FILTRATION & THICKENING
CEO FLSmidth .
Over in Australia , Australian mining company Northern Star Resources Ltd has placed an order for a wide range of FLSmidth mineral processing technologies for their Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines ( KCGM ) Operations ’ mill expansion project . KCGM Operations are located eastnortheast of Perth in Western Australia , part of one of the richest goldfields in the world , the socalled Golden Mile close to the city of Kalgoorlie- Boulder . The order is valued at approximately DKK 515 million and was booked in Q2 2023 . The equipment is due to be delivered during 2024 .
Under the agreement , FLSmidth will supply a range of MissionZero products covering most of the flowsheet , including SAG mill , ball mill , primary crusher , pebble crushers , flotation cells and a pre-leach thickener . In addition to these technologies , the order also includes spare and wear parts . Upon installation , these technologies will substantially reduce the mine ’ s energy consumption .
TAKRAF tailings thickener for Moolarben
TAKRAF Australia says it has successfully supplied , delivered and commissioned a 30 m diameter DELKOR tailings thickener for the Moolarben Coal Handling & Preparation Plant ( CHPP ) in New South Wales , Australia .
The Moolarben complex , on Australia ’ s East coast , is operated by Moolarben Coal Operations Pty . Ltd ., which is a joint venture between Moolarben Coal Mines , Yancoal Moolarben Pty . Ltd . and a consortium of Korean power companies . The complex consists of four approved open-pit mining areas , three approved underground mining areas and other miningrelated infrastructure .
Notwithstanding challenging global conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the project kicked off in late 2021 . Despite a variety of challenges surrounding the pandemic , the thickener was delivered in mid-2022 , with installation taking place a few months later , TAKRAF explained . A few months after installation , and the thickener was successfully commissioned in early 2023 , with continued and successful operation ever since , it says .
Raymond Leung , Sales Manager , DELKOR , said : “ Our DELKOR thickener is a proven performer across a variety of applications . The benefits of our DELKOR thickeners include their low capital cost , smaller footprint , effective use of flocculants and advanced automation . One of the standout features of this project is the great
FLSmidth ’ s Spiral Rake Blade
As the need for better tailings management increases , so does the demand for efficient highcapacity dewatering . With its improved raking power at lower torque , FLSmidth says its new Thickener Spiral Rake Blade plays a critical role in managing underflow densities and mud bed residence time , increasing the thickener efficiency . Thickeners not only help create a more sustainable site by producing reusable process water , they also minimise the environmental impact and safety risks associated with multiple or large settling ponds . “ The spiral design of our thickener rake blade addresses the challenges operators often face with raking capacities of traditional high-tonnage machines – including ratholing , high energy consumption and water loss ,” says Craig Gilbert , Global Product Line Manager – Thickening at FLS . Mine operators must meet increasing demands for environmentally conscious practices . Steve Ware , FLS VP & Product Group Manager – Thickening and Filtration : “ We know that properly optimised thickeners will help to increase mine performance , reduce operating costs and improve a mine ’ s sustainability – which is why we have developed our spiral rake blade for thickeners .” For specific applications , Ware says that one common issue with traditional high-tonnage thickener rakes is the inability to move mud evenly to the discharge , whereas the spiral design steadily pulls more material along the floor allowing for a much more even mud bed distribution limiting the potential for ratholing , which is often caused by the less dense slurry bed being drawn down from above the discharge . This reduces short circuiting and eliminates dead zones . This innovation FLSmidth ’ s Gilbert says has aside benefit of reducing the torque requirements dramatically .
TAKRAF Australia has successfully supplied , delivered and commissioned a 30-m diameter DELKOR tailings thickener for the Moolarben Coal Handling & Preparation Plant
collaboration between our DELKOR Product & Service Center in Bengaluru , our DELKOR specialists both at our client and at our various TAKRAF Australia office locations , and our committed suppliers . I would like to thank all stakeholders for their commitment in overcoming all challenges related to this project . This project again serves to underline our group ’ s global solutions capabilities and our ability to deliver , and will serve us in good stead as an important future thickener reference in Australia .”
DELKOR ’ s numerous projects to refurbish or retrofit thickeners have demonstrated the impact of modernisation on liquid / solid separation performance , equipment operating costs and on the long term sustainability of an industrial operation . It has carried out many successful retrofits on old thickeners supplied by a variety of OEMs , most of which were installed during brief limited shutdown periods . “ Using the same tanks , our refurbished DELKOR thickeners are supplied with new drives , bridges , mechanisms , and most importantly feedwells . Our approach is to optimise the settling process through testwork and real-time monitoring , then we engineer our refurbished systems to meet the long term goals of the operation .”
DELKOR has also supplied state-of-the-art new thickeners and clarifiers engineered for a variety of applications , stating : “ We are proud to have installed some of the largest conventional and paste thickeners in the world , and our metallurgical expertise provides customers with a process guarantee at reduced capital investment .” IM
18 International Mining | OCTOBER 2023