The Kalahari Manganese Field, located in Northern Cape Province, about 700km southwest of Johannesburg, contains around 80% of the world's known high-grade manganese ore reserves. The district yields about 4Mt/y, mined mainly by Samancor and Assmang.
Originally established in 1935 and now jointly owned and managed by African Rainbow Minerals and Assore, Assmang wholly owns two mines near the community of Black Rock. Assmang commissioned Nchwaning in 1972 while the Gloria mine, to the south, started production in 1978. Each had a plant nominally rated to treat 1Mt/y ore.
Early in 2000, Assmang announced an expansion involving the development of a new shaft complex at Nchwaning to add about 2Mt/y of run-of-mine ore capacity, to make Nchwaning the world’s lowest-cost underground manganese mine, and to extend its lifetime by about 30 years.
The expansion, including additional treatment capacity, was commissioned in May 2004 and was completed in May 2005 at a capitalised cost of R780m. Assmang operates three eight-hour shifts per day from Monday to Friday, as well as a single shift on Saturday, employing a total of 2,510 people at its various operations.
Assmang announced recently a capital expenditure programme of R748m to more than double manganese production by 2010. Assmang mines more than 1.5 million tons of manganese ore from the Nchwaning and Gloria mines in the same region.
The company also produces manganese alloys at its Cato Ridge works in KwaZulu Natal. Assmang currently produces more than 200,000 tons of manganese alloys per year. Recently the company said it would like to build a new manganese alloy plant near the mine.
GEOLOGY AND RESERVES
The Kalahari Manganese Field lies within a large structural basin that extends approximately 40km south to north and 5km to 15km east to west, dipping gently northwest. At Black Rock, near the northern end of the basin, the Transvaal System rocks lie about 300m from surface, beneath Kalahari Formation sands and calcretes, Karroo System tillites and Waterberg System shales and quartzites.
The sub-horizontal stratabound manganese ore horizons occur in banded ironstone of the Voëlwater Formation at the top of a sequence of Transvaal System rocks. As well as being faulted, the horizons are folded.
The ore is massive and averages 48% manganese; at Nchwaning it is particularly low in phosphorus while Gloria has a higher manganese-to-iron ratio. At the end of 2006 Assmang's reserves totalled 192Mt with mineral resources of 428.4Mt.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Alegria Iron Ore Mine, Brazil
Samarco Mineracão's Alegria iron ore mine is in Brazil's Iron Quadrangle, about 4.5km north of the depleted Germano deposit, within the districts of Mariana and Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais. The process plant pumps concentrate via a slurry pipeline to facilities at Ponta Ubu on the Atlantic coast that include two pelletising plants and a shipping quay.
BHP Billiton and CVRD each has a 50% holding in Samarco. Production commenced at Alegria in 1992. The operation employed 1,336 people directly and more than 2,000 via contractors in 2005.
The company is implementing an optimisation project to increase concentrator and pelletisation capacity in the short term, and is also investing in a new concentrator and pelletisation plant, which started up in the first half of 2008. This is expected to make Samarco the world's second-largest exporter of iron-ore pellets.
GEOLOGY AND RESERVES
The deposit consists of low-grade itabiritic ore. Alegria's certified mineral reserves totalled 720Mt in 2005, sufficient to support mining for 20 years after the new concentrator comes on stream. Further exploration has the potential to raise reserves to more than 1,000Mt.
MINING
Itabiritic ore is excavated by bulldozers, loaded by front-end loaders into 177t-capacity trucks and taken to a crushing and screening plant in the blending yard. The ore is blended and stored before transport by belt conveyors to the surge pile.
An overland conveyor system transports the ore over a distance of 4km to the beneficiation plant at Germano.
GERMANO BENEFICIATION PLANT
At the Germano beneficiation plant the ore is screened, crushed and classified to feed the primary mills. This circuit assures sufficient reduction of the iron ore particles. It is then deslimed, deslimed, with the ultrafine material being removed in cluster cyclones before conventional flotation where waste material such as silica is separated from the iron particles. The ore is reground and enters a column flotation circuit.The addition of a roller press in 2004 improved productivity by 7%. The resulting concentrate is slurried with water for pipeline transport.
The concentrator is capable of an annual production of 15.5Mt of iron-ore concentrates, rising to 16.5Mt/y in 2006. Its output in the 2005 financial year was 15.1Mt, of which 13.1Mt came from Alegria ore and 2Mt from CVRD ore.
BHP Billiton and CVRD each has a 50% holding in Samarco. Production commenced at Alegria in 1992. The operation employed 1,336 people directly and more than 2,000 via contractors in 2005.
The company is implementing an optimisation project to increase concentrator and pelletisation capacity in the short term, and is also investing in a new concentrator and pelletisation plant, which started up in the first half of 2008. This is expected to make Samarco the world's second-largest exporter of iron-ore pellets.
GEOLOGY AND RESERVES
The deposit consists of low-grade itabiritic ore. Alegria's certified mineral reserves totalled 720Mt in 2005, sufficient to support mining for 20 years after the new concentrator comes on stream. Further exploration has the potential to raise reserves to more than 1,000Mt.
MINING
Itabiritic ore is excavated by bulldozers, loaded by front-end loaders into 177t-capacity trucks and taken to a crushing and screening plant in the blending yard. The ore is blended and stored before transport by belt conveyors to the surge pile.
An overland conveyor system transports the ore over a distance of 4km to the beneficiation plant at Germano.
GERMANO BENEFICIATION PLANT
At the Germano beneficiation plant the ore is screened, crushed and classified to feed the primary mills. This circuit assures sufficient reduction of the iron ore particles. It is then deslimed, deslimed, with the ultrafine material being removed in cluster cyclones before conventional flotation where waste material such as silica is separated from the iron particles. The ore is reground and enters a column flotation circuit.The addition of a roller press in 2004 improved productivity by 7%. The resulting concentrate is slurried with water for pipeline transport.
The concentrator is capable of an annual production of 15.5Mt of iron-ore concentrates, rising to 16.5Mt/y in 2006. Its output in the 2005 financial year was 15.1Mt, of which 13.1Mt came from Alegria ore and 2Mt from CVRD ore.
Aitik Copper Mine, Sweden
Located near Gällivare, northern Sweden, the low-grade Aitik copper deposit was discovered in the early 1930s. Bulk-mining technology made exploitation feasible in the 1960s and mining at Europe’s first large, low-grade open pit copper mine started in 1968 at a production rate of 2Mt/y of ore. Since then, a series of pushbacks have increased output to approximately 19Mt/y. The concentrator, expanded in parallel, ships over 200,000t/y to the Ronnskär smelter.
Since the consolidation of Outokumpu’s copper and zinc mining and smelting activities into New Boliden in January 2004, Aitik has been wholly owned by Boliden.
Boliden approved the investment of Skr5.2bn ($790m) for the expansion of the operations (Aitik 36) which will see significant increases in capacity and production.
Boliden says that the expansion will result in one of the world’s most efficient mines becoming even more efficient. On average, ore is mined at the rate of 1t/manhour. Boliden says that production at Aitik is now at 43t/manhour but will increase to 55t/manhour.
The company said recently it also expected life of mine cash costs to fall from $0.80/lb to $0.43/lb.
All this extends the mine life from 2016 to 2025, while increasing copper, gold and silver production and adding new production of molybdenum. By lowering costs, ore reserves have been tripled.
The mine currently employs 430 people, of which 280 are in the mine. This number is expected to increase significantly in line with the expansion.
Since the consolidation of Outokumpu’s copper and zinc mining and smelting activities into New Boliden in January 2004, Aitik has been wholly owned by Boliden.
Boliden approved the investment of Skr5.2bn ($790m) for the expansion of the operations (Aitik 36) which will see significant increases in capacity and production.
Boliden says that the expansion will result in one of the world’s most efficient mines becoming even more efficient. On average, ore is mined at the rate of 1t/manhour. Boliden says that production at Aitik is now at 43t/manhour but will increase to 55t/manhour.
The company said recently it also expected life of mine cash costs to fall from $0.80/lb to $0.43/lb.
All this extends the mine life from 2016 to 2025, while increasing copper, gold and silver production and adding new production of molybdenum. By lowering costs, ore reserves have been tripled.
The mine currently employs 430 people, of which 280 are in the mine. This number is expected to increase significantly in line with the expansion.
Summit Matsu Joins Thrill Ride at Dreamworld
Summit Matsu Chilling Systems has supplied the Dreamworld Resort on the Gold Coast with the chiller needed to run their newest attraction, the Mick Doohan Motocoaster.
The Mick Doohan Motocoaster is one of Dreamworld's most popular extreme thrill rides at the resort. With riders held in by a unique restraint system of life-sized replicas of 500cc racing bikes, the rollercoaster attracts hundreds of patrons on a daily basis. With a 605m track, 18 extreme turns and a maximum speed of 72km⁄h, the ride places high demand on its hydraulic system. The chiller, which Summit Matsu provided, is used to cool the hydraulic oil in the system that drives the rollercoaster. Bob Tan, from the resort, said: "It's essential, otherwise the oil gets too hot and the ride can't operate."
The reliability of the chiller was of paramount importance when Dreamworld was selecting a manufacturer. Without the ability to keep the hydraulic oil cool, the ride would not be able to operate consistently, which would significantly affect the park's revenue and credibility. Summit Matsu manufactures all its chillers out of Sydney, Australia, and uses only the best-quality parts.
The technical expertise that comes with the manufacturing process means Summit Matsu is able to design specific solutions for customer problems. With more than 40 years' experience in the industry, it provides the most reliable equipment on the market.
Mr Tan said the competitive offer that Summit Matsu made was bolstered by the fact the company was Australian. He said: "It's much easier to talk to a company based in Australia, not only because of the language but also the time zone makes getting in contact much faster."
The Mick Doohan Motocoaster is one of Dreamworld's most popular extreme thrill rides at the resort. With riders held in by a unique restraint system of life-sized replicas of 500cc racing bikes, the rollercoaster attracts hundreds of patrons on a daily basis. With a 605m track, 18 extreme turns and a maximum speed of 72km⁄h, the ride places high demand on its hydraulic system. The chiller, which Summit Matsu provided, is used to cool the hydraulic oil in the system that drives the rollercoaster. Bob Tan, from the resort, said: "It's essential, otherwise the oil gets too hot and the ride can't operate."
The reliability of the chiller was of paramount importance when Dreamworld was selecting a manufacturer. Without the ability to keep the hydraulic oil cool, the ride would not be able to operate consistently, which would significantly affect the park's revenue and credibility. Summit Matsu manufactures all its chillers out of Sydney, Australia, and uses only the best-quality parts.
The technical expertise that comes with the manufacturing process means Summit Matsu is able to design specific solutions for customer problems. With more than 40 years' experience in the industry, it provides the most reliable equipment on the market.
Mr Tan said the competitive offer that Summit Matsu made was bolstered by the fact the company was Australian. He said: "It's much easier to talk to a company based in Australia, not only because of the language but also the time zone makes getting in contact much faster."
Verder Can Stop Your Business Losing Thousands
Not all companies go out of their way to find the best solution for a pumping problem. Verder Pumps SA (VPSA) director Keith Gass said: "At VPSA, we know all pump types have advantages and may bear some shortcomings, depending on the type of application it is specified for."
Some companies, when faced with a limited capacity of pump technology and/or products, often make the pump "fit" the client's needs without ensuring the product is the best solution for the application.
In addition, clients are looking to buy down in the present economic situation, but often overlook the additional costs of energy consumption, loss of production due to downtime and maintenance. Life-cycle costing is extremely important to retain current as well as long-term profitability.
Mr Gass said: "Upgrading to more productive pumps can be perceived to be too expensive for many operations to undertake. However, there are times when it is necessary. For instance, if your plant is unproductive due to no spare parts stock availability, downtime costs outweighs your production intake, high energy consumption, or in some instances where maintenance bills are high often exceeding the new pump's initial purchase price. Changing or upgrading can be avoided by correctly specifying the right pumps for any given application in the first place."
Mr Gass said many clients were reluctant to change pumps because they were not made aware of all the technology available. "More often than not, saying 'because we have always used these pumps' does not mean the pumps are ideally suited to the application," he said.
"The need for more knowledge, maintenance issues and technical knowledge of other pump technologies are the main reasons behind clients' aversion to change. Once again, they could be wasting thousands of rands on production and downtime and/or maintenance."
The difference is that VPSA does care about your process. 'Solutions in pumping technology' are indeed what we strive for at VPSA. We know that the safe, reliable and productive handling of pumping mediums are the most important factors in the processes industry. This includes the processes in the mining and chemical industries, in food or even in pharmaceutical processes.
Handling liquids requires knowledge of processes and sometimes even empirical research and testing of the fluid. Our passionate sales engineers ensure they source the best possible solution to suit the application, providing customers with the best products, solutions and support available.
VPSA offers consultations to discuss pumping difficulties. It is the aim of VPSA to ensure the most-suited pump is selected for the right application, which sets the company apart from the other players in the market.
Mr Gass said: "At VPSA, we are determined to provide the most efficient and cost-effective solutions. Our impressive range includes peristaltic hose pumps, air-diaphragm pumps, magnetic drive centrifugal pumps, progressive cavity screw pumps and reciprocating diaphragm pumps."
Verder combines product knowledge with extensive experience in the field of sales and marketing. Clients therefore receive not only products of high quality, but also quick delivery times, competitive prices, excellent service and clarity regarding liability.
Some companies, when faced with a limited capacity of pump technology and/or products, often make the pump "fit" the client's needs without ensuring the product is the best solution for the application.
In addition, clients are looking to buy down in the present economic situation, but often overlook the additional costs of energy consumption, loss of production due to downtime and maintenance. Life-cycle costing is extremely important to retain current as well as long-term profitability.
Mr Gass said: "Upgrading to more productive pumps can be perceived to be too expensive for many operations to undertake. However, there are times when it is necessary. For instance, if your plant is unproductive due to no spare parts stock availability, downtime costs outweighs your production intake, high energy consumption, or in some instances where maintenance bills are high often exceeding the new pump's initial purchase price. Changing or upgrading can be avoided by correctly specifying the right pumps for any given application in the first place."
Mr Gass said many clients were reluctant to change pumps because they were not made aware of all the technology available. "More often than not, saying 'because we have always used these pumps' does not mean the pumps are ideally suited to the application," he said.
"The need for more knowledge, maintenance issues and technical knowledge of other pump technologies are the main reasons behind clients' aversion to change. Once again, they could be wasting thousands of rands on production and downtime and/or maintenance."
The difference is that VPSA does care about your process. 'Solutions in pumping technology' are indeed what we strive for at VPSA. We know that the safe, reliable and productive handling of pumping mediums are the most important factors in the processes industry. This includes the processes in the mining and chemical industries, in food or even in pharmaceutical processes.
Handling liquids requires knowledge of processes and sometimes even empirical research and testing of the fluid. Our passionate sales engineers ensure they source the best possible solution to suit the application, providing customers with the best products, solutions and support available.
VPSA offers consultations to discuss pumping difficulties. It is the aim of VPSA to ensure the most-suited pump is selected for the right application, which sets the company apart from the other players in the market.
Mr Gass said: "At VPSA, we are determined to provide the most efficient and cost-effective solutions. Our impressive range includes peristaltic hose pumps, air-diaphragm pumps, magnetic drive centrifugal pumps, progressive cavity screw pumps and reciprocating diaphragm pumps."
Verder combines product knowledge with extensive experience in the field of sales and marketing. Clients therefore receive not only products of high quality, but also quick delivery times, competitive prices, excellent service and clarity regarding liability.
Verder Goes for Gold
As the Verder Group celebrates its 50th anniversary, the South African operation is also celebrating more than 50 VF125 pumps sold since the company was established in 2002.
Verder Pumps SA (VPSA), part of the International Verder Group, provides first-class solutions as part of the liquids handling division to all industrial processes across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
VPSA director Keith Gass said: "It is the global approach to innovation that is key to our success. The group's commitment to continuous innovation leads to providing efficient and cost-effective business solutions to seamlessly fit our customer needs.
"Solutions in pumping technology are indeed what we strive for at VPSA. We know the safe handling of liquids is one of the most important processes in the industry. This includes the processes in the mining and chemical industries, in food or even in pharmaceutical processes.
"Handling liquids requires knowledge of processes and sometimes even empirical research and testing of the fluid. Our passionate sales engineers ensure they source the best possible solution to suit the application, providing customers with the best products, solutions and support available."
It is the aim of VPSA to ensure that the most-suited pump is selected for the right application, which sets the company apart from the other players. As energy efficiency and lower operating costs dominate the agenda during the current global economic downturn, VPSA remains determined to provide the most efficient and cost-effective solutions.
VPSA supplies a range of competitive Verderair air-operated diaphragm pumps that has exploded on to the market place, as has the Verdermag mag-drive centrifugal pump range, which has been successful in the mining and chemical markets due to its guaranteed leak-free design features.
Mr Gass said: "Our notorious Verderflex peristaltic hose pump range continues to grow in popularity, in particular our largest peristaltic hose pump – Verderflex VF125 – that has set yet another record at VPSA. A total of 52 VF125 pumps have been sold from the South African operation, the most sold in the entire Verder Group.
Verder Pumps SA (VPSA), part of the International Verder Group, provides first-class solutions as part of the liquids handling division to all industrial processes across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
VPSA director Keith Gass said: "It is the global approach to innovation that is key to our success. The group's commitment to continuous innovation leads to providing efficient and cost-effective business solutions to seamlessly fit our customer needs.
"Solutions in pumping technology are indeed what we strive for at VPSA. We know the safe handling of liquids is one of the most important processes in the industry. This includes the processes in the mining and chemical industries, in food or even in pharmaceutical processes.
"Handling liquids requires knowledge of processes and sometimes even empirical research and testing of the fluid. Our passionate sales engineers ensure they source the best possible solution to suit the application, providing customers with the best products, solutions and support available."
It is the aim of VPSA to ensure that the most-suited pump is selected for the right application, which sets the company apart from the other players. As energy efficiency and lower operating costs dominate the agenda during the current global economic downturn, VPSA remains determined to provide the most efficient and cost-effective solutions.
VPSA supplies a range of competitive Verderair air-operated diaphragm pumps that has exploded on to the market place, as has the Verdermag mag-drive centrifugal pump range, which has been successful in the mining and chemical markets due to its guaranteed leak-free design features.
Mr Gass said: "Our notorious Verderflex peristaltic hose pump range continues to grow in popularity, in particular our largest peristaltic hose pump – Verderflex VF125 – that has set yet another record at VPSA. A total of 52 VF125 pumps have been sold from the South African operation, the most sold in the entire Verder Group.
Introducing Shanghai Zenith's Jaw Crusher PE600x900
Shanghai Zenith's jaw crusher series includes 14 models, which can meet most crushing requirements in primary and secondary crushing.
The Jaw Crusher PE600x900 is the line's main product and is employed in a range of areas. It is widely used in the mining, metallurgical, construction, smelting, hydraulic and chemical industries.
The jaw crusher reduces large rocks or ore by compressing them. A fixed jaw mounted in a "V" alignment is the stationary breaking surface, while the moveable jaw plate exerts force on the rock by compressing it against the fixed jaw plate. The space at bottom of the V-aligned jaw plate is the output size gap, or the maximum size of the crushed product.
Jaw crusher PE600x900 technical data:
Feed opening 600mmx900mm
Max feeding size 480mm
Adjustment of range discharging opening 65mmx160mm
Capacity 90t to 180t
Power 55kw to 75kw
Weight 17t
Overall dimension 2290mmx2206mmx2370mm
The Jaw Crusher PE600x900 is the line's main product and is employed in a range of areas. It is widely used in the mining, metallurgical, construction, smelting, hydraulic and chemical industries.
The jaw crusher reduces large rocks or ore by compressing them. A fixed jaw mounted in a "V" alignment is the stationary breaking surface, while the moveable jaw plate exerts force on the rock by compressing it against the fixed jaw plate. The space at bottom of the V-aligned jaw plate is the output size gap, or the maximum size of the crushed product.
Jaw crusher PE600x900 technical data:
Feed opening 600mmx900mm
Max feeding size 480mm
Adjustment of range discharging opening 65mmx160mm
Capacity 90t to 180t
Power 55kw to 75kw
Weight 17t
Overall dimension 2290mmx2206mmx2370mm
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