LLC “Baikal Mining Company”, Udokan, Russia:

D. A. Lapshin, Head of Department of Designing of Technical Management, e-mail: d.lapshin@metalloinvest.com
M. F. Prostakishin, Leading Industrial Engineer of Experimental-Industrial Complex
V. N. Zolotarev, Chief Technologist of Experimental-Industrial Complex
I. N. Khramtsova, Head of Analytical Service of Technical Management

Udokan copper deposit is one of largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world. The deposit ore grade is about 1–2%. Silver is an associated component. Udokan copper deposit contains sulphide and oxide copper-bearing minerals, which overlay one another almost on the whole territory of the deposit. This paper provides the main results of marketing research on marketability of copper concentrates, which formed the requirements to the final product, obtained by the process flow sheet. Laboratory studies were carried out for development of Udokan deposit ores’ process flow sheet. The test work used four composite samples of Udokan ores, representing oxide, sulphide and mixed ore types of the deposit. In the course of the studies, the following main process parameters were determined: the required grind size at each stage; reagents consumption rate; bulk flotation time; pH of leaching; time of leaching; grind size for sulphide flotation; number of cleaner flotation stages; flotation time. The developed process flow sheet ensures marketable products manufacturing (sulphide concentrate with 40–45% of Cu and cathode copper) with high extraction for sulphide, oxide and mixed Udokan deposit ores, which makes possible to carry out both the processing of all ore types by the same process flow sheet, and elimination of selective mining organization, which is very difficult due to the deposit specifics.

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