Discharge end wall system

1. A grinding mill comprising:

a mill shell comprising a mill shell chamber therein and having an outer perimeter wall partially defining a discharge end wall of the mill shell, rotatable in a direction of rotation to produce a pulp including ore particles and water;

the discharge end wall having a central hole therein through which the pulp exits the mill shell;

a discharge end wall assembly comprising:

a plurality of pulp lifters mounted on the discharge end wall, the pulp lifters being arranged in pairs of adjacent ones of the pulp lifters respectively comprising a leading one of the pulp lifters in the pair and a trailing one of the pulp lifters in the pair relative to the direction of rotation, a trailing edge surface of the leading one of the pulp lifters and a leading edge surface of the trailing one of the pulp lifters partially defining respective pulp chambers therebetween;

at least one plug element located in at least one selected one of the pulp chambers, said at least one plug element being formed to occupy at least a portion of said at least one selected pulp chamber to define at least one reduced pulp chamber therein, the pulp chambers other than said at least one selected pulp chamber comprising a plurality of open pulp chambers, said at least one plug element being sized and located for optimal flow of the pulp through the open pulp chambers and said at least one reduced pulp chamber.

2. The grinding mill according to claim 1 in which said open pulp chambers comprise three quarters of the pulp chambers in the discharge end wall assembly.

3. The grinding mill according to claim 1 in which a proportion of the pulp chambers that comprise the open pulp chambers is selected for maximizing throughput of the pulp through the discharge end wall assembly.

4. A method of minimizing carryover of a pulp including ore particles and water in a discharge end wall assembly, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one plug element, to be positioned in at least a predetermined portion of at least one selected pulp chamber;

(b) selecting said at least one selected pulp chamber, for receiving said at least one plug element; and

(c) installing said at least one plug element in said at least one selected pulp chamber, to occupy the predetermined portion of said at least one selected pulp chamber.

5. A method of mitigating wear in a discharge end wall assembly comprising a discharge end wall of a mill shell, the mill shell being rotatable about an axis of rotation in a direction of rotation and defining a mill shell chamber therein in which a pulp including ore particles and water is produced by comminution, the discharge end wall assembly comprising a plurality of pulp chambers at least partially radially located relative to the axis of rotation, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one plug element, to be positioned in at least one selected pulp chamber, for occupying at least a portion of said at least one selected pulp chamber;

(b) determining a proportion of the pulp chambers in the discharge end wall assembly that comprise a plurality of open pulp chambers, the proportion being determined for maximizing throughput of the pulp through the discharge end wall assembly; and

(c) positioning said at least one plug element in said at least one selected pulp chamber, to define at least one reduced pulp chamber therein,

wherein the pulp flows through the open pulp chambers and said at least one reduced pulp chamber as the discharge end wall assembly rotates.