Explore how cutting-edge simulations are solving challenges in ore processing, waste management, and resource optimization.
The United States hosts over 13,000 active mines, producing key minerals such as gold, copper, coal, and molybdenum, with a total mining value of $98.6 billion in 2022. It is also a vital supplier of rare earth elements, crucial for high-tech and clean energy industries, while expanding domestic production of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt [1].
Canada, with over 200 active mines and 1,500 exploration projects, is a top global producer of gold, nickel, potash, uranium, and diamonds, contributing $125 billion to its GDP in 2022. Minerals and metals account for 20% of Canada’s trade, and the country leads in sustainable mining practices and investment attraction [2].
Mineral Extraction Challenges
The mineral extraction process is a multi-stage operation that transforms raw ore into high-purity metal products. It starts with reducing ore size through crushing, screening, grinding, and classification, followed by concentration techniques to separate valuable minerals from waste [3]. The final step involves chemical extraction, such as smelting and refining, to produce pure metal products that meet market standards:
1. Communication Stage. The goal is to reduce the size of the ore for downstream processing:
- Crushing. The mined ore is broken into smaller pieces using mechanical crushers.
- Screening. The crushed ore is passed through screens to separate particles based on size. Oversized particles are returned for further crushing.
- Grinding. The ore is further reduced to finer particles using mills, such as ball mills or rod mills.
- Classification. A sizing operation, often using hydrocyclones or classifiers, separates particles based on size or density. Oversized particles return for re-grinding.
Challenge: Designing energy-efficient crushing, grinding, and classification systems to reduce ore size while maintaining throughput. These processes consume significant energy, and inefficiencies can lead to higher costs and environmental impacts.
2. Mineral Extraction (Concentration). This stage separates valuable minerals (ores) from waste rock (gangue minerals):
- Techniques such as flotation, gravity separation, or magnetic separation are applied.
- Concentration processes produce a mineral-rich product ready for smelting and refining.
- Tailings, which are the leftover gangue minerals, are sent to tailing disposal systems (e.g., tailing ponds or mine void fills).
Challenge: Developing advanced separation techniques to enhance the recovery of valuable minerals, especially from low-grade ores. This involves optimizing equipment like flotation cells and classifiers to handle varying ore compositions while minimizing losses.
3. Chemical Extraction. Here, valuable metals are isolated and purified:
- The concentrated ore undergoes chemical processes like smelting and refining.
- Smelting: Heat and chemical reactions extract base metals, like copper or iron, from the ore.
- Refining: Further purification ensures metal of 99.99% purity is achieved, ready for the market.
Challenge: Managing large volumes of tailings and other waste materials in a way that prevents environmental damage, such as water contamination or land degradation. Innovative disposal methods, like using tailings as backfill, must meet both safety and sustainability criteria.
4. Waste Management
- Tailings: Generated in the concentration stage, these are managed in tailing ponds or used as backfill in mine voids to mitigate environmental impacts.
- Other Waste Materials: Residual materials from smelting and refining processes are also treated or disposed of according to environmental standards.
Challenge: Improving the energy efficiency of smelting and refining operations while reducing harmful emissions, such as CO₂ and sulfur compounds. Engineers are tasked with designing systems that meet stringent environmental standards without compromising metal purity.
5. Final Product
- The result is a pure metal slab ready for sale and industrial use, completing the mineral extraction and processing lifecycle.
Challenge: Maximizing resource utilization by processing ores with decreasing grades and developing techniques for extracting metals from recycled materials. This requires innovations in process engineering and materials science to maintain economic viability.
Engineering Solutions
To address the various challenges in the mineral extraction industry, engineers are increasingly turning to advanced simulation tools like Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Discrete Element Method (DEM). These tools offer powerful insights into the complex behaviors and interactions of materials and equipment throughout the mineral extraction process.
By simulating real-world conditions, engineers can optimize design, improve operational efficiency, and minimize environmental impact. This can be enhanced by applying Multiphysics simulation for the overall assessment of a system, including optimization. Some examples are given below:
Methods
- Ore Size Reduction and Efficiency (Communication Stage)
Simulation tools allow precise analysis of crushing and grinding processes by modeling the interaction between particles and machinery. For example, DEM can predict how ore particles break under specific conditions, while FEA evaluates the structural performance of equipment like mills under heavy loads. CFD models airflow in classifiers to ensure accurate particle separation. These insights help improve energy use and ensure consistent particle sizes for downstream processes.
- Selective Separation of Valuable Minerals (Mineral Concentration)
Simulations enhance processes like flotation and hydrocycloning by analyzing the fluid and particle behavior. For instance, CFD helps visualize how air bubbles interact with mineral particles in flotation tanks, improving recovery rates. DEM can model particle collisions and separation in hydrocyclones, ensuring that valuable minerals are effectively extracted while waste is minimized.
- Tailings and Waste Management
CFD and DEM simulations aid in the design of tailings ponds and pipelines by modeling the flow of slurry materials. For example, CFD can optimize the settling behavior of particles in ponds to prevent overflow, while DEM simulates particle deposition to enhance dam stability. These tools ensure efficient waste management, reduce risks of environmental damage, and prolong the life of storage facilities.
- Efficiency and Emissions in Smelting and Refining
CFD simulations help optimize heat transfer and gas flow within smelting furnaces, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and reducing fuel consumption. For example, smelting processes can be refined by identifying areas where heat loss occurs, leading to better insulation design. Additionally, chemical reaction models predict the formation of emissions, enabling engineers to design systems that minimize pollutants such as sulfur dioxide.
- Sustainability and Resource Optimization
Simulations improve leaching and recycling systems by modeling how fluids and chemicals interact with ore. For instance, CFD can optimize acid flow patterns in leaching tanks to extract more valuable material while reducing chemical use. Similarly, DEM helps analyze the mixing behavior of recycled materials, improving the recovery of metals like copper and gold. These advancements minimize waste and promote resource efficiency.
Ansys Solution Benefits
Ansys offers a comprehensive suite of industry-leading engineering simulation tools, empowering users to solve complex problems and bring reliable, cutting-edge products to market.
Ansys Fluent, a widely recognized CFD software, delivers advanced and accurate simulation capabilities. With two major releases annually, Fluent continually introduces innovative features, including speed and scale simulations, customization, automation options, and extensive training resources, ensuring engineers can efficiently tackle challenging fluid dynamics problems.
Ansys Mechanical provides robust finite element analysis (FEA) tools for solving structural engineering challenges. It supports customization, automation, and parameterization to explore multiple design scenarios. Offering a complete workflow from preprocessing to advanced analysis, Mechanical enables users to integrate additional physics for enhanced simulation fidelity. Its intuitive, customizable interface ensures that engineers of all experience levels achieve reliable results quickly and confidently.
Ansys Rocky, powered by Discrete Element Modeling (DEM), excels in simulating realistic particle behavior and physics. It supports complex particle shapes, including shells and flexible fibers, along with breakage, cohesion, wear, and friction analysis. Key features include native SPH-DEM for fluid flows, multi-GPU solver technology, integrated multi-body motion, and seamless integration with other Ansys tools. With robust APIs for pre/post-processing and solver customization, Rocky provides a powerful solution for particle dynamics simulations.
Ozen Engineering Expertise
Ozen Engineering Inc. leverages its extensive consulting expertise in CFD, FEA, optics, photonics, and electromagnetic simulations to achieve exceptional results across various engineering projects, addressing complex challenges like multiphase flows, erosion modeling, and channel flows using Ansys software.
We offer support, mentoring, and consulting services to enhance the performance and reliability of your mining equipment and systems. Trust our proven track record to accelerate projects, optimize performance, and deliver high-quality, cost-effective results for both new and existing systems. For more information, please visit https://ozeninc.com.
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References
[1] US mine production value rises 3.8% to $98 billion in 2022 — USGS: https://www.mining.com/us-mine-production-value-rise-3-8-to-98-billion-in-2022-usgs/
[2] Natural Resources, Canada: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/mapstoolspublications/Map%20of%20top%20100_E_2024_online.pdf
[3] Swapan Kumar Haldar (2018). Mineral Exploration: Principles and Applications.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814022-2.00013-7