Process Access

Process Access is a web interface and navigation tool designed to cross link data between a mine-site’s resource block model and the best processing models available in the world. The process (geometallurgically enabled) models (GEM™) currently available are FLEET (Flotation Economic Evaluation Tool) and CEET (Comminution Economic Evaluation Tool). Additional GEMs are under development.

Process Access allows the refinement of plant design, production planning, circuit optimization and site economics, by calculating the impact of ore variability (hardness, flotability, etc.) on plant performance, on a block-by-block basis.  In this way, a unit operation represented by a GEM within Process Access can be designed or optimized for any mine plan.  In addition, production optimization for each unit operation over any portion of the mine plan (1st five years, life-of-mine...) can be carried out.

To see Process Access image click here

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Staff can directly link attributes from the mine resource block models to the Process Access platform. This is a secure and protected site accessible only to authorized personnel. A virtual resource model is created which stores the desired block attributes from the site resource model.  From the Process Access platform, the available process models are selected and applied to the data from the mine resource model.

Direct two-way interfaces to pit design software such as Gemcom, Vulcan, Medsystems, Datamine, Runge and others can be generated. Mine/mill planning departments can run comminution and flotation studies on production runs for the next month, quarter, year, etc. Design studies for grassroots start-ups can also be run.

SGS Minerals Services is committed to enhancing and delivering technology that uses the resource block model and mine plan as the basis for mineral processing design, optimization and production planning. Our intent is to help mining companies around the world minimize risk and maximize profit through the use of this technology.

Implications for the Future
Process Access and the models it makes accessible will change the way mineral processing plants are designed. Additional economic modules will be added to truly optimize site economics with respect to the value of a block of ore. Never before has there been such easy access to process design and performance predicting models with the resource model and mine plan as the data set. This is an elegantly simple concept that has profound implications on how planning, design and optimization will be carried out in the future.