Company “Nornickel”, Polar Division, Norilsk, Russia:

I. V. Volyanskiy, Head of the Project Office for Reconstruction, Talnakh Concentrator, the third starting complex, Department of Strategic Project Management, e-mail: VolyanskiyIV@nornik.ru
T. A. Likhacheva, Leading Processing Engineer, Laboratory of Engineering Support of Production, Talnakh Concentrator, Center for Engineering Support of Production, e-mail: TsISP@nornik.ru
A. M. Kurchukov, Head of the Directorate for the Implementation of Concentration Projects, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: KurchukovAM@nornik.ru
A. A. Miller, Processing Engineer, Laboratory of Engineering Support of Production, Talnakh Concentrator, Center for Engineering Support of Production, e-mail: TsISP@nornik.ru

The results of step-by-step reconstruction and modernization of Talnakh concentrator (TOF) at company “Nornickel”, Polar Division in accordance with the company's production and technical development strategy dated 2013 and effective until 2025 to increase the output of rich, cupriferous and disseminated ores with phased increase in the TOF throughput up to 18 million tons per year of total ore are reported. The implementation of this project was divided into several phases. The sequence of commissioning for the Phase 1, which included the modernization of flotation machines, pumps and sump systems at the Grinding and Flotation Shop while maintaining the annual throughput of 7.6 million tons is described. The Phase 2 was put into commercial operation in May 2016 and comprised not only the Concentrator throughput increase up to 10.2 tons, but also implementation of a completely new concentration technology. A completely new modern imported and domestic equipment was installed (flotation machines with a chamber volume of 100; 50 and 20 m³, a semi-self-grinding mill, ball mills, vertical mills of fine grinding, etc.). The thickeners in the Thickening Shop were modernized according to the High Rate Thickener technology and integrated with automatic flocculent preparation and dosing plants. A tailing dam for TOF dump tailings was commissioned. The commissioning to new equipment and technology was carried out without reducing production volumes. The phases 1 and 2 allowed to increase the amount of treated rich, cupriferous and disseminated ores blend by more than 30%, reduce metal losses with waste, and improve the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of nickel-pyrrhotite and copper concentrates. Since 2016, works for improving performance indicators of the new concentration technology have been carried out, and a number of effective technological solutions have been developed. The further increase of Talnakh Concentrator throughput up to 18 million tons per year (the Phase 3) is planned by 2023.

1. Yuriev A. I., Lesnikova L. S., Bragin V. I. Development and practical application of experimental and research activity on enrichment of the ore and man-caused raw material of Norilsk industrial region. “NONFERROUS METALS – 2017” : collection of reports of the IX international congress and exhibition. Krasnoyarsk, 2017. pp. 1240–1245.
2. Petruhin V. A., Malchevskaja O. A., Lesnikova L. S., Rezvanova A. A., et al. Improvement of operating SKS-technology of enrichment for the purpose of increase of quality indicators of allocated concentrates. Tsvetnye Metally. 2010. No. 6. pp. 24–30.
3. Tsymbal A. S., Lesnikova L. S., Volyanskiy I. V., Arabadzhi Ya. N. Phases of Talnakh concentrator development and expansion for mineral raw material processing. Tsvetnye Metally. 2015. No. 6. pp. 17–19. DOI: 10.17580/tsm.2015.06.03.
4. Lesnikova L. S., Volyanskiy I. V., Datsiev M. S., Arabadzhi Ya. N. Implementation of the enrichment technology of the charge of rich and cuprous ore at the Talnakh Concentrator. Tsvetnye Metally. 2018. No. 6. pp. 32–37.
5. Jones S. M., Svalbonas V. Metso Minerals Large Grinding Mills. Gornaya promyshlennost. 2007. No. 1. pp. 58-64.
6. Silva M., Casali A. Modelling SAG milling power and specific energy consumption including the feed percentage of intermediate size particles. Minerals Engineering. 2012. Vol. 32. pp. 30–37.

7. Pourghahramani P. Effects of ore characteristics on product shape properties and breakage mechanisms in industrial SAG mills. Minerals Engineering. 2015. Vol. 70. pp. 156–161.
8. Guerrero F., Bouchard J., Poulin E., Sbarbaro D. Real – Time Simulation and Control of a SAG Mill. IFAC-PapersOnLine. 2016. Vol. 49. pp. 61–66.
9. Smirnov Yu. A. Vertical mills Vertimill: efficiently and easily. Gornaya promyshlennost. 2013. No. 3. pp. 82–84.
10. Lollback M., Palaniandy S. VertiMill – Preparing the feed within floatable regime at lower specific energy. Minerals Engineering. 2015. Vol. 73. pp. 44–52.
11. Bauman A. V. Criteria for choosing radial thickeners for dewatering and water circulation. Obogashchenie Rud. 2013. No. 4. pp. 40–43.
12. Nechaeva E., Prokkola S., Saastamoynen E. Advantages of using highperformance thickeners SUPAFLO. Obogashchenie Rud. 2001. Special issue. pp. 13–18.