University of Atacama

Department of Metallurgy

SULPHIDE
ORES

Members: Emilio Araya

Nahayza Castillo
Luis Díaz
Vanessa Sandoval
Teacher: Evelyn Cárdenas
Date: 07/12/2017
FIELD ORE RECEPTION
The ore from the mine is stored in a reception field.

TRUCK
The ore is transported by a truck to the crushing área, where it is sent to a grizzly.
GRIZZLY
A grizzly is a stationary screen, formed by an inclined set of heavy bars set in a parallel
manner. The ore is fed to a screen to classify the feeding to the primary crushing.

CRUSHING
The objective of the crushing is to increase the available superficial area for chemical
reaction.
The crushing is done with dry material and is usually done in two or three stages.

PRIMARY CRUSHING
Primary crushers are machines used to reduce mineral ore to an appropriate size for feeding
to secondary crushers. In this stage 6” particles are obtained.
The secondary and tertiary crushers reduce ore ore to an appropriate size for grinding.

SECONDARY CRUSHING
The secondary crusher takes the product from the primary crusher and reduces it to a
product of 3".

TERTIARY CRUSHING
The tertiary crusher takes the product from the secondary crusher and reduces it to a
product of ½”
This process works in a closed circuit. The tertiary crushing product feeds a screen. Where
the oversize is recirculated to tertiaty crushing and the undersize goes the stock pile.
MILLING
The milling process is used in the comminution process, for particles between twenty
millimiters to five millimiters. It is fed by the undersize from the stock pile in addition to water
plus lime.
The milling stage determines the range of size with which the particles are going to be
floated.

CLASSIFICATION
Process that consists in separating particles of minerals. The milling product feeds a
hydrocyclone, the products from the hydrocyclone are: over flow (fine) and under flow
(coarse). Where the under flow (coarse) goes to the mill. This stage also works in a closed
circuit.
Structurally the hydrocyclone is:
 A part of taper open at the bottom (apex or discharge), It is attached to a cylindrical
section which has a tangential power input.
 On the top of the cylindrical section pipe (open cylinder) is located in the center. This
pipe extends into the interior of the cylindrical section of the cyclone, known as
"Vortex Finder”.
 The tangential force within cyclone (at a high speed tangential), forms a vortex,
creating an open space that extends from the apex to the vortex finder. This space
creates a column of air.
 Inside the hydrocyclone produced three types of speeds: speed Radial towards the
interior, vertical speed down, tangential speed.
FLOTATION
Process by which separates copper from a slurry by the action of air bubbles and reagents
that capture particles of copper and lead them to the surfaces where are collected by
overflow. This process is carried out in the following way:

1. Creating a flow of air bubbles in the ore slurry previously ground.

2. Formation of froth of bubbles with attached ore.
3. Extraction of mineral loaded froth
To help the flotation take place, different reagents are used such as:
 Collector: they act selectively on the surface of certain minerals, converting them
water repellent and making the action of air bubbles are Hydrophobic.
 Frothers: they help to keep dispersed air bubbles and prevent their coalescence
 Modifiers: Modify Ph

SEDIMENTATION
It is based on the sedimentation of particles as the baseline for the separation, which can be
accelerated with the addition of reagents called flocculants. The particles of very fine sizes
settle very slowly.
Sedimentation of a suspension of solid particles leave a clarified liquid and a thick slurry,
which, in the case of concentrates, requires a further stage of filtration.

FILTRATION
The process of separation (air or water), solid where a suspension is passed through a filter
medium that stops or prevents the passage of solid particles while the fluid passes through
a filter and this process is called filtration.
SMELTING
The dry copper concentrate with a concentration of 31% copper, is subjeted to
pyrometallurgy processes in furnace at high temperaturas, through which the copper in the
concéntrate is transformed into metallic copper and separated from the other minerals as
iron, sulfur, silica, ETC.
To progressively increase the copper grade of the material subjected to melting, the
pyrometallurgical process consecutive phases of fusion, conversion and refining.

ELECTROREFINING
It’s a process of purification of metallic copper that is carried out in electrolytic cells and
consists in the application of electric current, to dissolve the impure copper. In this way,
metallic copper with a purity of 99.99% is obtained called cathode.