At Electra Mining Africa 2010, Multotec is exhibiting an extensive suite of products. Engineers on the booth explain how advanced technologies have been applied to the specific requirements of each minerals processing application. There is likely to be considerable interest in the Multotec Max 1450 cyclone, the Multotec spiral and Multotec Wear Lining’s exhibit, all of which have already been attracting significant attention in the market.

Said to be one of the most cost-effective solutions in DMS, the Max range of hydrocyclones, developed by Multotec, are a great advance in alumina-tiled cyclone engineering design. Designed using extensive field experience and using computational fluid dynamic analysis and 3D CAD, the Max range offers a number of major features. The ‘Max’ designation is derived from the maximum efficiency of separation and maximum wear life provided by these cyclones.

The Max 1450 cyclone boasts a number of innovative design features, including the inlet head which reduces wear and turbulence, lengthening the life cycle of the inlet and increasing capacity. The scrolled evolute inlet also provides for a higher capacity compared with a traditional tangential inlet, while the smooth evolute entry into the inlet results in a more efficient separation process within the cyclone. The inlet head can also be custom designed to meet the specific capacity requirements of customers.

The parallel throat spigot design eliminates the initial high wear rate and maintains the spigot size for longer, while the overflow design enables any leak to be noticed immediately, eliminating the potential for the loss of product or mate- rial to the overflow.

The major advantages of this more specialised design include the easy removal of the lightweight vortex finder and the ease of inspection to determine internal wear within the cyclone.

The design of the flanged joints eliminates the possibility of efficiency losses through inward steps. The wetted joints are sealed with epoxy, thereby avoiding the problem of gaskets protruding into the cyclone body. Separation is enhanced, producing less misplaced material. Finally, pre-engineered tiles are designed to ensure that lining failure is prevented while the wear life of the cyclone is extended.

Also on display, will be the Multotec 420 high-capacity cyclones which offer significant advantages in reducing maintenance and operating costs. These cyclones are equipped with weep holes to prevent damage to cyclone housings and prolong operational life.

There are also the Multotec SX7 coal spirals which are provided with auxiliary splitters that allow for easier control and a more flexible operating range for the discard cut. Spirals are supplied with pipe launders for product collection. Pipe launders are lightweight, durable, spillage free and corrosion resistant.

Another highlight on the outside stand is the Multotec Wear Linings display. This group company is intent on showing that ceramic as a lining material can, contrary to popular perception, in fact, withstand impact. A selection of liner panels with ceramics of different thickness embedded in various matrices will be impacted on by a 120-mm rock dropped from a height of 2.5 m. For the purposes of the test, material will be fed by conveyor through a lined chute onto easily interchangeable panels.

The working Rondo chute system display discharges material onto a return conveyor, with transfer between feed and return conveyors taking place through a vibratory feeder lined with removable, bolt-on and rubber-backed ceramic liners. The closure of the circuit between the feed and return conveyors at the opposite end is through a Multotec-designed transfer chute. Ceramic pulley lagging will be displayed at the drive and tail ends of both feed and return conveyor pulleys.

Multotec Manufacturing launched its injection-moulded modular rubber screen panels for small aperture sizes, a P3P adaptor sleeve for screens with conventional angled runners, a reversible sievebend housing manufactured from high-density polyethylene, which is lighter than conventional steel housings and does not require special linings for corrosive environments and its modular trommel panels for heavy-duty applications, which reduce cost and manufacturing time.

Multotec Magnetics, a subsidiary company which specialises in the separation of minerals and materials on the basis of their magnetic properties, is showcasing a number of new developments, including low-intensity drum separators which have been completely re-engineered for improved performance, serviceability and durability. Visitors can also see the new overband tramp removal magnets, which are compliant with underground requirements, and the high-intensity ‘dewatering’ magnet used in dense-media separation circuits and iron-ore beneficiation.