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Introduction to Mineral

Processing
Click to edit Master
•MIME-320
subtitle style
•Extraction of energy resources

•Winter 2013

Based on presentation of
“Introduction to mineral
processing” by Prof J. Finch

1

Rock to Metal:
Extraction Metallurgy

Ore or
ROCK Mining Run of Mine
(ROM)

Extraction METAL

Manufacturin
g
2

Mining

ORE BODY Mining ORE

WASTE ROCK

3

Extraction Metallurgy

Mineral
Processi
ng
Hydro- Pyro-
Metallur Metallur
gy gy

4

Mineral Processing

Mineral
Processing VALUABLE
ORE MINERAL

GANGUE

5

Some technical terms
Mineral processing takes place at the
mine site on surface
The mineral processing plant is called

a concentrator, or a mill
The valuable mineral product is the

concentrate
The gangue product is the tailings

6

Mineral Processing

Mineral
Ore or Processing CONCENTRATE
Run of Mine
(ROM)

TAILINGS

7

Stages

8

Size Reduction
or
Comminution
To
prepare ore for mineral
separation

By
reducing particle size to
free
valuable minerals from 9

The need to size reduce

Gangu Valuabl
e e

Mineral

Minerals must first be freed or liberated


10

11

Crushing
Divided into stages:

q Primary
q Secondary
q Tertiary- Few application

12

Primary Crushers

To crush ore from very big


size to less than around 10 cm

Large, robust machines

Principal types:
q Jaw crushers

q Gyratory crushers

13

Jaw
Crusher

14

Jaw
Crusher
•Two jaws, fixed and moving
•Cycle of

breakage/descent/discharge

•Feed opening width – gape


determines top feed size
•Discharge opening width –

set
determines product size
15

Gyratory
Same Crusher
concept but
designed
to crush and
discharge
continuously

16

Gyratory Crusher

17

Secondary Crushers:

Crush product of primary crushers


They have lower capacity compared

to primary crusher
Principal types:
q cone crusher
q hammer mills

18

Cone Crusher

19

Cone crusher

20

The Set

Closed
set Open
Like Gyratory and
jaw crushers
set crusher
Like cone

21

How to control product size
To control the product size from
crushing, size classification is
required
Crushers and classifiers are combined

to form a circuit
Ore or Crusher Size Under-size
ROM Classification Product
Over-size

Circulating Load
• 22
Size Classification
Process of separating particles into
two streams:
• Over-size particles
• Under-size particles
Main method in crushing circuit
• screening

23

Screening

Screens classify
particles based on
probability to pass
through holes of
given size in a
deck
2424

Screening

25

Screening

26

27

Grinding
Product of crushing is too
coarse for mineral separation,
and grinding is used for
further size reduction

28

Grinding
This additional size reduction
will produce particles fine
enough to liberate the
valuable mineral from the
gangue
29

Breakage and liberation

30

A Particle Before Grinding
- Unliberated or Locked

breakage
planes
31

Particle is Broken Along Planes

32

Some Liberated (Free) Particles Produced

33

Particles Types
1) liberated mineral particles

2) locked
particles

3) liberated gangue particles


34

Relating Grind Size to Liberation
Question:
How can we measure the liberation size?

Solution:
By doing mineralography study by some relevant
microscope

35

Particles and Grains
Particl Grain
e s

Microscopic image of the thin


section of rock

36

Observation
Liberation increases as the
particle size is reduced relative
to the grain size
Grain size is the
size of grain of the
valuable mineral

Example:
The grain size of white
mineral is 60 micron
37

Grinding
Grinding system: wet, dry
Wet grinding requires

addition of water
Pulp or slurry = water + ore
The main grinding machine is

called a Tumbling Mill


38

Tumbling Mill

39

Grinding Media (Charge)
Type

The Tumbling Mill is named


after the grinding media
used:

40

Grinding Media (Charge)
Type
 Rod Mill
 Ball Mill
 Autogenous Mill (AG)

– no steel ball
 Semi Autogenous Mill

(SAG) - some steel


balls

41

Rod & Ball Mills
3-6m
2.5 cm 0.5 cm
2-4.5m

2-5.5m

0.5 cm 0.1 cm
2-5.5m

42

Rod & Ball Mills

Grinding
Action

43

Rod & Ball Mills

Media Filling:
About 40%

44

Brekage Mechanism

Mechanism: Impact, Nipping and Friction


45

Tumbling Motion

46

How to control product size
To control the product size from
crushing, size classification is
required
Crushers and classifiers are combined

to form a circuit
Crusher Mill Size Under-size
product Classification Product
Over-size

Circulating Load
• 47
Size Classification
 Classification in grinding
is a wet process
 The common classifier is a
cyclone (or hydro-cyclone)
 Because of the tangential
feed, a cyclone generates
a centrifugal force that
separates the feed into
two streams
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Cyclone

49

Grinding
Circuits
Open & Closed Circuits:

50

Grinding
Circuits
Open & Closed: Rod & Ball Mills

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52

53

Ideal separation

Ideally, the concentrate should contain


100%
54

Actual separation

55

Principle of separation

Separation exploits differences in mineral


properties, e.g.

mineral property technique


density gravity
magnetism magnetic
wet ability flotation

56

Magnetic Separation
Fee The
d Drum
Magnet

Magnetic
Product

Non Magnetic 57

Gravity Separation-
Mechanism

58

Gravity Separation-
Jig
“Lights”

“Heavies”

Mechanism:
Water Pulsation/ stratification

59

Gravity Separation-
Jig
Jig- Mechanism:
mechanism Pulsation /stratification

60

Gravity Separation-
Heavy media separator

•the light particle floats


•the heavy particle sinks

•The density of liquid could be

increased by adding
Ferrosilicon
•The density of media (liquid)

should be between light and


heavy mineral
61

Gravity Separation-
Cone separator
•Mechanism: flowing film
•Due to lighter density, the lighter particles

would enter to splitter

62

Gravity Separation-
Cone separator

63

Gravity Separation-
Comparison

64

Froth flotation
Definition:

Separation of one type of


particle (mineral) from another by
attachment to bubbles

65

Froth flotation
Mixed Minerals

Air
Bubble Separated Minerals

66

Froth flotation

Air
Bubble

67

Froth flotation
Question:
Why do some particles remain
wetted (by water), while others
attach to a bubble?
The science of wetting will help answer this
question:
How surface atoms interact with water molecules

68

Wetting
Hydrophilic
Hydrophobic
(water loving) (water hating)

Air
bubbl Water
e Contact

Mineral
miner
remains
al 69

Example

Hydrophobic surface/ teflon Hydrophilic surface


70

Simulation

71

Froth

72

Wetting: Interactions
Surface No bond
O
O H C
H

M
+

Oxide mineral Graphite


hydrophilic hydrophobi
c
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Wetting: Interactions
Sulphide minerals

Step 1- Reaction with oxygen

S
O
Cu + =

74

Wetting: Interactions
Sulphide minerals

Step 2- Reaction with water

+ =

Sulphide minerals: weakly hydrophilic


75

Wetting:
Making a mineral
hydrophobic
Collectors:
Chemical reagents that react
with a surface to convert it from
hydrophilic to hydrophobic

76

Wetting: Collectors
General structure:

hydrocarbon
chain

reactive
head
group

77

Wetting: Collectors
An example:

hydrocarbon
chain

head
group
ethyl xanthate

78

Wetting:
Making a mineral
hydrophobic
Reaction (adsorption)

mineral
particle

79

Wetting:
Making a mineral
hydrophobic
For sulphide
minerals

80

Wetting: Making a mineral
hydrophobic
For sulphide
minerals The reaction
(adsorption)
partially coats the
surface with a
hydrocarbon
and the mineral
becomes
hydrophobic

81

Froth flotation
• Flotation is not a chemical process
• Flotation separation is based on surface

properties of minerals

82

Inside a froth flotation cell

83

84

Motion of a particle in a flotation
cell

85

Froth flotation Cell Column Cell

Mechanical Cell
Conc.
Conc.
(Coal)
(Coal)
Feed
Feed
Tail.
(Ash)

Concentrate

Tail.
Tailing
Cell bank (Ash)
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87

Dewatering-
Filteration mechanism

88

Dewatering-
belt filtration

89

Dewatering-
belt filtration

90

Dewatering-
Thickening mechanism

91

Dewatering- Thickening

92

Recommended Textbook
Wills’ Mineral processing technology : a

n introduction to the practical aspects of ore


treatment and mineral recovery

McGill Library
TN500 W54 2006

93

Refferences
•Finch,J., Introduction to mineral processing, MIME-
200
•R.O.Burt, Gravity concentration technology, Elsevier,

1984
•N.L.Weiss, SME Mineral processing handbook,

SME,1985

94

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