Spotlight Feature Articles MINING SCREENS | Page 8

MINING SCREENS
Paul Moore caught up with Kwatani CEO , Kim Schoepflin to get some insights into screening trends in mining – the company is set to become part of Sandvik Group in Q4 2021
Q Connected screens : are mines actively using more of the sensor technology that is available to monitor things like vibration and wear ? A Mines are equipped with SCADA systems and typically record the power consumption of the screen drive units . This is normally directly proportional to the feed rate and an indication whether the unit is operating or not . This , however , doesn ’ t reflect the overall health of the screen . Vibration sensors are the most common type of sensor used for this purpose . Although the South African market is still slow to adopt this technology , it is becoming a typical requirement on international tenders . One of the main topics of discussion when it comes to condition monitoring is where the data is streamed . OEMs typically prefer the data to be hosted in a cloud environment facilitating quick access to data to provide a value-added service to their customers . On the other hand , some customers are concerned about the security of the data in which case it is better to stream the data directly to the SCADA system or host a local server on site that can integrate with other data recording systems . The wear on screens is a very complex parameter to measure and still very much in research phase .
Q For both screening and washing are applications like retreatment of tailings and waste becoming more important and can you give any examples ? A Ores that have already been extracted hold an extremely lucrative financial lure as the bulk of capital required in a typical mining and beneficiation operation is already complete . The development of new beneficiation technologies , such as ore sorting , more effective chemical processes and specialised fines beneficiation , have in recent years prompted metallurgists to re-look at tailings and waste , not only for additional product revenue , but also decreasing the environmental impact of processing plants . Kwatani actively takes part in development of screens to achieve the best suited feed particle size and condition for new beneficiation technologies . The most active examples at this stage are processing of gold ore dumps , reclamation- and rehabilitation of iron ore slimes dams and PGM tailings treatment .
Q With screens is the market now less about bigger and heavier units with higher throughput and more about innovations in terms of new more project specific designs ? A Regardless of the screen size , development of a project specific screen is always important . The demand for mega processing screens drives a large part of the innovations and development in customised screen design at Kwatani . It is the engineered solutions on customisation of large screens and the highly demanding production environment of these screens which has given Kwatani a markable competitive edge on customisation of equipment for smaller projects .
Q Is there a lot of focus on making washing systems more efficient to conserve water and how is this being done ? A There has been a shift towards ‘ lower water requirement ’ technologies to reduce the overall water demand on new processing plants . Monitoring and more efficient distribution of wash water over screens optimise the general consumption , but the most influential remains maintenance on water lines .
Q Are customers now seeing screening media as less of a commodity and factoring it more into TCO for the screen units ? A Customers have realised that not all
screening media performs the same and thus have become more selective on specific brands and suppliers . In TCO evaluations screen media is typically only evaluated based on wear life . Adding efficiency performance to the TCO seldom happens even though it is highly beneficial .
Kwatani argues that regardless of the screen size , development of a project specific screen is always important now the Roy Hill mine site . This unit is the first JOEST Grizzly for the Roy Hill operation and adds to JOEST Australia ’ s growing list of worldwide installations . The robust construction and userfriendly maintenance features offers an effective solution for treating large tonnages with the benefit of cost-effective plant design and simplicity of operation .”
In late October 2020 , after one year of planning and designing and additional ten months of construction , the JOEST Australia team moved into a state of the art new facility in a logistics park on Coldwell Road , Welshpool , after having operated from Sheffield Road for over 15 years . Especially in the mining industry , the rising demand for larger machines required a new facility after the old one exceeded its capacities . This new location enables faster and more efficient manufacturing of machines and also helps meet the clients ’ rising demands . The 10,000 m ² property includes offices as well as the new workshop . A special design drastically reduces the noise emitted to the administrative part of the new headquarters . The large and open office area has room for over 40 employees , so design engineering , sales and purchasing can work together seamlessly . In addition to the open floor plan for the offices , there are separate areas for members of the management team .
With over 4,000 m ², three equally large assembly bays provide plenty of room for production , assembly and a separate storage area . To ensure an optimal production flow , multiple cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 5 to 50 t run the length of the workshop . Alongside a new painting booth , the new workshop features a clean room , enabling gearbox and exciter service and repairs . The new plant represents the biggest single investment JOEST Group has ever made .
CDE continues to expand Infinity range
Wet processing industry expert CDE first launched its patented Infinity Screen™ range to market after securing a global patent for the construction of the screen sidewalls . The
CDE Infinity screens have a fully-bolted construction with patented trilogy side wall technology , reducing the risk of cyclic fatigue failure
International Mining | OCTOBER 2021