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Optimisation of the Prominent Hill Flotation Circuit

P Woodward1, N Muhamad2 and T Ly3
1. GAusIMM, Plant Metallurgist, OZ Minerals Ltd Prominent Hill, Ground Floor, 170 Greenhill
Road, Parkside SA 5063. Email: Phil.Woodward@OZMinerals.com
2. MAusIMM, Senior Plant Metallurgist, OZ Minerals Ltd Prominent Hill, Ground Floor, 170
Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063. Email: Nur.Muhamad@OZMinerals.com
3. AAusIMM, Senior Project Metallurgist, OZ Minerals Ltd Prominent Hill, Ground Floor, 170
Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063. Email: Tien.Ly@OZMinerals.com

ABSTRACT
OZ Minerals' Prominent Hill copper-gold concentrator is located 650 km north-west of Adelaide in
the Gawler Craton of South Australia. The concentrator was built in 2008 and commenced
commercial production in early 2009. The Prominent Hill concentrator is comprised of a conventional
grinding and flotation processing plant with a design capacity of 8 Mtpa. The flotation circuit includes
six rougher cells, an IsaMill for regrinding the rougher concentrate and a Jameson cell preceding the
three stage conventional cell cleaner circuit.
Since its commissioning, the Prominent Hill flotation circuit has been the focus of a series of projects
aimed at continual performance improvement. This has been achieved by a systematic approach of
project identification, evaluation and implementation which has led to a progressive improvement in
flotation performance. Innovations that have been successfully implemented include aspects of cell
design and operation, and reagent suite optimisation.
Improvements to the mechanical cells initially focused on the installation of a modified rotor-stator
design in the rougher circuit, as recommended by Outotec. Isolated cells were fitted with this
technology and proven to provide a benefit for copper recovery before the design was trialled in
subsequent cells along the bank. Based on this success, further modifications were made to other
aspects of the rougher and cleaner cells.
Laboratory trials conducted at Prominent Hill involve a screening process identifying potential
reagents from a list of products, which are then rigorously tested in the laboratory before one is
selected for trial in the concentrator. Where these reagents have demonstrated a statistical
improvement in performance they have typically been incorporated permanently into the flotation
circuit. This paper discusses the process of continual improvement at the Prominent Hill flotation
circuit and the optimisation achieved by the implementation of key initiatives.

INTRODUCTION
OZ Minerals Prominent Hill operation is located 650 km northwest of Adelaide in South Australia
and approximately half way between the town of Coober Pedy and the BHP Billiton Olympic Dam
operation. The project area landscape is flat gibber terrain with few notable features. The climate is
arid with high daytime temperatures, high evaporation and low annual rainfall.
The Prominent Hill deposit was discovered in 2001 by Minotaur Resources with OZ Minerals
securing 100% ownership in 2005. Mining commenced in 2006 with plant construction in 2008 and
first production and sales in February 2009.
Prominent Hill is an iron oxide hosted copper-gold (IOCG) deposit with geological characteristics
similar to Olympic Dam (Reeve et al., 1990). Mineralisation consists of copper-gold breccia (80% of
the known mineralisation) broken down into four main types (Colbert et al., 2009):

Chalcocite-bornite
Bornite-chalcopyrite
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Chalcopyrite-bornite
Chalcopyrite-pyrite.

In addition, a considerable amount of gold only low sulphide content ore with a host rock of iron
oxide was identified in the upper area of the deposit. This material forms up to 20% of the feed with
the gold being recovered as part of the flotation concentrate.
Mine reserve is currently 69.8 Mt at a grade of 1.1% copper and 0.60 g/t gold. The open pit currently
has an estimated mine life of eight years. Significant exploration activities occurring within the lease
boundaries, particularly beneath the pit floor, have potential to add to the mine life.
During the design phase, testwork conducted as part of the bankable feasibility study indicated the
following expected results for different copper sulphide mineral species (for testwork purposes
bornite-chalcopyrite and chalcopyrite-bornite were considered as one mineral species):

Chalcocite-bornite - 88% recovery at 54% copper concentrate grade

Bornite-chalcopyrite - 80% recovery at 25% copper concentrate grade
Chalcopyrite-Pyrite - 83% recovery at 34% copper concentrate grade.

Given that the feed would consist of a blend of these mineral species, actual recovery would depend
on their relative proportions. Similarly, the concentrate grade realised would depend on the proportion
of secondary copper sulphides contained in the feed.
By the end of 2009, its first year of operation, the processing plant was consistently meeting its design
capacity of 8 Mtpa throughput. As part of the commissioning process, two major changes had been
made to the flotation reagent scheme, including the change from sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) to a
staged addition of sodium ethyl xanthate (SEX) as the main collector, and from an aryl ester product
to a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether product as the intermediate strength frother used in the rougher
circuit.
From 2010 the focus of the Metallurgy team has shifted from commissioning to process optimisation.
As part of this process, opportunities for process improvement are identified and solutions
implemented.

Process description
The Prominent Hill Concentrator (Figure 1) is fed a blend of copper-sulphide bearing ore types and
gold-only ore from both the open pit and underground sources. This blend is determined by
availability, composition and production targets. Ore is tip fed into a Fuller-Traylor type NT gyratory
crusher, which feeds the coarse ore stock pile at a maximum rate of 3600 tph.
The grinding circuit is fed at approximately 1200 tph. It is operated as a SAB circuit, including a
semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill followed by a closed circuit ball mill. The SAG mill has a
10.36 m diameter and a 5.18 m effective grinding length, featuring a ring gear with dual-pinions
connected to twin hyper synchronous wound rotor motors, providing a total power draw of 12 MW. It
operates with a variable speed drive operating between 8.6 and 10.6 rpm. A single ball mill with a
7.3 m diameter and 10.4 m effective grinding length provides 12 MW of energy, and is operated in
closed circuit with a cluster of hydrocylones to produce a flotation feed of 80% passing 100
to130 m.
Copper sulphide bearing particles are separated from gangue using conventional flotation. All major
equipment installed in the circuit is supplied by either Outotec or Xstrata Technology. These cells are
listed in Table 1.

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Table 1 Floatation equipment

Number of items

Function

Model

Capacity (m3)

Rougher

OK-TC-150

150

Jameson Cell

J5400/18

5.4m diameter and 18 downcomers

First Cleaner

OK-TC-50

50

Second Cleaner

OK-TC-20

20

Third Cleaner

OK-TC-20

20

The rougher circuit consistently recovers 87 to 92% of the total copper sulphide minerals, with the
greatest loss typically being from the >106 m size fraction. The rougher upgrade ratio is typically
between eight and ten to one. The tailings from the rougher circuit is sent to the final tailings hopper.
Concentrate from the rougher circuit is fed via a cluster of hydrocylones to the regrind circuit.
Underflow from the cyclones reports to an Xstrata M10000 IsaMill where it is reduced in size to
approximately 80% passing 15 m. The IsaMill uses 3.5 mm inert ceramic media in order to limit its
impact on the pulp chemistry of the cleaner circuit. The overall purpose of regrinding is to further
liberate the cleaner feed, so as to improve rejection of non-floating penalty elements such as fluorine.
The product from the IsaMill is combined with the regrind hydrocylone overflow before being fed to
the Jameson cell. This cell produces a high quality copper concentrate, which aids in the subsequent
reduction of the cleaner circuit load. Wash water allows fine non-floating gangue particles, which
might otherwise be recovered by entrainment, to be removed from the concentrate. The Jameson cell
provides up to 75% of the total final concentrate mass.
Tailings from the Jameson cell are fed to the three stage dilution cleaning circuit. This circuit operates
with the following recirculating loads:

Second cleaner tailings to the first cleaner feed hopper

Third cleaner tailings to cell one of the second cleaner circuit.

Concentrate from the third cleaner circuit is combined with concentrate from the Jameson cell to
make up the final concentrate product, which is dewatered using a high-rate thickener and pressure
filter. The cleaner circuit recovers 98 to 99% of copper sulphide minerals fed to this section. The first
cleaner tailings and rougher tailings are combined to make up the final tailings of which the first
cleaner contributes 8 to 13% of total copper losses. This combined stream is dewatered using a high
rate thickener and sent to the tailings storage facility (TSF).
All major flotation streams are analysed for copper, iron and solids composition using an Outotec
Courier 5 SL on stream analyser (OSA). Additionally, the feed to the flotation circuit and the feed to
the Jameson cell are analysed for particle size distribution by an Outotec PSI 500 particle size
instrument (PSI). These two instruments provide metallurgists and operators with the real time
metallurgical performance of both the flotation and grinding circuits. As such operating parameters
can be adjusted quickly to account for changes in the plant in order to optimise recovery and
concentrate quality.

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Fig. 1- Prominent Hill flow sheet

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PROCESS OPTIMISATION AT PROMINENT HILL

In a metallurgical process, any recoverable metal lost to the tailings is a missed opportunity.
Metallurgists are tasked with identifying these opportunities, and investigating potential methods for
realising lost recovery or cost savings. At Prominent Hill a policy of ongoing process improvement
seeks to realise the greatest efficiency possible from the processing plant. Projects will typically focus
on the following objectives:

Copper sulphide recovery

Gold recovery
Copper concentrate quality
Equipment availability
Cost reduction.

The process for optimisation revolves around the identification of an opportunity and subsequent
evaluation by a rigorous bench scale, pilot scale or plant test program wherever possible followed by
statistical analysis of the data obtained.
Mineralogical studies are undertaken periodically in order to analyse concentrator performance. Such
data and analysis allows metallurgists to define specific problems within the process, so that they can
be targeted with the appropriate strategies. In particular size by size information provides particular
insight into where losses can be reduced, or quality improved.
In general project lifetimes will follow a series of stages:

Opportunity identification and definition

Measurement of potential improvement
Detailed analysis or laboratory scale testwork
Plant scale evaluation
Permanent implementation
Close-out and record keeping.

Projects are treated as business improvement cases by following standard procedures for financial
evaluation such as net present value assessment and stakeholder communication. These formal
processes provide the means by which to ensure both financial due diligence and a strong technical
database for the company. Once a project is proven to provide value to Prominent Hills bottom line,
it will typically be handed on from the project metallurgists to the plant metallurgists and processing
teams. As such the improvement can be permanently imbedded into the operation.
For the purposes of this paper, flotation optimisation projects have been categorised into three areas:

Reagent trials
Mechanical cell modifications
Process control.

FLOTATION REAGENT OPTIMISATION

Reagent trials have been conducted at Prominent Hill to determine whether the inclusion of an
additional collector in the reagent scheme will provide an improvement to the process. Historically
frothers and modifiers were investigated during the plant commissioning process; however flotation
optimisation has more recently focused around collector trials.
A specific area for improvement will be identified by the analysis of mineralogical data and plant
performance, after which typically a series of different collectors are received from suppliers and are
tested on representative splits of an ore blend sample in the laboratory as a screening trial. These
flotation tests will replicate the section of the flotation circuit for which the reagents are intended. In
most cases these will initially be rougher stage tests replicating existing concentrator conditions,
including the established reagent scheme at equivalent dosage rates. Those collectors providing the
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greatest potential for process improvement are selected for further trials. Where an improvement is
indicated the reagent is recommended for trial in the concentrator.
Plant trials are conducted as random on-off tests for the required length of time to gain a statistically
significant result from a paired t-test. Addition is typically from a bulk container on the top of a cell
via a small metering pump. Where a reagent has shown a statistically significant improvement as an
addition to the existing reagent scheme it is permanently incorporated into the circuit.
In addition to SEX, three collectors have been included in the Prominent Hill reagent scheme after
being screened in the laboratory and trialled in the plant. A summary of these collectors including
their dosages and addition points is provided in Table 2. Overall these projects have contributed to
improvements in both copper and gold recovery.
Table 2 Collector scheme summary
Collector

Sodium Ethyl
Xanthate (SEX)

Type

Addition Points

Dosage (g/t)

Purpose

10-30

Selective sulphide
collector

1.5-3.5

Copper recovery

Gold recovery

0.25

Copper recovery

Primary hydrocyclone feed

hopper
Xanthate

Rougher circuit
First cleaner circuit

Interfroth CMS2500

Thionocarbamate

Cytec Aero 404

Dithiophosphate

Orica DSP110

Thionocarbamate

Ball mill
Rougher circuit head
Cleaner circuit head
Rougher circuit head

Interfroth CMS2500
CMS2500 was shown during an early reagent screening program to give a potential improvement in
copper recovery when mixed with sodium ethyl xanthate. It is a sodium isopropyl ethyl
thionocarbamate collector which was trialled by addition into the primary cyclone underflow, and as
such received conditioning time in the ball mill. Its use in conjunction with the existing xanthate was
shown to give an improvement in copper recovery of 1.1% at 98.8% confidence during the plant trial.
The paired tests are shown in Figure 2.

Fig. 2- CMS2500 plant trial results (Ly and Bashay, 2010)

This collector was permanently added to the circuit using an existing test reagent infrastructure.
This tank and piping system is a replication of the system used to dose xanthate to the circuit as

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installed during initial construction. Bulk containers are delivered to Prominent Hill and decanted into
the top of the tank.

Cytec Aero 404

Mineralogy and size by size analysis had shown that up to 17% of gold losses in the flotation circuit
were of relatively fine particles less than 15 m. These gold particles were inferred to be essentially
liberated, and as such a reagent trial was conducted to find a collector which could improve gold
recovery when added to the existing reagent scheme. Aero 404 was found to give an improvement
in the laboratory when added to simulated rougher and cleaner stages. It is a sodium
mercaptobenzothiazole dithiophosphate salt promoter, which had been used mainly for the flotation of
gold bearing pyrite ore (Ly, 2011). Results of this trial are represented in Figure 3.

Fig. 3- Aero 404 plant trial results (Ly, 2011)

Analysis of data (Figure 3) from the subsequent plant trial showed that when added to the third
rougher cell the dithiophosphate gave:

1.5% increase in rougher gold recovery at a 98.8% confidence level, and

1.68% overall improvement in gold recovery at a 95.9% confidence level.

There was no indication that the promoter impeded copper recovery. A subsequent trial in the cleaner
circuit indicated potential for further improvement in gold recovery. This was added into the Jameson
Cell tailings box prior to the first cleaner circuit.
This reagent has been permanently added to the heads of both the rougher and cleaner circuits. A
dedicated self bunded tank was installed adjacent to the flotation section with two small pumps
directing the reagent to the dosing points. The tank is filled directly from bulk containers using a
small transfer pump.

Orica DSP110
A large scale screening trial of 50 potential collectors was undertaken between November 2011 and
February 2012 with the objective of finding a reagent, which when added along with the existing suite
of xanthate, thionocarbamate and dithiophosphate collectors, would provide additional improvements
in valuable metal recovery. From these 50 reagents five were short listed and further trialled in the
laboratory, using paired t-tests to determine the statistical significance of the results.

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DSP110 was selected from these flotation tests for trial in the concentrator. It is a proprietary
thionocarbamate blend and was trialled in the rougher circuit. Statistical analysis by Ly (2012)
indicated:

0.35% increase in overall copper recovery at a 95.0% confidence level, and

0.42% increase in the rougher circuit copper recovery at a 97.7% confidence level.

As a result this collector has been permanently added to the head of the rougher circuit.

FLOTATION CELL DESIGN OPTIMISATION

Historical mineralogical and plant performance data has indicated that the greatest potential for
process improvement exists in the rougher circuit. In general over 80% of the copper losses in the
circuit occur through the rougher tailings. Whilst reagent trials can provide the surface chemistry
solutions for improved flotation, the internal configuration of the flotation cells presented an
opportunity for an improvement in mass transfer.
Mineralogy reports submitted by G&T Metallurgical Services Ltd (Shouldice and Ma, 2010)
suggested that a relatively large proportion of sulphide bearing particles were being lost to the rougher
tailings in both the coarse (>100 m) and fine (<C5) size fractions. This presented an opportunity to
target specific objectives in order to increase recovery. Additionally, computation fluid dynamics
(CFD) studies have shown that greater slurry mixing could be achieved after cell modifications.
In response, Prominent Hill investigated improved designs to both the rotor-stator and impeller shafts
that had been made available after the plant had been commissioned. Such upgrades could be easily
retro-fitted for trial during planned shut downs. In order to verify manufacturer claims of performance
enhancement, the modifications were trialled in isolated cells. In each case surveys were conducted
before and after the installation, and where an improvement was indicated the design was permanently
included in the configuration and trialled in subsequent cells along the bank.

Rougher cell rotor-stator configuration

The rotor-stator configuration in a flotation cell is designed to achieve three main objectives: solid
suspension, air dispersion and providing the shear force necessary for bubble-particle interactions. In
a fully-aspirated conventional flotation cell, air is supplied via the impeller shaft. The two primary
mechanisms are the rotor, which provides slurry mixing and an outlet for the air, and the stator which
provides air dispersion. This is achieved by forcing the air flow between baffles, which also imparts
acceleration necessary for bubble-particle attachment.
The original rotor-stator design was the MultiMix configuration, including stators that extended
from the floor of the cell to above the impeller. It has been suggested by Nelson et al., (2009) that
such a design is appropriate for fine and middling particles (<100 m), but less efficient for coarser
particles. The rougher feed P80 ranges from 100-125 m and so at any given time at least 20% of the
particles by weight are coarser than 100 m. This suggested that the original design was not providing
the optimal flotation mechanism for the feed.
In 2010 a project was initiated to replace the rotor-stator mechanisms in the rougher cells with a
design proposed by the cell manufacturer. This was claimed to provide a series of benefits,
particularly by increasing coarse particle recovery and enhancing slurry mixing, both of which would
result in a greater number of bubble-particle interactions (Alexander, 2010).
With the existing design, mixing efficiency would be reduced at higher air flow rates due to air
occupying space around the impeller that would otherwise be filled by slurry. This limits the range of
operation of the cell, by effectively impeding mixing efficiency at these higher air flow rates. The
opportunity to improve coarse particle flotation could be realised by reducing the length of the stators
and modifying the impeller air inlets thus allowing increased circulatory flow of slurry through the
mechanism (Nelson et al., 2009).

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The modification, Outotecs Floatforce mechanism, is designed as a half-length stator with its
greater impeller clearance intended to increase circulatory flow. Air flows in from the impeller shaft
via dedicated dispersion slots and slurry is therefore able to be pumped without disruption. The
mechanisms configuration is shown in Figure 4.

Fig. 4- Rougher cell rotor-stator configuration

Impeller shaft configuration

An additional modification investigated was the addition of a bi-directional pitch-blade turbine to the
impeller shaft of the rougher cells. Outotec claimed that the FlowBooster design would result in an
improvement in mixing in both the bottom of the cell and the upper pulp area beneath the froth,
providing improved coarse particle recovery (Bourke, 2007). The rationale behind these claims was
that larger tank cells, such as the 150 m3 cells installed at Prominent Hill, do not provide as effective
mixing as found in smaller cells. The installed blades are illustrated in Figure 5.

Fig. 5- Pitch-blade turbine installed in a rougher cell

CFD studies completed by Bourke (2007) showed that after the installation of a mid-shaft turbine
exerting downwards force in the pulp, an improvement in both primary and secondary mixing was
seen.

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Results of mechanical modifications

On the basis of claims from the supplier, the rotor-stator modification was initially trialled in the first
rougher cell. Surveys taken before and after the change indicated an improved copper sulphide
recovery. Additionally the P80 of the cell concentrate increased indicating improved coarse particle
recovery. Subsequently the modified mechanism was trialled in cells two and three, then four and
five, and was finally installed in cell six. Similarly after the successful installation of the pitch blade
turbine in the first rougher cell, this was also installed in the other cells along the bank. These
installations were completed between June 2010 and June 2011.

Pitch blade turbine

The difference in mixing caused by the installation of the pitch blade turbine was investigated by
using a survey to demonstrate the difference in P80 at various pulp depths. In the cell in which the
turbine was installed a greater P80 was seen at all depths tested (Figure 6), demonstrating improved
secondary mixing and coarse particle suspension.

Fig. 6- Effect of pitch-blade turbine installation on rougher pulp P80 (Alexander, 2011)

Overall loss reductions

It can be seen from Table 3 that over the period of these installations that the rougher circuit copper
and gold losses reduced by approximately 2.4% and 1% respectively.
Table 3 Rougher copper and gold losses
Average rougher losses (%)
Year

Cu

Au

2010

9.7

18.3

2011

7.3

17.3

Total reduction

2.4

1.0

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Table 4 Size by size rougher copper losses

Average rougher copper losses by size range (%)
Year

>106

106-C1

C1-C4

C4-C5

<C5

2010

4.3

2.1

0.8

0.2

2.3

2011

3.3

1.4

0.8

0.2

1.6

Total reduction

1.0

0.7

0.0

0.0

0.7

Table 4 summarises the loss reductions by size fraction based on data obtained from mineralogical
test work. The losses were consistent in the C1-C5 size fractions, however the following significant
loss reductions were seen:

1% copper - >106 m range

0.7% copper -106m C1 size range
0.7% copper - <C5 size range

This provides evidence of enhanced coarse particle flotation. A significant benefit of the improvement
in coarse particle recovery is the ability of the flotation circuit to handle a larger grind size P80. The
concentrator can therefore be operated at higher throughput rates with a reduced impact on metal
recovery.
These modifications have therefore contributed significantly to plant performance, by allowing:

Increased throughput capability, and

Improved rougher copper and gold recoveries.

These improvements have ultimately contributed to enabling the plant to operate above its nameplate
throughput capacity of 8 Mtpa, and achieve copper recoveries above those predicted from the design
testwork.

PROCESS CONTROL OPTIMISATION

Analysis conducted onsite indicated an opportunity to improve copper sulphide recovery through
stabilising the flotation circuit (Weidenbach and Rajiwate, 2010). Typically, the standard PID control
used in the cell level controllers propagated disturbances downstream from the hoppers and in
particular impacted on performance following a plant shut down. This occurred because each
individual control loop acted independently of the others.

Level stabilisation and rougher flow optimisation

Mintek were engaged to implement a multivariable feed-forward control system in the flotation
circuit, providing level stabilisation to each of the cell level controllers and the five main hopper level
controllers (Lombardi et al., 2011). This system would effectively isolate disturbances, and allow
them to be absorbed in surge functions between cell trains.
With resultant tighter cell level control, the deviation from the set point was reduced to 15 to 25%
(Lombardi et al., 2011). Subsequently a more consistent level could be achieved in the hoppers, which
meant less reaction by the hopper pumps thus limiting propagation of circuit disturbances
downstream.
In addition to the level stabilisation, a flow optimisation system was implemented on the rougher
circuit. Traditionally operators could control the air, level and reagent set points on the rougher cells.
In order to provide consistent flow to the regrind circuit, this flow optimisation system would allow
the rougher mass pull to be closely controlled by automatically adjusting the cell levels in response to
changes the concentrate hopper level.

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The resulting benefits were:

Improved performance in recovery

Improved stability after start-up
Improved day to day circuit stability
Reduced pump movement and disturbance propagation
Simplified rougher circuit control
Consistent strategy across the processing crews.

Flow optimisation in the cleaner circuit

After the successful implementation of the flow optimisation process control system in the rougher
circuit, this was also installed in the first cleaner section. With regards process control, the major
difference between the two systems is that instead of controlling a measured flow rate, the first
cleaner flow optimiser controls the output of the pump variable speed drive in terms of percentage.
The first cleaner circuit is split into four banks of two cells each, where each bank has independent
level control. Air set points are controlled for each cell by the flotation operator, and similarly to the
rougher circuit the controller allows the pump to operate at the set point by maintaining the
concentrate hopper level. The flow optimiser stabilises and optimises the mass flow by manipulating
the four level controllers.
The aim of the modification is to:

Minimise the liberated non-sulphide contaminants, such as fluorine, recovered in the first cleaner
concentrate and therefore the final concentrate, and
Maintain a consistent mass flow from the first cleaner circuit.

The mass pull can be adjusted to account for changes in upstream performance, such as in the
Jameson cell. The optimiser ensures that an appropriate mass pull is achieved from across the cells,
such that each flow is aligned to achieve optimal copper sulphide recovery whilst limiting the amount
of gangue recovered to the concentrate. This would improve the quality of the concentrate by
rejecting penalty element bearing gangue particles that may have otherwise been recovered in cells at
the end of the circuit.
This control system allows the flotation operator to focus on other tasks in the flotation circuit, as they
need to spend less time focused on the first cleaner section. Additionally this would provide a
consistent strategy for operation across all four crews, as the relative mass pull from each cell is set by
the plant metallurgist.

ONGOING IMPROVEMENT
Optimisation of the flotation circuit has allowed the plant to exceed the performances predicted during
the bankable feasibility study for Prominent Hill, indicated by the end of year results achieved:

2010 total copper recovery of 89.1%

2011 total copper recovery of 90.5%.

The greatest recovery predicted was 88% for a blend consisting solely of chalcocite-bornite ore. These
results improved upon the testwork predictions significantly, emphasising the value created by
process optimisation.
Initial projects provided large step changes in performance, therefore adding considerable value to the
bottom line of the Prominent Hill operation. As the life of the mine progresses, process optimisation
will be required to respond to changes in the overall operation. Changing operating conditions, such
as the increased inclusion of underground ore in the concentrator feed, will present additional
opportunities for process improvement. As such, additional modifications to the operation of the
concentrator will be required in order to achieve optimal performance.

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Additionally, the focus of the metallurgy team has shifted towards cost reduction strategies,
continuing the process of ongoing improvement.
Cost optimisation in the flotation circuit can be achieved on the supply side by seeking to reduce the
costs of reagents. Opportunities exist to reduce pricing by negotiation, including delivery initiatives
and direct substitution at a lower price.
A more complex cost reduction strategy involves improving the quality of the concentrate by reducing
the incidence of contaminants such as fluorine. Typically these are non-sulphide particles which are
recovered into the final concentrate either by entrainment or due to poor liberation. These two
problems can be targeted using further cell modifications or changes to the circuit configuration.

CONCLUSIONS
Since 2010, optimisation in the flotation circuit at Prominent Hill has provided improvements to both
valuable metal recovery and throughput. During 2011 this allowed the concentrator to achieve a
throughput of 9.9 Mtpa, 24% beyond its design capacity of 8 Mtpa, and copper recoveries of 90.5%
compared to 89.1% in 2010 and the maximum of 88% predicted from the design test work.
Additional reagents have allowed increased copper and gold recoveries without compromising copper
concentrate quality. The evaluation of these additions has followed a disciplined and rigorous
approach, requiring that any added value was shown to be statistically significant before a change was
permanently included in the circuit.
Similarly, retro-fitted modified rotor-stator mechanisms in the rougher cells have contributed to
improvements in rougher copper and gold recoveries of approximately 2.4% and 1% respectively.
These modifications have allowed for improved coarse particle recovery, and this in turn has allowed
an increase in mill throughput. Additionally, expert process control systems installed in the flotation
circuit have allowed for improved process stability.
Ongoing improvement is an integral focus of the Prominent Hill metallurgy team. As process
improvement opportunities become more complex to achieve, objectives have moved towards
responding to changes in the mine operation, such as a changing ore supply as the underground ore
resources are introduced into the feed blend. Additionally the focus has moved towards cost reduction
strategies in order to further optimise the flotation circuit. Retaining a continual focus on process
optimisation ensures that opportunities to increase efficiency will be recognised and explored.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors thank OZ Minerals Limited for permission to publish this paper.

REFERENCES
Alexander, B, 2010. PH/TN/3410/10/142 Effect of FloatForce Mechanism on Rougher One Performance, internal
technical note (unpublished), OZ Minerals Limited, Prominent Hill.
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