Innovation in Minerals Processing€¦ · Exploiting Coarse Liberation 3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 10...
Transcript of Innovation in Minerals Processing€¦ · Exploiting Coarse Liberation 3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 10...
Innovation in Minerals Processing
Joe Pease
CEO – CRC OREChairman ‐ CEEC
Minerals Industry [email protected]
Exploiting Coarse Liberation
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Particle Size
Specific Energy (kWh/t)
Blasting
DMS, ore sort
SAG, ball, flotation
I metreI00mmI0 mmI mmI00 umI0 um
Screening
Jigs, coarse flotation
Ore Heterogeneity – Friend or Foe?
Exploiting Ore Heterogeneity…… A New Idea?
Induced Size Deportment by Blasting – Copper Porphry
Waste
High Grade
Induced size separation by differential blasting
low grade
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Overall block above cut off – with low grade pockets Overall block above cut off – with low grade pockets
Bi modal size distribution
Required Technology
…allowing for mining realities. …allowing for mining realities.
Mining as Manufacturing …
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OPTIMISING RESOURCE EXTRACTION
Measurements
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Over 200 performance attributes are continuously displayed/relayed from this truck
Not one of them measures the quality of the payload !
?
A Whole System Approach to Innovation• Embrace macro heterogeneity
• Design for coarse separation • Blasting, conveying, ore handling…• Crushing, grinding, flotation
• Simulate and optimise whole‐of‐stream
• And design for microtexture
• Develop measurements• and accept measurement shortfalls
• Supporting management systems• Align culture, KPIs
Simple technology ?
A Conservative Industry?
Crossing The Innovation Chasm ?
A Tale of Two Innovations
INNOVATION 1 INNOVATION 2
Concept from unrelated industry
50 times scale up, batch to continuous
Enthusiasts over‐ruled conventional theory
Complex piloting
Significant capital
Increased operating cost and complexity
No pre‐existing site or supplier skills
Would add significant value if delivered.
Concepts and references from mining
No new equipment
Strong theoretical base
No piloting or capital
Reduce operating cost, simplified operations
Use existing site skills
Would add significant value if delivered
A Tale of Two Innovations
Seven necessary conditions
1. A driving need
2. Designed for your ore
3. Passionate champions
4. Bite‐sized implementation
5. Simple IP rights
6. High quality ongoing support
7. Enabling organisation
Aligning the conditions for innovation