Tag Archives: Tin

WEG Automation Africa overcomes logistical challenges at DRC tin mine

Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , ,

WEG Automation Africa has come to the rescue of a tin mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, providing a containerised substation and control room solution that circumvented the challenging logistics associated with accessing the operation.

The company, formerly Shaw Controls, put the contract win down to an innovative and fit-for-purpose design.

Tyrone Willemse, Business Development Consultant – Projects and Contracts at WEG Automation Africa, said the substations are each housed in a 6-m-high cube container, with a total of 14 units supplied, comprising MV rooms and LV rooms.

Willemse says: “The unit’s dimensions and robustness had to allow for a long journey, including along a very difficult 200 km road to reach the mine site.”

He added: “Every part of the process plant has its own designated MCC (motor control centre) that provides electrical power and control for areas including the primary crushing circuit, the plant feed, regrind mill, tailings thickener, and the product dewatering and handling circuits.”

In addition to meeting safety compliance regulations, the design includes three-way locking systems, LED lighting, fire detection systems and a safety interlock to the fire system for air conditioners. Backup power supply is provided to all the exit lighting, according to WEG. To ensure easy cable entry, meanwhile, glanding plates were carefully located not to overlap with the container’s support beams.

“Working in close collaboration with the engineering house, careful planning could be done upfront to ensure that nothing was overlooked,” Willemse said.

“In the design, full consideration was given to the placement of elements like platforms, walkways, doors, viewing windows and air conditioning units. We also took responsibility for the logistics of getting everything to site.”

Willemse highlighted that this turnkey solution demonstrated WEG Automation Africa’s containerised substation design and engineering capability, as well as its full local manufacturing capacity, which he said, lifted the company above other MCC manufacturers or assemblers.

The containerised solution comes with a full data pack, quality control documentation and an operation and maintenance manual in accordance with ISO9001.

“With our expertise, capacity and experience of working in Africa, we were able to reduce the risk and turnaround time by tackling the entire contract in-house,” Willemse said. “The extensive testing and cold commissioning enabled by our modus operandi and facilities also gave the mine peace of mind that the unit would function as required when it arrived on site.”

Aus Tin chooses different tack at Taronga Stage 1 project

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

There are changes afoot at Aus Tin Mining’s Taronga Stage 1 project, in Australia, after the ASX-listed company appointed a contractor for an initial program of mining, crushing and civil works, and made the decision to acquire its own crushing plant.

The company said it had appointed Townes Contracting, a firm with experience in quarrying and crushing operations, to undertake the initial mining, crushing and civil works associated with Taronga Stage 1. Expected to last three months, this contract should provide for site establishment, initial mining of some 50,000 t of ore and waste, crushing of ore and construction of a water dam, Aus Tin said.

Aus Tin’s decision to acquire its own crushing plant, meanwhile, follows a crushing trial completed with a preferred contractor in May. Aus Tin explained: “The company was unable to secure their services in a timeframe consistent with operational requirements.”

The Taronga tin project is the world’s fifth largest undeveloped tin reserve, based on a JORC resource of 57,200 t of contained tin, plus 26,400 t of contained copper and 4.4 Moz of silver, Aus Tin says.

The company completed a prefeasibility study in 2014 that outlined a project treating 2.5 Mt/y of ore, producing an average 2,800 t/y of contained tin over nine years. Following this, in 2015, the company commenced the approvals process to undertake trial mining and pilot processing of 340,000 t of ore to evaluate several areas of potential upside. This project – Taronga Stage 1 – is now fully permitted.

Peter Williams, CEO of Aus Tin, said: “Now that we are no longer constrained in any way by contractors at Granville, we have decided to take a different approach to the operation and believe this will provide the optimal means to exploit this small, but high grade tin deposit.”

Back in March, Aus Tin Mining commenced owner mining at the Granville East tin mine in Australia, just over a week after liquidators were named to its previously appointed mining contractors, Jemrok Pty Ltd.

Aus Tin said the initial programme of work to be carried out by Townes Contracting will provide “several important outcomes”. Included within this is a provisional metal reconciliation, with the average grade of ore mined compared with the respective mining blocks estimated in the 2014 probable reserve; productivity and cost data to optimise pricing for the remainder of Stage 1, and; material for additional metallurgical test work planned prior to the commencement of Stage 1 pilot plant operations.

The remainder of the Stage 1 project, including the expanded mine and pilot plant operations are expected to commence in late 2019.

In terms of the crusher Aus Tin is due to acquire, the company said it had made an initial payment on a second-hand mobile crushing plant, located in Tasmania, and refurbishment of the unit – expected to take three to four weeks – had commenced.

“The key benefits of owner crushing will be a lower operating cost and ability to crush ore on an ongoing basis rather than the campaign basis required for contractors,” Aus Tin said.

GR Engineering to lead Manono lithium-tin DFS in DRC

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GR Engineering Services (GRES) is to act as engineer for the definitive feasibility study on AVZ Minerals’ 60%-owned Manono lithium and tin project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Australia-listed developer said.

GRES, based in Perth, Western Australia, is an engineering group with significant experience in study management and the engineering design and construction of resource projects in Western Australia and globally, both as EPCM and EPC contractor, AVZ said.

Manono, meanwhile, was recently the subject of a scoping study. This study showed a 5Mt/y project could produce around 1.1 Mt/y of concentrate at a minimum of 5.8% Li2O concentrate.

AVZ said: “The GRES team nominated for this engagement have appropriate experience in Africa, including in the DRC, where GRES recently provided operational support and optimisation studies at the Kipoi copper project (Tiger Resources).

AVZ’s Managing Director, Nigel Ferguson, said: “The appointment of GRES as the DFS engineer is a significant milestone for the Manono project as its work is highly regarded by leading financiers and lending institutions.”

Other DFS work streams are continuing to schedule including the metallurgical test work, AVZ noted. A 1 t sub-sample of the bulk sample has been sent to ALS Minerals in Perth for comminution testwork, with results from this expected soon.

The dewatering program for the Roche Dure pit has commenced. Approval to dewater the Roche Dure and M’Pete open pits was given to AVZ’s DRC management company, Dathcom Mining SAS, in mid-May by the Mines Environmental Protection, a section of the DRC Department of Mines. The approval was contingent on the building of a silt settlement pond and a water treatment facility into the existing dewatering channel, which has since been completed.

DRA to work on Syrymbet, the ‘largest undeveloped tin deposit in the world’

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DRA Global says it has been awarded the process and engineering design of the definitive feasibility study (DFS) contract for the JSC Tin One Mining Syrymbet project, believed to be the largest undeveloped tin deposit in the world, located in northern Kazakhstan.

The project is focused on implementing the only tin production plant in Central Asia using the most advanced technologies through the best environmental practice, DRA says.

The DRA scope of work includes the concentrator plant design and immediate process related infrastructure and facilities. DRA will also provide all the necessary services to develop the project capital cost. The DFS is currently being produced and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Lawrence Rossouw, of Tin One, said: “DRA has an impressive studies track record. With several thousand studies completed across all commodities, the Tin One leadership team is confident that DRA will deliver a comprehensive technical and economic report that will allow Syrymbet to progress closer to achieving full production.”

Pierre Julien, DRA Global Executive Vice President, said: “DRA has a unique insight into developing tin projects. As the EPCM provider on the Alphamin APH (JSE) Bisie tin project (in the DRC), the team can draw on invaluable experience to provide a detailed DFS on time and within budget.”

W Resources reaches new processing milestone at La Parrilla tungsten-tin mine

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W Resources has fed the first ore through its newly commissioned jig and mill plant at its La Parrilla tungsten-tin mine in Spain.

The move follows construction completion in April and commissioning of the conveyors, pumps, thickener, two mills and two jigs over the past month, the company said.

The plant takes ore crushed to less than 10 mm and increases the grade to be fed to the concentrator plant while rejecting waste mass, according to the company. This is achieved with high tungsten and tin metal recoveries, W said.

The jigged mine feed will now be fed through the existing concentrator plant, while the new large scale concentrator plant advances to construction completion in June and commissioning in July, according to the company.

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources, said: “Great progress has been made by the team which keeps us on-track to ramp-up to design production capacity of 200 t/mth by the end of 2019.

“At this stage of construction, it is important to clarify that commissioning a metallurgical plant is not a turn of a key process. In the jig and mill plant alone there are two jigs, two roll mills, a thickener, reject disposal system, 10 screens and feeders, nine conveyors, five pumps, and over 50 motors which need to be started, aligned and tied into an integrated control system. The team has done an outstanding job commissioning the plant and achieving first jigged concentrate.”

The crushing circuit at La Parrilla, supplied by Metso Minerals’ Portugal division, is made up of a C130 jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher, both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction, and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen.

With a throughput of 350 t/h, the two alljig® jigs, provided by allmineral, provide grading, enrichment and cleaning of the pre-ground ore at La Parrilla.

Blast off at W Resources’ La Parrilla tungsten mine

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W Resources says the first T2 blast at the La Parrilla tungsten mine in Spain shot successfully on April 30.

The blast covered a mainly barren zone to prepare access to the 10 m benches closer to the run of mine pad and crusher plant in the Fast Track Mine area, the company said. This explosion continued to open up directly accessible ore to the mine operation.

Ore mined to-date at the operation, which is envisaged as a scalable project, starting at 2 Mt/y to produce some 2,700 t/y of tungsten concentrate and 500 t/y of tin concentrate, before an expansion to 3.5 Mt/y and beyond, has been free-dig or from the early blast area, W said.

“The immediate priority at La Parrilla is to complete the commissioning of the jig and mill plant, which is underway in parallel with the completion of the large-scale concentrator plant,” the company said.

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W Resources, said: “The first T2 mine blast at La Parrilla is a significant event for W Resources and kicks-off the commencement of hard rock mining operations.

“The explosive blast was completed successfully with the highest level of safety and supervision. The ore will be mined at low cost using a truck and shovel operation and transported via the newly constructed ramp to the new 350 t/h crusher plant where it will be crushed and then fed to the newly constructed jig and mill plant as part of the commissioning process.”

The crushing circuit at La Parrilla, supplied by Metso Minerals’ Portugal division, is made up of a C130 jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher, both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction, and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen.

With a throughput of 350 t/h, the two alljig® jigs, provided by allmineral, are expected to provide grading, enrichment and cleaning of the pre-ground ore at La Parrilla.

AusTin transitions to owner mining at Granville East mine in Tasmania

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AusTin Mining has commenced owner mining at the Granville East tin mine in Australia, just over a week after liquidators were named to its previously appointed mining contractors, Jemrok Pty Ltd.

The decision to adopt owner mining as opposed to appointing another contractor was based on minimising disruption to the project by using existing equipment at site and employment of ex-Jemrok employees, the ASX-listed company said.

The company commenced tin mining at the Tasmania operation just last month.

AusTin Mining said: “The company considers owner mining will deliver greater control and improvement in mine productivity following a decline in productivity in early 2019.

“Under the owner mining model, waste mining operations have resumed following a period of lost production attributable to the collapse of Jemrok, and ore mining is expected to resume in the coming fortnight.”

Owner mining operating costs for Granville are estimated at A$100,000-A$130,000 ($70,655-$91,851) per month depending on blasting requirements and are inclusive of equipment rental, fuel and labour. “Owner mining should deliver a lower mining cost based on the removal of the contractor’s margin,” the company said.

Jemrok was previously contracted to also provide crushing and ore-haulage services but the company is now progressing discussions with a third party for these services. In the interim, AusTin has transported the relatively friable hangingwall ore that doesn’t require crushing to the processing plant for treatment.

This has, initially, led to an increase in plant feed grade but has necessitated a change in operating strategy to accommodate the increased level of sulphides associated with this material in order to achieve the targeted concentrate grade of 60% Sn.

“Upon implementation of contract crushing, the company will be able to increase the proportion of competent skarn ore that contains lower sulphide level and historically has been the predominant ore source for the project,” AusTin said.

Aus Tin kicks off Granville East mining with high-grade block

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Aus Tin Mining says tin mining has commenced at its Granville East mine in Tasmania, Australia.

Run of mine material from the first mining block – estimated to total some 430 t – will be transported to the processing plant enabling plant feed to transition from low‐grade stockpiles to high‐grade mine material, Aus Tin said.

The first mining block is located at the southern end of the open pit and was extracted from the hangingwall shale that overlies the cassiterite-magnetite skarn, Aus Tin said.

Assay results from blasthole samples collected for grade control purposes have confirmed the high‐grade mineralisation at Granville East, Aus Tin said. These included intersections of 4 m at 6.56% Sn and 4 m at 4.34% Sn.

Aus Tin CEO, Peter Williams, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this major milestone as we transition to Level 2 operations and will now move to processing this material. We are particularly delighted with the grade of the first block, which across eight holes averaged 2.1% Sn and is more typical of underground mines.”

Aus Tin said it has been seeking to directly procure certain services contracted to its civil and mining contractor.

“To minimise further delays to the operations, the company has now assumed additional components of the contract, including blasting services and fuel supply,” Aus Tin said. “Furthermore, the company has removed the crushing component of the contract and is currently in discussions with alternative parties as well as examining capacity for utilising surplus equipment at the processing plant.”

Aus Tin shipped its first tin concentrate from Granville back in 2017, and has been working on developing a “Level 2” operation at East Granville at the same time.

Strongbow gains local council backing for South Crofty mine re-start plan

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Cornwall Council has voted overwhelmingly in support of a £1 million ($1.3 million) investment into Strongbow Exploration, according to the tin-focused company.

The news follows a press release late last year that stated the council had voted unanimously in favour of the proposed investment, subject to Strongbow adding a dual listing on the London’s AIM exchange to its existing Toronto listing.

Richard Williams, Strongbow CEO, said: “We welcome this very positive decision for the project, which reflects the high level of cooperation between the local community, Cornwall Council and Strongbow, where all parties share the common goal of responsible mine development in an urban environment and high quality job creation.

“We look forward to advancing the project to a production decision.”

Cornwall Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy, Bob Egerton, said: “Cornwall has a global reputation for exporting expertise and knowledge in mining and the council is clear in its desire to support this sector to re-start production in Cornwall and bring with it much needed high-value jobs. If successful, restarting mining at South Crofty could create over 300 jobs and make a real difference to an area with high levels of deprivation.”

South Crofty is an iconic former producing copper and tin mine located in the towns of Camborne and Pool, Cornwall, England. The first documented production history from South Crofty dates back to 1592, and it was the last tin mine to close in Cornwall in 1998.

The project received an underground permission (mining licence) in 2013, which is valid until 2071, and planning permission to construct a new process plant in 2011. In October 2017, Strongbow was successful in securing a water discharge permit allowing for the dewatering of the now flooded mine workings.

Strongbow is now focused on completing the listing on AIM and completion of the water treatment plant so the mine can be dewatered. Strongbow plans to bring the project to a production decision and complete a feasibility study in parallel with the mine dewatering process.

A 2017 preliminary economic assessment on South Crofty outlined an eight-year project that mined 2.575 Mt of mineralised material with an average grade of 1.55% Sn-equivalent. Strongbow estimated it would require $118.7 million in pre-production capital expenditure to get the mine re-started.

Multotec spirals help upgrade Africa copper concentrates

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Multotec Process Equipment’s spiral technology has recently enjoyed success at copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the company says.

The South Africa-based company says its equipment is upgrading product from 1-3% Cu run-of-mine to 20%-plus Cu concentrate.

“These mines can achieve an upgraded product which can be sold as copper concentrate,” Graeme Smith, application engineer at Multotec Process Equipment, says. “Spirals can also be applied as a bulk reduction strategy to achieve a higher-grade material for more efficient leaching.”

Smith says this is a fraction of the mining companies benefitting from such technology.

“A number of customers mining minerals such as copper, lithium, tin and tantalite are already benefiting from using spirals to upgrade the value of their concentrate, either replacing their conventional processing technique or augmenting it,” said Smith.

He says spirals are proving their worth in helping producers become more efficient, potentially raising output levels while holding down the cost involved in downstream processing.

“This upgrading of the value of mined material also contributes to lower transportation costs and higher revenues earned,” the company added.

Working with tin producers in countries including Morocco, the DRC and Spain, Multotec spirals have been able to raise initial head grades of 1-3% Sn to levels of over 50% Sn in concentrate, according to the company. Treating tantalite from a tailings operation in the DRC, spiral technology has also performed massive bulk reduction and upgrading, while shaking tables clean the final product.

“This allows existing downstream processes to become more productive, and to ramp up production by maximising recoveries and reducing rand per tonne costs,” Smith says.

In test work in its extensive Spartan manufacturing and research facility near Johannesburg, Multotec has also succeeded in separating elements of lithium using spiral technology, aiming for 80% concentration of the element petalite, it says.

Smith highlights the value of the company’s experience in modular plants, allowing spiral applications to be conveniently containerised for transport to and commissioning at remote sites.

“Our mobile plants – capable of treating 20 t/h – can be moved in two standard containers – one of 12 m in length and the other of 6 m,” he says.