NEW EQUIPMENT NEWS
Venetia’s X-ray vision
De Beers’ Venetia Mine in Limpopo Featuring a dual-energy XRT detector through the system, the user gets more
province is optimising its plant and a robust air ejector system, the XRT than just a digital signal that an object
throughput with the assistance of unit has a user-friendly, menu-driven was ejected,” he says. “Rather, from
diamond processing technology specialist control interface and full maintenance the digital image, they can get a size
DebTech by re-concentrating the product support that employs remote diagnostics. measurement of the diamond. This
from the dense medium separation
“Not only is the XRT technology able
can give the mining vessel manager an
(DMS) stage, with the recent delivery of to identify the diamonds, but the X-ray immediate online carat count and size
its X-Ray Transmission (XRT) sorter. images captured also allow the machine to frequency analysis, providing important
The XRT Coarse Concentrator sorting
provide online carat estimates and stone information that would otherwise only
unit’s modularised configuration, count values in real time,” says Taylor. be available after the samples are lifted
where all elements of the system are “This makes a big difference to mining and off the ship and flown back to land to
designed to fit into two six-metre plant operations, especially in segments be sorted.”
containers, makes for optimal assembly like marine diamond mining where the and testing under factory conditions, first installation of this XRT technology was recovered — from low-luminescent
efficient transportation, and quicker done some five years ago.” Type II to yellow and boart — and
commissioning on site.
“The quality of the X-ray images
DebTech’s XRT technology has been
means that, if a diamond comes
All diamond types can be
at a yield significantly less than
conventional techniques.
specifically designed to provide an
alternative to a high yielding DMS
plant. This is especially important where
the high yield causes plant bottlenecks
further down the process.
“High-yielding DMS can overwhelm
the next stage in the treatment process:
the recovery plant,” says DebTech
head, Gordon Taylor. “A valuable role
that the XRT sorter can play is to re-
concentrate the coarse and the middles
DMS product. The significantly lower
yield from the XRT sorters allows these
size fractions to bypass the traditional
more capacity in the recovery plant to
the treat the finer size fraction.”
recovery stage, thereby freeing up
DebTech’s XRT technology has been specifically designed to provide an alternative to a high-
yielding DMS plant.
www.plantonline.co.za
FEBRUARY 2019
13