Plant Equipment and Hire July 2019 | Page 32

NEW EQUIPMENT an average 12% moisture, making them ready for market straight from the belts. As an added benefit, the fully integrated CDE AquaCycle thickener would allow for up to 90% of the process water to be recycled directly into the system for near- independence from fresh water supplies. Following a collaborative design process with the customer, CDE developed and built a Combo modular plant to transform 60 tonnes per hour of raw feed into washed 0-6mm river sand and 0-1.5mm plaster. Cyclone technology - the state-of-the-art separation methodology Although bucket wheel technology has been undeniably essential to the growth of the construction industry in South Africa, cyclone technology is now replacing it on the market as ultra-colour HD has replaced black and white TV – as a natural evolution of materials processing brought about by modern innovations from forward-thinking research engineers. A leading innovator in cyclone technology, CDE has been designing and delivering over 2 000 projects globally since 1992 to increase the efficiency of materials washing operations. Cyclone technology involves the use of centrifugal force to classify materials rather than gravity. After extensive testing to determine the proportion of silt material to be removed from the raw feed, the specification of a cyclone set up is precisely calculated to ensure that each client’s new hydrocyclone-based system, such as the Ground Breakers’ all-in-one Combo wet processing and water recycling plant, provides unrivalled control over silt cut points and optimal water recycling. Due to the design of the cyclone unit, an increased number of parameters are available to ensure complete accuracy on the material cut point. The silt exits the overflow at the top of the cyclone with the wastewater, to be sent to the integrated AquaCycle water recycling system. The sand fraction exits the cyclone at the bottom, ready for dewatering, stockpiling and immediate dispatch to market. The Combo Willem du Ploy, business development manager for CDE Southern Africa says, “CDE is fast growing its footprint in Africa as sand and aggregates producers are upgrading their installations to enjoy the benefits of wet processing technology in terms of more efficient production and higher product quality. 30 JULY 2019 Pictured from left, are Johan Meintjes, owner, Ground Breakers, Willem du Plooy, CDE business development manager for Sub-Saharan Africa and JC Janse van Vuuren, owner, Ground Breakers. “With the respective successes met by the CDE EvoWash sand washing plant and the AquaCycle thickener in South Africa, more operators are now looking for a user-friendly solution that incorporates both plants. Ahead of the curve, CDE expert engineers have created a patented all-in-one system, the Combo. Pre-wired and pre-tested before dispatch to allow for rapid set up, the Combo has a capacity range of 50 to 500 tonnes and boasts a unique modular design to combine feeding, grading, washing, water recycling and stockpiling onto one compact chassis. The Combo technology is so efficient that the final products are ready to be sold directly on exiting the system.” The result The Ground Breakers’ bucket wheel was not effectively reducing moisture in the sand products and fines were lost to ponds. To address these limitations, the Combo’ high-frequency dewatering screen dewaters the material in one pass, removing the need for re- processing and double handling. Once the sand slurry with the silt material is discharged from the hydrocyclones, it is delivered to the screen which is sized according to the customers’ specific capacity requirements. This allows for the production of a sand product with a moisture content typically ranging from 10% to 15%. As a result, the product is ready for market straight from the belts, in turn converting sand into revenue in the shortest possible time. An added benefit of the Combo system is that although the plant packs a powerful punch, it only requires a very small footprint, which makes it easy to relocate, even in remote areas and urban settings. Janse van Vuuren and Meintjes agree, “Our CDE Combo is compact and highly efficient. It produces two properly washed products and our customers are very happy that the moisture content is so low. This means a considerable cost saving to them, as generally we sell per tonne.” “Because the system works basically as a full-circuit unit, retaining fines and recycling used water for immediate re-use in the system, the need for silt dams has been significantly reduced and we have been able to preserve valuable mining areas. “Switching from a bucket wheel system to the Combo has been conducive to considerable cost savings, as generally we sell per tonne. The additional -2mm product has many uses, from plastering exterior walls to making paving bricks. It has increased our profitability considerably. Du Ploy concludes, “The new Combo on the Lanseria site has allowed the company to maximise yield and reduce its operational costs. The production of sand and aggregates is guaranteed to be within specifications, with no risk of cross-contamination when two products are processed simultaneously, and in line with the requirements of customers or their downstream processes. “At CDE we put all our passion and expertise in developing equipment that is tailor-made for each client to the highest quality standards. Return on investment is fast thanks to reduced requirements for spares, highly efficient water management as well as longer and more reliable running time. “CDE’s products are specifically designed to require minimum attention, minimal civils and a minimal number of operators thanks to its one-touch technology, so that it can be left to simply produce clean sand and aggregates at the required rate. “It was a pleasure to support Ground Breakers in installing the next generation of wet processing equipment to allow the company to achieve the full potential of its vision and its quarry site.” Future of Sand Washing Conference in Johannesburg in collaboration with ASPASA Date: Wednesday 31 July 2019 Location: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre Time: 9am to 5pm Registration: To register, please visit www.cdeglobal.com/africonf2019 www.plantonline.co.za