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Ferrominerals Heavy Minerals Process Engineering
Industrial Minerals
BATEMAN’s process and applied engineering capabilities bring a range of solutions for the processing
of ferrous and industrial minerals. A sound track record has been established over many years.There has been a particular focus on heavy-minerals, iron-ore pelletising and steel-processing plants
and projects.
Processing Heavy Industrial Minerals - PDF
Facilities producing high-quality, saleable products
Design, engineering and construction of process plants
Unbiased selection of the best equipment for the job
Comprehensive project-management services
Preliminary test work in pilot plants and test rigs
Finance facilitation and commercial arrangements
Environmental protection and safe waste disposal
- Build, own, operate and transfer options.
BATEMAN provides all of the capabilities required to convert run-of-mine (ROM) ore to saleable products.
Project servicesConsulting
- Ore-body, production and market evaluation assesses project viability.
Feasibility studies
On-site, pilot-plant and test-rig studies produces bankable documents.
Project management
- Manages all phases of the project, from inception through design and construction to commissioning, to
maximise the success and profitability of the venture.Comprehensive spares and after-sales back-up
Maintenance and refurbishment ensures peak productivity.
BATEMAN has more than eight decades of experience in nearly 70 countries on nearly 4 000
successful projects.Commercial arrangements
BATEMAN makes all necessary arrangements to ensure the project gets off the ground as soon as
possible.Facilitation of project finance
BATEMAN structures, negotiates and secures optimal and cost-effective financial packages for projects
of all sizes.
- More than 20 years experience on how to manage, expedite and coordinate this complex and
time consuming process- Familiarity with international financing institutions supported by personal relationships.
Flexible contract structuring
Projects, large and small
Turnkey, reimbursable, EPCM, lump-sum, fixed fee or any combination to suit client needs
Joint ventures on projects
Build, own, operate (BOO) and transfer (BOOT) arrangements.
Processing technologies
For the beneficiation of industrial minerals, BATEMAN liaises continuously with suppliers of the
equipment and evaluates the equipment to make unbiased selections of the best equipment for the job.
For stockpiling, materials handling, environmental protection and waste disposal, BATEMAN draws
upon its comprehensive in-house and licensed range of engineered technologies or selects the
most appropriate equipment from other suppliers.The mineral resource, recovered using any of a number of mining methods (excavating, dredging,
monitoring, etc.), is delivered to the processing facility by road, rail, conveyor or even pipeline (slurry).
BATEMAN can design, supply, construct and commission processing plants embodying all
the processes needed to convert the run-of-mine (ROM) ore into saleable products.Feed-preparation plants
The ROM ore, in bulk form or powder, is prepared for processing by removing unwanted material, e.g.
vegetation, crushed and milled and classified according to size in circuits comprising trommel
screens, cyclones, crushers, mills, etc. Surge bins can be used to control the feed rate.Product-recovery plants
The valuable components of the ore feed are separated with a range of screening and separating
techniques utilising the different density, magnetic and electrostatic properties of the constituent minerals.
The processes are similar to those used to purify the individual minerals and are described briefly in
the pages that follow.Minerals-upgrading plants
A wide range of beneficiation technologies is available to further purify and upgrade the products received
from the recovery plant.
Gravity separation, according to density (and particle size and shape), may be done hydraulically
or pneumatically using a variety of settlers, tables, jigs, cyclones and spiral concentrators.
BATEMAN has much project experience on primary, secondary and tertiary classification
processes comprising:
[ screens (e.g. trommel), cyclones, spirals and shaking tables
wet-gravity circuits with processors, sand traps, water-handling systems
[ high-rate thickening and desliming of fine product and tailings and dewatering of coarse
material[ feed hoppers, surge bins, conveyors, elevators and transfer points.
The classified feed may be processed directly or conveyed to and stacked on stockpiles and
reclaimed for processing as required.Tailings may be conveyed to dams and dumps and mined-out areas rehabilitated.
Magnetic separation can be applied to minerals with weak magnetic properties to separate those
with para- and diamagnetic characteristics. Repeated passage through magnetic fields purifies the
minerals. Depending on the application, drum, pulley, disc, ring and belt-type separators are
available.
BATEMAN will source a range of magnetic-separation technologies:
[ wet, low-intensity magnetic separation (LIMS) drums – e.g. for the removal of ferromagnetic
particles (e.g. tramp iron) from the processed material[ wet, high-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS) (also called high-gradient magnetic
separation (HGMS)) for the continuous removal or concentration of fine and weakly
magnetic materials – e.g. separating ilmenite from gangue or enhancing the ilmenite
heavy-minerals concentrate by removing chromite[ roll magnetic separators to process weakly magnetic materials and beneficiate
(andalusite, pyrophylite, beach sands, diamonds, etc.), clean (bauxite, refractory
materials, diatomaceous earths, limestone, dolomite, etc.) and recover (chromite,ilmenite, etc.) a wide range of minerals
[ induction-roll magnetic separation (IRMS) – used for cleaning and concentrating dry,
granular materials such as beach-sand minerals (ilmenite, rutile, zircon, garnet),
tantalite, rare-earth minerals, etc.Electrostatic separation may be used to separate mineral particles with different
electrostatic affinities. Variations in the electrostatic charge and densities of the
particles are used to differentiate the materials. The moisture content often
influences the electrostatic characteristics.
BATEMAN can supply a range of electrostatic separation technologies, including:
- [ high-tension roll separators to separate conducting (rutile and ilmenite) and non-
conducting (zircon) components in mineral sands, e.g. removal of traces of conductors
from zircon
Flotation is used to process non-sulphide minerals, including oxides (e.g. ilmenite, rutile, etc.),
carbonates, phosphates, graphite, slag, effluents, etc., essentially by separating the hydrophobic and
hydrophilic particles by passing fine air bubbles into a liquid-solid suspension containing appropriate
flotation agents.
BATEMAN supplies flotation systems which optimise the process through close control of the
solids in suspension, air rates, froth position, etc.
Pyrometallurgical processing renders the minerals more amenable to physical separation processes.
BATEMAN has experience in many pyrometallurgical applications, for example:
roasting ilmenite under oxidising conditions in circulating fluidised-bed roasters which
increases the difference in magnetic susceptibility between the ilmenite and
chromite, facilitating magnetic separationsmelting ilmenite ore with reductant (e.g. coal) to produce ilmenite slag as feed stock
for further processing and reduce the iron oxides to a high-grade iron which can be
marketedcalcining precipitated TiO2 to produce marketable pigment
DC smelting of ores (e.g. chromite).
Hydrometallurgical processing (e.g. dissolution, hydrolysis, etc.) refines the mineral to market
specifications.
BATEMAN has wide experience of leaching processes and designs to process ore and
concentrates.
Tank leaching in trains of agitated tanks
Medium- and high-pressure leaching in autoclaves, often at elevated temperatures
Heap leaching
- Bacterial leaching, both heap and batch
The materials of construction of the process plants are selected by BATEMAN to ensure they can
handle the abrasive or corrosive materials or solutions being processed.Besides the more common materials, BATEMAN has considerable experience in the application of the
more specialised materials such as moulded glass reinforced plastic (GRP), high-density polyethylene
(HDPE), rubber-lined vessels, glass, etc.BATEMAN Engineering Bulk Materials Handling
BATEMAN has efficient in-house and licensed technology covering all handling requirements.
With a thorough understanding of the criteria which affect flow, BATEMAN can select systems which
will not be plagued by blockages.BATEMAN supplies:
Conveyor systems
Overland and curved conveyors, move from 100 t/h to 6 000 t/h over many kilometers
Pipe conveyors protect the product and the environment from mutual contamination
Pneumatic conveying systems (dilute, medium, dense and boosted dense phase)
En-masse (Redler) conveyors and bucket elevators convey materials gently in dust-tight casings
Aumund pan conveyors convey hot, abrasive materials at over 1 000 °C
Slurry (pipe) conveyor systems.
Stockyard systems
- Stacking, homogenising, blending and reclaiming systems to handle feed materials and
out-load and package the product.BATEMAN ensures that all facilities supplied do not pollute the environment.
Gas cleaning
Electrostatic precipitators efficiently collect either solid or liquid particles suspended in air
BATEMAN baghouses for hot-gas cleaning where the fumes and dust must be collected dry
BATEMAN reverse-pulse bagfilters collect dust at high filter rates with efficiencies of about 99,99 %
BATEMAN wet scrubbers for complex-process applications with gas temperatures up to 750 °C
BATEMAN-Simatek particulate- and dryscrubbing technology filter airborne particles or
remove heavy metals and acidic gases, such as HCl, SOx and HF.Tailings disposal systems
Slimes thickening and clarifying systems to remove particulate solids from effluent streams and
clarify and chemically treat water for recirculation to the plant, reducing overall water consumption
and minimising environmental pollution on environmentally-friendly installations worldwide.Coarse tailings-handling systems incorporating decades of design experience on environmentally
friendly installations worldwide.BATEMAN has available a facility to test three-stage separation processes and two-stage
desliming processes.
The facility consists of a three-stage circuit with tanks, sumps and pumps with variable-speed drives
on each pump. Complete circuits can be tested as its generic framework permits the insertion of all
types of mineralsseparation equipment, e.g. spirals and gravity separators, upstream classifiers,
magnetic separators (e.g. small LIMS, WHIMS, etc.), and any wet-separation equipment, etc.
The open-circuit system rated at 6 t/h, depending on the feed grade o 10 m³ water-supply tank to
ensure a continuous supply of water380 V high-tension power supply
Concrete slab to protect the surrounding environment
Control equipment housed in a standard container, so the whole rig can be taken easily to a site
where bulk samples of the material can be tested.The BATEMAN test rig is available to all clients.
Hillendale heavy minerals plant PDF Dowload
Executive Summary - The Plant
The 1 200 t/h wet-treatment plant effectively separates gangue material from heavy minerals in the run
of mine ore to produce a heavy-mineral concentrate, containing ilmenite, rutile and zircon. The concentrate
is transported in covered trucks to the client’s central processing complex at Empangeni, about 15 km
away, for further processing. The plant is designed to be movable and comprises modules for feed
preparation, spiral separation, slimes thickening and stockpiling the heavy mineral concentrate.These can be dismantled into components that are small enough to be transported by road to a new
location when the need arises. Dismantling will be facilitated because all tanks are flanged and the
structures spliced at strategic positions. The flocculant plant, motor-control centres (MCCs) and
switchgear assemblies were supplied in standard containers for easy transport.The large amount of gravity-feed piping required careful design, particularly the spiral circuits where the
material gravitates through primary, secondary and tertiary spiral stages to separate the heavy minerals. In
these circuits a considerable amount of steelwork is needed to support the HDPE (high-density polyethylene)
piping which is used extensively to minimise corrosion.The process
The process involves mining the heavy mineral bearing sand using high pressure water jets, and
pumping the resulting slurry to a rotating trommel screen where the oversized waste material, mainly
vegetation, is removed. The undersized material is collected in a constant-density surge tank where the
slurry is densified and then diluted to a predetermined density required by the spiral circuits. In these
circuits, the heavy minerals are separated from the lighter gangue utilising their difference in specific
gravity.After removal of the magnetite from the spiral concentrate, using a low-intensity magnetic separator,
the concentrate is pumped to a dewatering cyclone mounted at the end of the stacker and placed
directly on the stockpile. From here the concentrate containing about 5 % moisture is trucked to the
central processing plant. Sand tailings from the spiral circuits are pumped to the dune rehabilitation
area for backfill. Slimes produced by the wet treatment plant are thickened and separated from the process
water using ultra high rate thickeners. The supernatant liquor from the thickeners is recycled as process
water, while the thickened slimes are pumped to an evaporation dam.Namakwa Sands’ moveable primary concentrator
A750 t/h primary-concentration plant was supplied to the Brand-se-Baai site of Anglo American
Corporation’s (AAC’s) multi-million rand Namakwa Sands project on the West Coast of the Republic
of South Africa. The project was a joint effort by AAC’s Central Technical Office and BATEMAN. The
primary-concentrator plant is the first stage in the Namakwa Sands process. It produces a heavy-mineral
concentrate which is transported by earth-moving vehicles to the next process plant some distance away.
At full capacity, the concentrator will treat about 4M t of sand annually. The body of ore being mined is
spread thinly over a vast area. As mining progresses, the operations will eventually move a long way
from the plant. The concentrator was therefore designed so it could be moved to new locations when
the need arises.The project
The joint AAC and BATEMAN team carried out the detailed engineering of the plant. This followed the
development of the conceptual engineering and feasibility studies carried out by an earlier team set up
between AAC and BATEMAN. The concentrator comprises a feed-preparation circuit to remove the
oversized material, a desliming section, linear screens to remove vegetation, a spirals circuit and a
slimes-thickening system. The project commenced in April 1993 and the plant was commissioned
during the second half of 1994, with no problems being experienced in achieving the design
specifications and performance.Corridor Sands feasibility studies
BATEMAN successfully completed the pre-, full- and bankable-feasibility studies for Southern Mining
Corporation’s (SMC’s) proposed Corridor Sands project. SMC, based in Randburg, RSA, is a
mineral-exploration company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s mining-exploration sector.
The objective of the studies was to determine the potential for producing marketable titanium-rich slag
(for use in the production of pigments), rutile and zircon from a huge mineral-sand deposit located near
Chibuto, about 200 km north of Maputo, Mozambique.The studies concluded that there were no fundamental flaws in the proposal and that the multi-million
dollar project had the potential to develop into the world’s largest, heavy mineral sands operation.
Production and first sales could commence by the end of 2004 and possibly sooner. Initially the plant would
produce about 250 000 t of titanium slag per year, increasing progressively to 1 million t/yr. This will require
a mining rate of about 15 million t/yr increasing eventually to 60 million t/yr.
During the bankable-feasibility study, BATEMAN worked very closely with the client to fully identify and
understand the requirements of the project. BATEMAN, as the overall study manager, engaged several
consultants to assist with the environmental-impact assessment, mine planning, mining-method selection,
process development and plant design.The scope
The feasibility study involved sufficient engineering design of all process stages to determine the capital
and operating costs to an accuracy of 10 %. This included mining, hydrology, primary concentration, mineral
separation, ilmenite roasting and smelting, slag processing, export facilities and handling of molten iron,
anthracite and materials. A pilot plant was also operated to confirm certain aspects of the flowsheet.
The process
The deposit averages about 60 m in depth and contains about 14 billion t at competitive grades. This
measured resource is sufficient to last more than 40 years while creating considerable employment for
the local population.The plant design envisages that up to 2 500 t/h of the sands will be sent to the run-of-mine (ROM) stockpile
and then conveyed to the primary-concentrator plant. There, about 2 100 t/h of ROM ore will pass through two,
rotating- trommel screens to remove the oversized material. Undersized material will be cycloned to remove
the fines and passed through spiral concentrators to produce a heavy-minerals concentrate from which the
magnetite will be removed using low-intensity drum magnets. The fines from the cyclones will be thickened to
recover the water, blended with coarse tailings and returned to the mine as backfill.
About 160 t/h of the non magnetic concentrate will be treated in the minerals separation plant to produce an
ilmenite product and saleable rutile and zircon. Technologies such as wet high intensity magnetic
separation, spiral and dry magnetic concentration and high tension separation were explored during the
studies. Some 85 t/h of the ilmenite, roasted at between 750° and 800°C, will produce a high-quality
smelter feed by removing the high chromite particles by dry magnetic separation. Dried and screened
anthracite will be used as reductant in two DC arc smelter furnaces in which about 68 t/h of ilmenite will
be treated to produce a titanium rich slag and molten iron. The former will be crushed, milled and classified
for sale to producers of pigments. The molten iron will be desulphurised and recarbonised and cast into
small cast-iron pigs suitable for export as high-quality foundry iron.The environment
An environmental-impact study revealed no fatal flaws in the project plans. The process plant employs
essentially clean technology, with no chemicals being required. The mined areas will be fully rehabilitated.
Some 2 000 m³/h of water required for the process will be piped in from the surrounding rivers to ensure
that the communities surrounding the mine will not be affected. There is no overburden to be removed
prior to mining as the mineralisation extends from the surface.The Havercroft Andalusite Project
Aprocess plant to handle 88 000 t/month at Anglovaal Minerals Limited’s (Avmin’s) newly re-opened
Havercroft Andalusite mine was commissioned during 1997 following its upgrade and refurbishment by
BATEMAN. A reimbursable R37M contract covered the project management, engineering design and
supply of the new processing plant together with those parts of the plant which could be refurbished.
The original plant built in the 1950s consisted of a 150 t/h crushing and screening plant followed by
pre-concentration in pans and a dense-media separation (DMS) plant. It was operated by VEREF
(Vereeniging Refractories) until the late 1980s when it was acquired by Amcoal. In turn, the mine was
sold to Avmin which closed the mine down in 1991.
Following a favourable increase in the price of andalusite, a test programme was initiated at Mintek in early
1996 and BATEMAN was awarded a feasibility study which examined a number of modern processing options.
This study rolled over into the plant modernisation project. The new plant was built within eight months.The Havercroft Heavy Minerals processing plant
Primary crushing of 150 t/h of run-of-mine (ROM) ore is accomplished using an innovative adaption of
underground coal mining technology to process the hard andalusite crystals in the relatively soft shale
matrix. Secondary crushing occurs in a refurbished Omnicone crusher.
Tertiary crushing is achieved using a novel wet flush crushing technique to ensure the liberation of the
andalusite crystals with a minimum of breakage. Concentration of the andalusite is achieved by gravity
separation in a dense media separation (DMS) plant consisting of two modular units. The modern design of
the plant results in enhanced separation efficiencies and permits the recovery of smaller crystals than was
possible in the past.
Final upgrading of the andalusite is accomplished by drying the concentrate in a rotary dryer followed by the
reduction of the iron content by passing the crystals through Permroll high intensity magnetic separators.
Plant tailings comprise coarse discards and slimes. The coarse material is conveyed up the existing dump
which was extensively re-graded to stabilise it. The slimes are thickened in an Ultra Hi-rate thickener
and pumped to the existing slimes dam 1,5 km below the plant.
Process control is fully automated and the plant can be operated by one operator and four assistants using a
modern SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. There is a clear view of the whole plant
from a centralized control room above the motor control centre (MCC).
Dust control is provided by two wet scrubbing systems which ensure that dust emissions from the
plant are well within legislated limits.Bucket elevators for Ticor SA mineral-sands project
BATEMAN has supplied 32 Bateman Bucket Elevators to Ticor, South Africa, in Empangeni, RSA. The
elevators provide totally enclosed, vertical transport, for the fine particulate products processed in the plant,
thus ensuring a dust-free environment.
Twenty-five of the elevators lift between 1 and 14,5 t/h of mineral sands in the minerals-separation plant,
whilst the remaining seven elevate up to 70 t/h in the roaster area.
They operate quietly and continuously, requiring little maintenance. Provided the technical application
can be fulfilled, price is the main consideration when purchasing bucket elevators. They offer the cheapest
method of lifting the product during the gravity separation processes used in mineralsands plants.
BATEMAN has supplied all the mineral-sand processing facilities in South Africa with their bucket elevators.
BATEMAN has now supplied more than 160 bucket elevators during the past decade, which meant that a
well-proven and reliable product could be customised for Ticor’s specific application.The Bateman Bucket Elevators supplied to Ticor are each fitted with injection moulded ‘Zytel’ Nylon
buckets, selected for their non-stick and abrasion-resistant properties. The belts used are specially
constructed to provide low stretch, high bolt-holding properties and abrasion and temperature resistance.
The elevators were manufactured in Johannesburg and transported 750 km by road to Empangeni where they
were assembled on site and commissioned smoothly. All are operating as per specification.
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Coastal deposit of heavy minerals
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Bankable feasibility study for Tormin Zircon project
BATEMAN has been appointed the engineering partner on the proposed Tormin Zircon project on
South Africa’s West Coast, by the Australian-based mineral-sands group, Mineral Commodities
Limited, and the bankable feasibility study (BFS) on the project has commenced.The Tormin project, located approximately 400 km north of Cape Town, is a high-grade, zircon rich
resource which, when developed, could position Mineral Commodities as a niche supplier to one of the
fastest-growing sectors of the international mineral-sands market.Under the agreement, BATEMAN has been appointed to undertake the Tormin BFS, which is based on
an innovative proposal to mine and process a rich heavy-mineral resource overlying diamondiferous
coastal sands on the West Coast. As part of the BFS, BATEMAN will include a build, own, operate option.BATEMAN is also taking a shareholding in Mineral Commodities, with the funds raised to be applied
to conduct the BFS.With its very high zircon content, Tormin can be brought on stream quickly to take advantage of the
current favourable market conditions. This strong demand for zircon is led by Chinese growth and a
limited new supply coming on stream in the next 1 to 2 years.The BFS should be completed by the third quarter of 2004 and, if positive, will enable the first production
from the site to be achieved in 2005. The project is expected to have minimal environmental rehabilitation
requirements due to natural tidal forces which will replace mined-out sands.An in-house preliminary scoping study of the project estimated that a mining rate of 800 000 t/yr
(over a six year mine life) is possible with the production of 4 000 t/yr of rutile and leucoxene,
respectively, and 16 000 t/yr of zircon. Preliminary test work has indicated that ilmenite and garnet
present in the mineral assemblage can also be effectively separated and the BFS will confirm whether
the ilmenite and garnet products meet market specifications.Bankable feasibility study for Corridor Sands
A bankable feasibility study (BFS) on the huge mineral-sands deposit near Chibuto, 200 km
north of Maputo, Mozambique, has been completed for Corridor Sands Limitada.The BFS detailed a project to recover the mineral sands and produce final products, which will be marketed
mainly to the pigment industry. The first phase would cost US$500M to produce 375 000 t/yr of titanium dioxide
slag and 185 000 t/yr pig iron.In compiling the BFS, attention was given to the mining operation and the establishment of a suitable
process facility, comprising a primary concentration plant, mineral separation plant, roaster, furnaces
and slag- and pig-iron processing circuits. During the BFS, a pilot plant was operated on site to provide
samples and data to assist with the design of the full-scale plant, and market acceptance of the products.
Thorough geotechnical drilling and metallurgical test work was also carried out. A significant portion of the
cost of a future project at Corridor Sands would go towards establishing plant infrastructure. A 200 km
power line would be required, as well as a 65 km road link to a dedicated export terminal north of Xai Xai.BATEMAN’s involvement in Corridor Sands commenced in 1997 with a pre-feasibility study for Southern
Mining Corporation. Encouraging results led to the BFS, sponsored by WMC Resources Ltd of Australia
and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, which started in September 2001 and was
completed successfully in June 2002, with BATEMAN’s share of the total study cost being R20M.WMC Resources has now taken full ownership of Corridor Sands by buying out Southern Mining’s
share of the Project.Hillendale heavy-minerals plant
A primary wet-treatment plant to process mineral sands, designed by BATEMAN for Iscor Heavy
Minerals (Pty) Ltd (now Ticor South Africa), has been commissioned and is operating successfully at
Hillendale, close to Richards Bay in South Africa. BATEMAN, the managing contractor on the project,
was responsible for the engineering design, project management and construction supervision, which
were carried out under a lump-sum contract. BATEMAN was also responsible for the commissioning,
which was done in terms of a reimbursable contract.
Work on this R70 million contract for Hillendale’s wet-treatment plant started in August 1997, with the design
being completed by May 1998. Construction commenced in May 2000 after the finances for the project were
secured. The plant was completed in April 2001. Performance guarantees in respect of the rate of solids
throughput, product grade and mineral recovery were complied with.
The 1 200 t/h wet-treatment plant effectively separates gangue material in the run-of-mine ore to produce a
heavy mineral concentrate, containing ilmenite, rutile and zircon, which is transported in covered trucks to the
client’s central processing complex at Empangeni, about 15 km away, for further processing.
The plant is designed to be movable and comprises modules, for feed preparation, spiral separation,
thickening and stockpiling the heavy mineral concentrate. These can be dismantled into components that
are small enough to be transported by road to a new location when the need arises. Dismantling will be
facilitated because all tanks are flanged and the structures spliced at strategic positions. The flocculant
plant, motor-control centres (MCCs) and switchgear assemblies were supplied in standard containers
for easy transport.
The process involves mining the heavy-mineral-bearing sand using highpressure water jets, and pumping
the resulting slurry to a rotating trommel screen where the oversized waste material, mainly vegetation, is
removed. The undersize material is collected in a constant-density surge tank where the slurry is densified
and then diluted to a predetermined density required by the spiral circuits. In these circuits, the heavy minerals
are separated from the lighter gangue utilising their difference in specific gravity. After removal of the magnetite
from the spiral concentrate, using a low-intensity magnetic separator, the concentrate is pumped to a
dewatering cyclone mounted at the end of the stacker and placed directly on the stockpile. From here the
concentrate containing about 5 % moisture is trucked to Empangeni. Sand tailings from the spiral circuits are
pumped to the dune rehabilitation area for backfill. Slimes produced by the wet-treatment plant are thickened
and separated from the process water using ultra-high-rate thickeners. The supernatant liquor from the
thickeners is recycled as process water.
The plant comprises a large amount of gravity-feed piping that required careful design, particularly the spiral
circuits where the material gravitates through primary, secondary and tertiary stages to separate the heavy
minerals. In these circuits a considerable amount of steelwork is needed to support the HDPE (high-density
polyethylene) piping which is used extensively to minimise corrosion.
The contract was awarded to BATEMAN because of its competitive bid, experience and expertise with this
type of plant. The work was completed on schedule and the start-up of the plant proceeded more smoothly
than is usually achieved for this type of installation. The client’s personnel expressed their satisfaction with
the plant.Heavy minerals treatment plant for Iscor
Bateman Minerals and Industrial Limited has completed the conceptual and detailed engineering of a
1 200 t/h primary wet treatment plant for Iscor Heavy Minerals to be built at the Hillendale site near
Empangeni, RSA.
The Primary Wet Treatment Plant (PWP) will separate the gangue material in the run-of-mine-ore to
produce a heavy minerals concentrate (HMC). The HMC containing ilmenite, rutile and zircon will be
transported to the Minerals Separation Plant (MSP) for further processing.
Details of the process are as follows. The heavy mineral bearing sand is mined using high pressure
water jets. The resulting slurry is pumped to a rotating trommel screen where the oversized waste
material, mainly vegetation, is removed. The trommel undersize material is collected in a constant
density tank where the slurry is densified and then diluted to a predetermined density. The slurry is
then pumped to the spirals circuit where it passes through five stages of spiral concentration to
separate the heavy minerals from the lighter gangue. After removal of the magnetite using a low
intensity magnetic separator the HMC is pumped to a cyclone mounted at the end of the stacker. There
it is dewatered and placed directly on the stockpile from where it is trucked to the MSP. Sand tailings
from the spirals circuit is pumped to the dune rehabilitation area as backfill. Slimes generated by the
PWP are thickened and separated from the process water using ultra high-rate thickeners.
Several aspects of this project contributed to its complex nature. The plant comprises a large amount of
gravity feed piping which required careful design. As HDPE (high density polyethylene) will be used
extensively in the spirals circuit to minimise corrosion, the design also required a considerable amount
of supporting steelwork for the HDPE piping.
After three years of operation the plant will have to be moved to a new site 2 km away. This has been
catered for in the modular design which will enable the major components such as the trommel screen,
the spirals buildings, 12 m diameter thickeners, pipe racks and the stacker to be moved as separate units
with minimal uncoupling of piping and other gear. About seven years later a more difficult move to a site
39 km distant is envisaged, possibly requiring the plant to be broken down into even smaller components
no larger than 7 to 8 m in height to comply with road transport restrictions. As a result all tanksare flanged
and the structures have splices to permit dismantling. Some items such as the flocculant plant, motor
control centres (MCCs) and switch gear assemblies are to be supplied in standard containers for easy
transport. These items will be fully assembled and pre-tested off-site before delivery.
This phase of the work was awarded as a lump sum contract to BATEMAN in August 1997 and took about
one year to complete. BATEMAN’s responsibilities included the process engineering and the structural,
mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation engineering and design.
Iscor envisages that the next two phases of the project could commence after mid-1999 which will involve
the inspection and expediting of the equipment, construction management and hot commissioning of the
plant. Should Iscor proceed, BATEMAN will handle phases two and three of the project.
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