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Bateman Engineering NV - Industrial Heavy Minerals Processing Track Record
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.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.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.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.Kenmare's mineral-sands project at Moma
Kenmare Resources P.L.C., Ireland, has awarded the joint venture between BATEMAN and Multiplex Ltd of
Australia a contract to establish a mineral-sands processing facility at Moma in the north-east of Mozambique.The total value of the contract is US$240M, of which $220M is a lump-sum turnkey component and $20M is
a provision to cover potential cost overruns, after which the total cost to Kenmare is fixed and the joint venture
will be liable for additional costs.The feasibility study for the project was completed about 18 months ago. Multiplex, with its considerable
experience in large construction projects, then became involved in the project and engaged BATEMAN in
a joint venture to contribute the necessary process-engineering expertise for the project and its understanding
of working in southern Africa. The integrated BATEMAN / Multiplex team will be jointly responsible for all
aspects of the project.This will be the second project undertaken by BATEMAN for Kenmare. In 1994, BATEMAN supplied and
commissioned a 7 500 t/yr graphite-processing plant at Ancuabe in northern Mozambique.The process at Moma will be based on proven technology, comprising dredging, concentrating and separating
the mineral sands. The wet- and dry-processing plants to be used are existing units acquired from
BHP-Billiton's Beenup project in Western Australia, which have been disassembled and will be shipped
to Mozambique. The dry separation plant will be upgraded under subcontract to incorporate an enhanced
zircon processing circuit and a new rutile circuit.Infrastructure for the plant, in the form of an access road from the beach to site, export jetty with product
storage and loading facility, electrical generation and transmission and personnel accommodation, will
also be provided. Access to the site will pose logistic challenges. Some of the project's larger components,
such as the process plant from Australia, will be beach landed, while other items will be brought in from
South Africa via Zimbabwe and Malawi.With resources to sustain production at the initial production level for 80 years, the annual production will
be approximately 615 000 t of three ilmenite products containing between 50 and 60 % titanium dioxide
(TiO2), approximately 40 000 t of premium- and 20 000 t of special-grade zircon and 15 000 t of premium-
grade rutile. Moma will, it is believed, have the lowest production cost of mineral sands apart from the
existing Richards Bay operation in South Africa. In the first 20 years, it is estimated that the plant will
generate between $85M and $90M annually against projected costs of $23M.The Moma project will, after the Mozal aluminium project near the capital, Maputo, be the second-largest
project to date in Mozambique. Significantly, it is located in one of the poorer and less developed areas
of the country where it will ultimately, in full production, provide employment for about 500 workers.
During the construction phase as many as 2 700 site workers could be employed.It is expected that the project will take about 27 months to complete once the funds have been secured
and the contract becomes effective, which is anticipated soon after mid-year. It will then take about two
months to issue all the enquiries and physical construction should commence early in 2005. Much of
the purchasing for the project will be done in South Africa to comply with the financing conditions for
the project, with some components being sourced from elsewhere.BATEMAN's test rig for processing industrial-minerals
The design and engineering of large-scale facilities to separate the constituent minerals in complex
ore bodies containing industrial minerals cannot be reliably tackled without extensively testing, on a
pilot-plant scale, the effectiveness of a range of the most likely processes.Accordingly BATEMAN has established a facility in which as many as three stages of wet-gravity
separation and two-stages of desliming can be evaluated using representative samples of the ore and
the data produced can be scaled up during the full-scale design stages.The industrial-minerals test rig consists of a three-stage spiral circuit with tanks, sumps and pumps with
variable-speed drives on each pump. Complete circuits can be simulated in the rig and tested as the rig's
generic framework permits the insertion of different types of minerals-separation equipment, e.g. spirals,
upstream classifiers, magnetic separators (e.g. small LIMS, WHIMS (wet, low- and high-intensity magnetic
separation), etc.) and other wet-separation equipment. In respect of spirals, full-scale units obtained from
different suppliers can be used.The BATEMAN test rig is available to all clients. While it is usually located at BATEMAN's Boksburg site in
South Africa, it is movable and can easily be taken to a remote site to facilitate the testing of bulk samples
of the ore body. Depending on the grade of the feed, the open-circuit system can handle up to 6 t/h of material.The control equipment is housed in a standard container, facilitating moves to alternative sites. The rig is
usually mounted on a concrete slab to protect the surrounding environment. A power supply rated at 380V is
also required. The rig has been used in several of BATEMAN's most recent feasibility studies and industrial-
minerals projects.Tests on the Tormin heavy-minerals resource involved the production of a heavy-mineral concentrate to
recover and concentrate zircon, leucoxene, rutile, ilmenite and garnet. For Norilsk's titanium project, the
rig was used to obtain data needed for the development of the process flow-sheet and studies are
underway for Malawi Sands on the removal of non-magnetic zircon from a sillimanite (alumina silicate)
ore from a non-magnetic concentrate containing zircon.Besides the applications mentioned above, the test rig is ideal for studies on chromite containing ores,
for which the recovery and upgrading stages are very similar to that for heavy-mineral sands. With minor
modification, the processing of coal in spirals circuits can also be investigated.Moma minerals sands on schedule
The US$220M Moma mineral-sands project in Mozambique is on schedule, with the first sub contracts
having been awarded by the BATEMAN / MULTIPLEX joint venture.One of these provides for the turnkey supply of power to the site through a new 170km overhead power
line from Nampula, and the electrical reticulation for the process plant, permanent accommodation
camp and other site infrastructure. In addition, the installation of the aggregate crushing and screening
facilities is underway with earthworks having started, while the civils contract is being finalised and work
is expected to get underway soon.The 27-month lump-sum turnkey contract for the provision of a mineral-sands processing plant and
associated infrastructure at Moma is Kenmare Resources' second Mozambique project and the
second-largest project to date, after the Mozal aluminium project, in this country. It commenced in August 2004.The location of the Moma project, on the coast in Nampula Province, 450km north of Beira and with limited
road access, poses a number of challenges including the heat, high rainfall and threat of malaria, in
addition to the logistics of transporting large loads of materials and equipment. Many of the larger
components will be beach landed and access roads are being established both from the nearest
provincial road and from the beach to the site.The process being installed at Moma comprises dredging, concentrating and separating the mineral
sands. The wet- and dry-processing plants, which have been acquired by Kenmare from BHP-Billiton's
Beenup project in Western Australia, have been disassembled and await shipment to Mozambique.The deposit will be mined using two 2500t/h floating dredges in a pond. The ilmenite-, rutile- and zircon-
rich heavy concentrate will be separated from the lighter sand in the floating wet-minerals concentrator
plant situated in the pond and constructed on top of floating pontoons.The wet concentrate will be pumped to a dry-minerals separation plant approximately 2km from the wet-
minerals concentrator plant. Four ilmenite products will then be produced with different titanium dioxide
contents. Two will be separated from the concentrate without further beneficiation, while the remaining
two will require roasting to reduce the chromite content of the ilmenite and increase the titanium-dioxide
content.The dry, saleable products will be fed by front-end loaders onto a 2,5 km-long overland conveyor for
transporting to a specially constructed, 500 m-long export jetty. From this jetty, a 4000t capacity, self-
unloading barge will transport the saleable product to offshore, seagoing bulk vessels.Aflease uranium plant to utilise pressure leaching
BATEMAN has been contracted to carry out the metallurgical process design for the new uranium plant
for Aflease Gold and Uranium Resources to be located next to the company's existing Bonanza gold-
mining operation in the Klerksdorp area of South Africa.The basic costing and design for this project, which commenced in October 2004, has been completed.
The plant will process ore mined from the Dominion and Rietkuil uranium deposits, which contain
potentially in excess of 136 000 t uranium oxide and represent about 6 % of the world's uranium resource.
The uranium oxide production rate will be 1800 t/yr giving an effective life of resource of 75 years.The uranium plant will make use of pressure leaching in preference to atmospheric leaching for the
enhanced overall uranium recovery. In addition to higher recoveries, pressure leaching reduces
consumption of sulphuric acid due to the oxidation of pyrite in the ore, eliminates of the need for
manganese dioxide as an oxidan, and reduces the leach residence time from 18 to two hours.
The precipitation of excess iron in the leach autoclaves, is also reduced, thereby minimising the
amount of iron build-up in solution.The design criteria have been based on the original Afrikander Lease uranium plant, Rietkuil, which
was one of the world's first oxygen pressure leach plants and was commissioned by Anglo American
in 1982 but mothballed soon after commissioning. While BATEMAN has retained the basic design of
the Rietkuil plant, improvements have been introduced into the mechanical design of the pressure-
leach autoclaves. These improvements, gained from mechanical developments over the past 20 years,
will enable the vessels to operate at higher temperatures than in the past. Improvements to the autoclave
agitation, feed system and discharge system have also been incorporated.After the pressure leach and subsequent counter-current-decantation and solvent-extraction stages,
ammonium diuranate will be precipitated as yellow cake.Sishen Expansion Project awarded to BATEMAN / Murray & Roberts JV
Kumba Resources Limited has awarded a contract to a joint venture between BATEMAN and Murray &
Roberts to upgrade Sishen Iron Ore mine's production by 10M t/yr.The total value of the project known as the Sishen Expansion Project is US$445M, of which US$50M is the
engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract awarded to the BATEMAN and
Murray & Roberts joint venture. The award was obtained due to the combined strength of the joint venture's
process-engineering expertise and BATEMAN's extensive knowledge of jig processing. Pain and gain clauses
have been incorporated in the contract.The Sishen Expansion Project will increase Sishen's production from the current 28M t/yr to 38M t/yr by 2009.
The design component of the project is to be completed by November 2005 and construction will start in mid
2005, with production ramp-up to commence by mid 2007.The new plant will treat 16M t/yr of combined run-of-mine and stockpiled material. The additional 16M t/yr feed
will be processed through a newly-built plant incorporating proven jigging technology to produce about
10M t/yr of saleable ore with an average iron content of 64 %, compared with the 66 % iron content of the
current Sishen product. The primary crusher to be installed will be one of the biggest units built in recent times.The additional production will be exported via the 860 km Sishen-Saldanha railway line and the port of
Saldanha on the country's west coast. The product will be for sale in both the local and international market.The project will make a meaningful contribution to the Northern Cape and South African economy with
1800 direct construction jobs and more than 300 direct and 600 indirect long-term jobs being created
through the expanded operations. In addition, some US$250M per year will be contributed to South Africa's
foreign exchange receipts when full production is achieved.Sishen Iron Ore mine is operated by the Sishen Iron Ore Company Ltd and is located in the Northern Cape
Province. It is one of the largest open-pit mines in the world and is well known for its high grade and consistent
product quality.Kumba Resources Limited, one of the largest South African-based mining companies listed on the JSE
Securities Exchange, has a diverse commodity portfolio consisting of iron ore, coal, heavy minerals, base
metals and industrial minerals.Flotation-circuit upgrade at Gregory Coal
Bateman Engineering N.V. (BATEMAN) has been awarded a contract by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance
(BMA) to undertake an AU$24 million upgrade of the coal-processing plant’s flotation circuit at the Gregory
Crinum Coal Mine, located in central Queensland, Australia.BMA is Australia’s largest coal producer and a leader in the international coal industry.
The yield of coking coal at the Gregory mine’s coal-processing plant will be increased by more than 6 %
by replacing the existing conventional circuit with new flotation technology. This will result in a higher-
density wash in the main processing plant, leading to an increased tonnage of the coking coal produced.A clean-coal thickener will also be installed to assist with dewatering and control the feed density to the
existing belt-filter units. The latter were previously designed, installed and commissioned by BATEMAN.The design philosophy is aimed at delivering a plant that is cost effective both in terms of initial CAPEX
and ongoing operational expenses. The focus will therefore be on the ease of operation and maintenance,
the use of available plant where possible and the maximised use of standard equipment components to
facilitate supply.Work on this lump-sum turnkey project commenced in November 2005 on the basis of a purchase order
for basic engineering which has been embodied into the contract award. The project is scheduled for
completion at the end of 2006 and is being undertaken from BATEMAN’s Brisbane office, the centre of
BATEMAN’s coal expertise. BATEMAN was an Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Award
winner in 2005.
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