Gipronickel Institute, Laboratory of Geological and Technological Studies of Raw Materials

A. A. Lebedeva, Researcher, e-mail: AALeb@nikel.spb.su
O. A. Kravtsova, Deputy Head of Laboratory
V. I. Maksimov, Head of Laboratory
D. V. Lyalinov, Senior Researcher

Kola MMC

A. P Shorikov, Chief of the Ore Beneficiation Department

Zhdanovsky Deposit of sulphide copper-nickel ore is the principal source of feed for Kola MMC' Concentrator. Disseminated ore type is the dominating ore, pentlandite and chalcopyrite being the target minerals. To improve the process parameters and stabilize it by implementing resonable and optimum process and reagent conditions, a battery of mineralogical studies of ore and beneficiation products must be performed. Investigation of ore feed and beneficiation products includes study of mineralogical, chemical and fractional composition. Quality assessment and nature of distribution of the principal ore minerals in morphological varieties (aggregates) due to fraction size are the basic parameters characterising the samples. Major nickel and copper losses are related to insufficient communition and half-liberation of pentlandite and chalcopyrite aggregates with silicates and magnetite, as well as to excessive sulphides in the process of grinding. Also, they are directly dependent on the ore feed' morphological features. Moreover, value metal losses could be determined by technological process currently existing at the Concentration Plant. The said type of losses can be identified in the course of studies of flotation products at the key circuits.

1. Spiridonov G. V., Kravtsova O. A. Geologo-tekhnologicheskie tipy rud mestorozhdeniy Pechengskogo rudnogo polya (Geological and Technological Types of Ores of the Pechenga Ore Field Deposits). Leningrad, 1985. pp. 10–17.

2. Naldrett A. Dzh. Magmaticheskie sulfidnye mestorozhdeniya medno-nikelevykh i platinometallnykh rud (Magmatic Sulphide Deposits of Copper-nickel and Platinum Metal Ores). Saint Petersburg, 2003. 487 pp.

3. Gorbunov G. I., Astafev Yu. A., Goncharov Yu. V. and etc. Medno-nikelevye mestorozhdeniya Pechengi (Copper-nickel Deposits of Pechenga). Moscow, 1999. 236 pp.

4. Gorbunov G. I., Astafev Yu. A., Bartenev I. S., Goncharov Yu. V., Yakovlev Yu. N. Struktury medno-nikelevykh rudnykh poley i mestorozhdeniy Kolskogo poluostrova (Structures of Copper-nickel Ore Fields and Deposits of Kola Peninsula). Leningrad, 1978. 160 pp.

5. Tikhonov O. N. Zakonomernosti effektivnogo razdeleniya mineralov v protsessakh obogashcheniya poleznykh iskopaemykh (Regularities of Effective Minerals Separation During Mineral Beneficiation). Moscow, 1984. 208 pp.

6. Kozyrev S. M., Komarova M. Z., Kravtsova O. A., Maksimov V. I. and etc. Tsvetnye metally - Non-ferrous metals. 2004. No. 12. pp. 11–14.

7. Smirnov A. A., Vorobev V. L., Anukhin M. A. Tsvetnye metally - Non-ferrous metals. 2004. No. 12. pp. 22–24.

8. Bondarenko V. P., Ivanov V. A., Kozyrev V. F., Kozyrev S. M. and etc. Tsvetnye metally. Non-ferrous metals. 2004. No. 12. pp. 25–28.

9. Fandrich R. , Gu Y., Burrows D., Moeller K. Modern SEM-based mineral liberation analysis. International journal of minerals processing. 2007. Vol. 84. pp. 310–320.

10. Gu Y. Automated scanning electron microscope based mineral liberation analysis. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering. 2003. Vol. 2. pp. 33–41.