Wanted: opinion leaders’ input on crushing in the mining industry

ops_loulo_crusher.jpgMagotteaux is trying to establish if it’s worth spending time, energy and money in developing a new type of crusher for intermediate and/or fine crushing stages (feed 150 mm and lower). “As a first step, we seek opinion leaders’ input about the shortcomings of the current circuits (if any), the spec for the ‘ideal crusher’, and the industry’s openness to change from current to new,” explains Christophe Philippe of Magotteaux International . “Later, if it matches the requirements, we’ll present the crusher concept we have in mind to discuss it further in details with you.”

He goes on to say that “apart from HPGR, there hasn’t been any real technology breakthrough in crushing for a long time, most crushing circuits in the mining industry make use of cone crushers.

“We’re basically open to any input, in whatever form (text, reference to a published article, a link to another forum, a reference person to contact, etc…), but to keep it simple and easy to consolidate, we’ve stated a few questions below :

Question 1 : Do you feel the Mining Industry is happy with the current crushing circuits ?

Question 2 : if not, why ? (what weak points do you see ?)

Question 3 : if you could set the specs for a new type of crusher, what would they be ?
– feed bulk density (range) :
– abrasiveness of processed material (range) :
– feed size (mm) : 150 mm or lower.
– reduction ratio :
– capacity (t/h) :
– specific energy consumption (kWh/t max) :
– % of fines (0 to 2 mm) in the product :
– maintenance intervals (hours) :
– maintenance duration (hours) :
– OpEx ($/t crushed, energy, maintenance labour and parts) :

Question 4 : if one could come-up with a crusher matching the specs above, how open would the industry be to change from current to new ?
– what barriers to change do you see ?
– what circuit constraints would affect the new crusher ?
– what is the expected pay-back time for a crusher ?
– would any positive impact on milling be taken into account when comparing new to current (eg more fines in the product) ?

We thank you in advance for your input, if there’s any specific aspects you need more info on, drop me a mail : [email protected]