Tag Archives: South Africa

South Africa’s Kwatani wins screening export plaudits at awards ceremony

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, , , ,

Vibrating screen OEM, Kwatani, has been named a finalist in the SACEEC Exporter of the Year Awards recently held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kwatani, one of few local manufacturers that holds an ISO 9001:2015 quality certification as well as a Level 1 B-BBEE rating, it says, placed in the Exporter of the Year Large category and came second in the Export of the Year Africa category.

The company said: “As one of South Africa’s leading vibrating screen OEMs, Kwatani understands the major role that local manufacturing has to play in the country. In addition, and of enormous advantage to mining operations in Africa, the company is the only South African vibrating equipment OEM independent of international technology and employs a far higher percentage of engineering personnel than others in this sector.”

Kim Schoepflin, CEO of Kwatani, said while recent amendments to the South Africa Mining Charter place even greater emphasis on the local manufacturing of mining equipment and products, it is vital to meaningfully measure exactly what ‘local content’ means in the mining environment.

“We can proudly say that Kwatani’s screening machines are locally manufactured,” Schoepflin said. “Our equipment is designed in our own in-house facility by our competent engineers and then built under stringent quality control conditions in our Spartan plant. This allows us to contribute significantly to job creation and economic transformation.”

She said Kwatani’s long history of manufacturing locally has brought many benefits to mining customers. The company has a legacy of more than 43 years and can reference fit-for-purpose screening machines installed across a wide spread of commodity sectors including coal, iron ore and other heavy metals.

“A key benefit of being a fully local OEM is that we can control quality,” she said. “With our suppliers close by, this facilitates close collaboration, quick turnaround and integration into our quality systems.”

Booyco looks to new technology, Mining Charter requirements with PDS tie-up

Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Booyco Electronics has teamed up with Mernok Elektronik and Selectronic to bring new generation technology to its proximity detection systems (PDS).

The collaboration with the two firms will speed up development of future technologies, according to Anton Lourens (pictured), Managing Director of Booyco Electronics.

Booyco Electronics claims to have pioneered the use of PDS in South Africa and today has around 5,000 of its PDS units in the field, which have delivered over a million hours of service to date.

Lourens said: “The experience we have gathered in the field with our existing technology has informed the direction of more recent technology, and this collaboration agreement allows quicker development and rollout of technology.”

South Africa-based Mernok Elektronik’s strength lies in its in-house design and engineering capability, according to Founder and Managing Director, Schalk Janse van Rensburg.

“This expertise, which we have been developing for over 10 years, drives our research and development efforts,” he said. “The result is a world-class product range developed for the specific needs of the South African mining sector.”

With an extensive branch footprint developed over the past 13 years, Booyco Electronics will ensure the new generation technology is within reach of customers and is constantly supported, the company said. Booyco’s service facilities are manned by trained field technicians, capable of both installing and supporting this hi-tech equipment, according to the company.

“Our proven levels of field support will ensure that the technology benefits of the latest PDS design are translated into bottom-line and safety benefits for our mining customers,” Lourens said.

The collaboration also recognises the value of greater localisation in the mining supply chain, in line with the requirements of the South Africa Mining Charter. “Together, these two South African companies are able to further enhance their respective contributions to local economic development by promoting the country’s technology advancement and skills growth,” Booyco said.

Lourens highlighted that regulatory compliance has been an important factor in driving the application of PDS in mining. All products are therefore certified in terms of South Africa Department of Mineral Resources requirements.

Test work proving up FLSmidth’s ‘game-changing’ Ecotails solution

Bulk handling, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Testing by one of the world’s leading gold producers has confirmed FLSmidth’s Ecotails™ solution will be a game-changer for the mining sector, according to one of the company’s regional dewatering product line managers.

The solution, which combines filtered mine tailings with waste to form a GeoWaste, lowers water usage, rehabilitation costs and tailings footprints, according to the company.

Back in 2017, FLSmidth and Goldcorp signed an agreement to develop EcoTails, with the solution being studied for full-scale testing at Peñasquito, an operation with an average daily throughput of 130,000 t/d.

FLSmidth Regional Product Line Manager (Dewatering), Leonard Neluvhola, said the Ecotails solution is nearing the end of a lengthy testing process with the company, now called Newmont Goldcorp following a recent transaction.

“The success of its application to date confirms that Ecotails will be a game-changer for the mining sector,” Neluvhola said. “Not only can mines improve their environmental performance by applying this system, they will also see bottom line benefits too.”

He said the Ecotails solution involves dewatering and filtering tailings to a point where moisture content is just 10% to 25%.

“Up to 90% of the water in tailings can therefore be reused in the plant,” he said. “This is a vast improvement on pumping highly diluted slurry to a conventional tailings dam, where the water is lost to evaporation.”

The drier tailings are then mixed with the mine’s waste rock, after it has been sized and screened to be transportable by conveyor. “The resulting GeoWaste can be placed by a stacking system, as it is much more stable than wet tailings and can be stacked higher on a smaller footprint,” FLSmidth said. “This helps to address the serious concern mines have about the large footprints consumed by their tailings dams and waste rock dumps.”

In addition to its greater stability, GeoWaste is more conducive to vegetation growth, according to the company. “It is an ideal medium for concurrent environmental rehabilitation,” FLSmidth said. “The concurrent approach is becoming more popular, as it can mitigate the costs and risks of mine closure. Wet tailings can also present a greater danger of land contamination through leaching.”

Neluvhola said: “With our Ecotails experience and complete system offering, FLSmidth can provide a complete materials handling solution.” This includes crushers, sizers and screens, KREBS® pumps, thickeners and filters, conveyor and stacking systems, conducting tests and studies, system engineering and automation systems.

Neluvhola highlighted that FLSmidth in South Africa collaborates with customers on in-depth test work to ensure the application of Ecotails on their mines is fit for purpose.

“We can conduct testing at laboratory scale, and then advance to pilot stage when a mini-plant can be operated on site,” he said. “This allows us to test the technology using the customer’s own mined material in the thickening, filtering, conveying and blending phases to inform our technical designs.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery delves into mining industry’s downtime issue

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Maintenance or mechanical failures are often seen as the root causes of industry downtime, but Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM), in South Africa, thinks there is more to this loss in productivity and profitability than this.

A deeper look into the actual typical operating conditions in the mining environment reveals there are levels of downtime beyond these two, HCM South Africa said.

“A closer approximation of actual production time can be reached by applying an OEE (overall equipment efficiency) analysis on a calendar time-based approach, as opposed to a loading time-based approach, since the latter is based on theoretical total time and is more likely to give an inaccurate reflection of actual production capacity,” the company said.

“With a calendar time-based OEE analysis, then, a number of additional factors affecting productivity are taken into account:

  • “Unscheduled downtime (breakdowns/failures);
  • “Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance;
  • “Idle time (eg operator lunch breaks);
  • “Waiting time (eg when a shovel waits for a truck to be loaded/unloaded);
  • “Inactivity during moves between sites, and;
  • “Environmental disruptions (e.g. unsuitable terrain, etc).”

HCM said: “From this, it is clear that the true cost of downtime is notably higher in reality than in theory, and since many of these factors are beyond the control of managers and personnel, it clearly illustrates the importance of quality and reliability of the equipment itself to the overall viability of a mining enterprise.”

HCM supplies one third of all the hydraulic mining excavators in the world – a fact due in no small part to the “strength and reliability of Hitachi machines”.

“In fact, it is thanks to the overall longevity of Hitachi’s machines, and the fact that customers get far more than expected from their purchases; the modular designs employed in the newer technology machines, in particular, make for timeous and effortless maintenance routines, which play a significant role in production optimisation.

“Superior horsepower output, efficient engines, ergonomically designed cabs, advanced hydraulics, tough frames, and powerful arm- and bucket-digging forces make for formidable, robust machines that maximise production time to get the job done,” the company said.

This also makes for lower total cost of ownership, as the customer benefits from additional value over time, according to the company. “For example, a renowned mining customer has reported seeing extended life on main components purchased with the equipment such as the rigid dump truck wheel units, on which they have achieved in excess of 25,000 hours through the application of class-leading maintenance tactics in partnership with Hitachi’s site support personnel. With a very closely managed and monitored maintenance plan, they aim to manage these components to 50,000 hours.”

The company concluded: “Ultimately, it is through willingness to receive customers’ feedback and then incorporating it into their vigorous and ongoing R&D processes that Hitachi is able to optimise their machines and offer exceptional value.”

Multotec trommel solution hits the right note at Tronox’s Namakwa Sands

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Industrial minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Original equipment manufacturer, Multotec says it has won a tender from Tronox’s Namakwa Sands to replace a trommel at the mine’s Primary Concentration Plant East (PCPE) at its Brand se Baai site, in South Africa.

Greta Mantell, Technical Sales Representative at Multotec Manufacturing, said the scope of supply included the trommel screen, screen panels and ancillary equipment which formed part of the installation at the PCPE.

Mantell said: “What was essential on this particular project was that the new Multotec trommel would replicate the exact process functionality of the old unit and provide the same level of operational performance and reliability as the old screen had for the past 12 years.”

In this application, the Multotec trommel screen is used to classify East mine run-of-mine (ROM) by size and discharge the oversize to the tailings conveyor. The undersize is processed as normal.

“Significantly, this screen is the only piece of equipment operating in the ROM processing circuit for which there is no standby or bypass alternative,” Multotec said.

Tronox’s PCPE uses sea water for its processes and this, together with operating in the harsh west coast environment, meant corrosion protection was a priority on the trommel. It has been supplied with replaceable polyurethane shell protectors as well as a high performance corrosion protection paint on all the non-rubberised surfaces. The trommel screen is fitted with Spalto polyurethane panels selected to ensure optimum throughput and wear life, according to Multotec.

With a focus on improving total cost of ownership, Multotec implemented its one-side fitting of screen panels on the trommel, and Mantell said this will facilitate quicker panel changeouts, saving on costs. As panel maintenance now only needs to be executed from the inside, safety will also be enhanced during this activity, the company said.

The new Multotec trommel is 7.2 m long and has a diameter of 2.5 m. The total mass of the trommel, including panels, is 12.5 t.

The new trommel was delivered on time and installation was done by the mine with Multotec handling the commissioning, the company said. Mantell said that after trouble-free installation, the trommel screen immediately operated at 95% of its design capacity and one day later full feed of 1,000 t/h was maintained.

Schauenburg launches artificial intelligence camera for mine safety

Communications in mining, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

Schauenburg Systems says it has partnered with dotNetix to deliver an artificial intelligence-equipped camera to improve safety at mine sites.

The South Africa-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for mine-industry safety and productivity solutions said this will enhance its existing proximity detection system (PDS) range.

The SCAS PDS Artificial Intelligence Camera is an advanced driver assist system (ADAS), which is the first South Africa developed and manufactured camera with artificial intelligence specifically designed for mine safety/traffic management, allowing for event and video logging.

It has been identified in the mining environment that there are certain scenarios where tag-based PDS systems are not practical. For these scenarios, object detection systems are required that use passive PDS sensor technology, according to the company.

“This technology, in layman’s terms, is when a vehicle PDS system can detect and warn a driver of other objects without having any active PDS equipment installed on these objects,” Schauenburg Systems said. “There are many passive sensor technologies that assist tag-based PDS systems or act as standalone PDS systems. Schauenburg’s AI Camera stands for high accuracy, reduced false alarms, distance detection and data/video logging capabilities for effective incident analysis.”

This camera, specifically designed for the harsh mining environment, combines 3D-image processing with AI integrated into camera systems. The system uses advance algorithms to detect objects; depending on the risk profile the cameras are positioned in front, rear or on the sides of the vehicle, the company said.

“The potential of a collision is analysed by the system and the driver is warned with an audible alarm and/or voice command. The 3D cameras were designed to accurately calculate the distance to an object by means of configurable dynamic zones of up to 150 m,” Schauenburg said.

Ettiene Pretorius, Business Manager at Schauenburg, said although the product is designed at this stage specifically to fulfil mining PDS requirements, it is evident there are many other applications where this product can assist in automating operations. “Schauenburg and dotNetix are excited about the official launch of this product, after the product went through stringent test, trial and certification phases which were part of the industrialisation process,” the companies said.

Dieter Kovar, CEO of Schauenburg International-Africa Group, said Schauenburg’s vision is to innovate new products through latest digital technologies and by ingraining a customer-centric culture.

“In line with the latest Mining Charter it strives for developing and manufacturing products primarily in South Africa. It considers itself as a prime partner for supporting the digital drive in mining,” he said.

Pre-sink of Shaft 2 at Ivanhoe’s Platreef underground project months away

Base metals, Bulk handling, Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining project news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In a review of exploration and development activities in 2018, Ivanhoe Mines has gone into some detail on developments at Shaft 2 at the Platreef PGM-nickel-copper-gold project on the northern limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex.

This follows a project update issued just after the Mining Indaba event in February.

Shaft 1, expected to reach its final depth of 982 m below surface in early 2020, will ultimately become the primary ventilation shaft during the project’s initial 4 Mt/y production case, but Shaft 2, around 100 m northeast of Shaft 1, will provide primary access to the mining zones.

Ivanhoe said Shaft 2 will have an internal diameter of 10 m, will be lined with concrete and sunk to a planned, final depth of more than 1,104 m below surface.

It will be equipped with two 40-t rock-hoisting skips capable of hoisting a total of 6 Mt/y of ore – the single largest hoisting capacity at any mine in Africa. The headgear for the permanent hoisting facility was designed by South Africa-based Murray & Roberts Cementation.

Ivanhoe said nine blasts were successfully completed in 2018 enabling the excavation of Shaft 2’s box cut to a depth of approximately 29 m below surface and the construction of the concrete hitch (shaft collar foundation) for the 103-m-tall concrete headgear (preparations pictured here) that will house the shaft’s permanent hoisting facilities and support the shaft collar.

Excavation of the box cut and construction of the hitch foundation is expected to be completed in the June quarter, enabling the beginning of the pre-sink, that will extend 84 m below surface, it said.

In July 2017, Ivanhoe, which indirectly owns 64% of the Platreef project through its subsidiary, Ivanplats, issued an independent, definitive feasibility study (DFS) for Platreef covering the first phase of production at an initial mining rate of 4 Mt/y. The DFS estimated Platreef’s initial, average annual production rate would be 476,000 oz of platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold, plus 21 MIb (9,525 t) of nickel and 13 MIb (5,897 t) of copper.

Black Rock manganese mine chases efficiency gains with Epiroc’s Mobilaris solution

Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Epiroc says its Mobilaris Mining Intelligence (MMI) is set to help improve decision making at Assmang’s Black Rock underground manganese mine in South Africa.

The mining original equipment manufacturer said this will be the first installation of the decision support solution in a room and pillar mine.

Pierre Becker, General Manager Black Rock mine, said MMI will help to increase production and utilisation at the mine. “The solution enables an unprecedented opportunity for mining personnel to make right decisions faster than ever before,” he said.

Through MMI, the Black Rock Mine control room will evolve to a source of real-time production data fully integrated with planning, task dispatch, machine telemetry data, mobile operator clients and a layer of analytics to collect and monitor insights and key performance indicators for the mine production, Epiroc said. “The project is expected to yield significant improvements in employee safety, process efficiency and overall production,” the company added.

MMI enables superior situational awareness and is designed to visualise and support mining operation in all its complexity, in real-time, according to Epiroc. It provides a 3D real-time information model where the position of machines, vehicles and personnel are recognised, and other vital information sources like shift planning, machine and production data are presented.

Andrew Main, Regional Business Line Manager, Underground Rock Excavation division for Southern Africa, Epiroc South Africa, said: “Epiroc will support Black Rock’s business improvement processes with the MMI solution. The globally acclaimed Situational Awareness together with Short Interval Control package will take their operations to the next level of performance gains.”

System installation is expected in June, Epiroc said.

Bushveld’s vanadium redox flow battery projects progress

Energy minerals, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Bushveld Minerals’ 84%-owned energy subsidiary, Bushveld Energy, says it has commissioned and completed site acceptance testing of the vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) project with South Africa national power utility Eskom.

At completion, the unit, supplied by UniEnergy Technologies, will have a peak output of 450 kWh.

The VRFB battery commissioning with Eskom recommenced in November, with the unit passing a series of manufacturer and Eskom site acceptance tests during January and February.

Subsequent to this, the manufacturer recommended a set of upgrades to the VRFB, at its own cost. Bushveld said: “These are based on field experience from other operating sites gained in the time since the battery was originally ordered and they will further improve the reliability of the battery going forward. The upgrades are currently in progress.”

In addition to this, Bushveld Energy has initiated the development of a mini-grid project at the Vametco mining and processing facility (pictured), in South Africa. The new mini-grid will be able to deliver up to 1 MW of power to Vametco, the largest size permittable without a generation licence under current regulations, it said.

The mini-grid will consist of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation paired with a 1 MW/4 MWh VRFB and will feed electricity directly into the internal distribution network of the mine. “The project is structured on an unsubsidised, commercial basis with project finance, showcasing the commercial viability of both renewable energy and energy storage technologies,” the company said.

Among a number of benefits to the mine, were:

  • “A reduction in overall demand from the South Africa power grid during the day time and peak periods in the mornings and evenings. The benefit to the mine is a reduction in its electricity tariffs due to lower consumption at the most expensive times of the day. The benefit to the South African power system will be lower demand during times when the power system is most constrained. VRFB technology is ideally suited for such applications, as it will be cycled two times per day to meet both the multi-hour morning and evening peaks of South Africa’s power system;
  • “By using long duration VRFB technology, additional solar energy can be generated and stored during the day for discharge after sundown, and;
  • “Reducing the mine’s reliance on grid power and increasing its ability in the future to self-generate during load shedding or other instances of grid interruptions.”

While the mini-grid will supply, at most, 8% of the mine’s energy consumption at any one time, “the project will demonstrate the technical and commercial capability of hybrid mini-grids using solar PV and VRFB technology, which is unmatched in its ability to deliver long-duration storage and cycle multiple times per day”, Bushveld said.

“The project could be scaled up further to provide a larger amount of energy in future. It could also be replicated at other grid-connected sites. The design can also be used at off-grid sites to replace more expensive and less environmentally friendly thermal generation.”

Similar to the structure of the projects covering the electrolyte production facility and the Eskom VRFB, Bushveld Energy said it would continue using its cooperation model in developing and delivering this project.

On top of these two developments, Bushveld said it made headway in the December quarter on the process to convert Bushveld-mined vanadium into electrolyte and design the production facility.

After promising pilot results at laboratory scale, Bushveld Energy procured two tonnes of vanadium for conversion into vanadium electrolyte, it said, adding that the scaled-up conversion process was currently being executed.

If proven successful, samples from the produced electrolyte will be provided to battery companies for suitability assessment, according to the company.

“There is significant expressed interest from VRFB manufacturers for vanadium electrolyte and appetite to add long duration energy storage to power systems and renewable energy projects in Africa overall.

“This suggests that there is sufficient market demand for vanadium electrolyte to support the installation of a 200 MWh capacity facility in South Africa,” Bushveld said. “The electrolyte production facility is being co-developed by Bushveld Energy and the IDC.”

Cummins launches ‘Power Hub’ in Gauteng, South Africa

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , ,

Cummins has officially launched its new “Power Hub” in the Waterfall Logistics Precinct in Waterfall City, Gauteng, South Africa.

The new premises strategically consolidates and solidifies various business premises in support of the company’s position as Africa’s preferred power solutions provider, Cummins said.

The 15,355 m² facility, a ZAR350 million ($24 million) investment, houses the Cummins Southern Africa Regional Headquarters, the Master Rebuild Centre (MRC), Africa Learning Centre and Gauteng Operations.

The launch, this week, heralds the completion of a three-year project that culminated in the creation of a world-class sales and service facility, Cummins said.

“The new premises are geared to ensure ease of business dealings for customers and support of the Cummins vision of exceeding customer expectations whilst improving operational efficiencies in a collaborative manner,” the company said.

Racheal Njoroge, Managing Director of Southern Africa for Cummins, said: “We are extremely excited to officially launch our new state-of-the-art facilities. The architectural layout has been optimally and uniquely designed, adopting the Cummins Smart Office Concept (CSO) to create a space that enhances internal collaboration, encourages engagement and thereby accelerates a solution-orientated approach.”

The company has relocated from the Kelvin and Longmeadow offices to the Waterfall Logistics Precinct, positioning it “at the epicentre of Gauteng’s most dynamic and strategically located business hub”, Cummins said.

The central hub, providing power solutions for customers across the Southern Africa region, brings together a host of Cummins technically advanced expertise from mining, power systems, automotive and technical training.

Additionally, the facility provides the latest cutting-edge technology to meet industry needs: a 3,500 hp AVL Dyno Test Cell that will trial some of Cummins largest engines to full power; a precision-driven spray booth large enough to accommodate the most powerful Cummins engines’ paint applications and an environmentally advanced water purification plant, an efficient waste water treatment system which recycles 80% of water used in the MRC.

The Power Hub also launches new progressive build processes that substantially reduce the overall build time while improving quality output, Cummins said. The facility, being a part of the Cummins Distribution Business Unit, also focuses on sales and aftermarket servicing.

“The MRC continues to be a focal point of Cummins support to the mining industry, providing rebuilt engines to ensure customers can enjoy a reliable and consistent supply of engines for uninterrupted operations,” Cummins said.