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Company promotes cost-effective in-pit crushing solution

23rd October 2015

By: Nadine James

Features Deputy Editor

  

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Plant engineering company ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa (TKIS SA) says its in-pit semimobile crushing system (SMCS) can lead to significantly reduced capital and operating expenditure (capex and opex), as well as reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

According to TKIS SA’s mineral processing product manager Demitri Kokoroyanis, SMCSes offer different equipment solutions for different commodity applications, as they vary in design and capacity – for example, roll crushers and roll sizers are well suited for coal applications.

“TKIS SA can offer systems for most in-pit mineral mining, depending on the pit planning design,” he continues, adding that the company’s SMCS can achieve 200 t/h to 12 000 t/h.

Kokoroyanis notes that the main benefit of the system is the capex savings: “Clients could save an average of 25% to 30% on civil work when compared to a fixed or stationary unit.”

He explains that, while the SMCS can be stationed in one place for a number of years, it can also be moved according to the mining method and planning. He stresses that the SMCS does not need to be completely disassembled in the process of moving and, therefore, the downtime is minimal.

Meanwhile, opex savings are generally achieved because in-pit crushing reduces intermittent materials transport, thus reducing diesel consumption, fleet maintenance costs and labour.

Further, while research done by mining consultant Snowden Group states that in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) systems are economically viable only when rock movement rates exceed 30-million tons a year, Kokoroyanis says that, in his experience, it is not necessarily the case.

He believes that when planned correctly, “IPCC is always an economical concept”, adding that the TKIS SA mine planning service ensures that clients are advised on how best to incorporate an IPCC system and are aware of the financial aspects of the intended project.

Kokoroyanis also rejects the idea that the machinery is overly complex and requires highly skilled staff, stating that, usually, when running a plant, “clients need a semiskilled staff complement to look after the operation”. He points out that the main system is connected to and can be controlled from the operation room which monitors equipment on the mine.

“The TKIS SA IPCC system has a feature that enables it to connect to the Global 24/7 service centre in Germany,” he states, which allows for constant system monitoring.

Kokoroyanis maintains that even a successful IPCC system would never completely replace trucks and shovels – it would only significantly reduce the number of trucks and labour required, as clients “still need trucks and shovels near blasting areas to load the in-pit crushing plant”.


Developed in Germany in 1956, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (TKIS) continuously redesigns and improves on the SMCS, Kokoroyanis asserts, adding that most of the manufacturing is done globally, depending on where the installation takes place, with TKIS SA capable of manufacturing components if required.

IPCC and SMCS Projects
Kokoroyanis notes that TKIS SA has introduced the SMCS to several interested mining companies locally, and that it is currently assembling and installing an SMCS for a multinational minerals company’s Zambian copper mine.

“We have about 257 installations globally,” he says, noting that, depending on the commodity, there has been significant interest in some mining areas in Africa. TKIS SA also has some smaller installations for cement and aggregate plants in Central and North Africa.

Kokoroyanis says, despite the current state of the mining industry, neither sales nor interest in SMCSes and IPCC systems has decreased. “In fact,” he says, “interest has grown,” adding that, since 2007, TKIS SA has sold 58 SMCSes globally.

Existing mines want to reduce running costs and be more profitable, such as, for example, the Cuajone copper project, Kokoroyanis notes. TKIS is contracted to supply an IPCC system to a copper mine in Peru.

The system will transport ore to the concentrator, replacing the existing railway haulage system, thus reducing opex, emissions and energy consumption. The system is expected to begin operation in 2016.

About TKIS SA
TKIS SA is the local subsidiary of TKIS, a division of ThyssenKrupp, which is an amalgamation of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Resources and ThyssenKrupp Uhde. TKIS provides plant engineering and construction solutions.


TKIS SA has more than 400 employees who specialise in process and resource technology, and its solutions encompass a range of services for the fertiliser, petrochemicals, oil and gas, electrolysis, mining, minerals, cement and lime industries.

Edited by Leandi Kolver
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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