Impact of HPGR operational pressing force and material moisture on energy consumption and crushing product fineness in high-pressure grinding processes

Abstract

The paper concerns investigations on potential energy savings and breakage effectiveness, resulting from the application of HPGR device into ore mineral processing circuit. A series of laboratory experiments in HPGR for sulphide copper ore was carried out at four values of pressing force in the press and four levels of moisture of the feed material (according to factorial design). Fineness analyses on HPGR products were carried out along with a determination of Bond work indices, specific energy consumption, and throughput for each crushing product. Specific mathematical models for Bond work index, energy consumption, productivity, and breakage intensity measured through the yield of finest particle size fraction and specific comminution ratios in relationship to operational pressing force in HPGR and the feed moisture, were calculated. All models appeared to be highly accurate from the statistical point of view and relationships of both pressing force and the moisture appeared significant. The pressing force has generally demonstrated the highest impact on the investigated effects among all analyzed variables, but it depends on the specific model type.

This article was written based on, among other things, research conducted and data collected during the Mine.io project.