Improvement of the ore mining and processing technology for the Tyrnyauz deposit

Abstract

The article presents a new development option for the combined technology for the mining and processing of tungsten-molybdenum ores of the Tyrnyauz deposit, based on the differentiation of intrablock reserves by flows using the creative concept of lump sorting, which takes into account the structure of the deposit’s residual reserves. In this setup, lump sorting both solves the problem of preliminary concentration and stabilizes the flotation ore feed in terms of the strength properties and the predominant texture of the ore minerals. In addition, lump separation ensures that a second rock mass flow is formed and directed for the backfilling of mined-out areas and subsequent leaching. At the Tyrnyauz deposit of tungsten-molybdenum ores, a change in the concept of lump separation enabled new technology development options based on simpler and more reliable technical facilities and hardware systems. In particular, the use of a narrow spectrum of ultraviolet radiation instead of X-ray radiation to excite scheelite luminescence creates an easily registered interval of values for the luminescence signal of the valuable component. This eliminates the need for fine tuning of the systems and enables simpler and more reliable control of the separation process. The separation allows adjusting the quality of the process streams over a wide range and increasing the concentrate output without prejudice to the recovery rates through the use of pre-processed, higher-grade mineral raw materials. Streamlined flow ratios within the combined technology are regulated by the number of blocks at the stages of stoping and backfilling of the mined-out areas.