BATEMAN has modified sections of the existing plant
at the Venetia Mine 80 km west of Messina, RSA, to increase the throughput
of run-of-mine (ROM) ore from 4,5M to 5,9M t/yr.
The project arose out of an in-house study by
Venetia that revealed the feasibility of increasing the plant throughput,
providing appropriate modifications were made. The mine’s process
engineers developed the conceptual flow sheet.
BATEMAN prepared a technical and cost-estimate
proposal to implement the modifications and was awarded a R10,8M reimbursable
contract on condition that several requirements could be met. As much
as possible of the existing installation would have to be re-used and
the existing plant’s high standard of access and maintenance would
have to be maintained. There would have to be minimal impact on current
mine production and BATEMAN’s involvement in the project would
have to be completed within five months, with hot commissioning commencing
early in March 2003.
Safety was to be a critical and high- priority
factor at all stages of construction and commissioning, particularly
as the modifications were to be executed in an operating plant with
a very good safety record.
The project involved exchanging the existing
secondary crusher’s dewatering screens and associated underpans
and chutes with double-deck screens, to enable the feed from the crushers
to be separated into coarse and fine streams. In addition a dewatering
screen was introduced below the new re-crush crusher which discharges
onto a modified conveyor. The fine-material stream now bypasses the
secondary scrubbers, effectively providing additional capacity.
So the fine material could be sent to the discharge
hoppers of the scrubbers, an existing conveyor was extended and re-aligned
with the drive being repositioned in the refurbished building. A new
conveyor was installed and the scrubber building modified extensively.
The project was completed on time and as per
the client’s specifications. The BATEMAN project team also maintained
an exemplary safety record and during the 9 664 man hours worked on
site, no lost-time accidents were incurred.
More information may be obtained from James
Nieuwenhuys, General Manager, Diamonds on +27-11-899-2262 or email
jamesn@bmi.co.za.
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