Cradle to grave
Breathing space for metallurgists
Understanding oxygen demand is critical to optimise metallurgical gold leach optimisation. According to Rob de Zoeten, metallurgist at Afrox, accurately establishing the total oxygen requirement is often overlooked.“ In many cases, undersized on-site oxygen plants are installed that cannot produce sufficient oxygen to optimise the leach,” says De Zoeten.
Afrox has developed a unique and fully integrated end-to-end product service offering( PSO) for the global gold mining industry to optimise metallurgical gold leach using oxygen. The PSO, called Goldox, provides an oxygen demand test programme for specifying the oxygen demand requirements; the supply of oxygen using Linde Engineering’ s proprietary on site vacuum pressure swing adsorption( VPSA) technology; supply,
install, and commissioning of the oxygen reticulation network, flow control panels with safety interlocks and the oxygen injection system; ongoing maintenance and downstream oxygen control management if required; and provision of a highly flexible commercial structure for the supply of oxygen to the mine over an agreed period.
The Linde Group generates low-purity( 90 – 95 %) oxygen, which is proven to be ideal for gold leaching, through the use of its VPSA technology. As a member of the Linde Group, Afrox can provide accurate guidance to gold mines regarding their oxygen requirements for both new and existing leach plants.
VPSA is an ambient temperature technology that takes advantage of the different binding capabilities of various gas molecules to a solid, porous material such as zeolites. The VPSA
processes cycles between adsorption and desorption of impurities as the feed gas flows through adsorber vessels to produce a continuous high-purity product gas. Since heating or cooling is not required, cycle time can be short( usually less than a minute), which results in a long lifetime for the adsorbent material.
Recent advances in adsorption technology and system design by Linde Engineering have enabled oxygen VPSA plants to become less expensive, more power-efficient, and smaller in size. The result is that an oxygen VPSA system offers a very cost-competitive, flexible oxygen supply solution that has demonstrated excellent results in a variety of commercial applications in the mining, chemical, and refining industries on a global basis.
DAVRON
ONE OF THE BIGGEST SUPPLIERS OF FIRE PUMPS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT WITHIN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Davron Equipment, 128 & 130 Loper Street, Aeroport, Gauteng Tel: + 27 11 974 3770 • Fax: + 27 11 974 6110 Email: sales @ davron. co. za • Website: www. davron. co. za