Modern Mining December 2017

PRODUCT News

Dual valves and poppet samplers from eDART are reportedly allowing exceptional level control at Northam’s Booysendal plant. eDART Slurry Valves Director Richard Rule commented: “When Booysendal was originally built in 2010, we supplied dual dart valves and poppet samplers and continue to be involved in the commis- sioning and after-sales support to Booysendal who have sourced additional samplers from us over the years. Our dart valves have kept the level error to less than 2,5 % over an eight-hour period at this plant. This is a great and important achievement as level control is vital in order to maintain the required ‘grade’ of the concentrate. “External dart valves were initially chosen for flotation level control to concentrate the metal fromore, and they currently have 27 flotation machines each fitted with a dual dart valve. It can be argued that this is the most important valve on a concentrator as it is the last control- ling element that determines if the metal reports to the concentrator or is lost to the tails.” According to Rule, Booysendal has commented that eDart valves offer the best level control they have experienced on a plant. “We do not just sell our product and walk away. We offer a considered assess- ment of valve requirements to our customers, and throughout the first year of operation, after our original installation at Booysendal, we assisted in the optimisation and fine tuning of the plant to ensure that the best possible performance was obtained from our valves.” Richard Rule, eDART International & Projects, tel (+27 11) 823-6620 Dart valves prove their worth Ranger drill rigs push the envelope The new Ranger DXi series top hammer drill rigs from Sandvik Mi n i ng and Rock Technology are said to push boundar- ies with several new high-performing fea- tures for improving the drilling process. These include wide drilling coverage, Sandvik-style ‘intelligence’ and high fuel efficiency. All of the Ranger DXi series top hammer surface drill rigs feature a revolving superstructure. The new Ranger DX900i has a 290-degree reach, enabling a drilling coverage of 55 m 2 , which saves working time and minimises the need to reposition the rig. Despite the rig’s ability to rotate, its counterweight structure ensures stability by maintain- ing weight opposite the boom. Ranger DXi rigs are extremely mobile, thanks to a low centre of gravity and high tramming power. Features include a new rockdrill family with 21-27 kW power and Sandvik GT 60 tools which enable higher productivity with straighter 92-127 mm holes. Operator ergonomics and low cabin noise have been focus areas in the development of the new iCab cabin. A new user interface has been developed based on several customer trials. According to Sandvik, positive feedback has been received on the good ergonomics and easy-to-use joysticks and control panels. Rumisha Motilal, Sandvik, tel (+27 11) 925-5300, e-mail: rumisha.motilal@sandvik.com The Ranger DX900i has a 290-degree reach.

December 2017  MODERN MINING  39