Tag Archives: Weir Minerals

Future-proofing mineral processing plants

Automation, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, Water management, , , , , , , , , , ,

As minerals processing, digital plants and effective plant operations become more important for mining companies, Australia’s largest mining event is set to examine the challenges of processing plants of the future.

Finding intelligent solutions, future-proofing grinding circuits and embracing the opportunities of digitisation will be discussed at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne next month (October 29-31).

Ahead of the conference, Sandvik Lifecycle Development Manager, Simon Adams; CRC ORE Chief Executive and Managing Director, Ben Adair; and Weir Minerals Global HPGR Product Specialist, Bjorn Dierx, discussed the issues in a special IMARC webinar.

All agreed mining companies faced increased challenges as ore stocks depleted, forcing them to move to more remote locations and dig deeper in a bid to maintain recovery rates of past years.

Dierx, who will deliver an IMARC presentation on dry air classification technology to remove the need for water, said: “Our customers are under immense pressure to reduce energy consumption, use less water and reduce carbon emissions.

“Overall, as commodities are depleting, companies are making large investments in new plants to dig deeper, crush more ore and at remote locations with limited access to power and water to achieve the same recovery rates as the past 20 years.”

He said about 3% of global energy consumption was attributed to crushing rock so greater efficiencies in comminution would make a big contribution to reduced emissions.

For Adair, efficiencies are available now in existing operations.

“It’s important to optimise and run your equipment to the best of its ability,” he said. “Most sites I visit that’s simply not the case. We are a little bit delusional if we think we are there at the moment in a digital sense in optimising various grinding circuits.”

He agreed limited access to water was a critical element.

“It’s interesting water was mentioned. That is one of the major challenges for the industry. It simply won’t have access to potable water and it will have to head rapidly to a closed-loop situation otherwise the costs will be extraordinarily prohibitive,” he said.

“Most of our work is done in the sorting space. . . It’s patently ridiculous and it has been for the past 15 to 20 years that we mine something and stick it through various expensive process plants when in fact 99% of it has no value whatsoever.

“If you are looking at the mine of the future, it is going to be about exploiting heterogeneity at the mine face as opposed to deliberately destroying heterogeneity and looking for homogenous feeds for downstream processing plants.”

The digital transformation at the plant and processing level offered opportunities for miners, with Adams saying the ability to collect and analyse data was crucial.

“If you can have digitisation and automation that moves towards cognitive behaviour, once you get those algorithms down you can have far more efficient plants operating through that process,” he said.

“We have to turn data into knowledge; looking at power consumption and efficiencies and getting to the cognitive stage where we can foresee failures or predicted failures and we can capture them early and shut down in an organised fashion.”

Dierx said digital transformation presented a big opportunity for the industry to attract new people from traditional software programmers and those in the gaming industry to work in the mining industry.

“The big iron ore miners, if those autonomous devices need to be switched off, they use Xbox controllers to correct them. That’s good news for children of today,” he said.

“From an education perspective, there is still some work to be done. Universities need restructuring to ensure we not only educate traditional operators, metallurgists and process engineers but ensure that understanding algorithms and working with digital tools become standard practice.”

IMARC, developed in collaboration with its founding partners the Victorian State Government of Australia, Austmine, AusIMM and Mines and Money, is where global mining leaders connect with technology, finance and the future. For more information, please visit https://imarcmelbourne.com/

International Mining is a media sponsor of the IMARC event

Weir Minerals confronts froth pumping problems

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

As miners look to reclaim more minerals from the flotation process through froth pumping they are potentially exacerbating existing problems in their circuit design, according to Les Harvey, Regional Product Manager for Slurry Pumps at Weir Minerals.

Mining companies are making these moves to counteract declining ore grades, but, occasionally these techniques are deployed without making allowances for the design of the mine’s froth pumping equipment.

Froth pumping remains one of the most complex engineering challenges in minerals processing, as air management issues in the hopper, sump and pump itself lead to inefficient pumping, increased maintenance and even lost product, according to Weir.

“We’ve started to notice a pattern among our customers who are having trouble with their froth pumps,” says Harvey. “By using more flocculants and other chemicals designed to improve mineral recovery, they’re exacerbating existing problems in circuit design and reducing the returns they’re looking for.”

Close examination of the froth’s makeup and physical qualities is often needed to resolve issues. Ensuring operators’ froth handling equipment adheres to best design practices is an important first step in resolving problems, according to Weir.

Maintaining pressure in the pump

The key challenge in froth pumping is dealing with air in the pump itself, as it tends to naturally centrifuge into the impeller’s eye where it builds up into an ‘air lock’ which impedes the movement of slurry through the pump, Weir said.

In addition to reducing the pump’s efficiency, the air build up in the pump will reduce the flow through the pump and increase the slurry level in the suction hopper. The increased slurry level may push the pocket of air through the pump, causing surging and excessive vibration which can damage the pump bearings, impeller and shaft.

“The best way to manage air in a froth pump is to invest in a froth pump with a Continuous Air Removal System (CARS), which we have in our Warman AHF, MF and LF pumps,” Harvey says.

CARS allows air to move from the pump’s impeller eye to an air collection chamber in the back through a vent hole in the impeller. From that chamber, a flow inducer removes the air from the pump through a vent pipe.

Harvey said: “It’s also important to position the pump’s discharge pipe at the top of the pump, or at a 45° angle as this will give air trapped at the top of the casing a way to escape the pump.”

Solving problems in the sump and hopper

A persistent problem Weir sees is when hoppers designed to meet the demands of slurry pumping are used in a froth pumping application, Harvey said. “Slurry hoppers require turbulence to prevent the mineral content from settling, while turbulence in a froth pump prevents the air from escaping and leads to blockages.”

Tanks designed for froth pumping promote continuous circular movement, where solids and liquids are sent to the outside of the sump for further transport while air centrifuges into the centre where it can be removed. This ‘whirlpool’ movement can be encouraged by introducing the slurry from the top of the tank at a tangential angle, according to Weir.

Conical designs, rather than those with a flat or rounded floor, further improve the flow of minerals and froth into the pump, the company added.

Smooth sailing from the tank to the pump

To prevent blockages, the intake pipe which links the tank to the pump should be large diameter and slope downwards towards the pump, according to Weir. This design allows escaped air to separate and travel back up the pipe where it can escape from the sump, rather than build up into blockages.

Harvey said: “The shorter your intake pipe, the harder it is for blockages to build up. However, in addition to a maintenance spool and isolation valve, it’s a good idea to leave enough space for a water injection port, which is useful for flushing out any solids build up.

“To make maintenance easier, a dump valve can be included on the suction side of the pump, between the pump and the isolation valve. This will allow you to drain slurry from the pump and discharge pipe system when stopping the pump for maintenance.”

Understanding tenacious froths

Froths are often classified as either brittle – with large air bubbles that break easily – or tenacious – where air forms tight bubbles around minerals and is difficult to separate. Froth being more tenacious than was accounted for is a frequent cause of blockages as air cannot effectively be removed, Weir says.

Harvey said two things are happening in the market today: One, mine operators are grinding the product much finer than before to liberate more from the waste rock. Two, they’re using flocculants that produce much smaller bubbles which lock up the air a lot more than brittle froths.

“We’re working together with customers to find ways to manage these more tenacious froths, by looking at their circuit design and dealing with areas where the air could accumulate and block the system, paying particular attention to their pumps, pipes and sumps,” he said.

Weir Minerals goes big with new Aspir fine coal dewatering centrifuge

Coal technology, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Weir Minerals has announced the expansion of its coal dewatering solutions with the launch of the Aspir™ WFH1730 jumbo horizontal basket fine coal dewatering centrifuge.

The new Aspir WFH1730 jumbo centrifuge is engineered and sized to process 100 t/h of fine coal product. It uses a proven scroll/basket design, combined with high quality wear components, and maintenance friendly wet end, specifically designed to handle varying feed densities, the company says.

Paul Jerks, Product Manager for Weir Minerals Aspir, said: “The design of the inlet/effluent arrangement is such that when the centrifuge is presented with a dilute feed, the jumbo simply centrifuges the effluent directly out of the bottom of the machine eliminating any potential of effluent splashing over into the product chamber. The product chamber is further protected by a labyrinth seal between the effluent and product chamber.”

Central to the Aspir range are the coarse and fine coal centrifuges engineered to deliver outstanding performance and availability in the most arduous coal dewatering applications, Weir says. The WFH 1730 jumbo centrifuge is the world’s first high capacity horizontal fine coal dewatering centrifuge designed around proven principles, such as G-force and basket angle, according to the company. This ensures maximum throughput with highest dewatering efficiency at minimal operating costs.

“Simply put, the Aspir WFH 1730 jumbo centrifuge’s robust design works smarter and longer than other centrifuges on the market to optimise your coal processing capability,” Weir said.

The unit features a cyclone inlet (patent pending) that aids in the process of separating solids and water prior to the fine product being introduced to the basket. Additionally, this inlet assists in bringing the product up to basket speed thereby reducing coal breakage and increasing fines and moisture content.

The Aspir WHF 1730 jumbo centrifuge has a horizontal orientation to allow for a reduced number of gears and shafts within the centrifuge and offers in-situ replacement of the modular drive assembly. Together with the ceramic lined working faces and hinged effluent chamber providing ample clearance of parts providing unfettered access to wet end components, the centrifuge is not only one of the most technologically advanced fine coal dewatering centrifuges available today, but is also one of the easiest to maintain, the company says.

The horizontal basket design with its hinged door arrangement and container lock securing mechanism makes for quick and easy access to the wet end for any maintenance inspections; once open the service technician has direct access to the basket and high capacity scroll.

Paul Jerks added: “The horizontal basket design, unlike a vertical basket centrifuge, uses centrifugal force and gravity to its advantage in that effluent naturally wants to pass through the basket aperture thereby enhancing the centrifuge’s dewatering effect.”

Weir secures largest-ever individual mining order from Fortescue

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining project news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Weir Group says it has been awarded a £100 million ($123 million) order to provide industry-leading energy saving solutions to the Iron Bridge magnetite project, a joint venture between Fortescue Metals Group and Formosa Steel IB.

The order, which includes a range of Weir crushing and pump equipment including Enduron® high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) and GEHO® pumps, will reduce energy consumption and wet tailings waste by more than 30% compared with traditional mining technologies, according to the equipment manufacturer.

The Iron Bridge project, 145 km south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is a $2.6 billion investment in premium magnetite iron ore reserves with annual production, when the mine is fully operational, of 22 Mt/y of 67% Fe concentrate. Delivery of the first ore is expected in 2022.

When the mine build was approved back in April, Fortescue CEO, Elizabeth Gaines, said the innovative design for the project, which included the use of a dry crushing and grinding circuit, “will deliver an industry-leading energy efficient operation with globally competitive capital intensity and operating costs”.

A pilot project to verify the Iron Bridge project design involved processing 1 Mt of ore through a full scale HPGR and air classifier, according to Fortescue.

Weir Group Chief Executive Officer, Jon Stanton, said: “We are delighted to have secured this landmark contract, which is Weir’s largest-ever individual mining order.

“Fortescue challenged us to help create one of the most energy and cost-efficient magnetite ore processing facilities in the world. Our engineers have worked relentlessly to design a solution that is truly innovative – delivering significant energy, water and cost savings. This is a great example of working in close partnership with an ambitious customer who shares our passion for using innovative engineering to make mining more productive and sustainable.”

Ricardo Garib, President of the Weir Minerals division, added: “Our team are really enjoying working with Fortescue. Our engineers relish a challenge and it has been great to work on a project that demonstrates the substantial cost and environmental savings that our range of solutions can offer.

“As more mines look to increase productivity, we look forward to even more opportunities to leverage our combination of passionate people, innovative solutions and comprehensive global service capability.”

Weir’s Enduron HPGRs are increasingly replacing conventional mills in comminution (crushing, screening and grinding) circuits because of their substantially lower energy consumption and potential for significant total cost of ownership reduction, Weir says.

“Not only do they require as much as 40% less energy than traditional alternatives, but their wearable components last much longer and the maintenance time required to replace worn out parts is significantly lower.”

The company outlined the reasons why companies are turning to Enduron HPGRs in a blog post earlier this week.

Weir Minerals says Enduron HPGRs crush the competition

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Weir Minerals says its range of Enduron® high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) make for the perfect pebble crushers, offering highly efficient reduction and generating substantial amounts of fines that reduce the energy required for downstream milling.

These units also reduce water and energy consumption, two resources that miners are actively looking at within their operations.

In the company’s June quarter results, Weir noted that it had seen strong demand for its Enduron HPGR technology, adding that the company had been contracted to support a large greenfield development in the UK in the period.

Whether recirculated through primary milling or separated and sent to a dedicated downstream pebble mill, pebble crushing is an energy-intensive operation that ties up a site’s limited resources, Weir says.

“With their high throughput and capacity for dealing with competent ores, HPGRs make ideal pebble crushers,” the company said. The Enduron HPGR’s low operating costs (owing to its long component wear life and low specific energy requirements) makes it a competitive inclusion in pebble crushing circuits, offering short payback times, according to the company.

Ranging in size from 25-90 mm, pebbles are oversized material produced from autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding, which are too coarse to be crushed by larger lumps of ore and steel balls and too fine to act as grinding media themselves.

As such, pebbles (or critical particle size material) reduce the efficiency of any mill they’re returned to, increasing power consumption and decreasing throughput, Weir says.

When pebbles comprise a large proportion of a (S)AG mill’s feed as they’re returned multiple times, the proportion of large particles which have the power to crush with the force of their impact is reduced and new particles are instead subjected to additional attrition and abrasion. “This can over-grind fines, producing unsuitable ultra-fines,” Weir says.

Regardless of whether they’re receiving feed directly from an upstream SAG mill or further reducing pebbles that have passed through a dedicated cone crusher, HPGRs offer highly efficient reduction, generating substantial amounts of fines that reduce the energy required for downstream milling, Weir says.

“The fineness of products is one of the key compromises in conventional pebble circuits, with pebble crushers unable to maintain high throughput without sacrificing the proportion of well reduced particles.”

By virtue of their variable roll speeds, HPGRs can maintain high levels of throughput without generating a coarser product, allowing a significant amount of product to bypass downstream mills via pre-classification, the company explained.

To obtain the greatest efficiency, an appropriate control system should be selected to monitor and maintain the material level in the HPGR feed chute and control the roll speed and apply optimal operating pressure based on the presented pebble feed rate and quality, according to Weir.

One thing to note when deploying a HPGR in a pebble crushing circuit is that truncated feed (one with a narrow size distribution) may cause higher wear on the surface of the machine’s rollers than encountered in other applications. This is due to the more “mobile” particles generating a weaker autogenous wear layer where the coarse pebble fragments chip away at the coating on the roll-surface.

Oversized rocks that are larger than the machine’s operating gap will further wear away at the roller surface, making the use of a safety screen advisable if the preceding crusher’s output isn’t strictly controlled, Weir says.

Similarly, when placed after a (S)AG mill, a significant quantity of oversized or tramp materials can disrupt HPGR operations. “With their unique ability to dynamically skew their bearings to accommodate varying feed conditions, Enduron HPGRs cope better than other HPGRs under these conditions,” the company said.

However, to further reduce damage to wear materials, a well-designed detection and removal system should be applied, Weir advises. “This would consist of a tramp magnetic separator, a metal detector, and a subsequent tramp metal rejection facility. Such a system should preferably be installed as close as possible to the HPGR, preferentially directly ahead of the HPGR feed chute.”

In circuits with particularly heterogenous ore competencies, such as transition gold ores or coarsely-banded iron ores, HPGRs should be run at variable speeds to ensure throughput is maintained regardless of the feed conditions, according to Weir.

The company concluded: “With the ability to maintain this high level of throughput across a variety of ore types without compromising the fineness of their product, Enduron HPGRs represent an ideal, energy-efficient addition to most pebble crushing circuits.”

Weir Minerals Africa enhances offering with simulation, modelling software

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

Digital design and simulation technology tools are enhancing Weir Minerals Africa’s solution offering to customers, the company says, allowing insights into upstream and downstream improvements that optimise mineral processing.

“With our focus firmly on integrated solutions, we are increasingly able to leverage technology to benefit our customers,” Christian Stehle, Head of Engineering at Weir Minerals Africa, says. “This applies not only to how we design our product solutions, but how we help customers to examine their whole process.”

Simulation and modelling software tools are key enablers in this quest, according to Stehle. “They give the Weir Minerals Africa engineering team the power to use computational fluid dynamics, for instance, to model the behaviour and flow of liquids and gases,” the company said.

Stehle added: “In addition to analysing our own equipment, we can also understand more about what happens upstream of our equipment. Understanding material flow at various points of the customer’s plant process is vital to optimising how our equipment works.”

By the same token, discrete element modelling software simulates material flow of solid particles. This allows users to model the flow of material through feed chutes and into Weir’s crushers and vibrating screens. The analysis software in this field – like everywhere – is constantly advancing, providing an increasingly detailed understanding of material behaviour, according to Weir.

“Using technology tools like these, we put our mechanical and metallurgical expertise at the disposal of the customer,” Stehle says. “It gives us the ability to make a scientific assessment of where their plant challenges lie, while also giving us the power to develop specific solutions to solve the customer’s problems.”

Weir said: “The extensive suite of the company’s mineral processing products can then be employed to address the challenges that are identified using these technology tools.”

Stehle says the value of tools like 3D laser scanning, which can be used to quickly and accurately map a customer’s plant layout and dimensions. The scanned data is then integrated with Weir Minerals Africa’s computer-aided design software to design solutions that fit into the existing plant footprint.

“We can then provide solutions that are engineered to order, with precision that ensures we get it right the first time,” he says. “This means quicker installation and commissioning, so there is less downtime for the plant.”

Fast-evolving software also facilitates the application of finite element analysis for stress analysis in structural design.

As Weir Minerals Africa extends its offerings in comminution, the team puts this technology to work in designing ancillary support structures around its equipment. This includes the design and construction of modular plants for crushing, screening and sand washing.

Weir highlights Enduron HPGR and Terraflow tailings demand in H1 results

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining finance, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , ,

The Minerals and ESCO divisions continued to stand out in Weir Group’s half-year 2019 financial results, with the two mining focused segments now representing around 75% of group revenues.

The Weir Group recorded revenue of £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) in the first six months of the year, up from £1.07 billion a year earlier prior to the ESCO acquisition. Operating profit, meanwhile, was £172 million, up 25% year-on-year, with the Minerals division posting an operating margin of 17.2% and ESCO recording a margin of 14.1% (up 300 basis points from a year earlier).

In addition to Minerals and ESCO now commanding some 75% of group revenues, the two’s recurring aftermarket sales also now represent about 80% of total revenues.

In the first half of 2019, Minerals orders grew 5% with aftermarket orders up 8%, reaching record levels, according to Weir. “Original equipment orders, which are traditionally lumpier, fell by 2% year-on-year, but returned to growth in Q2 (June quarter) and this is expected to accelerate in the second half,” the company said.

ESCO, meanwhile, recorded a 5% increase in pro-forma revenues to £280 million, with annualised cost savings of $20 million ahead of schedule when it comes to the company’s medium-term target of achieving $30 million synergies.

During the period, original equipment demand within the Minerals segment benefited from miners continuing to expand current operations and investment in new mines, with demand for new technologies that increase efficiency and sustainability while lowering total costs, Weir noted.

This included strong demand for the company’s Enduron® HPGR (high pressure grinding roll) technology that reduces water and energy consumption, the company said, adding that the company had been contracted to support a large greenfield development in the UK in the period.

Weir said it also saw growing interest in its Terraflow® solution to enable tailings waste to be cost-effectively recycled or repurposed. This equipment brings wet tailings down to 90% solids paste to be pumped into a containment area or used for paste backfill.

The company added: “Aftermarket demand was strong, due to production growth and structural trends. These include continued ore grade declines that increase the amount of rock that needs to be processed, intensifying wear and tear and leading to additional demand for spares and services,” the company added.

During the period, Weir also added a new Minerals service facility in Alaska, which, it said, gives the division the ability to rapidly respond to demand for spares and services and is a “key differentiator in need-it-now mining markets, where production intensity is increasing, and the costs of unplanned downtime are significant”.

The company’s technology work continued to focus on incremental innovations and “Mine of the Future developments” aimed at solutions that are smarter, more efficient and sustainable, Weir said. This included focusing research and development on new pump and alloy designs, digitisation, ore hoisting, hybrid separation and tailings management.

Weir ESCO benefited from the same macro mining trends as its Minerals segment including increased ore production and the focus by mining customers on optimising productivity, the company said.

“This supported demand for differentiated technology that is proven to sustainably increase efficiency,” it said.
The first half of the year saw early market share gains for the N70 Nemisys® lip system, which extends the division’s Nemisys technology – featuring a cast or plate lip with shrouds and a three-piece tooth system. This is currently being trialled on smaller machine classes including wheel loaders, Weir said. “The N70 improves customer productivity through increased wear life, lower fuel consumption and reduced maintenance costs.”

The company also launched its GET Detect System during the period, an innovation it worked with Australia’s Mining3 on that provides instant feedback to the machine operator if one of the ground engaging tools used to extract minerals is lost or damaged.

Weir Minerals takes a load off slurry pump maintenance

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , ,

An often-overlooked component, lifting tools help keep workers safe, maximise equipment life and can reduce pump rebuild times, according to Weir Minerals.

These tools have become increasingly important for handling slurry pump parts during maintenance as processing equipment has become larger and larger.

David Russell, Trials Manager for Weir Minerals Australia, says: “We have a duty of care to our customers to ensure they remain safe when operating and maintaining our equipment. Adopting our uniquely engineered lifting tools for our slurry pumps mean that when the correct procedures are followed, it’s very safe.”

It was only in the 1990s when a Warman® AH® 20/18 pump, was one of the largest available on the market. Now, it is regarded as a medium-sized model, outdone by the likes of the Warman® MCR® 760 pump.

Weir said: “As equipment has rapidly increased in scale over the past couple of decades, Weir Minerals has developed specially engineered tools to safely disassemble and reassemble machinery, reducing the risks associated with lifting components.”

In the case of slurry pumps, Weir Minerals’ range of lifting tools are designed for use when performing wet-end overhauls. Specific lifting tools are used for impellers, throatbushes, suction covers, frame plate liner inserts, stuffing boxes, casings and volutes.

These tools have also been designed to lift multiple components together to make rebuilds easier and quicker. For example, a lifting beam has been developed that lifts a suction cover squarely with the throatbush still attached to it.
“Using purpose designed assembly equipment in accordance with OEM lifting procedures can reduce rebuild time, in some cases by up to 50%, leading to increased plant uptime and availability,” the company said.

Russell said: “When lifting pump parts weighing more than two tonnes in restricted areas, there is little room for error. Often, the components will be worn and it is crucial they can still be secured and lifted safely in accordance with the strict global standards that Weir Minerals adheres to.”

When designing lifting equipment, Weir Minerals says it also carefully considers the mechanical strength and the stresses placed on the components being lifted, since worn parts are likely to be weaker and more brittle than new parts.

When it comes to impeller lifting tools, some competitors may employ a simple hook design, increasing the risk of the impeller falling off. Weir Minerals has developed a tool with a fixed locking jaw so that the impeller eye is locked in position and the component is properly secured prior to being lifted, the company says. “This positive engagement across two points of contact ensures that components are lifted evenly and securely with minimal risk of injury,” it said.

Independently certified in each region, the tools are manufactured and sold to meet local health and safety requirements, according to the company.

Joel Goodwin, Weir Minerals’ Aftermarket Manager for Warman pumps, said: “Safety is central in everything we do at Weir Minerals.

“We are an OEM supplier who complies with global safety standards and we adopt a stage-gated development process incorporating risk assessments and product stewardship best practice for equipment design and lifting.”

MATSA wins quick payback from Weir Cavex hydrocylone installation

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

Weir Minerals says the introduction of a Cavex® hydrocyclone cluster at MATSA’s processing plant, in Spain, has delivered payback in just three days.

MATSA is a modern Spanish mining company based in the north of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, a mining district that has been active for more than 2,500 years. The company, owned 50:50 by Trafigura and Mubadala Investment Company, owns and operates three mines in the province of Huelva, Spain: Aguas Teñidas and Magdalena, located in Almonaster la Real, and the Sotiel mine, in Calañas.

The processing plant, in Almonaster, recently went through a €236 million ($266 million) expansion that saw capacity go from 2.2 Mt/y to 4.4-4.7 Mt/y through the addition of a second plant. The plant now has the capacity to treat copper and polymetallic ores through three grinding lines.

Weir Minerals says it has been working with MATSA to optimise its minerals treatment plant’s primary and secondary grinding circuits.

Seda Kahraman, Regional Process Engineer Manager for Weir Minerals, said: “We have been working with MATSA for 12 years and our service team has built a solid partnership with them. We opened a service site close to MATSA and employed a full-time Service Engineer on site to provide adequate support.

“Their success is our success, and working on this particular project was both very challenging and very rewarding. They needed to increase their grinding circuit capacity from 275 t/h to 307 t/h, whilst reducing the quantity of ultrafines in the final overflow of the second hydrocyclone cluster.”

Antonio Gamiz, MATSA Plant Technical Director, said: “To maximise our plant productivity we needed a Cavex hydrocyclone cluster that was specifically designed to our application. This was achieved without an extension of the plant area and with minimal capital expenditure.”

Weir Minerals took a holistic approach to this challenge by first creating a simulation of the entire primary and secondary grinding circuit. This enabled it to visualise how the process should be running, and the most appropriate way to deliver this.

Following the simulation, the best operating conditions were calculated to support the required capacity increase and elimination of slimes, Weir said. This included the ball mills, mill liners and hydrocyclones. Using 3D laser scanner technology, the team at Weir Minerals developed a suitable layout for the equipment, including modification and steel structures.

Kahraman said:“This truly was a turnkey solution; the team had to pull together all their smarts, capabilities and tools to ensure MATSA’s grinding capacity was raised, whilst simultaneously reducing the quantity of ultrafines from their overflow. We achieved this with a range of tools and techniques including engineer design, subcontract management, and manufacturing of steel.”

To deliver the solutions MATSA required, Weir Minerals replaced the primary hydrocyclone cluster, as well as the spare parts on the secondary hydrocyclone cluster; redesigned the steel structure and walkways; installed new hydrocyclone feed pumps and piping configurations, installing and commissioning the entire project, Weir said.

The modification to the steelwork and piping, as well as the assembly of the new three-way Cavex 650CVX hydrocyclone cluster were completed in less than four days without any production interruptions, according to Weir.

Upon analysing samples from various points in the grinding circuit, it was confirmed the feed capacity had successfully increased to 300-307 t/h.

Kahraman said: “In addition to the desired increase in grinding capacity, we also improved circulating load in the primary ball mill and restored the feed pressure to the Cavex hydrocyclones to 85 kPa. We are thrilled that MATSA achieved payback in just three days due to the increase in production by 500 t/d, and achieved additional revenue of €2,751/h.”

Weir Minerals’s Essack on end-to-end tailings and pipeline solutions

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , ,

As mining companies’ tailings facilities continue to be scrutinised by regulators and non-governmental organisations, Weir Minerals Africa Process Manager, Hoosen Essack, has talked up the need for tailored tailings solutions for the future.

Combined with the stringent accountability that mine operators have to local communities, tailings management is now a significant consideration, with processing requirements and technology changing rapidly. Traditionally involved in the pumping of tailings, at Weir Minerals we have extended our expertise into this area to encompass the entire tailings process. From dewatering to transport, disposal, and the conversion of tailings into a resource, we can provide customers with an end-to-end tailings and pipeline solution.

This holistic, solutions-based approach to tailings management strengthens our relationship with customers and adds value to their operation beyond pumping. In light of water conservation, operational sustainability and safe deposition of tailings, it’s important that we invest in this area to help solve crucial issues within the mining sector.

Our extension into the tailings processing field means we are now involved in the production of the material, as opposed to simply transporting it. Through extensive consultation, site visits and audits, our team ascertains the customer’s objectives and recommends a complete, optimal solution to meet their needs, which can include dewatering equipment, piping, pumps, valves and instrumentation.

This seamless approach is a departure from the traditional industry practice of sourcing components from multiple suppliers, which are challenging to integrate. Our extensive research and development capabilities means we can provide a wide spectrum of tailings management options not limited by a particular type of technology or equipment.

This involves assessing the variations in capital and operating expenditure along with the overall and long-term benefits of each, providing a truly customised solution. Prior to implementation, rigorous testing and trials are conducted to assess viability and performance ahead of final selection, detailed design and engineering, delivery and commissioning. Another key benefit to customers is the ability to transform tailings into products, which can safely be used by the mine, such as road construction material. This involves dewatering of tailings, in which we have extensive expertise.

Dewatering involves removing liquid from waste slurry so that the remaining solids can be deposited in a tailings storage facility or returned to the site from which it was mined as backfill. There are several dewatering methods to render waste slurry to differing degrees of dryness, ready for transport from the plant to the deposition site. Any liquid recovered through dewatering is returned for reuse in the process.

We can provide a variety of processing systems inclusive of equipment and infrastructure to achieve the final tailings product that is required by the customer, from thickening to create a paste, or applying a filter to produce a product which can be dry deposited. As tailings management evolves, the industry is moving towards the latter for increased safety and stability, and in the process maximising water recovery.

As mine operators become more vigilant in managing their tailings, new processing technology is continually developed, including at the Weir Technical Centre in Australia. Innovative, uniquely tailored solutions incorporating high performance equipment and a global service footprint means we are leading the industry in making tailings more sustainable. Ideally, this will lead to a future where tailings related hazards are a thing of the past.