3587
Concentrator Design—A Review of Concentrator Design,
Construction and Execution from Our Designs in the
Early 1940s to the Present-Day Mega Projects
David G Meadows
Bechtel Mining and Metals, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Ivan Sanhueza, Daniela Muñoz
Critical Minerals and Operational Excellence, Bechtel Mining and Metals, Santiago, Chile
ABSTRACT: Bechtel Mining and Metals has had a long successful delivery of copper concentrators throughout
the world, with a significant portion of these being developed in Latin America in high altitude, remote and
logistically challenging locations. With the continuing decline in ore grades there has been a noticeable increase
in ore throughput requirements which have risen from less than 15,000 tpd to well over 150,000 tpd. As
the project sizes and production rates have increased the criticality of infrastructure and water and tailings
requirements continue to strongly influence the design and project execution planning. The overall project
and design objective still considers the main drivers that include a safe, economic, operable, maintenance,
accessibility, and optimized layout. This paper discusses some of the key historical data and achievements,
developments over time and highlighting design advances, equipment sizing advances and design philosophy
approaches. Relevant industry examples are drawn upon from a variety of projects. The paper also provides data
and insights on the constructability and project execution approaches.
Keywords: Concentrator, SAG mills, ball mills, layout, plant design, execution, constructability
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The emphasis of this paper is to capture some of the key
history in the design and layout of concentrators based on
a number of executed projects in the copper industry across
the globe. There are some variations on this basic concept,
particularly outside North and South America and in the
design and layout of smaller concentrator capacity circuits.
Throughout this journey there have been advances in equip-
ment sizes within the unit processes and some standardiza-
tion in the design approach in certain areas. As the project
and concentrator sizes have increased the scope outside the
process plant has been of equal importance and nowadays
contributes to a significant part of the overall capital cost.
As a whole the majority of concentrators built have
included Semi-Autogenous-Ball mill-Pebble crushing
(SABC) circuits that range in capacity from around 10,000
tpd to over 150,000 tpd. The use of stage crushing and
rod mill—ball mill circuits has been very scarce in recent
years particularly as the demand to process lower grade
orebodies with higher process throughputs has evolved.
Over time the move away from multiple grinding lines
to a single line plant has dominated the design philoso-
phy. Flotation circuits design has been accompanied with
Concentrator Design—A Review of Concentrator Design,
Construction and Execution from Our Designs in the
Early 1940s to the Present-Day Mega Projects
David G Meadows
Bechtel Mining and Metals, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Ivan Sanhueza, Daniela Muñoz
Critical Minerals and Operational Excellence, Bechtel Mining and Metals, Santiago, Chile
ABSTRACT: Bechtel Mining and Metals has had a long successful delivery of copper concentrators throughout
the world, with a significant portion of these being developed in Latin America in high altitude, remote and
logistically challenging locations. With the continuing decline in ore grades there has been a noticeable increase
in ore throughput requirements which have risen from less than 15,000 tpd to well over 150,000 tpd. As
the project sizes and production rates have increased the criticality of infrastructure and water and tailings
requirements continue to strongly influence the design and project execution planning. The overall project
and design objective still considers the main drivers that include a safe, economic, operable, maintenance,
accessibility, and optimized layout. This paper discusses some of the key historical data and achievements,
developments over time and highlighting design advances, equipment sizing advances and design philosophy
approaches. Relevant industry examples are drawn upon from a variety of projects. The paper also provides data
and insights on the constructability and project execution approaches.
Keywords: Concentrator, SAG mills, ball mills, layout, plant design, execution, constructability
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The emphasis of this paper is to capture some of the key
history in the design and layout of concentrators based on
a number of executed projects in the copper industry across
the globe. There are some variations on this basic concept,
particularly outside North and South America and in the
design and layout of smaller concentrator capacity circuits.
Throughout this journey there have been advances in equip-
ment sizes within the unit processes and some standardiza-
tion in the design approach in certain areas. As the project
and concentrator sizes have increased the scope outside the
process plant has been of equal importance and nowadays
contributes to a significant part of the overall capital cost.
As a whole the majority of concentrators built have
included Semi-Autogenous-Ball mill-Pebble crushing
(SABC) circuits that range in capacity from around 10,000
tpd to over 150,000 tpd. The use of stage crushing and
rod mill—ball mill circuits has been very scarce in recent
years particularly as the demand to process lower grade
orebodies with higher process throughputs has evolved.
Over time the move away from multiple grinding lines
to a single line plant has dominated the design philoso-
phy. Flotation circuits design has been accompanied with