Modern Mining June 2021

Linatex hose reduces downtime and operating costs at Namdeb

The installation by Weir Minerals Africa of a Linatex 808 hard wall rubber hose with wear indicator system is reducing down- time and operating costs at Namdeb’s Sendelingsdrift treatment plant in Namibia. The challenge facing Sendelingsdrift was that it was changing out the incum- bent competitor’s rubber hoses every four weeks due to excessively high wear rates. In addition to the ongoing downtime, the plant also risked losing concentrate due to the hose failures. As the concentrate media contains diamonds, additional security was required when dealing with hose failures that result in concentrate leakage – adding to the costs. The Weir Minerals Africa service teams regularly visited Sendelingsdrift to engage with the plant manager, area engineers and other operational staff to get a better understanding of their requirements and problematic applications. After an audit of the site, the team considered all the parameters and proposed a trial of a Linatex 808 rubber hose fitted with a wear indicator system. The proposed solution would be capa- ble of withstanding the slurry flow rate of 84 ℓ /s with a slurry density of 2,65 t/m³. The wear indicator system installed on the hose would indicate when the hose was nearing the end of its life; no physical inspections would be necessary. In addition, Sendelingsdrift would save the cost of additional security requirements by eliminating premature hose failures. Sendelingsdrift agreed to the pro- posed trial, and the Weir Minerals Africa service team conducted weekly site visits to inspect the hose and the wear indicator system. While the competitor hose gener- ally failed after delivering 32 000 t of ore, the trial showed that the Linatex 808 rub- ber hose surpassed 162 000 t.

The Linatex 808 hard wall hose being installed at Namdeb’s Sendelingsdrift site.

The hose lasted seven and a half months before being replaced, which was more than six times longer than the com- petitor’s hose – representing a significant cost saving for the customer. The Linatex rubber hose processed over 2,5-million

tonnes of concentrate and a similar volume of slurry during this time. Designed for dual delivery and suction applications, Linatex 808 rubber hose can be custom manufactured to any size and is available with a range of flange types. 

Tove Andersen takes the reins at TOMRA Norway-headquartered global technol- ogy company TOMRA Systems ASA has announced that current president and CEO, Stefan Ranstrand, will be replaced by Tove Andersen by November 1 this year.

“I am very excited to take on the role as the new CEO of TOMRA. I have seen the impact TOMRA is making and to join this company wi th sustainability at the core of its strategy is a privilege.” Ranstrand, who has been TOMRA’s president and CEO since 2009, says: “I am thrilled to welcome Tove Andersen as the new CEO of TOMRA. Tove has vast inter- national experience working for Yara, a company like TOMRA that has sustainability at the core of its strategy. I look forward to seeing the impact Tove will make in leading the resource revolution.” 

Tove joins TOMRA from global agricul- tural products and environmental protection agents provider, YARA International, where she is currently executive vice president Europe. Comment ing on her appointment , Andersen says: “I have seen the great work that TOMRA is doing to enable the circu- lar economy while also ensuring resource responsibility and minimizing waste across the food, recycling and mining industries. It is really motivating to be joining TOMRA to lead the resource revolution.

June 2021  MODERN MINING  37