGR-based comminution circuits in early stage projects, because presently pilo...
13-Mar-2015
Lake Shore Gold is engaged in commercial gold production at both the Timmins West and Bell Creek mines, located in Timmins, Ontario. Run of mine ore is processed at the Bell Creek mill which consists of a conventional gold mill flow sheet involving crushing, grinding, gravity concentration and carbo...
13-Mar-2015
Taseko Mines Limited Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine recommenced operation in 2004 with the initiation of a series of development projects to increase throughput capacity as well as modernize the mine.
In the second staged development project, a VTM- 1250-WB regrind mill was selected to replace...
13-Mar-2015
Recent copper price evolution pushes modern mining industry even harder to achieve highest production with maximum efficiency. Operations are bound by numerous contractual and environmental conditions that bring a high degree of complexity to both the operators controlling the process and the plant...
13-Mar-2015
The Functional Performance Equation for ball milling circuits provides plant staff with a new means to improve circuit performance. However, successful execution of a plant processing performance improvement project, with verifiable improvements, requires a significant number of accompanying steps b...
13-Mar-2015
Although ore sorting in mining is not a new concept, sensor-based sorting has failed to gain broad acceptance due to perceived challenges with the technology. In order to gain wider applications, this research focuses on treating waste rock and low-grade ore to identify and test appropriate sensors...
13-Mar-2015
Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, (TMM) has recently completed a prefeasibility study evaluating the development and operation of an underground copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and gold (Au) mining project on the Maturi deposit in northeastern Minnesota.
The Maturi deposit is a...
13-Mar-2015
Abstract
Comminution is known to be an inefficient user of energy. This makes it the largest energy consumer in many mine sites and therefore a large component of cost. One would therefore have thought that improving comminution energy efficiency would be receiving the undivided attention of the mi...
13-Feb-2015
Abstract
This paper describes a methodology to monitor axial mixing in an IsaMill as a function of mill feed flow rate, mill tip speed and media load. Steady state temperature measurements (profiles) along the mill length were used to quantify the degree of mixing during the comminution process. Co...
13-Feb-2015
Abstract
Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation using a breakage model is applied to study a broad range of existing compression based crushers to better understand machine level operation and to demonstrate that such modelling is now possible. Predictions for five types of crushers: jaw crusher,...
13-Feb-2015
ABSTRACT
Operational grinding mills emit significant acoustic emissions which are a consequence of the dynamic environment prevailing inside them. From a technical perspective, the noise presents an opportunity to determine some details of the processes occurring inside the mills. The noise generat...
11-Feb-2015
The process of grinding in drum mills is directly dependent on the dynamic forces occurring in the free movement of the grinding bodies in the volume. The subject of discussion are the potential impacts between grinding bodies having different shape and equal weight in a drum mill that has a diamet...
04-Feb-2015
Spherical grinding media (balls) are the most widely used media for comminution of ores by grinding.
One way to optimize the grinding process in a tumbling mill is associated with the development and testing of a new media shape. by modelling simulations study of the behavior of two types of grin...
04-Feb-2015
The Mine to Mill course identifies the changes to practice required to optimise performance in blasting and comminution to maximise profitability and energy efficiency.
February 2015 | Denver, Colorado
9-11 July 2015 | Zambia
October 2015 | Chile
17-Jan-2015
Today the main objective of improving the process of ore dressing is toreduce energy consumption and performance of the basic rule of auxiliary enrichment processes.
One of the modern means of ore destruction with a minimum of energy consumption is the inter-particle fracturing , for example in t...
07-Jan-2015
Most SAG grinding operations currently use ball size between 5.5 and 6 inch maximum size, However, in most cases the use of these ball sizes hasn't been justified by a phenomenological analysis of the real effect on the grinding process, but rather by trial and error. The analysis of the influence o...
07-Jan-2015
SABC circuits have gained widespread attention within China, and are being gradually applied to many mines. However the domestic knowledge of commintion process is still relatively basic, and the design and production management of the application of SABC technology lack guidance of scientific theor...
06-Dec-2014
The consumption of aggregates in civil construction has increased considerably in Brazil for the last years. The extraction of sand and gravel generates significant environmental impacts. As the quarries and sand deposits are getting exhausted near the big cities, the price of aggregates is increasi...
06-Dec-2014
In recent years, DEM ( discrete element method) software, along with 3D laser measuring equipment, have become powerful tools to describe mill charge behavior, as well as forces acting on the liners of SAG mills. With the aim of contributing to streamline this application of the advanced technologie...
06-Dec-2014
Industry: Mining, minerals processing
Key driver for optimisation: Productivity
Improvement Focus: Process control
Location: Laverton, Western Australia Product(s): Gold
Cost to implement: NA
Annual Savings: NA
Payback Period: NA
Employees: 500
Energy sources: natural gas and diese...
04-Dec-2014
Case Study Snapshot
Industry: Mining
Energy Management System (EnMS) guidance/standard: CAN/CSA-ISO 50001
Key driver for EnMS: Cost reduction
Improvement focus: Energy efficiency for mine production and operations
Location: New Afton Mine, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Product(s): Gold an...
04-Dec-2014
The search for energy efficient technologies for comminution processes is constant in mineral processing studies, since those processes represent a major percentage of operational costs. In this context the sue of stirred mills is increasing, especially for ultrafine grinding. Although many authors...
22-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
Semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill control is complex and depends on many dynamic process variables. Good control strategies ensure that a mill is operating as close to optimal as possible, resulting in significant economic benefits to an operatio...
15-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
The grinding circuit at PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT) – Batu Hijau mine consists of two SABC (semi-autogenous milling, ball milling, pebble crushing) trains, including four 20′ × 33′6″ ball mills that have been lined with steel liners since the...
15-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
A voracious consumer of energy and grinding media, the modern ball milling circuit has a huge direct cost impact on a mineral processing operation. Through optimisation, grinding also has the potential to unlock great improvements in recovery and t...
15-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
Recovery of gold from gold ores has been driven by the available technology and its configuration in the process plant flow sheet.
Conventional practice in test work programs has the ore being ground fine (to 106 or 75 microns) to ensure liberat...
15-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
The Masbate gold deposits are situated on the island of Masbate, 350 km south of Manila. A new plant was commissioned in April 2009. The grinding circuit consists of one semi-autogenous (SAG) mill Ø9.75 m × 4.27 m, two ball mills Ø5.6 m × 7.1 m and...
15-Nov-2014
Volume Title: 12th Mill Operators' Conference 2014
A comprehensive Australia-wide survey of comminution energy consumption at copper and gold mines was presented by the authors at the 11th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2012. The database has been extended to include major overseas mines and use...
15-Nov-2014
Industry leaders gathered recently in Vancouver to pick up the baton from the 2012 CEEC Workshop team. The theme for the 2014 CEEC Workshop was Best Practice; identified in 2012 as an immediate pathway to energy efficiency and cost savings.
The team gathered for introductions; in some cases a cha...
14-Nov-2014
Andean countries (Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina) have 42 semi-autogenous mills (SAG) in operation and there are more than 30 projects in the pipeline that consider SAG mills. At the end of the next decade, the total amount of SAG mills in this area will likely be close to 100.
There is a lot...
18-Sep-2014
This report concerns international overview and outlook on comminution technology for effective production of mineral powders in order to improve the product quality and reduce the energy consumption. These involve new and improved grinding mills (roller mills, stirred media mills, vibration mills,...
23-Aug-2014
Abstract
Grade control and ore/waste delineation in open pit mining operations was traditionally based on the comparison of estimated grades with an economic cutoff. In the 1990s, an alternative approach to ore selection was applied and established, taking into account financial indicators through...
22-Aug-2014
Abstract
The pulp lifter is an integral component of autogenous (AG) and semi-autogenous (SAG) grinding mills as it controls the throughput, performance and efficiency of mills. The slurry transport from the AG/SAG mill through grate holes into the discharge trunnion is the main function of the pul...
12-Aug-2014
Abstract
Modelling the pulp fluid and its interaction with both the charge and the mill structure is an interesting challenge. The interaction is normally modelled with a combination of CFD and DEM, where the DEM particles (grinding balls) create the structure through which the fluid penetrates, an...
11-Aug-2014
Abstract
The present manuscript focuses on the development of a multivariable control based on the MPC strategy for a semiautogenous grinding (SAG) device. A previously published specific SAG model that uses a deep analysis of the internal device behavior was used for the MPC strategy development....
11-Aug-2014
Abstract
Several factors contribute to an often bleak outlook for mining and mineral processing projects in the current market: rising energy costs, falling ore body head grades, and lower profit margins on added value products have all made it more difficult to operate economically. Ore sorting is...
11-Aug-2014
The Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES) is the result of a substantial commitment by CRC ORE to produce a next-generation mining simulator that integrates all mining and mineral processing activities starting from drill & blast and proceeding through the entire mining value chain to the end of...
25-Jul-2014
Melbourne will be home to a globally significant annual mining conference as of 2014. The Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Peter Ryan said the inaugural International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre fr...
15-Jul-2014
PwC's 11th annual review of global trends in the mining industry - Mine was hosted by Chris Dodd, Melbourne Office Managing Partner in early July 2014. PwC convened a panel of industry experts to discuss the implications of realigning expectations and to examine whether 2014/15 will see the renewed...
09-Jul-2014
Energy Performance Management
New Gold Inc. (New Afton Mine), located in Kamloops, British Columbia, has ISO 50001 certification and is continuously monitoring, tracking, evaluating and verifying energy performance of its gold and copper mining facilities. New Afton Mine demonstrates its commitme...
23-Jun-2014
"Improvements in energy efficiency help lower costs for businesses and consumers while safeguarding the environment. This year’s award winners are leading the way in improving productivity and environmental performance in the industrial sector through the responsible use of energy." said Parliamenta...
23-Jun-2014
ecoENERGY Efficiency for Industry Financial Assistance
The ecoENERGY Efficiency for Industry program is offering cost-shared assistance to industrial companies to implement energy management projects, including CAN/CSA-ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard pilots, and for two types of energy...
19-Jun-2014
Grant Ballantyne is a South African born Australian. He graduated with first class honours from the University of Queensland with a bachelor of Engineering majoring in Chemical Engineering and Metallurgy in 2007. And recently he completed a Doctorate in Philosophy at the Julius Kruttschnitt Minera...
09-Jun-2014
Reproduced from the Heads Up CIPEC news, May 2014 Vol. XVIII, No. 5.
"Comminution, as the major energy user in mineral processing, is responsible for the majority of processing costs at a mine,” says Sarah Bocaut, Executive Officer of the Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) based in...
07-Jun-2014
ABSTRACT
Implementing underground processing affects a series of process steps like production, processing, backfilling and infrastructure and thus needs a proper integration into the whole underground mining process. This leads to the necessity of new holistic process models for the different unde...
04-Jun-2014
2014-06-25 GUATENG, SOUTH AFRICA - AFRICA · SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT · SUSTAINABLE MINING · WORKSHOP
The mission of the WFEO-CEE Task Force on Sustainable Development and Mining is to raise global understanding of the importance of mining in achieving sustainable development. Application of sustai...
03-Jun-2014
24th International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey, hosted by UCTEA Chamber of Mining Engineers of Turkey.
"It is our proud privilege and honor to extend a very warm and cordial invitation to all of you to attend the 24th International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey from 14th...
27-May-2014