Full pre-crush to sag mills – the case for changing this practice

Abstract

The new practice of applying full pre-crushing of SAG mill feed to substantially increase throughput is challenged as retrogressive and inefficient at a time the industry desperately needs to reinvent itself in terms of social license and financial viability. Although successful, the impact on grind size, added downstream grinding and media consumption, and added OPEX is barely noted - providing a biased view of benefits. Alternatives that provide sound mineral processing routes, provide on-line mill control and are markedly cheaper to operate are presented as a potentially more viable and sensible route for both future installations and current expansions