Improved Flotation Process Control at Newcrest’s Telfer
Operation
D Baas1, S Hille2 and J Karageorgos3
ABSTRACT
With the increased variability of today’s large-scale mining operations,
consistent flotation performance is important to improving and sustaining
overall recovery through the circuit. The Newcrest Telfer Mine has
implemented advanced process control technology to obtain stable level
operation and consistent mass pull in the copper rougher and scavenger
flotation circuits. The final result has been an overall reduction in
variability, which impacts on both copper and gold recovery. This paper
describes the methodology and implementation of the improvements in
control at the Newcrest Telfer Mine as being an essential part of the
business for minerals processing.
BACKGROUND TO NEWCREST MINING
LIMITED’S TELFER OPERATION
Newcrest Mining Limited’s Telfer operation is a gold-copper
mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The operation has three different production pathways,
namely: dump leach to produce dore; copper flotation to produce
copper concentrate; and pyrite flotation to produce a pyrite
concentrate, which is leached to recover dore and a SART circuit
to recover copper and cyanide.
The 20 Mtpa treatment plant is designed to provide optimum
process routes for ore types from different mine sources with
1. Principal Process Control Engineer, Manta Controls, 1 Sharon Place,
Grange SA 5022. Email: dirk.baas@mantacontrols.com.au
2. Manager Metallurgy, Newcrest Operations, Level 2, 20 Terrace
Road, East Perth WA 6892. Email: simon.hille@newcrest.com.au
3. Senior Principal Process Control Engineer, Manta Controls, 1 Sharon
Place, Grange SA 5022.
Email: john karageorgos@mantacontrols.com.au
FIG 1 - Train 1 flotation circuit layout.
Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007
different metallurgical characteristics. As a consequence, the
flotation circuit has four different processing modes; bulk,
copper only, sequential and pyrite only flotation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOTATION CIRCUIT
The concentrator consists of two trains to enable different
processing modes to be in operation in each train simultaneously.
Train 1 has been designed to process predominately sequential
ores and has a separate pyrite cleaning circuit unlike Train 2.
Train 2 is designed to treat predominately bulk and copper
only ores but has the flexibility to treat sequential ores and utilise
the pyrite cleaning circuit if required by the ore blend. Both
trains have a flash rougher and flash cleaning circuit, the product
of which is combined with the final copper concentrate. The
flash flotation circuit is not discussed in this paper.
The remainder of the flotation circuits are identical and will be
the primary focus of this paper, being:
• copper roughers – four pairs of 150 m3 cells (total eight) per
train,
• pyrite roughers – three pairs of 150 m3 cells (total six) for
Train 1 and two pairs of 150 m3 cells (total four) in Train 2,
• copper cleaners – three by 36.6 m3 cells per train,
• copper cleaner scavengers – three by 36.6 m3 cells per train,
• copper re-cleaners – three trough style 11.33 m3 cells per
train, and
• pyrite cleaners – eight by 36.6 m3 cells for Train 1.
The copper roughers
The objective of the copper roughers is to maximise the recovery
of copper concentrate from the ore. Each pair of cells shares a
87
D BAAS, S HILLE and J KARAGEORGOS
FIG 2 - Train 2 flotation circuit layout.
single level sensor and a pair of level control valves located on
the discharge of the second tank in series. Each cell has an
individual air injection control valve and froth analyser (camera)
to measure the froth behaviour on top of the flotation cell.
The copper rougher feed and copper rougher tails streams are
sampled and analysed by multi-stream analyser (MSA) to
determine metal grades.
The copper cleaners and scavenger cleaners
The objective of the copper cleaners is to upgrade the copper
rougher concentrate to generate a product sufficient for the
recleaning circuit. The objective of the scavenger cleaners is to
minimise losses of valuable mineral once it has reported to the
cleaning block.
The concentrate from the copper roughers is pumped to the
copper cleaner circuit. Each cleaner and scavenger cleaner cell
has individual level and air injection control. The copper rougher
concentrate and the cleaner scavenger tail concentrate and tails
are sampled and analysed by the MSA for metal grades.
The copper recleaners
The purpose of the recleaners is to bring the grade of the copper
concentrate to the required market specification. The recleaners
consist of three cells linked together sharing one level sensor.
The air injection control has one flow controller and three
manual valves allowing the operator to manually adjust the split
of air between the three cells depending on the desired pull-rate
and copper grade being produced. The recleaner concentrate is
also sampled through the MSA for metal grades.
The pyrite roughers
The objective of the pyrite roughers is to maximise the recovery
of pyrite concentrate from the ore. Their design is the same as
the copper roughers. The concentrate from Train one’s pyrite
roughers goes to the pyrite cleaning circuit, which is not
discussed in this paper. Train two’s concentrate is feed to the
copper cleaners.
PROCESS CONTROL PHILOSOPHY – TELFER
When commissioning a new plant, classical process control
philosophy is made up of several key phases, these being;
88 Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007
commissioning, stabilisation and optimisation. The duration of
each of these phases will depend on the complexity of the
process and the available technical resources to drive the
improvement.
The Telfer metallurgical team had outlined a simple
approach in line with the classical philosophy during the
pre-commissioning phase of the project, which maximised the
use of available personnel. These steps for flotation were
outlined as:
• Commission – ensure all instruments are functioning and
critical control functions operate. This was accomplished
through a series of factory acceptance testing (FAT) and site
acceptance testing (SAT).
• Stabilisation – commenced with simple field loop tuning of
the circuit. This was followed by circuit characterisation,
which determined key upstream and downstream influences
on major components.
• Optimisation – firstly develop a feed forward responsive
control to process disturbance, followed by application of the
froth cameras and lastly incorporation of the MSA to control
product quality.
After the commissioning of both processing trains had been
successfully completed and the stabilisation process begun,
Manta Controls were invited to work with the Telfer
metallurgical team to continue the stabilisation and optimisation
phases of the process control philosophy.
The Manta Controls hierarchy of controls identifies all the
elements required to achieve the objectives of the optimisation.
The hierarchy of control is similar to a pyramid; if one of the
lower level elements is not available the final objective may not
be achieved. (see Figure 3).
This version of control hierarchy was natural fit with Telfer
Process control philosophy and adapted as a logical way for the
two parties to effectively interface.
LEVEL 1 – FINAL CONTROL ELEMENTS
The first step at Level 1 is to audit all available instrumentation
operation, electrical and electronic performance to ensure that it
is performing within specification. This is time consuming but
essential before any higher level control can be performed.
Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference
 IMPROVED FLOTATION PROCESS CONTROL AT NEWCREST’S TELFER OPERATION

Copper Copper
recovery grade

Level 4 Control Strategy Optimisation and Constraint Control

Section balancing Grade recovery

Level 3 Control Strategy Regulatory Control A

Pulp chemistry Surface Cell coordination

chemistry Balance

Level 2 Control Strategy Regulatory Control B

Cell flow Cell stabilisation

coordination

Level 1 Control Strategy Final Control and Measurement Elements

pH, ORP, Su
Collectors,
Hopper pump Froth or bubble Air injection Froth depth Grinding Concentrate and
depressants, circuit
activator flow rate velocity flow rate throughput tails grade

FIG 3 - The Manta Controls’ hierarchy of control.

This was then followed by critical circuit parameter
assessment, which involved system step testing and field
response measurements. Based on this work the first element at
Level 1 that needed to be addressed was the response of dual dart
valves on each flotation cell. It was determined that their
performance can be improved as follows.
Dual valve control – split range
There is a small amount of dead band in the positioners, making
it difficult for the dart valves to be positioned at better than
one per cent. To minimise the effect of dead band, the first valve
opens from zero to 100 per cent as the control signal changes
from zero per cent to 50 per cent and the second valve opens
from zero per cent to 100 per cent as the control signal changes
from 50 per cent to 100 per cent. This method halves the effect
of dead band.
Valve linearisation
The trends of the level controllers displayed a non-linear
response due to the shape of the dart and the seat. This was very
pronounced at outputs of 40 per cent to 60 per cent where the
controller changes from the last 20 per cent of the first valve to
the first 20 per cent of the second valve. The overall control loop
responses were improved by linearising the controllers and final
control elements throughout each controller’s range.
The combination of both dual valve split ranging and valve
linearisation has enabled the flotation circuit to perform in a
consistent stabilised fashion with effective response to level
deviations.
LEVEL 2 – REGULATORY CONTROL B
Cell stabilisation
If the level control valve in an upstream cell opens up, it allows
more slurry into the downstream cell, thus increasing that cell’s
level, which in turn opens the second cell’s level control valve.
This means a disturbance in the first cell will be seen in each
cell thereafter. Depending on the individual cell tuning the
disturbance, more often than not, is amplified. This was
particularly noticeable during plant start-ups where the operator
would use manual control to prevent overflows.
To resolve this issue a feed forward signal has been added
from the first cell’s level controller to the second cell’s level
controller and so on through the whole rougher circuit. In this
way any disturbance on the first cell will not have any impact on
any of the subsequent cells, as the amplitude of the upstream
disturbance is adjusted in the downstream level controller.
The improvements in the level stability are shown in Figure 4
and Figure 5. The trends are of the levels of two adjacent
flotation cells during a normal start-up procedure. Both cell’s set
points are changed by the same amount, but the second cell
experiences a greater disturbance caused by the first cell’s
change in throughput. After the stabilisation, split range and
valve linearisation were implemented the cells experienced a
smaller disturbance even though the step change to the set point
was 50 mm greater than the previous trend.
Cell flow coordination – froth production rate
The cell flow coordination can only be applied to flotation cells
that are equipped with a means to measure froth rate being
‘pulled’ (produced) by the flotation cells. This is currently
configured on the rougher circuit.
Froth analyser (camera) data
The froth analyser provides a lot of information that can be used
for control and includes:
• bubble X and Y velocity and vector;
• bubble colour made up of three signals – red, green, blue
(RGB);
• statistical bubble size information;
• bubble load;
• bubble stability; and
• picture brightness.
The quality of the information was assessed to identify what
information could be useful for control and six weeks of data
was sufficient to perform the assessment. By establishing
correlations between plant performance and the froth analysers’
data, the most suitable information for control purposes was
identified.

Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007 89

D BAAS, S HILLE and J KARAGEORGOS
500
400
300
200
100
2/06/05 11:50 2/06/05 11:59 2/06/05 12:08
FIG 4 - Level before stabilisation.
500
400
300
200
100
17/11/06 21:20 17/11/06 21:29 17/11/06 21:38
FIG 5 - Level after stabilisation.
The bubble velocity in the X axis proved to be a reliable
measurement and was representative of the flotation cells’
performance. The bubble velocity provides an indicative figure
of the mass going over the lip of the flotation cells. A weakness
of the bubble velocity measurement is that it does not take into
account the amount of gangue that is entrained in the froth
reporting to the concentrate launder.
The froth from all the copper rougher cells is fed into a single
hopper and then pumped to the copper cleaner circuit. The
hopper pump speed is used to control the hopper’s level and also
provides a good indication of the mass of concentrate being
pulled off the roughers. By combining the bubble velocity from
each cell with the pump speed it is possible to get an indication
of concentrate mass production.
Pull rate control
Disregarding the flotation reagent effects within the cell for the
sake of simplification, there is a direct correlation between
decreasing the froth depth (raising the level of the slurry) and the
bubble velocity of the froth going over the lip of the flotation
cells. Therefore the shallower the froth depth the faster the pull
rate. To control the pull rate of each cell, the bubble velocity is
used to determine the required level.
Using the bubble velocities alone to control the pull rate of the
roughers is not the ideal solution as the pull rate for any given
bubble velocity over the flotation cell’s lip will vary depending
on the load of the bubbles and the amount of gangue that is
entrained with the bubbles. The copper rougher hopper pump
speed gives a good indication of the mass being pulled by the
90 Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007
Cell 1 SV mm
Cell 1 PV mm
Cell 2 SV mm
Cell 2 PV mm
2/06/05 12:17 2/06/05 12:26
Cell 1 SV mm
Cell 1 PV mm
Cell 2 SV mm
Cell 2 PV mm
17/11/06 21:47 17/11/06 21:56
roughers, but not the grade of the concentrate produced. If more
concentrate is being pulled, the hopper level rises and the pump
speed increases to maintain the level. This is not an exact
measurement, but can be used to prevent the roughers pulling
more concentrate than the pump can cope with and ensure that
the roughers are not pulling too little concentrate. However, the
weakness of this control is that the grade of the product is not
known even though consistent mass is achieved.
The hopper pump speed is used as a master signal to tell all the
bubble velocity controllers to pull a little harder and reduce the
froth depth if the pump speed is below set point, or slow down
the total pull rate by increasing the froth depth if the pump speed
is above set point.
LEVEL 3 – REGULATORY CONTROL A
Cell flow coordination
Each pair of rougher cells shares a level controller. Without
operator intervention, in most cases, only one cell per bank ends
up pulling concentrate. To ensure each cell in the bank is pulling
the same quantity of concentrate the cells must be balanced. The
only way to do this is to balance the pull rate between each cell
using air addition.
Balancing the twin cells
One cell can end up pulling a lot harder than the other for a
number of reasons:
• the air injection balance between the two cells,
Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference
 IMPROVED FLOTATION PROCESS CONTROL AT NEWCREST’S TELFER OPERATION

• the percentage mineral in the first cell will be slightly higher
than the second cell thus forming a more stable froth bed,
• the flow rate of slurry through the cells tends to raise the
level in the first cell with respect to the level in the second
cell, and
• relative hydraulic head differentials between paired cells
with upstream and downstream effects.
Using the difference in bubble velocity between the two cells
alone cannot achieve a steady balance. Understanding why the
two cells became unbalanced enabled the implementation of one
part of the Manta Froth Cube that uses multiple inputs and one
output as listed in Table 1.
This part of the Froth Cube balances the two cells effectively
and ensures both cells continually pull concentrate.
TABLE 1
Twinned cells balancing control elements.
Pulp chemistry pH control
The pH is modified in the Telfer circuit to assist in the selective
flotation of copper sulfides from pyrite and to reduce the effects
of oxidised species on the pulp chemistry. The pH is controlled
via two controllers, one that adds quick lime to the feed of the
grinding circuit and one that adds milk of lime to the copper
rougher feed. The idea is to use the milk of lime to react to
short-term changes (trim addition) in the pH and the quick lime
to respond to the long-term changes (step addition) in pH. These
loops were decoupled to prevent the loops oscillating and the
quick lime addition was linked to the mill feed rate. By
decoupling the two control loops the pH control improved during
a mill start-up as shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7. The figures
indicate the relationship between the mill feed rate and the
copper roughers’ pH.
In Figure 7 the mill start-up was not as smooth, yet the copper
roughers’ pH was more stable.

Inputs Output ANALYSIS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS

Bubble velocity of cell 1
Bubble velocity of cell 2
Air injection flow rate to cell 1
Grinding circuit throughput
Density of the slurry in the roughers
Air injection flow rate to cell 2.
The following areas of control were significantly improved
during the stabilisation phase:
• copper roughers pH control,
• copper roughers and pyrite roughers level control, and
• cell balancing control.

1600 10

1400
8
1200

1000 6

800

4
600

400
Mill Feed Rate t/h 2
200 Rougher pH PV
Rougher pH SV
0 0

9/03/06 9:00 9/03/06 9:36 9/03/06 10:12 9/03/06 10:48

FIG 6 - Copper rougher pH before.

1600 10

1400
8
1200

1000 6

800

4
600

400
Mill Feed Rate t/h 2
200 Rougher pH PV
Rougher pH SV
0 0

23/10/06 4:45 23/10/06 5:21 23/10/06 5:57 23/10/06 6:33

FIG 7 - Copper roughers pH after.

Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007 91

D BAAS, S HILLE and J KARAGEORGOS

pH control
The stabilisation of the pH has also contributed to better
recovery.
Time to start-up
The time taken to get the rougher cells to recover effectively
during start-up has also been reduced.
Figure 9 shows start-up of the roughers after being optimised.
The flotation froth depths upon start-up are at 400 mm, then drop
to 350 mm and are controlled from there on. The flotation depths
reach their optimum operating levels within two hours of start-up;
however, concentrate is produced within 30 minutes of re-start.
By looking at the rougher concentrate hopper pump speed, we
can see that with the automated start-up sequence control
(Figure 9) significantly more production is realised than in the
manual mode (Figure 8) of operation. During the optimised
start-up the flotation froth depths are continually being adjusted
to maximise the mass pulled from the roughers. This appears
more unstable than the manual start-up but is achieving the
objective of maintaining the hopper pump speed around 75 per
cent. The time taken to reach the optimum level has been
reduced by at least 50 per cent with the optimised control.
MSA samples of the concentrate and tails grades of Train 2
copper roughers were analysed over a three-day period. These
results were plotted on a histogram. Figure 10 and Figure 11 show
the copper rougher tail grade results are more consistent after the
optimisation. The statistical analysis of the before and after data
showed the copper roughers tails mean reading improved from
0.078 per cent Cu to 0.073 per cent Cu and the standard deviation
improved from 0.017 per cent Cu to 0.007 per cent Cu.
The copper rougher concentrate grades shown in Figure 12 and
Figure 13 indicate that the standard deviation in copper rougher
concentrate has also decreased.
After optimisation the concentrate grades are more consistent.
The concentrate mass being pulled from the roughers has also
increased. Data taken over a 30 day period before and after the
optimisation indicated the concentrate mass recovered by the
copper roughers increased by 23 per cent. The results indicate
that with the control hierarchy in place, the copper roughers
operate with a higher level of repeatability in their performance.
The higher mass of concentrate delivered to the cleaner circuit
has ensured that the cleaning circuit is operating at maximum
capacity.
Key benefits
The added benefits of the stabilisation have been:
• the flotation circuits are easier to operate;
• the operators can spend less time monitoring the flotation
cells enabling them to spend more time on grade reagent
control, thereby enhancing production further;
• more predictable flotation circuit performance; and
• faster production recovery from a shutdown situation.

450
Cell 1 SV mm
400 Cell 2 SV mm
Cell 3 SV mm
350 Cell 4 SV mm
Hopper Pump %
300

250

200

150

100

50

0
8/03/06 14:35 8/03/06 16:05 8/03/06 17:35

FIG 8 - Copper roughers start-up before optimisation.

450 Cell 1 SV mm
Cell 2 SV mm
400 Cell 3 SV mm
Cell 4 SV mm
350 Hopper Pump %

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
7:40:00 9:10:00 10:40:00

FIG 9 - Copper roughers start-up after optimisation.

92 Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007 Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference

 IMPROVED FLOTATION PROCESS CONTROL AT NEWCREST’S TELFER OPERATION

40
20

30
15

Frequency
Frequency

20
10

10

5
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0
Train 2 Copper rougher concentrate grade %Cu
0
0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.11 0.13 0.15
Train 2 Cu tails grade %Cu
FIG 13 - Copper roughers concentrate grade after optimisation.

FIG 10 - Copper roughers tails grade before optimisation.

and concentrate from each part of the flotation circuit and the
information extracted can be used to control the grade produced
20 throughout the flotation circuit. The grade can be altered by the
air injected into the flotation cells or by manipulating the reagent
addition to the circuit. Once the preferred method has been
15
identified by the plant metallurgists, then the final level in the
Frequency

control hierarchy can be implemented.

10

CONCLUSION
5
The merging of the Telfer Process Control Strategy with the
Manta Controls hierarchy of controls has proved an effective
0 method of systematically stabilising the flotation circuit at
0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.11 0.13 0.15
Train 2 Cu tails grade %Cu Newcrest Mining Limited’s Telfer operation.
The stabilisation of the flotation circuits reduced the start-up
FIG 11 - Copper roughers tails grade after optimisation. time and achieved the required concentrate flow rates sooner.
Further improvements can be realised by automation of the
start-up procedure.
40
The optimisation of the copper roughers has improved the
flotation circuit’s robustness. The grade achieved throughout the
30 copper rougher and pyrite roughers is more consistent and is less
Frequency

affected by variation in mineralogy and the grinding circuit

20 throughput changes. The copper rougher flotation circuit
continually adjusts the froth depth and air injection to maintain
10 the grades and mass recovery required. The concentrate mass
recovered by the copper roughers has increased by 23 per cent.
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0
Train 2 Copper rougher concentrate grade %Cu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank the management of Newcrest Mining
FIG 12 - Copper roughers concentrate grade before optimisation. Limited’s Telfer operation for permission to publish this paper.
The optimisation process was aided by the valuable input
received from the Flotation Process Technicians and the Telfer
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS Metallurgical Team. Without their feedback on the behaviour of
With the flotation circuit stabilised and balanced, the control the flotation circuit under various conditions the identification of
system’s performance can be accurately analysed. This a number of key correlations would have been difficult.
information will enable the optimisation phase or the fourth level The operations team is also acknowledged for their patience
of the control hierarchy to be implemented. This level utilises the and understanding during the number of step tests performed to
information provided from the MSA. The MSA samples the tails identify the dynamics of the process.

Ninth Mill Operators’ Conference Fremantle, WA, 19 - 21 March 2007 93

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