A Brief Description of Farhad’s Research Work:
The heterogeneous nature of orebodies introduces large uncertainties into all quantitative evaluations, process design and predictions. The ore comminution process is extremely energy-intensive, which puts pressure on the flowsheet designer to maximise performance. Measuring the extent of the variability of ore competence will allow more control over process performance through a quantitative knowledge of its associated uncertainties. Testing ore breakage behaviour and description of data acquired, provide a basic knowledge of orebody, necessary for plant design procedure and process optimisation. Even though the breakage characteristics of ores vary across a pit or even within a domain, most of the current ore testing methods do not capture this variability and report only average properties. Therefore, the breakage variability, which is not captured during the test work, translates into variation in process performance. This PhD work focuses on understanding the drawbacks of average-based impact breakage testing methods and aims at development of new ore breakage characterisation methods to quantify breakage variability. Quantifying and describing ore competence variability is a significant step forward in attainment of a better understanding of the comminution characteristics of complex orebodies that by nature impose a large component of uncertainty on process design and performance.
Advisors:
Prof Sarma Kanchibotla, JKMRC, The University of Queensland
Dr Robert Morrison, JKMRC, The University of Queensland
Aims and Objectives:
- Attainment of a deeper understanding on the breakage behavior earth materials under impact and attrition mechanisms.
- Understanding shortcomings with the average-based ore breakage testing methods.
- Development of new impact breakage testing methods using the JK Drop Weight.
- Tester (JKDWT) to capture and quantify the breakage variability.
- Development of an attrition testing method to quantify and model the degree of weathering with application in engineering activities.
- Development of breakage models to describe ore breakage behavior accounting its intrinsic variability.
- Statistical study of the average-based breakage testing methods and the newly developed tests.
- Simulating impact of ore breakage variability on SAG and ball mill circuit performance using the JKSimMet software.
- Identification of potential strategies to manage the impact of breakage variability on the process performance.
Key Publications:
Faramarzi F, Jokovic V, Morrison R, Kanchibotla S.S. (2018). Quantifying variability of ore breakage by impact - Implications for SAG mill performance. Minerals Engineering, 127:81-89, Elsevier.
Faramarzi F, Morrison R, & Kanchibotla S.S. (2018). From average-based ore impact breakage characterization to quantifying breakage variability. Accepted for publication at XXIX International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC2018), Moscow, Russia.
Faramarzi F, Ebrahimi Farsangi M.A, Mansouri H. (2014). Simultaneous investigation of blast induced ground vibrations and airblast effects on safety level of structures and human in surface blasting. International Journal of Mining science and Technology, 24: 663 - 669, Elsevier.
Faramarzi F, Mansouri H, Ebrahimi Farsangi M.A. (2013). A rock engineering systems based model to predict rock fragmentation by blasting. International Journal of Rock Mechanics & Mining Sciences, 60: 82–94, Elsevier.
Faramarzi F, Mansouri H, Ebrahimi Farsangi M.A. (2013). Development of rock engineering systems based models for flyrock risk analysis and prediction of flyrock distance in surface blasting. Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering, 47: 1291-1306, Springer Verlag.
Faramarzi F, Ebrahimi Farsangi M.A, Mansouri H. (2013). An RES based model for risk assessment and prediction of backbreak in bench blasting. Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering, 46: 877-887, Springer Verlag.