Mineral processing technology II: Student manual

Abstract

Mineral processing equipment performance depends on the behaviour of each particle that is processed. It is however impossible, though necessary, to design equipment (base Computational procedures) that considers each of the particles due to their bigger number and their difference. Useful models cannot be based on average properties of particles either. Individual particles differ from each other by: - Properties that influence their behaviours in equipment, the two most important of these properties are the size and mineralogical composition. - Other properties such as shape, specific gravity, fracture energy, surface area, surface energy. In addition to the particle size and mineral composition, comminution, classification and concentration are dependent also on specific gravity, brittleness which influences the behaviour of particles. Examples: Gravity concentration makes use of differences in specific gravity between particles to separate them. Particles properties are not totally independent of each other. For example the specific gravity is related to the mineralogical composition. Surface energy of a particle is related to mineral composition on the surface of the particle. Some aspects of the particle’s properties in a population are needed with more details for models to be sufficiently sensitive to individual particle properties although these properties cannot be defined for each individual particle. Such aspects or scheme are provided by a description using distribution functions.