Visions of the Future Reduction in Operating Costs Concentrator - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Visions of the Future Concentrator

Increased Productivity Reduction in Operating Costs Improvements in Long Term Sustainability

Dr David Way Chief Executive Officer Dr Sarma Kanchibotla Advisor - Mining

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Introduction

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Traditional Process Flowsheet

Final Product Mill KPI’s : Safety, throughput, milling cost/ton, recovery etc Mine KPI’s : Safety, production tons or bcm, mining cost/ton etc

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Traditional Process Flowsheet

• Mine and mill are under different management structures and reporting

systems

• cost centres
• Each process has production targets and cost budgets
• endeavours to meet targets and budgets
• focus on quantity (volume) rather than quality
• Little understanding on the impact on other processes and overall value
• KPI’s do not encourage to understand risks and maximise the overall value

and risks

• Inadequate systems to measure the outcomes in a timely and reliably

manner

• Inadequate communication between different processes to understand the

interactions and changes

• Cost focus rather than value maximisation and risk mitigation

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Ore Characterisation

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Information is Key

Adding Value to Project Delivery

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

PERCENTAGE OF NAMEPLATE CAPACITY (%) MONTHS

Ramp up of Greenfield Copper Concentrators

225 Axb values 21 Axb values McNulty Series 1

NPV ≈ USD 300 M

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Drill to Mill – Downstream Prediction Using Blast Hole Data

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Ore Fragmentation

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Ore Fragmentation Opportunities

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Frequency Throughput (tph)

?

Can we go further

Industry standard

Based on total power draw of 49872 kW for Ab = ~35 Throughput estimates: Lower 95% 1904 tph Mean 2178 tph Upper 95% 2545 tph 2820 1st intervention Pre 2011 Mine to Mill Fragmentation 3112 2nd intervention 2011 - 12 Advanced Blast Fragmentation 3400

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Breakage in the Mine-to-Mill Value Chain

Energy

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Baseline - Current Practise

Throughput = 100 Relative energy intensity /unit metal = 100 Relative capital cost / unit metal = 100

SAG Mill Ball Mill Screen Recycle Crusher Hydrocyclone

Feed Characteristics

• F80 > 120mm
• Fines (-10mm) < 10 %
• Ab = 35
• Bwi = 14
• Grade – 5 -10 % dilution

D&B cost ≈ $0.30/ton

Fines = 10 -15% F80 = 120 – 150mm

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Best Case – Mine to Mill Practise

Throughput = 110 - 120 Relative energy intensity /unit metal = 80 - 90 Relative capital cost / unit metal = 100

SAG Mill Ball Mill Screen Recycle Crusher Hydrocyclone

Feed Characteristics

• F80 < 100mm
• Fines (-10mm) > 15 - 20 %
• Ab = 35
• Bwi = 14
• Grade < 5 % dilution

D&B costs ≈ $0.60/ton

Fines > 15 - 20% F80 < 100mm

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Future Feed

Throughput = 130 - 140 Relative energy intensity /unit metal = 70 - 80 Relative capital cost / unit metal = 100

SAG Mill Ball Mill Screen Recycle Crusher Hydrocyclone

Each block

Integrated Process Model

Grade Hardness Fragmentation

Tph Recovery Kwh/t $/t Value / block

Feed Characteristics

• F80 < 50mm
• Fines (-10mm) > 40 %
• Ab = 45 (micro fractures)
• Bwi = 12 (micro fractures
• Grade < 3 % dilution

D&B costs ≈ $1.50/ton

F80 < 100mm Fines > 40%

Superior Feed

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Super Fine Feed with Future Concentrator

Ball Mill

75mm 10mm

Impact breaker Rolls Crusher Grizzly Screen Feed Characteristics

• F80 < 50mm
• Fines (-10mm) > 40 %
• Ab = 45 (intense micro fracturing)
• Bwi = 10
• Grade < 2% dilution

D&B costs ≈ $1.50 /ton

• Δ ≈ $1.00 /ton

Throughput > 150 Relative energy intensity /unit metal < 60 Relative capital cost / unit metal < 60

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Ore Pre - Concentration

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Ore Pre - Concentration

• Early Gangue Rejection
• Reduced Mass for Grinding and Mineral Separation
• Reduced Maintenance in Comminution Circuit

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Classification

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Classification

Optimum range for grind size Size Recovery % passing P80 Typical product size

Recovery losses Recovery losses + energy + slimes

Leverage of classification?

• Energy savings
• Minimise production of slimes

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Classification

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Water Consumption Site energy consumption Throughput Circulating load in ball mill circuit Flotation Feed P80 Valuables Recovery

Classification - Opportunities

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Classification – JKMRC Research

• JKTech Promoted Research - Current Hydrocyclone Technology v Screening
• Measure the size of the opportunity for screening
• Novel Cyclone Design
• Proof of concept tests completed with 250mm cyclone with synthetic ores and a real ore
• Results show that the new cyclones
• Cut much coarser with lower water split compared to standard cyclone
• Performance is comparable to that of fine wet screening

0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00 120.00 1 10 100 1000

Efficiency to U/F [%] size [μm]

Alpha=3 Alpha=8 0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00 80.00 90.00 100.00 1 10 100 1000

Efficiency to U/F [%] size [μm]

WS to U/F=30% WS to U/F=10%

Actual efficiency curve (d50c=80micron and WS to U/F=30%) Actual efficiency curve (d50c=80micron and Alpha=3)

Next Steps:

• 1. Prototype development and detailed parametric testing
• 2. Industrial testing

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Flotation & Regrind

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Effect of Flotation Feed Size on Overall Performance

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

• 20

20 40 60 80 100 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Metal Sulphide Liberation, % & Metal Recovery, % Primary Grind Size, (P80 microns) Throughput Relative to Basecase, %

Overall Metal Recovery at Target Grade Metal Sulphide Liberation for Rougher Flotation Feed Potential Throughput Variation

Typical Region for Optimum Flotation Recovery

56kt/a Metal in Concentrate

43%

per unit time

80kt/a Metal in Concentrate 3kt/a Metal in Tailings

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Liberation for Rougher Recovery

Valuable Sulphide or Precious Mineral A Valuable Sulphide or Precious Mineral B Gangue Mineral

Floatable Non - Floatable Target - Low Grade Composite Particles

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Low Grade Composite Flotation – Some Considerations

• Increase in Rougher Concentration Mass Recovery
• More Regrind Capacity
• Staged Regrind

Reference: D. Way & K. Maloney, Mill Optimisation, March 2011, Optimisation of Regrind Power for the Tampakan Copper – Gold Project

David Way, Principal Metallurgist, Xstrata Copper Kenton Maloney, Project Metallurgist, Xstrata Copper

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Conclusions

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Future Concentrator Process Flowsheet

• Mine and Concentrator as one business unit
• Integrate and optimise the total process rather than an individual process
• Focus on maximising the overall value and minimising the risk to total business rather than

unit cost minimisation

Maximise Value & Minimise Risks

Geology / Planning Drilling Blasting Loading Hauling Crushing Grinding Flotation

• Understand the interactions between the key

processes in value chain

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Future Concentrator Opportunities

• Improved Ore Characterisation
• Comminution & Waste Rejection Starts in the Mine
• Ore Pre - Concentration
• Classification
• Separating Coarser Particles containing Lower Valuable Mineral Content
• Higher Rougher Mass Recoveries
• Staged Regrind and Flotation
• Improved Dewatering
• Reduced Environmental Exposure

Not Considered but Important

• Separation and Water Chemistry, Mill Design Options, Flotation Cell Options, etc…

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Breakage in the Future Process Flowsheet

1000 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 Size mm Cum % passing

In-situ Sag Mill Product ROM Crusher Product Flotation Feed

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• Av. Vitacura 2670, Piso 15

Las Condes Santiago CHILE Phone: +56 2 2820 4355

Website & Email

www.jktech.com.au jktech@jktech.com.au

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