Abstract
As part of our initiative to develop sustainable products, Weir has developed the 3-1-1 flowsheet that utilizes less than 3 MW of power for 1 MT/year to a product size of -1mm. The flowsheet represents a significant advancement in energy efficient mineral processing for modest sized operations that employ leaching or bioleaching recovery technologies.
Material transport is seamlessly integrated into the 3-1-1 flow sheet to ensure efficient delivery of plant feed. Dedicated systems capable of transporting material from mine drawpoints 1-3 km away, at up to 300 m depth will utilize less than 1 MW of total power. This automated setip guarentees prompt feed delivery and minimizes production delays due to haulage.
The flowsheet employs a three stage crushing circuit to reduce feed material down to as fine as a p80 of -1mm in the product. The fine product size results in significant energy savings.
A case study of a proposed nickel operation utilizing the 3-1-1 concept will be provided to demonstrate the process design opportunity.