Tag Archives: Metso

Metso looks for superior froth management in flotation with Spider crowder upgrade

Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

Metso is introducing to its flotation portfolio the Spider crowder upgrade, designed to address the challenges posed by large flotation cells.

Given that flotation operates as a continuous process, ensuring the highest level of equipment availability and efficiency is paramount. The new technology promises superior froth management, safeguarding enhanced metallurgical performance, energy efficiency and improved process control when installed with a Metso Center launder, the company says.

Christian Cardoso, Product Manager, Mechanical Flotation Services, Metso, said: “We are excited to introduce this groundbreaking solution to the challenges of large flotation cells. This innovative technology is set to elevate froth management to new heights, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. Furthermore, the easy installation of the solution improves employees’ safety during equipment upgrades and maintenance.”

Guillermo Bermudez, Product Director, Flotation Services, Metso, said: “The Spider crowder upgrade represents Metso’s innovative design with several process and customer benefits. The solution optimises air flow rates, potentially reducing air blower energy consumption. This not only contributes to environmental sustainability but also results in significant cost savings over the long term.”

The quick installation process requires little to no modifications, according to Metso, with the latest upgrade seamlessly engineered to be compatible with existing cells. The customisable, modular design ensures safe and easy tank access for efficient maintenance.

Flotation technology has played a pivotal role in Metso’s history for over five decades. Through advancements in the company’s evolution, Metso says it has significantly influenced the trajectory of mechanical flotation technology and helped to propel the industry forward.

Metso targets scrubber energy savings with High Efficiency Scrubber Optimizer

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

Metso is launching the High Efficiency Scrubber (HES) Optimizer, a digital tool that, it says, combines internal process calculations with measurements available at site to enable energy savings in the operation of Venturi-type scrubbers in wet gas cleaning plants.

During the last decades, Metso specialists have built a vast technical knowledge base on wet gas cleaning, enabling continuous improvement of the operation and performance of gas cleaning equipment and entire plants, it says. The optimiser tool consolidates this.

The High Efficiency Scrubber captures impurity particles in wet gas cleaning plants. However, a significant pressure drop is required to achieve this. Precise adaptation of the pressure drop to the process conditions – the capacity and duty of the wet gas cleaning in general – can enable substantial energy savings while meeting performance targets. This is exactly what the HES Optimizer is designed to do.

Leif Skilling, Director, Gas Cleaning at Metso, said: “We are excited to launch the High Efficiency Scrubber Optimizer. Together with the Wet Electrostatic Precipitator (WESP) Optimizer we introduced last year, there is a significant increase in the flexibility of our gas cleaning plants and solutions. It allows the consumption of electrical power and water to be reduced, while still meeting the overall performance targets.”

Metso stated the benefits of the Metso High Efficiency Scrubber Optimizer including:

  • Adapts pressure drop to process conditions, enabling energy savings;
  • HES and WESP sections can be jointly optimised:
    • Increased energy savings potential;
    • Supplements WESP low load optimisation: ensuring that performance targets are met while the WESP Optimizer equipment protection sequence is running; and
  • Enables faster and more accurate online support from Metso experts.

The HES Optimizer uses existing instrumentation and is always tailored to the needs of the specific customer by Metso experts, the OEM says. Commissioning and online support services are available as part of the HES Optimizer licence.

Metso books €12 million worth of high pressure grinding roll spare part orders

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

Metso says it has received several orders for the supply of HRC™ Series high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) replacement tyres in the US, with the scope of supply including five replacement tyres with studs and another order for a spare reducer for a Metso HRC 3000.

The value of the orders amounts to more than €12 million ($13 million), the OEM says.

Rodrigo Rizzoli, Vice President, Stirred Mills & HPGR Services, Metso, said: “This milestone not only marks our growing success but also highlights the fact that customers trust Metso’s spare parts to ensure equipment performance and reliability. Our customers will benefit from the proven technology optimising their operations and simultaneously eliminating potential grinding challenges for long-term sustainability.”

Last month, Metso announced it is strengthening its service capability by expanding its service centre in Arizona and by establishing a training centre to improve competence development in the region to support the growing needs of mining customers. This investment not only improves the capacity, but also the ability to perform heavy equipment maintenance and service a wide range of equipment, HPGRs included.

The HRC HPGR is a part of Metso’s grinding portfolio. Metso’s HPGR has been proven to improve energy efficiency by up to 15% and decrease recirculating loads by up to 24%, the company says.

Metso brings scalability to magnetic separation process with MSPUs

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Metso has introduced modular Magnetic Separation Plant Units designed to streamline the flowsheet selection process, boost recoveries and simplify operation.

Alex Lagerstedt, Vice President, Plant Solutions at Metso, said: “As the industry leader in mining process technology and modularity, we are excited to launch the Magnetic Separation Plant Units. Besides easy installation and maintenance, the scalable units have been designed to provide unrivaled selectivity, resulting in high recovery of fine and ultrafine particles.”

Compared with a traditional delivery, the modular plant units result in the earliest time-to-volume, according to Metso. Thanks to maximised pre-fabrication in a controlled workshop environment and minimised site work, installation is safer, faster and of better quality.

The Magnetic Separation Plant Units feature a flexible scope to meet the needs of the end customer or EPCM. Delivery includes proven technology for the entire magnetic separation circuit with in-house testing for equipment sizing and flowsheet design, and it can also include automation, installation and commissioning advisory, training, maintenance and service.

Metso’s advanced magnetic separation equipment portfolio consists of SLon® Vertically Pulsating High Gradient Magnetic Separators, Metso High Gradient Magnetic Separators, and/or dry and wet Low Intensity Magnetic Separators. Additionally, the plant units can be equipped with OKTOP® feed tanks, slurry pumps, hoses and valves, and coupled with process control systems and various ancillary products and sampling systems.

Peter Jansson, Product Manager, Magnetic & Physical Separation at Metso, said: “Metso’s High Gradient Magnetic Separator portfolio features a wide range of processing options for many particle sizes and applications, ranging from iron ore concentrates, rare earth ores, battery and industrial minerals to tailings recovery. Combining these magnetic separators into plant units results in flexible and efficient flowsheets.”

For the Magnetic Separation Plant Units, Metso says it can also provide an integrated service offering through its global network. The scope ranges from maintenance, modernisations & retrofits, process optimisation to spares and wears, training and Life Cycle Services.

The Magnetic Separation Plant Units are Metso’s sixth complete plant unit launch for concentrator plants. The previous launches include Stirred Mill and Horizontal Mill Plant Units, Flotation, Thickening and Filtration Plant Units.

Metso boosts wear life on premium rubber offering with Skega Life

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Metso is introducing to its mill lining portfolio an innovative rubber, Skega™ Life, with, it claims, up to 25% longer wear life compared with the current premium rubber, Skega Classic.

The new rubber type is developed in Metso’s own laboratory and validated by field studies. Skega Life is a part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, enabling increased sustainability and safety, optimised throughput, and increased uptime due to improved wear resistance and lower maintenance, the company says.

Fredrik Johansson, Global Product Manager, Rubber and Poly-Met mill linings, Metso, said: “We are excited to introduce Skega Life rubber to our mill liner portfolio. The new rubber is specially developed to have a very good wear resistance in grinding mills processing high abrasive ores. It can be used anywhere where a customer has a rubber application, but it is most beneficial in ball mills larger than 14 ft (4.3 m), AG, and SAG mills of 18 ft or smaller.”

Lars Furtenbach, Director, Research & Technology Development, Metso, added: “Mill liners play a crucial role in the mining process and Metso’s liners are always designed by our experts to meet the customers’ production targets and the mill conditions and enhancing overall process reliability. Field studies and tests have shown that our new rubber compound can have up to 25% longer wear life. The longer wear life reduces CO2 emissions and less liner material will end up in the tailings.”

Metso calls itself a world leader in developing and manufacturing high-performance mill liners. It pioneered the use of rubber linings and invented Poly-Met™, Megaliner™, and Orebed™ mill linings. New products are constantly being developed to enhance customers’ ever more advanced processes, it says, adding that the recent innovations include 3D wear scanning, a full Megaliner range, trommel deflector, Turbo Pulp Lifter, Liner Positioning System and a mill liner recycling service.

Metso-Freeport-refinery

Freeport-McMoRan books material handling order with Metso for El Paso electrorefinery

Automation, Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining services, , , , , ,

Freeport-McMoRan has awarded Metso an order for the delivery of a state-of-the art tankhouse material handling solution to its El Paso electrorefinery in Texas, USA.

The order, which comes with a value exceeding €10 million ($10.9 million), will see Metso deliver Outotec Anode Preparation and Cathode Stripping Machines, both based on proven design, ensuring high safety and long-term reliability, the company says. Both machines use modern robotic electrode handling to, Metso says, optimise layout and material handling efficiency in the existing refinery.

Mikko Rantaharju, Vice President, Hydrometallurgy business line at Metso, said: “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Freeport-McMoRan with this important project. We are confident that our technology will ensure high efficiency and quality of copper production in the El Paso copper electrorefinery after the modernisation. The solution will combine our long-term experience of similar equipment with modern robot technology to fulfill the material handling requirement of the existing tankhouse.”

Metso says it is a leading tankhouse technology supplier for copper refineries, with its offering covering key equipment based on proprietary technology, as well as basic engineering, digital solutions and services.

Metso-HRT-S

Metso adds to high-rate thickener family with HRT-S

Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Metso is launching a pre-engineered high-rate thickening solution, the HRT-S, which, it says, will allow significantly shorter delivery times.

The HRT-S complements Metso’s existing high-rate thickener product family which consists of the HRT and HRT-S products. The HRT-S thickener is part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, enabling savings in power consumption, a reduction in embedded carbon and decreased maintenance costs, Metso says.

Esme Pelser, Product Manager for High Rate Thickeners at Metso, said: “Built upon the perfected HRT technology, which has been available for decades, the HRT-S uses bench-scale and pilot testing to ensure process performance guarantees. With a defined set of features and selected options to choose from, the modular HRT-S enables accelerated project deliveries and shorter installation times.

“The HRT-S is easy to operate and service. We are excited to introduce the full range with options up to 35 m diameter by the end of this year.”

The HRT-S comes with Reactorwell™ technology, which is the new generation feedwell with high solids retention and mixing efficiency that, Metso says, eliminates feed short-circuiting. It also offers low shear rate for ideal floccule growth, even discharge symmetry and excellent feed preparation.

Metso-Arizona

Metso expands Arizona service centre on copper mining demand

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

Metso is expanding its service centre in Mesa, Arizona, to, it says, support the growing needs of mining customers, primarily in the copper segment, which plays a crucial role in supporting a responsible energy transition.

In addition to expanding its service and repair capabilities, a cutting-edge training centre will be built to continue to improve competence development in the region, it says.

Giuseppe Campanelli, President, North and Central America, Metso, said: “We are proud to be able to further demonstrate our dedication to customer success, supporting the production of critical minerals. This investment will provide great benefit to the southwest USA and beyond, with comprehensive and reliable services. Our expanded facilities in Mesa will allow access to unmatched OEM-quality repairs and refurbishments, and the new advanced Metso Training Center will help ensure that the next generation of miners are well-equipped.”

The total investment value is approximately €14 million ($15 million), with expansions expected to be ready during the first half of 2025.

With further investments in the Mesa Service Center, Metso will optimise safety, sustainability and broaden its service capabilities. The expansion will increase the repair shop area by nearly 60% and add new high-capacity cranes, CNC machines, welding and assembly stations. This will increase the capacity and capability to perform heavy equipment repairs and service a wider range of equipment, spanning process steps such as crushing, screening, grinding, HPGRs, filtration, flotation and pumps, among others.

Annami Toukoniitty, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Metso, said: “Metso is proud to invest and support this sustainable journey as increased repair capabilities have a direct positive impact on the circular economy. Skilled people are a core asset as well, and the new Metso Training Center at Mesa will add value to the industry.”

Aligned with customer demand, this is the second expansion of the Mesa Service Center since its opening in 2015. Numerous upgrades to the facility to improve energy efficiency are also being implemented. In addition to the service centre, since 2021, the Phoenix region is also home to one of Metso’s largest warehouse operations globally.

Within the same property, an advanced and fully-equipped training centre will also be built, to bridge the knowledge gap between people, equipment and operational goals, Metso says. The centre will support multiple ways of learning, outfitted with state-of-the-art simulators and digital training assets, in addition to classroom and hands-on learning areas. Comprehensive and tailored training programs will be designed and offered to support mining professionals’ technical knowledge, at the part, equipment and plant level.

Metso says it has an extensive service centre network with over 3,000 field services professionals, technical support and more than 40 service centres on six continents.

Samarco sets monthly iron ore pellet production record with Metso unit

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , ,

Samarco Mineração S.A. has set a monthly production record during August 2023 of 824,829 t of high-grade pellets in a single pelletising line with its 816 sq.m Metso Pelletizing Plant Indurating Machine #4 at its Ubu site in Brazil.

On an annalised basis, the production is equivalent to approximately 8.8- 9 Mt/y of pellets from a single machine. Samarco has installed three additional Metso Pelletizing Plants at its Ubu site.

Pedro Sousa, Sales Manager, Ferrous & Heat Transfer, South America, said: “We’re very excited to see Samarco breaking their monthly iron ore pellet production record and would like to congratulate the whole team for this great achievement. It makes us proud to see how our solutions are helping our customers improve their pelletising operations while simultaneously supporting the journey toward decarbonisation.”

Currently, only the Plant #4 is in operation, with Samarco and Metso discussing the revamp of the three other plants to continue increasing pellet production and decarbonising the steel industry processes using sustainable technologies, according to Samarco’s gradual production revamp plan. Related test work and studies are currently being performed at Metso’s R&D facility in Frankfurt, Germany.

Metso’s traveling grate pelletising process produces uniform pellets, ensuring high performance and quality with low investment and operating costs, as well as decreased energy consumption and emissions, according to the OEM.

Samarco is a joint venture owned by Vale and BHP. Samarco’s principal place of business is in Belo Horizonte, with units operating in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo. The company’s main product is iron ore pellets, the raw material for steel production.

Metso launches first-of-its-kind hydrogen burner for pelletising

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , ,

Metso says it is introducing a hydrogen-variant of the Ferroflame™ LowNOx burners as part of its NextGen Pelletizing™ plant product range.

It is a first-of-its-kind burner to run on hydrogen and to operate on the LowNOx combustion principle, according to Metso. Designed especially for the traveling grate pelletising plants, these burners are 100% hydrogen powered and are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering focused on environmentally efficient technologies.

Hydrogen-powered Ferroflame LowNOx burners use the same combustion principle as that of Ferroflame LowNOx burners for natural gas launched in 2022. They can readily replace traditional burners in a traveling grate pelletising plant, and the Ferroflame LowNOx burners for natural gas can be modified to run on hydrogen, the company says.

Andreas Munko, Senior Product Manager, Ferrous and Heat Transfer at Metso, said: “We are very excited to bring the hydrogen-variant of the Ferroflame LowNOx burner for traveling grate pelletising plants to the market. Its laboratory-proven functionality and performance with hydrogen can be implemented in pelletising plants and can help customers in meeting CO2 and NOx targets. We see these burners as a stepping-stone towards decarbonisation of the pelletising industry.”

The hydrogen burners are part of Metso’s NextGen Pelletising concept, designed on the vision for the next generation of pelletising plants that strive to be carbon-neutral and autonomous. Metso also has a suite of digital solutions that help improve process performance, production capacity and product quality, as well as reduce energy consumption, environmental impact, and operation and maintenance costs. These solutions include VisioPellet™, Optimus Process optimiser, Pallet Car Condition Monitoring System and Training Simulator, among others.