18
54
8
CONTENTS
JANUARY 2017
8 PROCESS CONTROL & DESIGN There is a big push in process control for digital solutions, particularly having data available and managed through cloud-based technology as well as physically on site, reports Paul Moore
18 MAINTENANCE In this prolonged low commodity price environment, the importance of new and innovative maintenance strategies, tools and approaches is increasing, reports Paul Moore
42
66
58
COVER: LOESCHE
42 SOUTH AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY Ahead of the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, John Chadwick takes his annual look at the latest in technology and services from leading South African providers
54 LITHIUM GRAPHITE REEs With ever increasing demand for graphite, rare earths and lithium in key markets such as electronics; hybrid electric vehicles and rare earth magnets, Paul Moore looks at some key processing and technology developments
58 FATIGUE AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE Predicting and where possible eliminating fatigue in mining operations; as well as introducing new collision avoidance and object detection systems, remain top priorities for today’ s safety conscious mining industry, reports Paul Moore
66 HIGH PROFILE – EXXONMOBIL Paul Moore visited the Mobil Serv SM Lubricant Analysis Laboratory( MSLA) in Pernis, The Netherlands, to see the next generation of used oil analysis technology www. im-mining. com JANUARY 2017
The cover this month features a LOESCHE mill type LM 24.2, with proven vertical roller mill technology, used for the production of ground phosphate( phosphorite) at EuroChem’ s crushing and processing plant in Zhanatas, in the South Kazakh region of Zhambyl. LOESCHE technology is at the heart of the plant, helping to develop the large-scale phosphate rock deposit – the most important raw material for the production of phosphate-containing fertilisers. The plant has been successfully operating since the first quarter of 2016. During a performance test of 72 h, the new grinding plant surpassed customer expectations. The plant not only reached all contractual guaranteed values, but even significantly exceeded the guaranteed production capacity. Furthermore, a further 15 % specific energy consumption was saved compared to the original guaranteed values. www. loesche. com
SOUTH AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY
MAINTENANCE
PROCESS CONTROL & DESIGN
Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry
FATIGUE & COLLISION AVOIDANCE
LITHIUM GRAPHITE REEs
AROUND THE WORLD 3 The Leader 4 World Prospects 68 Forthcoming Events IBC Classifieds
JANUARY 2017 | International Mining 1