In addition to the major cyclone package currently being installed at First Quantum Minerals Ltd’s new Sentinel copper project in Northern Zambia, Weir Minerals Africa has since been awarded two more packages one for Sentinel and the other for Enterprise nickel, which are also part of the greater Trident project.

The first order, placed in mid-2012, represented one of the biggest cyclone cluster installations of its kind ever supplied by Weir Minerals Africa into an African application and included two 12x 650CVX cyclone clusters for the SAG mill application and four 16x 650CVX cyclone clusters for the ball mill classification duties. Commissioning of the equipment is scheduled for the second quarter of 2014.

The subsequent package for Sentinel comprises more than 50 Warman® AH horizontal centrifugal slurry and AHF horizontal froth pumps, ranging in size from small to large, and 55 Warman® vertical spindle pumps capable of handling large volumes.

This package also includes the supply of 611 Isogate® knife gate slurry valves ranging from 2” to 48” in size with manual, pneumatic and hydraulic actuation and a high pressure range of 24” high pressure Isogate® knife gate slurry valves that include Isogate WS, WB, WBP and WH units.  It is one of the biggest Isogate® knife gate valve orders that Weir Minerals Africa has received on the continent to date.

The third package comprises all the cyclones needed on the Enterprise nickel project one cluster of 10 Cavex® 500CVX hydrocyclones and two clusters of four Cavex® 500CVX hydrocyclones for installation at the Enterprise ball and SAG mills. As with the earlier Sentinel package, all Weir Minerals Africa cyclone clusters are designed and manufactured in South Africa. The company will also supply 53 horizontal Warman® AH slurry pumps and AHF froth pumps as part of this order.

All these products will be serviced by the Weir Minerals Africa service centre in Kitwe, Zambia, as part of its aftermarket service support for the life of mine. This includes stockholding of spare parts, with backup from the company’s product specialists based in Isando, South Africa.

“We have a very long history of supplying our technology to First Quantum, both in Africa and in countries such as Australia and Finland,” Weir Minerals Africa’s process manager, JD Singleton, says. “The fact that all the Cavex® cyclones being supplied incorporate Isogate® knife gate valves and our proprietary Linatex® linings proves once again that we’re able to provide complete process packages, supported by our service crews close to the customer’s operations.

“Being awarded three packages for the Trident project is a clear indication that the market has fully recognised our transition from a historical slurry pump supplier to a world class manufacturer of a host of complementary products, including large cyclone clusters, valves and Linatex® rubber linings. Warman® pumps are well proven in similar applications worldwide, but these are locally engineered, manufactured and supported here in Africa.

“Our proprietary Cavex® hydrocyclone technology is thoroughly established in the Zambian copperbelt, complemented by Linatex® rubber lining for superior abrasion resistance. Our Isogate® knife gate valves are designed for highly abrasive and corrosive applications, also incorporating Linatex® elastomer technology for improved performance. Isogate® valves are designed to eliminate rapid wear of valve liners, sticking and leakage to the atmosphere during operation, which effectively minimises downtime and reduces the risk of disruption during operation.”

For all Weir Minerals Africa-supplied clusters, it is standard practice for the technical team to conduct a complete dummy assembly prior to the application of rubber linings, to allow for final modifications. This practice is also included as a standard holding point in the company’s quality control programme and is witnessed by the customer.