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Forging Ahead A Collaboration

Between the OZ Minerals Prominent


Hill Concentrator and Magotteaux to
Improve Plant Performance
M Weidenbach1, A Van Den Bosch2, A Bruwier 3, T Ly4,
PDeBosscher5 and C Philippe6
ABSTRACT
In the mining business the cost of grinding media represents up to 40 per cent of the total
milling cost and therefore grinding media optimisation has a direct impact on the concentrators
bottom line. In the process of optimising grinding media alloys, Magotteaux developed its own
methodology which consists of a series of analyses, tests, calculations and evaluations and assist
the concentrator in optimising their processes.
This paper presents the Prominent Hill case study where this methodology has been applied on
both the secondary ball mill and regrind IsaMill.
The analysis of the wear conditions in the secondary ball mill allows Magotteaux to select a
series of grinding media alloys to be tested to reduce grinding media consumption. By marking
these different grinding media types with a unique drilling pattern, one can quantify the relative
wear performance and cost effectiveness of each grinding media type within the same milling
environment. After selecting the most economical grinding media composition a full scale
industrial trial, involving topping up the selected grinding media is carried out and the media
wear performance closely monitored and analysed.
For stirred grinding mills, suppliers propose different grinding media, mainly ceramic beads,
with specific properties and cost. Therefore the concentrators choice is a compromise between
grinding efficiency, wear resistance and cost. The selection of the correct grinding media for stirred
milling and the assessment procedure will be presented in this paper. The test results of the new
stirred grinding media type in the regrind IsaMill at Prominent Hill are presented and analysed.

SECONDARY BALL MILL OPTIMISATION


Introduction

The methodology developed by Magotteaux in order to


optimise the grinding media alloy in a ball mill or regrind mill
consists of a series of analyses, comparisons, selections, tests,
calculations and evaluations. In chronological order they can
be summarised as follows:

analyse the operating conditions of the mill


determine the level of abrasion, corrosion and impact
define the milling conditions based on the above analysis
consult the Magotteaux database which contains the
conditions of most ore processing mills around the globe
select the grinding media alloys to be tested in the marked
ball test (MBT)

carry out a MBT in the mill


analyse the MBT results and select the most economical
grinding media type
commence a full scale plant trial with the selected grinding
media type
monitor the plant trial results and report back to
plant management.

Magotteaux methodology
Wear mechanisms analysis and mill condition
There are three main parameters that influence the wear of
grinding media in a tumbling mill, ie abrasion, corrosion
and impact wear. Each grinding ball in a tumbling mill,
independent of its composition is subject to a combination
of the aforementioned wear mechanisms. An extreme case

1. MAusIMM, Metallurgy Manager, OZ Minerals Ltd, Prominent Hill, Ground Floor, 170 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063. Email: mark.weidenbach@ozminerals.com
2. Head of Process Management, Magotteaux International, Avenue Einstein 14 Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium. Email: alfred.vandenbosch@magotteaux.com
3. Process Manager, Magotteaux International, Avenue Einstein 14, Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium. Email: alex.bruwier@magotteaux.com
4. Senior Project Metallurgist, OZ Minerals Ltd Prominent Hill, Ground Floor, 170 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063. Email: Tien.Ly@ozminerals.com
5. Regional Manager, Magotteaux Australia, Suite 4/ 83 Havelock Street, West Perth WA 6005. Email: Philippe.de_bosscher@magotteaux.com
6. Ceramic Business Development Manager, Magotteaux International, Rue A Dumont, Vaux-Sous-Chevremont, Belgium. Email: christophe.philippe@magotteaux.com

11TH MILL OPERATORS CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

105

M WEIDENBACH et al

of each wear mechanism in isolation, as seen under the


microscope can be found in Figure 1.
Abrasion wear depends mainly on the type of ore to be
ground, the mineralogical composition and the relative
hardness of each component. Abrasion will furthermore be
influenced by the granulometry of the feed, the diameter of
the mill and the grinding media size.

The recorded weight loss allows calculation of the expected


industrial wear rate for each alloy. The advantages of this
method are many. Not only is it possible to compare different
alloys which have been subject to the same operating
conditions but overall results are obtained quickly. Finally the
cost of running a MBT is substantially lower than a full scale
industrial trial and thus the risk of investing in less effective
grinding media is greatly reduced.

Industrial supply and monitoring


In the case of favourable results, the most cost economical
grinding media is loaded into the mill by way of topping up
to maintain the desired ball filling degree.
The time taken to reach a point whereby the ball charge
comprises solely of the new alloy is called the purging time.
At this point, the wear rate of the ball charge will have
stabilised to the industrial wear for the new alloy. The wear
rate between the old and the new alloy are compared and an
economic cost evaluation is performed.

FIG 1 - Illustration of abrasion, corrosion and impact wear on grinding media.


The main factors influencing corrosion inside a grinding
compartment are the pH, the presence of chloride and/
or sulfate ions, the amount of dissolved oxygen and the
presence of additive products for flotation. Corrosion wear
will furthermore increase when the ore to be ground contains
conductive minerals like pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite,
and pyrrhotite.
The impact level within a tumbling mill depends mainly on
the grinding media diameter, the type of mill discharge, the
liner design, the speed of the mill, the percentage of solids and
last but not least, the grinding media filling degree.
Based on a detailed analysis of the aforementioned mill
operating parameters and with the help of a series of inhouse developed tools (Magotteaux abrasion index or
MAI, mill trajectories, polarisation curves, etc ...) a team of
metallurgists will be able to determine the mill conditions, ie
level of abrasion, corrosion and impact in which the tumbling
mill operates.

Database consulting and alloy choice selection


Magotteaux database contains information on more than
2500 ore processing plants around the world. This databank
includes more than 900 marked ball test results with on
average five different grinding media alloys per test as well
as all the industrial grinding media wear results. These tests
have been performed in different abrasion, corrosion and
impact conditions and have allowed us to gain over the years,
the required intelligence in grinding media alloy selection.
Comparing the operating condition for the specific mill with
the Magotteaux database will allow our team to define a set
or family of alloys which could be cost-effective and worth to
trial inside the mill.

Marked ball test


A marked ball test or MBT is carried out using grinding
media which have been drilled and marked in a unique and
distinctive manner. A number of balls of each alloy to be
tested are drilled according to a specific pattern. The marked
balls are introduced simultaneously in the mill and after a
determined number of running hours as many of the test balls
are retrieved from the charge.
106

A second method is to empty the old load from the mill and
introduce a new graded ball charge of the new alloy. Doing
this will avoid the purging period which in a normal ball mill
can be from three months to nine months. Whilst the upfront
investment will be higher the advantage of this method is that
the wear rate comparison and cost calculation can be made
immediately after the new alloy has been charged. Changes
in the milling conditions during the evaluation period have to
be analysed and integrated in the wear and cost calculation.

Prominent Hill secondary ball mill case study


Quick facts and ore processing plant flow sheet
OZ Minerals Prominent Hill operations is located 650 km
north west of Adelaide in South Australia; approximately half
way between the town of Coober Pedy and the BHP Billiton
Olympic Dam operation.
The Prominent Hill deposit was discovered in 2001 by
Minotaur Resources with OZ Minerals securing 100 per
cent ownership in 2005. Mining commenced in 2006 with
plant construction in 2008 and first production and sales in
February 2009.
Prominent Hill is an iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit
with geological characteristics similar to Olympic Dam (Reeve
et al, 1990). Mineralisation consist of copper gold breccias
(80 per cent of the know mineralisation) broken down into
four main domains (Colbert, Munro and Yeowart, 2009),
chalcocite-bornite, bornite-chalcopyrite, chalcopyrite-bornite
and chalcopyrite-pyrite.
In addition a considerable amount of gold only low sulfide
grade ore with a host rock of iron oxide was identified in the
upper area of the deposit. This material forms up to 20 per
cent of the ore feed with the gold being recovered as part of
the flotation concentrate.
The Prominent Hill ore processing plant incorporates a
SAG mill, a secondary ball mill and a regrind IsaMill on the
rougher concentrate as can be seen in Figure 2.

Abrasion, corrosion and impact segmentation


During a site visit and subsequent mill audit the operating
data for the ball mill was collected. An overview of this
operating data can be found in Table 1. Whilst on site a pulp
sample was collected from the ball mill discharge for both a
mineralogical and water analysis.
The mineralogical analysis of the sample confirmed that
the main constituents of the feed are hematite (53.3 per cent),

11TH MILL OPERATORS CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

FORGING AHEAD A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE OZ MINERALS PROMINENT HILL CONCENTRATOR AND MAGOTTEAUX

FIG 2 - Simplified flow sheet of the Prominent Hill concentrator.


TABLE 1
Mill operating data for the ball mill.
Diameter inside shell (m)
Length (m)
Discharge type
Circuit type

7.3
10.4
Overflow
Reverse closed

Power installed (kW)

12000

Power absorbed (kW)

10300

Filling degree (%)


Critical speed (%)
Plant throughput (t/h)
Liner design
Grinding media top up size (mm)
Grinding media wear rate in gram per
tonne milled (g/t)
Grinding media alloy

33
70
1220
High low design
10% 80 mm + 90% 65 mm
410
forged steel

F90 cyclone underflow (m)

2360

F80 cyclone underflow (m)

770

properties to the industrial wear conditions. Based on the


results of the milling condition characterisation and in
consultation with our database, six high chromium cast irons
were identified for a marked ball test in the secondary ball
mill at Prominent Hill (Boreux, 2011). A plain carbon steel
grinding media was added to the marked ball test and was
the reference for the trial:

a steel forged grinding media


Duromax T
Duromax U
Duromax U HT2
Duromax K
Duromax K HT2
Duromax R.

Marked ball test results and analysis


Results of the trial as shown in Table 2 are expressed both in
percentage of wear versus a steel forged grinding media and
reduction of wear versus a steel forged grinding media.
Taking the cost of the various high chromium alloys into
account, the most cost effective grinding media is 60 mm balls
in Duromax T and 80 mm balls in Duromax U.

TABLE 2
Marked ball test results.

quartz (18.3 per cent) and chalcopyrite (2.5 per cent). The
water, which was decanted from the pulp sample, revealed
a pH of 7.37, a chloride content of 4982 ppm and a sulfate
content of 2024 ppm.
Based on this information the wear conditions inside the
ball mill at Prominent Hill were classified as follows; abrasion
medium to high, corrosion medium to low and impact low.

Wear versus steel


forged balls (%)

Wear reduction
versus steel forged
balls (%)

Steel forged (= reference alloy)

100

Duromax T

57.5

42.5

Marked ball test alloy choice

Duromax U

66.2

33.8

There exists a wide range of high chromium cast irons with


chromium contents varying between 12 and 30 per cent.
These alloys can be categorised in seven families according
to the percentage of chromium. For each family a specific
heat treatment is applied to adapt the final grinding media

Duromax U HT2

66.7

33.3

Duromax K

58.5

41.5

Duromax K HT2

57.5

42.5

Duromax R

59.5

40.5

11TH MILL OPERATORS CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

107

M WEIDENBACH et al

The steel forged grinding media in the marked ball test has
different properties compared to the industrially supplied
steel forged grinding media at Prominent Hill. The latter
outperforms the steel forged media in the marked ball trial by
approximately ten per cent.

As a result the corrected reduction in wear of Duromax


grinding media versus steel forged grinding media was
34 per cent.

Taking into account the make up of the top up charge


(see Table 1) and the aforementioned difference in wear
performance of the two types of steel forged media, a final
reduction of 35 per cent in wear versus the industrially steel
forged is derived.

The 34 per cent reduction in media wear achieved during the


plant trial at Prominent Hill confirms the 35 per cent drop
in wear estimated on the basis of the marked ball test. This
result validates the methodology adopted by Magotteaux and
Prominent Hill for estimating wear performance of alternative
grinding media alloys on an industrial scale.

Prominent Hill wear analysis of industrial trial


After presentation of the results, Prominent Hill management
decided to charge the secondary ball mill with Duromax T
and U grinding media starting from the 25 July 2011.
The purging time which is calculated on the basis of
the millimetre lost on the diameter every 100 hours, was
calculated to be 4740 hours and should have been completed
at the beginning of March 2012. This said, as of 1 December
2011, less then five per cent of steel forged media remained in
the ball charge. Therefore the evaluation of the performance
of the new Duromax T and U grinding media was considered
from 1 December 2011 because the five per cent of steel forged
balls remaining in the mill will only have a minimal effect on
the total grinding media wear rate.
An overview of the plant grinding media wear rate in both
SAG mill and ball mill can be found in Figure 3. During
the purge period an increase in wear rate of the SAG mill
media is observed. This increase was acknowledged by plant
management and an increase in the level of abrasivity of the
ore (level of pyrite) during the purge was the main reason.
Consequently a correction was applied to the secondary ball
mill Duromax grinding media performance. Comparing the
two periods as per Table 3, an increase of 16 per cent in media
wear was identified in the SAG mill. To take into account the
change of ore abrasivity and to make a correct comparison, the
same increase was applied on the ball mill performance if the
ball mill would still have ran on steel forged grinding media.

Conclusion

An economic evaluation has shown that the changeover


from steel forged grinding media to cast Duromax grinding
media in the ball mill at Prominent Hill resulted in an
operating cost saving.

IsaMill MEDIA OPTIMISATION


Selection of the correct media for stirred mills
Whilst the selection of grinding media for ball milling is
restricted to size and composition, there are various criteria
when selecting an appropriate stirred grinding media for an
ultrafine grinding application.
Grinding media for stirred mills must be small (<6.0 mm
diameter) to efficiently reduce ore particles of a few hundred
microns. The media needs to be tough and dense, to avoid
media breakage and to remain inside the grinding chamber.
Stirred media also needs to be wear resistant and internally
sound to withstand attrition by abrasive ores. Last but not
least, it must be inert in order to not contaminate the pulp.
To reach the above requirements there has been a tendency
to move from slag and/or sand media, which is traditionally
used, to a range of better performing ceramic beads. One of
the first stirred grinding media at the forefront of ceramic
beads technologies is called Keramax-MT1.
In the manufacturing process of ceramic media, three
parameters are the main keys to success. First, the ceramic
grains must be as fine and as hard as possible. Then, the
temperature during the sintering process is crucial. The higher
and the more consistent it is, the stronger the adherence
between the grains will be. This must be tightly controlled.

Assessment of bead performance in


stirredmills

FIG 3 - Prominent Hills industrial grinding media wear rate data in gram per
tonne milled for both semi-autogenous grinding mill and ball mill.
TABLE 3
Comparing the industrial wear rate results before and after the conversion from
steel forged alloy to cast Duromax grinding media.
Prominent Hill media wear (gram/tonne milled)
Semi-autogenous
grinding mill

Period 1

Period 2

436.7

504.6

--> Increase of 16 per cent


--> Wear reduction = 24 per cent

Ball mill

108

410.1

311.0

--> Corrected wear reduction =


34 per cent

When testing various qualities of new stirred grinding media


in a plant, a few steps are essential for achieving a reliable
result. Firstly, the current media performance inside the
stirred mill must be benchmarked. Secondly, the grinding
circuit needs to be calibrated and ensure that all mill internals
operate satisfactorily throughout the test.
There are two basic methods for comparing different stirred
media and the methodology is similar to the one used for a
tumbling mill. The first method involves testing two different
media in two mills in parallel, provided both mills treat the
same feed, have similarly worn internals and absorb the same
power. The alternative method is to test the new media after
having dumped the original media and comparing it with
the performance of the original media. We call it the before
and after scenario. Whilst this is often the most adapted
methodology in the mining industry, one has to cater for
any ore variations which might have happened during the
trial period.

11TH MILL OPERATORS CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

FORGING AHEAD A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE OZ MINERALS PROMINENT HILL CONCENTRATOR AND MAGOTTEAUX

TABLE 5
Industrial trial result of Keramax-MT1 and Keramax-MTX in the
IsaMill at Prominent Hill.

Testing the new media type MTX at


ProminentHill.
At Prominent Hill the material from the rougher flotation cells
is passed through regrind cyclones and sent either directly
to a Jameson Cell or first through an IsaMill M10 000 for
regrinding and then to the Jameson Cell for further separation.
Since the plant was commissioned the IsaMill uses an inert
ceramic grinding media to facilitate the reduction of particle
size through a stirred milling process.

Unit

Value

Plant Throughput

Mt/a

9.8

IsaMill ceramic media consumption rate

g/t

40.0

The IsaMill at Prominent Hill was commissioned


successfully with Keramax-MT1 ceramic beads.

IsaMill ceramic media consumption rate (annualised)

kg/a

392 000

Two years ago Magotteaux introduced an improved


and more wear resistant ceramic media for the IsaMill,
Keramax-MTX. Initial trials at Somincor, a copper zinc mine
in Portugal had shown a reduction of 50 per cent in usage
versus Keramax-MT1 (Curral, 2011).

Plant throughput

Mt/a

9.8

IsaMill ceramic media consumption rate

g/t

17.0

IsaMill ceramic media consumption rate (annualised)

kg/a

166 600

The specifications of Keramax-MTX can be found in


Table 4.

TABLE 4
Material specification of Keramax-MTX.
Grain fineness

<1 m

% ZrO2

>9%

Sintering temperature

>1550C

Temperature variation

<5C

January 2010 - July 2010: Keramax-MT1

April 2011 - July 2011: Keramax-MTX

Wear rate reduction (%)

57.5

working in close partnership with the view of reducing total


media cost, one of the main input costs of the concentrator.
The paper proves that the testing methodology adopted
by Magotteaux and Prominent Hill is scientifically sound
and reliable. It describes in detail the results achieved for the
marked ball test and furthermore explains that the plant trials
resulted in a reduction of media wear in the secondary ball
mill and IsaMill of 34 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.

<8%

% SiO2

Parameter

In 2011 and after consultation with plant management,


Prominent Hill agreed to trial the new Keramax-MTX
grinding media (Philippe and Clermont, 2011). Since there
is only one IsaMill, testing a new media at Prominent Hill
requires the before and after methodology.
The before period during which the Magotteaux Keramax MT1 ceramic media bench-mark was established, ran from
January 2010 to July 2010. The after period at Prominent
Hill, on Keramax-MTX, ran from April 2011 to July 2011.
Another media type was trialled unsuccessfully in between
both periods.

The Prominent Hill concentrator has since converted the


ball mill to high chromium Duromax grinding media and
the IsaMill to Keramax-MTX beads.
With proven annualised cost saving, they have both become
the standard at Prominent Hill.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank OZ Minerals Prominent Hill
and Magotteaux for the permission to publish the paper and
plant data.

REFERENCES

Results Ceramic bead trial to date

Boreux, X, 2011. Grinding media optimisation Marked ball test in


the secondary ball mill at Prominent Hill, Magotteaux internal
report (unpublished).

The Keramax-MTX ceramic beads ran for approximately


four months during which all relevant data was collected.
Table 5 summarises the results of the Keramax-MT1 versus
Keramax-MTX trial in the IsaMill at Prominent Hill.

Colbert, P J, Munro, P D and Yeowart G, 2009. Prominent Hill


concentrator Designed for operators and maintainers, in
Proceedings Tenth Mill Operators Conference, pp 23-31 (The
Australian Institute of Metallurgy and Mining: Melbourne).

The trial was successful and a reduction in wear of


approximately 57 per cent led to an annualised operating
cost saving.

Curral, J, 2011. Industrial trial of alternative MTX ceramic media


versus MT1, Somincor internal report.

Keramax -MTX is now the standard ceramic media at


Prominent Hill.

CONCLUSION
Since the new Prominent Hill concentrator in South Australia
was commissioned, Magotteaux and OZ Minerals have been

Philippe, C and Clermont, B, 2011. Wear test comparing Keramax


MT1 to Keramax MTX in M10 000 at Prominent Hill, Magotteaux
internal report.
Reeve, J S, Cross, K C, Smith, R N and Oreskes, N, 1990. Olympic
Dam copper-uranium-gold-silver deposit, in Geology of the
Mineral Deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea, volume 2,
pp 1009-1035 (The Australasian Institute of Metallurgy and
Mining: Melbourne).

11TH MILL OPERATORS CONFERENCE 2012 / HOBART, TAS, 29 - 31 OCTOBER 2012

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