.

Established 1909 ISSN 0308-6631 . .

November 2008 Volume 199 No 5 www.miningmagazine.com

Mine of the Month

Sherwood Copper’s Minto
Equipment
Sizers and double rolls
LHDs
Management in action
Flotation giants

CovIMM0811.indd 1 7/11/08 10:34:02

SAN transp.alt. 7.875x10.75 4c 10/23/08 4:36 PM Page 1

Transportation alternatives
in Action
Soaring fuel costs, a looming tire shortage, a desire to reduce the environmental
impact - and millions of tonnes needing to be moved every hour. Challenges like these
drive Sandvik’s innovative culture. For more than 140 years, Sandvik has invested in
the development of new technology, in this case viable alternatives to expensive and
often inefficient hauling systems. Today, Sandvik offers a full range of materials han-
dling systems and reliable conveyor components. This deep expertise in bulk materials
handling has allowed us to deliver ingenious overland conveyors with both horizontal
and vertical terrain adaptations. It’s just another example of how Sandvik puts its
experience in action for your benefit. Rely on Sandvik for innovative thinking and a
spirit that’s dedicated to making you more productive.

w w w. s a n d v i k . c o m
 NOVEMBER 2008 • VOL 199 • NO 5

Editor
Paul Moore
E-mail: [email protected]
Minto mine Flotation 36
Assistant editor
Carly Lovejoy
E-mail: [email protected]
Contributing equipment editor
Dave Porter
E-mail: [email protected]
Production editor
Tim Peters
Sub editors
Vickie Johnstone
Karen Leverington
Editorial enquiries: 12
Tel: +44 (0)20 7216 6060
Fax +44 (0)20 7216 6050
Website: www.mining-journal.com
Advertisement and new media director
Gareth Hector +44 (0)20 7216 6057
24
E-mail: [email protected]
Advertisement manager
Richard Dolan
E-mail: [email protected]
Classified sales
Eoin McSwiney
E-mail: [email protected]
(For detailed information on international
sales, please see advertisement sales offices
on pages 63-64)
Advertising production
Sharon Evans
E-mail: [email protected] LHDs
Simon Smith
E-mail: [email protected]

in this issue
Subscriptions and circulation
Stuart Balk
E-mail: [email protected]
Subscription enquiries:
PO Box 1045, Bournehall House,
Bournehall Road, Bushey, WD23 3ZQ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8421 9232/7
Fax: +44 (0)20 8421 8244
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Annual subscription
UK and Europe £95.00 (€160.00)
Rest of the world US$170.00
COMMENT 3 FRONT COVER
Additional current copies are available to
subscribers at £12 (US$21) each PANORAMA 4 The cover shows a Vermeer
Mining Magazine is published monthly by News update
Mining Communications Ltd, Albert House, T1255 Terrain Leveler Surface
1 Singer Street, London EC2A 4BQ, UK
MINE OF THE MONTH: Excavation Machine (SEM).
Printed by Stephens & George Magazines, Precision surface mining is
Merthyr Tydfil, UK Minto, Yukon 12 a method that uses the
Mining Magazine USPS No: 005-829 is Sherwood Copper’s high-grade, open-pit, copper-gold mine, Vermeer Terrain Leveler
published monthly by Mining
Communications Ltd, Albert House, 1 Singer developed on time and on budget is a major accomplishment SEM attachment, allowing
Street, London EC2A 4BQ, England mine operators to extract
The 2008 US annual subscription price is EQUIPMENT: mineral seams selectively in
US$170. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by
Agent named Air Business, c/o Worldnet Update 20 surface mining applications.
Shipping USA Inc., 149-35 177th Street,
Jamaica, New York NY11434. Periodicals Focus 22 The Terrain Leveler SEM
postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431 uses top-down cutting – a process that
Mark Sprouls visited the Peruvian polymetallic operation of Cerro
US Postmaster: Send address changes to allows the cutterteeth to gain penetration
Mining Magazine, Air Business Ltd, c/o Lindo, South America’s first user of Caterpillar’s R2900G LHD
Worldnet Shipping USA Inc, 149-35 177th without using the machine’s tractive effort to drive
Street, Jamaica, New York NY11434
Subscription records are maintained at
LHDs 24 them into the minerals. The process has the ability
to be closely controlled so that almost all available
Mining Communications Ltd, PO Box 1045, The electric LHD market continues to grow, as does the
Bournehall House, Bournehall Road, products are recovered, resulting in a product of
Bushey WD23 3ZQ supply of smaller machines higher quality and value.
Editorial director Website: www.vermeer.com
Chris Hinde Sizers 30
Group publisher Paul Moore looks at the latest market for these crushing
Rob Barrowman
Chief executive officer machines, which are being used in some new major projects Australian iron ore 44
David Nizol
MANAGEMENT IN ACTION: Magnetite projects gather pace in Western Australia
Chairman
Andrew Kent
© Aspermont UK 2008
Slurry control 17 OPINION 50
Bill Flowers and Ron Pozarski of Emerson Process Management Dave Porter gives his thoughts on MINExpo 2008, which saw a
ISSN 0308-6631 give some pointers on improving stability and profit major evolution of the haul truck market and record attendees
A member of
BPA Worldwide Flotation 36 MARKET PLACE 53-54
A member of the Periodical Carly Lovejoy looks at the latest technologies and installations Nickel: calling the bottom
Publishers Association
from the world’s largest manufacturers of flotation machines CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 55-56

November 2008 Mining Magazine 1

01MM0811.indd 1 10/11/08 12:35:31

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CAVEX® Hydrocyclones Solutions
ISOGATE® Slurry Valves
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from Weir Minerals are sold as Envirotech pumps

Weir.indd 1 13/10/08 14:02:27

 COMMENT

A rapid rethink
I
N LAST month’s issue, the question “as good as it gets?” about C$270 million in capital contributions to expansion work
formed the basis for a comment that highlighted the at the Moa nickel operations in Cuba and its Fort Saskatchewan
record visitor attendance and exhibitor presence at the nickel refinery. It is also launching a review of its Ambatovy nickel
MINExpo show in Las Vegas. At the time, OEM suppliers, project in Madagascar to rethink schedules and try to reduce
EPCM contractors and others were fairly sure that, as far costs. The oil sands sector has also fallen victim to plummeting
as mining was concerned, the economic downturn was not a oil prices, with Petro-Canada delaying the upgrader part of the “A number
particular worry due to the number of large-scale projects in the Fort Hills project, while Suncor and Shell Canada have both put
pipeline for the next two to three years. major expansions on hold.
of projects
However, over the last few weeks there has been a notable The global gloom has also caused iron ore demand in China to – especially
change of mood. Mining companies have been looking at their slow slightly. As a result, Rio Tinto has revised its estimate for iron those that were
projected income with falling demand and metal prices, what ore shipments from the Pilbara for 2008 to 170-175Mt. The at an advanced
their costs will be next year and, in particular, how much money
they will need to raise to fulfil planned development schedules
company said that as a result of reduced demand from its
customers and reduced shipments, the annualised run rate of
feasibility
and how much that capital raising will cost them. iron ore production from its Pilbara mines will be reduced by stage, but…
The result seems to be a rapid rethink of medium-term approximately 10%. Fortescue Metals has made a similar had not been
development. Some leading OEM players have told Mining announcement. The situation may also cause delays in some of finalised – have
Magazine that some significant orders have, indeed, been put on
hold or cancelled due to the global downturn, and that 2009
the major magnetite mining projects that are under way, though
most of the equipment for Sino Iron is already in place.
been ‘put on
budgets and production schedules are being re-examined. However, China’s infrastructural boom shows no sign of
hold’ due to
For larger OEMs, this could perhaps be looked at as a welcome abating, with the November 7 edition of our sister title, Mining the financial
breathing space, but, at the same time, for large fleets with Journal, reporting on the country’s plans to invest a further situation”
defined slots in the manufacturing calendar, either those US$306 billion in its railway network by 2010.
planned machines will have to find new homes or the schedules In some ways, any delays, suspensions or project mothballing
will have to be rejigged. Planned capacity expansions are also by the major miners will hit the OEMs harder as these will have
likely to be reconsidered where possible. been considered almost certain to go ahead, in addition to
A number of projects – especially those that were at an the fact that there are a number of global, strategic alliances
advanced feasibility stage, but where construction or completion inn place between the OEMs and these companies.
of capital-equipment orders had not been finalised – have been Overall, the collective feeling of uncertainty about
‘put on hold’ due to the financial situation. The list includes a financing and the global economy in general is likely to
number of varied projects, from uranium to copper, gold and oil continue, which has and will continue to have some
sands, and it is by no means only composed of junior miners. knock-on effects on the equipment and services supply
The major miners seem to be focusing mainly on flagship, part of the industry. But, once the dust has settled and
high-profile projects and delaying or suspending the less confidence returns, mining looks set to remain among the
developed, capital-intensive or lower-margin options. In strongest industries going forward, so the hope is that this
particular, very high-cost smelter and refinery projects not yet is more of a temporary blip or market correction, as
constructed have been affected, with knock-on effects on opposed to a start of a long-term decline.
bauxite, nickel and other planned mine supply to these facilities.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold has said it is considering
delaying an expansion project aimed at extending the life of its
El Abra joint venture with Chile’s Codelco, while Barrick Gold
Corp has said it is considering deferring projects as it aims to
preserve capital. Sherritt International has said it will suspend

… with Paul Moore

03MM0811.indd 3 10/11/08 13:03:22

 panorama

Vermeer’s T1255 debuts down under

The growing interest in surface miners in Australia
has been well documented in recent years, with the The T1255 can mine in areas not
decision by Fortescue Metals Group to use a fleet of accessible to drill and blast
Wirtgen miners, as well as contractor HWE’s plan to
use two Takraf TSM300 surface miners at BHP
Billiton’s Yandi site, which are on their way there.
However, US-based Vermeer has also been increasing
its influence in the country with its flagship T1255
Terrain Leveler surface miner product, which is also in
use at both of these operations.
Bill van der Weele at local dealer Vermeer Western
Australia told Mining Magazine that, to date, the
company had demonstrated the T1255 at Alcoa’s
bauxite operations, as well as at the iron ore oper-
ations of Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals.
He said of the trials: “All the demonstrations
revealed that, especially on large minesites that
seemingly focus only on drilling and blasting, there is
a large scope for the T1255. This includes haul-road
maintenance and areas to mine that are limited in the
application of drilling and blasting due to the
proximity of plants, conveyors and other obstacles.”
In addition, the company states that the to surface mining, where T1255s are used for mining, loading; i.e. not loading directly from miner to truck.
replacement of the drilling, blasting and primary as well as cutting ramps, corners and high walls. Mr van der Weele told Mining Magazine: “When
crushing by surface mining with the T1255 proved to In terms of productivity, the company said the coupling mining and loading, the availability of the
be very cost effective. T1255 is achieving anything from 300t/h to 1,400t/h, miner drops, logistics [are] more complicated and
So far, T1255s are being used on a permanent with the variation largely due to the high variability mining efficiency is less.
basis by BHP Billiton at the Yandi operation and by in the hardness and abrasive nature of the iron ore. “Another factor that weighs in when coupling min-
Fortescue Metals at the Cloudbreak mine. Towards Accurate estimates are given to customers after a site ing and loading is the necessity to use the cutting
the end of this year, Vermeer expects to have six visit and analysis of rock samples in the Vermeer lab. edge to shift or transport the cut material, resulting
T1255 units working, all mining iron ore. At one In all cases, the units work 24 hours a day with an in substantial[ly] more wear, further decreasing the
location, the company works in an existing mine in availability of over 75%, while 20% is taken into availability.”
areas where drilling and blasting are no longer account for cutting-edge (CE) maintenance; again, a The firm states that this is especially the case when
feasible due to the close proximity of the watertable. figure that can vary according to the material as mining more abrasive iron ore, whereas Vermeer’s
The T1255 strips layers of about 350mm, which is harder rock will require more CE maintenance. top-down cut ensures the shortest contact possible
then loaded by wheel loaders into the haul trucks. As In terms of the difference between the Vermeer between the cutting edge and the mined ore.
this allows the mine to work a lot closer to the T1255 concept and other surface miners, such as As a result, Vermeer believes it is always more cost-
watertable, it increases the mine’s output, effectively those from Wirtgen and Takraf, a major distinction is effective to use a separate loader when surface
extending its life. The other site is a mine dedicated Vermeer’s philosophy of decoupling mining and mining.

New Sandvik fleet for PotashCorp

Sandvik Mining and Construction has signed an The Sandvik MF420 Borer Miner has a variable assisting our customers by increasing their
agreement with PotashCorp, Canada, to supply a height and width, and is designed to cut and business performance.”
fleet of Sandvik MF420 Borer Miners to the transport material to auxiliary haulage equip-
Piccadilly underground potash mine. This is the ment in one continuous operation. The machine
company’s largest, single order for the soft-rock can be used to drive entries, excavate mine rooms Sandvik Borer Miner
mining business to date. and extract pillars. Depending on the haulage cutting head, Potash
The new Borer Miners are expected to be system used, the MF420 can cut and convey Corp Rocanville
delivered at the beginning of 2010 and will be approximately 15t of potash ore per minute.
used as heavy-duty production machines. The overall length of the machine is 12.8m and
PotashCorp is developing the Piccadilly mine to the weight is approximately 213t. The Borer Miner
increase its potash production capacity in can cut up to 3.7m high and 6.1m wide as
response to growing market demand. The standard, but it also features adjustable cutting
company chose Sandvik MF420s due to the drums to allow adjustments to be made according
manufacturer’s flexibility in customising the to customer requirements.
equipment to its specific requirements. Lars Josefsson, president of Sandvik Mining
Adaptations include fitting the machines with top and Construction, commented: “These machines
and bottom cutter drums for better and more represent a significant order for the underground,
reliable profiling. This allows the MF420s to cut a soft-rock mining segment within Sandvik Mining
nearly rectangular roadway profile, increasing and Construction. We are very pleased with this
both efficiency and productivity. development as it highlights our approach to

 Mining Magazine November 2008

04,06,08,10MM0811.indd 4 7/11/08 11:59:33

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Untitled-6 1 1/10/08 16:31:39

 panorama

Bayan awards major mine contracts

Leading Australia-based mining contractor The GBP mine in the Muara Pahu district
Thiess has been awarded a five-year, of East Kalimantan is an important source
US$692 million contract for the develop- of high-quality, medium sulphur coal for
ment and operation of the Teguh Sinar Abadi the Bayan Group. The resource is exported
and Firman Ketaun Perkasa coal mines near to Asia and Europe through Balikpapan as
Melak in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. high calorific-value coal.
Both mines are subsidiaries of Bayan The contract extension will also see
Resources Indonesia and form part of the Petrosea commit about US$44 million in
group’s expansion plans for the business. capital investment over the next two years
Thiess will be responsible for mine for a major new load and haul mining
planning, overburden removal, coal mining, equipment fleet for the GBP site.
and the loading and transport of coal from Across its operations, Bayan currently
the mine site to the river port. Work will uses mainly Hitachi and Komatsu loading
begin immediately with client-supplied tools, including 26 Hitachi EX2500 and
equipment already on site. Bayan’s fleet has a large proportion of Hitachi equipment 10 Komatsu PC1250 hydraulic excavators. The
The initial production target is 4Mt of coal and current truck fleet numbers over 160 machines,
40 million bcm of overburden per year, to be engineering and construction firm PT Petrosea Tbk. mainly Caterpillar 777 and Komatsu 785 and 465
achieved by the third year of operations. Petrosea said the new five-year contract was an models, across a number of sites.
David Saxelby, managing director of Thiess, extension to its existing long-term, coal Bayan Resources also has a new 90%-owned
commented: “The coal mines are a key project overburden-stripping contract at the Bayan mine, joint venture with Italmatic (Singapore) Pte Ltd
for Thiess as they are the first step towards adjacent to Muara Pahu in East Kalimantan, but (10%), which operates a new OTR tyre-retreading
expanding the Bayan Group. It will provide us has improved terms and conditions. operation in Indonesia. The retreading operation
with an opportunity to reinforce the depth of Petrosea has been operating at the mine since is based at the company’s main export location,
expertise within our mining and construction November 1999 under two contracts, the second the Balikpapan Coal Terminal.
business to meet the growing Indonesian market.” of which is due to expire at the end of December. The joint venture company provides services to
In addition to the Thiess deal, Bayan Resources The new contract will start in January 2009 and the Bayan Group, its contractors and third-parties
subsidiary Gunung Bayan Pratamacoal (GBP) has has predicted overburden-production targets of through the retreading of OTR tyres using a
signed a US$300 million mining contract with 36 million bcm per year. cold-cure process.

Atlas Copco rolls out new DrillAir range

Atlas Copco has introduced its DrillAir range of inside the machine in accordance with the dewpoint The compressors feature an emergency shutdown
compressors, designed to bridge the gap between and humidity. This prevents condensation from switch and oil filter for optimised engine life, and to
the XR and TwinAir ranges of large, portable forming within the compressor and significantly ensure efficient engine combustion and power
compressors. The DrillAir line, which is due to be increases the lifetime of the bearings. output. There is an additional remote option to
launched officially on November 18 on Atlas Copco’s Compressors are available in several configurations control the DrillAir unit from a distance of up to 200m.
website, is primarily aimed at meeting the needs of to suit customers and their applications. These Atlas Copco has recently undertaken a competitive
drilling contractors in the mining, construction, and include: skid-mounted, support-mounted, tandem or drilling test with another leading compressor
oil and gas sectors. wagon versions. The skid-mounted unit can be manufacturer at a European mine. Both companies
The company has released four models initially. placed directly on to any surface, while the support- drilled holes side by side using equal parameters
The XRVS617 and XRVS647 are both portable, mounted version featuring, integrated forklift slots, to eliminate anomalies.
two-stage, silenced compressors with a 25bar is positioned on a flat deck.
working capacity, and differ in approximate free-air The tandem units are produced
delivery (FAD), as indicated by the numbers in in EU and US formats. Both have
their titles. dual axles, located at the centre of
The XRXS567 and XRXS 607 are also two-stage, the unit, making them highly
silenced compressors, but have a working capacity of manoeuvrable and towable at high
30bar and can be fitted with switches to allow dual speed on the road.
operation at 25bar. All four are powered using In wagon mode, dual axles are
Caterpillar C18 Acert, Tier 3 diesel engines with a placed at the end of the unit,
rating of 429kW/575HP. offering easy transport and
The DrillAir compressors feature several design stability on uneven
improvements, giving them a better performance worksites.
than previous models. The new DrillAir screw DrillAir compressors
element gives a 4% reduction in energy consumption feature 975 litre fuel tanks,
compared with the previous design, a reduced risk of with optional, larger, 1,550 litre tanks
leakage and a 15% lower thrust load. The new gearbox available for the skid or support versions to provide DrillAir XRXS, compressor-in-wagon configuration
configuration reduces the force on the bearing to longer running hours before refilling.
increase the working range of the element and boost The range also features centralised service drains According to Atlas Copco, the test showed that the
energy savings. to ease maintenance, and an optional pressure- DrillAir 25bar machines produced a 24% higher
All four models are fitted with Atlas Copco’s regulating valve and outlet, allowing a 7bar hose penetration rate than the competitor’s model, while
Oiltronix V2 system, which regulates the temperature connection for cleaning the coolers. the DrillAir 30bar machine produced a 60% increase.

 Mining Magazine November 2008

04,06,08,10MM0811.indd 6 7/11/08 12:01:52

 Supporting you to the best results

True experts by your side

Proactive service keeps

you on the move
You recognize good service when you get it. Sandvik has a global
service and support network in all major mining areas with
3,500 service technicians ready to cater to your needs. For you
this means higher equipment availability and improved perfor-
mance throughout the life cycle of your equipment.

ww w. s and v i k .c o m

Svik_UHM_Proactive_MM.indd 1 20.10.2008 07:56:33

 TAGLINE
PANORAMA

■ FLSMIDTH’S US$45M WIN Cubex QXR proves its worth

in Australia
FLSmidth Minerals has signed a
contract worth US$45m with QXR 920 in action at Pilbara Iron
Canadian Copper Mountain Mining
Corp for equipment for its open-pit
copper mine close to Princeton, THE Australian iron-ore mining environment is well known
British Columbia, in Canada. for being tough on equipment in terms of the abrasiveness
FLSmidth will provide one gyratory and high specific gravity of the material – up to 3.2 in some
crusher, one SAG mill and two ball cases – and the often consistent high temperatures that the
mills. The contract is due to be machines have to endure.
completed, with the final equipment The market for DTH crawler rigs has become significant
delivery in late 2010. in that part of the world and their use has been growing,
not only for traditional applications such as development
■ LKAB ORDERS ATLAS and pre-splitting, but also increasingly for blasthole drilling.
Atlas Copco has won an order to Canada’s Cubex has been growing its presence in
supply LKAB Mining with equipment Australia with the multipurpose QXR range, which
for rock reinforcement to increase competes with the Atlas Copco L8 and Sandvik Pantera include Canbus controls on all models to accommodate
the safety of its mines in Kiruna and range of products, among others. future automation technology.
Malmberget, Sweden. The value of According to Cubex, the QXR machines are now being The machines are based on what the company calls
the order is approximately MSEK140. recognised in the Australian market, both for their market- “cornerstone parts”, including Caterpillar frames, Caterpillar
The equipment order includes: leading compressor capacity of up to 500psi using an or Cummins engines, Sullair compressors, Danfoss electrics,
10 Boltec LC rock-bolting rigs, onboard, Sullair model and the ability of the boom to and Parker/Rexroth hydraulic pumps, which offer a high
one Boomer E2 C rig for bolt-hole operate at acute angles to match exact drilling requirements. availability of parts and ease of service. The local Terex
drilling and one Cabletec LC for The machine’s high air-pressure supply also gives it a greater Drilling division acts as the main dealer for Cubex in
cable bolting. The equipment will ability to clean holes when drilling in broken ground. Australia and, together with the Cubex factory in Winnipeg,
be delivered during the first half Cubex also cites its ability to customise equipment to provides aftermarket parts and technical support.
of 2009. customer specifications as a major advantage. The QXR drill Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s (RTIO) Pilbara Iron operations have five
comes with a Mesabi high-efficiency cooling system for QXR 920s and three QXR 1120s. The Greater Paraburdoo
■ NAUTILUS UPDATE both the engine and compressor, with operating ranges up operations operate three QXR 920s, servicing the Paraburdoo
Nautilus Minerals announced that it to ambient temperatures of 52°C, allowing them to operate Central Pit, Eastern Ranges and Channar sites. The oldest of
has awarded three contracts to more efficiently in the consistently high temperatures these 920 drills has been operating for over 13,000 hours.
Technip USA Inc to provide the experienced in the Pilbara. The cab is also on a boom arm, The two other drills are less than four months old. At
Rising and Lifting System for the which the company regards as safer than fixed cab drills Mount Tom Price’s Pit 1, a QXR 920 has completed 11,000
Solwara-1 offshore copper-gold when drilling against a high wall as the cab can be swung hours and at Marandoo another has been in service for only
project, located in the Bismarck Sea. away from the falling rock danger zone. four months. The Brockman-2 operation has one QXR 1120,
The products will delivered in March There are currently three QXR models: the 920, which also in service for only four months, while for Brockman-4,
2010. Nautilus has also announced has a 8.87m mast and drills 101-165mm holes; the 1120 for two larger QXR 1120 models are en-route to Australia from
that a subsidiary of Anglo American 101-203mm holes; and the 1320 for 101-255mm. All can the Cubex manufacturing site in Canada.
plc will subscribe for an additional drill to a depth of 42.7m without reloading the carousel and Elsewhere, new contractor customers include Brandrill,
8,933,702 shares in the company to to greater depths when reloading it. The drills are designed with a QXR 1120 and QXR 1320 drilling at Rio Tinto’s new
increase its stake from 5.7% to 11.1%. to flexibly switch between production drilling, pre-splitting ‘Mesa A’ mine, and Rock Australia, with two QXR 1120s in
and RC sample drilling. Ongoing model improvements the BHP Billiton Nickel open pit at Mt Keith.

Kawasaki, Hitachi and TCM join forces

KAWASAKI Heavy Industries, Hitachi Construction Machinery and TCM The alliance will also help all three companies to improve the research and
Corporation have announced their intention to form an alliance with respect development strategies for their wheel-loader sectors, thus strengthening
to their wheel-loader businesses. The alliance will allow joint research and the competitiveness of their businesses.
development, plus the extension of Kawasaki’s wheel-loader division into a In anticipation of the Tier 4 stage, EPA imposed emission-control
newly-created subsidiary. regulations, which are due to take effect in
Kawasaki’s current line of wheel loaders 2011.
features 12 machines ranging in size from The three companies will combine their
the 50Z, with an operating weight of 7.9t, respective technologies to develop new
to the 135ZV with an operating weight of models of wheel loaders that comply with
79.9t. the regulations.
The operation will become an Following the success of this venture,
independent subsidiary in April 2009, with the firms will continue their discussions
Hitachi holding a 34% share stake in with the aim of establishing a broad
return for its capital investment. alliance, encompassing areas such as joint
TCM, a manufacturer of total logistics material procurement, and dividing
systems with core technologies in both manufacturing operations and responsi-
software and hardware, is already a bilities for products, while supplying one
majority-owned subsidy of Hitachi, with The Kawasaki 135ZV has a 9.7m3 bucket another through reciprocal OEM
the company holding a 50.1% share. arrangements.

8 Mining Magazine November 2008

04,06,08,10MM0811.indd 8 7/11/08 12:08:23

 New Sources of High-Quality Pellet
Feed in Sweden and Finland for the
European and Middle Eastern Markets
TSX: NAU Northland is developing important new sources of iron ore for the
European, North African and Middle Eastern markets.
OSLO BØRS: NAUR

FRANKFURT: NBS
Advanced metallurgical test work has produced excellent results and an
independent engineering study has confirmed that Northland's magnetite
projects in Sweden and Finland are economically robust. Magnetite
concentrate from Stora Sahavaara in Sweden, and Hannukainen in Finland
can produce high-quality blast furnace and direct reduction pellets,
respectively. The Tapuli project in Sweden can yield a high-grade
concentrate, suitable as a multi-product pellet feed.

The region's advanced infrastructure, including a rail link to several ports,

C

offers distinct advantages for reaching commercial markets at a time when

M

the European community is placing renewed emphasis on securing

domestic European mineral supplies.
Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

www.northlandresourcesinc.com

The metallurgical work was performed under the supervision of Paul Marsden, VP Metallurgical Development and Operations for Northland.
Mr. Marsden is a member of the IMMM, a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Scientist and is the Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101
responsible for overseeing the design and execution of the metallurgical test work program at Stora Sahavaara.
 panorama

Record UK coal truck order for Terex

In one of the largest haul-truck deals in the UK in
recent years, Scottish Coal is taking delivery of 32 The first 16 TR100 trucks at the Pennyvenie coal mine
91t-payload Terex TR100 models. The company
recently received the first 16 of these machines at its
Pennyvenie open-cast coal mine in Ayrshire,
Scotland. In addition, a further 16 units have been
ordered and will be delivered to its Lanarkshire site
by the end of this year.
The trucks are used to move overburden such as
peat, sub soil and rock, and are loaded by Terex
RH120C and RH120E hydraulic excavators. The
project will last three to five years, during which time
the coal extracted will be processed and delivered
throughout the UK.
John Black, sales director at Terex Distribution Ltd,
commented: “The team at Terex has been working
hard to build a strong partnership with Scottish
Coal and ensure their relevant needs are taken
into account. ments are dealt with swiftly and with the company’s Scottish Coal currently has a workforce of more
“We modified the trucks to meet their individual production levels in mind. Our goal is to achieve high than 690 employees and Scottish Resources Group’s
requirements, including a fast fuel system, fire- levels of truck availability during the lifetime of the subsidiary company, Castlebridge Plant, provides
suppression system and additional lighting, to name repair and maintenance contract in order to help what is believed to be one of the largest heavy
a few items. We will ensure that all future require- them meet their output targets.” earth-moving fleets in Europe.

Indonesian iron sands Normet acquires Chile-based Semmco,

According to reports from Reuters on
November 4, Indonesia signed a US$1.1 billion
moving operations over to Santiago
contract for a huge iron-sand project – the first Normet Group, a Finnish manufacturer of means that Normet will gain important regional
major mining contract to be awarded in the country mining and tunnelling equipment, has announced production capacity and supply-chain know-how
in a decade due to confusion over mining law. the acquisition of Chile-based Semmco Group, in the important market area, Osmala added.
Indonesian energy and mines minister which produceds vehicles for underground Normet stated that Semmco has been a pioneer
Purnomo Yusgiantoro was reported as saying that construction and mining. Semmco’s activities in developing robotised, wet-sprayed concrete
PT Jogja Magasa Iron, an Indonesian firm in will be merged into Normet Chile Ltd, and the in Latin America, and has a wealth of process
which Australian miner Indo Mines Ltd has a 70% entire operation will move into Semmco’s knowledge and application knowledge,
share, would start mining iron sand and set up premises in Santiago. especially in manufacturing concrete pumps and
Indonesia’s first pig-iron smelter in central Java’s Semmco is the only manufacturer of special- machines.
Yogyakarta province. ised robots and low-profile transmixers for the Tom Melbye, COO of Normet Group and
The deposit is similar to the iron sand deposits application of sprayed concrete (shotcrete) in managing director of Normet’s frontline
that have been mined and processed by Blue- South America. organisation, commented: “With this, an import
Scope Steel in New Zealand over the last 30 years. In a statement, Normet said that Semmco’s part in the global front line strategy is now
Indo Mines anticipates that mining and down- strength came from design, based on its long in place.
stream processing at Jogjakarta will be based on experience as operators of this type of machine, “I’m sure that having Semmco as part of our
this same simple and proven technology. adding: “The broad experience has led Semmco to group will not only enhance Normet’s perform-
Some 10Mt/y of iron sand, grading 14% Fe, will produce tough and reliable equipment with a ance, but also enable us to respond more
be produced, with the mining of the deposit strong customer focus, always thinking from the quickly to ever-changing market
“amenable to simple and cheap dry-mining viewpoint of the operators and maintenance demands, in South
techniques”, according to the company. technicians. On-time service and the best America
“It has been difficult to attract fresh, direct availability of spare parts have been key points in especially.”
investment. This is the first company to have a Semmco’s success.”
working contract in Java and the first for iron- Aaro Cantell, Normet’s chairman of the board,
sand mining,” said Yusgiantoro. commented: “The acquisition is an important step
Jogja Magasa Iron will begin exploration of for us, and Semmco will greatly strengthen our
iron sands in 2011 and expects commercial market position in South America… this will
production of pig iron to start in 2012, outputting broaden our product offering to
1Mt in the first year. vehicles that very nicely Normet
The US$1.1 billion investment includes a complement Normet’s Alpha15
350MW power plant and a port facility. The current offering. This concrete
project will also provide a coal-mining boost, will naturally sprayer
requiring 4-5Mt/y of coal to process the iron sand, bring us to new
as well as to fuel the power plant. customers as well”.
The acquisition also

10 Mining Magazine November 2008

04,06,08,10MM0811.indd 10 7/11/08 12:00:29

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PREPRESS
 Mine of the Month – Minto
tagline

Sherwood Copper managed to start

commercial operations only 28
months after acquiring the project

Caterpillar 992G wheel

Copper in
loader empties its last bucket into
one of seven Caterpillar 777D trucks

the Yukon
Brian O’Hara visited Sherwood Copper’s
Minto, the most significant recent mine
start-up in Canada’s Yukon region
12 Mining Magazine November 2008

12-15MM0811.indd 12 7/11/08 11:57:26

 s
HERWOOD Copper’s Minto mine is a Westpro flotation cells at Minto
showcase for the Yukon mining and explo-
ration industry. Minto is a high-grade approximately 2% copper, too
open-pit copper-gold mine, developed on small for the then owners.
time and on budget – a major accomplish- The Minto project saw
ment considering its location, 240km northwest of limited work until 1998 when
Whitehorse in the Yukon. The development time was the project interests were
only 28 months from acquisition in June 2005 until consolidated into Minto
the start of commercial production in October 2007. Explorations and C$10 million
The open-pit mine, which originally produced was spent on project
1,560t/d, is now in its third phase of expansion to infrastructure which included
3,200t/d and is reviewing a fourth phase to reach building access roads, a dam,
4,000-5,000t/d within the next year. camp and concrete mill
foundations. Work was then
reserVes and resoUrces suspended due to a decline in
The Minto mine has existing proven and probable copper prices. In 2004, Minto
reserves of 9.1Mt grading 1.9% copper and 0.7g/t Explorations announced it was
gold with a measured and indicated resource of for sale and was purchased by Sherwood Copper Pelly Construction Ltd, a heavy earthmoving
19.3Mt grading 1.4% copper and 0.5g/t gold. Minto Corp for C$7 million in June 2005. contractor based in Whitehorse, Yukon to do the open-
has additional inferred resources of 15.1Mt grading Sherwood moved quickly due to high copper pit mining. Keith Byram, president of Pelly, stated: “We
0.9% copper and 0.25g/t gold. For the first three prices, hiring an exploration team to re-drill the are a heavy earthmoving general contractor
months of 2008, the grade mined was 3.6% copper, project, renewing permits, conducting a feasibility specialising in sub-arctic conditions but mining is our
1.5g/t gold and 14.6g/t silver. study, negotiating with the Yukon government and first love”. Byram stated that Pelly selected Caterpillar
The total copper cash cost for the first three Selkirk First Nations and negotiating for financing. equipment due to both the service provided by the
months was C$1.04/lb (US$0.87/lb) of copper, with Unusually, these activities were all undertaken region’s Caterpillar dealer, Finning, and Finning’s long
an expected reduction to under C$1 in the last three simultaneously. This just-in-time approach saw a history of operating a Whitehorse service centre.
months of 2008. The current strip ratio is about 5:1 C$98 million project completed in 28 months from Financing for the Caterpillar equipment was provided
with a life of mine plan about 7:1 waste to ore. In acquisition. by Caterpillar Finance.
2008, Sherwood has also conducted an extensive drill One condition of the bank financing was a Pelly, which was established in 1987, has a
programme of 23,840m to develop new resources at requirement for copper sales to be hedged for the longstanding relationship with Finning. Its first major
Area 2, Area 188 and Ridgetop East, all within close first four years, resulting in forward sales at prices project using Finning Caterpillar equipment was a
proximity to the mill. ranging from US$2.19-2.82/lb. These forward sales C$28 million contract challenge to build an airstrip
On September 18, 2008, the company reported resulted in accounting losses in 2007, however, they for the British Rothera Research Station in Antarctica
drill results at Ridgetop East including intercepts of could result in accounting gains in the future if in the early 1990s.
45m and 46m grading 1.1% copper, while at Area copper prices remain at current market prices. Sherwood contracts to Pelly based on a fixed rate
118, 8.5m grading 4.7% copper and 1.2g/t gold were Stephen Quin, president and CEO, stated: “When per bank cubic metre for loading, hauling and
reported. While primarily focused on higher grades, we really started having serious interactions with dumping which is based on standard criteria for
Sherwood is also considering the option to change Yukon government and Selkirk First Nation, I am hauling distance and road grade with adjustments of
its mining plan to have large bulk mining instead of pleased to say that I have never worked in an variations greater than 10%. Fuel is supplied by Great
selective mining of high-grade ore; however, it will environment at any time or any place where there Northern Oil and explosives by an on-site unit of
require further evaluation of drilling results. has been such a cooperative approach and a Dyno Nobel Canada Inc, and are paid for by
The copper ore consists of about two-thirds willingness to work to practical solutions by all Sherwood.
bornite and the remainder chalcopyrite, resulting in a parties involved”. Much of the hauling is done using six Caterpillar
high grade of copper concentrate averaging Minto mine, which is on wholly Selkirk First 777D trucks with loading by either a Caterpillar 992G
approximately 40% copper. Recovery is forecast to Nations-owned land, has about 25% of its employees wheel loader or 385 hydraulic excavator, depending
average 94.5% for copper, 80% for gold and 88% for from Selkirk First Nation and about another 10-15% on pit conditions. An additional fleet of seven older
silver. from other First Nations groups. In addition, the First Caterpillar 769C haul trucks is used as a supplement
Selkirk Nation has a 0.5% net smelter return on the when required. A Caterpillar D11R dozer and two
historY at Minto Minto mine. Caterpillar D10N dozers are sometimes used to rip or
In spite of the Yukon’s golden mining history, the last push material to excavator as well as maintaining the
decade has seen little mining since the Faro mine oPerations waste dumps.
closed in 1998, while the Brewery Creek mine Sherwood Copper does all the
operated a seasonal open-pit gold operation with a mine planning and
heap leach operation from 1996 until it closed in engineering in-house with
2001. support from outside
Minto was discovered from the results of consultants. The only weather
prospecting and geochemical surveys of stream constraint in mining is to
sediments and further developed by diamond ensure that black organic
drilling, since there are no outcrops. Development of material (semi-frozen
the Minto mine first started in 1970 when two overburden) is mined during
groups, United Keno Hill and Falconbridge, began winter because it thaws
working on a northern section while a joint venture during summer and slumps.
of Asarco and Silver Standard began working on a Sherwood has contracted
southern section. on a medium-term basis with
The Minto project was drilled and in 1975-76 a
feasibility study was completed together with several The Marcy SAG mill at
historic resource estimates of 7-8Mt grading Minto’s plant

November 2008 Mining Magazine 13

12-15MM0811.indd 13 7/11/08 11:57:31

 Mine of the month – Minto

In addition, Pelly uses three other loaders – a Stephen Quin, Sherwood Copper president and CEO,
Caterpillar 992G and 988B and a Komatsu 380. Other during a recent Minto mine tour
dozers include a Caterpillar D9L and D8L, with a
grader fleet consisting of a Caterpillar 14G and 16G, and electrical plug-ins will keep essential units from
which, together with a Caterpillar 573 packer and a freezing. During these periods, stockpiled ore is used
631D scraper, are used for road maintenance, to feed the mill. This rule of thumb is derived from
handling of dry stacked tailings and assisting with their Yukon experience and related to the brittle
on-site exploration and other duties. nature of cables and steel at these temperatures.
Most of the drilling is done by an Ingersoll-Rand
(now part of Atlas Copco) ECM690 hydraulic track drill, Processing
using a DTH hammer and 10in bit. A second ECM690 The mill is operated by Sherwood Copper’s
with a 4in bit is used for secondary blasting holes and employees working a two weeks on and two weeks
also for tighter-spaced patterns for ore blasts. off rota year round with 12-hour shifts. There are 38
The operating schedule for Pelly is two ten-hour operators and four foremen, and the maintenance is
shifts, seven days a week. The normal rotation is done by eight millwrights, two foremen and one increased the grate slot opening to 1.5in with each
working three weeks on, one week off. Most of the superintendent. Maintenance is done as required slot having a chamfered edge to prevent peaning of
employees are Yukon residents, of whom approxi- with one shutdown day scheduled at the start of slot and thus reducing tonnage throughput.
mately 30% come from First Nations. every other week. Discharge from the SAG mill is sent to one of two
Ore from the stockpile is fed to a Westpro 3in by 15in Krebs Cyclopac cyclones. The underflow
Maintenance and climate MJC4050, a skid-mounted modular jaw crusher with from the cyclones is sent to one of two ball mills,
Pelly has its own maintenance shop, employing five a 355hp rating and a capacity of 400t/h. This feeds a both Allis Chalmers (Metso) 10.5ft by 12ft models.
mechanics and five serviceman, and the company conveyor system with a stacker slewing conveyor Both mills have a manual lift but an auto system was
tries to do a substantial amount of servicing during with 50hp drive going to a 2,000t-capacity live being sourced at time of writing.
the two-hour breaks between shifts. Finning has one storage. During very cold winter temperatures, The overflow is sent to rougher flotation cells
and sometimes two trained specialist mechanics on- constant outside temperatures at the feeder are which have three Westpro 1,340ft3 cells with 75hp
site for engine and transmission analysis. maintained with the use of air lances or air thumpers motors. The rougher scavenger cells are five Westpro
Repairs to major components are not done on- if necessary. The feed goes to a Marcy (now part of 500ft3 with 40hp motors.
site. The components are shipped to either Metso Minerals) 16ft by 5ft SAG mill with a 900hp The Westpro high-capacity concentrate thickener
Whitehorse or Edmonton for replacement, which motor. The ore size exiting the SAG mill is all below is 20ft in diameter with a 5hp hydraulic drive motor.
could result in a down time of two weeks. Engines are 0.75in due to new trommel screens, with approxi- The original under-flow pumps were changed to a
rebuilt after 10-20,000h, which is determined by mately 80% passing #12 mesh screens. peristaltic pumping system for ease of operation and
monitoring of the equipment by the Finning Sherwood is using Norcast steel liners/lifters for more constant density control. Original underflow
technicians. feed and discharge ends. However, the company has pumps were of a two-by-two configuration and
Working equipment in the Yukon winter requires switched from Norcast to Tega liners/lifters in the proved to be inadequate.
consideration for cold temperatures. The diesel fuel shell can to evaluate which liner offers better The tailings filter press uses five Industrial Process
used in winter is a special thinner fuel, which is all performance, and this evaluation is ongoing. Shell Machinery filter presses. The average is 7-8t per drop
handled by the fuel supplier. During winter the lifters and liners are changed three times a year while with 14-16% moisture content. The tailings are then
engines are never stopped, the only exception being the feed end outers and discharge end grates are sent on a discharge conveyor with 30hp drive motor
during prolonged periods of more than a few days changed twice a year. Pulp lifters, feed end inners to allow for dry stacking of tailings discharge
when temperatures colder than -40°C are experi- and discharge end inners are still original and in product. The dry stacked tailings are taken by Pelly
enced. Pelly will stop mining and bring some good shape with minimal wear evident as of Construction to the tailings dump where they are
equipment in to the shop where it will be stopped September 2008. In one minor modification, Norcast spread and compacted for final storage.

303-843-2000 for the life of your mine

[email protected]
303-843-2000
[email protected]
Operations • EPCM • Technical Services
Operations • EPCM • Technical Services

Global
GlobalMining
Mining

14 Mining Magazine November 2008

12-15MM0811.indd 14 7/11/08 11:57:35

 An extensive drill
programme was aimed at
developing new resources
close to the mill

Larox Ceramec filters dewater slurry without any

air throughput. The driving force for the filtration is
the pressure difference between the atmosphere and
the vacuum inside the ceramic filter plates. At the
end of the process, the dry solid cakes are scraped off
the plates and the dewatering can start again. The
filters are capable of processing 20-30t/h of
concentrate with 7-8% moisture content.

Shipping
The concentrate is trucked to the port of Skagway,
Alaska on a 13-14h trip by Canadian Lynden
“This seasonal
Transport Co. The facilities at the Skagway port for trucking
shipping concentrates utilise refurbished facilities
developed originally for shipment of base metal
period makes
concentrates from the Faro operations, which closed it difficult to
in 1998.
Heavy trucks going to the mine must cross the compare
Yukon River, which is done by barge in the summer
months and by ice-bridge in winter. However, for a
financial
period of eight to 12 weeks, due to the spring thaw quarters,
and winter freeze of the Yukon River, there is no
heavy truck access and concentrate must be stored.
since the
Ship charters must be booked to arrive in a timely concentrate is
manner, just after sufficient concentrates have been
trucked to port. This seasonal trucking period makes not shipped
it difficult to compare financial quarters, since the
concentrate is not shipped evenly and the trucking
evenly and
halts don’t occur at the same time each year. the trucking
Other projects halts don’t
Sherwood’s experience at Minto mine is valuable, as occur at the
the company now has an opportunity to prove its
mining expertise again with the Kutcho project, same time
located in northwestern British Columbia. This
advanced project is a similar-sized high-grade copper
each year”
open pit with indicated resources of 17.2Mt grading
1.56% copper, 2.1% zinc, 23.6g/t silver and 0.29g/t
gold. Sherwood completed the Kutcho acquisition
in May 2008 and is aggressively developing
reserves and reviewing mining plans to reduce the
footprint and capital costs to develop another
profitable mine.
Sherwood also announced on October 10, 2008 a
combination agreement with Capstone Mining Corp,
operator of the Cozamin mine, a copper-silver-lead-
zinc mine in Zacatecas, Mexico. If approved by
shareholders, this will result in a well-financed and
aggressive intermediate copper producer capable of
taking on other projects.

The author thanks Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources

for arranging the visit to the Minto project

November 2008 Mining Magazine 15

12-15MM0811.indd 15 7/11/08 11:57:37

AD_MinMagazine_1108_HC3:Layout 1 23.10.2008 14:10 Uhr Seite 1

less shakes.
less shocks.

The Bucyrus 495 shovel with new HydraCrowd technology.

www.bucyrus.com

Reliability at work
 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SLURRY CONTROL

Improved slurry
Not only does variability reduce quality and
throughput targets, it also causes excessive wear on
valves and instruments, resulting in a reduced
lifespan, higher maintenance costs and greater risk

management
for interruption of the process. The increased and
fluctuating demand on slurry pumps is another nega-
tive aspect of process variability, causing higher
energy consumption than normal.
While the use of low-cost butterfly valves may
Bill Flowers and Ron Pozarski of Emerson Process represent a low initial investment, these valves can
be difficult to maintain, resulting in high lifecycle
Management explain how improved slurry control and the costs over relatively short lives. Valve failures increase
the risk of slurry spills, adding other costly and
use of task-specific equipment can yield operational potentially harmful issue to be resolved.

stability, fewer process stoppages and more profit The Smart Mine

T
Contemporary automation, including wireless
he use of low-cost flow-control devices in The diagram below shows a high level of noise on technologies, provides ‘eyes and ears’ to the slurry
slurries often means that the products need a flow measurement chart. This kind of noise on top process, allowing much tighter control strategies
to be replaced frequently due to the highly of the signal makes it impossible for the control while also making ‘predictive maintenance’ a reality.
erosive or abrasive conditions. However, system to recognise the exact measurement. The Excellent results are achievable by implementing
flow meters and control valves that are not result is over-controlled due to the noise, which what is called a Smart Mine approach, which delivers:
designed for severe service invariably end up costing increases undesirable variability. n Accurate, stable flow measurements,
their users more in both fixed and operating costs. One approach to noise pollution is to dampen the n Greater control accuracy and reliability,
Lower-cost butterfly valves are frequently controls by averaging the measurements over time. n Extended valve and flow meter life, and
employed in slurries even though they introduce a This allows improvement as the output signals from n Advanced diagnostics for more effective
host of issues, including high maintenance, and have the control system are only approximations and are maintenance.
a tendency to seize up, causing unscheduled rarely stable. Damping also increases loop response The Smart Mine relies on intelligent, micro­
outages. They may last only a few days or weeks time in reacting to changes in process conditions. processor-based instruments that not only deliver
before replacement is necessary. When costs are When a control valve receives variable inputs, it precise measurements of pressure, temperature, flow
calculated, these ‘inexpensive’ valves can cost up to fluctuates, over- and- undershooting the desired flow and level, but also generate a vast amount of
US$125,000 each per annum, without taking into set point. The resulting curve above and below the diagnostic information about their health and that of
account the hidden costs in reduced slurry handling set point is known as process variability. nearby process equipment. Smart digital valve
efficiency and throughput, as well as potential lost controllers (DVCs) provide much the same service
production time. Flow optimisation – a noisy application when mounted on or near control valves, enabling
By contrast, control valves designed for specific the user to determine very easily
Flow PC with no damping
service conditions and equipped with smart digital whether a valve’s performance
valve controllers have embedded microprocessors and health are up to expecta-
that provide useful feedback about valve perform- tions. The diagnostics generated
ance and health. In most cases, they can be expected by smart instruments are of great
to provide a much longer service life while saving the value in optimising a process
customer up to US$275,000 per valve per annum. and improving maintenance.
Valve travel
The operation of most mineral slurries can be When control signals based
improved through tighter process control, beginning on accurate measurements reach
with flow meters that last longer, are self-diagnostic valves designed for ‘throttling’
and deliver more accurate measurements. This can action, the valve opening is
Process variability
be done by overcoming the signal ‘noise’ created by easily adjusted to alter the flow
particulate-laden slurries, which reduces measure- according to system design. The
ment accuracy. set point is reached with minimal

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November 2008 Mining Magazine 17

17-18MM0811.indd 17 7/11/08 11:27:56

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SLURRY CONTROL

variation, resulting in precise flow control which is costs have diminished. Since Fisher V150S
vital for optimum loop performance. Throughput is then, the other magnetic flow Vee-Ball valve
increased, and material delivery to the next step in meters at the plant have been
the process is more consistent, resulting in greater replaced with High Signal units.
productivity, higher product quality and lower
operating costs. Extending meter life
A broad variety of materials and configura-
Slurry Optimisation tions is available to extend flow meter life.
Through the application of advanced diagnostics, Options include different liner materials, any component can cripple performance. The goal is
operators are alerted when variability levels are too matched internal diameters, lining protectors and to create a control valve that will overcome the
high for effective control. One way to defeat high electrodes designed to withstand the characteristics shortcomings exhibited by non-engineered
level noise is to move the meter to a higher of the slurry. solutions.
frequency, which increases the signal-to-noise ratio Among the factors to be considered are the While the quality of a valve will determine its
(SNR) and provides a solid flow signal without adding competency of the ore, particle size and flow velocity. lifespan, the size and type of valve are also very
damping to the loop. As the competence and size of the particles increases important, as is the expertise of the company
A higher frequency mode mitigates slurry process and the flow becomes more rapid, the selected liner supplying the product. Most often, the effects of a
noise. Dual-frequency capability is standard on and electrode materials must be more resistant to good valve installation are immediate and significant:
Rosemont magnetic flow meters, making it cuts and abrasion. n Maintenance intervals dramatically extended,
unnecessary to change flow measurement Liner materials can be selected to provide the best n Average valve lifespan in a slurry can be increased
instruments in response to difficult process performance and extended life, taking into two to three times,
conditions. consideration the abrasion, impact and chemical n Tighter process control.
With measurements more representative of the compatibility requirements of the application. Some of the most challenging slurry applications
actual flow, the control unit can react appropriately, Linatex rubber liners are a good choice for large- in the world are found in oil sands upgrade
sending the correct signal to the final control particle mine slurries prior to chemical additions, operations, where inclined plate settler underflow
element. If that valve has been properly selected for while polyurethane provides excellent abrasion applications are common. The high quartz content in
the particular slurry service, it will be able to respond resistance for small and medium-sized particulate these slurries makes them particularly abrasive and
very quickly with minimum variability. slurries. Neoprene delivers very good abrasion difficult to control.
In very high-density slurries, the noise can resistance for small to medium-sized particles and One major oil sands operator installed a Fisher
overpower normal signal strength even at higher provides better chemical resistance. A variety of V150S Vee-Ball valve in an attempt to reduce
frequencies. In these cases, high signal technology fluoropolymers, including PFA, PTFE and ETFE, give maintenance, increase controllability and gain
increases the SNR by a factor of ten, providing ten less abrasion resistance but provide excellent visibility into valve health through the smart DVC
times the signal strength to power through the noise. chemical resistance for slurries with higher mounted on the valve. After more than five months
This enables unequalled performance in high-density concentrations of chemicals. in service, there were no performance or wear issues,
slurries, producing stable, representative flow Electrode materials including tungsten carbide, and controllability was improved. The end-user is
measurements without damping. 316L stainless steel, nickel alloy 276, titanium and now converting all similar applications at the
CVG Bauxilum, a major alumina production platinum iridium alloy provide a range of abrasion operation to V150S valves.
company in Venezuela, receives raw bauxite in a and chemical resistances that can be matched to the
caustic soda solution containing 50-60% sand and needs of a specific slurry. Today’s standard for The Power to Make a Difference
quartz. This slurry is both aggressive and noisy, slurry lines has the electrode mounted flush with Advances in technology and the improved results
causing spikes in the flow signal. Automated control the internal diameter of the meter to minimise they provide are beginning to make slurry
of the slurry was impossible, and manual control was wear, with an outside seal to simplify electrode management problems a thing of the past. Slurries
inefficient. Flow meter liners and electrodes had to replacement. can become a strong part of an operation as long as
be changed every four to eight months. Electronics the process is managed efficiently and effectively.
board failures were also common. Extending valve life The right automation strategy can become a
In response to this, CVG replaced one existing The final control element is critical to the operation company’s biggest strategic asset: it’s an engineering
magnetic flow meter with a Rosemount High Signal of any control loop. The entire control valve assembly solution that harnesses field-generated data and
DC meter to see if the device would read better and should be carefully engineered for the intended intelligence at its source – the customer. When given
last longer. Following its installation in March, 2006, service. All the components must complement each the right tools, a work force will have the power to
mineral quality has improved while maintenance other and work together, as lost motion or friction in make better operating decisions for better results.

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18 Mining Magazine November 2008

17-18MM0811.indd 18 7/11/08 16:23:43

 The Most Profitable Mines
Use Cytec Reagents
For nearly a century, Cytec specialty reagents have been at the forefront of
technologies designed to optimize recoveries under the most challenging conditions.
Our experienced team of metallurgists and engineers will work with you to develop
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©2008 Cytec Industries Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CYT8230.indd 1 5/15/08 5:47:04 PM

Cytec / Mining Magazine / CYT8230 / Profitable

 equipment update

25th Godwin Pumps branch opens

Godwin Pumps recently opened business in the western portion
Saunders Exelon presents
its 25th branch in Carson, near
Long Beach, California. The new
facility is close to several major
of the Los Angeles basin with
municipal, industrial and
construction clients. This
new diaphragms
refineries, including Conoco location complements our Valve manufacturer Crane Chem­ improvements to the diaphragm
Wilmington, Conoco Carson and existing Mira Loma facility, in the PharmaFlow Solutions has launched design with regards to solids
Exxon Mobile Torrance. Godwin eastern portion of the Los the new Saunders Exelon handling. The first was to
also announced the opening of a Angeles basin.” range of dia­ improve flexibility and
new depot in Albany, New York, The new Carson facility offers phragms for its life span, to reduce
providing extra space for a 223m2 of office space, 1,115m2 of industrial down time and
growing work force. building space and 6,968m2 of diaphragm valves improve
Godwin’s western regional yard space, enabling the (IDV). The productivity.
manager, Ron Askin, explained company to expand to meet the diaphragms are Secondly, a
the location of the Carson current demand and long-term designed to improve 70%
facility: “We chose the Carson market growth expected in the handling performance improvement
location to provide more Long Beach area. The Albany in chemically-aggressive in elastic
immediate rental, sales and facility will offer 139.4m2 of slurries for mining and recovery gives the
service support to our refinery office space, 557.4m2 of shop processing applications. diaphragm a better
business in the Long Beach area, space and 4,047m2 of yard space. The Exelon XA diaphragm is fabricated sealing performance and helps reduce
and to support our ongoing Herb Schroeder, Godwin’s from a compound based on an ethylene emissions. Lastly, the rebound resilience of
eastern regional manager, propylene (EP) technology, making it the diaphragm has been improved to
Godwin’s new facility in Carson, commented on the Albany resistant to chemically-aggressive slurries. minimise erosion.
California depot: “We have received an It is compatible with all Saunders existing The chemical resistance of the XA series
increasing amount of business IDV product ranges, and is available for is comparable to that of Saunders’ EP- and
from the Albany area. Our new both new valve installations and for butyl-based diaphragms. Combined, these
facility in Albany will help us diaphragm replacements in existing features allow the XA diaphragm to offer
provide better coverage with our Saunders valves. an improved performance for minerals
entire range of equipment.” The company has made three key and materials applications.

20-21MM0811.indd 20 7/11/08 10:58:20

 Bucyrus diesel update Hydramotion XL7 viscometer
Hydramotion Ltd, specialists in viscosity measurement,
The Bucyrus diesel product line began seven has announced the release of the XL7 on-line viscometer.
years ago with the company’s acquisition of It is designed to accurately monitor the dense media used
Long-Airdox in 2001, followed by Seneca in New low-profile Bucyrus Vers-A-Trac 650D in action in the separation of mineral ores via continuous real-time
2002. Since then, the group has developed its viscosity measurements at higher shear rates.
range, culminating in new releases for 2008. Vers-A-Trac was designed primarily for the US The technology was recently trialled at a processing
The Bucyrus line of compact loaders, market to handle loads up to 45t in seam plant run by a world-class exploration and mining
including the new 10t capacity FBL-10 and the heights as low as 1.73m. The vehicle can be company. The company had previously used a rotational
15t capacity FBL-15, feature design improve- used with a range of specially-designed attach- viscometer at the mine to monitor separation fluid
ments such as power packs and control ments that allow it to perform multiple tasks. viscosity, but found that the shear rate in the pipeline was
systems customised to meet customer The Bucyrus line of Un-A-Trac scoops significantly higher than the 150s–1 obtainable with the
requirements, and a Rapid Attachment System includes the new 482D. This alternative to instrument it was using. The XL7 proved to be an effective
(RAS) for tools. The patented RAS was battery-powered low-seam utility vehicles solution to this problem.
designed to improve safety and efficiency for features a diesel power pack with four-speed Hydramotion has designed the XL7 to be easy to install.
single-operator tasks in underground coal power shift transmission, axle with 36t load It does not require on-site calibration, allowing customers
mines. A hybrid RAS is available that allows the rating, SAHR fail safe brakes and an optional to utilise the technology immediately. The unit features a
machine to interface with attachments from dry scrubber exhaust. highly-sensitive stainless steel sensor that can be mounted
competitors’ machines. In addition, Bucyrus has released an MSHA- at any orientation, in a tank or pipe of any size or capacity.
Bucyrus has also reworked its line of coal approved 150hp diesel power pack, consisting Maintenance requirements are minimal as the instrument
haulers. The newest model, the FBR-15 Coal of the Deutz 1013 FC engine and a Bucyrus has no seals, bearings or moving parts that could wear out
Hauler, is a combination of the FBL-10 utility emissions control system. The Tier II engine or fail in service, which helps to lower operational and
tractor and a modified battery-powered coal coupled with emissions control technology maintenance costs.
hauler trailer. It features a hopper capacity of gives an environmentally-friendly package with The digital readout unit can be located up to 1,000m
15m3 and a maximum load rating of 20t. a long filter life, ideal for use in diesel scoops from the transducer and provides a 4‑20mA analogue
Other new releases include the compact and haulage vehicles. The power pack can also viscosity output, and more comprehensive RS232 or
MH-40 diesel loader which was developed to be used to re-power older-generation utility RS422/RS485 serial data for accurate remote monitoring
operate in tight mine conditions. It can carry vehicles that require upgrades to meet new and viscosity control.
loads of up to 40t on standard forks. The 650D emissions standards.

20-21MM0811.indd 21 7/11/08 10:58:22

 EQUIPMENT FOCUS
TaglINE

Peruvian
Tuscon-based mining writer
Mark Sprouls visited the
Peruvian polymetallic

innovation
operation of Cerro Lindo,
South America’s first user of
Caterpillar’s R2900G LHD

T
HE Cerro Lindo underground polymetallic
block cave mine of Compañia Milpo SAA is
the home of many examples of dramatic
inventiveness in the South American min-
ing industry. Challenged by a lack of water
in the Peruvian highlands southeast of Lima, the
mining company built a 36litre/s desalinisation plant
to supply fresh water from the sea about 60km away.
To conserve that precious water, the company
built a pair of paste plants at the mine to remove
more than 90% of the water from tailings. More than
half of that paste is mixed with a small amount of
A series of belt conveyors takes ore cement and fly ash and pumped into the mine as
from the underground crusher to backfill to ensure stability of the rock strata – an
the mill, seen at the top of the photo innovative approach that reduces impacts on the
environment and enhances safety for miners.
Faced with the need to quickly ramp up
production from the moderately-sized mine, the
company put Caterpillar R2900G LHDs to work. The
large loaders, capable of handling 17.2t in one
bucket, are the first R2900s in South America. And
the large LHDs seem destined to set a trend for
medium-sized mines where 10t-capacity LHDs have
been the standard.
The fresh approach to solving problems came
from within the Lima-based company. “Cerro Lindo is
a Peruvian project,” says Germán Arce, general
manager of Cerro Lindo. “The mine was designed by
Peruvian people for Peruvian people. And I’m proud
to say that we have a productive, safe mine that has
minimal impact on the environment.”
The block caving mining operation officially
started producing in July 2007 using three Caterpillar
R1600G LHDs, which initially were used for
development work, and two Caterpillar R2900G
LHDs. Cerro Lindo now produces 5,400t/d of ore and
is on target to produce 10,000t/d by the end of 2009.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the
mine is already profitable early in its life, which is
even more surprising given the relatively low ore
grades. The volcanic massive sulphide deposit
contains about 5.2% zinc, 0.8% copper, 0.6% lead and

An R2900G carries more than 17t of the dense ore

22 Mining Magazine November 2008

22-23MM0811.indd 22 7/11/08 10:47:21

 Left: Remote
control
enables an
operator to
stay in a safe
area when
loading an
R1600G

Right: A
Caterpillar
R2900G
loader trams
into the
loading area
at Cerro
Lindo

36.1g/t of silver. Core drilling continues as geologists Support activities include preventive mainte- R1600G operators use remote control when loading
seek to add to the reserve base but the deposit nance, such as filter and fluid changes. Oil sampling their machine at a draw-point. Remote control keeps
already promises a 20-year life at a production rate of and regular diagnostics checks are used to identify the operator well away from unsupported strata.
10,000t/d. potential problems. The dealer also maintains an After loading, the operator backs the machine out of
Mr Arce attributes Cerro Lindo’s success to a solid inventory of parts at the minesite. Additionally, the loading area, climbs aboard and trams the
work force. Milpo employs more than 300 people at Ferreyros personnel conduct audits of operating machine to a waiting truck. Production of each
the mine site. “Our philosophy is one of commitment,” procedures to aid productivity and help ensure long R1600G averages 80t/h.
he says. “Workers are committed to working safely. life of machine components. The Ferreyros support
There have been no accidents in the mine for one managers maintain good communications with mine Growing responsibly
year. We celebrated that achievement in May.” managers and with the Ferreyros main shop in Lima Cerro Lindo continues to grow toward the goal of
to help resolve any problems quickly. 10,000t/d production and more large LHDs are likely
Opting for larger LHDs The support agreement covers the first 15,000h of to be important stepping stones to getting to this
Cerro Lindo managers considered the large R2900G operation for each of the R2900G LHDs. Mechanical production rate. But in making those steps, Milpo
machines carefully before putting the plan into availability is guaranteed at 90% for the first 5,000h and the Cerro Lindo mine management are also
motion. Having a drift size of 5m x 4m aided the and 85% for the next 10,000h. The machines ensuring that the local and Peruvian economies
decision to go forward with the large machines. “The currently are exceeding 90%. Following overhauls at benefit.
large loaders have the hydraulic power and breakout 15,000h, the support agreement can be extended Mr Arce sums up the mine and the mindset: “Cerro
force to fill the bucket quickly,” says Carlos Barrena, under the same terms for an additional 10,000h. Lindo mine has become a reality thanks to the
operations manager of Cerro Lindo. “The R2900 fills a Cerro Lindo managers planned for 130t/h of application of state-of-the-art technology, the use of
35t truck in two passes, and the width of the loader production from the R2900G but the machines have seawater, respect to people and the environment,
bucket matches the length of the truck body. The been producing 150t/h. Using auxiliary equipment to and the determination of a great team of people.
result is a very short loading time.” maintain roadways has helped the loaders exceed Expanding the use of this technology will make other
Cerro Lindo uses contractors to do all of the the initial production goal. ore deposits become a reality – bringing economic
hauling for the mine, including ore, concentrates and The 10.2t-capacity R1600G LHDs operating at growth to the site, the region and the country.”
personnel. Ore trucks are 35t-capacity highway trucks Cerro Lindo work in less productive applications
that haul ore from the loading point to the primary compared with the R2900G. In most cases, the Banks of froth flotation cells in the concentrator
crusher. Ten such trucks work at the mine. The
primary crusher is underground, which keeps haul
distances to a minimum. The crushed ore feeds onto
a series of belt conveyors that carry the ore 2km to
the mill and concentrator.
“Of course, using larger loaders means that we
need fewer machines to get the production required.
The whole mining operation can be less complex,
and we don’t need as many people underground,”
Barrena continues. “We made the decision to
purchase Caterpillar based on the support
capabilities of Ferreyros. They provide maintenance,
parts, technical expertise and training.”
Ferreyros SAA is the authorised Caterpillar dealer
in Peru. Ferreyros has a customer service agreement
with the mine and is responsible for maintaining the
Caterpillar loaders. Technicians are on-site to service
machines seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Mining
takes place during two 10h shifts each day, and the
loaders accumulate 500 to 600 operating hours per
month. Twelve Ferreyros employees are assigned to
the underground Caterpillar fleet at Cerro Lindo.

November 2008 Mining Magazine 23

22-23MM0811.indd 23 7/11/08 10:47:25

 EQUIPMENT – LHDs

Getting bogged down

T
HE global load-haul dumper (LHD) market,
often referred to in Australia as boggers or The load-haul dumper market has seen rising interest in
as scooptrams by users of Atlas Copco or
former Wagner machines, is divided into electric models, testing of automated machines and more
distinct groups – diesel and electric,
low-profile and standard profile, and, of course,
sales for narrow-vein applications, reports Paul Moore
by capacity, from the tiny models used in narrow-vein
mining up to massive models such as the Sandvik
LH625E, used in LKAB Kiruna, with a 25t capacity.
South Africa remains a unique market due to the
sheer size of its low-profile market and it hosts
several home-grown suppliers, including Rham
Equipment and Aard Mining, the former Boart
Longyear MCE business in that part of the world.
In addition, Chinese companies such as Fambition
are also trying to get in on the act to supply the
domestic market. In terms of automation, there are
now a number of projects operating using fully-
automated systems – Sandvik’s Automine and
Caterpillar’s Minegem. Atlas Copco is also rolling out Sandvik’s LH517 is replacing the Toro 0010
its automation solution on its ST14 model LHD.
However, the line-of-sight, remote-controlled LHD concentrated on small to mid-sized machines. Not throughout North America and South America, with
remains ubiquitous in deep mining, particularly in many combined Caterpillar truck/LHD fleets are sold, the exception of Chile, and there are many machines
low-profile mines. which is also true of the other manufacturers, and, operating in Africa. In North America, dealer CAT
This article deals with those machines used in overall, LHDs represent 70% of Caterpillar’s Toromont has been successful in increasing the LHD
metalliferous, largely hard-rock mining, although underground sales. market share in the eastern Canadian mining market,
some of the discussed LHD models are also used in The R2900G XTRA model is really a beefed up including the Sudbury nickel district; for example, at
salt and potash operations. However, the separate R2900G, having more counterweight and bigger Vale Inco’s Creighton mine, which uses a fleet of
world of coal haulers, which includes battery LHDs tyres to enable it to carry more payload – its 20t R1700Gs in both development and in the stopes.
designed for coal and soft rock, will be covered in a tramming capacity compares to the 17.2t of the A separate article in this issue outlines a fleet at a
later issue. standard R2900G. Bucket breakout force is the same Peruvian mine, which is the first R2900G user in
The narrow-vein sector has seen a lot of growth, for both models. The most significant addition to the South America.
particularly with high precious metal prices, with a Caterpillar LHD line-up will be a new larger model – In terms of competition, the company points out
knock-on bonus for suppliers of the small LHD the R3200G – although no information about the that the commonality of parts shared by Caterpillar
models. But, these machines have a different focus: machine itself or the schedule for its introduction has surface mining and underground equipment offers
they are not tonnage driven – it is the quality of the yet been released. The launch is understood to have advantages in the availability of parts and service.
tonnes of high-grade ore that is crucial. Additionally, been temporarily delayed due to high demand at the Since all the powertrains are Caterpillar, all
excavation size constraints don’t allow the use of production plants for existing models. components are designed to work well together and
many machines. With large-tonnage commodity Andrew Ransley, Caterpillar Global Mining’s the firm often uses the phrase, “fully integrated”.
operations, the customer will try and fit as many business development manager, has stated that this The company has also invested in its own LHD
machines into the mining operation as is practical. larger LHD is planned, but a commercial launch date wear-parts range. A new Caterpillar Mechanically
has not been established. Similarly, he has stated that Attached Shroud System was recently announced,
CATERPILLAR Caterpillar is considering the development of electric which provides extended, cutting-edge life for the
Caterpillar has a strong presence in LHDs in many underground vehicles, but no commercial plans have buckets used on three LHD models – the R1700G,
parts of the world, backed up by its unequalled yet been forthcoming. R2900G and R2900G XTRA. The shroud system
dealer network. The company offers five diesel The vast majority of production remains at the features “hammerless” installation and removal,
models – the R1300G, R1600G, R1700G, R2900G and original Elphinstone plant in Burnie, Tasmania. allowing safe, fast, shroud-segment changes for
the new R2900G XTRA – which range in tramming However, in February Caterpillar announced that it reduced downtime and increased productivity.
capacity from 6.8t to 20t. This puts the range in was opening a new assembly line in Brazil to Requiring no special tools for installation and
between Sandvik, which offers larger and smaller manufacture the R1600G at a long-established facility removal, the new shroud segments are retained via a
models, and Atlas Copco, which to date has near Piracicaba in São Paulo State. The new line simple mechanical system that incorporates a locking
establishes a second source for LHDs, which were
Cat R2900G loading previously manufactured solely in Burnie. In addition,
the new line will be the sole manufacturing site for Schopf
the R1600G to free up capacity in Tasmania. A third SFL60XLP
LHD plant is being considered, but, again, no specific in action
location has been mentioned.
Caterpillar LHD populations, as with underground
truck fleets, are largest in Australasia and Indonesia,
with the biggest fleet at Freeport’s Grasberg DOZ
operations. The machines have also sold well

24 Mining Magazine November 2008

24,26-28MM0811.indd 24 10/11/08 12:41:17

AP_Aramine_ang_200x275 27/03/08 18:11 Page 1

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Tramming Capacity 1.200 kg - Breakout Force 3.200 kg - Empty weight 4.400 kg
Dimensions Length 5.325 mm - Width 1.050 mm - Height 1.950 mm - Turning Radius ext. 3.685 mm - int. 2.100 mm.

Available in Diesel or Electric versions with cable reel and hydrostatic transmission.
Side seated operator position for two-way visibility. ROPS/FOPS certified and removable protective canopy.
www.aramine.com
 EQUIPMENT – LHDs

The company also accepts there is an increasing

demand for electric LHDs and is also looking at more
options in this area.
With regard to the differences between the Atlas
range and that of competitors, Mr Almqvist says:
“Our focus on safety, technology, ergonomics and
productivity has been blended to create a uniquely
differentiated product offering. Atlas Copco’s detailed
attention to operator and maintenance personnel
comfort, safety and the resultant increased
productivity gain is well recognised. Features such as
pin and retaining piston, secured with a cap screw. concept of safety, technology, ergonomics and the RCS control system, trunnion cap-pin retention,
Because the locking system is positioned at the rear productivity. The ST14 has also been designed as an and the operator ‘footbox’ are examples of
of the shroud segment, system components are Automation Ready Vehicle (ARV) and, as such, it leads distinguishing features.”
protected from wear and are easy to access. the Atlas Copco product offering in this area – an Notable sites in Europe running Atlas Copco LHDs
automated ST14 is still running at the underground include Iberpotash in Spain, where eight Scooptram
ATLAS COPCO Kemi chromite mine in Finland as part of an advanced ST1030s are teamed with 15 Minetruck MT436Bs. In
Atlas Copco’s LHD range includes ten diesel and two testing project, while two automation-ready models Estonia, the Eesti Polevkivi underground oil-shale
electric models. The diesel range includes: the 3.6t- were shipped to Codelco El Teniente in Chile this year. mine uses six ST1030s. Africa is a huge market for the
capacity Scooptram ST2D and ST2G; the 6t ST3.5 and In terms of the existing capacity range, Robert company – two flagship sites include the Katanga
ST600LP; the 6.5t ST710; the 10t ST1030 and Almqvist, product line manager, LHD equipment, Mining Kamoto copper operation, where five
ST1030LP, the new 14t ST14 and two 15t models – comments: “In previous years Atlas Copco and ST1520s are teamed with 11 MT5020 trucks, and the
the ST1520 and ST1520LP. The two electric models Wagner have built loaders ranging in size up Vedanta-owned Konkola copper mine in Zambia,
are the 3.6t ST2D and 6t ST3.5. Sales to date have to 23t. These products generally were ahead of with a massive fleet of over 140 Atlas Copco
been strongest in the Americas, Africa and Asia, if market demand when they were introduced, machines, including drill rigs. LHDs at the site include
considering the range as a whole. but could not be sustained due to a lack of ST710, ST1030 and ST1520 models, as well as MT436
The company told Mining Magazine that the ST14 demand at the time. Certainly, in recent years, the trucks. Elsewhere, Ashanti Gold in Ghana operates
represents not only the first Scooptram to have been demand for larger equipment has become stronger; four Scooptram ST2G, four ST3.5 and ST1030 models,
completely designed and built in Sweden, but also a trend we are watching carefully as a base for while in the low-profile South African market, Anglo
the first model designed with Atlas Copco’s new product portfolio planning.” Platinum has 32 ST600LPs at its Waterval mine and 10
ST1030s at the Crocodile River operation.
Above: the Aardmajor
LF5.5 LHD is an SANDVIK
important machine in Sandvik has the widest range of any LHD supplier,

Friction
the South African market with seven electric, ten diesel and three low-profile
models. Due to the acquisition of EJC and the
Below: Atlas Copco ST14 evolution of the Tamrock products, many models
Technology on display at a 2008
customer event in Sweden
have or will soon be upgraded with new machine
numbers. The electric products range from the tiny 1t
LH201E up to the largest LHD on the market, the 25t
LH625E. In this range, the 14t-capacity Toro 1400E
is still available and will remain in the product
portfolio at least for the whole of next year while the
production of the new LH514E will be gradually
ramped up.
In diesel products, capacity ranges from the 1t

. Design LH201 to the 21t LH621. The Toro 0010 is being

phased out with the last deliveries in 2009. It will be

. Specify replaced by its successor, the Sandvik LH517,

following the same upgrade theme as the LH307,

. Deliver LH410, LH514 and LH621 before it.

The low-profile range includes the 5.5t EJC 115LP,

. Friction Solutions 7.5t EJC 777 and the 9.6t LH209L (former Toro 400LP).
Both of these EJC models are to be upgraded. The
LH205L will eventually replace the EJC 115LP, but a

Unit 5 Eden Court, Eden Way

Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4FY, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1525 376 700
Fax: +44 (0) 1525 377 170
e-mail: [email protected]

www.frictionmarketing.co.uk
26 Mining Magazine November 2008

24,26-28MM0811.indd 26 10/11/08 12:42:19

 From Coal
used, which as stated is being
upgraded to the LH517. Some of
these are Automine-equipped
machines. The company also
operates six larger Toro 11
(LH621) LHDs and a separate
fleet of 29 additional machines is
expected to be required for
future development of the New
GHH LP LHDs are widely used in South Africa Mine Level project. At LKAB
Kiruna, which has now officially
full customer trial will be carried out before the confirmed the investment in the new 1,365m level, a
official market release. The LH205L will also be new LH625E electric fleet is likely to be used with a
released in at least two versions to cater for varied requirement for at least 20 more of these machines.
market demands, with the main difference being in The company also emphasised its leadership of
the engine technology. The LH207L will replace the the electric LHD market. Olli Koivisto comments:
EJC 777 and follow the same philosophy. “Sandvik is the leading manufacturer of underground,
The company told Mining Magazine that is has hard-rock electric loaders and we already have a long
worked to continuously improve its manufacturing history of experience. The electric loaders hold
flexibility regarding the manufacturing locations of environmental and economic benefits. Sandvik is also
its small and mid-sized LHDs. aware of the increasing interest in the market for
Olli Koivisto, product manager, loaders, says: electric loaders and we are well prepared for
“While LH307 and LH410 are both still so-called SMC supporting our customers in their efforts to improve
Turku factory products, we are also able to produce their productivity by implementing electric loaders.
both models in Burlington, Canada, and also In some market areas, electric loaders are an easy
assemble them in Santiago, Chile.” solution to the emissions issue, provided that the
However, in general, Burlington is focused on mining method and layout allow the use of electric
LHDs up to the 6.5t LH306E, with Turku covering all of loaders. In other market areas, emissions control is
the larger products. Additionally, the small LH201 is not an issue, and flexibility is of greater importance.”
assembled in Pune, India, for the Indian market, while Two recent important projects for the new LH514
machine have been the Palabora Mining example,
but also Kidd Creek, which has four LH514s in
operation at the moment. Mr Koivisto comments:
“The introduction of the new LH514 fleet into Kidd
has been outstanding. This is a mature mine, with a
mature maintenance programme, based on excellent
record keeping, data recording and analysis. The
LH514s were amongst the first pieces of critical
Aramine has sold nearly 100 L130 LHDs mobile equipment where Kidd accepted many of the
standard Sandvik-designed equipment improve-
the plant in Jiading near Shanghai is already ments.” This is opposed to asking Sandvik to modify
producing the LH306E and will soon produce the the factory design to Kidd Creek’s own specifications.
LH203. Jet Park in South Africa assembles a large According to Sandvik, the results have spoken for
proportion of the low-profile products. themselves. As a sulphide mine, Kidd equipment is
In terms of the overall range, Mr Koivisto cited the susceptible to problems due to corrosion – especially
recent upgrade of Sandvik loaders, including the in the electrical systems. The LH514 stock electrical
electronic control system, as forming a good base for system is one of the first electrical systems introduced www.escocorp.com
the easy adaptation of single and multi-machine at Kidd that has not had any faults after more than
automation and monitoring. The firm said it is likely 2,000 hours per machine, according to Sandvik.
that new features will be initiated, further capitalising Kidd Creek used to use LH501s and then Toro
the control-system platform recently implemented. 1400s, so they have had many thousands of
Overall, the company says it has a strong order operating hours with the earlier versions of the 14t
book “with several hundred LHDs on order altogether loader. The operators have apparently been very
in all size classes”. Some of the most recent
equipment orders include seven LH514E machines
impressed with the performance of the new LH514,
and Sandvik told Mining Magazine that the fairly To
for the new Argyle Diamonds block cave to form part
of a final fleet of 13, with a similar number on the
unanimous opinion is that the new loaders can
out-muck the Toro 1400. Diamonds
cards for Rio Tinto’s Northparkes operation where an
automation trial is being conducted. Both the Argyle OTHER PLAYERS –
and Northparkes fleets are likely to be equipped with ARAMINE
the Automine system currently used on LHDs at French firm Aramine has a long-term partnership
El Teniente and De Beers Finsch. Two new LH517s are with Atlas Copco for distributing and servicing its
also on their way to the Lanfranchi nickel mine in LHD and truck ranges in France, Mali, Burkina Faso,
Australia, a large existing Sandvik customer. Niger, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia and Armenia. The
The company has continuous business with contract is direct, and between Atlas Copco Orebro
Codelco El Teniente across several production sector. and Aramine, which means that Aramine acts as an
A current fleet of 50 17.2t Toro 0010 machines is ‘Atlas Copco Customer Centre’ in these countries.

November 2008 Mining Magazine 27

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 EQUIPMENT – LHDs

While this accounts for a large proportion of its Maciej Janeczek of the international trade PAUS AND SCHOPF
business, Aramine has also developed its own small department told Mining Magazine: “Our LHDs have a Since 2004, these two LHD suppliers based in
LHD, the L130 miniloader. Marc Melkonian, president simple and resistant structure, proven in the hardest Germany have work-partnered in the mining market
of Aramine, comments: “Three arguments have mining conditions; machines work without many where applicable. The Paus range comprises LHDs
pushed us to the conclusion that we should make breakdowns and they are easy in operation.” with payloads from 1.5-5.5t and is completed by the
this model. First, our worldwide sales organisation Most Zanam Legmet LHDs are low-profile models Schopf range from 6-18t. In addition, Paus offers
has seen a great interest in having a machine of that due to the nature of the customer mines in Poland mining trucks and auxiliary, underground vehicles.
size in our line of products due to the development and Russia. Customer examples include KGHM’s Paus has four models – the PFL 8 (1.6t), PFL 12 (2.5t),
and mechanisation of many narrow-vein mines. Polkowice-Sieroszowice, which alone has bought 30 PFL 18 (3.6t) and PFL 30(5.5t).
“Secondly, our long and successful experience in small LHDs and 100 medium-sized LHDs. GAJ-GOK in Its main targets besides Europe are currently
remanufacturing LHDs has shown us that the fixed Russia uses small-size LHDs and has bought over 80 Russia (CIS) and South America. Paus states that it
cost required to rebuild a machine to our high units of small LHDs from the company. tries to offer models and sizes that the bigger
standards of quality makes a small-size LHD too manufacturers don’t have. Other than that, all Paus
expensive. Finally, the fact that our long-term partner, SOUTH AFRICA products can be highly customised based on
Atlas Copco, stopped making their small LHD range The South African market is very unique in that it customer requirements.
pushed us towards utilising our experience in LHD is so dominated by large fleets of low-profile The Schopf range goes from the 2.7m3/3.2m3
design and come up with a new concept to fill the gap.” equipment. Atlas Copco, GHH and Sandvik compete capacity SFL60 XLP and FLP up to the 9m3 SFL180.
The L130 is offered with two width and capacity with local producers Rham Equipment, based At the Electra mining show in 2008 in South Africa,
options. The narrowest is 1.05m wide and basically in Olifantsfontein, Fermel and Aard Mining the company introduced its latest product, the
dedicated to narrow-vein mining. The wider version, flame-proof SFL60 FLP for coal mines, which is
at 1.17m, offers a wider range of applications, such as powered by a 138kW turbo-charged diesel engine
cleaning front faces and under-conveyors. An optional, with direct injection and water cooling. The installed
quick-disconnect bucket, together with optional forks ejector bucket has a capacity of 3.2m3. The SFL 60
and other tools, increase its versatility. FLP shares all the unique features of its well-
Since the end of 2006, the sales of the L130, proven sister, SFL 60 XLP, which is mainly
previously named the A12, have exceeded used in platinum and chromite mining. It
Aramine expectation with close to 100 has a minimum height of 1.38m, unique
machines in operation. The first machines in the 6t LHD class. The SFL65, SFL100
delivered to ONA Managem in Morocco and SFL150 are currently operating in
have exceeded 10,000 hours of potash, salt and metallic mines
operation, and demonstrated a high worldwide.
level of availability with minimum
repairs required other than normal MTI
maintenance. The L130 is also Canada’s Mining Technologies
operating in South America, Australia, International (MTI) manufactures a
Asia and France. The company’s goal for full range of LHDs, from the LT-70
2009 is to penetrate new markets such as model (0.5yd3), which was recently
South Africa, Peru and the FSU. reintroduced to the market at MINExpo
2008, the LT-210 loader (1.0-1.5yd3); LT-270
BELAZ (1.5-2.0yd3); LT-350 loader (2-3yd3), LT-650
Belarussian mining equipment producer BELAZ (3.5-4.5yd3); LT-1050 (6yd3) and the largest LT-
now operates the MoAZ plant, which developed the 1150 (7yd3). MTI states that it is the preferred
3m3 capacity MoAZ-4055 LHD. This machine is still supplier of small loaders in the Sudbury Basin at both
considered a prototype, although the first machine the Xstrata and Vale Inco nickel operations. MTI says
was produced in 2006. Only two models have been its products offer a proven mechanical-drive
made and they are still undergoing factory testing. Zanam Legmet LHD during repairs at KGHM’s Lubin mine powertrain, combined with load-sense hydraulics to
The basic model features a Russian YaMZ diesel give the operator with added tractive effort for
260hp engine and has a 29t operating weight. The Equipment. Aard is the new name for Boart Longyear single-pass loading.
upscale version has a Deutz engine and other MCE follow-ing a leveraged buyout by Nedbank Xstrata’s Fraser mine and Vale Inco’s Coleman mine
improvements. To date, this is the only LHD to have Capital in July. are both using a full fleet of MTI small loaders (LT-210
produced by BELAZ-MoAZ. Aard offers the AME 4.2 Aardvark (1.4m3) and to LT-350) to mine their narrow-vein copper zones.
5.5 Aarmajor (1.8m3). The complete range of Overall, MTI estimates that it supplies 90% of the
ZANAM LEGMET equipment, which includes drill rigs, LHDs, utility small loaders in the Sudbury Basin, but also has a
Poland’s Zanam Legmet’s LHD range is one of the vehicles, graders and scalers is manufactured in strong loader population in Mexico. This includes
widest in the industry and includes ten models, Chamdor. A notable end user is Aquarius Platinum’s machines at Gammon Gold’s El Cubo mine,
going from a minimum bucket capacity of 1.6m3 to a Kroondal, the largest trackless platinum operation in Goldcorp’s Tayoltita, Endeaver Silver’s Minera Plata
maximum of 8.5m3. The smallest LKP-0301 can carry a the world, which has one of the largest low-profile Adelante and Silver Eagle’s San Pedro. In the US,
payload of 3t and the largest LKP-1601A can handle 16t. fleets, including 118 Aard LHDs. customers include Stillwater Mining, Denison
The firm has sold 427 LHD units in the Polish market, Germany’s GHH Fahrzeuge offers the well known Mines and Doe Run. MTI loaders are also in use in
not only to copper giant KGHM, but also to domestic LF-4.4 and LF-7.4, and now the newly-designed Peru, Chile, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea
zinc, lead and salt mines. The company expects to sell SLP-12. The height of these three models is and Russia.
another 50 units to Polish mines in 2009. To date, the 1.50-1.65m, which allows productive operation in MTI states that its loaders offer a particularly
main foreign market for Zanam-Legmet has been narrow, underground environments. The LF-4.4 rugged construction for narrow-vein mining, a
Russia, with about 120 LHD sales, and then central prototype was delivered to Mimosa Mining Co in proven mechanical-drive powertrain, load-sense
Asia with about 20 units. The company is actively Zimbabwe in 2004 and is still performing very well. hydraulics for higher efficiency, and the largest
trying to get into other markets such as South More than 130 LF-4.4 have now are been distributed operator compartments in their class for added
America, India and Africa. to markets in Southern Africa and Europe. comfort and visibility.

28 Mining Magazine November 2008

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Mining Journal 200mm275mm:Layout 1 7/4/08 9:04 AM Page 1

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ATLAS COPCO DUX EIMCO GHH MTI TAMROCK TORO VOLVO WAGNER
 EQUIPMENT – SIZERS

ThyssenKrupp double roll crusher installation in Alberta oil sands

Sizers and double rolls

Paul Moore looks at the latest Generally speaking, the double-roll crusher has
been more commonly used in coal crushing and in
Spokesman Franz Bentgens comments: “A sizer is
crushing with help of motor torque, with almost no
market for these crushing oil sands, although sizers are also very important in
these markets, particularly as secondary crushing
kinetic energy. Therefore it needs a bigger motor and
there is less instantaneous torque available. The roll
machines, which are being tools. The downside to double rolls is their sheer diameter is also smaller, making for more problems
size/weight and the installation height, which means when crushing sticky material due to a lower
used in a number of major they cannot compete in underground applications, circumferential speed.”
where sizers dominate. A roll crusher breaks the rock using compression
new mining projects Examples of the use of hard-rock sizing are few, and the sizer using shear – generating the power

I
although MMD has had successful installations at needed to break rock using shear is less.
NTEREST and developments in roll-crushing sites including De Beers Finsch and Codelco Andina. While Krupp offers both, its market leadership in
and sizing technologies have traditionally been Some argue that using sizers in harder rock increases Canada’s oil sands has been based on large, primary
more focused on softer rock applications such wear and therefore maintenance whereas others double-roll crushers, which are used by Syncrude,
as overburden limestone, bauxite, lignite, coal, believe it is the only solution to deal with higher CNRL and Albian Sands, while Suncor has tradition-
trona, salt and oil sands, but work on hard rock throughput capacities. It is very likely that more sizers ally worked closely with MMD and uses large primary
is now accelerating, particularly given the added will be used in hard-rock applications in the future. sizers based on the MMD 1500-series models.
interest in in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) Bruce Daskivich, general manager – mineral Ron Utley at FLSmidth Minerals says: “Sizers
systems. There are subtle differences in the design division at McLanahan Corp, comments: “One handle higher capacity and larger ROM feed. They
and functionality of sizers and double rolls, with difference between the sizer and traditional double- can also crush higher compressive-strength rock,
different suppliers arguing for their relative benefits. roll crusher is the drive mechanism. A sizer is driven handle higher abrasion-index material, are excellent
Double-roll crushers tend to have larger diameter with a motor/coupling/reducer mounted directly to at handling clay and sticky material, are better suited
rolls and a larger frame with small teeth, although the shaft, while a traditional double-roll crusher is for underground duty, and better suited for mobile
this means they can be more sensitive to oversize. driven by an electric motor and V-belts to a large- crushing plants. The double-roll crusher is better
There is normally one fixed shaft, with the other diameter flywheel. The direct mechanical drive of the suited for crushing to fine sizes.”
hydraulically supported, protecting the crusher from sizer provides higher torque at lower speed and The following summarises some important
overloads, tramp metal and other factors. Double allows for a lower overall profile.” developments and product launches at some of the
rolls also have a flywheel that momentarily takes up The slow speed and high torque of sizers make main companies involved – MMD (the undisputed
some of the peak forces caused from crushing more them ideal for a range of materials, both dry and wet leader in the sizer market), FLSmidth Minerals (which
demanding material. in both primary and secondary applications. They are is the number two in terms of installed units),
Sizers tend to have smaller diameter shafts with particularly effective in reducing fines generation. ThyssenKrupp, Sandvik and P&H; the last two are
large teeth and this crucially gives them a larger feed Krupp argues that as the double-roll crusher recent entrants into the market through the
size capability in relation to their size. Sizers normally crushes with the help of kinetic energy, and has a acquisitions of Aubema and Stamler, respectively.
consist of two fixed shafts, which can make it more high rotating mass with a smaller motor, it has more There are also some other smaller players active in
difficult to change the setting. instantaneous torque available than the sizer. the market, both surface and underground. In the US,

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 Anz_CutYourCosts_Messehinw.fh11 14.08.2007 13:51 Uhr Seite 2

EQUIPMENT – SIZERS

this includes Pennsylvania Crusher and McLanahan

Cut your Costs!
Corp. Pennsylvania Crusher recently supplied a 7,000t/h
Mountaineer Sizer to a coal mine in West Virginia,
while Scott Eck, sizers product manager, told Mining
Magazine that it expects to ship another Mountaineer
Sizer of this model and capacity to China early next year.
McLanahan has supplied models up to 1.2m by
3m in size and over 4,000t/h in feed capacity, as well
as having bid for the largest primary sizer models in
the oil sands, but it has yet to make a delivery there,
though it remains an important supplier in that
market for other equipment such as rotary breakers.
Recent sales include primary DDC sizers of
replaceable pick design to China, secondary DDC
sizers to eastern US limestone operations and
tertiary DDC sizers for 1-1.5in coal product in
western Canada.

MMD MINERAL SIZERS

The original inventor and perfector of the sizer
concept, with deliveries dating back to the 1970s,
MMD Group is also the only company to have
successfully applied sizers in hard-rock projects to
date. MMD sizers have a pair of contra-rotating
drums, which have relatively large teeth co-operating
on opposed drums to break mineral ore. The
technique is now a known and proven technology for
the reduction of over 70 minerals worldwide. Most
recently, MMD has been the first company to develop
a range of multi-shaft sizers, one of which was on
display at the MINExpo show in Las Vegas in
September 2008.
The development of the multi-shaft approach
came as a result of secondary sizing requirements. It
is common to first deposit run-of-mine material into New series of mobile in-pit crushers on crawlers
a primary sizer. The output from the primary is
usually then fed into a secondary then tertiary sizer in
order to break down lumps to a smaller size.
Four basic models with capacities of 500 to 13,000 mt/h –
Primary sizers are often dimensionally larger, and
the throughput is usually much greater than that of a matching all hydraulic or rope shovels of all known manufac-
secondary or tertiary sizer. Therefore, in mining turers world-wide – are loaded directly by excavating shovels
installations, it is common for a primary sizer to be or loaders which completely eliminates truck transport.
arranged to feed two or more secondary sizers, each
in turn feeding two or more tertiary sizers. ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik with its many decades of
experience in building bucket wheel excavators, in-pit crushing
MMD Quad Shaft Sizer at MINExpo 2008 plants, belt conveyor systems and spreaders is available to
assist in the planning, supplying, operating and maintenance
of flexible continuous mining systems at any time.

ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik GmbH

Mining
Altendorfer Str. 120 · D-45143 Essen
Tel.: +49 (0) 2 01/8 28-04
Fax: +49 (0) 2 01/8 28-45 10
[email protected] · www.tk-mining.com

ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik
A company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies

TK
November 2008 Mining Magazine 33

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 EQUIPMENT – SIZERS

According to Ivan Hugo at MMD: “It is therefore formation and a fixed breaker bar is positioned new project in Bolivia. The 625-series sizer has been
desirable to provide a secondary sizer, which is capable underneath the rotating breaker teeth. installed as the primary processing machine.
of handling high throughputs of primary-sized material In use, the feed material is deposited in the centre According to MMD, this is the first sizer to have been
containing relatively large lumps, and at the same time of the machine on to the shaft assemblies. Since the delivered to Bolivia and also the first sizer working in
being able to reduce the in-feed material in one pass to shaft assemblies in the centre of the machine rotate in the silver-processing industry. The silver ore is known
a relatively small size.” opposite directions, oversized material will be caused for being hard and abrasive, and is delivered by trucks
MMD primary sizers have included machines with to flow outwards from the centre of the machine. into a feeding unit, which feeds the ore at approxi-
very high throughput rates – such as the two 1500- Undersize material is allowed to fall through the mately 700t/h directly into the MMD sizer. Lumps up
series sizers at Asarco’s Mission copper mine in to a maximum of 750mm are processed by the sizer to
Arizona, each handling 10,000t/h and able produce a nominal, 150mm product, which is
to handle 3m-diameter rocks. dropped on to conveyors and
Since none of the existing MMD transported to the
tooth shapes would scrubber ready for
further processing.
This project is
programmed to start full
production in 2009.

FLSMIDTH ABON
FLSmidth Minerals’
subsidiary ABON,
based in Australia, offers
sizers globally for crushing
ABON 16350 low-speed sizer, projects and has been in the
one of the largest ever made, with a marketplace for over 30 years. The
12,000t/h capacity. This forms part of a firm has already installed one of
Takraf mobile crushing plant at Rio Tinto’s Clermont centre of two 4,000t/h sizers at Fortescue
coal mine in Australia the machine by gapping Metals Group’s iron ore mine in
the centre shafts. The spacing the Pilbara, which is crawler-
meet the required reduction ratio between between the centre shafts assemblies is mounted and feeds a mobile
in-feed and out-feed size, a new tooth design was adjustable in order to vary the size and amount of bridge conveyor. Installation of
necessary. Consequently, MMD designed and undersize material that can pass between them. the first 4,000t/h system began in August, with
developed a range of mineral sizers with teeth rings Like all MMD twin-shaft mineral sizers, the commissioning scheduled for late November.
profiled from a high-quality plate. Each shaft is fitted Quad-Shaft Sizer can handle a wide range of A second system is due to come on-line in March
with specially-designed teeth, while the patented materials, including hard and dry, and wet and sticky. 2009 and the overall contract is for four such triple-
tooth design is profile cut from high-quality plate, MMD Quad Shaft Sizers can handle sticky material track machines.
with high wear and strength properties. The tooth because of the contra-rotating outer shafts. Sticky At the time that ABON was purchased, FLSmidth
rings on each shaft are arranged in the MMD material is not allowed to build on the side plate and Minerals already designed, manufactured and
patented scroll formation, creating deep channels oversized mineral lumps reaching the outer shafts are supplied gyratory crushers and double toggle-jaw
along each shaft. The height and spacing of the teeth positively broken down to pass through the sizer. crushers. The company states that it saw a need for
form deep pockets between opposing teeth, the high-capacity, medium-to-hard, duty-size
enabling the primary-sized material to be gripped reduction of ores; a void that was filled by the
and broken. “The close spacing of the low-speed sizer. The ABON sizer can be designed for
To provide maximum size reduction, the teeth
rings are closely spaced along the shaft and are tooth rings, combined with capacities of over 10,000t/h and to deal with rock
hardnesses of 200Mpa. In addition, South African
engaged deep into the root of the teeth on the the deep engagement subsidiary FLSmidth Minerals Buffalo has been
adjacent shaft. To reduce the material even further, increasing its sizer sales in surface applications.
a fixed breaker bar is positioned underneath the of the tooth rings and The firm told Mining Magazine: “We recognised
rotating breaker teeth and penetrates deep into the
root of the breaker teeth. This not only provides an
breaker bar, enable a much that as the required capacities were increasing, the
gyratory crushers were also approaching their
extra stage of breaking, but also cleans the breaker higher material reduction practical size limit. Low-speed sizers could be a good
teeth, so they are able to readily accept the full
volume of material when returning to the top of ratio than ever before in a answer where the silica content was low and the
compressive strength was below 200Mpa.”
the machine. single machine” In terms of the application of sizers for harder rock,
The close spacing of the tooth rings, combined the company said it recognises that there are copper
with the deep engagement of the tooth rings and ores and limestones that exceed 200Mpa. Mr Utley
breaker bar, enable a much higher material reduction The capacity of the MMD Quad Shaft Sizer can be says: “We would like to be in a position that when the
ratio than ever before in a single machine. easily increased by the addition of more shaft pairs. application is correct for a sizer, we will be in a
These profiled tooth-shaft assemblies can be Thus, creating a six or eight-shaft sizer is possible, position to offer one even if the Mpa exceeds the 200
used in various configurations to create a range of which would be capable of meeting whatever mark.” FLSmidth also considers the ABON sizer to be
multi-shaft sizers. The latest product to have been capacity is required. Mr Hugo says: “By reducing the an ideal solution for IPCC projects “when the rock
launched is the MMD Quad Shaft Sizer, which contains number of sizing stages and the number of machines properties are compatible with the machine”.
two pairs of contra-rotating, profiled tooth-shaft required, we are providing a more cost-effective The company typically supplies gyratory crushers
assemblies. Each breaker shaft of the MMD Quad Shaft solution to our customers’ mineral sizing needs.” up to 10,000t/h in capacity, but large, typically
Sizer is fitted with the patented profile-cut tooth rings. In its main range, the company recently copper heap-leach mining operations are now
The teeth rings on each shaft are arranged on the shaft announced that a precious metals company has exceeding the 10,000t/h requirement. As a result, for
in the MMD-patented, helical, unbalanced scroll installed a new MMD sizer to process silver ore for a IPCC to attain 10,000t/h in many operations, two

34 Mining Magazine November 2008

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 gyratory crushers are required. However, if the IPCC adjustable setting, tramp release and more beneficial
solutions are to go mobile, FLSmidth believes the shock-absorbent abilities and the sizer’s tooth
ABON sizer may be the most practical solution. The configurations, facilitating the screening effect
firm offers double-roll crushers for other markets in combinations with better grip angles for from
such as roofing granule production. larger lumps.” Aubema.
The crusher The immediate
THYSSENKRUPP installation change will be the
Germany’s ThyssenKrupp offers all expanded service and support
types of crushers in its production through the global Sandvik
programme, including hard-rock network. In terms of the hard-rock
crushers, impact and hammer crushers, sizers and market potential, Sandvik states: “We
roll crushers. Mr Bentgens says: “The machines see hard-rock applications for sizers and roll
therefore are always properly selected for the crushers as a strategic challenge, and an
individual application and we will select sizers only if amazing opportunity for us. We can build our
it is the best machine for the specified requirements.” dimensions are crushing stations, whether fixed, semi-mobile or
In terms of the IPCC market, the company told still larger than for a mobile, very cost-effectively if we can utilise sizers or
Mining Magazine:: “ThyssenKrupp Fordertechnik has sizer by about 30%, which double-roll crushers. We think the critical success
been successfully active in the IPCC market for Sandvik still considers quite compact. The hybrid factors are wear-resistant materials and effective
decades as a technology and market leader, and we models also use fly-wheels, which use the same control systems. By extending component life we
have more than 215 references for large, semi-mobile principle as a jaw crusher and have a “moment of hope to reduce cost and service needs.”
and mobile crushing plants. At the moment we have inertia” that takes up some of the peak rock-crushing
five contracts for fully mobile crushers; more than forces. According to Sandvik, this will give a more P&H
any of our competitors. The first machine in China has even power requirement from the motor and, Previously outlined in the October issue of Mining
been in operation since 2007 and is the first self- consequently, from the main power supply, which Magazine, the P&H mobile crusher that forms part of
supported, really fully-mobile crusher on a slewable can be the limiting factor at some installations the company’s new IPCC concept, will have a Stamler
superstructure with no additional supporting (especially underground). The company said the sizer at its heart that will process a nominal 10,000t/h.
structures.” This is based on a double-roll crusher. design of the hybrid CR800 series is the end result of According to P&H, while Stamler sizers are very well
ThyssenKrupp and FLSmidth Minerals are the only the development from customer needs and the known underground, they have also been used often
companies able to supply all components from one requirements of more demanding applications. in surface mining, so the company said this product,
source, including apron feeders, as well as all types of The whole CR range is already commercially “taps their expertise in sizers for surface mining.” The
crushers and crawler assemblies. Krupp is also the available, but the company said it is currently company expects to be placing the first operational
market leader in semi-mobile crushing plants, with finalising the designs for the very largest sizes (up to IPCC system into production for a customer in 2011.
more than 20 systems sold in the last three years, 14,000t/h), which, today, are targeted for large Scot Szalanski, product manager IPCC for P&H
including direct-feed systems based on gyratory overburden and oil sands crusher station projects. Mining Equipment, told Mining Magazine: “The IPCC
crushers in China. Mr Wennberg says: “The CR400, CR600 and CR800 will be suitable for handling any overburden and oil
are all design concepts proven in practice. Each sands application. Our IPCC is a primary style crusher
SANDVIK product category is today in operation and all three that takes ROM material and reduces it to a
The buyout of Aubema has added sizers and double- are commercially available. Not all sizes have been conveyable size. We have seen significant interest
roll crushers to Sandvik’s portfolio, meaning that the produced yet, but ramping up capacity is not as across a broad spectrum of mines globally.”
company is now able to offer a more complete range challenging as moving into applications with more P&H believes its system has several factors that
of crushing technologies within the Sandvik brand. abrasive and hard materials. However, the CR800 is make its IPCC alternative especially attractive.
Per Wennberg, global product line manager for the type of crusher that already now stands out as First, and common to other IPCC offerings is the
mining, crushing and screening, told Mining the most interesting design for the more demanding cost-efficiency element. Whereas a truck/shovel
Magazine: “We can now more objectively keep the applications.” operation may require up to 100 people to operate
customer’s best interest in focus by not having to In terms of the actual designs, Sandvik said it is and maintain all the equipment, the IPCC is
push one technology over another. None of the other applying its strength as an engineering company, but anticipated to require as few as five. Shortages and
players have a similarly complementary range of that the core products will be the existing designs costs of manpower and tyres become non-issues, as
crushers, including roll and cone does the high cost of fuel.
crushers, gyratory and jaw crushers, The P&H system synchronises
hammer mills and impact crushers.” the performance of the P&H
Most recently and covered in the mobile crusher with the P&H
October 2008 MINExpo review, the rope shovel. Both units feature
new CR Series includes three main P&H Centurion control and the
product series – the CR400, CR600 and shovel operator oversees both
CR800. The CR400 is mainly used for units for seamless interface. The
overburden and is a double-roll maintenance schedules of both
crusher design. The CR600 is a true units have been co-ordinated for
sizer, and is available in both a side efficient support.
sizer and centre sizer configuration. Lastly, unlike existing IPCC
The CR800 is described as a hybrid systems on the market, there is
solution offering attributes of both. just one point of contact for
Mr Wennberg says: “The hybrid is support. MinePro teams will
simply a combination of the two provide outstanding support
crusher types. It takes the benefits globally for the entire system,
from the double-roll crusher with its which the company believes
will dramatically increase
A Sandvik CR420 roll crusher availability.

November 2008 Mining Magazine 35

30,33-35MM0811.indd 35 10/11/08 14:54:37

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – FLOTATION
TAGLINE

Bigger really
Carly Lovejoy looks at the
latest technologies and
installations from the world’s

is better
largest manufacturers of
flotation machines

F
LOTATION is the most popular method
used to separate minerals from ore during
processing. Despite having being used of minerals required, and the level of aeration needed calculated. If energy input and aeration of the cell are
for well over 100 years, the technology at to sustain the froth. Tanks can be constructed either too low, particles will remain in suspension or begin to
the heart of the process remains funda- in long banks with fewer cell numbers, which works settle at the bottom of the tank, causing it to sand up.
mentally unchanged. New monitoring equipment well for small-to-medium tonnage operations, or in The ratio of froth surface area to cell volume is also
and changes in tank features have advanced shorter banks with fewer larger cells, which has very important to mineral recovery. For a given
flotation, giving higher mineral recoveries, lower proved to be more productive for operations with a shape, the ratio decreases as cells become larger. It is
operational costs and increased energy efficiency. large tonnage. Fewer mechanical parts result in the easier to stabilise the froth surface area of a cell when
There are three main competitors producing need for less maintenance and energy input, making the bubbles are loaded with a higher percentage of
flotation equipment for the worldwide mining market the operation more economical. More recently, mineral particles. The percentage required is
– Metso Minerals, FLSmidth Minerals and Outotec. All circular cells have been developed. The lack of proportionate to the surface area and grade of ore.
three offer an in-house developed range of flotation corners means there are no ‘back waters’, circulation The lower the surface area, the lower the mineral
devices, and FLSmidth, which has developed its flota- is continuous (preventing deposits from settling) and percentage needed to sustain the bubbles. Therefore,
tion equipment through the acquisitions of Wemco and turbulence is reduced, preserving the froth bubbles. for a low-grade ore, reducing the froth surface area of
Dorr-Oliver Eimco, also offers these individual brands. Cell size is dependent upon the nature and a tank and the mineral concentration required to
The unique nature of each mineral deposit and the concentration of the ore. Scaling-up is not a simple stabilise the froth can result in a higher recovery rate.
varying scale of operation involved in its recovery at process and goes against the assumption that the This also means that higher-grade ores require a
each site means that a customised set-up of flotation larger the cell, the less efficient the mineral recovery. larger froth surface area to volume ratio in order to
equipment is effectively required for each project. Despite the decrease in energy input, mineral maximise recovery. If this ratio is too low, mineral
Often, it is not just one mineral that needs to be recovery actually remains constant with an increase particles will be left in the tank after skimming.
recovered from an ore; the polymetallic nature of in cell size, making scaling-up more economical. Although large cells are complicated to configure,
many deposits requires a specific number and It is very important that the tank is resized properly, they not only result in the reduction of operational
combination of cell sizes, reagents and specific as froth stability and the number of bubble-particle costs, capital costs and spatial requirements, but they
monitoring equipment to ensure that recovery is at contacts is key to recovery. The greatest number of also result in a large increase in recovery, productivity
the most efficient rate possible, and that mainte- particles, particularly fine ones, are picked up by the and thus profit, making them extremely valuable.
nance and operational costs are minimised. bubbles in an area of the cell referred to as the core
Flotation takes place in a series of tanks or cells, turbulence zone, which is located near the rotor arm; An FLSmidth flotation cell installation at the Freeport
the size, shape and number of which depend upon in order that this is maintained, the energy-volume McMoran Cerro Verde mine in Peru, featuring a bank of
the retention time needed to recover the percentage balance must be very carefully Dorr-Oliver Eimco cells

36 Mining Magazine November 2008

36,38-40,42MM0811.indd 36 7/11/08 10:50:00

 Leaders of the pack - still

Outotec provides comprehensive minerals processing solutions. When you

need a partner with a proud tradition of solving unique operation challenges,
Outotec is always at hand to help.
Under our new name lies the same state-of-the-art technology provider
you have come to trust. Outotec maintains its extensive experience and
know-how, global presence and proven technology to continue serving you
Outotec is a worldwide technology leader at every step. Our expertise and portfolio covers grinding, flotation, physical
providing innovative and environmentally separation, thickening, analyzers, automation and water technology. In
sound solutions for a wide variety of custo-
addition to proven and cost-effective products, customers benefit from our
mers in minerals and metals processing as
integrated process design and related engineering, project management,
well as related process industries. Outotec
Oyj is listed on Nasdaq OMX Helsinki.
start-up and training services, all backed up by local after-sales services.
www.outotec.com If you need a partner committed to adding value to your process, year
after year, look no further than Outotec.

Outotec_MinPro_Full_page_ad_Mining_Magazine.indd 1 4.11.2008 13:34:55

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – flotation

There are many types of cells, including circular, FLSmidth recognises that while cells maintain solid
rectangular, self-aspirating cells and flotation suspension and provide aeration in a similar fashion,
columns. Certain cells specialise in recovering certain the mechanism used to do so in each cell is funda-
types of minerals from different grade ores, and many mentally different. For this reason, the company
can be adapted to the characteristics of the material encourages clients to mix and match cells to meet
they are required to process. It is therefore a benefit their individual needs. Working with different cell
that circuits of cells and their configurations can be designs in a circuit can provide an overall benefit that
individually designed to meet the needs of each a single cell design might not offer. The company also
operation. extends this concept to cell rows, and its first install-
A basic cell-bank set-up would be: ation of a mixed row, using a combination of flotation
n First rougher stage: gives a medium percentage technologies, was commissioned in 2006. The theory
of mineral recovery and makes up 10-40% of the is that above 50m³ a universal tank can be fitted with
total rougher volume any of the three design mechanisms specified earlier.
n Second rougher stage: makes up 60-90% of the This allows the client to design the tank layouts early,
total rougher volume and would maximise before the type of cell needed is determined, making
mineral recovery it easy to change the type of mechanism used should
n Scavenger cells: have a cell volume equal to the the ore characteristics change.
total rougher stage and are included to recover Control is very important in the flotation process.
trace amounts of mineral. They are particularly As cells increase in size a smaller number are
useful when the minerals being treated are very required, making it more cost-effective to install
valuable or a very high recovery is needed control systems. The Wemco cell is designed to be
n Cleaner cells: used to maximise the grade of the An FLSmidth 257m3 Wemco SmartCell – part of the controlled using level to adjust the froth pull; in
final concentrate. Typical, cleaner retention time is original 2005 test installation at Minera Los Pelambres contrast, the Xcell and Dorr Oliver cells use automatic
65-75% of that for rougher flotation. Fewer cells copper mine, Chile air measurement controls. In all three cells, cameras
per bank are required than at the previous stages. or mass-pull meters are used to help stabilise the
FLSmidth produces the Wemco SmartCell in froth flow. With larger cells, particular attention must
There is no set number of flotation banks per several sizes up to 300m³. The first 257m³ cell was be paid to the number of cells between each group
operation as this depends on the tonnage and developed for the 2005 expansion at Minera Los of level controls during set-up. FLSmidth recom-
timescale used for processing. However, depending Pelambres copper mine in Chile. An 18-month mends no farther than 12m without a step in cell
on the application, a minimum of three to five cells is development programme resulted in the installation bank. Cells above 160m³ require individual level
required per bank to ensure proper recovery and of ten cells at the mine, which have now been oper- controls on applications where shallow froth depths
reduced tail grades. ating for more than two years. The company claims are needed.
the success at Los Pelambres has led to FLSmidth In addition to this basic range of cells, FLSmidth
FLSmidth Minerals selling over 150 of the 257m³ cells since 2006. produces specialist cells and monitoring systems to
FLSmidth Minerals offers three types of mechanical The ten SmartCells at Los Pelambres were installed improve flotation yield. Wemco Attrition cells can be
flotation cells: the Wemco self-aspirated cell; and two parallel to the plant’s existing flotation machines, added to scrub materials such as silica sand and
forced-air technologies, the Dorr-Oliver cell and the which sit in four rows of nine 130m³ cells, allowing potash, to remove clays from the surface of the
new Xcell mid-rotor forced-air cell. All three are the customer to compare cell performance over a particles, and can also be used as high-intensity
circular in design, as the largest rectangular cell that significant period of time. It has also led to the conditioning tanks.
can be produced and operated efficiently is 85m³. 2008 order for 66 Wemco 257m³ rougher/scavengers FLSmidth also produces ProFlote, a magnetic,
Above this size, the cell volume and power required cells and Dorr Oliver cleaners for Goldcorp’s conditioning technology that is applied during a
to maintain suspension in the corners have made Peñasquito lead-zinc-gold project in Mexico. Half of pre-flotation conditioning stage. This has been found
this design uneconomic when compared with a these cells have already been installed, while the to improve selectively the flotation of valuable fine
circular cell. other half are currently being fabricated. sulphide paramagnetic minerals, by selective
aggregation of the mineral, increasing the probability
of particle-bubble collision. One ProFlote success
story was reported at the Canadian Mineral
Processors’ 40th Annual Operators Conference in
Ottawa during January 2008. The installation
improved lead recovery by 4% while simultaneously
increasing grade by 1.7%, and gave a 3.5% increase in
silver recovery at the BHP-owned Cannington mine
in Australia.
FLSmidth also offers the Wemco Inert Gas flotation
cell. This cell uses self aspiration to induce air from
the freeboard above the cell. The cells are hermeti-
cally sealed to ensure the continuous recycling of air
in the flotation process. The oxygen-free inert
atmosphere can have significant benefits in copper–
molybdenum separation where oxygen can have an
impact on reagent consumption. An example of this
can be seen at Freeport-McMoran’s Cerro Verde

A bank containing FLSmidth Wemco Inert Gas flotation

cells at Freeport-McMoran’s Cerro Verde copper mine in
Peru, where the cells are used in copper-molybdenum
separation

38 Mining Magazine November 2008

36,38-40,42MM0811.indd 38 7/11/08 10:50:52

 A Metso Minerals RCS 130m3 flotation cell, installed at
the Mission copper mine, Arizona, owned by Asarco

copper mine in Peru, which uses Wemco 160m³

flotation cells for its copper-molybdenum rougher
scavenger circuit, and Inert Gas cells for the
separation of copper and moly.
FLSmidth is continuing product development in
several areas, including the creation of larger-size
flotation machines and lowering operational costs via
power savings. As well as research at its own
laboratories, the company has a co-operative
agreement with the Centre of Advanced Separation
Technology. This additional research is helping to
provide a better understanding of the hydrodynamic
parameters involved in flotation, along with
computational fluid-dynamic modelling (CFD).
New installations for 2008 include the Esperanza
copper plant in Chile, owned by Antofagasta
Minerals. FLSmidth is supplying 30 of the 300m³
Wemco SmartCells, which will be used when
production begins in the last quarter of 2010. The
recently-commissioned concentrator plant at Anglo
Platinum’s PPRust North mine in Mahwelereng,
South Africa, is one of FLSmidth’s largest contracts.
The new installation features 10 Dorr-Oliver and
4 Wemco 100m³ rougher cells, plus 16 130m³ FLSmidth is also installing 14 Dorr-Oliver 160m³ the secondary flotation stage, large rocks can often
Scavengers (5 Wemco, 11 Dorr) and 40 40m³ Dorr cells, which will be used in primary and secondary occur. In order to combat this, FLSmidth fabricated
Cleaners. The cells are constructed in two rows: one recovery applications, at Shell Canada’s 60%-owned the cell components from heavy-duty materials to
mixed and one exclusively Dorr-Oliver. Albian Oil Sands project. Shell has found that during enable the mechanisms to cope with size anomalies.

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November 2008 Mining Magazine 39

36,38-40,42MM0811.indd 39 7/11/08 10:50:59

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – flotation

In the first quarter of 2009, FLSmidth plans to test its

new Super cell, which will incorporate all three of its
key design mechanisms, and will be manufactured in
a range of sizes larger than 300m³.

Metso Minerals
Metso Minerals manufactures two main types of
flotation cell. The RCS flotation machine is its current
global standard product and can be produced in a
range of sizes, from 0.8m³ to 200m³ per cell. The RCS
is a circular cell with features designed to promote
effective particle-bubble contact in both the body of
the cell and the high-energy zone within the
mechanism.
The shape of the cell also prevents sanding and
helps to eliminate short-circuiting. The cell has been
designed so that the top is fully covered, and a
single-side froth discharge simplifies froth handling.
The patented RCS mechanism is designed to
combine primary radial pumping for suspension,
with secondary slurry recirculation to the deep vane
impeller, to improve ultra-fine particle recovery.
The flow patterns created by the mechanism are
enhanced by the circular cell, helping to create a used together with finite element analysis for The bank of three Outotec TankCell-300 flotation
highly-active lower zone for particle suspension and structural design evaluation, and discrete element cells at OceanaGold’s Macraes gold operation in
a more quiescent upper transport zone to maximise modelling to study froth behaviour. In addition, New Zealand
the recovery of all particle sizes. Metso recommends Metso has a transportable 3m³ test rig in Australia
the RCS cells for the recovery of normal-sized to with a variety of instruments to better understand features two types of cells. OK-U and OK-R flotation
ultra-fine particles, of both metallic and non-metallic the flotation process and characterise real-time plant cells, named after their shape, can be used as
minerals. circuit or reagent changes. The company also has a roughers, scavengers or cleaners, and they are
The company also produces the DR range of number of small test cells at various locations suitable for smaller tank volumes.
flotation cells. These are rectangular- or square- worldwide that can be installed at customer’s The standard OK-U cells have a U-shaped cross-
shaped troughs, available from pilot plant size to operations for on-site testing prior to purchase. section to minimise sanding and can be manufac-
42.5m³. Although still in production, the DR cells do Metso has recently delivered equipment for tured in 8m³, 16m³ and 38m³. They also feature
not rival the global standard set by the RCS. The DR copper flotation in Georgia, nickel flotation in Canada internal transversal launders to allow efficient froth
cells are suitable for smaller-capacity plants or the and platinum flotation in South Africa. The company collection. OK-R cells are smaller in size: they are
processing of minerals such as coal or potash, where currently has an installation of RCS 130m³ cells at available in 0.5m³, 1.5m³, 3m³ and 5m³ and have
a shallower cell is beneficial for coarse particle Suncor’s Millennium plant in Fort McMurray, Alberta. one-sided longitudinal launders and a rectangular
recovery. In addition, there are a large number of DR In order to cope with the harsh environmental cross-section. The discontinued 50m³ OK-U or OK-R
cells in operation for which Metso continues to conditions at this plant, the cells were installed tanks can be commissioned on request.
supply both part and replacement cells. indoors and a number of adaptations were made. The Globally, Outotec has over 5,000 flotation cells
The RCS cell uses a level control system that tops of the cells were completely covered with solid, installed on sites controlled by companies including
utilises forward feed of the level information at each steel plates to cut down on the accumulation of BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Vale and Xstrata. In 2004,
connecting box in the bank of flotation cells to water vapour, and oversized, level-control dart valves Outotec undertook the Retrofit programme to
minimise the level variations that can occur when and connection boxes were fitted to handle the flow improve the operation of existing 130m3 self-
there are flow disturbances from upstream rates, which are typically much higher than in aspirated cells at the request of Northgate Minerals’
equipment. Metso also supplies a froth-imaging conventional mineral processing. Metso also installed Kemess South gold-copper mine in Canada. The
system, the VisioFroth, which is designed to a special sequential valve-control strategy to installation consists of four parallel, rougher flotation
continually monitor a variety of froth characteristics. accommodate the wide-ranging rate of flow. lines of eight cells each; the first four cells of each line
This allows the development of flotation bank control For future developments, the company is looking are retrofitted TankCells. According to Northgate
strategies, and gives real-time froth velocity to increase cell size in order to maximise efficiency Minerals, the inclusion of Outotec forced-air TankCell
information that can be used to adjust either the cell and is currently testing a large-volume cell technology has significantly increased mineral
level or the cell aeration rate to ensure maximum mechanism at a plant in Europe. recovery at the plant.
recovery from each cell. Another comparison of the TankCell technology
Metso designs each flotation circuit to meet its Outotec comes from a 2005 study carried out by JKTech at the
customer’s needs and modifies cells according to Outotec currently offers two types of forced-air BHPB-owned Escondida copper mine in Chile. This
their application. In several instances, the company flotation cells. The TankCell range features a circular compared the performance of the mine’s two
has installed cells with oversized mechanisms to design and is available in a variety of sizes, from flotation circuits, Laguna Seca and Los Colorados. The
deliver more power into the slurry than the standard 5-300m³. TankCells are customised according to latter featured a rougher circuit of 80 100m3 TankCells
RCS mechanism. Metso has also supplied banks application to ensure maximum efficiency in supplied by Outotec in 1995, while the former
where one or more cells are situated at 90o to one throughput rate, mixing and froth handling, resulting featured a rougher circuit of 54 160m3 cells supplied
another in the main bank, helping to meet the tight in low energy consumption and a high recovery rate. by a competitor in 2001.
installation requirements at one operation in the The cell can be used in the recovery of any flotable Results of the study showed that the rougher
Middle East. mineral, as the froth surface area, carrying rate and circuit at Los Colorados consistently outperformed
In research and development (R&D) Metso uses lip loadings can be adjusted for specific duties. the rougher circuit at Laguna Seca, even after a
CFD to screen design changes and examine the Outotec’s alternative range, the Conventional subsequent improvement campaign was carried out
influence of flow patterns on mineral recovery. This is Flotation System, uses a forced-air technology and at the Laguna Seca circuit. The variations were

40 Mining Magazine November 2008

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Metso.indd 1 1/7/08 10:24:41
 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – flotation

attributed to differences in froth recovery in the Siemens Flotation Pilot Project: Los Pelambres copper mine, Chile
respective equipment and ore flotability characteris-
tics at the various plants. Siemens began working on flotation solutions in
Outotec offers a range of solutions to complement 2006 at Antofagasta Minerals’ Los Pelambres
its cell technology and enhance metallurgical copper-molybdenum operation in Chile. The
performance. These include a complete control Hybrid Flotation project was specifically aimed
solution called the Courier system, which features for use prior to the molybdenum rougher stage,
online elemental analysis to measure low assays of and the company supplied a 16m³ cell in 2007
penalty elements in the presence of a high main that worked very successfully.
element grade. This ensures consistent production of The new cell increased productivity by 2% as
high-quality concentrate. the existing equipment had a tendency to send
The FrothMaster2 is a monitoring tool that utilises some of the finer particles to tails. The cell is
a froth analyser to provide consistent, real-time described as a hybrid, as it incorporates both
information on froth speed, bubble size, froth pneumatic and column flotation technology.
stability and froth colour. The measured froth The pneumatic element creates very small gas
properties, together with on-stream analyser assays, bubbles and inserts high kinetic energy into the
enable complete control of the flotation circuit. Using slurry, resulting in an increased recovery of fine
web-server technology, the FrothMaster2 system can particles. Conversely, the column design creates
also monitor froth characteristics through a web larger bubbles combined with lower kinetic
connection, allowing remote operation. energy, which capture coarser particles. The cell
Another available tool is the Exact level controller. has a volume flow rate of 100-400m³/hr at up to
This helps to prevent upstream feed upsets that are 50% mass solids, and short slurry retention times,
common in large grinding circuits. Outotec has plus patented drain gutters that reduce the risk of
designed the Advanced Control Tools package, which particle loss.
can be used to optimise plant operation. Control In June, a second cell was shipped to Los
applications monitor any disturbance in the flotation Pelambres, which began operating in August.
circuits. As stability and consistency are key to This is used for optional parallel or sequential
mineral recovery, a reduction in disturbance means a operation together with the first cell, depending
continuous level of performance. In addition, on capacity or recovery demands. The 16m³ cell is
Outotec’s Frothcon product, which is a stand-alone expected to be commercially available by the end
field-control unit, is about to receive a complete of 2008.
overhaul in the very near future. A very small, 2m³ cell has also been fabricated
Recent developments include the upgrade of and is ready for testing in January 2009 as a final
flotation circuits at OceanaGold’s Macraes gold mine recovery tool in molybdenum circuits. In addition, A second Siemens 16m3 hybrid cell being installed next to
in New Zealand, which took place in late 2007. Siemens is currently developing a much larger, the original at Antofagasta Minerals’ Los Pelambres
Outotec replaced the operation’s existing circuits of scaled-up version of the 16m³ cell, details of copper-molybdenum mine in Chile, where the cells are
column flotation cells with 300m³ TankCells. This which will be released next year. used in the molybdenum rougher stage of flotation
change has increased the plant’s bulk flotation
recovery by 3% and has significantly simplified the
operational flowsheet. The company also has
installations at several oil sands projects, where the
flotation machines have been adapted to operate in
the open air, even during harsh winter conditions.
This enables valuable indoor space to be used for
other purposes, thus reducing building costs.
Outotec attributes its successful R&D to the
operational background inherited from Outokumpu.
The company believes this helps it to foresee
potential operational problems and set R&D targets
that are desirable to its customers. Current areas of
interest include CFD, froth handling and automation.
One recent development is the company’s focus
on life cycle cost, which is based on using larger cells
in the reduction of maintenance and operating costs,
increasing reliability and reducing emissions, giving
customers value for money while reducing the
environmental impact of the machines.
The company also markets and sells its HSC
chemistry software package which allows conceptual
circuit design to maximise flotation circuit efficiency.
In addition, in March 2008, Outotec teamed up
with the Geological Survey of Finland. The
collaboration uses world-class resources and facilities
for testing plant designs and scale-up models.
Throughput capacities for the facilities range from
laboratory scale to mini-pilot and up to 1-5t/hr in a Testing of Siemens’ first 16m3 hybrid cell at Los Pelambres
continuous pilot.

42 Mining Magazine November 2008

36,38-40,42MM0811.indd 42 7/11/08 10:52:14

 Your One Source for
Leading Brand Solutions & Expertise

ABON ENGINEERING CYCLONES & PUMPS

FLSmidth Minerals is your One Source for the world’s largest installed base of
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For crushing, grinding, classifying, thickening, clarifying, filtering, slurry handling,
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Enjoy increased recoveries while saving time and money on your next project! www.FLSmidthMinerals.com
Let us help you tackle your specific requirements.

Untitled-13 1 4/11/08 10:22:59

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE

Mighty magnetite
W
HILE haematite operations have Projects such as Sino Iron and Balla Balla will significantly
dominated the Pilbara iron ore
industry to date – through huge boost the relative importance of magnetite in Western
groups of operations such as Rio
Tinto’s Pilbara Iron, BHP Billiton’s Australia’s balance of iron ore supply
sites near the town of Newman and, most recently,
the Fortescue Cloud Break mine – the development It is also true that in other parts of the world – CITIC PACIFIC – SINO IRON
of magnetite operations is now gathering pace as Scandinavia and Russia, for example – there are some CITIC Pacific Mining’s Sino Iron project is located
haematite grades fall. huge magnetite operations, as well as the taconite 100km southwest of Karratha in the Pilbara, and will
Magnetite is a lower grade iron ore, which means operations in the US. produce 27.6Mt/y in a mix of pellets and concentrate,
it has to be processed before shipping, which usually Most magnetite is processed into pellets prior to all based on mined magnetite. The company told
requires crushing, screening, grinding and magnetic shipping. This final, upgraded product can fetch a Mining Magazine that significant preparation and
separation to remove unwanted silica. This is unlike higher price than direct-shipped haematite and for some construction work had been carried out by
most haematite operations where beyond some the steel mills in China, India and elsewhere, October.
crushing the product can largely be directly shipped. magnetite products are now an absolute necessity CITIC Pacific Mining spokesperson Shannon Garcia
This extra processing element means there is a on top of haematite supply. comments: “With about 75% of capital expenditures
significant added cost in the development of a The following reviews three of these projects being committed, the project is the most advanced
magnetite resource, but such is the current demand developed in Australia – Sino Iron is ramping up to ini- magnetite development in Western Australia and
for iron ore that the huge magnetite reserves in tial production in 2009-10, while Aurox Balla Balla and we plan to commence production in late 2009 or
Australia are now under scrutiny. However, high- Gindalbie’s Karara are not far behind. early 2010.”
grade haematite is still estimated to account for Earthworks for the power station have been
approximately 96% of Australia’s iron ore production. L-2350 with pewag Tycoon 23 tyre-protection chains completed, the civil works have commenced, and the

44 Mining Magazine November 2008

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allmineral_MM_06|2008 27.05.2008 11:36 Uhr Seite 1

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 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE

first gas turbine is complete and ready for shipping to Commissioning of the first crushing plant is
the site. Other long lead-time components are scheduled for October 2009, with the other three
currently being manufactured. The project also has plants due be commissioned one after the other on a
about 70% of its ultra-class mining fleet on site and quarterly basis. ThyssenKrupp also has an order for a
the commissioned equipment is currently being used large bucket-wheel reclaimer for the project. The
for pre-strip, bulk earthworks and to prepare for the machine, with a boom length of 60m, will be capable
installation of in-pit crushers, of which the first of four of reclaiming up to 10,500t/h of iron ore from the
will arrive later this year. ore stockyard.
The company formally took delivery of the new Other key contracts include Metso Minerals,
heavy mining fleet from Terex Mining at a handover with an order to supply 28 VPA pressure filters
ceremony held in early October. CITIC Pacific has with complete automatic-control systems and
been progressively receiving its 14 363t-capacity compressed-air systems, and 52 slurry pumps. The
MT6300 haul trucks on site since August and the first order also includes auxiliary equipment, parts, and
of two 1,000t RH400 hydraulic excavators have been supervision of erection and start-up. The order is so
constructed on site, with the second excavator far the largest VPA pressure-filter order received by
arriving recently. Metso and it is estimated to be the largest mineral-
CITIC Pacific Mining’s Terex heavy mobile fleet concentrate filtration plant in the world. The filter
includes: five MT4400AC series haul trucks; six plant is designed to dewater up to 33Mt/y of fine
MT3300AC series water and service trucks; 14 magnetite concentrate to a product with moisture
MT6300AC series haul trucks; two RH400 series suitable for shipment or pelletising plant feed.
excavators; one RH340 series excavator and six SKF- Metso is also supplying equipment and services
15 blasthole drills. As previously stated in Mining for the grate-kiln, iron-ore pelletising system. per year, making it the largest grate-kiln, iron-ore
Magazine, the project is also using a huge Le Delivery, which will be completed in the December pelletising system in terms of capacity in either
Tourneau L-2350 wheel loader, as well as smaller 2009 quarter, includes a rotary kiln, grate, annular Australia or the Asia-Pacific region.
L-950 models. cooler and balling system, complemented by core Finally, five huge 40ft AG mills are being supplied
The in-pit crushers are being supplied by process technology, engineering and critical from sister company CITIC Heavy Machinery, based in
ThyssenKrupp. Each will have a capacity of 4,250t/h components, programme and control system, Luoyang. China. Siemens is supplying the gearless
and are designed for direct feeding of the crusher by instruments, spare parts, supervision and start-up drives, each with an output of 28MW, and the ore
the MT6300AC haul trucks. The stations are equipped services. Once the system is in operation, the project mills are scheduled to start operating successively
with gyratory crushers of type KB 63in x 89in. will be able to process 6Mt/y of iron ore into pellets during the course of 2009.

46 Mining Magazine November 2008

44,46-48MM0811.indd 46 10/11/08 12:34:20

 PNEUMATIC FLOTATION

IMHOFLOT G-Cell
• Highly dispersed pre-aeration
• Low energy, no moving parts
• Low residence time, smaller footprint
• Coarse and fine materials
• Minerals, coals, chemicals and
environmental applications
AUROX RESOUCES – BALLA BALLA One of the 14 Terex
The Balla Balla project in West Pilbara will use MT6300AC trucks for
conventional, open-cut mining to access 10Mt of Sino Iron. This one was REFRACTORY
titanomagnetite ore and upgrade this to produce shown at MINExpo 2008
6Mt/y of saleable iron-ore concentrate. Total prior to shipping GOLD PROCESSING
magnetite mineral resources have recently increased
to 502Mt. Delivery of the first concentrate to port is
scheduled for 2010, but the company has issued a
statement relating to the current economic situation.
In a September update, released on October 15,
Aurox stated: “The continued turmoil in debt and
equity markets has dictated that the company review
its project implementation strategy. In consultation
with its key advisers, the company is undertaking a
broad-ranging review to assess strategic alternatives
to ensure that Aurox shareholder value is maximised
in relation to the development of this significant
resource project.” How this review will affect the
LEACHOX
project implementation is not yet clear. • Ultrafine grinding
In terms of equipment supply, a landmark • Partial oxidation of sulphides
A$170 million deal was signed with FLSmidth
• Treats preg-robbing ores
Minerals in February to supply the complete minerals-
processing plant and related port facilities for the • High gold recoveries
treatment of magnetite iron ore. The scope of supply • Low capital and operating costs
includes: a relocatable gyratory-crusher station from
FLSmidth Minerals and FLSmidth KOCH; ore More Process Technology…
stockpiling and reclaiming equipment; concentrate • Maelgwyn cyanide destruction process
stacking, reclaiming and shiploading equipment,
also from FLSmidth KOCH; SAG and ball mills from • Aachen Reactors for slurries and solutions
FLSmidth Minerals; cyclones and pumps from • Traveller Laboratory Flotation Cell
FLSmidth Krebs; concentrate and tailings-thickening, • Deswik ultra fine grinding mill
as well as clarification and filtration equipment from
FLSmidth Dorr-Oliver Eimco; and complete plant
automation supplied by FLSmidth Automation.
FLSmidth Minerals will also provide services to
co-ordinate construction, equipment installation MAELGWYN MINERAL SERVICES
and plant commissioning. Siemens will engineer, www.maelgwyn.com
manufacture and install all the major electrical systems, Maelgwyn Mineral Services Maelgwyn Mineral Services
including gearless drives for the grinding mills. Limited Africa (Pty) Ltd
Equipment includes a 17MW Siemens-driven,
gearless-drive ball mill from FLSmidth, measuring The Maltings, East Tyndall St. 1332 Club House Street
Cardiff, CF24 5EA, Wales, UK Maraisburg, 1332, South Africa
7.6m by 12.8m. The main crusher will be a Fuller-Traylor
1400 x 2100 type TS model as part of a semi-mobile Tel +44 29 2047 3700 Tel +27 11 474 0705
installation, the first to have been fully supplied by Fax +44 29 2047 3701 Fax +27 11 474 5580
FLSmidth, though its crushers have been used in many
[email protected] [email protected]
other similar installations, including those from Takraf.
REFRACTORY GOLD PROCESSING • PNEUMATIC FLOTATION
November 2008 Mining Magazine 47

44,46-48MM0811.indd 47 10/11/08 12:34:28

 MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE

In the recent update, Aurox said that all Computer image of the FLSmidth the terms for Ansteel’s involvement in the
technical aspects of the magnetite project are semi-mobile crusher at Balla Balla joint venture was finalised early this year.
well advanced, including detailed engineering Karara is expected to deliver some
of the concentrate plant, port dewatering and 10-11Mt/y of iron products from 2010,
material-handling equipment. In-house design comprising at least 8Mt/y of high-grade
engineers, supporting staff and consultants are magnetite concentrate and blast-furnace
working closely with FLSmidth Minerals and quality pellets and an initial 2Mt/y of
Siemens to finalise the engineering and direct shipping ore (DSO) haematite.
planning in the lead-up to construction Equipment includes firm orders
activities. Tender documents for mining, civil already placed with Polysius Australia,
engineering, accommodation, earthworks, plant a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp, for two
erection and other disciplines complementing high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR’s) and
the FLSmidth/Siemens scope of works have been four large ball mills for the crushing and
compiled. Tenders will be released and negotiated 6 Mtpa of concentrate through the slurry pipe, has grinding phase of the processing facility for the
once appropriate funding and final approvals are been completed, with an excess margin of nearly magnetite phase of the project. The equipment will
in place. 30%.The Balla Balla iron concentrate will be shipped be manufactured in Australia, Europe and Asia, and it
The mining fleet has yet to be confirmed, but has from the Utah Point berth currently under is scheduled for delivery by March 2010.
previously been outlined as consisting of a fleet of development by the Port Hedland Port Authority. Gindalbie and Ansteel are also working towards
280t Hitachi EH4500 trucks to be loaded by Hitachi finalising an offtake agreement for Karara, under
EX5500 hydrualic excavators. The project is also GINDALBIE METALS – KARARA which Ansteel has agreed to take 100% of production
expected to use a Le Tourneau L-1850 wheel loader. The A$1.8 billion Karara iron ore project from to Ansteel’s new 6.5Mt/y Bayuquan steel mill in
Transport of concentrate to the port via a slurry Gindalbie Metals is located in the mid-west region of China. The mill’s location, adjacent to the Bayuquan
pipe has been determined to be the most economic Western Australia. The project encompasses a Port in the Yingkou Region, has been purposely
method. Test work and engineering designs are world-class magnetite deposit and multiple chosen to receive imported ore from Karara.
being undertaken to optimise the slurry pipe and haematite deposits. Gindalbie is developing Karara Ansteel is already exploring opportunities to
associated equipment to allow initial throughput of through a 50/50 joint venture with Chinese steel expand its steel-producing capabilities at Bayuquan
6Mtpa of concentrate, followed by the planned producer Ansteel. A wide-ranging, joint-venture above the 6.5Mt/y in anticipation of additional feed
expansion to 10Mt/y. development agreement was signed in September from Karara. The offtake agreement will include an
Production water-bore installation, sufficient for 2007, followed by a decision to mine in November agreed pricing structure and formula for the
long-term sustainable production and conveyance of 2007. An equity subscription agreement outlining magnetite concentrate and pellets to be produced.

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48 Mining Magazine November 2008

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Untitled-12 1 3/11/08 16:15:27
v
OPINION – MINEXPO 2008

Designs on evolution
The 2008 event saw a major
evolution of the haul truck
market in the backdrop of
record attendance figures

T
he 2008 MINExpo
opened in Las Vegas to
the usual fanfare.
However, the majority
of discussions weren’t
related solely to the latest equip-
ment and services on show; on
the contrary, a more disquieting
BY DAVE
tone prevailed with concerns PORTer
about the US market crash, the
aftermath of which was still gaining momentum, and
how this might ultimately affect equipment sales.
According to official registrations, calculated after
the last day’s attendance, the 2008 show was 44% cannot help but be impressed by the sheer scale of The new 313t diesel electric Caterpillar 795F AC truck.
above the figure recorded at the last MINExpo in 2004. the firm’s undertaking to deliver a totally different In the foreground there are four people in a group – on
This year’s show featured almost 1,300 exhibitors, platform from design to metal in just over three the left is Don Lindell, product manager, mining trucks,
showcased in an area of about 600,000ft2; an increase years, especially when you consider that it took at Komatsu America Corp and on the right is Ed
of 30% from the exhibit space used in 2004. Komatsu over five years just to bring one model, the McCord, mining truck project manager at Caterpillar
960E, to market.
Caterpillar’s new horizons When the very first diesel-electric truck was built original mechanical transmission was located.
On entering the convention centre, the view was up at the Arizona proving grounds from sub- Another strong point is the inclusion of an auxiliary
entirely taken up by Caterpillar’s exhibit, dominated assemblies trucked in from Decatur, not only did the blower – still the best way of directing high volumes
by its new flagship truck, the 797F. This machine is at newly-designed, 16-cylinder C175 engine fire up first of cooling air over the wheel motors, irrespective of
the heart of the firm’s truck product range, supporting time, but when the truck moved on to the track for its engine speed – and an independent micro oil-
its share of the unprecedented, US$200 million first run there were no running issues. In fact, the first filtration system on the final drives.
investment assigned to upgrading every truck model. shakedown went so well that the team decided to Outwardly, the main visual difference between
But, other than the sheer scope and monetary put the truck straight back on to the haul road where mechanical and electric, other than the obvious
outlay, the development initiative is poles apart from it had been operating loaded for hours without a provision of the inverter and control cabinets next to
previous programmes because it involves not only hitch – there haven’t been many first truck builds that the cab, is the impressive radial-grid fan housing the
the growth of all traditional, mechanical-drive trucks can boast this measure of availability. brake-retarding resistors; not all-new as Terex
that Caterpillar is famous for, but now includes the While a full development story, together with first incorporated this for the first time on the MT5500,
development of two all-new ‘diesel electric’ models, operating impressions, will be published at a later but still the best method of providing high
the largest of which was also on display. Rated at an date, from the standpoint of engineering design the performance, reduced noise and small, overall size.
interesting 313t payload, the 795F AC provides a new truck does communicate the best of both drive Another first for an electric truck is four-wheel,
weight class for the company, slotting in between the platforms, including a number of product and blended, dynamic retarding. This was traditionally
797F and the all-important, highly lucrative 793F. component innovations. Most notable is the only available on the rear wheels, but the four-corner,
This is where Caterpillar’s truck expansion inclusion of the latest IGBT inverter technology multi-plate, oil-cooled disk brakes considerably
branches off on to another design path, because the from Caterpillar’s partner, Mitsubishi Electric. The improve stability, especially downgrade in wet,
second diesel-electric truck to be announced is the rear-frame mounting of the alternator is also a first slippery conditions.
218t 793F AC. Even with a small decrease in payload for the industry, taking up a position where the Under the skin, the frame design is not an all-cast
capability to overcome the higher, unloaded construction as on the 797, but is instead a hybrid of
weight of the electric version, this still allows cast at the rear, where the majority of brute strength
Caterpillar to offer customers similar payload is required, and fabrication towards the front.
capabilities with both traditional mechanical as My only slight criticism is one of overcomplexity;
well as new electric-drive configurations. the underside looks a little cluttered with a profusion
The justification behind diesel-electric develop- of hydraulic pipes and connections, but I’m sure this
ment is simple: global haulage applications are now will all be addressed over time. As to the industry
so diverse that tailoring a truck to every mine success of the products, time will tell, but there are
environment requires the widest possible choice still considerably more diesel-electric drive OEMs
of machines, and offering both mechanical and with a lifetime of experience in the current market
electric platforms provides the best possible than equivalent, mechanical truck suppliers.
choice to the customer.
Closely following the development process one Immersive Technologies simulator for Cat 793D truck

50 Mining Magazine November 2008

50,52MM0811.indd 50 7/11/08 10:44:04

 Mining_november_08.eps 15.10.2008 09:06:46

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 OPINION – MINEXPO 2008

But, the mining industry also understands that axles driving four wheels. The new TI 274 takes this gold and other operations. Recent deliveries include
Caterpillar almost invented the term ‘total global design to the next level by offering an all-new drive the Geita gold mine operation in Tanzania, where five
support’, often offering what other manufacturers axle with all four wheels driven independently of 70t units have been hauling material from satellite
can only dream of. Most should also realise that the each other, incorporating a four-motor Liebherr IGBT pits over distances of up to 16km one-way.
Caterpillar marketing and sales machine is voicing AC-drive system. A true engineering innovation since In Jamaica, at the Ewarton bauxite mine, contract
the clear commitment that, for the first time, those each wheel has its own motor, planetary gear set and miner URS Washington Group is operating five 120t
customers who request electric truck products can brake system, each of the four rear tyres can rotate trailer units over a one-way distance of 15km; 10km
now become part of the same mega-support at a different speed from the others, providing of which requires a downgrade haul of some -10%.
fraternity previously only available to mechanical improved tractive power on difficult surfaces while Additional brake cooling is provided by separate,
fleet operators, with a committed one face to the reducing tyre wear on turns. hydraulically-driven, air-to-air coolers, mounted on
customer. The fact is, the decision to bring a diesel- Controversially, this truck is the first in a line of the trailer portion of the truck.
electric truck product to market sent a few shivers machines that doesn’t include Siemens drive system Closer to home, Abigroup is operating three 70t
through the boardrooms of existing truck manufac- components, as is still the case with the other rear-dump units over a cycle of some 14km, hauling
turers as this wasn’t just anyone entering the market. Liebherr truck exhibit, the 400 short ton T282B. mineral sands in a 45m3 body. New orders for the
New markets for trucks will be dominated by Liebherr is just one OEM that is working hard to company include RioTinto Iron in Pilbara, which is
targeting existing competitors’ fleets, rather than develop proprietary, electric-drive systems that offer taking three cab-chassis units. Two of these will be
Caterpillar customers who are already running greater percentage content and therefore more profit permanently hooked up to massive, low-bed trailers
mechanical trucks, simply because there’s no point in in the truck’s cost structure and, just as important, for hauling ancillary mine equipment.
competing with yourself. greater control of the highly lucrative, after-sales
Some may also be asking why the previous, 797B- parts market. This activity was further advanced by Stimulating simulators
series truck hasn’t been replaced with a C-series and rumours that Liebherr is also seriously considering The Immersive Technology exhibit attracted a huge
has instead gone straight to F. Well, following, mainly because it was
the ‘Caterpillar Nomenclature interactive, allowing visitors to
Committee’ – yes there really is one – Haulmax truck gain an idea of what it is like to
suggested that, with some smaller drive a mining machine. After
truck models being replaced, there completing an extended run, I
was some confusion within the found it to be very realistic, minus
current equipment classification. So, the noise and rocking around and
starting with the trucks, all upgrades, the worries attached to operating
with the exception of the 785, which a real truck, such as driving over a
will go to a D series, will be elevated berm or colliding with an
to F series. oncoming vehicle.
From the perspective of mining Advanced software is at the
trucks, MINExpo has always had a lot heart of the Equipment Simulator
to do with the biggest and best, and and controls all aspects of training
this year there were no fewer than and evaluation. The SimControl
three 400 short ton-payload includes detailed graphics,
ultraclass trucks on show, including representing numerous machines
the Terex MT6300 (363t). This new and highly-accurate machine
machine was devoid of the ‘Unit Rig’ dynamics, as well as maps of the
nomenclature, which clearly had to be withdrawn at developing larger-capacity engines to power its truck mine topography. It also includes a suite of tools for
some point, considering the corporate identity range, bearing in mind that the company already functions such as scenario creation, performance
complications that Terex is still struggling to solve. possesses considerable engine-design experience. monitoring, editing and reporting, as well as data
The MT6300 is the next step up from the first Terex management.
haul to break the 300 short ton, ultra-class payload Haulmax It is also relatively easily to customise the options
barrier – the MT5500 – which is rated at 360 short Tucked away in the corner of the Central Hall were the of the software to match the actual training
tons (326t). The new, larger truck now incorporates Haulmax heavy-duty trucks, which cover an interesting environment. Road conditions and atmospheric
the next generation of Terex-supplied, treble- niche market that has obviously been studied very conditions are also added to recreate the training
reduction wheel motors; a vast improvement over carefully in order to design a machine that combines scenario. This ensures mining staff are better
early designs, all managed by series II General the attributes of a conventional, off-road haul-truck prepared for varying conditions when operating in
Atomics controls. with a road tractor. This maximises vehicle payloads the real environment.
over longer distances, while still operating within the In my view the simulator can make a tremendous
Liebherr TI update designated tyre tonne mile per hour (tmph) limits. difference to equipment adaptation, not only for new
The interesting design direction taken by Liebherr Haulmax is an Australian company with over employees but also for existing employees who
with the TI 272 has now been upgraded to the TI 274, 20 years’ experience in the haulage industry and, might respond to a different approach to learning, in
which was also on display. Truck design hasn’t yet specifically, the requirements of long-distance, terms of ensuring operator safety and reliability.
made the radical change to alternatives that would off-highway, bulk-haulage vehicles. The machines Simulator training scenarios can be designed with an
offer the industry more scope in terms of engine are exclusively constructed from Caterpillar sub- increasing level of complexity. As a trainee becomes
location, payload and reduced operating costs, but assemblies used in models such as the 769D and more skilled, extra equipment and variables such as
the original TI was clearly a step in the right direction, 775E mining trucks. This offers a high degree of weather and haul-road structure can then be
resulting from the innovative skills of John Dickerson, quality and product backup as all Caterpillar dealers incorporated into the sessions. The simulator teaches
employed by BHP Australia, who headed the design can repair and maintain the products worldwide. operators the correct procedures, which allow them
team responsible for the ‘Innovative Lightweight Haulmax products carry the Caterpillar Integrated to progress to a more advanced simulation. By the
Mining Truck’ (ILMT), prior to Liebherr taking the Technologies logo, recognising the deep integration time the operator progresses to work the controls of
project to market. of Caterpillar components and systems in the design. real equipment, their head, hands and feet will know
The originality of this design was more obvious In the four years of the company’s existence, some what to do, when to do it and, most importantly,
from the rear, with two adjacent, independent, rear 20 units have been placed at bauxite, mineral sands, how to do it.

52 Mining Magazine November 2008

50,52MM0811.indd 52 7/11/08 10:45:35

 marketplace

Nickel: Calling the bottom

that junior nickel companies will struggle over the
next two years, with little or no capital available
to conduct exploration. The report predicts that
“only the most financially sound projects will get off
Even by its own volatile standards, nickel has had a collapse in demand (real and perceived) for stainless the ground”, and says that “numerous nickel mines
remarkable past 40 months (see graph). The metal steel, which accounts for about 65% of the will shut”.
rose to an all-time high of US$51,600/t in May 2007, consumption of primary nickel. Because of this link, However, Chinese metals traders have been widely
before falling away to US$26,300/t by the end of the the price of nickel has been brought low by the US quoted recently as predicting a bounce in the nickel
year. Nickel improved to US$33,200/t in early March sub-prime crisis of mid-2007, and by the subsequent price early next year. A favourite date for the start of
this year before slumping to just US$9,350/t in mid- credit crunch and onset of a full-blown recession. the recovery is the Chinese New Year, which will be
October. The metal had recovered to over US$12,000/t A recent research report by Alto Capital concluded celebrated in 2009 at the same time as Australia Day
as Mining Magazine went to press. – January 26.
World mined-nickel production was 52000 Nickel price (US$/t) Moreover, Alto Capital’s analyst, Carey
8.8% higher last year compared with Smith, is predicted a doubling in total nickel
2006, with refined output up 6.4%. demand by 2030, and said that a realistic
Year-on-year increases of 59%, 25% 39000 outlook for nickel prices over the next few
and 22% were achieved in the years is US$15-17,000/t.
Philippines, Indonesia and New The incredible rate of growth in the
Caledonia, respectively. 26000 Chinese economy has slowed in recent
As a result, Indonesia overtook months, but Mr Smith observed that the
Australia into third place in 2007, and market there is too large to ignore. It is
the Philippines has come from 13000 expected that China will have consumed
nowhere four years ago to joint-sixth around 352,000t of nickel this calendar year,
place last year. which is 25% of the anticipated global total
The main reason for the 18-month 0 of 1.4Mt/y and a six-fold increase on just
bear market for nickel has been the June 2005 October 2008 eight years ago.

1.00 July August September October 1.6 July August September October

US$ US$

0.55 1.2

1.00 July August September October 0.14 July August September October

US$ US$

0.78 0.08

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
PAGE PAGE
Allmineral www.allmineral.com 45 Larox Flowsys www.larox.fi/flowsys 39
Atlas Copco Rock Drills www.atlascopco.com Cov IV Maelgwyn Minerals Services www.maelgwyn.com 47
Boart Longyear www.boartlongyear.com 5 Metso Minerals www.metsominerals.com 41
Bucyrus DBT www.bucyrus.com 16
Northland Resources www.northlandresourcesinc.com 9
Classified advertising 55-56
Ontario (Government of) www.2ontario.com/success 11
Cubex www.cubex.net 46
Cytec www.cytec.com 19 Outotec Minerals www.outotec.com 37
DSI Holding www.dsiminingproducts.com 51 Pioneer Pumps www.pioneerpump.co.uk 35
Devico www.devico.com 17 Rockmore www.rockmore-intl.com 34
Diemme www.diemme-spa.com/filtration 15 Sandvik www.sandvik.com Cov II
Equipment Wholesale Inc www.equipmentwholesale.com 32 Sandvik www.sandvik.com 7
Esco www.escocorp.com 27 Siemens www.siemens.com/mining 20-21
FL Smidth Minerals www.FLSmidthMinerals.com 43
Takraf www.takraf.com 31
FMC www.frictionmarketing.co.uk 26
ThyssenKrupp www.tk-mining.com 33
Groupe Melkonien Milan www.aramine.com 25
Hitachi www.hitachi-c-m.com Cov III URS Washington www.wgint.com 14
L&M Power Trains www.LMPowertrainparts.com 29 Vermeer Manufacturing www.vermeer.com Cov I
Larox www.larox.com 49 Weir Minerals www.weirminerals.com 2

November 2008 Mining Magazine 53

53-54MM0811.indd 53 7/11/08 16:49:28

 marketplace
tagline

Aluminium Nickel
Aluminium prices have not suffered quite as badly as most metals this year, As noted on p53, nickel has suffered a particularly difficult period, and
falling by ‘only’ one third to just over US$2,000/t. There is still considerable producers of the metal are leading the mining industry’s cutback in
confidence in the sector, and Rio Tinto has revealed plans to invest an production. Companies that have announced lower levels of output include
additional US$300 million in the Kitimat smelter in British Colunbia. In Russia, OAO Norilsk Nickel, Eramet SA, Jinchuan Group Co and Cia Vale do Rio Doce.
UC Rusal has launched a new anode-baking furnace at its Sayanogorsk The latter is reducing output by 20% in Indonesia and 65% in China, and
smelter after a US$25 million plant modernisation. deferred development on new nickel projects.

3100 July August September October 22000 July August September October

alum 2500 15500 nickel

US$/t US$/t
1900 9000

Copper Platinum
China is expected to reduce its imports of copper for a second consecutive With the average price in the September quarter falling to barely
year in 2009, according to China Minmetals Nonferrous Metals Co (the US$1,500/oz (20% less than a year ago), Aquarius Platinum Ltd has
country’s biggest metals trader). The group expects copper imports to fall suspended production at its No2 shaft on the Marikana mine in South
below 1.3Mt this year from 1.5Mt in 2007. Meanwhile, Chile’s Codelco warned Africa. Lonmin plc announced recently that output in its financial year to
that it is to revise its investment proposals, and cut output this year by up to end-September fell 16% after safety stoppages. The company predicts a
10% and trim 78,000t from overall production from 2009-2011. similar level in the current period.

8800 July August September October 2200 July August September October

copper platinum
6000 1650

US$/t US$/oz
3200 1100

Gold Zinc
Gold has not made the decisive break upwards that has been so widely The three-month price of the metal on the LME has more than halved over
predicted, due in large part to the strength of the US dollar. Nevertheless, the the past year. There is some good news in Bolivia, however, where small-scale
metal is comfortably the best performer of the major metals, even if it is still zinc miners are to be supported by an emergency fund of US$5 million,
hovering below US$800/oz. Rising operating costs have been a particular according to President Evo Morales. In Alaska, Teck Cominco declared force
problem, and, for example, Newcrest Mining Ltd is to eliminate 400 jobs majeure on sales from its Red Dog mine after severe Arctic weather forced an
(almost 30% of the workforce) at its Telfer mine in Western Australia. early end to the shipping season.

1000 July August September October 2000 July August September October

gold zinc
860 1550

US$/oz US$/t
720 1100

Metals graphs: Cash prices

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54 Mining Magazine November 2008

53-54MM0811.indd 54 7/11/08 16:49:29

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