Sampling for Process Control and Metallurgical Balance

When: Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 September 2010
Where: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Presenter: Francis Pitard, FPSC Sampling Consultants

About The Course:

This course is for metallurgists, metallurgical managers, metallurgical design engineers, process engineers and laboratory supervisors. It will focus on sampling problems in the mill, and how to overcome them. It will examine the problems of sampling in the circuit, and sampling for metallurgical reconciliation.

Course Presenter

Francis Pitard, President of Francis Pitard Sampling Consultants is a Denver based consultant in sampling, statistical process control, and Total Quality Management. He provides consulting and in-house short courses in North and South America, Australasia and South Africa. He had six years experience with the French Atomic Energy Commission and fifteen years with Amax Extractive R&D before starting his own consultancy over 20 years ago.

Client companies are engaged in such diverse activities as base metals, precious metals, iron ore, coal, steel and aluminium smelting, petroleum exploration and production, chemical manufacturing, environmental monitoring and power generation.

His public short courses in the USA are presented by the Colorado School of Mines, and he presented short courses for many years for the Australian Mineral Foundation. He presents many in-house courses for his clients.

Course Overview

Fundamental statistical concepts used in sampling; Application of the model to reality. Mineralogical and separation factors; Optimisation of sampling protocols; construction of sampling nomographs; Segregation and grouping errors. Usage of existing data, calculation of the fundamental error, calculation and interpretation of a variogram.

Sampling in the 3-dimensional segregated volume of a tank, application of statistical processes, Sampling for precious metals.

Applications during recovery operations, process control and laboratory work. Reasons for disagreement between mine and mill estimates.

Course Content

Introduction to the main sources of variability

• Looking at global variability leads to a reactive management philosophy.
• Dividing the total variability into its basic components.
• Search for a logical strategy to minimize each source of variability.
• Sorting priorities to minimize each cause of variability in an economic way.

Optimization of sampling and subsampling protocols

• Small scale, man-made variability, which does not exist in the process.
• Large scale, relevant variability, which does exist in the process.
• Optimization of sample and subsample weights.
• Examples of application for the mine, stockpiling, blending and loading facilities.
• How to conduct the critically important Heterogeneity Test.
• Calculation and use of sampling nomographs.
• Introduction to segregation, the origin of many annoying problems.
• Minimization of segregation problems.
• Quantifying the analytical/measurement variability.

Practical implementation of sampling protocols

• Definition of sampling correctness.
• Delimitation, Extraction, Weighting and Preparation Sampling Errors.
• Review of good and bad sampling equipment available on the market for the mine, processing, blending, shipping facility and the laboratory.

Review of particular issues for sampling

• Sampling and subsampling for grade control at the mine.
• The nugget effect ·Sampling of flowing streams.
• Problems associated with on-line analysers.
• Sampling for moisture determination.
• Sampling for the fragment size distribution.
• How to design a correct sampling station.

Introduction to conventional Statistical Process Control

• The SPC philosophy, and its limitations.

Introduction to Chronostatistics

• The investigative role of Chronostatistics, and its advantages.

Taking advantage of existing chronological data

• Selecting parameters of economical interest you are in a position to control.
• Selection of a wish list for the Targeted Average, the Upper Specification, and the Lower Specification.
• Introduction to the variogram.
• Quantification of random, non-random, and cyclic sources of variability.
• Introduction to the variability investigation chart.
• Use of the variability investigation chart to improve quality and productivity.
• Applications of Chronostatistics to minimize operating cost.

Presentation of the EMPV software (i.e., Effective Management of Process Variability)

Fee: A$2,200 – to be received by 6 August (See the registration form for cancellation policy).
Includes: A copy of the presentation, lunch and refreshments. Register early as Pitard’s courses are in high demand.
Further information: see http://www.impc2010.org/workshops.asp or contact:
David Pollard | Email: metplant@internode.on.net | Telephone: +61 8 8362 5545 | Facsimile: +61 8 8362 0126.