Running Head: Agg Flow Simulation

Agg Flow Simulation

Guilherme Gouveia Cordeiro
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Agg Flow Simulation

Abstract
Most of the minerals extracted in the nature are founded disseminated with the gangue, this
creates a necessity to liberate these particles and reduce the size for principally reach a big
concentration of the desired material. As the comminution is by far the largest energy consumer
in most mine sites, the study of the mineral processing try to conduct this size reduction with the
bigger efficiency possible. Nowadays is possible to realize simulation of comminution processes
and circuits by software like AggFlow. This simulations had receive great attention in the last
years, due to that this process is by far the most important unit operation both in terms of energy
consumption and overall plant performance (B. A. Wills, 2006). This laboratory was done to
simulate the comminution process by AggFlow trying to make an plant running at 500 tons per
hour of quarry Shot-Hard Rock at top size of 20 inches generate 3 different range of materials,
the first between 3 and 1 inches, the second between 1 and inches, and the third smaller then
. Inches. To complete the task several choices was analyzed and as final design was used 1 jaw
crusher Lippman 42x48, and two cone crushers Nordberg Symons SH/F, one of 7 ft. and another
of 4 ft. some screening and grizzly was placed in the design to increase the reduction ratio of
the equipment.
Keywords: AggFlow, Comminution, Mineral Process, Reduction Ratio.

Agg Flow Simulation

Introduction

(Pinnazi, 2015)Once the value of a comminution plant can represent the economic
viability of the overall plant, the simulation must be done in the best way possible to get a
preview of the efficiency of the mine and the equipment that will be used. In this laboratory we
used the program Agg Flow to develop an comminution processing plant using grizzly, sieves,
cone and jaw crushers. To analyze the best way several equipment was tested and simulations
were computer by the program which give as the final product 3 streams of a predefined size.

Flow sheet Development.

For the simulation, all the process were calculated for a mine running at 500 tons per
hour of Quarry Shot-Hard Rock (figure 1), trying to produce three rock products having sizes of
-3 +1 inch, -1 +1/4 inch, and -1/4 inch.

Agg Flow Simulation

Figure 1 Material being loaded.

Primary Crusher.
(Pinnazi, 2015), a grizzly was placed right after the load point to cut the material of 5
inches, the overflow was placed in the jaw crusher while the underflow met the product of the
jaw crusher to run to the secondary crusher (figure 2).

Agg Flow Simulation

Figure 2 Primary Crushing.

Secondary Crushing.
The product of the primary crusher plus the underflow of the initial grizzly generated a
material (Mohanty, 2014)

Figure 3 Flow stream from the primary crushing.

Agg Flow Simulation

As the desired product must be smaller than 3 inches; 25% of the sample, bigger than 4,
was placed in the first cone crusher of the process in an open circuit, this was achieved using an
4 inch inclined deck with the overflow going to an Nordberg Symons 7 ft. SH/F. The product of
the cone crusher plus the underflow of the sieving was connected to a 3 deck inclined screening
which separates the material direct to the desired sizes. The overflow, bigger than 3 inches was
placed in a cone crusher in a close circuit connected to the 3 deck inclined screen (figure 4).

Figure 4 Secondary Crushing.

The simulation was successfully completed with these two task (figure 5).

Agg Flow Simulation

Figure 5 Overall view of the project

Results and Discussion.

By the analyze of the grading of the material after each process, was possible to place a good
range of material to each process. By the simulations was possible to conclude that when we
have a specific range of material the efficiency is bigger than when you place small and big
particles together in the crusher due for the breakage of particles and the flow rate of material.
All the equipment had a good reduction ratio, the Primary Crusher, Jaw Crusher Lippmann
42x48 had an reduction ratio of 3.9:1, the first cone crusher of the secondary crushing, Nordberg

Agg Flow Simulation

Table 1 - esta

2
3
1

Symons 7ft SH/F, had an reduction ratio of 17.7:1 and the second cone crusher placed in the
closed circuit of the secondary crushing, Nordberg Symons 4 ft SH/F, had an reduction ratio
of 12.3:1. The three pillars of product had a stream between 20% and 40% of our feed stream
(table 1), as desired.
Table 2 Results of the product streams.

Range
(inches)
-3 +1
-1 + 1/4
-1/4 +0

Stream
(stph)
163
141
195

Table 1 - esta ................................................................................................................................... 8

Table 2 Results of the product streams. ....................................................................................... 8

Conclusion.
The simulation can be considered satisfactory once the reduction ratio of the equipment
had a value acceptable as seen by the final design. Giving the initial conditions of the material
and the desired streams was possible to simulate a comminution process plant by the AggFlow

Agg Flow Simulation

program with a good confidence of the equipment that will be necessary in the real plant and the
product of each one. This experiment, as a simulation, allowed us to face some common
problems of a processing plant as overloading and bad reduction ratio and how to solve it.

Agg Flow Simulation

References
B. A. Wills, T. N.-M. (2006). Will's Mineral Processing Technology. Elsevier Science &
Technology Books.
Kumar, A. (2011, December). Comminution. Retrieved from TechnoMine.
Mohanty, M. K. (2014). Crushing. In M. K. Mohanty, MNGE420: Mineral and Coal Processing
(p. 3). Carbondale.
Pinnazi, P. (2015). Bombas do afeganistao. teste, 23-57.
Software, B. (2014). Welcome to Aggflow. Retrieved from AggFlow.