Process analysis of selective disintegration of Zapolyarny copper–nickel ore

Mineralogy and material constitution of mineral raw materials deteriorate. For this reason, ore pretreatment is primarily focused on ore size reduction with a view to producing a certain fractional makeup. In this case, overgrinding and, consequently, increased energy input are possible. This study was aimed to validate feasibility of selective disintegration of copper– nickel aggregates at the crushing stage based on the deeper analysis of mineralogy and process properties of the test ore. The data on the mineral composition and elements of the test ore are presented to differentiate between hardness and density of minerals. Using software package Thixomet Pro, the interfaces in ore and rock-forming mineral accretions, and the geometry of grains are determined. Different-type crush milling produced higher contents of copper and nickel in fine size grade and increased contents of silicium and calcium in larger size grades. The implemented experimental and theoretical studies into the mineralogy and process parameters of raw materials, as well as the test crushing on different type mills made it possible to validate feasibility of selective disintegration of copper–nickel ore from Zapolyarny deposit.

Aleksandrova T. N., Afanasova A. V., Kuznetsov V. V., Babenko T. A. Process analysis of selective disintegration of Zapolyarny copper–nickel ore. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021;(12):73-87. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_12_0_73.

This work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation of Fundamental Research (Project No. 20-55-12002).

T.N. Aleksandrova¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Head of Chair,
A.V. Afanasova¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant of Chair, e-mail: Afanasova_av@pers.spmi.ru,
V.V. Kuznetsov¹, Graduate Student,
T.A. Babenko¹, Graduate Student,
¹ Saint-Petersburg Mining University, 199106, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

A.V. Afanasova, e-mail: Afanasova_av@pers.spmi.ru.

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