Validating the mill and hydrocyclone models of Se-Chahun ball mill circuit using MODSIM software

In this research, grinding circuit of Se-chahun was simulated using different models of MODSIM software package and then the results were compared with the comminution test data from the industrial scale operation. First, the results of comminution tests on feed samples, and different models of the MODSIM software, were used to simulate the circuit. It was shown that the GMSU model for ball mill and Cyca model for hydrocyclone correlate better with the analysed data. Using simulated results, it was found that the ball size and fresh feed rate had more impact on the grinding circuit performance. By reducing the ball diameter to 25 mm and increasing the new feed rate to 300 t/h, the mill circuit can produce the desired size of 92 microns. The results of changing the solid percentage and feed rate, on an industrial-scale, produced around 2.5 and 2.2 percent error, respectively, in predicting the hydrocyclone oversize. A change in the mill circuit was also investigated, using MODSIM simulator. By placing the hydrocyclone before the ball mill, the reduction ratio of the circuit increased from 1.8 to 3.3, and the mass flow rate of solids through the mill decreased from 342 to 159 t/h (increasing the mill capacity). In this case, the final product size (overflow of the hydrocyclone) reached 85 micron. The results of simulation showed that by increasing the new feed to 300 t/h, the product size will reach 96 micron.