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Yanacocha Gold Single Stage SAG Mill Design, Operation and Optimisation

Conference Paper · September 2011

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YANACOCHA GOLD SINGLE STAGE SAG MILL DESIGN, OPERATION, AND
OPTIMIZATION

Ben Burger1, Luis Vargas1, Hamer Arevalo1, Sergio Vicuna1, Jim Seidel2,
Walter Valery3, Alex Jankovic3, Roberto Valle3, Eduardo Nozawa3
1
Minera Yanacocha SRL (MYSRL)
Cajamarca, Perú
ben.burger@newmont.com
2
Newmont Metallurgical Services
Englewood, Denver, CO, USA
jim.seidel@newmont.com
3
Metso Process Technology and Innovation
1/8-10 Chapman Place
Eagle Farm, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
walter.valery@metso.com

1
 OPTIMISATION OF THE SINGLE STAGE SAG MILL CIRCUIT AT THE YANACOCHA
GOLD MILL

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the design, the first three years of operation and optimization of a large,
single stage SAG mill at Minera Yanacocha’s Gold Mill facility located in northern Peru. The Gold Mill
was commissioned in March 2008 with a 32’ x 32’ EGL, 16.5MW single stage SAG mill, to process 5
million tonnes per annum high grade oxide Au/Ag ore. Operational control, feed size distribution, grinding
media, mill liner, grate and pulp lifter optimisation have allowed the mill to operate 15-30% above design
throughput rates, but with a product P80 coarser than design. As part of the optimization, full grinding
circuit surveys were conducted. Historical operating data and survey data were analyzed and used to
evaluate possible circuit changes and determine alternative operating strategies. A number of changes were
implemented which allowed the SAG mill to operate similarly to a large ball mill and achieve finer mill
product that was closer to design. This paper summarizes life to date data analysis and improvements made
by Minera Yanacocha as well as the grinding circuit optimisation study conducted by Metso Process
Technology and Innovation.

KEYWORDS

Yanacocha, SAG, grinding, optimization, simulation, comminution

INTRODUCTION

Minera Yanacocha SRL (MYSRL) has conducted mining operations in Peru since 1993, and has
subsequently produced more than 30 million ounces of gold as of 2011. The mining operations are located
600 km north of Lima and 20 km from the city of Cajamarca, covering an area of 16 km east-west by 8 km
north-south at altitudes of 3200 to 4100 metres above sea-level. Figure 1 shows the geographic location of
the MYSRL operation and the Gold Mill.

MYSRL is owned by Newmont Mining (51.35%), Compañía de Minas Buenaventura (43.65%)

and the International Finance Corporation (5%). MYSRL has historically processed up to 130 million
tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of oxide and transitional gold ores that are recovered by cyanide heap leaching
using Carbon-in-Columns and Merrill Crowe processes. Recently high grade ores have been processed in
the Gold Mill, with gold recovery from pregnant solutions in the heap leach CIC and Merrill Crowe plants..

Yanacocha Gold Mill (YGM) began operation in March 2008. The process includes a SART
(Sulphidisation, Acidification, Recycling and Thickening) circuit, commissioned in December 2008, which
operates on a campaign basis when processing copper bearing gold ores.

2
 1000m

Cajamarca
Peru

Lima

Figure 1: MYSRL mine showing Gold Mill as well as adjacent facilities

YGM processes high grade gold ores at higher recoveries than heap leaching. The mill quickly
exceeded the nominal design capacity of 5.0 Mtpa by 10-20% during the first two years of operation.
However, the operation was also producing a product P80 that was coarser than design. The recovery
impact of the coarse product was negligible and allowed the operation to process additional high grade ores.
Figure 2 compares the YGM design and achieved throughput.

Historical Mill Throughput

900
800
700
600
Tonnes/h

500
400
300
200
100
0

Average Monthly t/h Throughput design t/h

Figure 2: Gold mill throughput above design from early months of operation

3
 DESCRIPTION OF THE YANACOCHA GOLD MILL OPERATION

The Run of Mine (ROM) ore is stockpiled close to the crushing plant and is blended according to
process requirements. The YGM crushing plant consists of two parallel lines, each line consisting of a
single truck dump pocket, apron feeder to a 112” x 30” grizzly and a 50” x 60” C160 Jacques jaw crusher.
The minus 150 mm crushing circuit product is conveyed to a 9,000 tonne live capacity mill feed stockpile.

The YGM grinding circuit consists of one 9.75 m x 9.75 m (32’ x 32’ EGL) SAG mill with an
installed power of 16.5 MW in closed circuit with ten 650 mm cyclones. The SAG mill product discharges
to a trommel with 12.7 mm x 31.8 mm apertures and the trommel oversize (pebbles) returns to the SAG
mill via conveyors; there is no pebble crushing. The SAG mill was designed to process 620 t/h and yield a
product P80 of 75 µm. Table 1 summarizes the design criteria for Yanacocha crushing and grinding
circuits. The target product P80 of 75 µm has not been achieved since commissioning.

Table 1: Summary of design criteria for YGM crushing and grinding circuits

Primary Crushing
Ball Mill Work Index (kWh/t) 15.7 to 19.2
Bond Abrasion Index (g) 0.467 to 0.555
Availability (%) 75%
Design throughput (t/h) 1,500
Feed Top Size (mm) 750
P80 (mm) 180
CSS (mm) 165
SAG MILL
Availability (%) 92
Design throughput (t/h) 620
Circuit P80 (um) 75
Pebbles production rate (t/h) 186
Circulating Load excl. Pebbles (%) 275
Mill installed power (kW) 16,500
Critical speed - normal (%) 60 to 80
Ball charge (%) up to 15

The cyclone overflow is thickened prior to cyanide leaching in tanks. A Counter-Current-

Decantation (CCD) circuit produces precious metals bearing pregnant solution and thickened tailings for
disposal into the tailings facility located within the adjacent La Quinua heap leach pad. Pregnant solution
from the CCD circuit that contains high concentrations of copper and silver is sent to a SART/AVR plant
to remove these metals prior to gold recovery in carbon-in-columns (CIC). Alternately, clean solution from
oxide ores bypasses SART and is sent directly to CIC.

The CIC plant utilised by the Gold Mill process is part of the adjacent La Quinua heap leach
processing facility. Gold Mill pregnant solution displaces approximately 25% of the pre-2008, lower grade,
heap leach solution treatment capacity in the carbon columns. The La Quinua processing facility contains
two CIC plants. The Gold Mill pregnant solution is treated in one CIC plant while the barren solution from
the second CIC plant is used in the mill for process and CCD wash water as the leach pad barren solution
has lower cyanide and metals contents than the barren solution from the first CIC plant which treats the
Gold Mill pregnant solution. This allows the CCD circuit to produce tailings with low WAD-cyanide
(WAD-CN) content and is a fundamental design feature for compliance with the International Cyanide
Code for the Gold Mill and Minera Yanacocha.

4
 The gold and silver recovered onto carbon at the La Quinua CIC is stripped off the carbon in
conventional pressure strip vessels and the high grade strip solution is pumped to the Yanacocha Norte
Merrill Crowe circuit where it is precipitated with zinc and smelted into dore bars in the Yanacocha
refinery.
YANACOCHA GOLD MILL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Yanacocha Gold Mill was designed and built based on the following criterion:

Treatment of high grade gold (2-6 g/t), silver (0-100 g/t), oxides and transitional ores.
The YGM process would increase gold recovery. Under conventional heap leaching conditions,
the gold and silver recoveries from oxide and transitional ores averages ~55% and ~12%
respectively. The YGM process treating this same material achieves gold and silver recoveries of
+82% and +65% respectively.
The YGM process achieves recovery in a short timeframe. Primary gold recovery in heap leaching
typically takes 60 days and continues for several years to achieve ultimate recovery. The YGM
process achieves ultimate recovery in approximately 24 hours.
YGM incorporates SART (Sulphidisation, Acidification, Recycling and Thickening) and AVR
(acidification-volatilization-recycling) circuits to process gold and silver ores from a mixed
sulphide/transitional material, known at MYSRL as Deep Transitional ore. Deep Transitional
material cannot be processed economically with heap leaching due to low recovery and high
reagent consumptions associated with copper and pyrite contents. Furthermore, transitional ores
containing cyanide soluble copper (CN sol Cu) consume more cyanide and require higher free
cyanide concentrations during leaching to achieve good gold and silver leach recoveries.

YANACOCHA GOLD MILL CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS

Throughput versus Grind Size

YGM was designed to produce 620 t/h at a P80 of 75 µm. The throughput objectives were met
and exceeded within four months of commissioning with exception of the target product grind size, which
was never achieved, due to a combination of mill configuration, ore hardness characteristics, grinding
media size plus interaction with discharge grates and classification efficiency.
Figure 3 shows the historical trend of the YGM throughput and final product grid size.

Mill Throughput and Product Size P80

900 200
800 180
700 160
600 140
Tonnes/h

120
P80, µm

500
100
400
80
300 60
200 40
100 20
0 0
Jun-08
Aug-08
Oct-08

Jun-09
Aug-09
Oct-09

Jun-10
Aug-10
Oct-10
Apr-08

Dec-08
Feb-09
Apr-09

Dec-09
Feb-10
Apr-10

Dec-10
Feb-11

Average Monthly t/h Monthly Average P80

5
 Figure 3: Historical mill throughput and P80

The data in
Figure 3 shows an average Life to Date (LTD) throughput of 717 t/h and final product grind P80 of 148
µm at an operating work index of 23.0 kWh/t, which is about 8% higher than the 21.3 kWh/t design work
index. The mill has operated at or below the design operating work index for extended periods of time,
most notably from January 2010 to November 2010, during which higher throughputs were achieved at the
expense of grind size. For reference, the computed throughput for a P80 of 75 µm grind (based on
operating work indices) shows the tonnage rates would range from 76% to 87% (average 81%) of the
actual LTD rate for the mill. It should be noted that regardless of the throughput, it was not possible to
generate a product approaching the design grind size.

Recovery, Grind Size and Operational Variables

Overall there has not been a strong economic incentive for producing a finer product from the mill
as LTD laboratory grind size versus recovery data indicates only a 1.3% recovery increase for gold and a
7.1% recovery increase for silver associated with a reduction of grind size from P80 of 150 µm to 75 µm.
Since recovery is reasonably insensitive to grind size, increased metal production is essentially linearly
proportional to increased throughput. Although this relationship is less accurate for silver, the difference is
short of being an economic driver to pursue a finer grind size. However, there have been shorter term ore
specific periods of operation where gold recovery increased by more than 3% over the 75 µm to 150 µm
size range and the inability to achieve a finer grind size has occasionally been detrimental.

Further to this, operational issues around the CCD contribute to the need for better management of
the final grind size. The Yanacocha ores are typically more than 80% quartz and have an extremely high
settling rates and high settled pulp densities. The coarser grind sizes have resulted in thickener operational
problems due to formation of “sand bars” in the thickeners producing rake high torque spikes and
necessitating taking thickeners off line to manually clean out the thickener bed.. Additionally the coarser
grinds caused poor mixing, short circuiting, and poor washing efficiencies in the CCD circuit, resulting in
some gold losses to the tailings.

Mill Liners

Mill Liner designs have evolved since start up as part of continuous improvement practices in
MYSRL. Each of the design changes are described below, and a summary of operating conditions for each
design is provided in Table 2:

First design, as shown in Figure 4

A total of 54 rows of lifters around the mill circumference. Traditionally mill lifter spacing was
based on a 2 x mill diameter in feet rule and hence a 32ft diameter mill would have traditionally
had 64 rows of lifters. The alternative 54 row design can be considered a wide spaced design (the
number of rows, i.e. 54, is equal to 1.69 x mill diameter in feet).
A lifter face angle of 20 degrees (from vertical).
High/low lifter design with alternating high lifters (250 mm above the plate) and low lifters (150
mm above the plate).
Integrated lifter and plate in a “top hat” style with a plate thickness of 102 mm.

6
 Figure 4: First liner design (March 2008)

Second design, as shown in Figure 5

A total of 54 rows of lifters around the mill circumference.
Lifter face angles of 25 and 30 degrees (from vertical) to test two lifter face angles with a single
liner set to aid subsequent lifter design decisions.
High/low lifter design with alternating high lifters (330 mm above the plate) and low lifters (290
mm above the plate).
Separated lifter and plate, plate thickness of 130 mm, with intent to operate 2 to 3 lifter sets per
set of plates.
Lifter height varied from tallest lifters in first quarter of mill length to a shorter and rounded top
lifter in the last quarter of mill length to account for differential wear rates along the mill length
observed early in mill operation, and to promote a ball mill-like charge motion in the discharge
end of the mill to promote finer grinding, protect grinding media from breakage and reduce grae
pegging from ball chips.

Figure 5: Second mill lifter design July 2008 (installed July 2009)

Third design, as shown in Figure 6

A total of 36 rows of lifters around the mill circumference, which is very widely spaced.
Lifter face angle of 30 degrees (from vertical)
High/high lifter design with high lifters (230 mm above the plate) for the feed end and feed
middle shell lifters.
High/high lifter design with high lifters (200 mm above the plate) for the discharge end and
discharge middle shell lifters.
Integrated lifter and plate in a “top hat” style with plate thickness of 120 mm.

7
 Figure 6: Current mill lifter design (December 2010)

Table 2: Summary table of operating conditions for different liners design

First design Second design Third design

Mill Speed range, % critical 60% 68-70% 74-76%
Ball charge volume, % v/v 13-15 16 - 20 18-20
Total charge volume, % v/v 18-25 20 - 23 20-25
Ball top size, mm 105 105 105

Discharge grates

Shortly after mill start-up a number of operational problems appeared including a serious grate
pegging problem resulting in severe throughput reductions and mill overloads. Short term controls
involved manually cutting ball chips from grate slots every 10-20 days, as shown in Figure 7, while
alternative grate designs were sourced and fabricated. Four different grate designs were tested
simultaneously to test grate slot shapes (rhomboids, relief angles) in steel grates and a rubber/metal
composite grate with smaller rectangular slots. Parallel efforts were aimed at reducing grinding ball
breakage rates through optimization of mill operating conditions (slower speeds and lower sound) and
improving ball quality. In February 2009, four different shape grate slots were installed, and are shown in
Figure 8; three of the grates trialed were metal and one was a rubber/metal composite.

8
 Figure 7: Cutting ball chips from discharge grates

Figure 8: Before and after images for the different grate designs/types

Results from the grate trial confirmed that steel grates suffered from severe pegging (90% of open
area pegged) regardless of slot design and relief angle, whereas the flexible rubber paneled grates did not
suffer significant pegging. The rubber grates have undergone several developments aimed at extending
wear life to 5-6 months such that it matches shell lifter life and can be changed in a common shutdown.
Table 3 shows the design specifications of the rubber discharge grates. Figure 9 shows some design
variations of the rubber discharge grates.

Table 3: Rubber discharge grates design changes

Grate total Slot dimension Passing Passing Working Wear rate

# Slots
area (m2) (mm x mm) area (m2) area (%) days (mm/day)
Grate rev 1 1.66 190 25x50 0.238 14.34 75 1.7
Grate rev 2 1.66 190 25x50 0.238 14.34 86 1.5
Grate rev 3 1.66 172 25x50 0.215 12.95 118 0.96
Grate rev 4 1.66 126 25x50 0.158 9.52 155 0.5

9
 Grate rev 5 1.66 70 + 28 25x50 / 80x50 0.200 12.05 165 0.6

a) Rubber grate Rev 2 b) Rubber grate Rev 3

c) Rubber grate Rev 4 d) Rubber grate Rev 5

Figure 9: Different rubber discharge grate designs

Additional benefits of the rubber/metal composite grates include:

Average installation time is 15 minutes per grate which less than 50% of the time required to
install metal grates.
Rubber grates are 45% lighter than metal grates.
Slots remain clean resulting in increased mill throughput.
No extra mill shut downs required to “clean” the grates, which saves 20 hrs/month in downtime
used for these cleaning activities.
Rubber doesn’t suffer impact welding as metal does, hence the rubber grates are easier to remove.

REVIEW OF GRINDING CIRCUIT OPERATION MYSRL-METSO

A review of the single stage SAG mill circuit was conducted by Newmont Yanacocha and Metso
Process Technology and Innovation (PTI) in mid-2010. The aim of this review was to identify
opportunities to minimise the final grinding circuit product size while maintaining plant throughput rates.

Comprehensive grinding circuit surveys were conducted on the 12th of May and the 9th of June
2010. Samples were collected and laboratory breakage tests conducted to determine ore characteristics.
Data was analysed and used to develop models of the SAG mill circuit. These models were then used to
conduct simulations, evaluate possible circuit changes and determine alternative operating strategies.
Additional information such as historical operating data and shift log reports from February 2010 were also

10
collected and analysed. The study was performed for the current operating conditions while treating ore
from the Yanacocha and Chaquicocha pits, which were the main ore sources at the time. From December
2010 to presently, the main ore source has been from El Tapado, which is harder and more abrasive than
the Yanacocha and Chaquicocha ores, as demonstrated in Figure 10.

Yanacocha ore Abrasion index for metal wear

45%

40%

35%
% Frequency of samples

30%

ETO
25%
ET
YN
20%
CHQ

15%

10%

5%

0%
0.15 0.25 0.35 0.45 0.55 0.65 0.75 0.85
Abrasion Index, Ai

Figure 10: Abrasion index for YGM feed ores

Ore Characterisation

Ore samples collected during the grinding circuit surveys were sent to the Metso Process
Technology Centre, in Sorocaba Brazil, for breakage and grinding characterisation tests. The tests
conducted included: Point Load Test (PLT), SMC test, Bond Ball Mill Work Index and Abrasiveness
Index.

Point Load Index (Is50) can be used to estimate Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) by
multiplying the Is50 value by a known calibration factor for rock type. If calibration factors are not
available, then a multiplier of 24 or 25 can be assumed. For example, an Is50 of 2 MPa equates to an
estimated UCS of 50 MPa. The SAG feed sample showed an average Is50 of 2.62 MPa (estimated UCS of
64 MPa) with a standard deviation of 0.90 MPa. Overall, the UCS calculations for the Yanacocha samples
correspond to a soft ore. Ores with UCS values greater than 75 MPa are considered to be hard.

Results from the SMC tests are provided in Table 4. The A, b and ta parameters (required for
grinding circuit modelling with JKSimMet) were estimated based on SMC test results and a database of
known results. The DWi value of 3.47 kWh/m³ and corresponding A x b value of 72.9 indicate soft ore
with low resistance to impact breakage. The parameter ta corresponds to resistance to abrasion; the ore had
a ta value of 0.75. As indicated in Table 5 both the A x b and ta values for the SAG feed samples tested are
considered typical for soft ore.

11
 Table 4: SMC test summary

SAMPLE DWi DWi Mia Mih Mic A b SG ta

kWh/m³ % kWh/t kWh/t kWh/t
SAG Feed 3.47 21.0 12.3 8.0 4.1 82.8 0.88 2.52 0.75

Table 5: Qualitative Description of Impact Breakage Resistance According to A x b Intervals

Property Very Hard Hard Mod.Hard Medium Mod.Soft Soft Very Soft
Axb <30 30-38 38-43 43-56 56-67 67-127 >127
ta <0.24 0.24-0.35 0.35-0.41 0.41-0.54 0.54-0.65 0.65-1.38 >1.38

Bond Abrasion and Ball Mill Work Index (BWI) tests were also conducted on SAG feed samples
collected during the grinding surveys. The Bond Abrasion Index for SAG feed was 0.528 g, which is
considered abrasive ore. The Bond Ball Mill Work Indices for SAG feed were 16.52 kWh/t for a closing
screen of 212 µm and 17.53 kWh/t for a closing screen of 106 µm.

The Bond Ball Mill Work Indices from the ore samples from the surveys (treating a blend of
Yanacocha and Chaquicocha ore) were compared to historical results for the two individual ore types.
Historical Bond Work Indices (BWI) for both ore types are presented in Figure 11. The average BWI for
the Yanacocha ore is 16.5 kWh/t and for the Chaquicocha ore is 14.9 kWh/t. The Yanacocha ore had a
greater frequency of high BWI values than the Chaquicocha ore indicating that the Yanacocha ore blend
contains a greater proportion of harder material than the Chaquicocha ore blend. However, the results
indicate that both ore types can be considered soft, and these results compare well with the results from the
grinding survey samples.

Dotplot of Yanacocha vs Chaquicocha Ores (BWI)

Yanacocha

Chaquicocha
7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0

BWI (kW-h/t)

Figure 11: Historical bond ball work indices for Yanacocha and Chaquicocha ores

12
 Overall, all the Bond Work Index and abrasiveness results as well as the SMC and Point Load
Test results consistently indicate that these ores are soft, but abrasive. Results from the blended ore
samples from the surveys are consistent with historical results for the two ore types.

Circuit Observations

Initial observations of circuit operation provided opportunities for improvement, such as the
design of the discharge head plate. The height of the discharge head plate was increased from 228 mm to
300 mm to improve slurry discharge and reduce pegging in the grates.

Grinding Circuit Surveys

On the 12th of May and the 9th of June 2010, complete SAG mill circuit surveys were carried out
by Metso PTI and Yanacocha staff. Samples were collected from all cyclone overflow and underflow
streams every 15 minutes for a period of one hour, and the cyclone feed sample was collected from a
blanked-off cyclone at the beginning and the end of the survey. The operation of the SAG mill circuit was
stable during the surveys. At the end of the collection of the slurry samples the SAG mill was “crash-
stopped” together with all conveyor belts. Representative samples were collected from SAG mill feed and
pebble conveyors and pulp level was measured. The mill was then ground out before the ball charge and
ball size distribution were measured. The Yanacocha Gold Mill Grinding circuit flowsheet indicating
sampling points is provided in Figure 12.

D-26" Cyclone O/F

Cluster (10)

Process Water
U/F

Stock Pile
Pebbles
SAG
Mill
32'x32'

Process Water

: Sampling Points
Pump 26"x22"

Figure 12: Grinding circuit flowsheet and sampling points

The average operating conditions of the grinding circuit during the surveys are provided in Table
5. The throughput during the second survey was significantly higher than that of the first survey whilst
maintaining the same product size. It was not possible to increase circuit feed to higher rates during the
first survey due to slurry flow constraints. Total charge, ball charge, power and slurry percent solids were
also higher during the second survey.

13
 Table 6: Survey operating conditions
Variables Units First Survey Second Survey
Fresh Feed Top Size mm 165 171
Fresh Feed F80 mm 79.1 72.4
Cyclone F80 µm 699 560
Cyclone P80 µm 152 154
Mill % of solids % 73.0 80.4
Circulating Load# % 274 169
Cyclone Feed % of solids % 60.0 56.9
Cyclone OF % of solids % 32.8 39.1
Cyclone UF % of solids % 70.9 78.0
Cyclone pressure kPa 95.6 95.2
Number of Cyclones operating # 5 5
Throughput t/h 620 779
Pebble recycling rate t/h 31.4 22.0
SAG Power draw kW 12,286 13,992
SAG Power usage % 74.6 84.8
SAG Motor Current A 2,040 2,316
SAG Mill Speed rpm 8.9 8.7
% of critical speed % 65.2 63.7
Total charge % 17.9 22.9
Ball charge % 16.5 19.1
Ball top size mm 101.6 101.6
Average Bearing pressure kPa 8,988 9,412
Note: # calculated from survey mass balance, not from the plant control system data

Histograms presented in Figure 13, Figure 14 and Figure 15 show differences in mill operation
during the two surveys. Mill power, bearing pressure and power draw were all significantly lower during
the first survey, while recirculating load (calculated from PI data) and pebble discharge rate were both
significantly higher during the first survey. Grate pegging was significantly more severe during the first
survey, and is considered to be a major contributing factor to the difference in performance for the two
surveys.

14
 Histogram of Mill Power (kW) Surveys

30
Surv ey
1st
25 2nd

20

Percent 15

10

0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
00 25 50 75 00 25 50 75 00 25 50
12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 14 14 14
Mill Power (kW) Surveys

Figure 13: Comparison of surveys conditions - Mill power

Histogram of SAG Feed (tph)

60
Surv ey
1st
2nd
50

40
Percent

30

20

10

0
580 600 620 640 660 680 700 720 740 760 780 800
SA G Feed (tph)

Figure 14: Comparison of surveys conditions - Mill throughput

15
 Histogram of Circ. Load (%)
50
Surv ey
1st
2nd

40

30

Percent
20

10

0
200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400 425 450 475 500
Circ. Load (%)

Figure 15: Comparison of surveys conditions - recirculating load (Calculated)

Pulp and charge level

Pulp level was measured for both surveys from known points on the pulp lifter and feed trunnion,
and charge level was estimated by measuring the depth of a pipe below the water level in several points.
Measurement of pulp and charge level is illustrated in Figure 16. Total charge (as percent of internal mill
volume) was estimated to be 19% for the first survey and 23% for the second survey. Slurry pooling was
observed for both surveys.

After crash stop measurements were taken, the mill was ground out and ball charge was measured
inside the mill. The ball charge level (as percent of internal mill volume) was estimated to be 16.5% for the
first survey and 19.1% for the second survey.

16
 Figure 16: Pulp level and total charge measurements
Ball Size Distribution

Photos of the ball charge were taken to estimate the ball size distribution, as shown in Figure 17.
Make-up balls are 75% 90 mm and 25% 100 mm when treating coarse material, and 100% 90 mm when
treating finer material. The resulting media distribution was well-graded down to 60 mm with most balls
between 75 mm and 90 mm. The ball size distribution appears to be slightly coarser for the first survey as
demonstrated by histograms of ball size distribution presented in Figure 18.

Figure 17: Ball size image analysis

17
 Ball size distribution
25
12th May
20 9th June
Bin distribution (%)

15

10

Bin range (mm)

Figure 18: SAG mill media size distribution

Grate Pegging

During the first survey, performance of the mill was significantly affected by excessive grate
pegging; reducing both mill throughput and grinding efficiency. Table 7 shows the proportion of the grates
that were pegged for both surveys. With blocked grates, the slurry pool level is much higher with slurry
discharging through the less blocked grates closer to the centre of the mill. Therefore, a large proportion of
the slurry effectively by-passes the grinding area, and with very little size reduction it is returned back to
the mill through the cyclone underflow. The mill is consuming power to lift the ball charge but a
significant proportion of slurry is passing through the mill without being ground. The recirculating load
increases due to the by-pass, throughput is limited, energy is wasted and the resulting final product is
coarse. Thus mill grinding efficiency deteriorates with excessive slurry pooling.

Table 7: Pegging by grate type

Survey 1 Survey 2
# % pegging # % pegging
Steel 12 61 9 20
Rubber (Old Design) 12 35 11 14
Rubber (New Design) 0 - 4 3
Total 24 48 24 14

The difference in performance of a mill with clean grates compared to a mill with blocked
(pegged) grates is shown schematically in Figure 19. With clean grates the slurry preferentially flows
through the grates closer to the mill periphery; the majority of the slurry flow goes through the charge and
is subjected to grinding action. However, minor slurry pooling can occur even when grates are clean
especially in cases where slurry flow is high due to cyclone underflow recycle, as is the case for YGM.
Slurry pooling was observed during second survey despite less severe grate pegging than during the first
survey, although the effect was less significant.

18
 CLEAN
GRATES
SLURRY
FLOW

Blocked grates
Clean grates
BLOCKED Slurry
GRATES
Charge

Figure 19: Slurry flow with “Clean” and heavily pegged (blocked) grates

Grinding Circuit Modelling and Simulation

The survey data were mass balanced using JKSimMet to confirm the data quality and estimate any
stream flow rates that could not be measured. The mass balance results matched the experimental data very
well indicating the good quality of the survey and collected data.

Size distributions of streams from the current surveys were compared with previous work
conducted by Minera Yanacocha / Newmont and were found to be within the envelope of results from this
previous work. Cyclone overflow results from the current surveys also compared well to daily sizing
results (obtained twice a day from February to June).

The good fit of the mass balance and comparability of survey data to historical and daily results
indicated the quality of data collected during the surveys was adequate for circuit modelling and simulation.
The conditions during the second survey (in terms of ore blend and throughput) were closer to desired
conditions; therefore, the parameters of mathematical models were fitted based on the data from the second
survey. Mass balance results, plant operating data, ore characterisation tests and historical data were also
considered to ensure consistency and proper fitting.

The SAG mill model developed was satisfactory and a standard shape breakage rate function was
obtained, as shown in Figure 20Error! Reference source not found.. The critical size material, associated
with the dip in the breakage rate curve, is in the range of 6-20 mm; this is significantly finer than the range
observed for harder ores which is typically 25-50 mm.

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 1000
SAG Breakage Rate

100
Breakage Rate (1/h)
10

0.1

0.01
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
size (mm)
Figure 20: SAG mill breakage rate function

The cyclone model was used to determine the cyclone efficiency and performance of cyclones
through development of a partition curve, as shown in Figure 21. It can be observed that the sharpness of
classification curve was good with an parameter of 2.5. The fraction of fines by-passing to the underflow
was around 29% and the d50 cut point was 124 µm.

Cyclones Efficiency (UF)

100
90
80
70
efficiency u.f. (%)

60
50
40
30
20 Fitting
10
d50=0.124 mm
0
0.01 0.10 1.00 10.00
size (mm)

Figure 21: Cyclone efficiency curves after model fitting

The SAG mill model matches the experimental data well. The predicted total load was 23.5%
compared to the measured load of 23.8%. Predicted and measured values also compared well for power
draw (14.1MW predicted versus 14.0 MW measured) and cyclone pressure (98.7 kPa predicted versus
100.5 kPa measured).

As the model fitted data matched experimental data well, the model was considered sufficiently
accurate and was used to conduct simulations of various circuit operating strategies. Simulations were

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carried out to assess effect of cyclone geometry and operation on cyclone overflow product size, and a
summary of simulation results is provided in Table 8.
Table 8: Summary of cyclone simulation results

Base Case SIM1 SIM2 SIM3

Vortex Finder inches 9" 9" 9" 7.5"
Vortex Finder mm 230 230 230 191
Apex mm 170 170 180 170
No cyclones # 5 5 6 6
Dry throughput t/h 755 700 680 680
P80 um 144 125 121 122
OF solids % solids 40 33 33 35
Feed Density % solids 58 54 54 56
Cyclone Pressure kPa 101 93 99 115
Cyclone pump flow m³/h 2,288 2,692 2,769 2,604
SAG discharge flow m³/h 1,260 1,372 1,410 1,378
Circulating Load % 173 214 232 230
SAG power kW 14,100 14,136 14,150 14,145
Total Load % 21.2 21.2 21.2 21.1
Pebbles t/h 25.4 24.5 24.1 23.8

The variable with the most influence on cyclone overflow size in the simulations was the cyclone
feed density. A reduction in product size can be achieved by reducing the cyclone feed density; however, a
significant reduction in throughput is also required. The existing 26 inch cyclones are not considered
appropriate for the design cut size. To achieve the design cut size and final product P80 of 75 µm, smaller
20 inch cyclones would be required.

Historical Data Analysis

Contour plots were used to analyse historical data, and analysis was conducted for variables
including mill power, mill speed, throughput and average bearing pressure. The contour plot analysis
averages a third parameter according to nearest points and denotes these averages by colour producing a
3D surface with levels represented by a colour gradient. The two contour plots shown in Figure 22Error!
Reference source not found. and Figure 23Error! Reference source not found. have the same X and Y
axis data (mill power and speed), but the Z axis (colour gradient) is throughput and average bearing
pressure respectively.

Specific regions were delimited from the contour plots according to throughput and bearing
pressure levels and the presence of data points:

Region A: High throughputs (above 800 t/h) and medium bearing pressure (between 9200 to
9500 kPa) at wide range of mill speed and power. Represents 45.2% of observed data.
Region B: Low throughputs (below 650 t/h) and medium-high bearing pressure (between 9400
to 9600 kPa) in a narrow range of mill speed and power. Represents 16.3% of
observed data.
Region C: High throughputs (above 800t/h) and high bearing pressure (above 9500kPa) at a
narrow range of mill speed and at higher than average power. Represents 13.9% of
observed data.

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 Contour Plot of SAG feed tph vs Mill Power (KW); Mill speed RPM
16000 SAG feed
tph
< 620
15000 C 620 – 660
660 – 700
700 – 740
740 – 780
Mill Power (KW)

14000 780 – 820

B 820 – 860
> 860
13000 A

12000

11000

7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.5

Mill speed RPM

Figure 22: Contour Plot of SAG Feed, Mill Power and Mill Speed

Contour Plot of B.Pressure (kPa) vs Mill Power (kW); Mill speed (rpm)
16000 B.Pressure (k Pa)
< 900.0
900.0 – 8900.0
15000 C 8900.0 – 9100.0
9100.0 – 9200.0
9200.0 – 9300.0
9300.0 – 9400.0
Mill Power (kW)

14000 9400.0 – 9500.0

B 9500.0 – 9600.0
9600.0 – 9700.0
13000 9700.0 – 9800.0
A 9800.0 – 9900.0
> 9900.0

12000

11000

7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.5

Mill speed (rpm)

Figure 23: Contour plot of Bearing Pressure, Mill Power and Mill Speed

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 High throughput operation is represented by Regions A and C. Region A is characterized by low
bearing pressures which can be associated with lower ball charges, whereas in Region C bearing pressure
is high indicating higher ball charges. The ability to achieve high throughput at lower ball charges in region
A could be contributed to softer ore and low to medium pegging (0-30%) of discharge grates. Ball charge
is increased when harder ore is processed in order to preserve throughput (Region C). This is clear as
power is increased without increasing the speed. The high bearing pressure conditions are mainly observed
during February 2010. Observations of the cyclone overflow history, taken twice a day, indicates that the
P80 was below 115 µm in 50% of the observations in February, while on the other months the frequency of
P80 below 115 µm is significantly lower, at 22.7%. This may indicate that operation at high ball charge
levels is favourable for obtaining finer product size. The low throughputs experienced in region B can be
explained by a high level of discharge grate pegging (30-60%) which results in slurry pooling, increased
recirculating loads and decreased grinding efficiency.

The orange point on the contour plots represents the mill speed and power during the first survey,
while the green point represents the second survey. For the first survey, the very low throughput (620 t/h)
can mainly be attributed to severe pegging of discharge grates and partially due to low bearing pressure.
For the second survey, circuit feed (779 t/h) was within the range (700 to 800 t/h) expected from the
contour plots, as was the bearing pressure (9400 kPa).

Observations from the historical data analysis align well with findings from surveys and circuit
modelling and simulation. Grate pegging and slurry pooling are believed to contribute significantly to
lower throughput and inefficient grinding.

GRINDING CIRCUIT OPTIMISATION

The review of the grinding circuit identified several potential opportunities requiring further
investigation that may be beneficial to reducing final product size while maintaining plant throughput rates.
Areas identified for optimisation include: grate and pulp discharge design, ball size and charge level, and
lifter/liner design. Optimisation of the primary crushing circuit which feeds the grinding circuit is also
likely to provide benefits to grinding circuit product size.

The Potential for Producing a Finer Grind

The potential for generating a fine product from the single stage SAG mill focuses on the
hydraulic capacity of the hydrocyclone classification circuit and the ability of the SAG mill pulp lifters to
deliver the slurry for classification. Secondary issues of ball size management in conjunction with the
interaction of the mill liners and grates contribute to a lesser degree.

The design criteria for the hydrocyclone classifiers requires a feed density of 45 weight percent
solids to produce an overflow product with a P80 of 75 µm at a slurry rate of 3712 m 3/h. LTD operational
data shows the average slurry flow to the hydrocyclones is limited to 2900 m3/h at an average density of
65% solids with a P80 of 148 µm. Metso Process Technology and Innovation (PTI) noted as part of the
mill optimization study at Yanacocha that to achieve a grind size approaching a P80 of 75 µm, a nominal
doubling of pumping, hydrocyclone and pulp lifting capacities would be required along with a significant
reduction in mill throughput from current levels.

Grate and Pulp Discharge Design

The Yanacocha SAG mill processes large throughputs of soft ore in closed circuit with cyclones,
which results in very high slurry flowrates through the mill. Excessive accumulation of slurry at the toe of
the charge, or slurry pooling, occurs when the slurry hold-up in the mill occupies a volume larger than the
volume occupied by the rocks, balls and their interstices. This phenomenon is related to the ability of the
discharge grates and pulp lifters to efficiently remove slurry from the mill. The slurry discharge capacity of
a SAG mill is affected by the discharge grate design, pulp lifter design and mill operating conditions

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(including mill speed, charge level and size distribution/voidage). Slurry pooling can have deleterious
effects on power draw and mill performance. This was considered in the mill design with selection of a
32’diameter mill with deeper pulp lifters over alternative designs of operating single stage SAG mills at the
time (2005), to afford greater slurry pumping capacity to handle very high slurry flowrates of up to 500%
recirculating load at design tonnage of 620 t/h. Historical operation has indicated recirculating loads of
+400% at higher throughput rates of +750 t/h indicating the current operation is operating at the limit of
the design mill discharge capacity.

Significant slurry pooling was observed in the Yanacocha SAG mill during both of the surveys.
The slurry pooling was more severe during the first survey, where excessive grate pegging contributed to
restriction of pulp discharge from the mill. Changing to rubber grates with a new aperture design has
resulted in greatly reduced pegging, but even with reduced grate pegging slurry pooling remains an issue
for the Yanacocha SAG mill. This is demonstrated by the second survey which experienced slurry pooling
despite significantly lesser degree of grate pegging.

The discharge capacity of standard pulp lifters is not sufficient for the flowrates experienced in the
Yanacocha SAG mill. Pulp lifter design modifications could significantly increase pulp lifter capacity and
improve slurry discharge from the mill. When slurry is discharged more efficiently, the slurry pool may be
reduced or eliminated, improving grinding efficiency. The recirculating load at the Yanacocha mill is
ranges between 150-400%. Increasing the current pulp lifter capacity should allow mill operation at higher
recirculating loads resulting in finer circuit product size.

Pulp lifter design changes represent a relatively low investment compared to the benefit normally
observed in terms of volumetric flowrate and increased throughput in SAG mill operations. There are
several ways pulp lifter design can be modified to improve slurry discharge. The opening at the top face of
the dischargers can be increased, as shown in Figure 24, or the vane arrangement can be changed from
Long-Short-Short (LSS) to Long-Short-Intermediate-Short (LSIS) as seen in Figure 25.

Figure 24: Slurry Pulp Lifter Design with Different Opening of the Top Face of the Dischargers

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 Figure 25: Pulp lifter vane arrangements

Ball Size and Charge

Typically breakage in SAG mills occurs by a combination of impact breakage caused by larger
rocks in the feed and attrition and abrasion caused by grinding media. However, with the relatively soft
ores at Yanacocha, the SAG mill operates more like a large ball mill, where most of the rock particles are
much smaller (or rapidly break to be much smaller) than the steel balls and sufficient steel grinding media
surface area is required for the ore particles to be broken. During the surveys, the Yanacocha mill was
operating with a relatively high ball charge of 16.5-19%, which is an appropriate level for this soft ore.

Evaluation of grinding ball size distribution in the mill have indicated that addition of a smaller
ball 50 to 75 mm as a significant portion of the make-up ball charge would provide a large population of
smaller balls and higher ball surface area to promote finer grinding. However, ball consumption is already
very high 2 to 3.5 kg/t and use of a smaller ball would further increase this consumption and costs to
potentially prohibitive levels.

Lifter/Liner Design

Extensive survey data and industrial experience at a number of operations have shown that it is
possible to obtain increases in mill throughput of 3 to 5% from lifter/liner design changes in operations
with hard ore and relatively coarse feed size. In a conventional SAG mill operation, maximum impact
breakage and high grinding efficiency are achieved with the media landing in the ‘toe’ region of the mill
charge. The mill is operated to avoid ball impacts on the shell above the toe to avoid risk of breakage
and/or rapid wear of lifters/liners. This type of operation requires an aggressive lifter profile to throw the
charge and promote impact breakage. However, due to the soft fine ore feeding the Yanacocha mill is
operated more like a large ball mill with high flowrates, small balls, high ball levels and low speed. This
type of operation promotes low energy abrasion and attrition breakage.

Currently, the Yanacocha mill is using less aggressive lifter design throughout all sections of the
Yanacocha mill, producing less charge lift and promoting more attrition and abrasion breakage which is
beneficial for producing a finer product.

Primary Crusher Operation

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 The primary crushers at Yanacocha Gold Mill are not well utilised, with minimal flow of coarse
ore through the crushers. To operate the SAG mill efficiently as a large ball mill, the grinding circuit feed
size should be reduced by improving the effectiveness of the primary crushers. Providing a finer feed to
the SAG mill would eliminate the need for aggressive lifters in first section of the SAG mill, and less
aggressive lifters could be fitted with the added benefit of reduced liner wear rates.

CONCLUSIONS AND FOLLOW UP

The Yanacocha Gold Mill has been a highly successful operation since start-up in 2008,
consistently operating at up to 30% above design tonnages producing more gold than design. Operational
optimisation efforts are focused at reducing grinding ball consumption rates. It is reasonable to conclude
after three years of operation, that it is not practical to generate a final product with a P80 of 75 µm from
the single stage SAG mill without significant modifications to the circuit and more importantly a
significant reduction in metal production. If economic drivers such as an increase in ores with a stronger
correlation between grind size and gold and/or silver recoveries were to dictate that a finer grind was
attractive, a mill expansion project would need to be considered. The expansion would likely focus on the
addition of tower or ball mills to grind the material from the nominal SAG mill product P80 of 150 µm to a
finer final grind size target based on economic optimisation. This approach would meet the objective of a
finer grind without compromising the circuit throughput.

Following implementation of several recommendations, the subsequent conclusions were drawn:

Installation of rubber grates alleviated the pegging problem experienced with steel grates. The
design of rubber grates, particularly the shape of pebble ports, is still being improved.
The first two shell liners designs had too many “aggressive” lifters, so the mill was operated at
low rpm’s (< 9), causing high torque and high motor and excitation current. Reduction of the
number of lifters from 54 to 36 allowed the mill to be operated faster, at 76% of critical speed,
solving the problem with the high torque, motor and excitation current.
Ball consumption rate is high, between 2 kg/t to 3.5 kg/t. However, this is related to the high
abrasivity of ore processed in the plant.
Changes to the blasting pattern and the explosive type resulted in a reduction of the ROM P80
from 135 mm to 67 mm with the added benefit of also producing additional microfractures in the
ore. These changes have reduced the consumption of power and steel in the mill.
Operating the SAG with lower speed and power and high ball charge has not negatively affected
the throughput. Taking into consideration those operational conditions along with the reduction of
the number and angle of the lifters and a finer ore feed (because of the changes to drilling and
blasting) the mill operational philosophy has changed and the SAG mill is consequently being
operated like a large ball mill.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Minera Yanacocha and Newmont Mining Corporation for permission to
publish this paper along with Metso PTI for their technical support and guidance in ongoing grinding
circuit optimisation activities.
REFERENCES

Guzman, G., Mamani, V., Arevalo, H., Vicuña, S., Vargas, L., Burger, B., SART / AVR Circuit Design
and Operation at Yanacocha Gold Mill, Minera Yanacocha unpublished paper prepared for Precious
Metals 2010 conference, 2010.

Vente, L., Vicuna, S., Vargas, L., Valle, R., Valery, W., “Optimizacion del Proceso Gold Mill en
Yanacocha”, PERUMIN, 30 Convención Minera, Arequipa, 14 - 18 de setiembre de 2011.

Valery, W., Jankovic, A., Valle, R., Nozawa, E., Duffy, K., Metso Process Technology & Innovation –
“Review and Optimisation of the Yanacocha Grinding Circuit”, 2010.

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