Modern Mining January 2019

PRODUCT News

Innovative sand washing plant from CDE

pacted form. This build-up can restrict coal flows and place undue stress on the silo walls, as well as clog silo outlets. Such was the extent of the coal build-up that the Skyriders team itself jumped in to assist when the contractor responsible for removal of the initial coal build-up began to experience complications. “We were ulti- mately responsible for the entire scope of work. It is safe to say that our timely and effective intervention saved the day for the colliery,” Zinn comments. Not only was the project completed within the tight timeframe but the visual inspection revealed that no additional con- crete repairs were necessary.Within 12 hours of the successful completion of the inspec- tion, the silo was up and running again. Mike Zinn, Skyriders, tel (+27 11) 312-1418, e-mail: mike@ropeaccess.co.za “With all modules working as a closed circuit, sand production is seamless, effi- cient and in specification every time. As valuable fines lost to ponds is a thing of the past, operators can reduce the footprint of their ponds, save on their maintenance and therefore on downtime, speeding up production times and therefore return on investment.” CDE, website: www.cdeglobal.com Each Combo™ modular plant is tai- lored to the client’s needs, with a range of options that allows for tonnage flexibility to suit all sizes of operations – and antici- pates future needs – from 30 to 250 t/h. A plug-and-play system that allows for unrivalled control of silt cut points thanks to a highly efficient cyclone-based process, the Combo™ technology prevents loss of sand in the overflow and loss of valuable fines to ponds. Every grain of valuable product is retained in the system. Thomas Doyle, CDE Product Develop- ment Engineer and Combo™ Expert, said: “The Combo™ all-in-one materials washing plant marks a giant step towards helping customers resolve various issues from the bulkiness of stick-built structures to sand feed availability. “All six processing stages of the Combo™ plant have been conceived with low energy consumption as a must, whilst operators also benefit from exceptionally economical water consumption, with an incorporated water management unit that recycles up to 90 % of used water directly into the system.

Available from CDE is the patented Combo™ all-in-one wet processing and water recycling plant, which is said to be a trail-blazer. According to Nicolan Govender, Regional Manager for sub-Saharan Africa at CDE, the plant offers a practical solution to the concerns of operators who need to juggle the delivery of high-quality con- struction sands versus stringent legislative requirements aimed at protecting the earth from further depletion of its natural sand reserves. “Versatile and powerful, the Combo™ wet processing system can produce up to three in-spec products from natural sand or, crucially, from crushed rock, turning

what is often considered as a waste by- product into a product that adds value to the business,” he said. “In South Africa, where issues related to access to water and energy remain at the centre of the materials industry’s con- cerns, the features of the CDE Combo™ system ideally match quarry operators’ requirements.” The Combo™ features patented tech- nology that combines feeding, washing, grading, dewatering, water recycling and stockpiling onto one compact chassis. It allows up to three in-spec final materials ready for market straight from the belts – two sands and one aggregate product – to be produced.

The CDE Combo™ washing and water recycling solution.

Skyriders saves the day at silo inspection A combination of rope access and the use of an Elios collision-tolerant drone allowed a prominent colliery near Delmas in Mpumalanga to complete a routine silo inspection in record time, not only minimis- ing downtime but ensuring the health and safety of all involved in the fast-track project. The project took place over a routine ten-day shutdown at the colliery at the end of July last year, which imposed an immov- able deadline for the inspection work to be concluded, Skyriders Marketing Manager Mike Zinn explains. “Not only was our scope of work manifold, but the time pres- sure was immense. Skyriders deployed a 21-person team, consisting of a two-person drone team, 18 rope-access technicians, and an inspection manager to oversee the

successful completion of the project.” The first phase was to deploy the Elios collision-tolerant drone to ascertain the extent of the coal build-up within the silo, which then gave another contractor the necessary information to plan to remove the coal as quickly and effectively as possible. The Skyriders’ rope-access team would then re-enter the cleaned-out silo, wash all the internal walls using a high-pres- sure cleaning system, and then carry out a detailed visual inspection in order to determine any defects in the concrete that required lining repair. The presence of various factors such as moisture in the silo causes the coal material to bind and adhere to the walls in a com-

66 _ MODERN MINING _ January 2019