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Determination of Grinding Rate Constant of Lakan Lead and Zinc Deposit 121

Determination of Grinding Rate Constant of Lakan Lead


and Zinc Deposit
H. Hekmatnia*, M. Taghimohammadi* and B. Rezaie**
*Student of Mining, **Professor of Mining
Metallurgy and Petroleum Faculty of
Amir_Kabir University of Technology,
Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT: The importance of grinding is its direct or indirect effect on entire process. Problem of liberation
degree, over grinding and slime coating that reduced the flotation efficiency are controllable in grinding stage.
Therefore a correct understanding of grinding is very important. Importance of grinding constant rate is that usually all
of particles that enter in grinding circuit don’t have a similar grinding rate constant. The intention of this paper is
simulation and optimization of Lakan ball mill and grinding medium optimization. For determination of grinding rate
constant and also for investigation of relation between the ball diameter and selection function the NGOTC freeware
was used. By investigating the relation between the ball diameter and selection function, it was found that the ball with
130 mm diameter is suitable for grinding medium.

1. INTRODUCTION  ( t) 
ln w D  = − S1 t (2)
 w D ( 0) 
One of the most important comminution para-  
meters is breakage rate (selection function) that is
Where S1 is KD in equation (1). WD (t) and
an expression of kinetic of comminution that
WD(0) are the mass of the materials of size D at
depends on various parameters like ore charac-
grinding time t and 0, respectively (Ipek, 2006;
teristics, mill diameter, mill speed, size and quality
King, 2001).
of balls. Comminution usually designate as first
order kinetic. For various reasons the breakage rate This paper presents the effects of ball diameter
is important, for example by this factor we can be on the specific rate of breakage of lead and zinc ore
generalized the picture of comminution method in determined under standard conditions in a small
each size fraction, and ability of ball selection and laboratory ball mill by NGOTC freeware.
so it can used in mill simulation (Kotake, 2004).
Furthermore the breakage rate is depending on 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
shape of grinding media too (Ipec, 2006).
In general terms relation between selection Representative samples were collected from Lakan
function and time can be explained by equation (1) lead and zinc mine in the province of Markazi in
(Ipek, 2006; King, 2001): middle of Iran. A systematic random sample was
taken from the feed and the product of ball mill.
dw D
= − KD WD (1) The diameter and length of ball mill is 2.6 and 3 m,
dt respectively. The sieve analyses of feed and
Where WD and KD are weight and breakage products are shown in figure 1. Worthy of mention
rate of particle of size D, respectively. In a number that input parameters of NGOTC freeware are
of papers KD is shown by S that is representative of breakage function, residence time distribution
Selection function. By solving the equation will function and size distribution of feed and product
acquire: of ball mill (farzanegan, 2002).
122  Mineral Processing Technology (MPT 2007)
A method for determining the selection
function is using size distribution of feed and
product of operational industrial mill. To find the
size distribution, in this procedure a sample of feed
and a sample of product are taken and screened.
Then using this information and the previous
results of calculated breakage function and
inputting them in to the NGOTC Software, the
selection function of the mill is calculated directly.
On the basis of previous studies, the retention
time in ball mill is 6 minutes. NGOTC have
Fig. 1: Feed and product sieve analyses designed base on one unit plug flow, one unit small
perfect mixer and two units large perfect mixer.
The following order form:
2.1 Selection Function Calculation Method

First, fifteen monosize fractions (9525, 6300, 4750,


τ PF
= τ SPM = 1
3350, 2360, 1700, 1180, 850, 600, 425, 300, 212, τ SPM τ PF (3)
150, 106 and 75 µm) were prepared and ground
batch wise in a laboratory-scale ball mill for τ PF
=τ SPM
=
1
determination of the breakage function. Each
sample was taken out of the mill and dry-sieved for τ LPM τ LPM
7 (4)
product size analysis. The grinding medium was a
mixture of 38.1 mm, 25.4 mm and 19mm steel τ LPM
=0.7
(5)

τ = τ SPM = 0.1
balls that the number of balls in each size fraction
was 15, 56 and 51, respectively. The grinding time PF (6)
in each batch was 15 second, and kept on grinding The resident time function parameters are τPF =
up to the time which approximately 45 or 50% of 0.6, τSPM = 0.6and τLPM = 4.2.
samples pass through the first screen, and grinding
As three breakage function calculated by
test was carried out. Then, the breakage function
berube, Herbst and fuersteneau and modified
was calculated based on Herbst and fuersteneau,
Herbst and fuersteneau method were available, the
bérube and modified Herbst and fuersteneau’s
selection function of each was calculated and
methods by BFDS software written by students of
compared. The results of calculated selection
Amir_Kabir University. The calculated breakage
function by software are shown in figure 3.
function is shown in figure 2. Investigation shows
that this function is no normalized.

Fig. 2: Calculated breakage function Fig. 3: Calculated selection function by NGOTC


Determination of Grinding Rate Constant of Lakan Lead and Zinc Deposit 123
As observed here, these three methods almost Fig. 5: calculated selection function by software for
agree with each other and minor difference is due various size of grinding medium
to the inevitable lab and calculational errors.
3. DISCUSSION
2.2 Investigation of relation between
As shown in figures 4 and 5 by increasing the
grinding medium size and specific rate
particle size up to particular size, the breakage rate
of breakage
increased too. But from a particular size this trend
NGOTS freeware is able to determine selection change to be reverse. As a matter of fact the
function base on grinding medium size. For use upward section of curve is normalized zone and
this ability, mean diameter of grinding medium of downward section of curve is nonnormalized zone
operational mill and mean diameter of intended (Farzanegan, 2002). Also based on figure 4 and 5
grinding medium must be existed. for 80 and 100 mm Diameter balls, nonnormalized
zone of curve start at
The grinding medium of ball mill of Lakan
lead and zinc mine is mixture of 80 mm and 100 3350 and 2360 µm particles size, respectively.
mm steel balls that the mean diameter of balls is 90 Attending to this fact that 35% of feed is in range
mm, therefore various size of ball give to the of +3350–9525 µm, hence it’s better to increase the
NGOTC and results of the software that is ball sizes. By increasing the ball size up to 130
selection function was registered. The results of mm, the nonnormalized zone get started at 6300
calculated selection function by software for µm. with balls with diameter larger than 130 mm,
various size of grinding medium are shown in does not caused any change in nonnormalized zone
figures 4 and 5. and last fraction grind nonnormalized. Based on
figures 6 and 7 by increasing the ball diameter, rate
of breakage will decrease.

Fig. 4: Calculated selection function by software for


various size of grinding medium
Fig. 6: Variation of breakage rate for different ball
diameter.
124  Mineral Processing Technology (MPT 2007)
3. Based on figures 3 and 4, the downward sloping
point of curve for balls with 60, 80, 100 and 130
mm is started from 2360, 2360, 3350 and 6300
µm particle size, therefore if balls with 130mm
diameter were used, it can increase the breakage
rate of fractions of 4750 and 3350 µm.
4. The fraction of 9525 µm has a low rate of
breakage, if this fraction rejected from the feed,
the efficiency of ball mill will increase.

REFERENCES

Fig. 7: Variation of breakage rate for different ball [1] Deniz, V.; A study on the specific rate of
diameter breakage of cement materials in a laboratory
ball mill, cement and concrete research, vol. 33,
The reason for this case is that by increasing
2003.
the ball diameters the numbers of balls in the [2] Farzanegan, A. Knowledge-Based Optimization
volume unit will decreases. Therefore the number of Mineral Grinding Circuits, Theses (PH.D).
of impacts decreases between particle and ball, McGill University, Department of Mining and
subsequently the breakage rate decreases too. Metallurgical Engineering, Montreal, Quebec,
Using balls smaller than optimum size causes Canada.(1998).
to coarse particles become accumulated in mill. In [3] Ipek H; The effect of grinding media shape on
breakage rate, Mineral Engineering, vol. 19 (p:
reality this show that each fraction needs special 91-93), 2006.
ball diameter for optimum grinding, thereupon [4] Kamal, M., grinding kinetics of some Egyptian
various ball size must be exist in grinding media feldspar; Powder Technology, vol. 121, 2002.
(Katake, 2002; Deniz, 2003). [5] King, R.P., modeling and simulation of minerals
processing system, 2001 Butterworth
Heinemann, oxford, England.
4. CONCLUSIONS [6] Kotake N., Suzuki K., Asahi. S., Kanada H.,
Experimental study on the grinding rate constant
1. Fractions of 6300, 4750, 3350 and 2360 µm, of solid materials in a ball mill, Powder
that made 35% of feed, have the greatest breakage Technology; vol 122; 2002
rate. [7] Kotake N., Daibi K., Yamamoto. T., Kanda. Y.,
2. Fractions of 212, 150, 106 and 75 µm have the Experimental Investigation on a grinding rate
constant of solid materials by a ball mill_ effect
least breakage rate.
of ball diameter and feed size, Powder
Technology, vol. 144, 2004.

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