Stirred media mills of fine and ultrafine grinding for subsequent beneficiation operations

This paper presents a brief review of the designs, characteristics, and operating parameters of Stirred media mills supplied by foreign manufacturers. An analysis of information on Stirred media mills , which are used to improve the efficiency of beneficiation and metallurgical operations, is carried out using available publications. The obtained results indicate the inexpediency of using conventional drum ball mills for flotation separation of ores and concentrates with a fine interpenetration of minerals. The application of conventional mills in extraction of ores and concentrates resistant to cyanidation, where gold is finely disseminated in sulfides, is limited by their high power consumption and the corresponding operating costs. In this work, different types of Stirred media mills are considered, including their vertical and horizontal types. The advantages of Stirred media mills over conventional ball mills, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, are noted. The designs and main characteristics of Stirred media mills , which have received wide application, are presented. According to the data presented in the reviewed publications, the main parameters determining the grinding process in such mills are outlined, including the ratio of bead size to mill feed size, density of grinding medium, density of pulp in the mill, volume loading of beads, stirring speed, etc. The conducted analysis of literature data indicated high efficiency of mills based on agitation of grinding media for fine and ultrafine grinding of ores and concentrates in comparison with conventional ball mills. Given that the volume of ores and concentrates resistant to processing by conventional methods is increasing, the application of Stirred media mills is expected become more widespread, thereby increasing the efficiency of subsequent beneficiation and metallurgical operations.