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Circuit Mass Balancing: AMIT 135: Lesson 2 Circuit Mass Balancing - Mining Mill Operator Traini NG (Uaf - Edu)

Circuit mass balancing is an important tool used in mineral processing to balance the mass and component flows through an operation. The key relationships are: 1) Mass in must equal mass out and volume in must equal volume out. 2) The two-product formula relates the feed, concentrate, and reject streams using mass and component balance equations. 3) Pulp density, solids concentration, and mass/volume flow rates can be determined using measurements of specific gravity, solids content, and flow rates to perform volumetric and mass balancing. When data is unbalanced, adjustments may be made using a weighted least squares approach.

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211 views31 pages

Circuit Mass Balancing: AMIT 135: Lesson 2 Circuit Mass Balancing - Mining Mill Operator Traini NG (Uaf - Edu)

Circuit mass balancing is an important tool used in mineral processing to balance the mass and component flows through an operation. The key relationships are: 1) Mass in must equal mass out and volume in must equal volume out. 2) The two-product formula relates the feed, concentrate, and reject streams using mass and component balance equations. 3) Pulp density, solids concentration, and mass/volume flow rates can be determined using measurements of specific gravity, solids content, and flow rates to perform volumetric and mass balancing. When data is unbalanced, adjustments may be made using a weighted least squares approach.

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BlueDiz Nightcore
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Circuit Mass Balancing

AMIT 135: Lesson 2 Circuit Mass Balancing – Mining Mill Operator Traini
ng (uaf.edu)
Mass In = Mass Out

Volume In = Volume Out


Ff = Cc + Rr
Two-Product Formula
• Given the mass and component balance equations :
•F=C+R
• Ff = Cc + Rr
• Mass yield (Y) can be solved as a function of the stream, assays which
yields the two-product  formula:
• R = F- C
• Ff = Cc + r (F – C)
Mass Yield Formula Example

Mass Yield = 1.5%


Component Recovery
• In many mineral processing applications, the focus is to maintain
maximum recovery of the valued mineral or element while also
maximizing upgrade or concentrate assay.
• Component Recovery Example

Cu Recovery, R = 73.5%

• Concentration Ratio, CR
Mass/Volume Flow Determination
• The relationship between the mass (M) and the volume flow (Q rates
in a given stream is defined as:

= the pulp density (solids and water) in lbs/ft3


X = solids concentration in % by weight

• Volumetric flow rate can be measured by flow meters, P-Q curve


relationships for pumps or directly measured.
• Pulp density can be measured using a Marcy Density of nuclear
density gauge.
• The solids concentration can be estimated using a common
expression or directly measured.
Pulp Density
• Density (ρ) is the ratio of the mass weight (M) of a substance and
the total volume (V):

• Water has a density of:


• 1.0gm/ml or 1.0gm/cm3
• 1000kg/m3 – 1tonne/m3
• 62.4lbs/ft3
• Specific gravity is the ratio of the material density over the density of
water:
Marcy Scale
• The Marcy scale is a common tool used in preparation plants to measure
pulp density.
• The scale uses a container that allows a volume of exactly 1000 ml.
•  After collecting  the sample,  the container  is hung on a weight  scale
which measures in grams.
• The printed scale reads the pulp density directly in grams/ 1ml.
• Since water density is 1.0 gm/ml, the scale also indicates the specific
gravity of the pulp.
Mass Flow Determination Example
• A classifying cyclone is being fed slurry at a volumetric flow rate of
1000 gpm. The specific gravity of the slurry is 1.1 and the solids
concentration was determined to be 15.0 % by weight. Determine the
mass feed flow rate in tons per hour:

Solution:
Volumetric Balancing Using Pulp Density
• Pulp density measurements around unit operations such as dense
medium separators and classifying, cyclones can be used to assess
volume yield.
• Consider the balance around a classifying cyclone:

• Thus, the volumetric yield to the underflow stream can be obtained


from the following expression:
Slurry Solids Concentration by Weight
• A classifying cyclone is treating 150 gallons/min of slurry. A plant
technician has measured the pulp densities of the process streams
using a Marcy density gauge and reported the following: feed = 1.08
gm/ml, overflow =  1.03 gm/ml and underflow = 1.20 gm/ml.
Determine the volumetric flow rates to each stream.
Solution:
_________%

_________ = _________ gallons/min

_________ = 150 X (1 – _________) = __________ gallons/min


• The solids concentration X of a slurry by weight can be measured
directly by:
• Collecting a sample,
• Measuring the weight of the total slurry or pulp Mp
• Drying the sample and
• Measuring the dry weight of solids Ms

Mw = water weight

• This equation is often used to determine the amount of water in a process


stream1 knowing the solids concentration by weight and the tons/hr of solids in
a process stream.
• Solids Concentration Example
• The underflow stream from the classifying cyclone bank contains 100
tons/hour of ore which represents 45% of the total slurry mass.
• The downstream concentrators require a feed solids concentration of 30% by
weight. How much water is required to be added to dilute the stream to the
required solids concentration?
% Solids & Pulp Density Relationship
• t often occurs that the knowledge of the solids content is needed within
a time frame less than the sample preparation and analysis time.
• When this situation arises, the solids content by weight can be
estimated knowing the pulp density as measured with the Marcy scale
and using the following equation:

X% = => solids density or specific gravity 2.65 for most host rock minerals.
water density (62.4 lbs/ft3 or 1gm/ml) or specific gravity (=1).
Estimation of Solid Density
Circuit Balancing
• Two-Product Formula Characteristics
• Formula only applies under steady-state conditions
• Formula very sensitive to variations in the reject assay, “r”
• Formula inaccurate when component is not separated
• Formula may calculate different yields for each assay (due to experimental
errors)
What to Do with Unbalanced Data
• Eliminate  Data
• avoid collecting or ignore data that conflicts
• most common approach in industry
• arbitrary and highly subject to user biases
• not getting full value out of your data
• Adjust  Data
• create consistent balances by adjusting data
• use method of “weighted least squares”
• adjustments should (i) satisfy all mass balances equations and (ii) be as small
as possible

AMIT 135: Lesson 2 Circuit Mass Balancing – Mining Mill Operator Training (uaf.edu)

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