Tishk International University

Engineering Faculty
Petroleum & Mining Eng. Department
MINERAL PROCESSING ENGINEERING PTR-423
Spring Semester 2021/2022

Lecture 3
 

Professor, Dr. Hamed M. Jassim

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Concentration
:Operations
There are different methods to express the
:effectiveness of concentration operations, such as
Direct Statement: This is the simplest method to -1
express the metallurgical accounting whereby the
weights of different products and feed are stated
together with the percentages of metal and insoluble
.gangues which are present in them
Example: The results of the concentration of copper
using flotation methods are presented in the
:following table
Product Weight % Metal (Cu) % Gangue % Insoluble

Concentrate 9.3 18.52 12.6

Tailing 90.7 0.15 62.7

Feed 100.0 1.86 57.9

We notice that there are many numbers in expressing the
.effectiveness of concentration in this way
We may, therefore, need to express this effectiveness in a
simpler way with less numbers which have indications of
:efficiency of concentration processes, such as

:Ratio of Concentration (K)-2

This represents the weight ratio between the Feed (F) and
.Concentrate (C)

F where: K = ratio of concentration

or K = ---------- F = weight of feed
C C = weight of concentrate
If it is difficult to get the values of the mentioned weights, it
is possible to use the Assay Values of each of the feed, the
:concentrate and tailings, such as in the equation below
c – t where: c = Assay value of concentrate
K = ---------- t = Assay value of tailing
f–t f = Assay value of feed

Derivation of the last equation: From weight balance

:equation
Weight of feed = Weight of concentrate + weight of tailing
F=C+T
:And from the ingredient balance equation
Weight of one ingredient in feed = sum of that ingredient in
the products. Or F.f = C.c + T.t
Now by multiplying the weight balance equation by
:t
F.t=C.t+T.t

And by subtracting this equation from the ingredient

:balance equation, we get

F.f–F.t=C.c–C.t+T.t–T.t

F(f–t)=C(c–t)

Hence: F/C = c – t / f – t
Or K=c–t/f–t
:Recovery(R)-3
It is that part of a valuable element which is present in the
feed and recovered in the concentrate, expressed as a
.percentage
:In other words

C.c c.(f – t)
R = --------- x 100 OR R = --------- x 100
F.f f.(c – t)

where: C = weight of concentrate

F = weight of feed
c = concentrate assay value
f = feed assay value
t = tailing assay value
Note: The ratio of concentration (K) alone does not
give a complete indication of the concentration
efficiency because it does not say any thing about
.the quality of the concentrate and tailing
For example, we can obtain high assay value for the
concentrate and hence a high value of ratio of
concentration by picking selectively few lumps of
pure galena from a lead ore, but here the recovery
.value (R) will be vey low
On the other hand, the concentration process may
yield a recovery value as high as 99% for the metal
but 60% of the waste (tailing) may stay in the
.concentrate
It is, theoretically, possible to get a value of recovery
as 100% by taking the whole feed as a concentrate
.without doing any concentration process
We have, therefore, to know both the ratio of
concentration (K) and the recovery (R) to express the
.efficiency of concentration process fully

Example: It was possible to produce 249.2 tons of

concentrate with an assay value of 42.0% for metal
from a feed whose assay value was 3.5% leaving a
.tailing whose assay value is 0.79%
.Find the weights of feed and tailing
:Solution
:The opposite figure illustrates this case

= Since F/C = c – t/ f – t
15.21 = 0.79 – 3.5 /0.79 – 42.0

Hence F = 15.21x C
15.21x249.2 = 3790.3 tons =

:And from the weight balance equation

F=C+T
.T = 3790.3 – 249.2 = 3541.1 tons