Modern Mining June 2024

Above: Enduron screens installed as part of the beneficiation process at a local iron ore mine. Left: A Trio cone crusher and surge bin are part of a two stage crushing and screening plant at a local iron ore mine.

HPGRs require no grinding media or additional water, lowering the environmental impact of the equipment. HPGRs saved over 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide during 2021, for instance,” says Masekwameng. “The fact that these units require no grinding media saved another 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide.” This equipment underpinned a large magnetite project in Western Australia, which began production in 2022, where priority was given to dry processing and energy efficiency. That project made full use of Weir Minerals’ range of solutions from Enduron® HPGRs, GEHO® and Warman® pumps, Cavex® hydro cyclones and Isogate® valves. Closer to home, a stockpile recovery project at the old Thabazimbi iron ore mine in Limpopo province is relying on a two-stage crushing and screening plant from Weir Minerals Africa – liberat ing the desired iron ore from the unwanted gangue minerals. Two Trio® cone crushers were coupled with a surge bin tower and a Trio® EF pan feeder to ensure choke feeding conditions which optimise grades, recovery and equipment reliability. For sec ondary crushing, a Trio® TC51 cone crusher was chosen, while the TP350 cone crusher conducts the tertiary crushing. Other equipment on site included the Enduron® DHG24/48 double deck horizontal secondary screen. Ensuring both the operational and environmen tal performance of its crushers and screens requires a dedicated and well-resourced service function, emphasises Masekwameng. This is a vital aspect of Weir Minerals Africa’s commitment to its warranties – to ensure that the performance and condition of equipment is closely monitored. “Here we combine our proximity to customers with our digital monitoring capabilities,” she says. “Our digital platform allows us and our customers to

monitor the performance of their equipment in real time from remote locations. As importantly, we have our capable service centres located in close proxim ity to customers, so our technicians and spares are always close at hand.” With 12 service centres in South Africa, there is always ready support for all the country’s mining regions; they are also located in Ghana, Central Africa, Namibia and Botswana. This high level of sup port is crucial not only to maintain the equipment’s condition but also, she argues, to constantly optimise performance through the mine’s lifecycle. “The mining sector is dealing with a common challenge of diminishing ore grades,” she says. “A close partnership with OEMs can help mines to achieve the highest recoveries possible; it also often means increasing the throughput of a plant to reach the same production levels of valuable prod uct which Weir Minerals is able to deliver with the current portfolio of comminution equipment that includes crushers, screens, HPGR and VSM.” Weir Minerals Africa facilitates this collaboration by ensuring its experienced technicians are often on site to better understand the conditions and chal lenges faced by the customer. Data from the field is used to improve the control of each item of equip ment as well as the full circuit – so the system can be optimised with less need for physical observations and manual adjustments. 

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June 2024  MODERN MINING  21