Mining, metallurgical and materials
Mineral processing
Flowsheet design, beneficiation and plant performance for mineral processing.
Describe your projectWhat it covers
Mineral processing engineering designs and improves the plants that turn ore into a saleable product. It covers flowsheet development, comminution and classification, flotation, gravity and magnetic separation, leaching, thickening and dewatering, and plant performance and metallurgical accounting. The engineer can take test work to a flowsheet and plant design, troubleshoot recovery and grade, or model and debottleneck an operating concentrator.
When you need it
You need a mineral processing engineer when you are developing a project from test work, when recovery, grade or throughput is below target, when you are debottlenecking or expanding a plant, or when you need an independent review of a flowsheet or metallurgical performance. It is the discipline that decides how much value an orebody actually yields.
Standards, codes and tools
Commonly used tools: JKSimMet, Limn, metallurgical balance tools.
What to look for
Look for an engineer with experience in your ore type and process route, because sulphide flotation, gold leaching and iron ore beneficiation need different expertise. Ask whether they ground their flowsheet in test work and how they verify a metallurgical balance. For a performance problem, look for someone who samples and surveys before changing the plant.
Mineral processing by city
Common questions
What does a mineral processing engineer do?
They design and improve the plants that concentrate and recover minerals from ore, covering comminution, separation, flotation, leaching and dewatering. They take test work to a flowsheet, design or debottleneck plant, and troubleshoot recovery and grade.
Do you need test work before designing a flowsheet?
Almost always. Representative test work on the actual ore underpins a reliable flowsheet and plant design. Designing without it carries significant metallurgical risk, so an engineer will usually base the design on test results and a sound metallurgical balance.
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