Industry intelligence
Gamsberg uses new sampling solutions
According to Nyokong, the
equipment supplied includes
gravity (shark-fin type) and
pressurised (pressure pipe)
samplers. “Significantly, each
sampler is custom-designed
to suit the flow requirements
of each analyser,” says
Nyokong.
The samplers will provide
a continuous sample to
the online particle size
analyser (PSI) and X-ray
fluorescence (XRF)
analysers. PSI analysers
require 100 litres (ℓ) per
minute, while XRF analysers
require 100–300ℓ per
minute.
According to Nyokong,
the unique single-stage
vezin sampler and
double-stage ‘Two in One’
metallurgical accounting samplers will
collect representative final composite
sample sizes of less than 20ℓ per shift from
streams ranging from 80NB to 700NB
inlet-correct.
Nyokong emphasises the importance
of metallurgical accounting in ensuring
that AMIRA standards and best practice
are being applied in the plant’s sampling
applications. “The metallurgical plant
needs to ensure that samples collected
Modisaotsile Nyokong, process engineer at
Multotec Process Equipment.
A primary slurry sampler complete with a
450 steel angle and 304 stainless cutter
to allow free flow of sample increments,
minimising sample extraction error.
The building of Vedanta’s Gamsberg
project close to the town of Aggeneys in
the Northern Cape is gaining traction.
The processing plant is being constructed
by ELB Engineering Services. Process
control slurry samplers are being installed by
Multotec Process Equipment, and according
to Modisaotsile Nyokong, process engineer
at Multotec Process Equipment, this will
allow reliable real-time process results to be
generated by the metallurgical plant.
www.miningmirror.co.za
from metallurgical accounting samplers
are representative of the whole shift
operation and are used for accurate metal
accounting balances,” he says.
The benefit of the total sampling
solution supplied by Multotec is to have
both a process control sampler and a
metallurgical accounting sampler in the
same stream. Process control samplers are
specimen takers, providing samples that
are used for real-time process control
purposes.
The ‘Two in One’ metallurgical
accounting sampler comprises two
separate sample units in one, with a
primary and a secondary sampler unit
assembled into a compact unit, allowing
for a net plug and play solution. The
design allows easy access, as the primary
cutter can be inspected through a
bolted hatch on the top and side of
the housing. The secondary cutters can
also be inspected with ease, through
an inspection cover at the top of the
secondary housing.
An advantage is that the sampler
cutter of the primary unit cuts the full
stream of the slurry at constant speed
with sufficient volume to collect the
sample, minimising sampling extraction
and delimitation errors. The sampled
slurry then reports to the secondary vezin
sampler where the four cutters cut the
full stream of the primary sample.
NOVEMBER 2018 MINING MIRROR
[5]