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By S McGregor, J Sharp, I Entezari, T Boulter

The piezocone penetration test (CPTu) is one of the primary screening tools used by the mining industry to evaluate whether tailings are susceptible to liquefaction (static or cyclic). Liquefaction analysis using the CPTu is influenced by the fines content of the soil, and most CPT screening tools empirically use the behaviour type index (Ic) to correct for fines. The issue with this approach is that such empirical relationships have been developed using data collected from natural soils and their applicability to different tailings deposits needs to be studied. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to develop a site-specific model to estimate fines content of tailings using gamma piezocone penetration testing (GCPTu) measurements. The results are then compared to the fines content derived from the soil behavior type index (Ic) proposed by Robertson and Wride (1998). A dataset of paired GCPTu and laboratory results were compiled and a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was employed to calibrate a model to estimate tailings fines content from in-situ GCPTu data. We calibrated GCPTu data to geotechnical 75 μm fines content measured in the laboratory. The geotechnical fines content is the fines content as a percentage of solids. The development dataset was comprised of paired GCPTu-laboratory results collected in 2009-2019 from a mining area with predominately clay mineral and quartz sand tailings. Results show that the developed model predicts the geotechnical 75 μm fines content of the studied deposits with 7.8% error. The Ic based method estimates the fines content with 31% error. Evidently, the Ic method is not applicable to the studied tailings deposits. It is appreciated that many tailings fines do not contain clay, and that the success on this program may not be repeatable everywhere. However, the authors wish to point out that the application of site-specific machine learning algorithms may be used to significantly improve empirical geotechnical parameters.

Jul 1, 2021

The discovery of economic uranium miner alisation in unique geological conditions at Yeelirrie, 700 km NNE of Perth, presented Western Mining Corporation Limited with a num- ber of sampling and evaluation problems. Carn- otite mineralisation occurred in a porous cal- crete-clay lithology in close proximity to the water table; background information on such a deposit was non-existent and sampling in these conditions could be difficult. The deposit was sampled initially by aug- er drilling with X-ray fluorescence analysis of drill cuttings, followed by reverse circulation and diamond drilling with analyses by X-ray fluorescence and gamma logging of the holes. Two costeans provided lithological and grade distribution data and mining experience in the deposit. Spoil from the costeans was stockpiled according to location in the first costean and according to location and grade in the second costean. Samples from the various stockpiles were analysed by X-ray fluorescence. No. 1 costean was extensively sampled by channel sampling of the walls and by pit sampling of the floor of the benches of the costean by back hoe. No. 2 costean was sampled by Geiger counters mounted in T-probes and by the gamma logging of auger holes to establish the valid- ity of the T-probe results. Samples were taken

Jan 1, 1976

By Scherbatsky VB, zon BM, Babushkin NM, Kitaev BI, Shabel&apos

The structure and hydrodynamics of the raceway zone of a blast furnace was studied on a cold model representing a sector containing two tuyeres. The model differed from the usual in that it was prov- ided with continuous flow of the coke layer at pre- determined rates, had provision for changing the tuyere parameters (diameter, protrusion, inclinat- ion) and irrigation of the layer with liquid. A combination probe was developed which per- mitted simultaneous measurement of the pressure field both across the area and through the height of the layer as well as determining the topography of the raceway. The velocity fields in the layer were measured with a specially made impulse thermo- anemometer. The determining criteria of the model were taken as the relationships between the energy of the blast and the particles, the dimensions of the raceway and the cross-section of the tuyere. The model established the effects of the tuy- ere structural parameters, blast parameters and amount of liquid products of smelting on the con- figuration of the raceway, the structure of the layer, pressure and velocity fields in the vicinity of the tuyeres and in the vertical direction through the layer. The properties of the raceway formation and the structure of the layer in motion have been clarified.

Jan 1, 1981

Through the stress synthesis of many exanples of macrostructure from eastern to western parts of China, it can be concluded that in Chinese tectonics there are two push- twisting forces, one of which ("Rl", from SE to NW) came from the Pacific Ocean plate thrusting over the Chinese continent plate in the eastern part of China; the other ("R2", from SW to NE) resulted from the thrusting of the India plate. The meeting line could be situated along the belt from 104¦-106¦E longitude in the middle part of China. To the south of Qinling the meeting line was an abyssal and giant fault situated from Longmen to the Er Inland Sea where the Tibet-Gansi fold system was intersqueezed to the Sidluan platform; to the north of Qinling, situated on the Fengxiang subsidence of the Eerduosi basin, the meeting line was located about 105¦E in Mongolia and appeared in the form of an arcuate structure, i.e. the Mongolia arcuate structure, which could extend to Beijiaer Lake towards the north. A new special type of structure named rotation-apart structure occurred from Gansu, Qinghai province to Ningxia, Neimeng autonomous region, in the west of Shandong province and in the western part of Chaidamu Basin.

Jan 1, 1987

The Kaltails Project is situated close to the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia. Located on the south-eastern fringe of the Golden Mile, Kaltails has been in operation since June 1989. The tailings forming the reserve for Kaltails have been derived from 100 years of underground mining on the Golden Mile, but, some of the re.;erve has been retreated in the past. A map of the tailings reserves and treatment plant site is presented as Figure 1. The gold project is a joint venture between Poseidon 90 per cent and Gold Corporation (ten per cent) and is managed by Poseidon Gold Kaltails.

Jan 1, 1992

By M F. Gazley

The amphibolite-facies metabasaltic rocks of the Mine Mafic Package at Plutonic Gold Mine, Marymia Inlier, Western Australia, contain an estimated total endowment of 12.2 Moz of Au, which includes 4.71 Moz of past production and 2.77 Moz of reserves and resources; the remainder comprises lower-grade inventory. Over 65?000 multi-element analyses of whole-rock core and face channel samples from the underground workings of the deposit have been collected by portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) using a handheld Innov-X Omega pXRF unit. The analyses were performed on pulverised samples through paper bags, and were corrected using a pulverised, matrix-matched, reference standard. This method of data correction compares favourably with conventional XRF analyses performed on the same samples.A preliminary study based on pXRF analyses from a small number of drill holes found that a geochemical stratigraphy was evident in the pXRF data, and that this stratigraphy strongly controlled the location of Au mineralisation. The present study incorporates a much larger pXRF data set that samples a greater volume of diamond drill core and face channel samples and presents the data in a three-dimensional (3D) framework.This data set allows an investigation of the mineralogy of Au mineralisation with varying geochemical associations across the deposit. Historically, there has been a strong relationship identified between As and Au, which has caused issues with metallurgical performance, rendering some areas of the deposit only marginally economic. Utilising seamless data integration of the pXRF data set allows for recognition of the different styles of Au mineralisation using elemental concentrations and ratios from the multi-element analyses (Au:As, Au:As:Cu, As:Cu vs. K:V), and to visualise the distribution of these different mineralogical associations in 3D. The results of the 3D modelling and geochemical characterisation of the different styles of Au mineralisation are currently the focus of an extensive metallurgical testing program, the preliminary results of which are presented here.

Aug 22, 2011

Marketing of mineral products has not yet succumbed to the degree of pre- dictability and exactitude that is fam- iliar to the engineer or metallurgist in pursuing their profession. Whilst the Great Market of the world economy dic- tates circumstances for the sale of min- eral products, there are more than just buyers and sellers in the determination of the revenue received by the producer. For the engineer or metallurgist he will be required to gain an understanding of these participants and of the peculiar languages of the market place. This will be only one of his tasks in learn- ing to communicate with society, as his responsibilities increase as he climbs the ladder of success. There is un- doubtedly a need for better statistical information so that producers and sell- ers can make an appropriate and earlier response to market conditions. There is in addition, a need for more aggressive concern by raw material producers for the development and promotion of better end use of their products. Undoubtedly the marketing of mineral products will be more influenced by the direct involv- ment of government agencies than has been the case in the past. Whilst that 1. Director - Marketing & Finance, North Broken Hill Limited.

Jan 1, 1975

By T P. Medhurst

In many cases mine design is the most important driver of the profitability of a mining project, however to reach an æoptimumÆ mine plan many compromises have to be made. Some of the fundamental profit (and loss) drivers relate to stoping methods and stope design parameters. Inevitably trade-offs have to be made between the stability of underground openings, ground support costs and production efficiency. This paper looks at the role of geomechanics in the mine planning and design process. The concepts of æcontrollable lossesÆ and æuncontrollable lossesÆ are developed as a means of partitioning ground control costs. A stope design example is given which provides a method of examining mining costs, and includes a decision making element in order to quantify geotechnical impacts and select stope dimensions. The method also provides a general framework as a means of balancing ground control costs against maximising returns from an underground mining project.

Jan 1, 2000

By M Olsson, U Nyberg, K Widenberg, P Svedensten, F Ouchterlony

During 2007 and 2008, the project Optimal Fragmentation in Blasting II was conducted at the Långåsen quarry of NCC Roads AB near Arlanda. The main goals were:an evaluation of the effect of using electronic delay detonators (EDDs) in quarry blastinga validation of the design curve concept introduced at the Vändle quarry.Five production blasts were monitored. After a first trial round, the remaining four rounds each had about 100 Ø89 mm holes in a 14–19 m high bench charged with site mixed emulsions. In rounds 1 and 2, a tighter pattern than normal was used in one half of the rounds, raising the specific charge there from 0.7 to 1.0 kg/m3. Non-electric initiation was used with two holes per 25 ms delay in-row and 67 ms between rows. In rounds 3 and 4, electronic delay detonators were used instead, with 10 and 5 ms in-row delays respectively.The monitoring encompassed drill hole collaring and alignment, in-hole deviations, the rock structure in the bench faces from 3D imaging, first row burdens, etc. Eleven 400 t samples were taken from the muck piles and sorted in the quarry and sieved in the laboratory (lab). The lab data made up a fines tail that was grafted onto the in-pit sorting data to form sieving curves for the test piles. These curves were then compensated for the absence of boulders to construct the sieving curves for the blasted muck pile.These have been used to derive fragmentation model formulas for the non-electric rounds, also called design formulas. They are based on blast geometry, charging data and the properties of the rock mass. The formulas may be used to estimate the effect of changing blasthole pattern, borehole diameter and stemming length for example.The use of EDDs gave several unexpected results. In comparison with non-electric initiated rounds with a somewhat lower specific charge the fragmentation was much coarser; x50 increased from 160 to 200 mm. The effect of raising the specific charge in the non-electric initiated rounds from 0.72 to 0.99 kg/m3 was a much finer fragmentation; x50 decreased from 160 to 120 mm.CITATION:Ouchterlony, F, Nyberg, U, Olsson, M, Widenberg, K and Svedensten, P, 2015. Effects of specific charge and electronic delay detonators on fragmentation in an aggregate quarry – building fragmentation model design curves, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 727–740 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

Porphyry type mineralization of Lower Cretaceous age in eastern Queensland has been recognized only from the easternmost part of the northern New England Orogen (Day, Murray and Whitaker, 1978), within the northern Yarrol Province (Horton,1982). Recent work about the Mt. Suthers (Pb, Zn, Ag, Cu, Au), Lug-e-nor (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag, Au, Mo), and German Tully (Cu, Au, Bi) prospects suggest that there has been a phase of porphyry type mineralization within the Gympie Province, of Lower Cretaceous age, overprinting earlier Permo-Triassic phases. About the Mt. Suthers Prospect surface samples of shallow, medium to heavy textured soils derived from marine sedimentary rocks of Permian age, and extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks of intermediate composition and Triassic age, were analysed for Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, Cr, Ni, Fe, V, Mn and Ag. Whereas strong iithological control determined the distribu- tion of Cu (diorite) and of Cr, Ni, Fe and V ,sedimentary rocks), the distribution of Pb, Zn, Ag and of Cu, were determined by mineralization of faults by a cavity fill hydrothermal process. Gold is associated with the Pb, Zn, Ag mineralization. Co and Mn showed distributions independent of lithology and structure. The fault controlled style of mineraliz- ation at Mt. Suthers is repeated at other localities to the south; Calgoa, Marodian, and German Gully. Relative dating of structural features and isotopic dating of nornblende porphyrites (134-135 m.y.) near and related to those mineralized at German c;ully suggest a previously unrecognized phase of porphyry copper style mineralization in south-east Queensland of Lower Cretaceous age (Fig. 1).

Jan 1, 1987

By D Reid, J Vinod, M Rahman, A Fourie, T Vo, J Ayala, A Russell

This paper reports on an industry and Australian Research Council funded research project, TAILLIQ, that is a joint initiative between four Australian Universities. The paper discusses the accuracy with which the critical void ratio can be determined for a given tailings; it does this by presenting the results from a ‘round robin’ study in which 18 geotechnical laboratories around the world participated, testing the same tailings (sampled from a gold mine in Western Australia). The results were variable, although a reasonable number were very similar, as described in the paper. The paper provides additional test data for sandy silt gold tailings recovered from a sponsor’s site in Australia, including preliminary calibration chamber test data, results from direct simple shear tests and characterisation tests to determine unsaturated geotechnical properties.

Jul 1, 2021

By G Ryan, Yu Nazimova

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. This paper aims to highlight the global exploration opportunities that exist in connection with Ural-Alaskan (UA)-type intrusions. The key economic importance of UA intrusions is the existence of metallic platinum (mainly iron-platinum alloys) associated generally with chromite mineralisation and located within a dunite core, especially its coarse-grained part. Being very dense and resistant to erosion, platinum can form rich placers as the intrusion erodes. Big multimillion ounce placer platinum deposits of this type have historically been successfully mined for many years (eg Russia, Colombia and Alaska).However, large-scale exploration and mining of platinum placers currently occurs only in the Russian Far East. Outside of Russia, there is now little or no understanding of this type of deposit and its economic importance. Using successful operations in Russia as examples, it is demonstrated that there are many opportunities for similar discoveries all around the world, especially around the Pacific Rim, where such intrusions tend to be concentrated. Examples of highly prospective areas in eastern Australia and New Zealand are given. There is also excellent potential in British Columbia (BC) Canada, South-East Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia) and South America (Colombia and Ecuador).CITATION:Nazimova, Y and Ryan, G, 2015. Platinum potential of the pacific rim of Ural-Alaskan-type intrusions, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 665–670 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By M Davies, G Theletsane, A H. Gray

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 liberation ahead of leaching or flotation. This paper identifies that, in many cases, gold and gold sulfide carriers will liberate and be recovered to a concentrate at much coarser sizes.There is an exponential increase in energy consumption relative to particle size reduction. This impact becomes extreme when comparing crushing a product to 1 mm against grinding to 75?microns.The resultant reduction in energy consumption when liberating and separating at 1 mm or coarser compared to grinding to 75 microns can be in the order of 15 kWh/t or 60 per cent of energy in the comminution circuit.Recovery of free gold and gold sulfide carriers by preconcentration (using continuous gravity devices such as the InLine Pressure Jig), combined with flotation of the fine gold and gold carriers, can result in significant power savings.There are multiple locations within the flow sheet that can be targeted using this process, including recovery in the cyclone underflow of existing plants, preconcentration ahead of the plant or complete greenfield, low-energy process plants designed from first principles based on data from a Gekko developed test work regime.We will describe the process of defining mineralogy in the laboratory and the decision-making process through to actual applications in the field.Several examples will be provided, including a South African Witwatersrand gold ore, several Australian gold ores and others, indicating the benefits of this process and where it has been brought to commercial reality.CITATION:Gray, A H, Davies, M and Theletsane, G, 2014. Coarse liberation and recovery of free gold and gold sulfide carriers for energy reduction in process plants, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 117–128 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By M F. Lee

Although the Mt Charlotte gold resource was discovered in 1893, it was only in 1954 that geologists correctly interpreted drill data and defined a large low-grade orebody. The mine has been a large, low-cost and profitable producer since 1962 when bulk mining commenced using cut and fill. From 1968 a combination of long hole open stoping with delayed mass blasting was used. This proved to be an excellent mining method for the large, separate subvertical orebodies. The structured but otherwise good quality rock allowed very large stopes to stand unsupported. Exceptionally large equipment, for its time, was used to efficiently mine, muck and move the ore at low-cost. The mine only just survived severe cost pressures in 1974-76, due to very low gold prices. Better gold prices in 1979 and a need to access deeper ore meant a bold commitment to sink the Cassidy Shaft and refurbish the mine to sustain future profitability. In 1997 the Sam Pearce Decline connected to the underground workings, making it profitable to mine upper level remnant ore. Mining-induced seismicity has been a feature of mining at Mt Charlotte. The main cause has been shearing on structures. A mine-wide seismic system was installed in 1994. Large seismic events have occasionally made management question whether a safe working environment can be maintained. Thorough investigations led to an understanding of the problem and development of procedures to minimise seismicity.

Jan 1, 2000

By A Hall, D Kratochvil, P Littlejohn

Economic recovery of gold from complex gold ores, including poly-metallic deposits, is impacted by the presence of cyanide-soluble base metals. These base metals can create both a metallurgical challenge plus waste handling and disposal challenges. Base metals such as Cu and Zn compete for the cyanide reagent and often increase the total cyanide consumption to the point of making precious metals recovery uneconomic. In addition, the accumulation of base metals in cyanide solutions represent a challenge for cyanide detoxification and waste water treatment as these metals report to waste sludge. Such sludge requires safe handling and disposal, with possible long-term liabilities.Base metal interference can be removed with sulfidisation-acidification-recycling-thickening (SART) process technology. SART liberates the base metal from the cyanide complex and precipitates the metal as an insoluble sulfide product that can be recovered as a commercial grade concentrate. With the base metal precipitated, the cyanide can be regenerated as free cyanide and recycled to the gold extraction circuit.BioteQ completed laboratory testing for two projects, one employing cyanide leaching of copper-gold sulfide flotation concentrate and one employing a Merrill Crowe process, to determine the effectiveness of SART to remove and recover Cu and Zn in high-grade sulfide concentrates and to reduce the impact of cyanide-soluble metals on gold recovery and cyanide consumption. This paper will provide an overview of the testing methodology and results along with a review of the potential for SART to be applied to complex gold ores with poly-metallic deposits to improve project economics, operability and waste management.CITATION:Littlejohn, P, Kratochvil, D and Hall, A, 2013. Sulfidisation-acidification-recycling-thickening (SART) for complex gold ores, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 149-156 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By X Tian, J Forster, A Olmsted, E R. Bobicki, M Goldbaum, D Boucher, C A. Pickles

As the global demand for metal values expands, it becomes increasingly important to create more sustainable mining operations. Consequently, considerable research and technology development is required to produce processes which are both more energy efficient and have a minimal environmental impact. One potential technology is the utilisation of microwave pre-treatment to reduce the energy requirements in comminution. Microwaves can preferentially heat the valuable mineral phases in an ore and the resulting differential thermal expansion leads to the formation of microfractures along the grain boundaries. As a result of the preferential heating, ore competency is reduced, mineral liberation is enhanced, a coarser grind size can be employed, and plant throughput can be increased. Furthermore, microwave pre-treatment can be combined with advanced ore sorting, to decrease the quantity of gangue material processed downstream and hence reduce tailings production. Previous studies on the microwave treatment of ores over the last 30 years have mainly been limited to low power bench-scale studies and there is a paucity of information on pilot and/or commercial scale studies. In the present research, the microwave heating behaviours of over 40 ores have been studied at the bench-scale. These results were used to generate a database, from which a unique classification system was developed. This system was used to rank the amenability of any given ore for microwave pre-treatment. This knowledge can be employed to predict the performance of the ores in the high-power pilot scale tests and thus can be used as a pre-screening tool. The effects of high-power microwave pre-treatment on grindability and liberation were reported. Additionally, the ore sorting potential was evaluated using a combination of X-ray transmission (XRT) and microwave infrared (MW/IR).

Aug 24, 2022

By D Eschebach, D Mathewson

A belt press filter (BPF) handbook containing practical information for the reference of plant designers and operators has been created as part of Australian Coal Association Research Program project C23040. The handbook combines research and experience with newer generations of equipment and circuitry. BPFs are increasingly finding application in the dewatering of thickener underflow tailings slurries due to changing environmental regulations, difficulty obtaining tailings storage facility approvals and limited water availability. Sources of BPF inefficiency and low availability stem from a lack of understanding of the key operational parameters that affect their performance. This lack of understanding typically leads to increased operational expenditure due to suboptimal reagent dose rates and increased maintenance costs, or decreases in plant availability due to excessively high filter product water contents and equipment failure. It is essential for the continued economically competitive operation of Australian coal handling and preparation plants that complex factors affecting BPF operational performance are clearly defined and understood. Installation and operation handbooks are often provided to sites with new installations, but these manuals are manufacturer- or even model-specific and are often focused on mechanical maintenance. The handbook identifies industry ‘best practice’ and improvements developed by other sites, such as extra spray bars, air system bleed valves, guarding designs, feed and filtrate protection screens and roller tensioning systems. Equations to predict optimum operating conditions – such as free moisture, belt tension and reagent dose rates, with simple feed-specific variable inputs – have been developed from site-specific test work. The correlations developed provide a benchmark for plants to attempt to achieve. This provides operators and process engineers with a tool to explain BPFs and assist them in optimising the performance of BPF dewatering plants of both contemporary and less modern design.CITATION:Mathewson, D and Eschebach, D, 2015. ACARP belt press filter design, operation and maintenance handbook, in Proceedings Tailings and Mine Waste Management for the 21st Century, pp 73–82 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 27, 2015

By S Lakemond, L I. Ku, J Vaughan

Conventional processing of poly-metallic gold containing flotation concentrates are challenging for a number of reasons. One reason is that substantial copper and zinc in the cyanide leach solution compete with gold and silver for carbon adsorption sites. In this study, metal-cyanide adsorption kinetics and equilibrium are measured on three samples of coconut derived activated carbon and one sample of synthetic carbon. Loading selectivity was confirmed to be in the order gold>silver>copper>zinc for all carbon samples. The synthetic carbon tested showed promising results in terms of loading kinetics and capacity for precious metals.CITATION:Lakemond, S, Ku, L I and Vaughan, J, 2013. Effect of carbon type on adsorption of Cu, Zn, Ag and Au from mixed cyanide solution, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 411-418 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By R J. Soriano, S Ciutina

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 a pebble crushing circuit, which is usually called a SAG-ball mill-crusher configuration. The SAG mill was originally equipped with radial pulp lifters. The mill runs at fixed speed of 10.9 rev/min, which is approximately 80 per cent of critical speed (per cent CS). Due to the high speed of the mill the original radial design pulp lifters presented a high volume of recirculating load inside the chamber and consequently heavy wear on the outer circle (bottom pan).In order to address the high wear on the pulp lifters a number of avenues were considered in early 2011. The chosen solution was to change the geometry of pulp lifters from radial to curved design. The pre-existing drilling pattern on the discharge end of the mill was a major constraint. A number of designs were considered. The selection of the most suitable option was to be made based on 3D discrete element modelling (DEM) and smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations.The original radial design and two potential solutions for curved pulp lifters were simulated with 3D DEM and SPH software. The main three objectives were predicting the charge dynamics, the expected wear patterns and discharge efficiency. One of the solutions was chosen and implemented during 2012.Observations carried on after installation of the curved pulp lifters have confirmed, as expected, a reduction in wear intensity on the outer pulp lifters. In addition to this, at early stages of operation with curved pulp lifters, the mill operator noticed a reduction in energy consumed by the mill with no detrimental effect on mill performance.This paper is intended to further study the effect of curved pulp lifters on mill energy consumption.CITATION:Ciutina, S and Soriano, R J, 2014. Curved pulp lifters – can they save energy?, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 109–116 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By D Engelhardt, G Lane

The Cadia mine has shifted from an open pit operation to the Cadia East underground panel cave. The resulting increase in milled tonnes, more competent ore and the decrease in fines production through shifting to panel caving were predicted to require an increase of over 25 per cent in installed power. This expansion was accomplished via the installation of secondary and high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) crushing of the ore, with the semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill receiving a combination of primary, secondary and HPGR crushed feed. This design, criteria and rationale for selection was presented at the SAG Conference 2011. This paper reports on the initial impact of secondary and HPGR crushing on the circuit performance with the new panel cave feed.CITATION:Engelhardt, D, Lane, G and Powell, M S, 2014. Cadia expansion – the impact of installing high pressure grinding rolls prior to a semi-autogenous grinding mill, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 233–240 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014