Gravity Separation & Concentration Methods

Gravity Separation & Concentration Methods

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Collecting Gold Room Tailing Samples (3 replies and 1 comment)

GhanaBob
7 years ago
GhanaBob 7 years ago

Dear Colleagues,

We have just fire assayed our gold room concentrator tailings and it showed great losses, most likely due to a worn cone, low water back pressure and dirty water. 

We have almost two years of tail dumps that now require reprocessing using a more efficient concentrator. However, I want to collect samples across these tails and then fire assay to confirm the average grade of gold in those mounds.

Most of the gold tails from that concentrator  are minus 4mm.

How should I collect reliable and representative samples?

Close case auger drill?

How should I process these samples? Fire assay? Doesn't do much to test the samples using same concentrator that lost gold to the tailings in the first place.

I tried to upload pics but the system didn't do it.

Thanks all,

GHANA BOB

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P
explrngeo
7 years ago
explrngeo 7 years ago
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GB,

First, we need to understand the nature of your tailings pond a bit better; can we assume that tailings were distributed evenly over the area, or did you move the outflow manually?  What I'm mainly asking is whether there's a possibility that there are significant variations in the tailings, corresponding to the variations in head grade?  If the management of the tailings outflow was such that we can assume a relatively even distribution, then your drill spacing doesn't have to be too dense. Otherwise, you need to use your production and processing records to try to pinpoint areas of high and low grade before you start drilling.  If you can confirm these with drilling, you may not have to drill too densely either.

Sample the entire column, with a sample length dependant on what you think could be significant grade variations over time. Get your assays done in a proper independent lab.

 

Cheers.

GhanaBob
7 years ago

Thank for your reply explrngeo! We empty the tailings bucket under the concentrator and dump it in the area adjacent to the gold room. It is not in a pond, but in an uneven distribution in a number of piles. ( I will try to send a
pic or two) Without a doubt, there are variations in the tailing gradings. Once you see the piles you may be able to offer a better insight as to how to sample thiese tailings before we begin a major reprocessing effort.

GhanaBob
7 years ago
GhanaBob 7 years ago
Like

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qirpogtn0dbmezn/2017-07-25%2009.01.50.jpg?dl=0

PICS OF OUR GOLD ROOM CONCENTRATOR TAILINGS.

D
Dario L
7 years ago
Dario L 7 years ago
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I think you could send a laboraotry of University o Center of research to evalute the recuperation and metallurgical test working and evalute the grade of the material beacuse I think these material need more liberation for gold then you need more process to get entire gold from the material. Also you can test the cynide recuperation with CIP o CIC of course depend of result of metallurgical test working.

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