Search Documents

By J Zhou

This paper discusses the implementation of a mixed integer linear programming model for a coal preparation plant. The plant considered consists of primary and secondary heavy media cyclones, hydrocyclones for intermediate fines and froth flotation for the very fine material. The model is designed to optimise the plant settings and product flows to maximise revenues for a given specification for two product outputs. The model can deal with bonus/penalty aspects of the product pricing for products that exceed or fail to meet specification. We report on a model with two separate coal feeds with parallel circuits for the oversize, intermediate and fines streams. The genesis of this model is more than 30 years old but recent improvements in mixed integer programming solvers make a full mixed integer formulation practical. The original model began as an enumeration of cut points with arbitrary rules for product allocation. The product allocation was improved in a linear programming formulation by Gunn (1982) and Sarker (1991 and 1995). Current mixed integer programming capabilities make it possible to replace the enumeration aspects and solve directly as a mixed integer programming problem. The current implementation uses a general purpose modelling language to formulate the model. Open source and commercial mixed integer programming solvers are compared

Sep 26, 2011

By J Kuva, M Parian, B I. Pålsson

One of the main factors affecting the suitability of an ore for autogenous grinding is the ore’s competency, ie providing enough critical stones for the grinding process. Several experimental test routines exist and are used for assessing the viability of the ore for autogenous grinding. However, very little attention is given to the generation of fatigue in large stones experiencing repeated shocks in the mill. To investigate this, large pebbles sampled from an industrial autogenous grinding mill running hard and soft ores were categorised based on the grinding energy. From the pebbles, small drill core samples were prepared and went through a series of fatigue cycle tests. Both hard and soft ores showed similar average resistance to failure in compression tests, but the hard ore had a consistent resistance with lower variations. The cores were scanned by XCT before and in-between fatigue tests at the highest reachable resolution, 1.5 µm voxel size. The outcome showed that a higher number of micro-cracks were visible in the soft ore compared to the hard ore. The frequency of micro-crack development in the soft ore may be the reason for its lower specific grinding energy compared to the hard ore. It is obvious that for realistic conditions in an autogenous grinding mill, stones are pre-weakened by fatigue before they fracture. Therefore, shortcut methods focusing only on running tests on fresh and small samples may operate in unrealistic conditions by ignoring the fatigue phenomenon. This is even more important for ores that are on the borderline to be considered as competent for autogenous milling.

Aug 24, 2022

By C Munro, S Emery, M Flynn, K Tan

"AEROPHINE® 3418A Promoter is a well-known and widely used collector and is an industry standard for its excellent selectivity and efficacy in the processing of complex polymetallic sulfide ores, particularly those containing silver. Until now, however, it has not found widespread use in primary nickel flotation.In an effort to increase nickel recovery without compromising selectivity over iron sulfides, Western Areas Forrestania Nickel operation trialled the use of AEROPHINE® 3418A as a secondary collector at low dosage. A series of ON/OFF trials were conducted, with the finding that a very low dose of AEROPHINE® 3418A increased nickel recovery by 0.6 per cent compared to using xanthate alone.This paper provides a brief operational history and overview of the Forrestania operations, a description of the trial and an analysis of the results.Citation:Emery, S, Flynn, M, Tan, K and Munro, C, 2016. Aerophine® 3418A Promoter as a Secondary Collector to Boost Nickel Recovery at Forrestania Nickel Operations, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 145–148 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By C Itotoh, K O’Halloran, L Karlson

Global methods used to explore for minerals have progressed relatively slowly since the development of the first diamond core drill in 1863. Since then, key developments such as wireline geophysics (1920s), the tricone drill bit (1930s) and aeromagnetic surveys (1940s) all occurred in response to global events. In this project, BHP’s WAIO Geoscience operations team hypothesise that a global movement towards a greener future as well as an increasing intolerance for safety events will drive another step change in exploration methods. We have leveraged our relationships with exploration contractor partners and industry leaders to develop a realistic vision for 2033 and beyond, where drill rigs, earthworks and geophysical units are operated and maintained remotely; emissions of dust and waste are eliminated; hazardous energy sources are controlled; procurement is based on sustainability rather than cost and carbon emissions are tracked with the same rigour as production metrics. We have combined these visions into a series of graphical illustrations with the aim of inspiring ourselves, our vendors and our peers to collaborate further on producing a step change in our industry.

Sep 18, 2023

By N Madani, Y Abildin, E Topal

Mine planning is a crucial part of all mining industry projects, and nowadays, geometallurgical mapping through advanced computer technologies provides an opportunity to involve metallurgical responses of a deposit into 3D block model in order to optimise mine planning activities, especially for production forecasting. Including these metallurgical parameters apart from traditional geology and grade-based attributes into resource modelling leads to an extensive approximation for the economic maximisation of mine production due to better forecasting, planning and increasing certainty and the reliability of the resource model (Macfarlane and Williams, 2014). Commonly, geostatistical techniques and algorithms are used to produce models with the high resolution (Brissette et al. 2014; Deutsch et al. 2014; Tolosana-Delgado et al. 2015). The accuracy of the modelling procedure deeply depends on a reliable block model, produced by spatial analysis of corresponding variables that define the geological, metallurgical, mineralogical and chemical behaviour of the deposit. However, there are special cases, where the application of enhanced geostatistical methods is required, to solve the occurred difficulties between variables with multivariate complexities. For example, in oxide copper deposits, the soluble copper grade is a percentage of total copper grade and recoverable by heap leaching processes (Emery, 2012; Hosseini and Asghari, 2015). Hence, the joint spatial modelling of these variables has two difficulties.CITATION:Abildin, Y, Madani, N and Topal, E, 2018. Forecast the mineral processing destinations based on spatial interpolation of geometallurgical variables, in Proceedings Complex Orebodies Conference 2018, pp 2–5 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 21, 2018

By I D. Gregson, A S. Garcia, K M. MacAndrew

The design work undertaken by Rock Mechanics Technology (now part of Golder Associates (Golder)) has played a major part in successfully establishing mechanised room and pillar working in Indian coalmines, both for the development of new districts and for the re-establishment of old districts prior to pillar extraction on panel retreat.Golder has used appropriate design of pillars, extraction sequences and final snook sizes to minimise ground control risks during pillar extraction. Where the strata will not cave reliably, partial extraction systems leaving either a crush pillar or a substantial yield pillar have been adopted.Remote monitoring of selected pillars during the extraction process using stress cells, extensometry and convergence measurements provides confirmation of pillar behaviour and verification of designs.A new telltale device, giving a visible warning of impending caving, is now installed at all Indian pillar extraction sites and is proving very successful.CITATION:MacAndrew, K M, Garcia, A S and Gregson, I D, 2014. Coalmine pillar design and performance during mechanised pillar extraction in India, in Proceedings AusRock 2014: Third Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference , pp 347–358 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 5, 2014

By J P. Evert

Didipio gold-copper mine operation is situated in the island of Luzon, approximately 270 km north of Manila in the Philippines, in an area of high seasonal rainfall. The hydrogeological water flow model implied that there would be high connectivity between regional structures and underground operations. This model predicted that underground mine groundwater inflows were expected to quickly rise as the decline progressed to a peak of 510 L/s. Designing a capital pump station to deal with 510 L/s has its own challenges, however developing the decline down to the required level, always dealing with 300 L/s of water and constructing the pump station is extremely challenging and required a robust water management plan and mine design. When dealing with expected high volumes of water, underground mine design and scheduling plays a key role in protecting electrical infrastructure, equipment, secondary pumps, and the decline from flooding. A good drainage system and controlled dewatering plan is essential for safety and progress. This paper details the dewatering techniques and mine designs required to accomplish decline development with high water inflows as used in the Didipio project. It will describe the learnings and outcomes that are achievable with a flexible design, as new structures are mapped, and water intersections are increased. It also highlights the potential for adaptability in mine planning to provide evolving improvements or to evade problems that are expected from the constant reconciliation of data recorded during development.

Mar 29, 2023

By B Kilgariff

Flotation has been in use at Broken Hill for nearly 100 years, and the process has gone through many different optimisation studies over that time. This paper reviews the current flotation practice at the Perilya Broken Hill Mine, and details one of the recent optimisation studies conducted using mathematical modelling and simulation tools. The optimisation study consisted of surveys of the lead and zinc circuits, mapping of the floatability components of the ore and developing models of the lead and zinc circuits. The models were then used to conduct simulations to simplify the circuit. The study allowed plant personnel to identify optimum operating conditions for their current flotation cells, as well as possible improvements in circuit configuration and cell capacity.

Jan 1, 2005

By P Mulvey, M Stuckey

"Inter-aquifer leakage due to fractures caused by coal seam gas extractions or longwall mining is an important issue for both the gas and coal industries. Currently, predicting stress induced macro-porosity associated with hydraulic fracturing, depressurisation via dewatering or collapse of overlying seams to infill a void left by longwall mining, is problematic. If fractures can be located the fracture can be sealed. Locating fractures is difficult. The non-geophysical approaches to locate fractures has been to consider the mixing of different waters, particularly that of more recent shallower groundwater with older deeper groundwater, via differences in radio-isotopes integrated with geochemical models to predict likely mixing of waters. This approach is applicable under appropriately complex settings; however, it is an expensive technique and is based on the assumption that the daughter isotopes are equally non-reactive which may not always be the case.Potentially a cheaper and faster technique is to consider integrating geochemistry (mineral weathering) and hydrogeology. The chemistry of groundwater, controlled by the weathering of primary rock?minerals and?formation of secondary minerals, can not only be differentiated between geological strata but also within strata as different stages in weathering results in differing impacts on water quality (ie different reactants).Field analysis of pH, electrolytic conductivity (EC), oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and dissolved carbon dioxide together with laboratory analysis of dissolved constituents characterise the chemistry of the water. Collection of rock samples at the time of drilling for bore installation can provide the (only) opportunity to assess the media in which the groundwater resides and migrates through. An assessment of aquifer matrix chemical makeup, via bulk sample chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and petrographic analysis can achieve this.The chemistry of groundwater is dependent on the water velocity. Water at deposition and post-diagenesis dissolution of minerals by hydrolysis and oxidation will result in equilibria of the dissolved phase with the solid phase. Post-depositional fractures caused by either tectonic activity or weathering alter the rate of weathering and thereby the geochemistry. Slow water flow in microfractures results in water in equilibrium with the rock minerals. Faster flow in larger fractures results in water being in disequilibria with rock minerals.Fractures can alter groundwater chemistry by two pathways: changing groundwater velocity, which changes the rate of hydrolysis or oxidation mixing water from different geological strata.Both pathways cause subtle changes in the water chemistry.It is however, the dissolved phase chemical data, which can be observed over time at individual locations and/or at a point in time along a flow path, which allows the hydrogeologist to ælook up-gradientÆ and locate the zone of leakage. Hence, influences on rock/groundwater chemistry, from anthropogenic sources to natural mixing of waters, can be assessed via appropriate interpretation of geochemistry, hydrogeochemistry and flow data.This paper will use the example of the geochemical and hydrogeological characterisation of aquifers within the Hawkesbury and Bulgo Sandstone of the Southern Coalfields to the south of Sydney in New South Wales to demonstrate this approach.CITATION:Stuckey, M and Mulvey, P, 2013. Looking for fractures - integrating geochemistry with hydrogeology to find inter-aquifer leakage above dewatered or collapsed coal seams, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013, pp 99-108 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 26, 2013

By R Baumgartner

The Canahuire deposit is a recently discovered Au-Cu-Ag epithermal deposit in Southern Peru. A geometallurgy program is a key study element of the project Feasibility study. Metallurgical, mineralogical, and comminution studies have been completed over a suite of samples, spatially distributed among the various geological/ore domains. The early stage of Canahuire presents challenges as there is a lack of metallurgical information to guide geometallurgical sampling, in contrast with an established deposit at a more advanced stage of development or mining. Nevertheless, the available information will assist in the development of geometallurgical domains for Canahuire in order to ensure that future metallurgical, mineralogical, and comminution test work is representative of the deposit variability. This supplementary knowledge will be able to predict important metallurgical parameters which will be incorporated into a geometallurgical model to spatial predict material types, metallurgical recovery and through put. The information obtained will be a valuable addition to the future mine plan, influencing process design, engineering design, plant operation, operating and capital costs, and ultimately will reduce project development risk.

Sep 5, 2011

By M Grigorescu, J H. Hodgkinson, H Alehossein

A new framework that collates and interprets pre-existing data to assess vulnerability and ultimately plan to avoid or minimise flood-related risk to infrastructure, people, downtime, environment and revenue has been developed. The æClimate Related Adaptation from Terrain Evaluation ResultsÆ (CRATER) method tested at a coal mine in Queensland, provides semi-quantitative information to assist decision makers when designating investment for minimising vulnerability of mining operations to climate. Here we present the processes involved in this three-step approach that uses pre-existing spatial data of the mine site and local knowledge to build a set of visual tools to assist decision-making. The first step of the process is performing multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) within a geographic information system (GIS) on ranked natural conditions at the mine, such as elevation, slope, drainage, soil and vegetation, which is performed to identify critical flood areas. Secondly, a fault-tree analysis identifies how impact can occur and what options there are for impact reduction. Finally, a resource assessment of the mineÆs capacity to adapt reduces the adaptation options to those most suited to the mine. The results are confidential, but for the purpose of introducing the methodology, we present simplified results, particularly of steps 2 and 3. CRATER can also be used for future æwhat-ifÆ flooding scenarios to identify the most suitable locations for roads, buildings or other critical infrastructure. The methodology is transferable to any mine, series of mines or locations along the mining value chain that have sufficient data, providing a practical decision-making tool to identify æno-regretsÆ actions that not only could reduce downtime after or during an event, but in some cases may enhance production between extreme events. We now plan to test this method at a broader scale, to encompass more than one mine in the analysis.CITATION:Hodgkinson, J H, Grigorescu, M and Alehossein, H, 2013. Climate Related Adaptation from Terrain Evaluation Results (CRATER) - interpretation of pre-existing data for mine site flood vulnerability and management, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 259-266 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By D Kavanagh, C Michaud

"A continuous improvement initiative was identified at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mine’s (KCGM) Fimiston open pit with the goal of reducing bench turnover time and increasing shovel digability by improving fragmentation around previously mined-out stopes. In the past, a higher number of blasts than normal would be required to get through a single excavation area where stopes were present. This is due to the limited reach capability of the drilling fleet from safe ground into restricted areas requiring the drilling of the shot to be done in a staged manner. In addition, the holes that were able to be drilled in the area did not remain open long enough to be loaded with explosives as a result of the poor ground conditions surrounding the stopes.Over the last 18 months, KCGM has trialled drill additives to improve blasthole stability, as well as introducing a remote drill rig allowing holes to be drilled in areas previously inaccessible by manned drill rigs. This has resulted in improved penetration rates in bad ground conditions, improved drill hole stability, better shovel digability, and an overall reduction in bench turnover of at least ten days on the benchmarked 126 days average per bench. KCGM is now in the final stages of the improvement project with the installation of a drill monitoring system on the fleet to allow live data transfer back to the office for analysis, as well as providing improved accuracy on drill holes in restricted areas.Citation:Michaud, C and Kavanagh, D, 2016. Reducing Bench Turnover Time and Improving Shovel Digability, in Proceedings Ninth AusIMM Open Pit Operators' Conference 2016, pp 19–27 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 15, 2016

By J Edman, RáBeamish, G Cambourn, B Beamish

Moist Adiabatic Benchmark (MAB) and R70 testing have been applied to core samples of a multiple seam sequence from a borehole at the Doyles Creek Project. The coal samples range in rank from high volatile B bituminous to high volatile A bituminous, with a general increase in coal rank as depth increases in the borehole. The intrinsic coal reactivity to oxygen decreases with coal rank as indicated by the R70 values. The time taken to reach thermal runaway shown by the MAB testing however is strongly modified by the interaction between the intrinsic coal reactivity, the moisture content of the coal and the retained gas content of the coal. This is clearly demonstrated by the lowermost seam of the sequence. The MAB test for coal from the Whynot Seam took 20 days to go to thermal runaway, which projects to heating issues taking between eight to 12 months to occur for loosely piled coal found in coal roof falls or a longwall goaf and uncompacted stockpiles, assuming sufficient air is available for coal oxidation. The results from this project illustrate leading practice for the operational planning and development of an appropriate spontaneous combustion management plan (SCMP).CITATION:Beamish, B, Cambourn, G, Lewis, G, Edman, J and Beamish, R, 2013. Application of leading practice spontaneous combustion assessment to exploration at the Doyles Creek Project, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference , pp 293-298 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 1, 2013

By D Symonds, S S. Kanchibotla, L Kennelly, G McNamara, J Gaunt, B Adiyansyah

Ban Houayxai is a gold-silver mine operated by Phu Bia Mining Limited in Laos since 2012. The first two years of operation processed predominately soft oxidised ore but subsequent years were expected to process more fresh hard ore. Fragmentation of the fresh primary ores was also expected to be much coarser than for the soft oxide ores. This coarser and harder ore is expected to significantly reduce mill throughput and mining productivity. The Ban Houayxai management realised the potential downside risk when processing fresh harder ores and implemented a blast optimisation project to deliver finer fresh ore to the mill without unduly increasing blast induced dilution and damage.JKTech and the Ban Houayxai drill and blast team began a joint blast optimisation project in April 2013 to achieve finer fragmentation from fresh ores. This was achieved by modifying the bench geometry, blast patterns and applying exceptionally high levels of quality control during implementation. Blast induced ore loss and dilution was controlled by adjusting the ore blocks for blast movement. Finer fragmentation from these modified designs improved mill throughput for the hard fresh ore by 46 per cent above design on average. These new practices have been embedded in site operating procedures and have provided a quick reference ‘cookbook’ document for the engineers.CITATION:Gaunt, J, Symonds, D, McNamara, G, Adiyansyah, B, Kennelly, L, Sellers, E J and Kanchibotla, S S, 2015. Optimisation of drill and blast for mill throughput improvement at Ban Houayxai Mine, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 307–314 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

Gekko Systems Pty Ltd have developed the Python Underground Processing Plant for the concentration of gold and sulfide ores. The Python plant has an established flow sheet including fine crushing, screening, gravity separation and flotation which aims to concentrate the valuable minerals (gold/sulfides). The aim of the plant is to achieve high valuable recovery into a mass yield of 10 - 30 per cent to reduce the amount of material that is needed to be taken to downstream processing. This paper examines the test work protocol for testing an ore to assess its suitability for the Python flow sheet. This paper will discuss the test methods employed to determine crushing requirements, continuous gravity recovery and flotation performance and how the results relate to Python design for the comminution, gravity and flotation circuits. Results from past test work will be discussed.

Aug 1, 2010

By J M. Shekiro

In the chloride process to manufacture TiO2 pigment, feedstocks containing higher TiO2 contents (high-grade ores or HGOs) are favoured in order to minimise production of undesirable by-products. Most of today’s HGOs are produced through the smelting or reduction and leaching of ilmenite, processes which consume significant energy and/or produce large volumes of non-titanium materials that may have to be landfilled. In order to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of its TiO2 business, the DuPont Company, working with Kobe Steel Ltd, has developed an innovative process called TiRON for making HGO. Using a rotary hearth furnace, the process reduces ilmenite to a high TiO2 slag and metallic iron granules. The TiO2 slag is suitable for TiO2 pigment manufacture, and the iron is suitable for steel making. TiRON can process sand or rock ilmenite of varying compositions and particle sizes. Fossil fuel instead of electricity supplies the energy for the reduction. Dusts and off-spec materials are recycled. These process attributes, together with capital requirements estimated to be significantly lower, give TiRON substantial economic, environmental, and process flexibility advantages over conventional ilmenite upgrading processes. TiRON has been demonstrated at the semi-works scale, and preparations are being made to bring it to the pilot scale.

Oct 5, 2011

By I M. Platten, Y Xie, B W. Cuffley, S C. Dominy

"Geometallurgical programs require the collection of representative samples for geochemical, mineralogical and metallurgical test work. Such protocols must be designed to suit the style of orebody in question. The distribution, proportion and size of gold particles have a direct impact on the effectiveness of sampling and test work protocols, and the gold recovery processes employed. Characterisation studies focusing on ore mineralogy, and gold particle deportment, size and distribution are required. High resolution X-ray computed tomography provides a non-destructive method for analysing the 3D nature of gold in rock samples. It can be used to calculate the modal abundance, particle size and distribution of gold in the sample volume. This paper presents a case study of the imaging of in situ gold particles in a high-grade gold ore. The Nick O’Time reef system comprises laminated quartz veins, which locally bear extreme grades of up to 100 oz/t gold. The mineralisation has previously been characterised from both a mineralogical and metallurgical perspective. Eight visible gold-bearing vein samples were scanned using X-ray microtomography. Microtomographic data were integrated with previous mineralogical and metallurgical test work outputs.CITATION:Dominy, S C, Platten, I M, Xie, Y, Cuffley, B W and O’Connor, L, 2016. Characterisation of Gold Ore from the Nick O’Time Shoot (Tarnagulla, Australia) Using High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 241–254 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By F Saloojee, F K. Crundwell

Refractory ores need to be pretreated prior to cyanide leaching for acceptable gold recovery. Pressure oxidation is one method of rendering the ores more suitable for cyanidation. The focus of this work is optimisation of autoclave configuration for pressure oxidation. An autoclave for the pressure oxidation of a feed containing pyrite and arsenopyrite was modelled, using the population balance framework. The autoclave model takes into account feed particle size, reaction kinetics and retention time. Mass balance calculations were incorporated into Cycad Process« software. This allowed for the investigation of different circuit configurations. The base case model consists of a single autoclave. The feed was then doubled and additional autoclaves were added to provide the same residence time as the base case. Four different configurations for the additional equipment were simulated. These were parallel, series, series with inter-stage thickening and parallel-series circuits. The options are compared in terms of extraction and productivity. The parallel circuit behaves similarly to the base case. The series and series-parallel circuits have higher recoveries and productivities than the base case. The series circuit with inter-stage thickening provides the highest extraction and productivity. This is because the thickening reduces the slurry volume and increases the residence time of the solids in the downstream autoclave.CITATION:Saloojee, F and Crundwell, F K, 2013. Optimisation of circuits for gold pressure oxidation, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 181-188 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By N Maistry, C Carelse, A Singh

Banded Iron Formations or more commonly known as BIF are sedimentary rock formations with alternating silica-rich layers and iron-rich layers that are mainly composed of iron oxides (hematite and magnetite), iron-rich carbonates, and/or iron-rich silicates. Considering the depletion of highgrade iron ore reserves in South Africa, there is a need to maximise resource utilisation through the exploitation of low-grade/uneconomic resources particularly BIF material, which makes up more than 65 per cent of current reserves. Previous test work conducted by alternative BIF sources globally indicates the need for fines processing in order to produce a concentrate. South African BIF however is amenable to coarse and fines processing producing an on-grade product or blended feedstock. C-Type material within South Africa’s Northern Cape Province grading at approximately 33 per cent Fe was supplied for research purposes. Top size optimisation via gravity Heavy Liquid Separation (HLS) tests was conducted. The laboratory results being perfect separation (Ep=0) were modelled to predict pilot performance, the results of which were tested on a pilot scale for the finest size fraction (-1 mm). It was observed that a top size of -2 mm provided optimum results in terms of upgrade and recovery, with crushing finer not necessarily producing superior results. At a target grade of 60 per cent Fe, recoveries of 65.6 per cent were achieved on the laboratory scale, whilst recoveries of approximately 58 per cent were achieved on the pilot scale. Targeting higher upgrades of 63 per cent would inevitably result in lower recoveries of 57.2 per cent on a laboratory scale and approximately 54 per cent on a pilot scale. This is in line with grades and recoveries achieved globally for BIF material albeit at finer grind sizes.

Sep 18, 2023

By Z Tong, M Gao, X Wang

In response to the need for improved magnetic separators for beneficiation of fine grained iron ores that have been finely ground to liberate the iron minerals from the gangue, a series of high efficiency wet drum permanent magnetic separators (T-GCT) has been developed by Maanshan Tiangong Technology Co Ltd. These magnetic separators have high efficiency for separating superfine strongly magnetic minerals and the ability to produce high-grade concentrates with high recovery. They are ideal replacements for conventional drum magnetic separators, especially for treating superfine particles.

Jan 1, 2009