Modikwa UG2 concentrator commissioned
successfully
Hot commissioning of the Modikwa (formerly Maandagshoek) UG2 concentrator
was successfully completed during the second half of 2002, on behalf
of Anglo Platinum Management Services (Pty) Ltd. The plant is located
in RSA’s Northern Province, approximately 30 km northwest of Burgersfort
on the road to Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg).
BATEMAN process and mechanical engineers were part
of the integrated-commissioning team reporting to the client’s
commissioning manager. BATEMAN provided assistance with the hot commissioning
through to October 2002. The transfer to the operational team from the
hot commissioning phase was made seamlessly utilising a new initiative
from Anglo Platinum Projects. A team of process engineers from the projects
group was put in place to direct the early operational phase with full
on shift accountability until steady operations had been achieved. The
very successful commissioning phase was thus built upon with a smooth
transition to operations – the impressive plant capacity ramp-up
and very high plant uptime figures reflect on the successful inputs
from all three parties: BATEMAN, Modikwa and Anglo Platinum Projects.
The cold-commissioning phase commenced during May
2002 and in the first week of August the first ore was fed to the primary
mill and the ball charge of the mill then gradually increased to full
capacity. The ramp-up of the tons milled at the new plant went very
smoothly. In August, 51 % of the design throughput of 200 000 tons per
month of run-of-mine (ROM) UG2 ore was achieved and this increased to
101 % in September and 109 % in October.
naturally occurring, PGM-rich, fines fraction in the
ROM ore to be separated ahead of the primary milling circuit and to
be processed in a dedicated flotation circuit. In addition to the primary
mill, there are two, separate, regrind mills, each with flotation circuits.
The flotation concentrate is fed to a high-rate thickener
and dewatered in a horizontal-plate filter. The final product is dispatched
in trucks. The flotation tailings are thickened in a high-rate thickener
and pumped through an overland pipeline to the tailings dam.
A control-budget estimate for the project was completed
by BATEMAN in August 1999 and the overall project approved in December
1999. BATEMAN provided the engineering services, including the implementation
of the process design, and Anglo Platinum the contract management services.
The joint team operated out of the BATEMAN offices in Boksburg.
For more details, please contact
Jeff Stevens, Principal Process
Engineer, on +27-11-899-3199 or
email jeffs@bmi.co.za.
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