Tag Archives: mineral processing

Kwatani looks to digital monitoring for improved screen uptime

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Close monitoring is the basis for keeping vibrating screens productive and achieving the lowest cost of ownership, according to Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers, Chief Operating Officer of South Africa-based vibrating screen specialist Kwatani.

Moving from paper systems to digital solutions is a vital step towards this goal, he added.

“Where machine data recording – combined with periodic inspections and regular maintenance – can be captured in the digital sphere, you can generate a complete picture of the equipment’s lifecycle,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “Real-time data monitoring is a game changer for screen reliability and performance.”

Wherever there are operational deviations from the prescribed norm, sensor-generated data can quickly alert the right people on the mine – giving them the ability to react timeously, he says. Importantly, this technology also allows patterns to be detected in the relationship between component life and throughput.

“By analysing these patterns, the mine can make well-informed decisions about its maintenance strategies, being aware of the optimal conditions for its equipment duty,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “It also gives us, as original equipment manufacturers, the opportunity to compare machine performance in detail across different customer sites – so that we can adapt and advise accordingly.”

Where Kwatani sees one customer getting longer life from their exciters, for instance, the relevant data is easily available to make comparisons and identify distinguishing factors. He explains that Kwatani can monitor its vibrating screens using industrial sensors and measurement technology which is readily available and supported worldwide. In other words, it is not so specialised that it becomes unaffordable; neither is it so complicated that customers cannot maintain it themselves, the company says.

“What is key to the successful application of digital technology is that the raw data that we process must be analysed to become useful for decision making and planning,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “This means streaming it seamlessly to databases, and allowing our customers to visualise the information effectively.”

To do this, Kwatani partners with system integrators and works closely with its mining customers so that the end users get the most out of the information without spending time and money to process the raw data themselves.

This digital monitoring can also help to overcome a common challenge in many mining operations: working in silos. Paper systems do not easily lend themselves to sharing of data across different aspects of the operation. This, in turn, makes it difficult to improve equipment performance on a holistic basis. The availability of various streams of data on a single platform enhances transparency between service technicians, foreman, engineers and the OEM of equipment on site.

“This of course requires that we integrate our systems with our customers’ existing infrastructure, which is an important focus for us,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “Whether greenfields or brownfields project, it is important that information be compatible and seamlessly shared.”

He highlights that the data generated is valuable not only for reflecting a machine’s current status, but because it can store an entire life cycle history. Digital systems can keep track of the equipment’s inspections, maintenance and operational performance over its lifespan.

“The insights gained from this can lead to improvements in the design, or in the way that it is operated,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “This can result in better efficiencies, improved production or other benefits.”

In 2021, Sandvik Group acquired Kwatani with its more than 45 year legacy as an OEM, and its South African manufacturing facilities are set to become the global engineering and manufacturing base for vibrating screens and feeders for both local and international customers.

The company is a Level 2 B-BBEE organisation. The Kwatani brand will continue to be used across Africa while products sold internationally will be sold through the Sandvik sales channels under the Kwatani product name.

Metso Outotec adds mill lining recycling to latest Boliden Kevitsa service agreement

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it has signed a Life Cycle Services (LCS) contract with Boliden for its Kevitsa mine in the Sodankylä region of Finland, which will see the OEM offer the mining company a novel Planet Positive mill lining recycling service for used liners.

The 3+2-year agreement covers the supply and optimisation services of the Megaliner™ liners for four mills with advanced discharge systems, supported by shutdown planning and execution services of the mill linings.

The contract is a performance-based cost-per-tonne agreement, with the common target to ensure the availability of the grinding circuit and to maximise valuable production time, striving for a common sustainability goal that benefits both parties, the company said.

The value of the order is about €35 million ($34 million) and the first part of the contract has been booked in Minerals’ September quarter orders received.

Anssi Poutanen, Senior Vice President, Mill Lining business line, Metso Outotec, said: “We are very excited to expand cooperation with Boliden in Finland. Metso Outotec is committed to supporting Boliden’s operative and sustainability targets and further increasing their liner wear life. When it is time to replace the worn liners, our innovative mill lining recycling service will dispose of the worn liners in a sustainable way.”

After over a decade of intensive development work and pilots for worn mill liner recycling, Metso Outotec says it is ready to introduce its latest circularity innovation, a unique separation line to process rubber, Poly-Met™ and Megaliner liners of all sizes. For customers, the new mill liner recycling service solves the problem of disposing of worn mill liners and offers a way to reduce CO2 emissions and improve environmental efficiency, as less material is being sent to landfills unprocessed, according to the company.

The first-of-its-kind service aims to recycle and create value from used mill liners on an industrial scale. It enables the separation of different liner components so that they can be either reused or recycled in the most optimal way.

Lars Furtenbach, RTD & Engineering Director, Mill lining business line at Metso Outotec, said the new separation line has already processed more than 200 liners.

“We are also exploring ways to increase the number of recycled materials in our liners to further close the circularity loop,” he added.

In the first phase, the recycling service using the new separation line is available for mill lining service contract customers in Europe. The recycling service will be expanded to new markets in 2023.

Q.E.D. Environmental Systems launches new aggressive fluid duty landfill liquid pump

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , ,

Q.E.D. Environmental Systems, Inc, a manufacturer of innovative environmental products and subsidiary of Graco Inc, has launched new aggressive fluid duty landfill liquid pump for diverse range of applications, including mining.

The AutoPump® Ultra 4+ Aggressive Fluid Duty landfill liquid pump features upgraded materials that extends the pump’s service life and expands its use cases to a wider set of conditions, the company says.

The pump has stainless steel parts that have been upgraded to 316-grade, dramatically improving corrosion resistance. Its non-metallic internal parts, meanwhile, are polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), a high-grade engineered plastic that retains higher strength at elevated temperatures and has extremely broad chemical resistance. These components ensure the new pump withstands the acidic and oxidising cleaning agents sometimes used for pump maintenance.

The AutoPump Ultra 4+ Aggressive Fluids pump has a patented design to achieve chemical resistance that lasts in a host of challenging scenarios, according to the company. Specifically, it is able to provide reliability and safety in the following difficult conditions: hydrocarbon (LNAPL and dissolved phase) remediation; landfill leachate and methane condensate pumping; solvent (dissolved phase and DNAPL) clean-up; suspended solids, silts and corrosives; high viscosities; high temperatures; and frequent starts and stops.

It is available as either a 4 in (102 mm) bottom inlet or a 4 in top inlet and can withstand temperatures up to 180° fahrenheit (82°C). It has a maximum fluid viscosity of 1,000 centistokes, a maximum depth of 250 ft (76 m), and a flow range of 6-14 gallons per minute (23-53 litres per minute).

Metso Outotec accelerates return on investment with Flotation Plant Unit introduction

Automation, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec is introducing what it says is another innovative plant concept, Flotation Plant Units, to its minerals processing portfolio.

The solution provides unparalleled metallurgical performance by seamlessly integrating functional design with a comprehensive scope, leading to high operational reliability and a fast return on investment, according to the company. Compared with the traditional delivery, Flotation Plant Units result in the earliest time-to-volume, it says.

Tatu Miettinen, Product Manager, Flotation Islands at Metso Outotec, said: “In flotation, changing ore types can cause recovery losses, and poorly integrated plant equipment leads to underperformance. Maximising overall performance and reliability requires in-depth understanding of the complex flotation circuit sizing. All these concerns have been taken into consideration in the design of the Metso Outotec modularised Flotation Plant Units to provide unmatched results. The plant units feature industry-leading technologies, which also include several Planet Positive solutions. The units consist of state-of-the-art flotation equipment, conditioners, froth handling systems, as well as automation and sophisticated services.”

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

The Metso Outotec Flotation Plant Units benefits, as stated by the company, include:

  • Integrates flotation circuit testing, piloting and modelling capabilities from in-house test centres and modeling software into unrivalled flotation circuit design capabilities;
  • One-stop-shop from testing to full plant delivery;
  • Froth handling is designed for a high operational window, allowing for flexibility in circuit operation;
  • High emphasis on accessibility;
  • Maximised maintainability and froth visibility thanks to optimal pipe and cable routing, which keeps the top of the cells clear;
  • Safe, easy and representative process sampling; and
  • Option to vary flotation circuit configuration online.

Metso Outotec says it has one of the widest portfolios of flotation solutions on the market, with an installed base of over 15,000 flotation equipment installations around the world.

Eriez promotes Jaisen Kohmuench to COO position

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

The Eriez® Board of Directors has appointed Jaisen Kohmuench to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), a role that will see Kohmuench manage all of the company’s major operations, including Eriez-USA, Eriez Global Flotation and Eriez international businesses.

Kohmuench, already within the Eriez corporate leadership team, will continue to work closely with corporate executives and functional leaders to ensure Eriez’s sustained strategic growth, the company said.

Over the past two decades, Kohmuench has made significant contributions to Eriez, steadily ascending in the organisation across multiple business areas and geographies. He served most recently as Vice President-International, a position he held for three years before accepting this latest promotion to COO.

Kohmuench earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in mining and minerals engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has spent the entirety of his career with Eriez, joining the company in 2000 as a Process Engineer.

Eriez President and CEO, Lukas Guenthardt, said: “From his earliest days in research and development, through his role managing the US Flotation group and later in an overseas assignment as Managing Director for Eriez-Australia, Jaisen has distinguished himself as a talented leader with tremendous financial and operational acumen. He has developed and directed immediate and long-term business plans and profitable growth initiatives across Eriez’ global magnetic, flotation and service operations sectors.”

Among his many notable career achievements, Kohmuench is credited as an inventor on more than a dozen patents and has authored numerous technical papers for prominent scientific and technical journals.

“With Jaisen’s guidance and the support of his highly skilled worldwide team, Eriez is well-poised to successfully propel our business into the future,” Guenthardt said.

Zinnwald striving for battery-electric circularity with lithium project development

Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The development of the integrated Zinnwald lithium project in Germany could see the incorporation of a battery-electric fleet of LHDs and the return of metal production to a region of saxony with mining history dating back to the Middle Ages.

The London-listed owner of the project, Zinnwald Lithium Plc, has just released a preliminary economic study on its namesake project focused on supplying battery-grade lithium hydroxide to the European battery sector.

As with any responsible battery metal project being developed today, the project’s ‘green credentials’ are being considered even at this early stage.

Zinnwald Lithium has been keen to flag these, mentioning the project is located close to the German chemical industry, a fact that should enable it to draw on a well trained and experienced workforce with well-developed infrastructure, plus reduce the ‘carbon footprint’ of the final end-use product.

This focus will see all aspects of the project – from mining through to production of the end product – located near to the deposit itself.

Zinnwald Lithium also said the project has the potential to be a low- or ‘zero-waste’ project, as the vast majority of both its mined product and co-products have their own large-scale end-markets.

This could see it produce not only battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate products, but sulphate of potash (SOP) for the fertiliser market and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) – the latter being a key filling material in the paper manufacturing process.

The project now includes an underground mine with a nominal output of approximately 880,000 t/y of ore at an estimated 3,004 ppm Li and 75,000 t/y of barren rock. Processing, including mechanical separation, lithium activation and lithium fabrication, will be carried out at an industrial facility near the village of Bärenstein, near the existing underground mine access and an existing site for tailings deposition with significant remaining capacity.

With a 7-km partly-existing network of underground drives and adits from the ‘Zinnerz Altenberg’ tin mine, which closed in 1991, already mapped out, the bulk of ore haulage is expected to be via either conveyor or rail

The nominal output capacity of the project is targeted at circa-12,000 t/y LiOH with circa-56,900 t/y of SOP, 16,000 t/y of PCC, circa-75,000 t/y of granite and 100,000 t/y of sand as by-products.

The company is looking to complete the ‘circularity’ dynamic in its fleet and equipment selection, according to CEO, Anton Du Plessis, who mentioned that electric LHDs could be used to load and haul ore to an ore pass in the envisaged operation.

He said the cost estimates to use such equipment – which are factored into the project’s $336.5 million initial construction capital expenditure bill – have come from Epiroc, which has a variety of battery-operated mobile equipment.

“The base case is battery-operated loaders,” he told IM. “The final selection will be based on an optimisation study where, in particular, partly trolley-fed haulage systems will be investigated.”

Forms of automation are also being studied, Du Plessis said, with the caveat that “only select technologies we consider proven” will be evaluated.

Zinnwald Lithium is also looking at electric options for long-hole drilling underground, with both battery-based units and cabled versions under consideration and requiring firming up in the optimisation study.

With a 7-km partly-existing network of underground drives and adits from the ‘Zinnerz Altenberg’ tin mine, which closed in 1991, already mapped out, the bulk of ore haulage is expected to be via either conveyor or rail. The former, of course, will be powered by electricity, but the company is also considering potential battery-electric options for the latter, according to Du Plessis.

The company is blessed with existing infrastructure at the mine, which should help it in advancing the project at the pace its potential end-use manufacturing suppliers would like. It is already evaluating options for the construction stage – with an engineering, procurement and construction management contract the most likely option – and it has plans to conclude a feasibility study by the end of next year.

Du Plessis said while most of the fixed assets have been removed or were deemed outdated a long time ago from the former operating underground mine, other infrastructure was in good shape.

“The excavations, main level, underground workshop, ventilation shafts and, particularly, 2020 refurbished access tunnel provide a very good starting point for our project,” he said. “The access tunnel was originally constructed for dewatering the old mine and, therefore, the mine and the tunnel have been maintained very well.”

The company is now shifting to the bankable feasibility study and currently selecting partners for the project.

With what it calls a “simple, five-stage processing” route confirmed by test work for the extracted material at Zinnwald, the company is looking to select OEMs with the optimal concept for the project, Du Plessis said.

“In the PEA, mineral processing equipment cost is based on Metso Outotec estimates, pyrometallurgy is based on Cemtec technology, and hydrometallurgy is based on various providers’ technology,” he clarified.

Multotec pulping chute advances at Ekapa open opportunities for fines scrubbing tech

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

The performance of Multotec’s pulping chutes at Ekapa’s diamond treatment operation in Kimberley, South Africa, over the past couple of years has, the company says, opened the door to quicker and more cost effective fines scrubbing.

According to John Britton, Technical Consultant at Multotec, the two pulping chutes have achieved outstanding results, helping the customer’s facility to cost effectively increase the throughput of its Combined Treatment Plant (CTP).

“At our recent two-year inspection of the plant, we found that the wear rate on the ceramic lining of the wave generator was only 20 mm over that 24-month period,” Britton says. “Each chute was processing 380 t/h of recrushed kimberlite product with 380 cu.m of water, rushing down a 28° incline.”

Multotec’s patented wave generators use gravity to create a constant turbulent mixing action in the slurry flow that releases the mud, clay and slime sticking to the kimberlite particles. The chutes are positioned to receive material from the high pressure grinding rolls’ interparticle tertiary crushing circuit. Multotec’s engineered alumina ceramic tiles give the chutes and wave generators high wear resistance, it says.

“The chutes exceeded our expectations in how well they separated the clay from the kimberlite ore and broke up clay balls in the material stream,” Britton says. “This has really demonstrated the long-term capacity of our design to deliver results with hardly any maintenance or operator intervention.”

He highlights that the chutes are stationery structures that rely on the kinetic energy being created by the in-rush of slurry flow over the wave generators. This makes the solution much simpler and less energy-intensive than traditional rotary scrubbers with motors, drives and gearboxes. The chute can also achieve its results much quicker, as the material flow passes through in just three to four seconds.

Ekapa CEO, Jahn Hohne, says he has been impressed by how well the chutes have performed as an alternative to a considerably more costly scrubber circuit, and having delivered a 20% increase in throughput through the plant and making a positive economic contribution to overall efficiency. Hohne says he admired Multotec’s innovation capability and looked forward to even further improvements in the design.

Britton notes that, after conducting the wear inspection of the chutes, there were modifications Multotec was planning. One of these related to the retarder bars, which slow down and divert the slurry flow.

“We believe we can achieve even better results if we remove some of the retarder bars and install another set of wave generators,” he says. “Our results suggest that this will get the ore material even cleaner, before it reports to the screen, the conveyor belt and finally the dense medium circuit.”

The success of the pulping chutes at Ekapa has led to considerable interest from other diamond producers in southern Africa, he added.

Metso Outotec to supply Planet Positive Vertimills to iron ore project in South America

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it has been awarded a contract to deliver sustainable grinding technology to an iron ore project producing premium pellet feed in South America.

The total value of the order exceeds €10 million ($10.2 million), the company says.

The OEM’s scope of delivery consists of the engineering, manufacturing and supply of four Vertimill® vertical grinding mills. In addition, Metso Outotec will provide installation and commissioning advisory services. The Planet Positive Vertimill grinding mills are expected to save more than 30% of the installed power compared with a conventional ball mill circuit, the company says.

“We are pleased that our customer has chosen the industry-leading Vertimill technology,” Christoph Hoetzel, Head of the Grinding business line at Metso Outotec, says. “The regrinding circuit will enable energy-efficient grinding combined with low operating and life-cycle costs.”

Kwatani wins major screening order from Central Asia copper mine

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

Competing with leading OEMs from around the world, vibrating screen specialist OEM Kwatani says it has snatched a mammoth export order for over 70 screens from a mining operation in Central Asia.

The order was signed in April with a large copper mine in the region, which boasts a production rate of 35 Mt/y. According to Kwatani General Manager Sales and Service, Jan Schoepflin, the machines will be rolled out and delivered over a tight schedule of just eight months.

Kwatani, now part of the Sandvik group within the Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions division, is already hard at work manufacturing the large and medium-sized screens at its South Africa-based manufacturing facility.

“This is Kwatani’s largest order to date and is probably the largest single order for screens ever placed with a company in Africa,” Schoepflin says. “We are proud to have won such a prestigious bid in the face of intense competition, showing how our global reputation has been growing.”

The order is for large double-deck multi-slope screens, which feed high pressure grinding rolls, as well as for single-deck linear screens feeding concentrators. The screens in this order will be installed on isolation frames to minimise the extent to which dynamic loads affect the plant’s building structures, the company says.

Kwatani says it is well known for its design, manufacture and servicing of large, robust screens which are engineered for tonnage.

“As the largest OEM for vibrating screens and feeders in Africa, we have had great success on the continent and abroad with our large ‘banana’ screens,” Schoepflin says. “These and our other custom-engineered screens have been supplied to over 50 countries to date.”

The stringent and lengthy technical adjudication for this project was conducted for the mine by two leading international project engineering houses. The size and value of the order ensured all the mining industry’s foremost screen suppliers participated in the bid. Other indicators of the order’s scale are that the screens will consume around 700 t of steel, and will altogether be fitted with 21,000 screening panels.

Schoepflin notes that an important consideration for customers is not only the proven quality and performance of its screens, but Kwatani’s ability to deliver on time.

“Any large capital expenditure decision on a mine is taken with time-sensitive factors in mind,” he says. “For instance, the delayed delivery of critical equipment can prevent a mine from meeting its planned production targets. This undermines the financial basis for that decision – an eventuality that no mine can afford.”

The end-customer and the project houses, therefore, had to have full confidence in Kwatani’s capacity.

With growing demand from a buoyant mining sector, the company recently added another 3,000 sq.m to its existing 17,000 sq.m facility in Spartan, Johannesburg. Its design and manufacturing capabilities are ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring that the latest order to Asia will comply with the highest global standards, he says.

“We also pride ourselves on the quality and resilience of our supply chain, which underpins our ability to manufacture to demanding deadlines,” Schoepflin says. “We carefully select our supply partners – most of whom are local enterprises – and collaborate closely with them to build their sustainability and responsiveness.”

To keep the project’s schedule on track, dedicated in-house project managers and procurement specialists meet regularly with supply partners to ensure a smooth and streamlined process. This has required alignment of all local and global procurement, including motors, drives and steel. The company’s agility allowed contracts and prices to be tied down for timeous delivery, despite the global supply chain disruption that lingers from the COVID-19 lockdowns, Kwatani says.

Kwatani will conduct training of the mine staff in maintenance and troubleshooting, so that they can fulfil these essential duties independently. The mine will be able to source all the necessary spares from Kwatani, who will also send an engineer or technician to site to supervise and sign off on certain major tasks.

Meeting delivery deadlines and avoiding penalties will require detailed logistical planning for the completed units, Schoepflin notes. The screens will be delivered in batches to a South African port, and shipped as break bulk due to their size. Production of the screens is expected to be complete by early 2023.

Weba Chute Systems wins retrofit design work at Mpumalanga coal mine

Coal technology, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

When a coal mine in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province needed to replace its high maintenance conventional transfer chutes, it looked to Weba Chute Systems for the best custom-engineered design, the manufacturer says.

Weba Chute Systems is currently busy with designs that will pave the way for the retrofitting of over a dozen chutes at the mine. Eight of the units are silo discharge chutes, transferring coal from the operation’s run-of-mine feed to its coal processing plant. Another four chutes are to be replaced in the plant itself, while there is another chute located between two related feed conveyors.

“The main objective of the new bespoke chutes is to ensure stable supply to the plant, and from there to the nearby power station,” Dewald Tintinger, Weba Chute Systems’ Technical Manager and Designer, says. “The existing equipment is demanding too much maintenance, leading to unacceptable levels of downtime.”

The key to improved uptime and extended chute lifespan is the company’s flow control principles in its designs. The chutes in the plant, for example, must deal with oversize material of between 150 mm and 500 mm in size.

“Handling these large particles, chutes are exposed to high levels of impact and wear,” Tintinger says.“With the controlled flow philosophy of our Weba ‘cascade’ chute system, we control both the velocity and the impact.”

Commenting on other aspects of the custom designs, Tintinger says the transfer points will include features such as dead-boxes to create a lining from the mined material itself. This reduces the wear on the chute’s metal surfaces, extending the maintenance intervals and delivering more uptime. He highlights that the processing plant feeds the power station directly through two overland conveyors.

“This is a highly efficient model for delivering coal, but it demands that all elements of the materials handling system are working together,” he says. “Any disruption of coal flow caused by a transfer chute can cause costly delays, and render coal delivery unreliable.”

He notes that the mine has had good experience from the many other Weba chutes already installed at this operation, and is now standardising on this internationally accepted transfer point design for better results.

Designs and engineering are conducted in-house by Weba Chute Systems’ experienced team, using the latest software and finite element analysis tools for testing.

The design work is expected to be completed around the middle of 2022. Thereafter the mine will be in a position to contract the fabrication and installation work.