Effect of Mineralogy on the Application of Sensor-based Sorting Techniques Year Two

Comminution, the process of crushing and grinding ore to liberate minerals, is the most energy intensive part of the processing flowsheet and accounts for upwards of 75% of the overall energy consumption of the processing plant. Ideally we would only crush and grind those rocks that contain economically extractable amounts of minerals. MineSense has developed sensors that can detect the level of minerals in rocks and, in particular, can detect very low levels with high accuracy. This proposal is to use MineSense’s sensing technology to pre-concentrate low grade copper ores. Based on test results, the correlation between the copper value and the sensor signals will be evaluated. An evaluation method will be proposed on the limit of the specific sorting technology. This information is critical both for MineSense to commercialize its products and for industry to accept the product.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Bern Klein

Student:

Libin Tong

Partner:

MineSense Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

University of British Columbia