Tag Archives: Crushing

Metso expands crushing, screening manufacturing capacity in India

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Metso has extended its manufacturing capacity of mobile track-mounted crushing and screening equipment in Alwar, India, by opening new manufacturing facilities.

After the extension is complete, the total size of the Alwar factory is approximately 340,000 sq.m, adding 35% more capacity to the factory initially opened in 2008.

The Alwar factory has become one of Metso’s biggest manufacturing sites, employing approximately 1,300 people in total. The official opening took place on September 19, 2023, and production ramp-up to reach full capacity will continue until the end of the year.

The new factory showcases the most modern manufacturing practices, hosting several sustainability-driven functions like automated warehousing, automated assembly lines, modern painting lines and 13,000 solar panels installed to enable the increased energy production. After the extension, solar energy covers 85% of Alwar’s total power generation, which is maximum permitted as per state government guidelines.

“With the increased manufacturing capacity, Alwar becomes the major Metso site for increased domestic business in India and exports to Metso’s customers globally,” Markku Simula, President of the Aggregates business area of Metso. “Additionally, significant investment has been made in engineering and R&D resources, making it one of our key global engineering hubs.”

The Alwar factory will facilitate the manufacturing of several Metso Group brands. In addition to the mobile Metso Lokotrack equipment, the increased capacity in India will be used for the manufacturing of mobile McCloskey and Tesab equipment. At the same site, Metso is also producing wear parts and pumps for the aggregates and mining industries.

Monadelphous to construct new chemical plant at Talison’s Greenbushes lithium mine

Comminution of minerals, Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Monadelphous Group has secured what it says is a major contract for the construction of the Chemical Grade Plant 3 (CGP3) at Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes site in the south west of Western Australia.

The multidisciplinary contract, valued at approximately A$160 million ($102 million), covers the installation of a new crushing and screening facility and lithium concentrate processing plant. It also includes associated tank and piping fabrication works and electrical supply.

Monadelphous Managing Director, Zoran Bebic, said the award of this contract follows a successful period of early contractor involvement.

“We are delighted to have secured this key opportunity which further extends our participation in the development of Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes operations,” Bebic said.

Work will commence on site later this year and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.

The mining and processing operations at Greenbushes have been upgraded and expanded over the decades to increase production and incorporate new technologies as demand for lithium minerals has grown. The development of this third chemical grade lithium processing plant at Greenbushes will enable Talison to continue to supply the downstream lithium processing facilities of its shareholders currently being established in Western Australia and its facilities in China.

Three-machine train Metso mobile crusher ups productivity at chrome mining project

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A newly acquired Metso Lokotrack® LT200HPS™ is winning the day for Zizwe Opencast Mining at one of its strategic chrome mining projects in Steelpoort, Limpopo, according to the leading South African mining contractor.

With productivity high on the agenda in a highly abrasive chrome-processing application, a three-machine train of Metso mobiles – comprising a Lokotrack LT120™ jaw crusher, a Nordtrack® S2.11 scalping screen and a Lokotrack LT200HPS™ cone crusher – is making light work of the 200 t/h production target.

Joe de Beer, Crushing and Screening Plant Manager at Zizwe Opencast Mining, has been impressed in particular by the new Lokotrack LT200HPS cone crusher, equipped with a hanging screen. By featuring a detachable screen and return conveyor on one tracked chassis, he says, the LT200HPS is basically ‘two machines in one’, thus eliminating double-handling on site.

“The fact that the LT200HPS does the job for two machines was central to our purchasing decision,” De Beer says. “It features a detachable screen and return conveyor which guides screened oversize material back to the cone crusher. It is essentially a cone crusher, a screen and a conveyor on one tracked chassis.”

Yeshen Achary, Sales Engineer at Pilot Crushtec, said: “Traditionally, we have always brought the LT200HP in a standard configuration. Because cone crushers by their nature are not 100% efficient, the added benefit of having a screen post the crushing chamber is that it allows for recirculation of any oversize material back to the cone crusher.”

This, explains Achary, eliminates the need for another machine to work in closed circuit with the cone crusher. Having a single machine doing the job of two machines offers significant cost benefits for the customer.

Achary says: “Apart from the obvious capital cost benefit, having the cone and screen on a single chassis means that the machine is powered by a single engine, making one less machine to maintain. Having a closed loop on a single chassis also makes it easy to transport the machine between sites.”

Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec, explains that the LT200HP now comes in three different configurations. Apart from the standard cone crusher configuration, it is now available with a pre-screen called the HPX™, which is placed just before the crushing chamber or alternatively with an overhanging screen called the HPS, located post the crushing chamber.

He said: “In traditional operations, you would need two machines – a cone crusher and a screen – to do the same job done by this single machine. In addition, you would probably have to deploy a minimum of two to three conveyor belts to recirculate oversize material from the screen back to the cone crusher.”

Schenck Process Mining to become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The next step in the integration of SP Mining – the mining-related business of Schenck Process acquired by global, high-tech engineering group Sandvik – will see SP mining entities change their names to reflect their new ownership.

On October 1, Schenck Process Australia Pty Limited, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvik in November last year, will become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia Pty Limited. The Australian entity is the largest part of SP Mining’s global business, employing around 450 industry professionals.

Since the acquisition, Sandvik has been focused on bringing together its expertise in crushing with the screening, feeding, weighing and loading know-how of Schenck Process Mining.

According to the company’s President Asia Pacific, Terese Withington, this move is part of an integration process that will eventually see SP Mining become a seamless part of the Sandvik organisation.

“In Australia, we are bringing together our sales and back-office teams with those of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions to allow our customers to access our combined expertise in crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading,” she said. “Together we aim to deliver even better digitalisation, sustainability and productivity solutions to our industry.

“The end goal of our integration is to allow our customers to place combined crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading orders with our new legal entity.”

Withington says the scale of Sandvik’s operations and commercial reach will help to accelerate the combined innovation portfolio of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions and SP Mining.

She concluded: “We look forward to continuing to service the business needs of our customers and remain fully focused on the delivery of high-quality equipment, consumables, OEM spare parts and services to help them achieve their business objectives.”

Capital to carry out earthmoving and crushing services for FMG-tied Ivindo Iron in Gabon

Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Capital has announced the award of a new mining services contract with Ivindo Iron SA, majority-owned by Fortescue, at its namesake project in Gabon.

The earthmoving and crushing services contract has been announced at the same time as the company has extended its revolving credit facility.

Ivindo is in the northeast of Gabon and is one of the world’s largest undeveloped, high-grade haematite iron ore deposits with the potential to become a globally significant iron ore mine, according to Ivindo Iron, which is the operating entity for the Belinga project and a company that Fortescue has a 72% indirect interest in.

Earlier this year, Fortescue, through Ivindo Iron SA, signed the Mining Convention for the Belinga iron ore project in Gabon with the Gabonese Republic, paving the way for first mining to begin in the second half of 2023. Belinga is part of the wider Ivindo project.

The Capital contract has a term of up to five years and will generate approximately $30 million of revenue per year once fully operational, the London-listed company says. It involves both earthmoving and crushing services. Capital says it will use existing equipment and is in the process of purchasing circa-$15 million of additional equipment to service the contract.

Capital has already begun mobilising equipment to the site. This mining and crushing services contract is in addition to the three-year reverse circulation and diamond drilling services contract with Ivindo, announced earlier this year, where drilling recently commenced.

Peter Stokes, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the mining and crushing services contract at Ivindo. This is our second significant mining services contract and continues our strategy to diversify our revenue stream through an expanded service offering. We look forward to working closely with Ivindo Iron to expand our relationship from drilling services to mining and crushing services and ensure a rapid ramp up on this world-class deposit.”

MetsoOutotec-testing

Metso Outotec on the need for holistic testing

Automation, Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral exploration, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Metso Outotec global network of testing, research and product development facilities covers the whole process flowsheet from comminution through separation, to filtration, refining and pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical processing.

It has centres all over the globe – in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Finland, Peru, USA and more – able to, the company says, offer extensive expertise and circuit simulation to a wide range of industries.

Metso Outotec’s research and testing services include evaluation of ore types, mineralogical characterisation, feed material testing, sampling, materials selection, analytical chemistry and flowsheet development.

To get a flavour of this extensive research and testing portfolio, IM spoke to Alan Boylston, Director, Process Engineering at Metso Outotec, and Rodrigo Grau, Technology Director – Minerals Processing at Metso Outotec, about the capabilities of two of the company’s facilities – York (USA) and Pori (Finland), respectively, while also touching on Metso Outotec’s global testing and research capabilities.

In 2022, the company announced a consolidation of its minerals testing services in USA into a single 5,500 sq.m facility in York able to eventually cover the full minerals value chain and support the mining industry worldwide. Pori, meanwhile, focuses on mineral technology, hydrometallurgical processes development, pyrometallurgy and ferroalloys technology and material technology. In other words, the company conducts laboratory and pilot test work, flowsheet development as well as validation and development of new technologies for the industry.

IM: Will the York facility now be seen as your ‘testing centre of excellence’?

AB: The York facility is a centre of excellence for testing, but we have many of these within the company. Our global presence, the knowledge and our expertise at each of these locations is one of the factors that sets us apart.

Each of our locations is a centre for excellence in its own field. Pori, for example, has extensive research capabilities, Sorocaba in Brazil focuses on comminution and beneficiation testing, while Lappeenranta Dewatering Technology Center concentrates on thickening and filtration. Each location is an integral part of our global testing offering. In addition to these, we have various facilities around the globe covering also aggregates and pyrometallurgical testing, research and development.

That being said, the effort we have made to expand the York Test Center gives us a much better advantage for research and testing in North America, compared to a few years ago. We can now do more pilot-scale testing, especially with equipment like our HRC™800e high pressure grinding roll (HPGR). We can also carry out pyrometallurgical testing, plus conduct magnetic separation tests. At some point in 2023, we also expect to add thickening and filtration testing to this remit. But this is a very high-level view of what we have to offer in the York location.

Metso Outotec has a global network of testing, research and product development locations

IM: Even with this consolidation in USA, are you expecting to collaborate with other global facilities when it comes to testing processes throughout the flowsheet?

AB: Yes, absolutely. For example, we have a project coming in right now where the sample was first in Tampere (Finland) for some crushing test work, before they split off a sample for us for grinding test work in York and then Pori is also receiving a sample for some broader mineralogy testing.

This speaks to why we are able to claim to have global capabilities. No matter the testing or research need, we are able to assist our customers to get the job done. This all goes towards one goal – the customer’s benefit.

IM: How do you see these testing capabilities interacting and benefitting from other modelling work you carry out in-house? For example, do you anticipate using these facilities and the likes of the Geminex digital twin in unison to offer clients physical and digital representations of flowsheet options?

RG: Modelling is very important for us. In each project we work on, modelling and simulation are at the heart. Here in Pori, we carry out flowsheet development and technology validation. One of the outputs of our work is to end with a simulation of an industrial plant. Going from that simulation into Geminex is just one more step we will be taking in the future.

AB: At the York lab, we are now moving to a SCADA-based system to run everything: when a sample comes in, it gets tagged and identified and we then automatically know what test to run. We have tablets to, for instance, setup all the parameters of a test for an HRC 800e. We can start and stop the test on that tablet and see the real-time information coming in as the test is being carried out. That data is also being stored for future use.

We’re undergoing a program right now to build out a database function where all the post processing of this data goes on in the background and can then be seamlessly integrated into things like our HRC simulation software. We are building the backbone to carry out that real-time digital twinning.

IM: Do you anticipate your global testing capabilities to lead to a higher uptake of Planet Positive solutions?

AB: With our customers having a huge focus on sustainability, I do. As an example, since we have had the pilot-scale HRC 800e available for testing, it has been fully booked. In 2023, we are preparing for a test plan where we could take the HRC product and go directly into a pilot Vertimill. Those are two Planet Positive approaches we are putting together in a single test plant to show how far we can push energy efficiency and media consumption reduction.

RG: I would definitely agree with Alan. And to add to that – for example at Pori, we do a lot of hydrometallurgical testing and piloting, and that is only increasing with the rising demand for lithium and other battery minerals. And our customers are really looking at how our equipment is reducing their carbon footprint and other sustainability benefits.

You will hear us say it time and time again, but this is definitely a trend that we are seeing at all of our facilities.

Metso Outotec testing and research capabilities cover the entire flowsheet – from comminution through the entire operation to pyrometallurgical/hydrometallurgical processing

IM: Will these expanded testing facilities also benefit your equipment and process R&D work?

AB: I think so. We built this lab to not just be a materials testing facility, but also a research hub, especially for grinding, but also for any other Metso Outotec business area needs. There is definitely a huge opportunity out there for us!

RG: And this rings true around the globe at all our facilities. For example, in separation, we have been testing the Concorde Cell™ flotation technology in Pori for a long time. And that is how we’ve approached development of a lot of our other innovations that go to market.

IM: How would you say industry testing requirements have changed over, say, the last five years?

AB: From our perspective, I am seeing more comprehensive test programs come through.

Instead of, say, one certain test, it is an entire test program with specific timings around evaluations and the ability to develop the flowsheet through the testing required. There is more collaborative designing of the flowsheet taking place through testing than there was five or 10 years ago.

RG: It is certainly more comprehensive now than it previously was.

For example, we carry out early engagement with our customers in Pori and start developing a flowsheet and evaluating the ore types.

The amount of material that is tested nowadays is much bigger than it was before. Obviously, it is not just limited to this example, because, as Alan mentioned before, we’ve got this connection between all our facilities to ensure our customers get exactly what they need from their testing program.

Also, our customers think about different drivers in the process very carefully and want that reflected in the test work. That could be more evaluation on the water they consume. They also look at the energy expended, on top of the expected recoveries and metal grades.

There is more emphasis on sustainability, even at these early stages, in addition to looking at how the ore types may change over time and what impact this will have on the processing requirements.

This is where our extensive simulation and modelling capabilities are leveraged for the biggest impact.

IM: Anything else to add?

RG: Pori and York are but a fraction of the expertise of the wider Metso Outotec research and testing portfolio; one that continues to expand in line with customer requirements. We don’t just cover mining, either – like our equipment offering, we provide research and testing services for the whole flowsheet.

And we are continually improving our capabilities in this space for our customers. So, stay tuned for the future and where we can take research and testing!

Miners continue cost control focus amid demand uptick, BME’s Hennecke says

Explosives and blasting, Mining events, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , ,

As BME gears up to showcase its explosives and blasting offering to a Mining Indaba crowd in Cape Town, South Africa, that is encouraged by the global energy sector’s appetite for minerals, the company’s Managing Director warns that the mining industry is still focused on reducing its cost base.

The demand for minerals – many of which can be sourced in Africa – is good news for the future of mining, and will no doubt be an important focus at this year’s Investing in Mining Indaba, which runs from February 6-9.

However, the pressure on mines is still all about low-cost production, Ralf Hennecke, Managing Director of Omnia Group company BME, warns. This year, BME will be exhibiting at the event to showcase its mining and explosive solutions, including its flagship AXXIS Titanium™ electronic initiation system.

Hennecke is bullish about the positive impact of the energy revolution on mining, as there is widespread expectation that volumes of battery-related commodities will need to ramp up considerably. Efforts to decarbonise the world economy are relying on energy technologies that are mineral-intensive, he explained.

“The average amount of minerals needed for a new unit of power generation capacity will grow by 50%, according to predictions by the International Energy Agency,” he said. “This is because solar photovoltaic plants, wind farms and electric vehicles generally require more minerals to build than their fossil fuel-based counterparts.”

The typical electric car, for instance, requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, and a wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant. This quickly translates into considerable demand growth in certain minerals.

“In terms of lithium, the largest consumers are now electric vehicles and battery storage applications,” he said. “It is expected that these applications will also be the largest consumer of nickel within less than 20 years.”

While this is good news for Africa, where many battery minerals will be sourced, the continent’s mining sector will always need to be globally competitive, BME says. This means efficiency across the mining value chain, rooted in on-mine productivity and safety.

“As an early-stage activity in the mining cycle, BME recognises the importance of blast design and execution in laying the groundwork for optimal operations,” Hennecke said. “Our technology developments including AXXIS™ and other digital innovations allow quality blasting that raises productivity in energy-intensive phases such as loading, hauling, crushing and milling.”

Only by optimising efficiencies can mines achieve a place in the lowest cost quartile of producers, which in turn enhances their commercial viability and makes them less reliant on commodity price cycles, BME says.

“Given the cyclical nature of the mining industry, Africa’s mineral producers can build a long-term future for the sector by remaining sustainable even through the dips in the cycle,” Hennecke said. “There is a depth of experience and technologies, developed right here on the continent, that can help put them in that advantageous position.”

The AXXIS Titanium system being showcased at Mining Indaba has been trialled and tested in various global mining destinations and conditions.

Pilot Crushtec talks up DoppiaTrac DR400 fully mobile double-roll crusher

Coal technology, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Pilot Crushtec says Africa’s only locally manufactured, fully mobile double-roll crusher, the DoppiaTrac DR400, continues to perform well in the field of mobile coal crushing.

The DoppiaTrac DR400 now has a decade of success in the field, according to the company, achieving production rates of 300-400 t/h.

“We designed the DR400 from the ground up to give us the flexibility to produce a truly great crushing solution,” Jorge Abelho, Director, Technical Support at Pilot Crushtec, said. “It has proved itself through its combination of throughput, reliability and economy.”

The machine’s ability to reduce the generation of fines is thanks to the double-roll crusher. While a horizontal shaft impact crusher creates more coal fines due to impact energy, the double-roll crusher forces material through a constant gap, according to the company.

Pilot Crushtec Sales Engineer, Ben Armitage, said: “The crusher uses just enough energy to break the material down to the size of the gap. The DR400 generates less than 5% of 0-6 mm fines, compared to around 12% created by impact crushers – depending on coal hardness and crushing ratios.”

The DR400 boasts a large hopper that is readily fed by loaders or excavators. To increase the average production rate, the unit can be interlocked as part of a crushing train. Connected with a Metso LT106 jaw crusher, the two units can communicate to synchronise the feed rate. This optimises throughput by automatically adjusting the rate of material moving between the machines. The on-board hydraulic rock breaker on the Metso LT106 also allows oversize material to be quickly broken, avoiding blockages and preventing downtime, according to the company.

Crushing efficiency is enhanced by feeding material into the crushing chamber at exactly the same speed that the drums are spinning, Pilot Crushtec explains. This minimises attrition and friction, even at high throughput rates.

Armitage said: “The safety features on the DR400 ensure that it is compliant with demanding safety protocols applied by mining companies. These include full guarding around all moving parts, access points, nip points and crushing points – as well as pull cords and emergency stops to quickly isolate the unit when necessary.”

He explained that the efficient Volvo engine delivers the lowest kW per tonne of any mobile double-roll crusher working in the coal sector. Depending on coal characteristics, the engine’s 160 kW output can convert to a ratio of just 0.4 kW/t.

“The fuel consumption is also a significant factor for operators, and this crusher can run on as little as 17 litres per hour,” Armitage says. “This is achieved with a hydraulic load sensing system and an optimised crusher chamber design, which reduce the power needed to crush the coal.”

The quality and simplicity of the DR400 is demonstrated by the fact that over 25 of these machines are currently in operation around South Africa – one of which exceeds 22,000 hours of operation. Pilot Crushtec says it supports the DR400 through its service levels, stock holding and after-market offerings.

Tungsten West cuts CAPEX with new Hemerdon feasibility study plan

Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , ,

An updated feasibility study on Tungsten West’s Hemerdon project in Devon, England, has brought with it a processing re-optimisation program that includes a complete redesign of the front-end crushing circuit at the mine, a process that, it says, will considerably reduce the capital expenditure associated with this development.

The new study outlined average annual production of 2,900 t of WO3 in concentrate and 310 t of tin in concentrate over a life of mine of 27 years, along with an average steady-state mining rate of 3.5 Mt/y.

The changes to the existing process flowsheet to be implemented at Hemerdon can be categorised into three areas, namely:

  • Front end upgrades – new crushing, screening and ore sorting circuit required for Phase 1 (average of 2.4 Mt/y of granite ore, years 1-2);
  • Existing minerals processing facility modifications – upgrades to existing plant to accommodate production requirements for Phase 1; and
  • Phase 2 (3.5 Mt/y of granite ore, year 3 onwards) crushing and process plant expansion – future upgrades to both crushing and processing plants required for increased production rates, envisaged from year three onwards.

The re-engineering has mainly reduced capital and operating expenses around reduced ore handling costs by the introduction of direct tipping at a newly sited run of mine pad, incorporating the introduction of new semi-mobile primary jaw and secondary cone crushers, new operating parameters for the ore sorting circuit, and, to a lesser extent, changes to the existing dense media separation and fine gravity dressing circuits.

The revised front-end design also includes a significant tactical advantage through the introduction of a secondary crushed ore stockpile ahead of the ore sorters, Tungsten West said. This provides up to circa-40 hours of redundancy capacity to the crushing circuit, thereby de-coupling the front end crushing circuit from the minerals processing facility (MPF) – minimising downtime and maximising availability of the concentrator circuit.

Tungsten West has maintained the ethos of the original feasibility study in continuing to engineer-out as many operational, mechanical, electrical or ESG issues associated with the previous operation as possible and to ensure MPF availability and operability remains a priority, it said.

Back in July, Tungsten West concluded a re-evaluation of the options for bringing the Hemerdon mine back into production, announcing a new development plan that would re-optimise the March 2021 Bankable Feasibility Study. The plan was developed in response to global crises in power and diesel prices and the general inflationary environment for construction materials faced by the company.

The new plan has resulted in a remaining capital expenditure, including EPCM fees, of £31.1 million ($38 million) as of October 1.

Mark Thompson, Executive Vice Chairman of Tungsten West, said: “The feasibility study provides solutions to the energy price challenges and will enable increased operating efficiencies at the project. Key highlights from this study include a revised ore delivery and waste mining strategy, a split-phase approach to operational ramp-up to the full design specification, a new primary and secondary crushing method and location, a re-optimisation of the operating strategy for the X-ray Transmission ore sorters, re-design and re-engineering of the feed preparation, ore sorter buildings and structures, and a re-evaluation of the operation of unit processes and expected recoveries.

“We are build-ready at Hemerdon and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners and stakeholders to bring Hemerdon back into production in the fourth (December) quarter of 2023.”