Ore Sorting · 2018
Bulk and Particle Sorting at New Afton
PGNAA bulk sensing and XRF particle sorting tested on New Afton ore, and combined into a value model for a future cave.
- Project
- New Afton
- Location
- British Columbia, Canada
- Application
- Bulk and particle sorting
- Samples
- Bulk samples and individual rocks
- Compared against
- ICP analysis and fire assays
PaperEvaluation of Bulk and Particle Sensor-Based Sorting Systems for the New Afton Block Caving Operation · Minerals Engineering
Read the paperContext
Block caving brings ore and waste to surface together. New Gold was evaluating a future cave at New Afton, and the study asked whether bulk and particle sorting together could add value.
The Work
Bulk samples from drawpoints, mill feed and waste stockpiles were measured with a PGNAA unit on a section of the mine's conveyor belt. Individual rocks were measured with surface XRF and compared with assays of the same rocks after pulverizing.
Results
New Afton ore is amenable to both PGNAA and XRF sorting. A value calculation combining bulk and particle sorting can be applied to the block model of a future cave, and the concept improved the net smelter return of excavated material. Both sensors also picked out picrite, a waste rock that affects flotation.
