SCREENING TECHNOLOGY useful for your application from a rich library of drawings which have proven themselves in real applications , all using Weir Minerals ’ industryleading wear materials , such as Linatex ® premium rubber .”
Schenck Process highlights a screen ’ s whole of life outlook
In screening , bigger is also often viewed as better , but in the minerals processing sector size is just one factor that OEMs need to consider when developing and supplying modern screens , says Schenck Process . It has been at the heart of the journey to design larger screens for mining operations , including iron ore , coal , copper and other base metal sites around the world . The Beast screen launched by Schenck Process in 2018 is a standout case of the company ’ s achievements in large scale separation technology . At more than 72 t , using four DF704 exciters and processing around 10,000 t / h of slurry in a metal extraction process , the vibrating screen is up there with the largest ever built . While screens of The Beast ’ s size have been welcomed at mine sites , Schenck Process Australia Managing Director Max Wijasuriya says market demands have expanded to include broader needs .
“ The focus now is much more around a wholeof-life outlook and optimising and maximising the balance between productivity and asset life . Schenck Process ’ strategy in response to this shift has been to design screens for damage tolerance and economic whole-of-life ownership , including maintenance and decommissioning . The company , with its own screening media design and production facilities , has a closed loop process that ensures screening media selection and screen integrity is harmonised .”
Schenck Process ’ designs now feature thicker panels to increase deck life , increased throughput , larger exciters and excitation forces , and coating types to protect from corrosion . The company is also constantly working on the development of screening media to improve efficiency while delivering better wear life .
Wijasuriya says sophisticated and intelligent condition monitoring systems , such as Schenck Process ’ ConiQ Monitor , help the company to design more damage tolerant screens as a result of the lessons learned from ongoing operational monitoring . “ ConiQ Monitor has the ability to identify uncharacteristic oncoming failure trends , which enables planners to predict oncoming failures , put plans in place , and reduce the safety risks associated with emergency breakdown repair ,” Wijasuriya says . “ ConiQ Monitor , coupled with the Cumulative Damage Prediction system , provides an indication of the health of the machine , as well as its loading , which provides feedback to enable deliberate control over feed and screen operating speeds to achieve an optimised productivity : asset life ratio .”
Schenck Process ’ whole-of-life approach ultimately relies on its people and how they collaborate with mining clients to develop the right solution for their operation . The company achieved a successful outcome with a customer in a copper application where it supplied a 10,000 t / h screen following a collaborative process .
Schenck Process designed the screen so when the plant ’ s trommel blocked up , the slurry could be run across the screen , which was large enough to handle the additional loading . What would have previously resulted in a module shut down to unblock the trommel now delivers increased uptime at the copper site .
Wijasuriya told IM that this result would not have been possible without effective collaboration between Schenck Process and the mining company . “ The key is communication . We are always striving to improve on this front , but working closely with our customers we ’ ve been able to design screens that have improved reliability enabling them to push out service intervals , and having improved efficiency at higher throughput rates , so you end up with more uptime tonnes . We ’ re always looking to see if we can uprate our screens in order to increase throughput on the same footprint . We have all the pieces of the puzzle , and we bring people together within our company to provide a coordinated approach to screening . In the end it is our people that set us apart .”
Schenck Process has enhanced its aftersales service by providing tools for frontline teams in
OCTOBER 2020 | International Mining 43