Modern Mining April 2019

feature MODULAR PLANTS A 250 ton per hour

the 1950s. The largest load is the Motor Control Centre (MCC), which weighs 18 tons. Swarts, who describes the project as employ- ing “extreme modularisation”, says that each module is skid-mounted and incorporates all electrics, piping and instrumentation. “All the modules are tested prior to being transported to site,” he says. “Once on site, it is a relatively straightforward operation to place the skids in position and connect them to neighbour- ing units. The most difficult and detailed work takes place in the factory rather than on site. Planning, however, has to be incredibly accu- rate to ensure that everything required for site installation – down to the smallest washers – is on hand to allow work to proceed seamlessly and without interruption.” According to Swarts, modularisation will result in the facility being delivered far faster than would have been the case if a conventional approach to construction had been adopted. “It’s difficult to be precise but we estimate that the time-saving is between six and twelve months. Bear in mind, too, that we are working on a brownfield site, which would have com- plicated in-situ construction of the plant.” A significant MET63 contract which is cur- rently in its final phase is a 250 ton per hour crushing plant at the Sebilo manganese mine of Sebilo Resources near Hotazel in the Northern Cape. This is a new modular plant – utilising feeders, crushers and screens from Osborn – that replaces the mobile crushing and screen- ing equipment presently being used. Another project completed is a 50 ton per hour chrome crushing and milling plant for a South African mining company. On the subject of modularisation, Swarts makes the point that MET63 can design and supply modular plants for any application, including comminution plants, DMS, flotation

nickel sulphate for the global lithium-ion bat- tery market. The developer is Thakadu Battery Materials, part of the Thakadu Group. Thakadu has Ruli Diseko as its CEO and Danie Smit as its COO. Smit and Swarts are old colleagues, hav- ing worked together previously. Smit, in fact, was a co-founder of MET63 (along with Swarts and Jacolien Wyethe). After several years in research, development and design, the Thakadu plant is now at a very advanced stage, after the first sod was turned on site in September 2018. MET63, in conjunc- tion with Thakadu, has designed the facility and is executing the project on an EPCM basis. The plant is highly complex with ground- breaking technology and incorporates a range of advanced processes. Modularisation underpins the entire proj- ect, with the permanent works constructed on site consisting of an acid-proof foundation and a structure to enclose the plant modules. The skids are being fabricated and manufactured by Styria Stainless Steel Fabrication, a vastly experienced engineering company founded in

Visualisation of a MET63-designed hydrometallurgical modular nickel purification plant.

manganese crushing and screening plant designed by MET63.

32  MODERN MINING  April 2019