WORLD PROSPECTS
VeRo Liberator comminution makes strides
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eviewed by Gregor Borg from manufacturer
PMS GmbH at MEI’s Physical Separation
conference recently in Falmouth, UK, the
innovative VeRo Liberator ® applies a mechanical
high-velocity comminution principle, where
numerous hammer tools rotate clockwise and
anti-clockwise on three levels around a vertical
shaft-inshaft (hollow shaft) system. The resulting
high-frequency, high-velocity impacts cause a
highly turbulent particle flow and trigger fracture
nucleation and fracture propagation preferentially
at and along mineral boundaries. Breakage of
coarser particles occurs from the high-velocity
stimulation of bulk ore particles, where the
elasticity and compressibility modules control
differential particle behaviour.
The improved breakage behaviour results in a
drastically reduced energy consumption of only 3
to 13 kWh/t and very high degrees of particle
liberation in the relatively coarse fraction of the
product. On an industrial scale, Anglo American
has already applied two customised VeRo
Liberators® in its South African platinum
operations and has ordered a third which is due to
be shipped. All three are specially designed to be
used in industrial-scale pilot tests at their
operations. Anglo refers to the approach as “shock-
break technology” and has mentioned it in several
investor presentation as well as showing graphics
of the high-velocity comminution inside the VeRo
machine.
Elsewhere, Penoles and Fresnillo in Mexico have
carried out advanced test-comminution of ores
from several of their gold-silver-zinc-lead mines in
Mexico. All of the mentioned installations have
been around the 100 t/h throughput level.
The 2019 MEI paper described results from
test-comminution by VeRo Liberator ® of ores from
Cienega mine, Durango Province, Mexico, in
comparison
to
Cienega’s
conventional
comminution by SAG milling and ball milling. The
results show that the VeRo Liberator ® achieves a
similarly high degree of particle liberation
compared to the SAG mill, but at a drastically
coarser particle size. This is achieved at
significantly lower energy consumption and thus
energy costs and allows for more efficient
dewatering of comminuted waste material and,
consequently, for potentially more stable slimes
dams. The mechanical high-velocity impact
comminution by VeRo Liberator ® hence overcomes
the notorious problems of inefficient breakage in
conventional ball and SAG mills.
www.pms-handelskontor.de;
www.fresnilloplc.com; www.angloamerican.com
Lihir gets 4G LTE network
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4 International Mining | JULY 2019
Private LTE technology
further validates it as a
dependable and
scalable networking
platform for the mining
industry and one that
enables mining houses
to digitally transform.
“We’ve provided Newcrest with a tailored
platform that will underpin its safety and digital
mining ambitions and will help improve
productivity and deliver new value and
efficiencies to the business,” she said. “They’ll be
using it to further modernise the mine site to
enable the use of current and future mining
applications, including tele-remote and
autonomous systems, more extensively.”
The platform is completely independent from
public mobile networks, according to Telstra,
with Newcrest having been provided with its own
dual-frequency base stations, LTE core and SIM
cards, with the network’s configuration and
coverage designed and implemented to meet the
Lihir mine’s safety strategy and long-term mine
plan.
Telstra Mining Services’ solution also includes
‘HetNet’ functionality that allows the Newcrest
vehicle fleet to seamlessly switch between LTE
and existing Wi-Fi networks without impacting
critical mining applications.
Newcrest complemented the LTE technology
solution by implementing new towers, data
centres and redundant power systems across the
site, according to Telstra.
McGill added: “Newcrest and Telstra Mining
Services took what has become a best-in-class
preliminary deployment approach with the
network. Designing it for full production but
initially deploying at two sites allowed Newcrest
to validate the design principles, implementation
techniques and practical capabilities of LTE
before scaling their investment.”
Newcrest’s pragmatic approach, combined
with flexibilities in the solution from Telstra
Mining Services, enabled the desired outcomes
and learning to be achieved within a relatively
short timeframe, despite the remoteness of the
Lihir operation, according to Telstra. Future
phases of the project will further enhance
coverage in-line with Lihir’s 20-year mine plan,
and provide for expansion of coverage and
capacity across the mine, processing plant, port
and camp.
Chris Jordaan, General Manager, Newcrest
Lihir, said: “The Lihir mine extends 300 m into a
volcanic crater and our workers can often be
exposed to elevated temperatures. Tele-remote
and autonomous mining technologies are
fundamental to working the hot work areas that
will become more dominant features of our
operation in the future.
“The Private LTE network will be a great
enabler for these technologies and, coupled with
the existing in-pit Wi-Fi network, we have been
able to create a heterogeneous network that
covers the whole mining lease.”
elstra Mining Services says it has
implemented Papua New Guinea’s first
private 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution)
mobile network at Newcrest’s Lihir gold mine.
The next generation wireless communications
platform will allow for greater levels of safety,
remote operation and automation, according to
Telstra, which worked with Newcrest to provide
design, staging, site deployment and testing of
the network.
Every kind of production vehicle asset,
including trucks, drills, excavators, dozers,
shovels and barges have now been connected
and operationally proven over LTE. This process
has revealed significant performance
improvements in terms of reliability, speed and
latency, according to Telstra. “The network has
been able to resolve challenges with existing Wi-
Fi connectivity and is making Newcrest’s safety
and productivity systems more effective,” Telstra
said, adding that fleet efficiency and real-time
visibility have benefited from an 80%
improvement in communications reliability on
LTE-enabled assets.
The gold deposit at Lihir is within the Luise
Caldera, an extinct volcanic crater that is
geothermally active, and is one of the largest
known gold deposits in the world, according to
Newcrest. Most of the ore is refractory and is
treated using pressure oxidation before the gold
is recovered by a conventional leach process.
In the financial year ending June 30, 2018, Lihir
produced 955,156 oz of gold. Since production
commenced in 1997, the site has produced more
than 10 Moz of the yellow metal.
Dr Jeannette McGill, Head of Telstra Mining
Services, said Newcrest’s decision to invest in