Process of upgrading nickeliferous oxide ores of lateritic origin
AssigneeSociete Metallurgique le Nickel-SLN
InventorsAndre Desnoes, Jean-Jacques Predali, Guy Ranchin
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Abstract
A process of upgrading garnieritic ores, oxidized nickelifer ores of lateritic origin which includes subjecting the ore to controlled attrition and classifying particles so formed according to their size, those having a dimension smaller than a predetermined value being recovered.
Claims38
A process for upgrading garnieritic ores to obtain an upgraded ore of higher nickel content comprising the steps of:
- (a) subjecting a garnieritic ore in which about 80% of the ore particles have a size between about 5000 and 100 microns to a controlled attrition to produce fine particles whereby a ratio d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured after said controlled attrition is larger by a factor of at least 2.0 than a ratio of d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured before said controlled attrition and whereby d.sub.90 measured after said controlled attrition is no more than 75% less than d.sub.90 measured before said controlled attrition;
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- (b) classifying the ore particles resulting from the attrition according to their size into at least two fractions and recovering the ore particles of a size below 50 microns as the upgrased ore of higher nickel content.
The process of clam 9 whereby the controlled attrition is performed in from 1 to 5 operations, the duration of each being from about 20 minutes to about 2 hours, and with the duration of each attrition increasing with each successive operation.
A process for upgrading garnieritic ores at least 0.5% in nickel, comprising the steps of:
- (a) subjecting a garnieritic ore to a preliminary grinding or crushing to produce an ore in which about 80% of the ore particles have a size between about 5000 and 100 microns;
- (b) subjecting the resultant ore to a controlled attrition to produce fine particles whereby a ratio d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured after said controlled attrition is larger by a factor of at least 2.0 than a ratio of d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured before said controlled attrition and whereby d.sub.90 measured after said controlled attrition is no more than 75% less than d.sub.90 measured before said controlled attrition;
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- (c) classifying the ore particles resulting from the attrition according to their size into at least two fractions and recovering the ore particles of a size below 10 microns whereby a nickel recovery of at least 70% is accomplished.
The process according to clam 20 comprising the additional step of pulping the preliminary ground or crushed ore prior to step (b).
A process for upgrading garnieritic ores to obtain an upgraded ore of higher nickel content, comprising the steps of:
- (a) subjecting a garnieritic ore pulp in which about 80% of the ore particles have a size between about 5000 and 100 microns to a controlled attrition to produce fine particles whereby a ratio d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured after said controlled attrition is larger by a factor of at least 2.0 than a ratio of d.sub.90 /d.sub.10 measured before said controlled attrition and whereby d.sub.90 measured after said controlled attrition is no more than 75% less than d.sub.90 measured before said controlled attrition, said attrition being carried out in an agitating device in which the agitated volume of pulp passes through the agitating device between about 1,000 and 10,000 times per hour;
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- (b) classifying the ore particles resulting from the attrition according to their size into at least two fractions and recovering the ore particles of a size below 50 microns as the upgraded ore of higher nickel content.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.