Assessing Ore Heterogeneity for Bulk Sorting at the New Afton Copper Mine

The amenability of ore to bulk sorting is dependent on the heterogeneity of the deposit and the ability of sensors to estimate the properties at the bulk scale. Characterization of bulk heterogeneity is lost when using conventional geostatistical and block modelling approaches which tend to average grades across a deposit thereby hiding the heterogeneity. Furthermore, amenability to sensor-based sorting is complicated by challenges of testing for the following reasons:
- Sorting test programs tends to be expensive
- They require a significant amount of sample that may be difficult to obtain
- Access to specialized analytical and mechanical equipment is needed
- Test facilities that are nearly always located a significant distance from the deposit
- Such studies are difficult to evaluate particle sorting and may not be possible to evaluate bulk sorting
A means to assess the prognosis or viability for use of these technologies is beneficial; therefore, new approaches and tools are needed to characterize heterogeneity.