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DIAGNOSIS OF PROCESS HEALTH, ITS TREATMENT AND IMPROVEMENT TO

MAXIMISE PLANT THROUGHPUT AT GOLDFIELDS CERRO CORONA

Conference Paper · September 2015

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VANCOUVER 2015

DIAGNOSIS OF PROCESS HEALTH, ITS TREATMENT AND IMPROVEMENT TO

MAXIMISE PLANT THROUGHPUT AT GOLDFIELDS CERRO CORONA

Ronald Diaz1, Hyder Mamani1,

Walter Valery , Alex Jankovic2, Roberto Valle2, and Kristy-Ann Duffy2
2

1
Gold Fields La Cima S.A.A
Derby 055, torre 1, Oficina 301, Santiago de Surco
Lima 33, Perú
(Ronald.Diaz@goldfields.com.pe)
2
Metso Process Technology and Innovation
Queensland Center for Advance Technology 1, Technology Court, Pullenvale, QLD, Australia
(Walter.Valery@metso.com)

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DIAGNOSIS OF PROCESS HEALTH, ITS TREATMENT AND IMPROVEMENT TO

MAXIMISE PLANT THROUGHPUT AT GOLDFIELDS CERRO CORONA

ABSTRACT

The Gold Fields Cerro Corona operation produces gold-copper concentrate through blasting,
comminution and flotation processes. In 2010, the operation started experiencing changes in ore hardness
which significantly affected the plant throughput. For this reason, Metso Process Technology and
Innovation (PTI) were contracted in 2011 to evaluate the current operational practices, identify the main
bottlenecks and diagnose the process health in terms of throughput and energy consumption. In particular,
the aim was to understand the impact of ore hardness on throughput, plant fluctuation and particle size
distribution and to use this information to optimize the operation. A Process Integration and Optimization
(PIO) study from the mine to the plant provided a series of recommendations addressing the current
operating issues and aiming to maximize the plant throughput. Gold Fields implemented most of the
recommendations. A validation trial confirmed that a 14.8 % increase in throughput was achieved for the
specific ore selected for the study, and a 5.7 % increase overall (for all ore types treated since the
beginning of the project). In addition, the SAG specific energy was reduced by 9.3% without affecting the
product size and downstream flotation processes, and plant fluctuation was significantly reduced.

KEYWORDS

Comminution, mine-to-mill, process optimisation, energy efficiency, drill and blast, crushing, grinding.

INTRODUCTION

Brief description of the Cerro Corona operation

The Cerro Corona operation consists of a large copper-gold open-pit mine and plant situated in
the Andes Mountains in Northern Peru approximately 600 km north-northwest of the capital city Lima.
The Cerro Corona operation and its geographical location are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – The Cerro Corona operation and its geographic location

The Cerro Corona copper-gold deposit is a porphyritic stockwork type deposit that has been
intensely altered by faults resulting in complex and variable geology and mineralogy. The main ores

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treated at Cerro Corona are classified as Hypogene, Supergene and Mixed. Run-of-Mine (ROM) ore is
stockpiled close to the crushing plant and is blended according to process requirements. The Hypogene ore
from deeper in the pit is less altered than the Supergene ore closer to the surface. Consequently, as mining
progresses deeper into the pit the proportion of harder Hypogene ore increases causing problems with
lower throughput in the processing plant.

Operations at Cerro Corona consist of a conventional open-pit mine feeding ore to a process plant
for the concentration of porphyry copper. The principal stages are: crushing, grinding, flotation, thickening
and tailings management. The concentrator was designed to treat 775 t/h of ore with an availability of over
91%.

Ore from the mine is transported by trucks to crushing. Crushing is performed in a single stage by
an Abon Mineral Sizer with 775 t/h nominal capacity, 930 t/h design capacity and 373 kW (500 HP)
nominal power. There is a second crusher of the same type in parallel on stand-by. The crushed material
directly feeds the grinding circuit which consists of a SAG mill followed by a ball mill in closed circuit
with hydrocyclones. There is no coarse ore stockpile due to the high clay content in the ore.

The 3,900 kW SAG mill has a diameter of 24 feet and length of 14.5 feet. The SAG Mill
discharge is classified via a trommel screen with 14 x 26 mm apertures, and the oversize (pebbles) are
returned via trucks to the ROM pad. The SAG mill trommel undersize has an 80 % passing transfer size
(T80) of 1.2 mm. This feeds a battery of nine 26 inch cyclones of which five to six are typically operating.
The cyclone underflow reports to secondary grinding in the 7,600 kW ball mill which has a diameter of 24
feet and a length of 34 feet. The ball mill discharge returns to the cyclones in closed circuit, with the
cyclone overflow (the circuit product) feeding the flotation circuit. The grinding circuit product 80 %
passing size (P80) is typically 120 µm for Supergene ore and 160 µm for Hypogene ore.

The flotation plant consists of three sections. Rougher flotation produces a bulk concentrate,
which is then reground and sent to two stages of cleaner flotation. The tailings report to scavenger flotation
while the final concentrate, with a grade over 20 % copper, is thickened and filtered before being
stockpiled for final shipment to Salaverry port. The final tailings from rougher and scavenger flotation are
sent by gravity to the tailings storage facility (Goldfields, 2012).

Project Background

As mining extends deeper into the pit at Cerro Corona there is less alteration and consequently an
increased proportion of hard ore is expected. In 2010, the operation started experiencing this increase in ore
hardness which significantly affected the plant throughput, particularly through the SAG mill in more than
15%, comparing the monthly averages treating blended ores with production of harder ores, as further
shown below in Figure 17. Therefore, Cerro Corona initiated a project with the objective to increase
overall production from mine to plant by improving the efficiency of the processes in the value chain.

Cerro Corona contracted Metso Process Technology and Innovation (PTI) in 2011 to evaluate the
current operational practices, identify the main bottlenecks and diagnose the process health in terms of
throughput and energy consumption. The aim was to understand the impact of ore hardness on throughput,
plant stability and particle size distribution and to use this information to optimize the overall operation. A
Process Integration and Optimization (PIO) study from the mine to the plant was conducted for the blasting
and comminution processes with the aim of increasing the current plant throughput when processing the
hardest ore present at Cerro Corona.

OVERVIEW OF PROJECT METHODOLOGY

Metso’s Process Integration and Optimisation (PIO) methodology involves the development of
integrated operating and control strategies from the mine to the plant that maximise throughput, minimise

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the overall energy consumption and cost per ton, and maximise profitability. This requires an
understanding of the physical properties and composition of the ore body, and how these ore properties
will affect the performance of the blasting, crushing, grinding and separation stages in terms of throughput,
recovery and product grade.

The process starts with ore characterisation to define domains within the orebody that will behave
similarly throughout the blasting and comminution processes. The SmartTag™ ore tracking system
developed by Metso PTI (La Rosa, 2007) is used to track the characterised ore from the mine, through the
crusher and finally into the grinding mills. With the ore source and characteristics known, detailed audits
of the blasting and processing operations are used to develop site-specific predictive models for each
operation. Using these predictive models, the blast design is optimised to generate optimal ROM
fragmentation for all ore types, and downstream processes are evaluated and adjusted accordingly. The
models also allow prediction of throughput and recovery performance for each ore domain, and when
combined with the mine plan can be used for forecasting, planning and optimisation purposes.

DIAGNOSIS OF PROCESS HEALTH AND ITS TREATMENT AT CERRO CORONA

The main objective of the project was to increase throughput when treating the hardest ores at
Cerro Corona; therefore, a polygon with hard ore was selected for investigation. The ore was characterised
and the SmartTagTM system was used to track the blasted material from the selected polygon and determine
when it arrived in the comminution circuit. This allowed the circuit to be surveyed while treating ore from
the selected blast. A complete audit and full survey of the mine and comminution circuits was conducted
in October 2011 to benchmark the operation and collect detailed data to conduct the optimisation study.
Laboratory breakage and grindability tests were conducted on the samples collected, and these were used
together with the survey data, historical operating data and PTI’s extensive database to develop site
specific mathematical models of the blasting, crushing and milling processes. These models were then used
to conduct simulations, evaluate possible circuit changes and determine alternative operating strategies in
the mine and plant to increase throughput when processing the harder ores at Cerro Corona.

Rock Mass Characterization

Properties of the rock mass are of fundamental importance to the design of blasts. However, these
are often ignored due to complexity which inevitably leads to the variability in blasting performance that is
commonly observed in the field. For blasting performance to be optimised to suit the overall mining and
milling process, some measure of rock mass ‘blastability’ is essential. At the most basic level this must say
something about the structure of the in-situ rock mass and the strength (hardness) of the intact rock
material.

Rock structure is a measure of the natural fractures and discontinuities in the rock which can be
quantified with Rock Quality Designation (RQD), fracture frequency, and joint mapping. Rock strength is
a measure of the hardness of the rock matrix and can be measured with laboratory tests such as Point Load
Index (PLI) and Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS). UCS is a common measure of strength and can
be estimated from PLI values to reduce laboratory testing requirements. In general terms, the rock structure
affects the coarse end of the ROM fragmentation, while the strength (hardness) affects the generation of
fines.

For the optimisation project, RQD with some localised confirmation of two and three dimensional
mapping using Sirovision Software were used to estimate the in-situ block size for the blasting polygon
selected for benchmarking trials. This is an important input for blast fragmentation modelling.

The RQD results, shown in Figure 2, indicated low quality rock in terms of rock mass structure.
RQD values greater than 75 % represent high-quality, massive rock, whereas RQD values below 50 %
represent low quality, jointed/fractured rock. Analysis of discontinuity spacing using Sirovison Software
confirmed the rock mass could be considered fractured to moderately fractured.

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Figure 2 – RQD Results for Cerro Corona trial polygon

Grinding characterisation tests were conducted on the ore from the selected blasting polygon to
derive crushing and milling parameters to enable modelling of the entire breakage process from the mine to
the mill. The test results are summarised in Table 1.

The SAG Mill Competency (SMC) test Axb values indicate that the ore can be considered a soft
ore in terms of resistance to impact breakage and the ta values indicate a medium to soft ore in terms of
resistance to abrasion breakage. The Bond Work Index (BWi) test result suggests the ore can be
considered a soft ore for ball mill grinding. The UCS estimated from PLI indicates a moderately hard ore
(blastability parameters), which is not always directly related to SMC and BWi results (comminution
parameters).

Table 1 – Summary of grinding characterisation test results

BWI Test
SMC Test Point Load Tests (PLT)
(150 µm closing screen)
Is50 Is50 Estimated
Sample F80 P80 BWi
Axb ta Density Average Std Dev UCS
Location (µm) (µm) (kWh/t)
(MPa) (MPa) (MPa)

1 76.3 0.52 2.62 - 2.84 2436 124 11.73 3.10 1.07 76

2 87.1 0.72 2.56 - 2.89 3.47 0.85 85

The ore characterisation testing suggests that the material from the selected polygon was not the
hardest ore type present at Cerro Corona, but still hard ore within the internal classification of ore category.
SmartTagTM ore tracking system confirmed this was the material treated during the benchmarking phase
audits and surveys.

Drill and Blast Assessment

One of the main objectives of the project was to develop strategies to maximise mill throughput
when treating harder ores. This can be achieved by improving ROM fragmentation through optimisation of
blasting practices to reduce top size and increase fines.

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For SAG mills, higher throughput may be achieved when the SAG mill feed has:

 as fine a top size as possible

 the smallest possible amount of 25 to 75 mm intermediate size material
 the maximum amount of –10 mm fines

This is shown schematically in Figure 3.

100
Reduce top size
Cumulative passing (%)

50
Increase Decrease
fines amount of
intermediate
size material
0
1 10 100 500
Free grinding Critical Size Grinding Media

Size (mm)

Figure 3 – Schematic of ideal SAG mill feed size distribution

Optimisation of ROM fragmentation requires a reliable model of blast fragmentation to determine

the effect of changing blast parameters on fragmentation. The PTI blast fragmentation model, which is
sensitive to the major parameters known to affect blasting performance, was calibrated with ore
characterisation data and design parameters from the blast polygon that was audited at Cerro Corona.
Image analysis of the ROM size distribution produced by the audited blast was used to calibrate the coarse
size fractions, and the size distribution of the primary crusher product belt cut sample was used to correct
the fine portion of the curve (as image analysis cannot accurately predict fines). A comparison between the
measured and model generated ROM size distribution is shown in Figure 4. The average size distribution
from the ROM image analysis is represented as ‘Average ROM’, and the ROM envelope shows the range
of size distributions produced from the image analysis. The model predictions correlated well with
measured values at both the coarse and fine ends of the particle size distribution. This demonstrated that
the model was sufficiently accurate in predicting ROM fragmentation for simulation studies.

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Blast Model
100

90

80
cum. % pass.

70

60

50

40 Blast Model

30 Average ROM

20
Crusher Product

10
ROM Envelope
0
1 10 100 1000 10000
size (mm)

Figure 4 – Blast fragmentation model validation

Different blasting scenarios were simulated using the calibrated blast fragmentation model to
investigate the impact of changes in explosive type, stemming length and powder factor on ROM
fragmentation. The powder factor typically implemented in mines with similar rock characterization to
Cerro Corona after PIO projects is within the range of 1.6 to 1.8 kg/m³. The blast design for the audited
blast was at 0.8 kg/m³ powder factor, well below levels that have been implemented at similar operations.
The blast design parameters for the previous blasting practices at Cerro Corona, the audited blast and
several simulations are provided in Table 1. The corresponding model predictions of ROM size
distribution are shown in Figure 5.

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Table 2 - Blast design parameters

Parameter Design of Simulations

Audited blast
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5
Explosive Stemming PF = PF = PF =
length 1.2 kg/m3 1.4 kg/m3 1.6 kg/m3

Bench height (m) 10 10 10 10 10 10

Diameter (mm) 200 200 200 200 200 200
Burden (m) 5.2 5.2 5.2 4.6 4.3 4.0
Spacing (m) 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.4 5.0 4.7
Subdrill 1 1 1 1 1 1
Stemming length (m) 4.5 4.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
Explosive Type HA 46 HA 73 HA 73 HA 73 HA 73 HA 73
Explosive Density (g/cc) 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3

Powder Factor (kg/m3) 0.79 0.85 0.98 1.23 1.42 1.63

Powder Factor (kg/t) 0.31 0.34 0.39 0.49 0.57 0.65
Difference (%) 8% 25% 57% 81% 107%

Costs ($/m3) 1.05 1.18 1.23 1.54 1.78 2.04

Costs ($/t) 0.42 0.47 0.49 0.62 0.71 0.82
Difference (%) 13% 17% 47% 70% 95%

PF = Powder Factor

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Blast Simulations
100

90 PF = 1.6 kg/m3
80 Shorter Stemming
PF = 1.4 kg/m3
PF = 1.0 kg/m3
cum. % pass.

70

60
PF = 1.2 kg/m3
Changed Explosive
50 PF = 0.9 kg/m3
40
Audited Blast
30 PF = 0.8 kg/m3
20
Old Pattern
10 PF = 0.7 kg/m3
0
1 10 100 1000 10000

size (mm)
Audited
Blast Blast
Model Old Pattern (PF-15%) Scenario 1
Scenario 2 Scenario 3 Scenario 4
Scenario 5

Figure 5 – Blast fragmentation model prediction results

The simulations indicated that changing the explosive type would not have a significant impact on
ROM fragmentation and grinding circuit performance. Likewise, changing the stemming length would
have little impact on ROM fragmentation and only a minor increase in throughput (~1 %). While
increasing the powder factor would increase the fines content and reduce the F80, thus potentially
increasing the throughput by as much as 12% for a powder factor of 1.6 kg/m3 (Scenario 5).

The increase in powder factor also increases blasting costs; a cost increase of 95 % is expected for
Scenario 5. This is mainly due to higher consumption of explosives, additional drilling, electronic
detonators and accessories. However, the increase in blasting costs is likely to be more than compensated
for by the increase in production and decrease in costs of the downstream comminution circuits, and can be
confirmed with a cost/benefit analysis.

SmartTagTM Ore Tracking from the Mine to the Plant

To link the process performance with ore characterisation and blasting outcomes, the ore from the
audited blast was tracked from the mine through the process using SmartTagTM ore tracking. The
SmartTag™ ore tracking system developed by Metso PTI (La Rosa, 2007) allows parcels of ore to be
tracked from the mine, through the crusher and finally into the grinding mills, as shown in Figure 6.

SmartTagsTM are robust passive radio frequency (RFID) tags. They are placed with the ore in the
mine (in blast holes, muckpiles, etc.), and the starting location (ore source) of each unique tag is stored in
the SmartTag™ database. The tags survive blasting and travel with the ore through the process; they do
not have an internal power source, so they can remain in stockpiles and ROM pads for extended periods of
time. Antennas to detect the SmartTags are located at critical points in the process ahead of the milling
circuit. Tags are detected at each antenna and provide valuable information on material movements. In
particular, they make it possible to link the physical ore properties associated with the ore in the mine to
the time-based performance data of the plant.

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Figure 6 – Schematic of SmartTagTM ore tracking system

For the Cerro Corona project, SmartTagTM ore tracking was used to determine when material from
the selected polygon (audited blast) was being fed to the concentrator so the full plant survey could be
conducted while treating this material. Two antennas were installed on the primary crusher product
conveyor to increase the reliability of tag detection. One antenna was installed below the conveyor just
after the primary crusher discharge and the other above the conveyor near the SAG mill feeder, as shown
in Figure 7.

Figure 7 – SmartTag™ Antenna installations at Cerro Corona

SmartTagsTM were placed in the stemming of the blast holes of the audited polygon and also on
the resulting blasted muck pile. As the SmartTags™ and associated ore pass the antennas in the process
plant, the system automatically records the time and tag ID, thus the source of the ore being processed at
any given time is known. SmartTagTM detections with time at Cerro Corona are shown in Figure 8 and
confirm ore from the audited polygon was being treated at the time of the comminution circuit survey.

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18

16

14
Consecutive Tag Number

12

10

0
7:00:00 8:00:00 9:00:00 10:00:00 11:00:00 12:00:00 13:00:00 14:00:00 15:00:00 16:00:00 17:00:00 18:00:00 19:00:00

Time
Plant Survey Antenna 1 (below) - Mini tags
Antenna 1 (below) - Normal tags Antenna 2 (above) - Normal Tags

Figure 8 – SmartTagTM Detections

Comminution Circuit assessment

Analysis and review of the Cerro Corona comminution circuit was conducted using historical
operating data from the previous to current year of the project in conjunction with the results from the full
mine to mill survey.

Comminution Circuit Survey

The comminution circuit and survey points are shown in Figure 9. Slurry samples were taken
during one hour of operation and circuit was crash-stopped to collect samples from the SAG mill feed and
the pebble conveyors. The total charge level (rock and slurry) in the SAG mill was also measured; it was
estimated to be 16 % of the cylindrical section. A small degree of slurry pooling was observed.

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Figure 9 – Comminution circuit flowsheet and sampling points for survey

As part of the survey, the ball charge levels in the SAG and Ball Mill were measured. The ball
charge level in the SAG mill was calculated to be 14.5 % and for the ball mill 32.3 %. Photos were also
taken to evaluate ball size distribution using PTI’s ball sizer software. The photos are shown in Figure 10
and the resulting ball size distributions in Figure 11.

SAG Mill Ball Mill

Figure 10 – Photos for calculation of ball size distribution

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Ball Size Distribution (% by weight)

45
40
35
30
Weight (%)

25
20
15
10
5
0 65 - 70
0 - 40
40 - 45
45 - 50
50 - 55
55 - 60
60 - 65

70 - 75
75 - 80
80 - 85
85 - 90
90 - 95
95 - 100
100 - 105
105 - 110
110 - 115
115 - 120
120 - 125
125 - 130
Ball Size (mm)
SAG Mill % Ball Mill %

Figure 11 – Ball size distribution in Cerro Corona SAG and ball mill

The survey data were evaluated using mass balance to confirm the data quality and estimate any
stream flow rates that could not be measured. The mass balance results matched the experimental data,
indicating good quality of the survey data. Site specific models were developed and calibrated with survey
data using model fitting. The model predictions correlated well with the experimental data for the survey
conditions indicating the models were adequate for use in the simulation study.

Plant Operating Data

Primary crushing at Cerro Corona is performed in a single stage by two 373 kW Abon Mineral
Sizers. Historically, both sizers have operated well below the installed power draw, typically using less
than 60 % of the installed power. This indicated there is potential to increase crusher power utilisation by
reducing the crusher gap. Simulations with calibrated comminution circuit models indicated that reducing
the crusher gap could result in a decrease of the SAG mill feed 80 % passing size (F80) from 64 mm to
51 mm, and a corresponding increase in throughput of about 5 %. The finer ROM distribution expected
from implementation of drill and blast recommendations would allow the crusher gap to be reduced even
further.

Historically, the SAG mill operated at throughput rates as high as 900 or 950 t/h with soft and fine
ores compared to the design tonnages of 775 t/h, however, with coarser and harder ores, this feed rate
cannot be maintained and the mill rapidly overloads, consequently the plant throughput is limited up to 800
t/h and in some cases less than this feed rate. The SAG mill power levels typically ranged between 2900 to
3800 kW (see Figure 12), but there were several instances when power draw has exceeded the design level
of 3800 kW. The SAG mill was operated at a reasonably consistent speed (see Figure 13) of about 9.6 rpm
(60 % of critical speed) which is relatively low compared to industry practice.

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Histogram of SAG Power Draw

Percent 5

0
2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
kW

Figure 12 – Histogram of SAG mill power draw (Oct 2010 – Oct 2011)

Histogram of SAG speed

35

30

25

20
Percent

15

10

0
9.5 10.0 10.5 11.0 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.0
RPM

Figure 13 – Histogram of SAG mill speed (Oct 2010 – Oct 2011)

Analysis of historical and survey data indicated the ball mill had additional capacity which may
be utilised. Historical data showed the average power draw was of 6200 kW (about 82 % of the available
power) and never exceeded the design power draw of 7600 kW, as shown in Figure 14. During the survey,
the power draw was 6379 kW (84 % of the available power). Therefore, an increase in the ball mill charge
level could be considered, assuming the mechanical design limits of the ball mill would not be exceeded.

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Histogram of Ball Mill Power Draw

20

15
Percent

10

0
4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500
kW

Figure 14 – Ball Mill Power histogram (Oct 2010 – Oct 2011)

Due to the high rate of abrasion and wear of the SAG mill liners (liner life of about three months)
Cerro Corona decided to change from steel liners to Metso Polymet liners, and after that steel liners are no
longer used in this operation. These liners are also much lighter due the reduction of steel allowing
operation with higher ball charges. Additionally, the relining process is more efficient with Polymet liners
(Maclean, Wirfiyata, Khomaeni, Jankovic, Pasin, & Valery, 2014).

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AT CERRO CORONA

Integrated Simulations (mine to plant)

The ROM size distributions generated in the blasting simulation study were used as inputs to the
comminution models. This allowed changes to blasting practices and comminution circuit operation to be
evaluated with respect to the entire operation. This integrated approach was used to determine effective
operating strategies to increase throughput when processing harder ores. The effect of the proposed
integrated changes predicted by simulations is shown in Figure 15. The results indicated that increasing
the powder factor to 1.6 kg/m3 could increase throughput by about 12 %. However, the full benefit of this
would only be realised if the primary crusher gap is reduced and SAG mill operation optimised. If these
were also implemented, throughput could be increased by almost 16 %, but will result in a coarser final
product size P80 of approximately 170 µm. Optimising the ball mill circuit operation may reduce the final
product size down to a P80 of 160 µm at the higher throughput rate. This is still coarser than the current
product size, and may result in flotation recovery losses; although, historical data suggests these losses are
not likely to be significant.

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920 175
+15.9% +15.9%
Throughput
900 P80 Optimised
ball milling
+12.1% 170
880
Powder factor
860 increased to
+8.3% 1.6kg/m3 165

Final Product P80, µm

SAG Throughput, tph

Optimised
840 Powder factor SAG milling
increased to
1.4kg/m3
820 160

800
155
780
Base Case
760
150
740

720 145

Figure 15 – Predicted effect of changes on throughput and final product size

Validation Trial and Results

Cerro Corona implemented several of the recommended changes including increasing the powder
factor of the blast, reducing the stemming length and making adjustments to the burden and spacing of the
blast pattern. The SAG mill circuit was also optimised according to recommendations, including changes
to the mill speed and ball charge. However, the recommended changes to the primary crusher gap and ball
mill circuit optimisation were not completely implemented at the time of the validation trial.

The validation trial ─using a polygon with similar ore properties to the polygon used during the
benchmarking phase─ was conducted in July 2012 to demonstrate the increase in throughput achieved by
the implemented recommendations. Ore characterisation confirmed that the ore processed during the
benchmarking and validation studies had similar breakage properties. Therefore, the difference observed in
SAG mill throughout cannot be attributed to ore hardness, but rather is a result of the changes made to the
blasting and comminution processes. The validation survey demonstrated a 19.4 % higher throughput in
comparison to the benchmark survey while achieving a finer final product size with a P 80 of 141 µm. The
increase in throughput over the full duration of the validation and benchmark trial periods (several days of
data for each) was 14.8 %, as shown in Figure 16 (Valery et al, 2012).

The process optimisation and trials were conducted for a hard ore, which was the focus of this
project, and demonstrated significant process improvement. However, benefits were observed for all ore
types. Historical trends from October 2011 to June of 2012 indicate a 5.7 % increase in throughput and
9.2 % reduction in SAG mill specific energy across all ore types, as shown in Figure 17 and Figure 18,
respectively (Valery et al, 2012). For further explanation, in Figure 17 are shown two stars, the dark star
representing the plant throughput when treating the hard ore during the benchmarking phase and the green
star representing the plant throughput achieved during the validation trial treating a similar ore. Fluctuation
in SAG Mill throughput was also reduced, which represents an additional benefit not only for the milling
process but also for the subsequent flotation process due to better process stability.

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Figure 16 – Comparison of benchmark and validation trial periods for the specific studied ore

Figure 17 – Improvement in SAG mill throughput by month for all ore types

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Figure 18 – Comparison of the SAG mill specific energy before and after the PIO project

THE NEXT STEP – LIFE OF MINE OPTIMISATION

The site specific integrated models of the blasting, crushing and grinding operations developed in
the PIO project allow prediction of throughput and recovery performance for each ore type. When
combined with the mine plan, these models can be used for forecasting, planning and Life-of-Mine (LOM)
optimisation purposes. This integration of geology, mining and metallurgy with the aim of developing
proactive operating strategies as a function of ore variability is known as geometallurgy.

For geometallurgical modelling to be effective it is necessary to have a high degree of confidence

in the ore characterisation data and to link the plant performance with the ore properties. Metso PTI has
developed the GeoMetsoTM methodology, shown schematically in Figure 19, which uses the SmartTag™
ore tracking system to link plant performance data to the site’s geological, geotechnical block models and
mine planning. The established SmartTagTM technology allows ore to be tracked from the mine, through
the crushing plant and into the grinding mills so that the throughput, recovery, grade, specific energy and
other operating parameters can be linked with the original ore source. The GeoMetsoTM system compares
this data automatically with model predictions and updates the block model in real time using the
SmartTagTM software. Thus, the block model is continuously updated and refined with actual plant data.
This eliminates the need for further expensive ore characterisation tests and improves the accuracy and
predictive abilities of geometallurgical modelling.

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Ore Class Automatic update of the SmartTag TM

Block Model in Real Time Ore tracking
Domain 1
Domain 2 Plant DCS/
Historian
Domain 3 Data
Domain 4
Domain 5
Domain6
Domain 7
Domain 8

Actual plant data (tph, recovery, grade)

Figure 19 – Schematic of GeoMetsoTM system

More accurate geometallurgical modelling and throughput forecasting can improve long term
mine planning and capital equipment purchases can be predicted well in advance of their requirement. In
the short term, the plant receives advance notice of the ore type/s about to be processed and adjustments
made to operating conditions to optimise plant performance.

CONCLUSIONS

The advent of harder ore at Cerro Corona in 2010 significantly reduced the plant throughput, and
the proportion of harder ore is expected to increase even further as mining extends deeper into the pit.
Therefore, Cerro Corona and Metso PTI conducted a project to increase the overall production from mine
to plant by improving the efficiency of the processes in the value chain.

Optimisation of copper extraction starts at the mine, and treating drill and blast as an integral part
of the process had a great impact on the total cost and efficiency of extraction and processing at Cerro
Corona. This project demonstrated that effective blasting provides improved fragmentation which
increases load and haul productivity, reduces maintenance of mining and processing equipment, increases
production, and reduces energy consumption in downstream comminution circuits. Characterising and
managing ore hardness had a positive impact on the productivity of downstream processes (Diaz Vasquez,
2013). It is also important to carry the optimisation methodology through the downstream processes to
realise the full benefits.

At Cerro Corona this holistic optimisation methodology increased throughput by 14.8 % for the
hard ore that was the focus of the study and by 5.7 % across all ore types treated since the beginning of the
project. In addition, the SAG specific energy was reduced by 9.3 % without affecting the product size and
downstream flotation processes, and plant fluctuation was significantly reduced due to better process
stability.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge all the personnel at Cerro Corona that were involved in
and critical to the successful implementation of the PIO project. The authors would also like to thank Gold
Fields Limited for allowing this paper to be published.

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REFERENCES

Bennett, D., Tordoir, A., Walker, P., La Rosa, D., Lynch-Watson, S., Duffy, K., & Valery, W. (2014).
Throughput Forecasting and Optimisation at the Phu Kham Copper-Gold Operation, Proceedings of
the12th AusIMM Mill Operator’s Conference, Townsville, Australia, 1-3 September.

Diaz Vasquez, R. (2013). Optimizacion del circuito de conminucion e integracion mina-planta en Cerro
Corona, Mineria, 434, 49-57.

Goldfields. (2012), Cerro Corona Mine, Technical Short Form Report (31 December 2012). Retrieved
from https://www.goldfields.co.za/reports/annual_report_2012/minerals/pdf/cerro.pdf

La Rosa, D., Valery, W., Wortley, M., Ozkocak, T., & Pike, M. (2007). The Use of Radio Frequency ID
Tags to Track Ore in Mining Operations, Proceedings Symposium on Computer Applications and
Operations Research in the Minerals Industries (APCOM), Santiago, Chile.

Maclean, A., Wirfiyata, F., Khomaeni, G., Jankovic, A., Pasin, G., Valery, W. (2014). Ball mill Polymet
liner evaluation at PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara - Batu Hijau mine, Proceedings of the12th AusIMM
Mill Operator’s Conference, Townsville, Australia, 1-3 September.

Valery, W., Jankovic, A., Corsini, S., Valle, R., Nozawa, E., Dikmen, S., & Sales, R. (2012). Full Process
Integration and Optimisation of Blasting and Comminution Processes at Cerro Corona – Report No.
2, (Unpublished, project report issued to client), Metso Process Technology and Innovation,
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