Lecture12:Exerciseonmineralprocessing

Contents

Problems1to7

Afloatationplanttreatsfeedwhosegradeis0.8% Cu.Theplantproducesconcentrateandtailings.The
coppergradeofconcentrateis26%andthatoftailingsis0.16%.Calculate:

a) Curecoveryinconcentrate
b) Fractionoffeedinconcentrate
c) Enrichmentratio

LetMF mass of feed, MC mass of concentrate andMT ismassoftailing,f,candtareCugradein

feed,concentrateandtailingrespectively.

Materialbalance

MF MC MT (1)

MF f MC c t MT (2)

By1and2weget
MF
(3)
MC

MC
plant recovery 100(4)
MF

By3and4weget.

MF
100(5)
MC

Plantrecoveryiscopperrecoveryandbyequation5itis82.73%Ans.

MC
Fractionoffeedinconcentrate 0.0286Ans
MF

Enrichment ratio 28.9

Problem2

Inthecircuitshownbelow,thedrysolidsofdensity300Kg/m arefedattherateof25 tonshr.The

feedtothecyclonecontains36%solidsbyweight.Itisfoundthat250 msizeintherodmilldischarge,
ballmilldischargeandcyclonefeedis27%, 5%,and14%respectively.Determinethevolumetricflow
rateoffeed(solid+water)tothecyclone.


Figure12.1:Flowsheetshowingflowofmaterials

Solution:materialbalance

cyclone feed CF Ball mill feed B Rod mill feed R

CF B 25(1)

Performingbalanceon250 msize

CF 14 5B 25 27(2)

Solvingequation1and2wegetCF 61.1 tons/hr.

Volumetricflowrateoffeed(dry)tocyclone 20.36 Ans

.
Volumetricflowrateofwater 108.6 Ans
.

Note isdilutionratio.Densityofwater1ton/m

Problem3

Ahydrocycloneproducestwoproductsi.e.underflowandoverflowfromthefeed.Theoverflowis
treatedfurtherforconcentrationofvaluablemineral;whereasunderflowisrecirculated.Inahydro
cycloneaslurryofdensity1140 Kgm isfedforseparation.Itproducesunderflowofslurrydensity
1290 Kgm andoverflowofslurrydensity1030 Kgm .Determinemassflowrateoffeedtocyclone,
when3litersampleofunderflowtakes4s.Densityofdrysolidis3000 Kgm .Calculate%solidsin
feed,underflowandoverflowbythefollowingequation

Solution

% solids equation6oflecture11
% solids in feed 18.42%

% solids in underflow 33.72%

% solids in overflow 4.37%

Dilutionratiooffeed,underflowandoverflowcanbecalculatedbyequation10oflecture11.These
dilutionratiosarc4.42,1.97and21.97respectively.

Mass flow rate of underflow F %solidinUF

Whereisvolumetricflow rate m hr.

Massflowrateofunderflow 1172 kghr.

WaterbalanceonthecyclonegivesMF 1336 kghrAns.

Problem4:

Analyzethefollowingcircuitanddetermineunknowns

Figure12.2Flowsheetformaterialsflow

Solution:

Applymaterialbalanceandgettheanswer

Flowrateofconcentrate123 thrandtailing877 thr.

Problem5:Doyourself
Inahydrocycloneaslurrycontaining30%solidisfedforseparationofcourseandfines.Theunderflow
has50%solidsandtheoverflowhas15%solids.Ifthefeedentersat20 tonshrinthehydrocyclone,
calculatethetonnageofsolidhrinunderflow.Answer .

Problem6:Doyourself

Aplanttreats210tonnesofmaterialinashiftofmetalgrade40%andtailinghasmetalgrade0.2%.
Calculatemassofconcentrateandtailing.Answer

Problem7

AfloatationcircuitconsistsofroughercleanercircuittoconcentratePbS

ThegradeofPbS infeedis15%andisdeliveredqt1200t/h.Thegradeofcleanertailingis20%.The
cleanertailingsarerecycledtorougherandcirculatingloadis0.25(recycle/freshfeed).Therecovery
andgradeintheconcentrateis 98%and89%respectively.Calculatetheflowratesandgradeofthe
respectivestreams.

Solution

Figure12.3:Floatationcircuittoshowarrangementofrougherandcleaneralongwithinputsand
outputs.

Solution:

Materialbalanceatsteadystateofrougher

1200 300 mT R mC R (1)

Cleanertotalmassbalance
 mC R mC C 300(2)

mT R ismassofroughertailinginthr, mC R ismassofrougherconcentrate, mC C massofcleaner

concentrate.

RougherPbSbalance

1200 0.15 300 0.2 mT R tR mC R CR (3)

t R andCR is PbSgradeinroughertailingandcleanerconcentraterespectively.

CleanerPbSbalance

mC R cR mC C CC 300 0.2(4)

CC isPbSgradeincleanerconcentrate

P S
Recovery 100
P S

C C .
100
.

mC C 198.6 Tonshr.

mC R 498.6 Tonshr.

mT R 1001.4 Tonshr.

Byequations3and4wecandetermine

. %
.
. %