Mining Laboratory Equipment

Mining and mineral processing laboratories use a variety of specialized equipment to prepare samples, analyze the mineral content (assaying), and test the physical properties of ores. This data is critical for exploration, process control, and quality assurance.

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1. Sample Preparation Equipment

The first step in any analysis is to reduce the sample size from a large rock or drill core to a finely ground powder that is homogenous and representative of the material.

• Crushers: Reduce the size of bulk samples (e.g., jaw crushers, cone crushers).
• Pulverizers/Grinders: Fine-grind the crushed material into a powder suitable for analysis (e.g., ring mills, bowl and puck mills).
• Rotary Sample Splitters (Riffle Splitters): Reduce the mass of a sample while maintaining representativeness.
• Sample Dryers/Ovens: Remove moisture from samples before crushing and grinding.
• Sieves/Screens: Separate particles by size for metallurgical tests.
• Automated Sample Preparation Systems: Robotic lines that handle crushing, splitting, and pulverizing to minimize human error and increase throughput.

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2. Analytical Equipment (Assaying)

This equipment is used to determine the chemical composition and grade of the ore.

Instrument	Principle	Common Application
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS)	Measures absorption of light by free atoms to determine elemental concentrations.	Common for base and precious metals (Cu, Au, Ag, Zn).
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Instruments (ICP-OES or ICP-MS)	Ionizes the sample to emit or measure mass of light, providing multi-element analysis at trace levels.	Detailed analysis of multiple elements, including rare earth elements.
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometer (Benchtop or Handheld)	Measures the X-rays emitted from a sample when irradiated, identifying and quantifying elements.	Fast, non-destructive, on-site or lab analysis of major and trace elements.
Fire Assay Equipment	Specialized high-temperature furnaces and cupellation apparatus.	The standard and most accurate method for determining gold and silver concentrations.
Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA)	Measures changes in sample mass as a function of temperature.	Determining moisture content, volatile matter, and carbon content.
Wet Chemistry Supplies	Balances, volumetric glassware, hot plates, magnetic stirrers,pH meters.	Titrations and other traditional chemical tests (e.g., for iron, copper).

3. Metallurgical Testing Equipment

These machines are used to simulate and optimize the mineral processing steps (flotation, separation, leaching) to determine the best method for extracting the valuable minerals.

• Flotation Cells: Simulates the froth flotation process to test reagent efficacy and recovery rates.
• Grinding Mills (e.g., Bond Ball Mill, Rod Mill): Determines the grindability characteristics and energy consumption of the ore.
• Gravity Separators (e.g., Knelson Concentrator, Wilfley table): Tests the recovery of heavy minerals.
• Filter Presses: Measures the filtration characteristics of slurry/tailings.

Leaching Apparatus: Used for agitation, solvent extraction, and testing recovery using various chemical agents (e.g., cyanide or acid).