Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore
Dense medium separation (DMS) is a method often used to upgrade base metal sulfide (BMS) ores before their main processing stage, with varying results achieved for different ore types. The process makes use of the density differences between the BMS minerals and the lower density silicate/carbonate...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of Chemical Engineering
2015
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613289768288256 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Pillay, Keshree |
| author2 | Becker, Megan |
| author_browse | Becker, Megan Pillay, Keshree |
| author_facet | Becker, Megan Pillay, Keshree |
| author_sort | Pillay, Keshree |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Dense medium separation (DMS) is a method often used to upgrade base metal sulfide (BMS) ores before their main processing stage, with varying results achieved for different ore types. The process makes use of the density differences between the BMS minerals and the lower density silicate/carbonate gangue minerals, using a separating medium of density between the two ore components. The separation is accelerated using a dense medium cyclone (DMC) to form two products: overflow (tailings) and underflow (concentrate). The purpose of DMS is to reject large quantities of gangue upfront, resulting in reduced time, energy and costs associated with processes such as milling and flotation. Preconcentration of ores using physical methods such as DMS is becoming an important consideration as lower grade ores are mined, to increase the feasibility of mining such ores. Two nickel sulfide deposits were chosen as case studies in order to understand differences in DMS efficiency for different ores. The first is the Main Mineralised Zone (MMZ) of the Nkomati Nickel deposit in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which is part of the Uitkomst Complex. The Phoenix deposit is also considered, and forms part of the Tati greenstone belt in eastern Botswana. Both deposits are magmatic Cu-Ni-PGE (platinum group element) deposits with similar sulfide mineralogy and pentlandite as the main nickel host. A process mineralogy approach was used to evaluate samples of both ores, describing the differences in the mineralogical properties within the overflow and underflow of each ore in order to understand the extent to which individual properties affect the separation. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13751 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:45.686Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Department of Chemical Engineering |
| publisherStr | Department of Chemical Engineering |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13751 Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore Pillay, Keshree Becker, Megan Chetty, Desh Chemical Engineering Dense medium separation (DMS) is a method often used to upgrade base metal sulfide (BMS) ores before their main processing stage, with varying results achieved for different ore types. The process makes use of the density differences between the BMS minerals and the lower density silicate/carbonate gangue minerals, using a separating medium of density between the two ore components. The separation is accelerated using a dense medium cyclone (DMC) to form two products: overflow (tailings) and underflow (concentrate). The purpose of DMS is to reject large quantities of gangue upfront, resulting in reduced time, energy and costs associated with processes such as milling and flotation. Preconcentration of ores using physical methods such as DMS is becoming an important consideration as lower grade ores are mined, to increase the feasibility of mining such ores. Two nickel sulfide deposits were chosen as case studies in order to understand differences in DMS efficiency for different ores. The first is the Main Mineralised Zone (MMZ) of the Nkomati Nickel deposit in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which is part of the Uitkomst Complex. The Phoenix deposit is also considered, and forms part of the Tati greenstone belt in eastern Botswana. Both deposits are magmatic Cu-Ni-PGE (platinum group element) deposits with similar sulfide mineralogy and pentlandite as the main nickel host. A process mineralogy approach was used to evaluate samples of both ores, describing the differences in the mineralogical properties within the overflow and underflow of each ore in order to understand the extent to which individual properties affect the separation. 2015-08-15T05:30:44Z 2015-08-15T05:30:44Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSc (Eng) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13751 eng application/pdf Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Chemical Engineering Pillay, Keshree Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| title_full | Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| title_fullStr | Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| title_short | Mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| title_sort | mineralogical effects on the dense medium separation of low grade nickel sulfide ore |
| topic | Chemical Engineering |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13751 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pillaykeshree mineralogicaleffectsonthedensemediumseparationoflowgradenickelsulfideore |