Ball Mill for Gold Ore Processing Mineral Grinding Equipment

1.Product Introduction

It is a specialized industrial equipment designed for grinding gold ore. Its core function is to further pulverize the crushed gold ore into a finer consistency, ensuring the full liberation of gold particles. This process creates the necessary conditions for subsequent mineral processing and extraction techniques, such as cyanidation leaching and flotation.

2.Application

In a typical gold beneficiation flow, the ball mill is positioned after crushing and before separation, forming a "Closed-Circuit Grinding System":

• Primary & Secondary Crushing: Raw ore is processed through jaw crushers and cone crushers for coarse and medium crushing.

• Closed-Loop Grinding: The material enters the ball mill, working in a closed circuit with a classifier (such as a hydrocyclone) to ensure the output particle size meets specifications.

• Downstream Processing: Qualified pulp/slurry proceeds to the subsequent flotation or leaching stages.

Some advanced processes also adopt the "HPGR + Ball Mill" combined mode. By using a High-Pressure Grinding Roller (HPGR) for pre-grinding, micro-cracks are created in the ore, significantly reducing the ball mill's power consumption and achieving energy savings of 30%–50%.

3.Working Principle

The ball mill consists of a horizontally positioned rotating drum filled with steel balls as grinding media. As the drum rotates, the centrifugal force and friction lift the steel balls to a certain height, from which they fall or drop freely, exerting powerful impact and grinding forces on the ore. Meanwhile, the sliding and rolling actions between the balls, as well as between the balls and the drum lining, further enhance the grinding effect, gradually reducing the ore to the desired fineness.

4.Advantages

The core strengths of a Gold Mining Ball Mill lie in its efficient mineral liberation, high adaptability, and stable operation. Through optimized configurations, it achieves significant energy savings, making it an indispensable asset in modern gold beneficiation circuits.

1. Efficient Liberation of Gold Particles to Enhance Recovery

By utilizing the impact and attrition of steel balls, the mill can pulverize gold ore down to micron levels (1–10μm), ensuring the full liberation of fine gold particles embedded in the gangue. This "selective liberation" creates ideal conditions for subsequent flotation or cyanidation, potentially increasing metal recovery rates by 3%–6%. For lode gold deposits, fine grinding is the decisive factor in extraction efficiency.

2. Mature Technology with Broad Applicability

The ball mill is not only ideal for various gold ores (including refractory ores like sulfide-bearing and quartz-vein types) but also for grinding copper, iron, and lithium ores. Its wet grinding capability is perfectly suited for closed-circuit systems with hydrocyclones, allowing for precise particle size control—ranging from 200 to 400 mesh—to meet diverse metallurgical requirements.

3. Flexible Particle Size Control to Prevent Over-Grinding

Output fineness can be precisely managed by adjusting the ball charge ratio, rotation speed, and pulp density:

• Graded Ball Charging: Large balls crush coarse particles while small balls handle fine grinding; an optimized ratio can boost efficiency by 40%.

• Optimized Speed: Maintaining speed at approximately 75% of the critical speed prevents "centrifuging" or insufficient impact.

• Pulp Density: Maintaining a solid content of 60%–70% ensures optimal grinding kinetics. This precision is vital for South American rock gold mines, where shallow-embedded gold requires careful handling to avoid gold loss and energy waste caused by over-grinding.

4. Upgraded Energy-Saving Tech to Lower OPEX

While traditional mills are energy-intensive, modern innovations have significantly cut costs:

• Direct Drive Technology: Enhances transmission efficiency by 13% and reduces power consumption by over 15%.

• Rolling Bearings vs. Sliding Bearings: Reduces motor power requirements by 13%–20% and cuts overall electricity usage by over 8%.

• VFD & Automated Ball Charging: Optimizes operating parameters, improving energy utilization and reducing power consumption by 20%–30% in certain systems.

5. Diverse Models Tailored to Capacity Needs

A wide range of models is available to match specific production scales. For a 100 TPH (tons per hour) gold line, medium-sized units like the MQG3200×5400, MQG3200×9000, or MQG3600×4500 offer high throughput with a compact footprint. Furthermore, shells made of high-strength, wear-resistant materials and replaceable liners extend service life and minimize maintenance costs.

5.Technical Specifications

6.Our Solutions