Concentrator operational modes in response to geological variation

Navarra, Alessandro; Álvarez, M.a Ángeles Hermosilla; Rojas, Katherine Martínez; Menzies, Andrew; Pax, R.; Waters, Kristian E.

doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2019.01.028

Cited by 16 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This has caused a rethinking of the approach to stockpile management, so that the plant can be fed only by blends that are well understood by the operators. Following the approach of Navarra et al [3], these stabilized feed blends have been linked to system-wide operational modes.…”

Section: Copper and Iron Minerals In Cyanide Solutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decision to alternate between modes depends on current and forecasted stockpile levels. Interestingly, the selection of thresholds that would trigger a mode change is related to the classic reorder-quantity (RQ) problem from inventory theory [17], as described in [3]. Most importantly, operational modes are conceived with respect to system-wide performance rather than local metrics that only consider isolated unit operations.…”

Section: Deterministic Analysis Of Operational Modesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The deeper zones include varying balances of chalcopyrite and bornite, the latter of which consumes far more cyanide, as discussed in Section 4. The subsequent analysis of Sections 5 and 6 show that the geometallurgical variation and its impact on the beneficiation process can be managed by alternating between modes of operation that balance process mineralogy with strategic key performance indicators (KPIs) [3]. These modes of operation are each governed by separate operating policies and triggered by established thresholds; they apply the necessary adjustments to effectively manage reagent addition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current paper presents a quantitative approach to leverage the information obtained from process mineralogy to optimize cyanide consumption, in which mode changes are triggered by observed and forecasted changes in stockpile levels. The resulting operational modes provide an integrated response to the geological and geometallurgical variation; this is demonstrated through discrete event simulation (DES) following the two-mode formulation of Navarra et al [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incorporation of Geometallurgical Input into Gold Mining System Simulation to Control Cyanide Consumption

et al. 2021

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The Alhué deposit (Melipilla, Chile) is an example of a hydrothermal Au-Ag-Zn(-Pb) vein system hosted within the volcanic rocks of the Las Chilcas Formation. The dominant ore minerals observed are free electrum and native gold associated with silver sulfosalts, and with magnetite and base metal sulphides, including pyrite +/− sphalerite-galena-chalcopyrite. The alteration assemblage in the veins mainly consists of quartz epidote-chlorite-actinolite with lesser smectite, amphibole, and calcite-kaolinite-garnet. Mineralized veins also contain variable amounts of base metals, some of which (e.g., copper and iron) are considered harmful to the extraction of precious metals. Iron and especially copper minerals are known cyanide consumers; ore type classification schemes that do not consider the detrimental effects of such mineralogy or process elements can ultimately result in metal losses from ore feed restrictions, as well as spikes in cyanide consumption and higher operating costs. Mineralogical and geological variation can nonetheless be managed by applying alternating modes of operation as demonstrated in this paper; the decision to switch between modes is governed by current and forecasted stockpile levels feeding into the process. Simulations based on experiences at the Alhué deposit are provided that demonstrate the importance of standardized operational modes and their potential impact on cyanide consumption control.

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Section: Copper and Iron Minerals In Cyanide Solutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deterministic Analysis Of Operational Modesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incorporation of Geometallurgical Input into Gold Mining System Simulation to Control Cyanide Consumption

et al. 2021

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“…Conventional mine planning is traditionally applied in the industry through methodologies that consider an important part of the data to be deterministic. However, critical information used for mining calculations may exhibit statistical variations [1]. When a parameter is uncertain, the expected result is uncertain, since the calculations have considered a potentially unrepresentative value of the parameter, instead of another that could have the same or different probability of occurrence.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of the Heap Leaching Process through Changes in Modes of Operation and Discrete Event Simulation

et al. 2019

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The importance of mine planning is often underestimated. Nonetheless, it is essential in achieving high performance by identifying the potential value of mineral resources and providing an optimal, practical, and realistic strategy for extraction, which considers the greatest quantity of options, materials, and scenarios. Conventional mine planning is based on a mostly deterministic approach, ignoring part of the uncertainty presented in the input data, such as the mineralogical composition of the feed. This work develops a methodology to optimize the mineral recovery of the heap leaching phase by addressing the mineralogical variation of the feed, by alternating the mode of operation depending on the type of ore in the feed. The operational changes considered in the analysis include the leaching of oxide ores by adding only sulfuric acid (H2SO4) as reagent and adding chloride in the case of sulfide ores (secondary sulfides). The incorporation of uncertainty allows the creation of models that maximize the productivity, while confronting the geological uncertainty, as the extraction program progresses. The model seeks to increase the expected recovery from leaching, considering a set of equiprobable geological scenarios. The modeling and simulation of this productive phase is developed through a discrete event simulation (DES) framework. The results of the simulation indicate the potential to address the dynamics of feed variation through the implementation of alternating modes of operation.

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Detailing of Mineral Processing Operations Within Strategic Mine Planning Algorithm: A Quantitative Cornerstone for Enabling Process Innovation

Quelopana

Órdenes

Navarra

2023

Proceedings of the 61st Conference of Metallurgists, COM 2022

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Concentrator operational modes in response to geological variation

Cited by 16 publications

References 25 publications

Incorporation of Geometallurgical Input into Gold Mining System Simulation to Control Cyanide Consumption

Incorporation of Geometallurgical Input into Gold Mining System Simulation to Control Cyanide Consumption

Optimization of the Heap Leaching Process through Changes in Modes of Operation and Discrete Event Simulation

Detailing of Mineral Processing Operations Within Strategic Mine Planning Algorithm: A Quantitative Cornerstone for Enabling Process Innovation

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