SHERPA for Mineral Processing

And, currently, the following flowsheet designs are available:

• Gravity/Carbon-in-Pulp
• Two-product Flotation
• Single-product Flotation/Gravity
• Single-product Gravity/Flotation
• Pressure Leach/Carbon-in-Leach
• Heap Leach/Carbon Adsorption
• Heap Leach/Merrill Crowe
• Single-product Flotation
• Agitated Tank Leach
• Carbon-in-Pulp
• Crushing/Optic Sorting
• Three-Stage Crushing

The operating and capital expenditures associated with a variety of ancillary facilities are also estimated in the program environment. Currently, these include:

• Heap Leach Pads and Ponds
• Tailings Impoundments
• Fresh Water Storage Ponds
• Mill Water Recycle Ponds
• Project Camp
  • Dormitory, Cafeteria, and Recreational Facilities for remote operations
  • Expandable to accommodate mining and other workforces
• Power Generation Facilities
• Transmission Lines

Other program features include:

Current supply costs, wages, salaries, and equipment prices are contained in a separate database, which is automatically queried by the program. Most cost values found in this database are supplied by CostMine’s Mining Cost Service. All costs, prices, wages, and salaries can be easily altered by the user within the operating environment.

A user’s manual fully explains program operations, utility functions, and most of the algorithms used in the cost-estimating calculations. The manual also contains a detailed tutorial example that enables the evaluator to quickly learn how to use the primary features of the program.

Help screens are available for all but the most apparent entries. These explain the type of information requested by the program and the way in which Sherpa determines its suggested values. Help screens also provide the user with alternative data that can be used to modify Sherpa’s suggested values.

Complete project output reports can be exported to text files. These files can be imported into the software of your choosing for further evaluation.

Here’s how Sherpa for Mineral Processing Plants works:

With the feed characteristics entered and the flow sheet suggested, the program proceeds to emulate flow through the plant to arrive at a material balance. These calculations estimate the flow rate, size fraction, and solids density of the feed into each machine to determine their required capacities (and resulting sizes). With the balance calculated and the flowsheet displayed, you can click on any machine in the flowsheet to activate a screen that provides you the means to change any of the operating parameters of that machine. As an example, the screen for a SAG mill:

Sag Mill Suggested/Editable Values, Example