Engineering & Mining Journal

JUL 2017

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

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JULY 2017 • E&MJ; 81 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS than when choosing a service-only vendor. This approach brings business agility and increased effi ciency from implementation through ongoing life-cycle operations. Customers can take advantage of the lat- est software with less on-site support and maintenance skills required. They also benefi t from a lower cost of entry with the potential for reduced CAPEX, rapid proj- ect deployment and lower life-cycle costs. Installation of FeedAirJet Sparger Brings Better Metal Recovery Eriez Flotation Division recently report- ed on early results from installation of its fi rst FeedAirJet on a cleaner column at Capstone Gold's Cozamin concentra- tor in Zacatecas, Mexico. Nicknamed by the commissioning team as the "Cavita- dor," the FeedAirJet is a simple system for pre-aerating fl otation feed streams. It is based on a proprietary confi guration of Eriez's CavTube, a sparging system that has been installed on more than 200 col- umns worldwide. The CavTube works by inducing hy- drodynamic cavitation in the feed slurry, which nucleates fi ne bubbles selectively on hydrophobic surfaces of the ore. The FeedAirJet turbo-charges the fl otation process by starting particle collection be- fore entering the fl otation vessel. Results obtained by Capstone report- edly confi rmed this. Cozamin's plant manager, Rafael Regino, said "The recov- ery of copper and silver were consistently increased an average of 0.8% and 3%, respectively, when the FeedAirJet was added. Another impressive result was that recovery increased in all measured size classes." He added that, based on these results, another FeedAirJet had been ap- proved in April for a zinc column. According to Eriez's representative Oscar Lopez, "The FeedAirJet is a low risk, low capital way to improve fl otation performance, and can be readily installed in existing plants. Five other plants in Mexico are evaluating this technology by installing the 'Cavitador' to increase re- covery and reduce the re-circulating load in the fl otation cleaner stages. We believe this technology should also improve the performance of forced air and aspirated mechanical cells." Weighing the Options: Choosing the Right Belt Scale System Few, if any, industries handle more heavy material in bulk than mining, whether measured on an an hourly, daily, weekly or annual basis. Much of this material must be weighed and monitored before or as it is fed to plants for processing. Belt conveyer scales are an important part of a mining operation's bulk material han- dling system. A belt scale system allows an operation to monitor production output and inventory, or regulate product load- out, while providing vital information for the effective management and effi cient operation of the business. Picking the right belt scale system to meet the spe- cifi c needs of an operation is essential, but what are the most important factors and options to consider? Thermo Fisher Scientifi c recently addressed the problem in a blog post. Starting at the most elementary level, the post explains that a belt scale system consists of three major elements: the weighing carriage with load cell(s) mea- sures the weight of material on the belt, the belt speed sensor and electronic in- tegrator joins the output signals from the scale load cell(s) and speed sensor to ar- rive at a rate of material fl ow and the total material passed over the scale. The weighing assembly consists of ei- ther one or two modules, depending on conveyor width. The modules support the weigh idler and measure the weight of material on the belt. The speed sensor is mechanically connected to the conveyor's tail pulley and generates a stream of puls- es. Each pulse represents a unit of belt travel. The frequency of the pulse stream is proportional to belt speed. The elec- tronics integrate the output signals from the scale module(s) and speed sensor to arrive at a rate of material fl ow and the total material passed over the scale. Some belt scale systems provide basic rate information and totalization func- tions in processes involving non-critical or lower value materials with an accuracy of ±1%. Other belt scale systems can moni- tor the feed processes with an accuracy of ±0.5%, or with better-than-normal accura- cy of ±0.25%. Most belt conveyor scales are capable of providing reliable results within ±½% of their full-scale rating. There are other options to consid- er when considering belt scale sys- tems: idlers, idler spacing, load cells, belt widths, belt loading amounts and even considerations for the type of ap- plication. Some systems are better for high-value materials while others are more cost-effective for non-critical or lower value materials. To help users decide which belt scale system is best for their mining operation, the company has outlined the options in a belt scale system selection guide, avail- able online at www.thermofi sher.com/us/ en/home/industrial/cement-coal-miner- als/bulk-weighing-monitoring-sampling/ belt-scale-selection-guide.html. The CavTube sparger has been installed on more than 200 columns worldwide. A version of the system operating at a Mexican hard rock mine has resulted in improved fl otation performance, according to the manufacturer.

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