1 SLURRY
Analysing slurry size online
Rob Norris & Matti Kongas explain how online slurry particle size analysis can be used in mineral processing
P
The PSI 500 rocessing naturally occurring ores
includes to liberate their valuable minerals
automatic is a globally important industry,
flushing, sample and one that is characterised by energy-
dilution and a intensive processing and very high
laser diffraction tonnages.
measurement A core operation is comminution,
head designed to reduce mined ore to the
optimum particle size for downstream
processing. Strict monitoring and control
of particle size is vital during primary
comminution and regrind milling. Particle
size analysis is therefore a routine
practice, where the use of online
measurement is steadily increasing. The
techniques used to generate a wide
variety of metal concentrates are all quite
similar and involve the same unit
operations.
“Strict monitor- PROCESSING STAGES
ing and control Step one in metals processing is
comminution of the mined ore. This is
of particle size crushed to feed-milling circuits, which
is vital during typically include at least two milling
stages and a battery of hydrocyclones,
primary to generate particles of a suitable size
comminution” for downstream processing. If output
from the mill is too fine or coarse, it has
an adverse effect on the efficiency of
subsequent steps. Over-milling drives up
energy consumption and milling media
usage (operating costs). It also increases
wear on the mill (maintenance costs) and
reduces plant throughput.
Figure 1: schematic By balancing the conflicting drivers
highlighting the acting on particle size it is possible to set
influence of an optimum target for a given milling
particle size on circuit. Even then, however, consistently
process producing optimally sized material is
performance complicated by considerable variations
Figure 1
Article reprinted from May 2011
in the feedstock; in turn a function of the
properties of rock mined.
The process steps that follow
comminution aim to concentrate the
mined ore by removing material
containing little or no valuable minerals.
Flotation, which separates out less easily
wetted particles from hydrophilic ones, is
used widely. Leaching, a technique that
removes the metallic minerals or
elements from the gangue (waste) miner-
als by dissolving, is also an option; the
extraction of gold using cyanide solutions
is a classic example. Concentrated
minerals may be filtered and pelletised,
as in the production of iron, or otherwise
processed to form, for example, a
smelter feed.
These steps serve to further concen-
trate the metal-bearing material while
minimising losses to tailings – the waste
stream. Particle size distribution
influences the ratio of recovered to lost
ore, reagent usage and the properties of
the tailings. Furthermore, the particle
size of the concentrate must be tailored
to meet subsequent processing
requirements since it may have a direct
impact on packing efficiency during the
formation of pellets, and/or the
economics of smelter operation.
Finally, the waste stream is treated
before discharge or disposal. Dilute
waste streams containing residual fines
can be thickened to recover relatively
pure water for discharge, reducing the
volume of material left for disposal.
The amount of coagulant or flocculant
required to sediment out the fines is a
function of particle size and therefore can
be controlled on this basis.
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 SLURRY 2

Case study: optimising gold extraction Figure 2

In gold production, cyanide solutions dissolve the non-metallic

mineral, leaving a relatively pure metal. Extraction tanks are
designed on the basis of a defined residence time, so the Figure 2: thickener
particle size of the metal concentrate entering the tank has an with particle size
impact on the amount of gold liberated during extraction. measurement for
As the percentage of particles below 74µm falls (ie the feed controlling
becomes coarser), more gold exits the process in the tailings flocculant and
waste stream. Larger particles are too coarse to react fully with coagulant addition
the extractant. The gold in these particles therefore remains rate, and
associated with the mineral rather than being recovered, monitoring fines in
reducing the efficiency of extraction. exiting water
Producing a finer feed accelerates extraction, maximising
the recovery of gold within a specified contact or residence
time. Here, online measurement of the particle size of the
entering concentrate enables its closer control, promoting
high extraction efficiencies.

PARTICLE MEASUREMENT
Traditionally, mineral-processing industries
have relied on offline, manual particle size
analysis, but they are now increasingly
looking to continuous, automated, online
measurement. Online measurement offers
improved process control, which can be
exploited to deliver significant economic
gain. When it comes to routine monitoring
of process streams, an online particle size
analyser should:
• Produce reliable data, representative of
the process stream;
• Be easy to maintain and operate;
• Have high operational reliability; and
• Measure quickly and precisely.
It is also advantageous if the data
produced correlates well with laboratory
data. One of the earliest online technologies
adopted by the minerals industry was ultra-
sonics. Online ultrasonic particle-sizing
systems, available from the early 1970s,
were an industry standard, although their
limitations are recognised today. Issues with
ultrasonics included sensitivity to entrained
air and the robustness of instrument
calibration; measurements are affected by
the viscosity of the solution and tempera-
ture.
Online mechanical measurement is one
of the techniques replacing ultrasonics. A
precision position sensor, which, moving
over the samples twice per second,
randomly traps and measures particles as
they flow between two ceramic tips. This
technology gives good agreement with
screen analysis when used to measure P80
(the size below which 80% of the particle
population lies).
The instrumentation is robust and easy
to calibrate, but this method cannot
measure fines accurately, and is especially
poor for streams with bimodal particle-
size distributions. It is therefore mainly
used for applications where P80 reading is
the essential information required for
grinding control.
Laser diffraction analysers determine
particle size from the scattering pattern
that is produced as a collimated laser
beam passes through a sample. Large
particles scatter light narrowly at high
intensity, while smaller particles scatter
more widely at lower intensities. This fast,
non-destructive technique produces
volumetric particle-size distributions
without any need for calibration. It is
suitable for both wet and dry process
streams, and is routinely applied for
particle-size measurement throughout
many industries. Both off- and online
systems are commercially available.
With this method, light must penetrate
the sample and multiple scattering (the
scattering of light from more that one
particle prior to detection) can be a
complicating factor. Measurement
concentration is therefore limited, although
algorithms that deal with multiple
scattering go some way towards alleviating
the problem. Commercial laser-diffraction
systems developed for wet measurement
include sample dilution hardware and are
suitable for a wide range of streams
carrying particles from 0.1-2,500µm.
Usually, when applying online analysis,
measuring the entire process stream is not
feasible, necessitating the extraction of a
representative sample. Laser-diffraction
analysis in minerals is usually a two-stage
process.
First, a primary cutter extracts about
100L/min from the process stream. A
secondary sampling system then takes
several 3-5mm samples for measurement,
diluting and preparing them for introduction
into the measurement zone. Sample
preparation may include steps to break up
agglomerates by applying ultrasound or
processing through a de-magnetiser,
depending on the material. Such steps
ensure primary particles are measured.
Extracting small samples every 6sec in
this way produces a full particle-size
distribution every 2-3min; a frequency
high enough to accurately monitor the
majority of mineral-processing circuits.
After measurement, the sample is
returned to the process.
Laser-diffraction systems used in
processing are robust, reliable, and able to
withstand the rigours of continuous
operation. Fully automated, they can be
integrated with existing control platforms
to simplify operation, data processing and
results presentation.
While dedicated analysers may be
installed on individual lines, it is also
possible to draw material from a number
of different sampling points in close
proximity into a single analyser.
BETTER PROCESS CONTROL
Online particle-size analysis dramatically
reduces the amount of manual labour
required for measurement and, through
automation, eliminates the issue of
operator-to-operator variability.
The continuous data stream provided
by online measurement facilitates better
process control, from comminution right
through to processing, delivering
significant benefits in the form of:
• Increased throughput;
• A stable, more optimally sized product;
• Less plant upsets/disturbances; and
• Lower variable costs.
For this high-tonnage, energy-intensive
industry, the cost benefits of installing
online particle size measurement at
various points in the process are
considerable. Laser-diffraction particle-
size analysis reliably meets the demand
for suitable technology.

Rob Norris is business manager, process systems, at Malvern Instruments and Matti Kongas is global product manager at Outotec

Article reprinted from May 2011 www. .com