HPGR as alternative to fused alumina comminution route: an assessment of circuit simplification potential

Abstract

A considerable portion of energy consumption and, as a consequence, operational costs in mineral processing, is associated with comminution. High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGR) are appealing for their energy efficiency and resulting lower operating costs. This article evaluates this technology as an alternative to the conventional fused alumina comminution route of a specific plant comprising a complex roll crushing circuit. Two fused alumina samples, called BT and TB, were submitted to HPGR (open circuit) and physical characterization (DWT, BBWI, bulk density, specific gravity) tests. In addition, simulations were conducted using JKSimMet® 6.0 software, aiming to predict the performance of a closed circuit equipment and scale-up of an industrialscale unit. Product size distributions of the open circuit HPGR tests and closed circuit HPGR simulations were compared with the product size distribution required by the industrial comminution circuit. The required throughput was also evaluated. Results show that the alternative HPGR route provides a remarkable potential for circuit simplification, while considerably reducing the number of comminution equipments from 13 to 1, which facilitates operational control and possibly reduces operating costs.