COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will teach world-class advanced mineral processing fundamentals. This course will explain how to deal with ore sulphide samples to predict metallurgical behavior at the plant level, using simple mathematics and statistics. The course will be developed during 4 days in subsets of 4 hours each day. Students need to have a PC with Excel. A certificate for participation and a certificate for approval will be awarded to those who pass the course. A knowledge test of 1.5 hrs will be undertaken.

• Students will work on an Excel spreadsheet in order to understand errors in metallurgical balances. Understanding these mistakes will put you as a leader in your company. These errors lead to making the wrong lab-to-plant scaling decisions, but by the end of this course you will be crystal clear on this topic. You will learn the correct way to develop a metallurgical balance and the reasons why you cannot use any other method.
• Students will be able to learn the mathematics to compute open-cycle and locked-cycle flotation tests. In addition, students will learn to develop simple batch and continuous scaling models to predict behavior at the plant level.
• This course will discuss details about the work that must be done at laboratory level and at plant level to predict ore behavior to prepare a long-term production plan. Basic principles about production plan reconciliation and the difference between budget and forecast will be explained.
• Actual plant Data will be analyzed to show the reason why is difficult to make a metallurgical balance in a plant. This problem has a direct impact over laboratory to plant scale-up.
• The human role in the laboratory-to-plant scale-up and in the reagent optimization program will be analyzed.

COURSE TOPICS

• Selection of samples for laboratory tests. Advanced fundamentals but in a simplified format.
• Reconciliation mine to plant and why doing this type of work is just a utopia today.
• The House of Metallurgy (Registered Trademark by EM2PO).
• Fundamentals about how to execute high confidence laboratory tests. Fatal errors in sample selection, in metallurgical laboratory procedures and chemical laboratory typica errors.
• Aspects of gas dispersion that are not considered at the laboratory level when scaling up from laboratory to plant.
• Fatal errors in the routine characterization of future ore. How to prepare a laboratory program that adds value to the mining operation.
• The wrong way to use a metallurgical laboratory in a plant and recommendations to have an effective laboratory.
• Introduction to sampling theory and description of existing tools on the market.
• Mathematical metallurgical evaluation of laboratory tests. Existing software, LaGrange method.
• Evaluation of open cycle and locked cycle tests. Locked cycle flotation tests evaluation theories and the reason they are wrong.
• Scale-up models from laboratory to plant.

INSTRUCTOR : MSc. Ing. Juan Anes

Bachelor of Engineering Sciences (Bachiller), Metallurgical Civil Engineer (Master in Metallurgy) University of Atacama

I finished my MBA at the University of Chile in 2005. Master Black Belt with Falconbridge Canada (2005).

30 years of experience in mineral processing working in Chile, Mexico, Canada, Poland, Spain, USA, South Africa, India, Peru.

World class expert in:

• Preparation and presentation of Mineral Processing Courses.
• Leadership and Management workshops for Managers.
• Mine/Concentrator management systems: Models elaboration and implementation.
• Geometallurgical models development and mine-to-plant-to-port planning.
• Statistical analysis of plant data.
• Flotation hydrodynamics.
• Chemical reagents for mining
• Copper leaching and bio-leaching.
• Sulfide flotation (Cu, Mo, Zn, Pb, Ni, Ag, Au).
• Grinding, crushing, thickening, filtering.
• Extensive experience in laboratory tests and pilot plants for sulphides and oxides.
• Training and Experience in Six Sigma methodologies.
• Engineering (Worked at Ausenco and developed activities with Hatch, JDS, Amex, JRI, Fluor, Davi, etc.).
• I have worked with laboratories such as SGS, ALS, Aminpro, CIM, XPS, Universities, UBC, FLSMidth, Hazen). I have been Head of the Metallurgical Laboratory (Codelco).
• I have been part of teams that have developed conceptual, pre-feasibility, feasibility and details engineering.
• I have been part of start-up teams in important operations such as Sierra Gorda (110 ktpd), Candelaria (35 ktpd and 70 ktpd), Punta del Cobre Biocobre (2.4 ktpd), Copper Mountain Canada (35 kptd).
• Qualified Profession for NI-43-101. Led development of Technical Report for a Spaniard Mining Company.