Fondecyt 11220631: Linking geotechnical and geological properties at the microscale to characterise the comminution potential of ores

 Duration: 3 years, starting in March 2022

• Objective:  The study of particles' mineralogical and textural parameters that can be used to predict primary breakage properties at scales relevant to comminution. 

This project focuses on understanding the relation of the primary breakage properties (e.g. particle strength, elastic moduli and minimum energy for breakage) with rock characteristics (e.g. mineralogy, grain size, porosity) so that geological information currently captured with high-resolution technologies can be transformed in additive comminution proxies. A combination of small-scale single-impact tests (to be installed in Chile) in conjunction with ore characteristics and numerical models will be conducted. At the end of this project, a methodology is expected to be developed that includes experimental and numerical methods to investigate the effect of mineralogy and texture over primary breakage properties and fracture propagation and look for further applications.

Seed Funding AMTC: Semi-quantitative estimation of optimal operational conditions for plant operation at small-scale mining

• Duration: 1 year starting in August 2023

The project's objective is to develop a tool that allows quantifying critical operational parameters in the production process that would mean a significant improvement over the current operational state in terms of resource utilization efficiency in small-scale mining.

One way to achieve this is by assessing the behaviour of the rock type that will be processed during the grinding process. One of the tools currently available in the mineral processing laboratory of the Mining Engineering department is the Magotteaux ® Mill. This mill enables the real-time automated measurement, control, and monitoring of various parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, temperature, and electrical potential.