Pilot-Plant Tests on the Autogenous Milling of Ore from Three Sisters

摘要

The 47t sample of ore supplied was tested for its amenability to fully autogenous and semi-autogenous milling in open and closed circuit. The tests were done in a peripheral-discharge mill of 1,7 m diameter and 0,5 m length, which was fitted with 12 mm discharge grates for the tests. A 1,6 mm shaking screen was used to close the circuit in the fully autogenous closed-circuit runs, and a 100 mm cyclone was used in the semi-autogenous closed-circuit runs. In the fully autogenous runs, the ore sample was found to be quite suitable for autogenous milling. The larger rocks did not shatter, and the fraction of material in the critical size range was stable. A graph showing mill sizes for different circuit configurations (to achieve a throughput of 4 t/h) is presented for use as an aid in the design of a suitable milling circuit. It is recommended that the mill should have a diameter of 1,8 m and a length of 4,2 m. Two modes of operation are suggested.