Innovative iron ore processing systems
Jersey based mining company Bellzone has appointed washing plant specialists CDE to design and supply a pioneering iron ore system in order to increase efficiencies in their production process. Bellzone are currently developing two extensive iron ore assets in Guinea, West Africa: Forecariah and Kalia. A 15-year mining licence has recently been granted to the company for the vast 319 km2 Forecariah site, with output expected to reach 4 million t/y by 2014. The current equipment on site comprises a crushing and screening plant. Presently, the fines produced from this plant have lower iron content which adversely affects the quality of the material and its suitability for resale. Consequently, CDE Global have been chosen to develop a tailored iron ore wet processing system that will effectively remove the ultra fine fraction to ensure that the remainder of the crushing and screening plant fines have a high enough iron grade to be sold directly.
CDE quickly identified the need for low grade fines to be efficiently separated at 1 mm to produce a +1 mm product which can go direct to port, with the finer fraction passing to the CDE EvoWash to remove the Gangue, therefore upgrading the entire fraction to a saleable product. The effective removal of contaminants, will consistently maintain a +58 % Fe level from the low grade fines stock. A highly efficient process producing minimal waste ensures that a high product yield is maintained. An AquaCycle Thickener water recirculation system will also be incorporated to effectively recover the process water, again enhancing efficiency and maintaining a compact footprint throughout the entire process. With a 250 t/h feed rate of low grade fines the washed product from the CDE plant will be directly exported for the Forecariah Guinea Mining SA operation (Fig.).
Over the last 5 years, the range of equipment that CDE offer iron ore processors has increased significantly with the introduction of the M2500 mobile processing system. “In the case of Bellzone Mining, a fast track installation with a high quality product was required. We are able to provide a tailored solution for Bellzone bearing in mind that plant availability coupled with a reduction in maintenance requirements is vitally important, particularly due to the sites remote location,” explains CDE Strategic Projects Manager Dermot Murphy. Another key factor was the CDE ProMan Project Management system with on-going support available from initial design stage, through to manufacturing, logistics, installation, commissioning and continuing plant management. “Through the ProMan system the customer is given a dedicated Single Point of Contact for the duration of the project which takes them through every stage from plant design and production in the first instance to training and long term performance support” explains Dermot Murphy.
