The world’s largest flash flotation circuit is to be supplied by Outokumpu Technology to the Boddington gold mine (BGM) expansion project in Western Australia.
The four flash flotation SkimAir™ 1800 units – which optimize recovery in the grinding circuit – will form part of a complete flotation circuit from Outokumpu Technology for the BGM project jointly owned by Newmont and AngloGold Ashanti. Outokumpu Technology’s SkimAir technology will incorporate a new mechanism to handle Boddington’s high throughput. The combined package of flash flotation and the flotation circuits will be delivered by the end of December 2007.
The flotation and flash flotation SkimAir circuits have been custom designed to handle Boddington’s high throughput, says Outokumpu Technology’s global Manager – Flotation Process, Peter Bourke. “We won the contract against international competition because of our experience and technical know-how in flotation, for which Outokumpu Technology is recognized as a global leader,” said Bourke. All the components at Boddington will be from Australian suppliers, ensuring high standards for this demanding duty, he added.
The Outokumpu Technology package comprises a total of 47 flotation cells including 18 x TankCell® -200s, amongst others. In the past 10 years alone, a total of more than 1,600 TankCell units have been installed worldwide. When measured by installed capacity, the company’s flotation technology is a clear market leader, holding over 50% of the installed base globally.
A train of 10 x 200 m³ TankCell units, believed to be the world’s largest single train of flotation cells installed in a greenfields project, has just recently been commissioned in New South Wales (Australia).
Some recent Outokumpu Technology contracts in the Minerals Processing area have ranged from a comprehensive solution in grinding, flotation, thickening and control optimisation for Lihir, floats and thickeners for Black Swan through to grinding contracts including First Quantum Minerals’ Frontier project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, AngloGold Ashanti’s Cuiaba project in Brazil, and BPR Bechtel’s UTB project in Canada.
