Crushing - Grinding
Crushing - Grinding
9 February 2012
Toni Kojovic
Managing Director, SimSAGe Pty Ltd
Research Associate, JKMRC
Overview
• Primary crushers
• SAG Mills
• Ball Mills
• Cyclones
• Tower and Stirred Mills
Gyratory
Crusher
Mantle
Concave
Breakage in Crusher
• Gap controls degree of fines and oversize in product
• Classification controlled by open (OSS) and closed side
setting (CSS)
• Power related to energy required to break rock
• Most efficient process in practice
Break
Classify
Break
Classify
Reciprocating Crushers
Jaw Crusher
Cone Crusher
High Pressure Rolls
• compression breakage of a particle bed
Pilot HPGR
HPGR Benefits
• How energy efficient are they?
– 15 to 20% over standard SABC
– 5% reduction in Bond Wi
– Less sensitive to variable feed ores
• What type of ore suits it?
– Not well understood, but expect multi-mineral (ie. having
differential hardness)
• What is the future of HPGR vs traditional Mills?
– Precrushing ahead of AG/SAG and/or BM (or IM)
Size Reduction Performance
• Boddington hard ore (A*b ~28)
HPGR Effect on Bond Wi
Floating roll
Fixed roll
Stud configuration
Stud material
Need 2 weekly inspections
Energy Comparison
SAG/AG Mills
SAG Grate Discharge
Configurations
OPEN-CIRCUIT (external return of trommel o/s)
< 175 mm
< 12 mm
OPEN-CIRCUIT (internal return of trommel o/s)
< 175 mm
< 12 mm
CLOSED-CIRCUIT (WITH CYCLONES)
< 0.5 mm
66%
33%
< 175 mm
CLOSED-CIRCUIT (WITH RECYCLE CRUSHER)
12mm
< 175 mm
< 12 mm
PRE-CRUSHING (WITH RECYCLE CRUSHER)
< 175 mm
100/30mm
12mm
30mm
< 12 mm
80% < 30 mm
20% > 100mm
Comparison of SAG Feed Types
• 100% secondary and partial pre-crushing
100
ROM 100% SecCr Partial SecCr
80
Cum % Passing
60
40
20
0
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Size (mm)
Breakage Mechanisms in Mills
Charge Motion in Tumbling Mill
Shoulder
Region
Drop
Height Attrition
Zone
Bed thickness
Toe Region
Impact Zone
Toe Region
SAG Mill Optimisation
• To maximise throughput in a given mill, these key
questions are important?
– How big is the hammer? - ball/media size
– How fast are you hammering? – speed/frequency
– Where are you hammering? – lifter design
– How much power are you drawing? – rock and ball charge (ratio
and total filling %)
• To control grind size, need to increase rock load in SAG mill
(harder with fine feed)
– Reduce speed and water addition, adjust feeders
Andacollo SAG Mill
• 5½ inch media
• 15-16% ball charge
• Potential to reduce ball size in SAG due to
finer feed (perhaps 50/50 5 and 5.5 inch)
• More balls, higher breakage frequency,
finer product.
Mill Load vs Throughput/Power
• Maximum TPH is not at maximum Power
• Grinding curve of mill performance
Power
Throughput
0
100
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
8/4/01 6:09
8/4/01 6:49
8/4/01 7:29
8/4/01 8:09
8/4/01 8:49 2010 PSI
% < 325M
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Mill Load %
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SAG 3 Througput (swt/h)
8/4/01 23:29
8/5/01 0:09
8/5/01 0:49
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SAG MILL #3 Estimated Total Mill Load %
8/5/01 4:09
PSI 2010 Cyclone OverFlow Fraction #1 %-325
8/5/01 4:49
SAG MILL #3 Conveyor Belt Scale Feed Rate TPH
Effect of Mill Load on Grind
8/5/01 5:29
0
50
100
150
200
250
TPH
SAG Mill Load Sensors
• Many approaches tried, non-contact and contact
• Electronics sensitive to interference, noise, vibration, dust
• Simple system would enhance mill control, help in training
Effect of Lifter Face Angle on
Impact Point
79°
68°
South African - Grid Liners
Cadia Hill - 90° Lifter (circa 1997)
Alumbrera - 65° Lifter
Andacollo - 60° Lifter (HAT Steel)
Ball Increases amount high energy impact
Charge collisions higher throughput
% passing
% passing
10
0.1 1 10 100 1000
Size (mm)
Size Variability Matters
200+ tph 100 tph
SAG 3 speed
90
250
80
70
Mill Load %, F80 x 10 (inch)
200
60
SAG 3 Throughput
SAG 3 Feed Size
STPH
50 150
40
100
30
20
50
10 Mill Load
%
0 0
0 8 48 2 8 0 8 4 8 2 8 0 8 4 8 2 8 0 8 48 2 8 08 48 28 08 48 28 0 8 48 28 08 4 8 2 8 08 4 8 28 08 48 28 08 4 8 28 0 8 4 8 2 8
6: 6: 7: 8: 8: 9: 10: 10: 11: 12: 12: 13: 14: 14: 15: 16: 16: 17: 18: 18: 19: 20: 20: 21: 22: 22: 23: 0: 0: 1: 2: 2: 3: 4: 4: 5:
02 02 02 02 02 02 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02
/20 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 2 00 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20 /20
2 2 2 2 2 2 / / / / / / / / / / / / 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03 03
/0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/
09 09 09 09 09 09 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09/ 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Why Blasting is Important?
Modified
Blast
Controlling Size via Blasting - 2
60.0
40.0
20.0
0.0
1000 10000 100000 1000000
Sieve Aperture (µm)
F80 (inch)
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
6:10
6:55
7:40
8:25
9:10
9:55
10:40
2.82
11:25
12:10
12:55
13:40
14:25
15:10
15:55
16:40
17:25
2.80
18:40
19:25
Date/Time
20:10
20:55
21:40
22:26
23:11
2.92
23:56
0:41
1:26
2:11
2:56
3:41
4:26
5:11
5:56
2.96
Using Split to Control Gyro Gap
No Slurry Pool
Slurry Pool
Simple Test for Slurry Pool
• Controlled crash-stop, with all the feed (ore,
water and slurry) to the mill stopped quickly (<
15sec)
• Watch power and load trends…
5000 300
4000 260
power
Mill Power (kW)
load
2000 180
1000 140
0 100
0 10 20 30 40
Time (min)
Ball Mills
MEDIA MOTION
Ball Mill Overflow Discharge
Liner Designs with Less Lift
Effect of Ball Size
Breakage Rate
1” (25 mm) 2” (50 mm)
Ball Size
Decreasing
Feed Trunnion
2.35m Dia
Charge
Maximum 32% v/v
Andacollo Ball Mill Parameters
The finer the feed, the smaller the balls should be.
Charge regularly to maintain power and string.
Configuration
• Ball Mill/Cyclone circuit is almost always better
for primary grinding.
• Cyclone - Ball Mill circuit is used where the
product is fine and needs to be finished to
target final floatation feed size.
Ball Mill Operation
• Ball mills can operate over a very wide range of
conditions.
• Performance is controlled by interactions between the
mill and cyclones.
• Factors that limit ball mill performance are:
– feed too coarse
– slurry density too high
– slurry density too low
– poor classifier operation
– balls too small (or too large)
– poor liner design/condition
Ball Increases amount impact and
Charge attrition collisions finer product at
a given throughput, leads to lower
circulating load
Ball For the same charge, increases
Effect of Size amount of impact collisions, though
at a lower energy finer product,
Key can decrease or increase circulating
Variables load depending on feed size
Increases amount of attrition
collisions finer product
% For example, 65 to 75% solids,
Solids increases the time particles spend in
the mill finer product, leads to
lower circulating load
Importance of Circulating Load
• Optimum circulating load will provide a good
compromise between over grinding and
minimization of coarse particles in the mill
discharge.
• Circulating load and grinding performance of the
cyclone-ball mill circuit can be controlled with
slurry density and proper cyclone operation.
• eg. use larger VF to unload circuit.
Managing Circulating Loads
• As the circulating load increases, the cyclone apex will
become overloaded and the cyclone will ‘rope’. As the
cyclone mode goes from spray to rope, cut size increases
by about 10 times. Hence the circuit unloads very
rapidly.
• This may mean the plugged cyclones and sanded
pipes/launders. If the same rope condition occurs, the
poor recovery will result in the flotation circuits.
• The cost may be as much as a few percent of recovery.
Hence regular walk arounds to inspect the cyclone splits
is critical to minimize these potential losses.
Effect of Overloading
• Power is reasonably constant across a wide
range of flowrates, BUT
• When overloaded, charge swells, charge density
drops and power draw reduces.
• Grinding efficiency reduced, product coarsens,
circulating load increases, residence time lower.
• TPH may need to be cut to sustain stable
operation. Try moving water to feed chute.
‘Best circulating load’
• Best mill volumetric throughput at 2400tph
• Typical operation
– 4200 m3/h cyclone feed rate (per nest)
– 57-60 % solids feed density
– 9-10 psi and 78 % solids U/F
– 37-39% solids O/F
Slurry Density Control
• Slurry density can be used to control grinding
performance.
• As the mill is well mixed, slurry density inside
the mill will be similar to mill discharge density.
• Low density (<75%) reduced grinding efficiency.
• A very high density (80-82%) increases viscosity
and reduces grinding efficiency.
• Manage using dilution water to the feed chute.
Feed Water Control
• When the circulating loads and resulting cyclone
underflow and mill densities are high (80-82%), we
need to increase the dilution water to the feed chute
(and remove from discharge box, 50-100 gpm).
to flotation
FEED CHUTE
WATER
DISCH BOX
WATER
Ball Mill
Classifiers
• Purpose of any crushing and grinding circuit is size
reduction to liberate minerals
• Screens and hydrocyclones are used to ensure
product meets target size for downstream
process.
– Mineral liberation
– Flotation separation
• Poor classification reduces efficiency of
downstream process (ball mill and flotation)
How Do Classifiers Work?
• Hydrocyclones work on principle of
differential hydrodynamic behaviour
– Sensitive to size, shape and density
• Screens are positive sizing devices
– Vibrating or static screens (sieve bends/DSM)
– Trommel screens
– Various aperture designs
Hydrocyclones
BODY
DIAMETER
VORTEX
FINDER
CYLINDER
INLET
CONE
ANGLE
APEX OR
SPIGOT
Monitor Cyclone Operation
Q f 0.010 P D2
80
67.9
Auto (1) or Manual (0)? 0 c
60
U/FLOW
40
Operating Parameters: stph 521
Cut-size d50c (m) 177 20 % sol. 75.8
0.177
Water split to O/Flow, c (%) 67.9 0 % -325M 40.6
0.00 0.01 0.10 1.00 P80 (m) 168
Size (mm)
d50c
Cyclone Operation – Problem 1
• Circulating load is in normal range, but the
classifier overflow density is high, grind size too
coarse for the feed density.
Oversize
Screen
Deck
Undersize
TPH U / S % A in U / S
Eff (%) 100
TPH F % A in F
90
Efficiency (%)
0
100%
Screen Load (%)
Relation between Cut-Size and
Aperture
• Based on Efficiency Curve (, C and d50c)
sharpness of the split
–C water split to undersize
– d50c cut-size, around 70-90% of the
aperture depending on efficiency
A
d50c
100 100
loge e 1 2
100 K E 100 K E
where A = aperture, KE =efficiency factor (~93)
Screen Calculations
• Basic capacity (vibrating screens)
– tph per m2 = -0.0054A2+2.53*A
and C depend on screen loading, size
dist., open area and aperture size (and feed
density if wet)
• Guidelines, efficient screening, 5 to 200mm
8 to 12
–C 96.0 to 99.9%
Screening Parameters
• Guidelines, inefficient screening, 0.5 to
5mm
4 to 6
–C 70.0 to 95%
• AG/SAG Trommels (12-20mm)
10
–C 99.9%
Tower and Stirred Mills
Case for Liberation vs Grind Size
Velocity
Stirrer
tip
Breakage Rate in Tower Mills
• For a given mill depends on ball load (Hb)
and ball size (Db)
• Breakage increases as ball load is increased
(more power draw)
• Breakage increases as ball size is reduced
(more contact area)
Hb
Breakage
Db
Red Dog Tower Mills
• 10 x MPSI Tower Mills, Model KW 450
• 6 ft. D x 21 ft. L
• 300-335 kW
• Ball Load 35-40 st (~7kW/st balls)
• 12.5mm balls
• 41 rpm
Isa Mills
• Niche in fine and ultra fine grinding duty.
• Single stage, F80<500m, open circuit with
integrated classification.
• High specific energy and inert media options.
• 3MW available, but 10MW soon.
• Wear performance has limited uptake.
Anglo Platinum (2.6MW, VSD)
Red Dog Isa Mills
• 2 x M3000
• 1.25m Dia x 2.5m Long
• 1.2 MW
• 60-70% media charge
• 2-3mm ceramic
• 20 m/s disk tip speed (370 rpm)
Red Dog (1.2MW)
Feed End
Disch End
Pre-Cyclones
IsaMill Grinding Mechanism
10
Finer
1
1 10 100 More energy
Energy consumption (kWh/t)
Other Comminution Technology
• Microwave
– has been demonstrated, Uni of Nottingham
– Can for some ores reduce hardness (needs
metallic minerals)
– Energy intensive
• High Voltage (Sel-Frag, Swiss)
– Demonstarted to produce better liberation of
poly mineral ores (AMSRI)
– Energy intensive
Pre Filtering or Sorting
• How classifying the rock coming into the Mill
will affect operations.
– Avoid energy consumption for below cut-off grade ores
– Avoid disposal of fine material that leaches acids
– Increase resource size as more ore can be sent to mill
• Large particle flotation.
– Early in circuit, following primary grinding or HPGR
– Reject tails that is waste, reducing the amount of
material in final grinding. eg. Jameson Cell
Thank You
Questions ?