Abstract
A detailed test work was carried out with an industrial semi-autogenous (SAG) mill in a copper plant in close and open circuits to specify the effects of ore characteristics and operational parameters on mill performance. In addition, the shape of mill product particles was studied to monitor breakage events as a function of ore strength. For this purpose, the strength properties of the SAG mill feed and product were specified by different techniques, including the point load index, impact breakage parameters (A × b), abrasion index (ta), and Bond ball mill work index (Wi). Experimental studies showed that an increase in ore hardness is linked with an increase in point load index and Bond work index and a decline in impact breakage parameter (A × b). Hard ore grinding resulted in finer products, compared to the soft ore milling. The softer ore is ground chiefly via the impact breakage whereas the stronger ore is subjected to abrasion and attrition events where the media impact could not sufficiently break the stronger particles. The main reason for the decrease of circuit throughput was changes in breakage mechanisms. The results displayed that the highest aspect ratio and the lowest circularity of mill product are achieved by soft ore milling. As ore strength changes, differences in shape can be attributed to the different breakage mechanisms operated in the mill. In addition, the particle shape characteristics provide a convenient way to quantify changes in SAG mill as a function of the ore properties and the kind of breakage action used.
Published Version
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