Iván Carrasco – First Quantum Minerals

Benjamín Cebrián - Blast Consult S.L.

www.blast-consult.com

• Industry challenges• Current management chart: pros and cons• Fragmentation costs & The value chain• Proposed management chart

PROJECT SUCCESS

Industrial Psychology of Mine and Mill ManagersSame company… but different goals.Different approaches… but same ore!A Game of Thrones…

Mine Department

Mining Engineer Drilling and Blasting Loading and Hauling Ancillary Services Mine Maintenance Mine Planning

Mill Department

Metallurgical, Chemical or Industrial Engineer

Crushing Grinding Ancillary Services Mill Maintenance Flotation – LX - SX/EW. Tailings management.

“I have accomplished my tonnage goals”

“I have to look after MY costs and MY budget”

“Since I cannot cut on fuel costs, I will cut on explosives costs”

“The grade you sent is lower than declared”

“You are sending boulders that plug my crusher”

“My steel and kwt/h costs are high and throughput is low ”

“You supply your planned tonnes & grade”

“You give me the monthly metal production”

“And do not forget: keep your costs low, guys…!”

Baranov and Tangaev 1990

Process Energy type

Energy ConsumptionkWh/t

Energy cost

  €/ton

Drilling Electrical 0,04 0,43 0,0025 0,027

Blasting Chemical 0,16 1,58 0,06 0,6

Loading Electrical 0,15 1,20,009

0,076 

Crushing and Grinding

Electrical 12,89 33,3 0,812 2,098

Totals   13,24 36,51 0,8835 2,801

Energy as a project key driver.

Energy consumption.

Energy costs.

Coarse Fragmentation on hard rock mine

D80 vs Primary Crusher Throughput at Aguablanca Nickel Mine (Aden Muñoz et al)

y = -498,85x + 497,11R² = 0,8467

150

200

250

300

350

400

0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6t/h m

acha

cado

ra

d80 (m)

d80 ROM - t/h CRUSHER

A well managed fragmentation process has significant overall cost-saving potential:Increasing resource recovery.Reducing dilution (increase the grade delivered to the mill).Reducing power consumption at the mill.Increasing mill throughput.Reducing metal losses (fines).Increasing OEE at the crushing plant.

This new approach should be incorporated to the Corporate’s Culture.

Objectives:To reduce the size of the ore from a bulk in situ mass to fit the bottleneck at the mill.To manage efficiently the overall fragmentation of ore:

As a single process Under the same budget Under the same management from the Mine

to the Process Plant (flotation, LX or others).To increase the valuable metal recovery

A key area to achieve Corporate goals.