Mineral Processing Technology. An Introduction to the Practical Aspects of Ore Treatment and Mineral Recovery

642 Pages·1985·12.265 MB·English

by  B. A. Wills and D. W. Hopkins (Auth.)

International Series on
MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Volume 29—Editor: D. W. HOPKINS, M.Sc
PERGAMON MATERIALS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Sir Montague Finniston, Ph.D., D.Sc, F.R.S., Chairman
Professor J. W. Christian, M.A., D.Phil., F.R.S.
Professor R. W. Douglas, D.Sc.
Professor Mats Hillen, Sc.D.
D. W. Hopkins, M.Sc.
Professor W. S. Owen, D.Eng., Ph.D.
Mr. A. Post, Secretary
Professor G. V. Raynor, M.A., D.Phil., D.Sc, F.R.S.
D. M. R. Taplin, D.Sc, D.Phil., F.I.M.
NOTICE TO READERS
Dear Reader
If your library is not already a standing order customer or
subscriber to this series, may we recommend that you place a
standing or subscription order to receive immediately upon
publication all new issues and volumes published in this valuable
series. Should you find that these volumes no longer serve your
needs your order can be cancelled at any time without notice. The
Editors and the Publisher will be glad to receive suggestions or
outlines of suitable titles, reviews or symposia for consideration
for rapid publication in this series.
ROBERT MAXWELL
Publisher at Pergamon Press
International Series on
MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Volume 29—Editor: D. W. HOPKINS, M.Sc
PERGAMON MATERIALS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Sir Montague Finniston, Ph.D., D.Sc, F.R.S., Chairman
Professor J. W. Christian, M.A., D.Phil., F.R.S.
Professor R. W. Douglas, D.Sc.
Professor Mats Hillen, Sc.D.
D. W. Hopkins, M.Sc.
Professor W. S. Owen, D.Eng., Ph.D.
Mr. A. Post, Secretary
Professor G. V. Raynor, M.A., D.Phil., D.Sc, F.R.S.
D. M. R. Taplin, D.Sc, D.Phil., F.I.M.
NOTICE TO READERS
Dear Reader
If your library is not already a standing order customer or
subscriber to this series, may we recommend that you place a
standing or subscription order to receive immediately upon
publication all new issues and volumes published in this valuable
series. Should you find that these volumes no longer serve your
needs your order can be cancelled at any time without notice. The
Editors and the Publisher will be glad to receive suggestions or
outlines of suitable titles, reviews or symposia for consideration
for rapid publication in this series.
ROBERT MAXWELL
Publisher at Pergamon Press
MINERAL PROCESSING
TECHNOLOGY
THIRD EDITION
An Introduction to the Practical Aspects of
Ore Treatment and Mineral Recovery
(In Si/Metric Units)
by
B. A. WILLS, BSc, PHD, CENG, MIMM
Senior Lecturer
Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, England
PERGAMON PRESS
OXFORD NEW YORK TORONTO SYDNEY PARIS FRANKFURT
U.K. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall,
Oxford OX3 OBW, England
U.S.A. Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park,
Elmsford, New York 10523, U.S.A.
CANADA Pergamon Press Canada Ltd., Suite 104,
150 Consumers Road, Willowdale, Ontario M2J 1P9, Canada
AUSTRALIA Pergamon Press (Aust.) Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 544,
Potts Point, N.S.W. 2011, Australia
FRANCE Pergamon Press SARL, 24 rue des Ecoles,
75240 Paris, Cedex 05, France
FEDERAL REPUBLIC Pergamon Press GmbH, Hammerweg 6,
OF GERMANY D-6242 Kronberg-Taunus, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright © 1985 B. A. Wills
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic
tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
First edition 1979
Second edition 1981
Reprinted 1982
Third edition 1985
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Wills, B. A. (Barry Alan)
Mineral processing technology.
(Pergamon international library of science, technology,
engineering, and social studies) (International series
on materials science and technology; v. 29)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Ore-dressing. I. Title. II. Series. III. Series:
International series on materials science and technology;
v. 29.
TN500.W54 1984 622'.7 84-3216
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Wills, B. A.
Mineral processing technology.—3rd ed.—
(International series on materials science
and technology; v. 29)
1. Ore-dressing
I. Title II. Series
622'.7 TN500
ISBN 0-08-031160-1 Hardcover
ISBN 0-08-031159-8 Flexi cover
Printed in Great Britain by
A. Wheaton Ü Co. Ltd., Exeter
This book is dedicated to my wife
Barbara for her tolerance and patience
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
DURING the recent recession, which has had a great impact on the
minerals industry, the priority of many mining companies has been on
reducing costs, particularly energy costs, rather than on innovative new
techniques. Of major impact during this period, however, has been the
very rapid decline in cost, and the increase in reliability of micropro-
cessors, which has led to the increasing use of automation in some
milling processes.
This edition has been expanded to include an introduction to
automatic control and descriptions of some of the control strategies
which have been adopted on various concentrators. The section on mass
balancing has also been extended to include an introduction to statistical
methods, which are suited to evaluation by microcomputer.
The bibliography has been updated to include the latest references,
and the section on froth flotation has been revised and expanded.
I would like to thank all those people who have provided valuable
information and assistance in the preparation of this edition.
Particularly, I would like to thank the following:
Gosta Diehl and Teppo Meriluoto of Outokumpu Oy, for arranging
visits to various concentrators in Finland, and to the metallurgical
staff of Pyhasalmi, Vihanti and Vuonos mines for invaluable dis-
cussions.
Prof. Peter Linkson, and Dennis Nobbs of the University of Sydney,
Australia.
The metallurgical staff of Mount Isa Mines Ltd, Queensland,
Australia.
Peter Lean and the metallurgical staff of the Broken Hill mines, New
South Wales, Australia.
Dr. Don McKee of the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre,
Brisbane, Australia.
vii
VÜi PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
Derek Ottley, Vice-President of Mineral Systems Inc., Stamford,
USA.
Dr. Bob Barley of Camborne School of Mines.
Sydney, Australia B. A. WILLS
26 September 1983
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
ALTHOUGH this edition is again basically intended to satisfy the needs of
students in the minerals industry, it is also intended to provide practising
engineers with a valuable source of reference. In this respect the
bibliography has been considerably expanded and updated to include
the latest published works. The text has been extended considerably to
cover important subject areas more fully, and, where appropriate,
worked examples have been added. Two appendices have been added
for reference purposes.
I would like to thank the many people who have provided useful
criticism regarding the first edition, which has been valuable in the
preparation of this edition. Particularly, thanks are due to Mr. R. H.
Parker, Vice-Principal of the Camborne School of Mines, Mr. F. B.
Michell, formerly Vice-Principal and Head of Mineral Processing at the
CSM, and Mr. R. S. Shoemaker, Metallurgical Manager of Bechtel Inc.,
San Francisco. I would also like to thank Prof. R. P. King, of the
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for many useful
discussions.
Camborne, Cornwall B. A. WILLS
18 September 1980
ix
MPT-A*
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
THE main objective of this book is to provide students of mineral
processing, metallurgy, and mining with a review of the common
physical ore-processing techniques utilised in today's mining industry.
The need for such a book was highlighted during the preparation of the
degree course in Mineral Processing Technology at the Camborne
School of Mines. Although there are many excellent texts covering the
unit processes, most of these are now out of date, and many of the
methods described have been superseded by more modern techniques.
Descriptions of the treatments of specific ores have been deliberately
restricted, except where to illustrate the applications of a particular
process. Methods of processing differ in detail from mine to mine, even
with very similar ores, and students should be strongly encouraged to
peruse the mining periodicals, which regularly detail the treatment
routes used on particular plants.
As in any book which deals with a very wide field, certain subject areas
will undoubtedly be open to debate, and I would greatly appreciate
comments and suggestions for improvement, which could be in-
corporated into later editions.
I am indebted to many organisations and individuals who have
proved invaluable during the preparation of this book. The organis-
ations who have provided illustrations for the text have been ac-
knowledged separately. I would like to express sincere thanks to my
friend and ex-colleague Dr. D. G. Osborne, without whose initial
encouragement the book would not have been written. Thanks are also
due to Mr. J. F. Turner and Mr. R. H. Parker, the Head of Mineral
Processing Technology, and the Vice-Principal, respectively, of the
Camborne School of Mines, for advice and encouragement.
Acknowledgement and thanks are especially due to the Series Editor,
Mr. D. W. Hopkins, of Swansea University, for invaluable discussions
and criticism during the preparation of the text. Finally I would like to
÷
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION XI
thank Mr. W. J. Watton for providing photographic services for the
preparation of the illustrations, and Mrs. H. A. Taylor and Miss Ê. E.
Bennett for patiently typing the draft manuscript.
Falmouth, Cornwall BARRY ALAN WILLS
9 March 1978