ORE SORTING saying collaboration will prove essential .
The initial collaboration with the trial mine site on this ore analysis project looks to be extensive , stretching from the back end of December 2022 throughout 2023 .
“ Throughout the year , we will have the opportunity to make enhancements ; starting out with an initial system that is upgraded ,” Carpenter said of the trial . “ By the end of the year , we should have high confidence of having something ready to commercialise . It could also be that we have other trials running concurrently with this one to extend the learnings .”
The two primary key performance indicators for the trial surround accuracy and speed , with Carpenter saying the company is targeting to at least meet the metrics competing material classification technologies have been promoting over recent years .
“ In both cases , we are well equipped to measure both and – in the initial phase – we are performing well ,” Carpenter said .
A sensor above a conveyor belt able to provide ore characterisation data is step one . Step two will most likely involve leveraging this data to provide insights as well as initiate downstream actions .
Then , there is the potential to equip these sensors for the pit on an excavator or wheel loader – which introduces many additional challenges both Weir Motion Metrics and ESCO are aware of .
“ What is exciting for us is that – as may be obvious – the further upstream you can make some good decisions , the more energy you can save downstream ,” Carpenter said . “ As you get into some of the other processing elements in the plant , there are sustainability benefits to be had – a more efficient use of reagents to liberate the elements , a more efficient grinding setup based on ore characteristics , a reduction in water use , etc .
“ The driver for this has really been sustainability and energy reduction . It is all about reducing the energy intensity associated with processing ore .”
The power of NIR
SpectraFlow Analytics , a company with links to ABB , is looking to leverage NIR sensor-based technology to make a difference in the mining sector .
SpectraFlow was incorporated as an independent company back in 2013 following a management buyout of the NIR Online analyser technology from ABB . ABB started development of an NIR Crossbelt Analyzer all the way back in 2006 as an alternative to PGNAA-based solutions in the cement sector .
The company now has more than 75 orders under its belt , ranging from cement , to iron ore , to gold , to platinum group metals , to copper .
The majority of these are in the cement sector , but Jonathan Dutton , Sales Specialist for the company , believes there are plenty of opportunities to deploy the conveyor belt-based solution across the mining space .
The Crossbelt Analyzer hardware the company has at its disposal sees eight , 50 W halogen lamps emit energy onto the conveyor belt , with an FTIR ( fourier transform infrared ) -based spectrometer absorbing the energy channelled back from the material to create spectra for material analysis .
To this point , NIR hasn ’ t typically been associated with bulk sorting – instead being leveraged in particle sorting applications – but Dutton is certain this will soon change .
“ We are a surface-based technique , but as long as the elements can absorb energy and are
The Crossbelt Analyzer hardware SpectraFlow Analytics has at its disposal sees eight , 50 W halogen lamps emit energy onto the conveyor belt , with an FTIR-based spectrometer absorbing the energy channelled back from the material to create spectra for material analysis
MARCH 2023 | International Mining 47