Modern Mining January 2015

PRODUCT News

FLSmidth helps boost recoveries at New Luika

An Adsorption, Desorption and Refining (ADR) plant supplied by FLSmidth has allowed Shanta Mining Company Limited (SMCL) to boost its gold and silver recov- ery at the New Luika Gold Mine (NLGM) in south-west Tanzania. Dave Capstick, Business Development Manager at FLSmidth, says the 2-t ADR plant has resulted in an increased carbon through- put to the CIL circuit at NLGM from 20 t a month to 80 t at present.

forms part of FLSmidth’s offering of gold recovery equipment.The strip circuit in par- ticular consistently delivers stripping times of between eight to nine hours. “Given the rise in energy costs, our improved heater skid designs have resulted in significant power savings for the end user compared to competitor designs.” Capstick points to a recent field case study that highlighted heat recoveries of about 90 %. “Our electrowinning cells with bas- ketless cathodes carry a patented in-cell washing design that reduces cathode washing time and eliminates the need to remove the cathodes from the cell for washing,” says Capstick. He adds that FLSmidth’s carbon regeneration kiln has a patented sealing arrangement that avoids air entering the kiln. “The kiln also features a robust design to avoid warping, which otherwise results in kiln misalignment and operational inefficiencies.” Wally Channon, Technical Manager at SMCL, says: “The ADR plant at our New Luika mine has already exceeded the design performance target and removed the previous bottleneck to increased pro- interpreting the clients’ requirements and understanding the unique challenges that they face. From there, we are able to cre- ate a customised solution that is not simply product-based, but tailor-made to meet the expectations of our broad client base,” he continues. MSP also reports that it exports its proprietary Rocprop all-steel elongated support system to the Asian, North American and Australasian mining mar- kets. Engelbrecht admits that low coal prices have placed pressure on the export business, as mining operations continue to reduce overhead costs. “The United States coal market is a major Rocprop client; however, an over- supply of gas in that region has pushed the coal prices down, which has supressed the market considerably. We are in the pro- cess of testing a new product called the Combination Prop, in an effort to remain competitive in a market that is becoming increasingly cost conscious,” he explains. DCD Group, tel (+27 16) 427-2850 cess plant throughput.” FLSmidth, tel (+27 10) 210-4820

The ADR plant comprises an acid wash, a Zadra strip circuit with an FLSmidth designed heater skid, an electrowinning circuit and a carbon regeneration kiln, in addition to ancillary equipment such as pumps, screens and tanks for carbon han- dling. “All the equipment was designed and manufactured by FLSmidth. It was shipped, installed and commissioned jointly by our South African and Salt Lake offices,”Capstick says. Commissioning took place in the second quarter of 2014. Initial results from

the new plant point to an improvement in gold recovery of two percentage points, while silver recovery has tripled. The ben- efits of the new ADR plant were apparent at an early stage, and the plant represents an important step in the debottleneck- ing of the gold/silver recovery process. The ADR p l an t

An ADR plant supplied by FLSmidth for Shanta’s New Luika Gold Mine in Tanzania is exceeding the design performance target.

Growth for MSP despite the mining downturn Despite a turbulent year with regards to local labour unrest and pressure on international commodity prices, Mine Support Products (MSP) experienced growth in 2014, thanks – it says – to its proactive approach to business in a con- stantly-changing environment.

brecht notes that after drilling a support hole in the rock to the required diameter and length, the cement or resin capsule is inserted and the Shredderbolt is con- nected via a spinning adapter to the drilling machine and spun into the hole. “This rup- tures the capsule and effectively mixes the cement. Once the capsule contents are mixed and cured, a tensile force can be applied onto the bolt. The yielding force of the bolt linearly increases to the maximum strength of the material, and occurs over a minimum elongation distance.” Shredderbolt has already been imple- mented at a number of gold mines in South Africa, and Engelbrecht is confident that the product will achieve measurable success in the future. He does, however, indicate that service delivery excellence is just as impor- tant as new product innovations when it comes to maintaining consistent success in a highly competitive market. “We are committed to constantly improving our service and solutions offering to our client base, by correctly

Vereeniging-based MSP is a globally recognised manufacturer of products and solutions for underground mining applica- tions, and is jointly owned by international manufacturing and engineering company DCD Group, and Robor. A major contributor to MSP’s success was the launch of the innovative new Shredderbolt system – a unique under- ground support system that acts as a non-mechanical end anchored bolt that can be used with cement or resin. The patented wedge-shaped mixing cone at the end of the bolt aids in cement or resin mixing, acts as an end anchor and allows for constant yielding of the bolt through cement if required. MSP General Manager Conrad Engel­

70  MODERN MINING  January 2015