Anglo American has ordered another SpectraFlow Crossbelt Analyser for its Minas Rio iron ore mine in Brazil. This is the fifth order from Anglo American for the technology, with the global miner having four existing SpectraFlow installations in South Africa, Chile and Brazil.
Today SpectraFlow says it has more than 10 installations in the iron ore industry, covering applications in mines, ports and sinter plants since entering the iron ore industry about six years ago. Beside the iron ore industry SpectraFlow says it is providing online analysis solutions to the cement, phosphate, gold, platinum, copper, potash, bauxite and recycling industries, while expanding the applications continuously within the individual industries.
The SpectraFlow Crossbelt Analyser is an online analyser able to measure raw materials on belt conveyors in a very high frequency. As raw materials from the mine are processed through the crusher the raw material on the conveyor belt is statistically homogeneous and therefore the analytical results of the SpectraFlow Crossbelt Analyser are very accurate. Based on these accurate, high frequency results it says the feed from the mine (ROM) into the plant can be monitored accurately.
SpectraFlow analysers use Near-Infrared (NIR) technology, specifically Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers which are engineered to collect a portion of spectra every 420 milliseconds (150 measurements per minute). A control box houses the hardware and software running the user-specific calibration model. The calibration turns spectral information collected by the spectrometer into mineral or elemental percentages. Eight halogen lamps provide ample energy for collection of absorption spectra from ROM materials with large and highly variable PSDs.
The analysers use an output of real minute results, with no averages or running averages. SpectraFlow says the measurement output frequency can be even increased (eg for sorting purposes) with easy installation, operation and maintenance. The analyser is free of any radioactive sources, neutron generators or any hazardous components. This means the SpectraFlow Analyser does not require any permits or licenses regarding importation, operation or maintenance. “The SpectraFlow Analyser is completely safe, maintenance can be done by the operational personal, sources can be stored in the onsite warehouse. By introducing online measurement a comprehensive monitoring of the ROM is possible and the usage of highly variable raw materials is getting possible without decreasing the quality of the feed to the plant.”
This order SpectraFlow says raises the installed base worldwide to more than 90 analysers (51 Crossbelt & 41 Airslide) in 30 countries across all continents. The company concludes: “SpectraFlow Analytics Ltd in Switzerland are the experts in providing online analysis for the cement and minerals industry without any radioactive sources nor neutron generators. The NIR technology used for the SpectraFlow Analysers does not require any permits or licenses and there are no restrictions in buying, importing or maintaining the analysers. This results in very low operating costs and high availability of the analysers combined with highly accurate measurement results.”