Click
Institution to view their capabilities
The
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) is an internationally
renowned postgraduate research centre and technology transfer organisation
in the University of Queensland.
The
Centre's staff and students work closely with the world's leading
mining and minerals processing companies in a wide range of research
and commercial projects in Australia and overseas. The JKMRC collaborates
with many other research institutions, and is part of the Sustainable
Minerals Institute (SMI) at the University of Queensland.
Major
JKMRC activities include...
| • |
Applied
research and development in mining, mineral processing and coal
preparation, undertaken by research staff and postgraduate students.
|
| • |
Consulting,
commercial software development and support, hardware product
marketing and laboratory services, provided by the Centre's
commercial division and technology transfer arm, JKTech Pty
Ltd. |
The
JKMRC is well known for...
| • |
Research
projects addressing mineral industry problems |
| • |
Active
participation of its industry partners |
| • |
Focus
on experimental work in the field, in Australia and overseas
|
| • |
Involvement of postgraduate students |
| • |
Emphasis
on computer modelling, simulation and control techniques |
| • |
Commitment
to the practical implementation of research results in industry |
| • |
Advanced
expertise in mining and mineral processing. |
| • |
System
design and optimisation |
| • |
International
operations, alliances and agencies |
Core
skills
The
JKMRC aims at developing solutions to technical problems facing
the mineral industry, working on projects in partnership with mining
and service providers. JKMRC core skills include:
Mining
| • |
Mining
geomechanics |
| • |
Blast
design and optimisation |
| • |
Dynamic
analysis |
| • |
Rock
fracture testing and modelling |
| • |
Monitoring
and analysing mining performance |
| • |
Modelling
equipment performance |
| • |
Mine
design and evaluation |
| • |
Software
engineering |
| • |
Specialist
instrument design |
| • |
Numerical
modelling |
Mineral
and Coal Processing
| • |
Mathematical
modelling and process simulation |
| • |
Process
knowledge in comminution, classification, DMS and gravity concentration,
flotation, physical processing, coal preparation, solid-liquid
separation and hydrometallurgy |
| • |
Process
design, optimisation and control |
| • |
Mass
balancing and data analysis |
| • |
Process
development |
| • |
Software
engineering |
| • |
Specialist
instrument design |
| • |
Laboratory services |
| • |
Mineral
liberation analysis |
Education
Programs and Industry Training
Education
programs at the JKMRC aim to train future and current professional
engineers to a high technical and academic standard, and transfer
the outcomes of research programs to the minerals industry. Fieldwork
is a fundamental component of JKMRC training.
Postgraduate
Research - By 2003 the Centre had graduated 178 postgraduate students
with Masters or PhD degrees. Entry to the JKMRC research program
is highly competitive. Those who gain a place at the Centre enjoy
the benefits of world-class facilities and supervision by research
staff that are amongst the best in their fields. Prospective students
can obtain enrolment information and complete application forms
through the Internet. JKMRC graduates are highly employable and
most join the mineral industry after graduation.
Continuing
Professional Education - JKMRC professional education programs have
been designed to be flexible to suit busy professionals. Formats
include workshops, short courses and programs leading to qualifications
such as Masters degrees, postgraduate diplomas and graduate certificates.
A selection of JKMRC-developed education modules can be accessed
on-line through the Foots Education Program.
JKTech
Pty Ltd
The
Centre's Commercial Division, JKTech Pty Ltd, transfers research
outcomes to industry through the delivery of products and services.
JKTech Pty Ltd provides a wide range of consulting, software, hardware
and laboratory testing services to the industry. JKMRC technology
is licensed in Australia and overseas through a network of agencies.
JKTech
Consulting
The
Consulting division of JKTech utilises the extensive experience
of its team of consultants as well as JKSimMet and other software
tools to provide simulation, laboratory testwork and analysis, and
plant sampling services for improved plant performance. It specialises
in the areas of design, optimisation and process control of comminution
and flotation circuits, as well as blast optimisation and Mine-to-Mill
projects.
JKTech
Products
The
Products division of JKTech takes proven technological results from
JKMRC research projects and develops them to commercial release
in the form of software, instruments and other products. The product
experts assist clients in putting the technology into practice in
the most appropriate way for their particular application.
MLA
Bureau
The
Mineral Liberation Analyser (MLA) Bureau provides mineral composition
and liberation analyses for in-plant samples and core. It also provides
accurate rare phase searches for precious metals including gold
and platinum. The results are provided on CD, with interpretation
where required, and are used to trouble shoot plant performance
and assess processability.
JKTech
Laboratory Services
The
Pilot Plant at JKTech provides a wide range of laboratory services
for measuring rock properties and plant performance parameters.
The range of tests available at the JKTech Pilot Plant includes
JK Drop Weight tests, Bond Ball and Rod Work Index tests, sizings
(including ultrafine sizing), flotation testing and many more.
Location
JKMRC
and JKTech Pty Ltd are based at The University of Queensland's experimental
mine in the Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly, six kilometres from
the University's main campus. It comprises laboratories, pilot plant,
computing and analytical facilities, and office buildings for staff
and students.
Technical
Resources of the JKMRC
Comminution
| • |
Variable
length (0.5 to 1.5 m), variable speed, variable discharge geometry,
1 m diameter pilot mill manufactured by ANI |
| • |
Laboratory
and pilot scale crushers |
| • |
Laboratory
and pilot scale cyclone test rigs |
| • |
Three-product
cyclone |
| • |
Bond
ball mill |
| • |
Bond
rod mill |
| • |
Laboratory
tower mill |
| • |
Laboratory
stirred mill |
| • |
Grinding
table (for fine particle breakage) |
| • |
Piston
press (for HPGR modelling) |
| • |
A
range of abrasion mills |
| • |
SAG
Mill Comminution (SMC) test |
| • |
Large
Drop Weight Tester (2) |
| • |
Small
Drop Weight Tester |
| • |
Short
Impact Load Cell (SILC) |
| • |
Wear
Characterisation Equipment : impact wear cell, abrasion wheel,
corrosion mill |
| • |
A
range of sieves and sieve shakers |
Flotation
| • |
3
L, 5 L, 16 L laboratory batch flotation cells |
| • |
4
L continuous flotation cell, with conditioning vessel, sump,
and feed, tailings and reagent dosing pumps |
| • |
16
L High Sb (continuous) flotation cell with variable speed drive
and in-line air mixer, feed and tailings and reagent pumps |
| • |
3
m3 rectangular glass flotation cell, equipped with a Dorr-Oliver
mechanism (Denver and Outokumpu mechanisms also available) |
| • |
3
m3 Outokumpu cylindrical flotation cell, equipped with variable
speed drive (on loan when required from Outokumpu Technology
Ltd, Australia) |
| • |
UCT
Bubble Size Analysers (2) |
| • |
McGill
Bubble Viewer |
| • |
Bubble
load analyser, Entrainment analyser, Jg probe, Gas holdup probe,
all for measurement in industrial flotation cells |
| • |
Container
and numerous packing cases for transporting equipment to site |
Gravity
Separation
| • |
Dense
medium cyclones: 50mm, 100mm, 200mm |
| • |
Dense
medium cyclone (fibre glass): 375mm |
| • |
Densifier:
200mm |
| • |
Sieve
bends: width 150mm, 400mm, 900mm |
| • |
Demagnetising
coil (industrial) |
| • |
Demagnetising
coil (laboratory) |
| • |
Vezin
sample cutter * 2 |
| • |
15m
cyclone tower with constant head tank |
| • |
3000
litre tank with 6/4 pump |
| • |
Debex
viscometer, with 50 litre sump/pump |
| • |
Density
tracers (crushed and cubes) |
| • |
Magnetics
Loss Monitor (MLM) |
| • |
Magnetic
Susceptibility Monitor (MSM) |
| • |
Laboratory
Knelson Concentrator |
| • |
Laboratory
Falcon concentrator |
| • |
Laboratory
Multi-Gravity Separator |
| • |
Mozley
table |
| • |
Fully
instrumented sluice |
| • |
Fully instrumented computer-controlled 2-compartment Baum-type
pilot jig |
| • |
Range
of full size spiral concentrators |
| • |
Range
of hydrocyclones |
| • |
Hydrosizer. |
Sample
preparation and Analysis
| • |
Rotary
sample splitters |
| • |
Riffles |
| • |
Particle
size analysis instruments: Coulter Counter, Malvern Mastersizer,
Cyclosizer |
| • |
Kason
screen (continuous) |
| • |
Gilson
screen (125mm to 425 microns) |
| • |
Lab screens (200mm and 450mm diameters) (53mm to 20 microns) |
| • |
Microsieves |
| • |
Density
distribution analysis (lead sulphamate, organic liquids, Erickson
cone) |
| • |
Helium
gas pycnometer |
| • |
Oxygen
probe |
| • |
Density
bottles |
| • |
Marcy
scale and bucket |
| • |
Magnifying
lens (illuminated) |
| • |
Bariod
and Rheomat viscometers |
| • |
Draft
tube |
| • |
Davis
tube |
| • |
Magstream,
MagShute |
| • |
Atomic
absorption spectrophotometry |
| • |
Philips/JKMRC Mineral Liberation Analyser (MLA) *2 |
| • |
SkyScan
1072 Micro Cone Beam Tomograph |
| • |
Access
to the University of Queensland's Electron Microscope Centre,
and other facilities |
Research
Overview
The Mineral Processing Research Unit at the University of Cape
Town is a multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental research unit based
in the Departments of Chemical, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
Currently the Unit has a complement of 17 senior staff, 20 support
staff and 30 postgraduate students. The research conducted within
the Unit has a strong application focus, and consequently enjoys
very strong support from mining and associated companies in South
Africa, and to a growing extent, world-wide. The Unit has access
to state-of-the-art laboratory and analytical facilities that can
support postgraduate research activities ranging from fundamental
to development and application studies. For more information, please
visit the UCT Department of Chemical Engineering Website www.chemeng.uct.ac.za.
Technical
Resources
1.
Analytical and Measurement Facilities
| • |
AA, UV, FTIR, MS, XRD, XRF, ICP, SEM, EDAX / TEM |
| • |
Gas
Chromatography, Size Exclusion Chromatography |
| • |
Malvern
particle size analyser and zeta sizer, Leco sulfur analyser |
| • |
SGE
Anatoc total organic carbon analyser, Coal ashing furnaces |
| • |
Micromeritics
BET/Chemisorption potential and mercury intrusion porosimiter |
| • |
Instron
universal strength tester, Accupyc pycnometer |
| • |
Optimas
image analysis system |
| • |
pH,
Eh and mineral potential probes, UCT Bubble Size Analyser |
| • |
Gas
rate and gas hold-up measurement probes, Viscometers (Brookfield;
Haake) |
| • |
Static
surface tension (Wilhelmy plate, deNouy ring), Dynamic surface
tension (maximum bubble pressure) |
| • |
Turbidity
measurement for dispersion/coagulation characterisation |
| • |
A
variety of digital imaging and analysis systems for both laboratory
and site based comminution and flotation studies |
2.
Ore Preparation
| • |
Crushing:
Cone crusher, jaw crusher (located at U. Stellenbosch) |
| • |
Milling:
Stainless steel laboratory mills |
| • |
capacity: 1, 6 and 20 kg |
| • |
grind
medium: SS Rods; SS Balls; MS Balls |
| • |
Ceramic
Laboratory Batch Mill |
| • |
capacity:
1 kg |
| • |
grind
medium: Ceramic Balls |
| • |
Sizing:
Test Screens: 2000 to 25 micron |
| • |
Hydrocyclones:
10 cm and 1 cm diameter |
| • |
Cyclosizer
(located at U. of Stellenbosch) |
| • |
Mobile
sample processing trailer (under construction). This will be
a portable laboratory with all the equipment required for collecting
samples and conducting full sizing analyses on site - filters,
ovens, screens, shakers, scales, and storage facilities |
| • |
A
variety of specialised sample cutters for site-based comminution
and flotation studies |
3.
Flotation Research Equipment
Bench-scale:
| • |
Leeds
3-litre batch flotation cells (6) |
| • |
Denver
3 and 5 and 20-liter batch flotation cells |
| • |
A
highly instrumented turbulence characterisation cell |
| • |
Microflotation
- Bubble loading cell (2) |
| • |
Emdee
Microflot cell |
| • |
High-intensity
conditioning cells (3 and 20-litres) |
| • |
Automated
system for bubble rise velocity profile measurement for surfactant
adsorption studies |
Pilot-scale:
| • |
Column
Flotation cells (6 m x 10 cm; 6 m x 5 cm) |
| • |
Agitated
Column cell (2 m x 10 cm) |
| • |
Jameson
Cell (2 m x 10 cm) |
| • |
Bateman
60-litre and 160-litre continuous/batch cells |
| • |
Continuous
Denver D12 Rougher/Scavenger banks (on trailer) |
4.
Comminution Research Equipment
| • |
Transparent
laboratory milling rigs designed to study grinding action in
mills and flow in cyclones. These are specifically designed
for X-ray filming and PEPT tracking for gathering experimental
data on charge motion |
| • |
Wear
-testing mill for measuring the abrasivity of minerals (measurement
of material loss of irradiated balls) |
| • |
A
highly instrumented Hopkinson bar is available for use on rock
fracture studies |
| • |
A
particle interaction property characterisation rig for directly
measuring the DEM input parameters for a variety of different
materials (in development) |
5.
Computation Research Facilities
The
Unit has a range of high-end desktop computers dedicated to research
activities in DEM (PFC 2D v2.1; PFC 3D v3.0 with User Defined Contact
Module) and CFD (CFX; Fluent).
Mineral
processing has a long tradition of student training and excellence
in research at McGill University. There are three principal investigators,
Profs. P. Radziszewski, Andre Laplante and James Finch (Industry
Professor of Mineral Processing). Currently there are 3 senior research
associates, 4 Post Doctoral Fellows, and 15 graduate students. The
areas of research range from wear in comminution to gravity concentration
of gold and chemical and physical aspects of flotation. Last year
the group issued some 30 scientific papers and industrial reports.
Professor Finch was elected to the Academy of Science of the Royal
Society of Canada in November 2002.
The
facilities include traditional mineral processing units in two dedicated
laboratories as well as specialized units (e.g., Bond ball and rod
mills, flotation columns, sensors for gas rate and bubble size in
flotation cells) and state of the art analytical instrumentation.
The latter includes: infrared, Uv/Vis, scanning electron microscopes
(including variable pressure and field emission) and, through association
with McGill's Physics and Chemistry Departments and the University
of Montreal, XPS, ToF-SIMS, chromatography and Mossbauer spectroscopy.
The
group is funded through a combination of initiatives involving the
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and
industrial sponsors, notably, AMIRA International, Camiro, Inco,
Teck Cominco, Falconbridge, Noranda, Corem and SGS Lakefield Research.
|
