Darrell Larson Email and Phone Number

Mentoring of young engineers to improve their skills and knowledge of mineral processing. Providing positive example when addressing issues in areas of safety, grinding, flotation, filtering, thickening, and expert control systems. Leading/training of engineers while optimizing the Morenci's Flotation Mills, Molybdenum Plant, and Filter/Bedding Plant.Leader during the successful commissioning of the Morenci Mill’s new Molybdenum Flotation Plant while concurrently developing young people from several Freeport McMoran sites.

Lead engineer for a new comminution plant. Coordinate the collection of ore samples for lab testing. Develop the program for testing samples to determine ore characteristics. Prepare requests for quotation and contracts for lab testing and engineering design. Coordinate the information exchange between external and internal groups. CAPEX and OPEX estimation for the plant. Presentation of my work to corporate steering committees.

Monitor day-to-day operation of the Smoky Canyon Mine’s beneficiation mill and tailings ponds, and operation of ore slurry pipeline and the Conda Pipeline Booster Pump Station. Provide technical guidance, supervision and personnel actions for over 50 mill and slurry pump station supervisors and hourly staff. Direct the research and development activities for the Smoky Canyon Mine. Perform detailed evaluation of future ore reserves for a mine feasibility study. Examine mineralogical properties, determine the beneficiation characteristics, and define new ore processing flow diagrams and the specific equipment and instrument requirements. Organize testing from initial concepts through bench-scale and pilot plant testing to full-scale field operations. Project origination, planning and execution. Develop short-term and long-range funding proposals for mill and pipeline operations. Prepare annual budgets for mill operations.

Perform research in mineral processing and analyses of comminution and beneficiation products. Principal Investigator for the Process Mineralogy Group, with responsibility for directing research efforts. Develop project proposals for funding, schedule both people and resources, and prepare reports documenting results of research. Serve as a liaison between the Research Center and the public in a variety of forums, meetings and activities.