Optimizing Hydrocyclone Placement in Grinding Circuits of Lines 5, 6, and 7 at Golgohar Iron Complex Using USIM PAC Software

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Dept. of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

2 Senior Researcher, Management Processing, Gol Gohar Sirjan Research Center, Gol Gohar Sirjan Mining and Industrial Company, Iran

3 Senior Process Manager, Golgohar Sirjan Processing Affairs, Golgohar Sirjan Mining and Industrial Company, Iran

Abstract

Modeling and simulation play a crucial role in designing, developing, and optimizing processing circuits, enabling accurate prediction of their behavior and performance. Lines 5, 6, and 7 of the Golgohar plant are similar, each receiving feed from the No. 3 Golgohar mine. The high concentration of fine particles in the feed to these lines significantly increases the importance of proper hydrocyclone positioning. This research aims to determine the optimal layout for the ball mill, medium-intensity magnetic separators, and hydrocyclones. Two placement options for the hydrocyclone were evaluated: at the beginning or the end of the grinding circuit. USIM PAC software was used to simulate the effect of the hydrocyclone's placement on the milling circuit's performance. The initial step involved defining the key simulation parameters, such as the breakage function, selection function, residence time, and the geometric features of the equipment used. Both the existing circuit (Ballmill-Magnetic Separators-Hydrocyclones) and the proposed alternative (Hydrocyclones-Ballmill-Magnetic Separators) were simulated. The analysis suggests that the existing circuit requires three hydrocyclones operating at 112 kilopascals. Optimal diameters are 260 mm for the inlet, 160 mm for the overflow, and 130 mm for the underflow. The feed, overflow, and underflow particle sizes (d80) are 52, 243, 102, and 321.86 microns, respectively. The proposed circuit incorporates three hydrocyclones, each operating at 134 kilopascals. These hydrocyclones have inlet, overflow, and underflow diameters of 225 mm, 297 mm, and 82.5 mm, respectively. The particle size (d80) of the feed, overflow, and bottom products was measured as 574.25, 104, and 1229.01 microns, respectively. The proposed grinding circuit's input feed saw a 21.69% reduction in tonnage, while particle size increased by 159.03%. The circulating load tonnage, particle size, and outflow particle size from the ball mill decreased by 37.71%, 4.43%, and 8%, respectively. The proposed circuit boosts the capacity and the size reduction ratio of the ball mill by 21.69% and 172.98% respectively. These results confirmed that the proposed circuit has a higher efficiency than the existing one.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 November 2023
  • Revise Date: 14 June 2024
  • Accept Date: 27 June 2024

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