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Metallurgical Testing Comminution – From Bench Scale to Full Scale Piloting RIGHT SOLUTIONS | RIGHT PARTNER
Metallurgical Testing Comminution – From Bench Scale to Full Scale Piloting
right solutions | right partner
2 | ALS Metallurgy – Metallurgical Testing
Introduction ALS Metallurgy is part of the ALS Group, a diversified and global analytical laboratory and testing services company.
ALS Metallurgy is the global leader in metallurgical testing and consulting services for mineral process flowsheet development and optimisation.
Extensive bench scale laboratory, large scale pilot plant facilities and expert metallurgists, provide mineral processing, hydrometallurgical, mineralogical and in-plant services to the global resources community.
Our metallurgical solutions are internationally recognised by the mining, engineering and financial sectors for all major commodities:
•• Precious metals - gold, silver, platinum group metals•• Base metals - copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, molybdenum,
manganese•• Iron ore - hematite, magnetite, goethite, itabirite•• Nickel - laterite & sulphide ores•• Uranium & thorium•• Rare earth minerals & other exotics •• Mineral sands•• Industrial minerals•• Tungsten & tin
ALS Metallurgy has an enviable reputation for delivering the highest quality extractive metallurgical testing service with accurate and timely data, expert support and a culture of safety and innovation.
Quality ALS understands the value of data quality and integrity to exploration and mining companies. Our processes are designed to ensure clients receive the best quality assay data to assist informed decision making.
Health, Safety and EnvironmentBeing an employee of ALS is about putting safety first. Globally, ALS is committed to a safe work culture.
Safety ManageMentAs part of this global approach, ALS has developed an industry leading standard for managing health, safety and environmental issues.
Protection of the environMentALS has Extensive procedures and policies to ensure Protection of the Environment. Specific procedures and policies address the following issues:
•• Waste Management, Monitoring and Maintenance;•• Disaster Management plans for spills;•• Management of Solid waste, with recycling where possible.
With industry leading expertise in geochemistry, mineralogy and metallurgy, the ALS Group can provide you with a wide range of services
| 3Comminution – From Bench Scale to Full Scale Piloting
ComminutionALS Metallurgy offers a comprehensive range of crushing and grinding testwork services:
•• Autogenous media competency •• Bond abrasion index•• Bond ball mill work index •• Bond impact crushing work index•• Bond rod mill work index•• Comparative work index•• High pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) up to 10tph•• Inferred work index•• JK drop-weight test & SMC test•• Levin open circuit grindability•• Pilot SABC (AG/SAG) up to 4tph•• Point load test•• SAGDesign (Starkey)•• Ultra fine grinding – IsaMillTM, Metso Verti-mill, Stirred
Media Detritor, Deswik, Metprotech•• Unconfined compressive strength
Plus extensive crushing, screening, bulk grinding, scrubbing and attritioning capabilities.
Piloting FacilitiesFor many projects, to reduce the technical and commercial risk, there is no substitute for pilot testing. The best pilot program is based on thorough bench-scale testing and circuit simulation. We have completed hundreds of pilot plant programmes since 1979.
Comminution pilot-plant capabilities at our Australian operations include a permanent pilot AG/SAG milling circuit installation. The mill is one of the few remaining 6’ x 2’ high aspect units in the world still in operation. This instrumented pilot plant allows circuit changes to be brought to steady-state more rapidly and avoids wasted pilot plant time.
Circuit configurations, including AG, SAG, ABC or SABC, are evaluated easily.
With an extensive, flexible piloting facility, our dedicated pilot plant team can configure a range of continuous circuits, for all commodities, incorporating:
•• Bulk crushing, blending & screening•• AG/SAG milling•• Pebble, ball & rod milling•• High pressure grinding rolls•• Ultra fine grinding•• Hydrocyclones•• Hydrometallurgy •• Magnetic separation•• Dense medium cyclone plant•• Gravity separation•• Flotation •• Thickening & filtration•• Tailings management
And much more!
Extensive Services Crushing of ore is a significant capital and operating cost in many mineral processing plants. Up to fifty percent of the operating costs can be attributed to crushing and milling alone.
ALS Metallurgy’s comminution process development test work, at both laboratory and continuous pilot plant scales, minimises the technical risks associated with the development of comminution circuits through well-planned, well-managed, and well-executed metallurgical test work programmes.
It is important to fully determine the comminution parameters relevant to the crushing and milling of an ore to enable complete plant design to take place with confidence. The results from these tests are used for simulation modelling, scale-up studies and technical due diligence.
Trusted by the international mining, engineering and financial sectors, our specialist comminution metallurgists work with you and your consultants to develop and demonstrate successful processing strategies to support process optimisation, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.
With industry leading expertise in geochemistry, mineralogy and metallurgy, the ALS Group can provide you with a wide range of services including:
Exploration Services•• Geochemical exploration services•• Geometallurgy•• Advanced mineralogy•• Scoping stage metallurgical testing
Process Optimisation, Pre-Feasibility & Feasibility Services•• Geometallurgy •• Ore variability studies•• Advanced mineralogy•• Metallurgical flowsheet development & optimisation•• Continuous pilot plant testing
Production Support•• Mine site laboratories•• Grade control & daily mill control analytical services•• Advanced mineralogy
Front Cover photo courtesy of FLSmidth
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www.alsglobal.com
AustraliaPerth
6 MacAdam Place, Balcatta, Western Australia 6021
T +61 8 9344 2416 F +61 8 9345 4688 E [email protected]
North AmericaKamloops
2957 Bowers Place, Kamloops BC V1S 1W5 Canada
t +1 250 828 6157 E [email protected]
Latin AmericaSantiago Mineral Services centre
Hermanos Carrera Pinto 159 Parque Industrial Los Libertadores Colina, Santiago, Chile
t +56 2 2654 6100 f +56 2 2654 6163 e [email protected]
