PROSPECTS FOR ELECTRIC PULSE DISINTEGRATION OF PRECIOUS METAL ORES

ANATOLy USOv & vyAChESL Av TSUkERMAN Kola Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia RODRIGO MAS AbALO Universidad Tcnica Federico Santa Mara, Chile

AbSTRACT
The use of the Electric Pulse Discharge method of materials destruction (EPD) for disintegration (disaggregation) of primary deposits ores containing native precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) are examined. Of special significance is that PGM and gold grains, being highly plastic, are easily liberated and are not smeared on the disintegrated rock. It allows gravity separation, which is less expensive and more efficient, to be used instead of chemical processing, which is expensive and environmentally faulty.

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INTRODUCTION
Native precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) are recovered from primary deposits ores in disintegration process. Being highly plastic, precious metals are smeared on the disintegrated particles surface. Due to this, more expensive and environmentally faulty chemical processing is used instead of less expensive gravity separation. A new energy-saving method allowing effective disintegrating of hard and difficult-todisintegrate materials (stones, ores, frozen soils, concrete blocks etc.) has been developed by the Russian researchers an electric pulse disintegration method. Detailed studies on the development of EPD-disintegration processes applied for materials of different nature and on the fields of application have been carried out [5]. Electrical and power characteristics of the process, main physical principles of disintegration selectivity have been studied, means of electric pulse disintegration of materials have been developed, technological efficiency of disintegration of commercial useful minerals have been estimated [4]. The different commercial useful minerals have been tested to show the possibilities of application of the EPD-disintegration as a process ensuring the most effective useful minerals liberation from all types of ores [1, 7, 8] There are some technological preconditions for the EDP-method to be used in precious metals liberation.

METhODOLOGy
The Solid body Disintegration Mechanism under the EPD-Method

The solid body disintegration mechanism under the EPD includes two stages. At the first stage, a discharge channel is formed in the surface layer of a solid body. High-voltage impulses, of less than 10-6 s in duration, are used, allowing inversion of relationship between electric strengths of solid dielectric and liquid medium (liquid). Under certain conditions set by the parameters of pulse voltage and by the medium selection, the electrical discharge between electrodes contacting a rock mass or a material fragment penetrates the material resulting in subsequent disintegration of the latter due to explosive effect of the discharge channel rather than develops on the material surface (Figure 1). The process can take place in non-conducting (dielectric) liquids, in processing water, in vapour-air mixtures and vacuum. With the energy amount sufficient, a significant material volume - up to tens of cm3 - is involved into the zone of disintegration. The electric pulse repetition rate can reach 20-30 per second. It provides disintegration productivity from 0.020 to 0.500 kg/sec. The method allows parts of material to be separated from the main mass or from a large block, material fragments to be disintegrated. The method can be applied to all non-conducting and semi-conducting materials rocks, ores, artificial materials. The physical principles of the EPD make it much more energy-saving compared to conventional methods. The source of load is the discharge channel formed inside a solid body. A solid body is disintegrated due to tension stresses, thus requiring minimum energy amount to disintegrate material. Highly effective energy transfer from the source (power-supply system) to the discharge channel and favourable conditions for solid body disintegration, with breaking occurring from inside, ensure the least power-intensive mechanism of solids disintegration. The dynamic nature of the EPD ensures fragile disintegration of a material without any energy loss for plastic deformation.

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Figure 1: The principle of electric pulse disintegration.

Figure 1, shows the following: a. Volt-second characteristics comparison for different media b. The breakdown and disintegration sequence in the system with one free surface c. The breakdown and disintegration sequence for material fragments. The abbreviations in Figure 1 refer to: U(t) generated form a voltage pulse between the electrodes Ud(t) form a voltage pulse with an electric breakdown in solid Solid Ut characteristics of the breakdown processes in solid Liquid Ut characteristics of breakdown processes in liquid J(t) pulse of current in the discharge channel. The EPD is as effective in terms of energy as explosives applied in rock blasting. At the same time, the method is implemented under extremely low values of energy (equivalent to small shares of gram of an explosive) for each breakdown. High efficiency of the process is due to continuous nature of the process, with the frequency of breakdowns being of to some tens of pulses per second. At the same time, compared with explosives, the advantage of the discharge channel is that it consumes energy from the outer power source. It can be adjusted by simple ways, with energy values and the time of its release ranging widely, providing optimal loading conditions to achieve the technological effect needed. In fact, an electric spark is actually the main instrument, so the elements of the construction (which do not rotate and do not bear any axial load) responsible for disintegration, are practically durable and can be manufactured from structural steel. Detailed studies on the development of EPD-disintegration processes applied for materials of different nature and on the fields of application have been carried out. In particular, electrical and power characteristics of the process as well as physical principles of breakdown and disintegration selectivity have been studied, technological efficiency of disintegration of various ores and materials has been evaluated. One of the most important characteristics of the EPD ore disintegration is high disintegration selectivity, which provides the best liberation of grains of useful minerals, and, at the same time, less destroys their integrity. In metallic ores and ores with useful minerals, substantially different from primary rock in dielectric permittivity, the effect of selectivity

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is largely stipulated by selective orientation of the discharge channel towards inclusions of the useful minerals, deforming the electrical field in the inter-electrode interval. For ores with components different in electrical strength, the effect of selectivity is stipulated by selective electrical breakdown of electrically weaker component. The difference between useful minerals in deformation and acoustic properties is the reason of weakening of mineral grains along the edges of their contact with one another or with primary rock, which is caused by the effect of the wave of pressure generated by the discharge channel. Much higher, compared to conventional ways of disintegration, efficiency of liberation of grains of useful minerals achieved in application of the EPD ensures, at the next ore processing stages, a significant increase in recovery and in concentrate quality. As a rule, mineral grain liberation takes place at earlier stages of material disintegration compared to mechanical disintegration, and with less damage to its integrity. It allows the technological process of ore preparation to be simplified and the energy consumption to be decreased.
Regularities of Precious Metals Ores Disintegration

Experimental works on ores containing precious metals were aimed at study of the nature of material disintegration and metals recovery. Based on the representative data on other metallic and complex ores disintegration, the following peculiarities of the EPDdisintegration were expected to be effectively used for the mineral products said: Electric pulse disintegration of metallic ores due to the effect of selective electric breakdown on metallic inclusions provides high selectivity of ore disintegration with a high degree of metal inclusions liberation, preventing smearing on the host rock particles surface. Metal inclusions are liberated at earlier stages of ore disintegration, reducing the expenses for disintegration and, allows gravity separation to be used in precious metal recovery. The EPD has been applied to gabbronorite with PGM-mineralization (Kola peninsula), showing its high efficiency. Disintegration occurs, mainly, along the edges of mineral grains and mineral individuals, including those of a complicated shape, are practically fully liberated from accessory minerals, aggregates are practically fully liberated, high percentage of grains possessing primary morphology with minimum over disintegration is preserved, the crystal faces sculpture is intact. The grains of precious minerals (ferrous and nonferrous metals sulphides, PGM, gold) are, as a rule, characterized by rather narrow grain size range. Liberation of mineral grains without cracks, without slimming and smearing of highly plastic minerals on the waste-rock grains surface results in that some narrow mineral product fractions are enriched in useful components, allowing the mineral product to be enriched in recovery of a certain mineral product grain size. The EPD allows an opportunity of use of more optimal scheme of ores processing. Regularities of gold-bearing ores disintegration can be seen on complex ore taken as an example from the Leninogorsk deposit (Kazakhstan) with fine metal dissemination [4]. The work was aimed at comparison of electric pulse disintegration with the conventional methods used in ore processing. The distribution of metals (gold and silver) by grain size was compared. The test is provided in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: The scheme of comparative tests.

Ore of 25-0 mm grain size has been selected from the conveyor feeding the mills. Under the traditional disintegration technology, ore was crushed in a jaw crusher (150x80) to - 3 mm grain size, then it was additionally crushed in a rod laboratory mill of a periodic action to -250 microns grain size. Under the EPD-disintegration technology, ore was first crushed to - 2 mm grain size on a screen and then was additionally crushed to -250 microns in chambers, the product being carried out by an ascending flow of the liquid. The data on distribution of gold and silver by grain size is provided in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Characteristics of gold and silver distribution by grain size classes.

Figure 3 shows the characteristics of gold and silver distribution by grain size classes in complex ores disintegration in electric pulse installations and in rod mills 1. Distribution of gold in an electric pulse installation (3.9%) 2. Distribution of silver with electric pulse installation (5.4%) 3. Gold distribution in a rod mill (8.0%) 4. Silver distribution in a rod mill (12,5%). The value in brackets is the slim content in -10 m grain size class, respectively. In comparison with conventional methods, the EPD reduces essentially the output of fine classes and liberated metal is not additionally crushed and concentrated in a higher grain size class corresponding to the initial size of inclusions. This creates an opportunity to use a more progressive way of gravity separation. As grains of useful minerals are characterized by a rather narrow size range, their liberation without destruction (and without slimming) creates an additional opportunity to increase the efficiency of processing of such types of ores by preliminary distribution by size, with separation of a narrow fraction of the product.
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The technological efficiency of use of the electric pulse disintegration in precious metals recovery from ores of primary deposits, with inclusions of over 100-200 microns grain size, is out of doubt. The current level of development of electrical engineering and pulse technology, one can speak about creation of modular installations to be used in thin deposits development with high grade ore (15-20 g/t) and metal inclusions of gravity grain size. There are, however, a number of difficulties on the way of practical implementation of the method, and to overcome these, it is necessary to continue works. To process great volumes of ore, it is necessary to have advanced and effective electrotechnical equipment. One should bear in mind that the EPD applied under the conditions of the breakdown channel into the particles of a solid body, exists as it is while the particles are over 1-2mm in size. If less, the effect of electrical breakdown inside the particles is impossible in principle. The process of electrohydropulse (electrohydraulic) disintegration of materials is studied well enough and, in terms of energy, it has no prospects to be an alternative mechanical method applied in disintegration. Upgrading of the equipment of high-voltage pulse gives great possibilities for electric discharge weakening of materials [6, 9]. One should point to the considerable results of the work on preparation of pyretic wastes [3] and gold-bearing concentrates [2] for leaching with the use of voltage pulses of nanosecond duration. In case of processing of pyretic wastes of the size less than 100 mkm by electric discharges in liquid by voltage pulses of nanosecond duration electrohydraulic pulse weakening allows to transform many metals (copper, zinc, iron) into soluble condition in water and to increase hydrometallurgic process indexes. Gold extraction in the process of cyanidation several times increases and reaches 87%. A considerable achievement of these researches is the application of new generators of pulses of nanosecond range with current break by semiconductor diodes. At a limited pulse energy (units and tenth parts of Joule) the necessary productivity is provided by high frequency of pulse recurrence (to 10 kilohertz, in the quoted research 300 per second). In case of gold and silver bearing concentrate processing by electromagnetic irradiation of ultra high frequency by nanosecond range pulses the weakening of the material by the channels of unfinished breakdown provided increased extraction of gold and silver to tens of per cent and reached the level of 70-80% at the particles size of 50-500 mkm. It is of great importance that weakening duty with the multiwave high-frequency-wave generators application may be used in air environment as well. Combined application of electric pulse demolition, electric discharge weakening and traditional mechanical methods of demolition gives additional options for mineral processing technology and possibility to increase technological indexes at reduction of energy consumption of the process [10].

CONCLUSION
The technological tests of various ores and industrial minerals (non-metallic ores) have shown a possibility the EPD-disintegration, as a process that provides the best efficiency of disclosure of useful minerals in all types of ores. Especially promising is this method for disintegration of primary deposits ores containing native precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) and precious stones, whose crystals need to be protected from destruction. South America, which is rich in these minerals, is the region where the use of new technologies will be particularly effective. AN OFFER FOR A SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION: Joint development of a technology and engineering for minerals processing. The Russian side shall provide the know-how by the new method of breaking materials, side provides of research and design

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work the personnel and the scientific equipment. The Partner side shall undertake the financial support of the development of specific production units. The resulting scientifictechnical product shall be a common property and shall be protected by a patent.

REFERENCES
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