Lecture
12: Exercise on mineral processing
Contents
Problems 1 to 7
A floatation plant treats feed whose grade is 0.8% Cu. The plant produces concentrate and tailings. The
copper grade of concentrate is 26% and that of tailings is 0.16%. Calculate:
a) Cu recovery in concentrate
b) Fraction of feed in concentrate
c) Enrichment ratio
Let MF mass of feed, MC mass of concentrate and MT is mass of tailing, f, c and t are Cu grade in
feed, concentrate and tailing respectively.
Material balance
MF MC MT (1)
MF f MC c t MT (2)
By 1 and 2 we get
MF
(3)
MC
MC
plant recovery 100 (4)
MF
By 3 and 4 we get.
MF
100 (5)
MC
Plant recovery is copper recovery and by equation 5 it is 82.73% Ans.
MC
Fraction of feed in concentrate 0.0286 Ans
MF
Enrichment ratio 28.9
Problem 2
In the circuit shown below, the dry solids of density 300Kg/m are fed at the rate of 25 tons⁄hr. The
feed to the cyclone contains 36% solids by weight. It is found that 250 µm size in the rod mill discharge,
ball mill discharge and cyclone feed is 27%, 5%, and 14% respectively. Determine the volumetric flow
rate of feed (solid+ water) to the cyclone.
Figure12.1: Flow sheet showing flow of materials
Solution: material balance
cyclone feed CF Ball mill feed B Rod mill feed R
CF B 25 (1)
Performing balance on 250 µm size
CF 14 5B 25 27 (2)
Solving equation 1 and 2 we get CF 61.1 tons/hr.
Volumetric flow rate of feed (dry) to cyclone 20.36 Ans
.
Volumetric flow rate of water 108.6 Ans
.
Note is dilution ratio. Density of water 1ton/m
Problem3
A hydro cyclone produces two products i.e. underflow and overflow from the feed. The overflow is
treated further for concentration of valuable mineral; whereas underflow is recirculated. In a hydro
cyclone a slurry of density 1140 Kg⁄m is fed for separation. It produces underflow of slurry density
1290 Kg⁄m and overflow of slurry density 1030 Kg⁄m . Determine mass flow rate of feed to cyclone,
when 3 liter sample of underflow takes 4s. Density of dry solid is 3000 Kg⁄m . Calculate % solids in
feed, underflow and overflow by the following equation
Solution
% solids equation 6 of lecture 11
% solids in feed 18.42%
% solids in underflow 33.72%
% solids in overflow 4.37%
Dilution ratio of feed, under flow and overflow can be calculated by equation 10 of lecture11. These
dilution ratios arc 4.42, 1.97 and 21.97 respectively.
Mass flow rate of underflow F ρ %solid in UF
Where is volumetric flow rate m ⁄hr.
Mass flow rate of underflow 1172 kg⁄hr.
Water balance on the cyclone gives MF 1336 kg⁄hr Ans.
Problem 4:
Analyze the following circuit and determine unknowns
Figure 12.2Flow sheet for materials flow
Solution:
Apply material balance and get the answer
Flow rate of concentrate 123 t⁄hr and tailing 877 t⁄hr.
Problem5: Do yourself
In a hydro cyclone a slurry containing 30% solid is fed for separation of course and fines. The underflow
has 50% solids and the overflow has 15% solids. If the feed enters at 20 tons⁄hr in the hydro cyclone,
calculate the tonnage of solid⁄hr in underflow. Answer . ⁄
Problem6: Do yourself
A plant treats 210 tonnes of material in a shift of metal grade 40% and tailing has metal grade 0.2%.
Calculate mass of concentrate and tailing. Answer ⁄
Problem7
A floatation circuit consists of rougher‐cleaner circuit to concentrate PbS
The grade of PbS in feed is 15% and is delivered qt 1200t/h. The grade of cleaner tailing is 20%. The
cleaner tailings are recycled to rougher and circulating load is 0.25 (recycle/ fresh feed). The recovery
and grade in the concentrate is 98% and 89% respectively. Calculate the flow rates and grade of the
respective streams.
Solution
Figure12.3: Floatation circuit to show arrangement of rougher and cleaner along with inputs and
outputs.
Solution:
Material balance at steady state of rougher
1200 300 mT R mC R (1)
Cleaner total mass balance
mC R mC C 300 (2)
mT R is mass of rougher tailing in t⁄hr, mC R is mass of rougher concentrate, mC C mass of cleaner
concentrate.
Rougher PbS balance
1200 0.15 300 0.2 mT R tR mC R CR (3)
t R and CR is PbS grade in rougher tailing and cleaner concentrate respectively.
Cleaner PbS balance
mC R cR mC C CC 300 0.2 (4)
CC is PbS grade in cleaner concentrate
P S
Recovery 100
P S
C C .
100
.
mC C 198.6 Tons⁄hr.
mC R 498.6 Tons⁄hr.
mT R 1001.4 Tons⁄hr.
By equations 3 and 4 we can determine
. %
.
. %
