COMMINUTION / SHIFTING CAPACITY
A grinding improvement
reveals the next limit.
ILLUSTRATIVE SYSTEM CAPACITY1,000 → 1,150 t/h
The constraint moves from grinding to flotation.
The situation
The circuit requests 1,100 t/h. Crushing can support 1,250 t/h, grinding 1,000 t/h and flotation 1,150 t/h. Grinding sets the capacity ceiling.
The investigation
Examine ore conditions, power limits, feed size and classification before selecting an intervention. In this example, grinding capacity is subsequently increased to 1,180 t/h.
The decision
At a feed request of 1,200 t/h, flotation now caps throughput at 1,150 t/h. Further grinding capacity alone adds no throughput in this model.
Engineering question Has the improvement increased whole-plant capacity, or moved the constraint?
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