7/5/2020 Locked Cycle Testing -Flotation

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Flotation Locked Cycle Testing has been the

favorite method for arriving at a metallurgical
projection from laboratory otation testing in
the mining industry in the last decade, mostly
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because the nal cycles of the test mimic a

continuous circuit.

The difference is that, in a batch test, “the

deportment of the intermediate streams to
concentrate or tailings is unknown”, as in locked
cycle tests “these streams are recycled and, at
the end of the test, the material in these Wikimedia
streams should report to either concentrate or
tailings”, according to “Mineral Processing Plant
Design, Practice, and Control Proceedings, Volume 1”.

After this process, “it will be clear how the intermediate streams divide between concentrate
and tailings”, the report adds.

Shortly, this means the process if adequate to achieve metallurgical projection of continuous
circuit behaviour, assess of circuit stability and also of the ow-sheet or “network” development.

1 Product Lock Cycle Test Procedure

But what are the basics of otation locked cycle testing?

A locked cycle test is a repetitive batch test used to simulate a continuous circuit. The basic
procedure consists of a complete batch test performed in the rst cycle which is then followed
by similar batch tests which have “intermediate” material  from the previous cycle added to
the appropriate location in the current cycle. These batch tests, or cycles, are continued in this
iterative manner  for a number of cycles until, ideally, the steady state is reached.  The nal
products from each cycle, i.e.  nal concentrate and nal tailings, are  ltered and thus removed
from further processing. At the end of the test, all the products, nal and intermediate, are dried,
weighed and subjected to chemical analysis. The test is balanced and a metallurgical projection
is made.
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The professionals unfamiliar with this technique might think that locked cycled testing is only
connected to otation, but any procedure can actually be locked cycled tested, like a Bond
grind-ability test, for instance.

Despite its undeniable value to the industry, this process is still lacking some scienti c
validation and that is re ected by the lack of studies and documentation regarding the
preparation for a locked cycled test, the number of cycles that should be performed, how to
assess if the test’s goal was really achieved, how to produce a valid metallurgical projection and
how to assess if that same projection is valid.

Yet, producing a valid metallurgical projection is one of the most important parts of the

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process. This result is the “ nal numerical summary” of the test’s performance and it’s possible
to achieve it by using three different procedures – n-product formula, SME procedure and
concentrate production balance -, which will later provide the same projection for a test at a
steady state.

That is why locked cycle testing is currently used by several companies to produce valid and
reliable projections. SGS and JKtech are two of them.
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With over 70 years experience, SGS currently trusts in the advantages of this process, using its
“high level of technical expertise” to properly execute and get  the necessary projections by
determining the exact number of cycles to perform, the best method to assess if the test has
truly achieved steady state, the proper technique to produce a metallurgical projection and the
validity of the metallurgical projection.

On the other side, at JKtech, locked cycle testing is “undertaken at a laboratory scale in order to
simulate a continuous otation operation”, reads the company’s website. The rm explains it
adopted the procedure with great success and has used the methodology to validate JKSimFloat
simulations under laboratory conditions.

While the sample requirements are quite simple to get and process, JKtech highlights the key
bene ts of the process, which mainly are the grading and recovery of information with
recirculating streams, use of a small quantity of feed and the indication of reagent
consumption.

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Locked Cycle Tests

The number of batch tests required will vary from a few on the simple ores to perhaps hundreds
for some complex ores. When middling products contain signi cant quantities of the metals to
be recovered, cycle testing permits more accurate recovery calculations by reducing the
percentage of middlings that arbitrarily must be assigned to nal concentrates or tailings. This
type of research is normally best performed by two or more technicians because a number of
otation cells and grinding mills may be required during the test and simultaneously will help
to con rm that the technique proposed can be duplicated by others. Variability within a team
strongly suggests owsheet weaknesses. .

The owsheet, reagents, times, etc. which have been developed during batch tests are used to
design a owsheet for cycle tests.

In these tests, intermediate products from one batch test are saved and reintroduced at the
appropriate point in the subsequent batch test. The procedure is repeated until equilibrium as
determined by weights and analysis is reached. Below we show some suggested typical
standard laboratory grind and otation owsheets for batch and cycle tests. It is common to see
six batch tests, used in one cycle test. Dilution becomes a problem .in these tests and must be
controlled. Dewatering between steps might be necessary but the solutions should be reused as
appropriate diluents and drying should not be practiced unless it is proposed for the full scale
plant.

When equilibrium has been established, the results of the last two tests may be used to
calculate the projected results for a full scale operation. If equilibrium has not been reached, it
cannot be assumed that the intermediate products will end up in the desirable concentrates in

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7/5/2020 Locked Cycle Testing -Flotation

the ratio indicated by the overall.test because some of these products may not be upgradeable.
The more complex the separation, the more caution the research metallurgist should be in his
predictions.

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7/5/2020 Locked Cycle Testing -Flotation
ng,
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By David Michaud | January 18th, 2014 | Categories: Concentrator Manuals/Procedures | Tags: JKTech, locked cycle testing,
mining, SGS | Comments Off
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