The influence of equipment settings and rock properties on high voltage breakage

High voltage breakage is a novel comminution method that relies on highly energetic electrical pulses to weaken or fully fragment rocks. The potential of this technology to improve liberation and increase the grindability of ores has been demonstrated previously, but the fragmentation process is not fully understood. In this study a total of 20 rock types were treated in a SELFRAG Lab device to determine the influence of equipment parameters on breakage. Rock mass properties and Bond Work Index were determined for each rock type to identify their relation to breakage behaviour. Results show how, by influencing total applied energy, the number of discharges and voltage are the two major influences on the resultant product size. It has also been shown that coarser feed sizes are more amenable to high voltage breakage. Acoustic impedance, porosity and quartz content were found to relate to breakage but Bond Work Index only correlates loosely.