Lebedinsky GOK’s mineral processing facilities: Current condition and development prospects

Abstract

The concentration factory is one of the principal business entities in the production chain at Lebedinsky GOK. The processing facilities include two coarse crushing buildings, the concentration factory, the recycling water supply system, and the concentrate re-enrichment workshop which produces feedstock for metal conversion. Crushing of ferruginous quartzite ore is carried out down to a size of 0–350 mm within a single stage on coarse cone crushers KKD 1500×180. The coarse crushing products go to the concentration factory for the autogenous milling and subsequent magnetic separation. The annual capacity of the concentration factory is 21 Mt of the concentrate with the iron mass fraction less than 69.5 % and 12.2 Mt of the concentrate with the iron mass fraction higher than 69.5 %. Within the operating life of the concentration factory, many production data exceeded the project values (production output, equipment efficiency and capacity, concentrate yield). The demand for the stable supply of the iron products of Lebedinsky GOK promoted its upsurge and increase in capacity. The development strategy of Lebedinsky GOK includes implementation of both large-scale projects and many smaller events aimed to enhance operating efficiency and stimulate production optimization. Effective and purposeful work toward the technological advancement and introduction of new equipment enables the concentration factory at Lebedinsky GOK to produce concentrate of the desired quality and quantity to satisfy the growing needs of the iron product market.