Bulk materials handling applications specialist Kingfisher Industrial supplied materials handling equipment to a number of mining operations in Africa, including separation equipment to gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi gold mine, located 200 km north-west of Accra, in Ghana.

“We also supplied process pipework to Zimbabwe-based coal miner Hwange Colliery’s coal mine, in the province of Matabeleland North,” says Kingfisher Industrial sales and marketing executive Anita Chumber.

The com-pany supplied a number of dense-media separation hydro- cyclones through a South Africa-based mining equipment supplier to diversified major Anglo American to reduce operational downtime at several of its African mining operations.

Kingfisher Industrial will be exhibiting its wear-resistance technologies at the thirtieth International Fair of Mining, Power and Metallurgy, which will run from September 10 to 13, in Katowice, Poland.

Chumber says the company’s K-Pipe WRP polymer-lined high-density polyethylene abrasion- resistant piping system is ideal for liquids, sludge and slurry containing abrasive media and contaminants. The piping system is used worldwide at mining operations in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

“K-Pipe WRP is used in a variety of industrial sectors for the hydraulic and pneu- matic conveyance of materials and offers an inner wear-resistant polymer,” states Kingfisher Industrial, adding that it also enhances the service life of the pipe when exposed to abrasive media.

Chumber explains that K-Pipe WRP is manufactured using an automated extrusion process, which incorporates a traditional high-density polyethylene outer sleeve and fuses an inner wear-resistant polymer sleeve.

This extrusion process also uses a patented technology, which eliminates the potential for delimitation in service, she adds.

Using the K-Pipe WRP is also less expensive than using the traditional range of metallics and ceramics for handling abrasive materials such as ash, coal, minerals and other highly abrasive materials, Chumber notes.

“The typical applications for the K-Pipe WRP includes ash and dust handling, sewage processing, tailing pipes, pulp and paper production, as well as mining and quarrying,” she notes.

Moreover, she points out that in online preparation plants, equipment failures can cause serious problems and substantially increase costs.

“Kingfisher Industrial’s wear-resistant lining systems can help key plants and equipment to operate continually, which, in turn, can lead to increased efficiencies and profitability,” Chumber asserts.

She adds that the company has considerable expertise in combating wear and abrasion with regard to bulk materials handling and heavy industrial plants and it has frequently extended the service life of key processing equipment with its range of protection systems.

Kingfisher Industrial provides wear-resistant lining systems for the coal preparation industry, including dense-media cyclones (DMCs) feed pipework, inlet and outlet piping for pumps, coal transverse chutes and feed tanks, dewatering screens and lined filter press rollers.

Case Study: Wear Protection in DMCs

Kingfisher Industrial recently completed a case study for a coal preparation plant that focused on investigating the wear issues during the concentration phase of the raw material.

The study indicated that the mine was outsourcing the coal washing process to a contractor, which was under pressure to meet the demanding standards of performance and product quality to fulfil its contract with the mining plant.

The main activities involved washing small coal from 25 mm to about 3.5 mm to remove dirt and dust in four washing lines, with a combined throughput capacity of 800 t/h.

“The client expected us to be capable of handling any throughput up to the contractual maximum and to maintain tightly defined standards with respect to water and ash content. We could only do this if our plant was constantly maintained at peak efficiency and so we invested substantially in regular plant inspections and refurbishments, as the plant is exposed to constant wear issues,” says the washing plant’s process manager.

The case study found that the existing cast-iron DMCs were rapidly deteriorating; the wear issues were becoming more prominent, owing to the handling of the abrasive material, and repair costs were too high.

The plant then looked for new equipment that could provide a longer service life.

The key specifications for the new equipment included operation at a constant flow promotion, simple maintenance, high resistance to the abrasive characteristics of the raw material and compatibility with existing installations.

Despite considering several DMC suppliers, the company did not find the right combination of attributes required. It decided to opt for a custom-made solution instead and invited tenders for four DMC units from several manufacturers.

“We are an ISO 9000 quality management site and have to work to high standards. Safety is our prime consideration, followed closely by high performance and fully documented procedures. When Kingfisher Industrial was selected to build the new DMCs, the plant process manager and engineers were aware of Kingfisher’s experience in the coal industry,” commented the washing plant’s process manager.

“The offer from Kingfisher Industrial proved to be cost effective and provided a guaranteed extended life expectancy of the DMCs and the lining.”

The DMCs were designed and manufactured to fit into the existing plant without any modifications. A mild steel structure was clad internally with Kingfisher Industrial’s K-Alox high-alumina ceramic tiles, ranging from 6 mm to 25 mm thick according to the projected exposure of the surface to abrasion.

According to Kingfisher Industrial MD John Connolly, the tiles were bonded to the steel shell by a high-strength epoxy, which is specially formulated to withstand this highly abrasive application.

He explains that a modular approach to constrution is designed to allow for the easy replacement of high-wear components, as the new DMCs are guaranteed in highly abrasive environments for three years, compared with the nine-month life of the originally cast units.

Moreover, he highlights that the DMCs can be repaired and relined to extend their life when it becomes necessary, adding that this is a significant advantage over nonreusable cast-iron versions.

“The new Kingfisher Industrial DMCs are a big improvement on the originals,” assures the process manager.

He adds that the DMCs’ performance is excellent and because the interiors are lined, only minimal wear occurs.

The case study indicated that, as a result of Kingfisher Industrial wear-resistant lining systems, the bore remains at the correct size and operating efficiency is maintained consistently over a long period.

Moreover, it found that there were no tolling or foundry costs, so the price of the DMCs was actually lower than the original units, and the manu- facturer’s ability to fabricate complex shapes quickly meant that delivery times were significantly shortened.

“We currently have four high-performance DMCs which make a positive contribution to our success in running the current contract,” concludes the washing plant’s process manager.