MechChem Africa November-December 2020

⎪ Minerals processing and materials handling ⎪

Digitalising minerals processing for more control Mining’s accelerated move toward digital solutions since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is being supported by FLSmidth’s decades of research and development. The company has over 80 projects underway to improve its mining- related offerings. T erence Osborn, FLSmidth’s director of product and account manage- ment for sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, highlights R&D as the performance of equipment and process plants in real time. The ECS/ControlCenter™ V8 process control platform sits at the heart of our digital vision, a key component in our growing portfolio of digital solutions and services, which we call ENABLR.”

Terence Osborn, FLSmidth’s director of product and account management for sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

pany’s machine-level solutions are offered as part of plant and process packages. At both plant and process level, there are also FLSmidth’s advanced ECS/ProcessExpert ® solutions, which facilitate not just monitor- ing and control, but advanced optimisation enabled by state-of-the-art AI technologies. “It is important to remember that control systems need to be flexible, so they adapt to customers’ needs and to their existing systems,” he says. “With FLSmidth’s depth of expertise in software engineering and machine control, we can ensure that our machine-level systems connect with all mar- ket leading control systems – to seamlessly deliver the data that mines need for effective decision-making.” The company’s R&D pushes the bound- aries of performance in a range of mineral processing fields. These include advancing its lamellaplate technology inmineral separation applications,adaptingitsverticalrollermillfor drygrinding inmining, andextendingwear life of pumps with new polymers. www.flsmidth.com

the lifeblood of the company’s new technolo- gies. So much so, that it has some 80 projects underway to improve its mining-related offerings. “The power of digital technology is cer- tainly a key element of these efforts,” says Osborn. “Together with our Blue Box digital concept, based on our ECS/ControlCenter™, which is a cybersecure interface between our equipment and cloud data storage, we use our SiteConnect™mobile app tomonitor

An example of this applied capability is an FLSmidth REFLUX ® Classifier modular plant operating on a South African mine. Using SiteConnect, operations managers can have real-time access to over a hundred operational parameters on the plant. Data analytics linked to the cloud data can also generate time-based trends for instant view- ing on the app. “We have also developed

SmartCyclone™ technology for our hydrocyclones,”Osborn notes. “This innovation uses sensors to detect wear and roping, a condition that reduces separation efficiency. By send - ing an alert when certain oper- ating parameters arebreached, the system ensures optimal efficiency is maintained, even as slurry conditions in the cir- cuit vary.” He highlights that the com-

With its decades of product development, FLSmidth is well placed to offer customer remote monitoring, control and process optimisation.

Mobile drum tipper with safety cage

Flexicon’s new mobile TIP-TITE ® Drum Tipper with safety cage allows hands-free, automated dumping of bulk solid materials from 115 to 200 ℓ drums throughout the plant, with no dusting or danger associated with sudden shifting of contents. The three-sided carbon steel cage with safety interlocked doors is mounted on a mobile frame with quick-acting jack screws for stability. A platform raises the drum hydraulically, creating a dust-tight seal be- tween the rimof thedrumand theunderside of a discharge cone. A second hydraulic cylinder then tips the platform-hoodassembly,stoppingitatdump anglesof45,60or90degreeswithamotion- dampening feature, causing the spout of

adapters allow for safe, dust-tight dumping of small-diameter drums and pails. www.flexicon.co.za

the discharge cone to mate with a gasketed receiving ring on the lid of an enclosed hop- per that charges a flexible screw conveyor. A pneumatically-actuated

slide gate at the spout can be opened once the discharge cone has sealed to the receiving ring to discharge material, and then closed before returning the drum to its original position, with no dustemittedthroughoutthecycle. Constructed of carbon steel with stainless steel material con- tact surfaces, the unit is also avail- able in an all-stainless steel finish that meets food, dairy or pharma- ceutical standards. Optional cone

Flexicon’s new mobile TIP-TITE ® Drum Tipper with safety-interlocked cage.

November-December 2020 • MechChem Africa ¦ 13