Tag Archives: The Netherlands

SGS completes expansion of minerals and metals testing lab in Spijkenisse

Base metals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, , , ,

SGS, one of the world’s largest testing, inspection and certification companies, has completed the expansion of its state-of-the-art minerals and metals testing laboratory in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands, enhancing the facility’s testing capacity to support global business.

The company, back in July 2021, announced it was expanding the testing hub on a rising demand for testing services.

The facility, which includes the existing laboratory as well as the recently opened extension, can test a wide variety of minerals and metals. Among these are copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver concentrates, as well as industrial minerals, ferrous metals, intermediate products and high-purity metals.

The laboratory is ISO/IEC 17025- and ISO 9001-accredited and is an approved LME Listed Sampler and Assayer, according to SGS. It provides a range of services, including:

  • High-value umpire analysis for commercial settlement;
  • Platinum group metals (PGM) analysis;
  • Electrogravimetric analysis;
  • Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and atomic absorption (AA) testing;
  • Titration;
  • Combustion analysis;
  • Transportable moisture limit (TML) and flow moisture point (FMP) testing; and
  • Advanced fire assay testing via the state-of-the-art fire assay department.

This facility is a “Center of Excellence” that serves SGS’s global minerals and metals clients, providing them with a consistently high-quality output, the company says. The laboratory operates in accordance with the industry’s latest best practices, as well as leading global safety and sustainability standards.

Thanks to the laboratory’s strategic location near the port of Rotterdam and its first-class capabilities, the expansion of the Spijkenisse facility offers even faster and more accurate results to SGS’s customers, the company added.

Strohm’s TCP solution to debut in deep-sea mining application

Marine mining, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

A composite jumper designed and manufactured by Strohm (formerly known as Airborne Oil & Gas) is to feature in deep-sea mining technology being developed by offshore contractor Allseas, the pipe technology company says.

Allseas’ deep-sea collection system technology has been designed to responsibly recover polymetallic nodules from the seabed at depths of 4,000-6,500 m.

This is the first time Strohm’s Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) solution will be used in a deep-sea mining application.

Under the agreement, Strohm will provide Allseas with a spoolable TCP Jumper to connect the seabed vehicle to the vertical transport system.

“TCP is 80% lighter in weight compared to its metallic equivalents, reducing the need for buoyancy, which is an important benefit for deepsea mining activities,” the company says.

Manufactured at Strohm’s facility in The Netherlands and delivered in long spoolable lengths, TCP is fitted with an abrasion-resistant liner which provides a distinct advantage over short, flanged rubber-based pipes typically deployed for slurry transport operations, the company says. The jumper’s inner bore is also extremely smooth, and its strong composite wall provides good collapse resistance while maintaining sufficient flexibility.

Oliver Kassam, Strohm CEO, said: “We are extremely pleased to secure this contract with Allseas. The appeal of TCP to this sector underlines its versatility and suitability compared to steel reinforced, rubber alternatives, increasing the company’s growth potential further across the energy transition.

“For this project, TCP’s lower carbon credentials are in tandem with the overarching strategy to impose minimum impact on the environment. Our technology is proven to reduce the CO2 footprint of pipeline infrastructures by more than 50%, and is completely impervious to corrosion, making it a sustainable solution with a long lifecycle.

“TCP was first implemented by the oil and gas sector in 2007, and we have enjoyed zero failures to date making it an extremely reliable technology; it is also completely recyclable.”