Overview
The Detour Lake process plant is a robust 55,000 t/d (20 Mt/a) gold processing facility in Ontario, Canada, designed for optimal recovery with minimized operating costs. The plant has consistently exceeded design capacity, achieving a record throughput of 88,370 t in a single day (July 2023) and averaging 3,325 t/hr in 2023.
Key Process Stages
- Primary Crushing: Single-stage gyratory crusher (60×113″) with 4,200-4,500 t/hr capacity at 125mm CSS
- Secondary Crushing: Two XL1100 cone crushers with 1,550 t/hr capacity each
- Grinding: Twin SAG mills (10.7×5.33m EGL) and ball mills (7.73×12.19m EGL) in closed circuit with hydrocyclones
- Gravity Recovery: Six Falcon SB5200-BSE concentrators processing 15% of cyclone feed
- Leaching: 29-hour retention time at 50-55% solids density
- CIP Circuit: Carousel-type system with 80-minute retention time
- Tailings Management: SO2/air cyanide destruction before pumping to TMA
Critical Data
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Design Throughput | 55,000 t/d (20 Mt/a) |
| 2023 Average Throughput | 3,325 t/hr (25.4 Mt annual) |
| SAG Mill Power | 2×7,500 kW per mill |
| Ball Mill Power | 2×7,500 kW per mill |
| Target Grind Size (P80) | 130 µm |
| Gravity Recovery | 25% (targeting 35%) |
| Leach Feed Size (P80) | 95 µm |
Optimization Initiatives
The plant is implementing several upgrades to increase throughput to 29 Mt/a by 2028:
- Hi-Fines primary crusher mantles/concaves
- Variable speed drives for secondary/pebble crushers
- Secondary crusher motor upgrades (1,000HP→1,200HP)
- Advanced process control automation
- SAG mill grate reduction (70mm→60mm)
- Machine learning-based ore blending
