Ore Processing
The current mining operation at Whim Creek consists of an open cut mining operation, utilising drill-and-blast, trucking ore from Whim Creek and Mons Cupri to a central heap leach hydrometallurgy operation midway between the two. The operation runs via contract mining, with a fleet of five haul trucks and two production drill rigs.
Ore is crushed and screened to <20 mm, agglomerated with concentrated sulphuric acid, and stacked on heaps around 6 m high, which are placed atop a plastic membrane. The ore is irrigated via drippers with a dilute sulphuric acid solution and the leach liquor collected, and directed into a solvent extraction plant where the dilute lixivant is purified. The concentrated raffinate is then pumped into an electrowinning plant where 99% or greater purity copper cathode is produced for direct sale.
The mine's nameplate capacity is 15,000 tonnes per annum of A-grade copper cathode. Production averaged around 12,000 tonnes per annum for 2006-07.
Barren overburden is stockpiled in close proximity to the open pits.
There is an option to continue the operation as a sulphide crush-grind and flotation operation, as the current oxide ore bodies continue at depth as primary sulphides.
Read more about this topic: Whim Creek Copper Mine