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Determining Water Loss in Mineral Processing—
A Thermodynamic Approach
Peter Radziszewski
Rampart Detection Systems
ABSTRACT: With increasing competition for water resources and the potential impact on the environment,
the mining industry’s focus as expanded to include water in addition to energy consumption. Motivated by this
changing competitive context, the aim of this work is to examine quantifying water loss in mineral processing
operations by leveraging thermodynamics. Based on previous work this paper opens with the definition of a
general thermodynamic model of a unit process which is then applied to describe energy and mass inputs and
outputs of different mineral processing equipment (i.e., SAG and ball mills, screens, sumps, flotation, thickeners,
reservoirs). The models are then used to estimate the evaporation losses of a generic 50000t/d mineral processing
plant as well as explore different equipment design avenues to reduce water loss. A subsequent discussion
explores the limitations of the models used, the potential benefit of reducing evaporation as well as a defining a
possible metric that could be used to assess the water loss potential of different equipment and circuits.
INTRODUCTION
As highlighted by Boretti and Rosa (2019), the UN World
Water Development Report (2018) claims that:
“Clean water scarcity is a major issue in today’s’ world
of 7.7 billion people. The strain on the water system
will grow by 2050 when the world population will
reach between 9.4 and 10.2 billion, a 22 to 34%
increase…By 2050, more than half of the global
population (57%) will live in areas that suffer water
scarcity at least one month each year.”
In their own analysis, Boretti and Rosa (2019) conclude
that:
“Water is ultimately a finite resource and the mar-
ginal solutions for water scarcity currently being
proposed in the United Nations (UN) World Water
Development Report (WWDR) will prove hopelessly
inadequate by 2050 in the absence of any serious
effort to tackle these underlying truths.”
In this context of increasing competition for water resources
and the potential impact on the environment, the mining
industry’s focus has expanded to include water in addi-
tion to energy consumption. Motivated by this changing
competitive context, the aim of this work is to examine
quantifying water loss in mineral processing operations by
leveraging thermodynamics.
This will be accomplished by first defining a general
thermodynamic model of a unit process which is then
adapted to different mineral processing equipment (i.e.,
SAG and ball mills, screens, sumps, flotation, thickeners,
reservoirs). The water loss is estimated for a number of cases
and as well as different design avenues to reduce water loss
are explored. A subsequent discussion explores the limita-
tions of the models used, the potential benefit of reduc-
ing evaporation as well as a defining a possible metric that
Determining Water Loss in Mineral Processing—
A Thermodynamic Approach
Peter Radziszewski
Rampart Detection Systems
ABSTRACT: With increasing competition for water resources and the potential impact on the environment,
the mining industry’s focus as expanded to include water in addition to energy consumption. Motivated by this
changing competitive context, the aim of this work is to examine quantifying water loss in mineral processing
operations by leveraging thermodynamics. Based on previous work this paper opens with the definition of a
general thermodynamic model of a unit process which is then applied to describe energy and mass inputs and
outputs of different mineral processing equipment (i.e., SAG and ball mills, screens, sumps, flotation, thickeners,
reservoirs). The models are then used to estimate the evaporation losses of a generic 50000t/d mineral processing
plant as well as explore different equipment design avenues to reduce water loss. A subsequent discussion
explores the limitations of the models used, the potential benefit of reducing evaporation as well as a defining a
possible metric that could be used to assess the water loss potential of different equipment and circuits.
INTRODUCTION
As highlighted by Boretti and Rosa (2019), the UN World
Water Development Report (2018) claims that:
“Clean water scarcity is a major issue in today’s’ world
of 7.7 billion people. The strain on the water system
will grow by 2050 when the world population will
reach between 9.4 and 10.2 billion, a 22 to 34%
increase…By 2050, more than half of the global
population (57%) will live in areas that suffer water
scarcity at least one month each year.”
In their own analysis, Boretti and Rosa (2019) conclude
that:
“Water is ultimately a finite resource and the mar-
ginal solutions for water scarcity currently being
proposed in the United Nations (UN) World Water
Development Report (WWDR) will prove hopelessly
inadequate by 2050 in the absence of any serious
effort to tackle these underlying truths.”
In this context of increasing competition for water resources
and the potential impact on the environment, the mining
industry’s focus has expanded to include water in addi-
tion to energy consumption. Motivated by this changing
competitive context, the aim of this work is to examine
quantifying water loss in mineral processing operations by
leveraging thermodynamics.
This will be accomplished by first defining a general
thermodynamic model of a unit process which is then
adapted to different mineral processing equipment (i.e.,
SAG and ball mills, screens, sumps, flotation, thickeners,
reservoirs). The water loss is estimated for a number of cases
and as well as different design avenues to reduce water loss
are explored. A subsequent discussion explores the limita-
tions of the models used, the potential benefit of reduc-
ing evaporation as well as a defining a possible metric that