EGBERT BURCHARDT & THOMAS MACKERT
*Egbert Burchardt & Thomas Mackertthyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, Grinding Technology –Mineral Processing, Graf-Galen-Str. 17, 59269 Beckum, Germany (*Corresponding author:
SAG Conference Vancouver, Canada September 22 – 26, 2019
ABSTRACT
Smaller scale beneficiation and concentration plants with a couple of hundred tonnes per hour capacity, as well as large concentrators like Cerro Verde, Mogalakwena, Boddington, Salobo, Sierra Gorda, and Karara have utilized high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) technology and have operated successfully for more than a decade.
In addition, HPGRs have been installed or retrofitted respectively in semi-autogenous ball mill-crusher (SABC) circuits and were additionally installed in conventional crushing and grinding plants to improve production.
All these installations contributed to a broad knowledge base for current and future applications.
This paper reviews a selection of these installations in terms of:
• Actual performance production results, which created the basis for establishing sound sizing procedures for future HPGR/ball mill comminution circuits
• Process/mechanical and plant layout/design
• Operation and maintenance procedures
• HPGR design improvements to reduce operating cost and increase both availability and throughput.
In this paper, the authors present the conclusions of this review, which indicate suitable means of maximizing the reliability and economics of future HPGR installations.
This paper is an update of the SAG 2011 paper:
“HPGRs in Minerals: What do existing operations tell us for the future?” (Burchardt, 2011)
Keywords
POLYCOM, HPGR-based comminution circuits