At the signing of the contract for the new smelter for SA Chrome, front row from left to right: Jack Dorfan (SA Chrome), Terry McConnachie (SA Chrome), Dr John Herselman, (BATEMAN), Roger Falls (BATEMAN) and back row: Bruce McBride (SA Chrome), Zed van der Walt (SA Chrome), Stuart Elliot (SA Chrome), Reinier Meyjes (BATEMAN) and John Parker (BATEMAN).

SA Chrome's ferrochrome smelter contract

Bateman Titaco has been awarded a lump-sum turnkey contract by SA Chrome and Alloys Limited for its new smelter, pelletising and sintering plant at Boshoek, some 20 km north of Rustenburg, North West Province, RSA. The plant will be designed to produce 235 000t/yr of saleable charge ferrochrome from a blended feed of lumpy chromite and chrome concentrate. Importantly, Bateman Titaco was instrumental in preparing the bankable feasibility study for the project and also facilitated the off-take agreement for the ferrochrome product. These aspects ensured that the client was able to raise the necessary equity and loan finance for the project.

The smelter consists of two 54 MVA closed submerged-arc furnaces and a pelletising and sintering plant to process 520 000 t/yr of material. The furnaces will be designed by Bateman Titaco and are similar to the recent smelter supplied to Hernic Ferrochrome and Feralloys Limited, Machadodorp.

The new, but proven, Bateman Titaco closed furnace technology with Outokumpu pre-heating was chosen because it is environmentally friendly. Smelting of chromite during the production of ferrochrome could lead to the production of chromium (VI), which is highly toxic. However, closed furnaces preclude the ingress of air (oxygen) into the hot interior, so that chromium (VI) cannot be formed.

Outokumpu's sintered-pellet smelting process is proven technology developed at its ferrochrome plant in Tornio, Finland. This process route improves chromium recoveries by 5 % and consumes 25 % less energy than conventional open or semi-closed furnaces, ensuring that SA Chrome will be the lowest cost chromium producer. The lower energy consumption also reduces the ecological impact associated with fossil fuel electric energy generation. Two ore types will be blended in the plant, viz. a high grade LG6 and a lower grade UG2 ore. The LG6 ore will be brought by road from SA Chrome's Horizon mine, located some 40 km to the northwest of the smelter, and UG2 concentrate, a discard product from platinum mining, will be purchased from a nearby platinum producer. A blend of about 40 % LG6 ore and 60 % UG2 concentrate will be fed to the furnaces.

Bateman Titaco conducted the project's feasibility study and was also responsible for the environmental impact study. The proposed capital expenditure on the whole project is R700 million, of which R300 million is earmarked for the two furnaces, R175 million for the pelletising and sintering plant and R60 million for the plant's infrastructure.

It is estimated that the furnaces will need respectively 13 and 15 months for construction and commissioning with the pelletising and sintering plants requiring17 months. The first sales of products should commence at the end of the first quarter of 2002.

For further details kindly contact George Farmer,
General Manager, Bateman Ferrous, on +27-11-899-2531 or email ferroalloys@batemanengineering.com

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