Study of Filtration Rate in Puerto Punta Chungo, Minera Los Pelambres

摘要

The ceramic filter plant of Minera Los Pelambres, located in Puerto Punta Chungo (PPCH), in Los Vilos, Fourth Region of Chile, has experimented a sustained decrease in the filtration rates of copper concentrate, added with an increase in its moisture above the allowed limit for shipment, threatening the production plans of the company. In order to resolve this problem, two lines of action were carried out. The first one seeking improvements in operation variables, both upstream and in the filter, varying operational conditions and testing reagents that help filter to improve the filtration rate and concentrate moisture. The second one, developing an engineering that allows to know the vulnerabilities of the current system and identify a suitable alternative to be implemented in PPCH to face these new challenges, based on an economic technical evaluation. In operational improvements new operational conditions were defined in submergence levels and rotational speed in ceramic filters, as well as improvements in column flotation stage, mainly in wash water. Two reagents that help filter that positively impacted the process, one allows lower moisture of filter concentrate, and the other allows increasing the filtration rate. For engineering, the most suitable alternative to be developed in PPCH was identified, consisting in the incorporation of filtration equipment of a different technology, which would operate under more adverse granulometry conditions of the pulp fed to the filtering process, mantaining moisture in the final concentrate of around 9 %.