mining news
8
08.13
The SNC-Lavalin pyrometallurgy team in Jo-
hannesburg is currently involved in several
niche projects for both local and internation-
al clients for whom it is custom designing
equipment and systems for specific custom-
er applications.
“SNC-Lavalin is a world class company
that is recognised for providing sound engi-
neering and project delivery solutions to cli-
ents in many industries,” says Ted Fulton, a
pyrometallurgy specialist with SNC-Lavalin’s
Johannesburg office. “Based on our custom-
ers’ preferences, our team can specify, se-
lect and purchase the optimum equipment,
or prepare and offer a complete technology
supply package or packaged plant. In addi-
tion, the level of technical support our pyro-
metallurgical experts are able to provide on
our projects significantly enhances the qual-
ity of the process and technology designs de-
livered to customers.”
Currently, the company is poised to com-
plete a project for a ferrochrome producer in
Turkey to increase the capacity of his existing
SNC-Lavalin pyrometallurgy team busy with niche projects
low-carbon ferrochrome plant from 12 000 t/a
to 32 000 t/a. Optimising the customer’s
smelter has entailed the conversion of an ex-
isting closed 15 MVA calcium carbide furnace
to a semi-closed furnace to smelt ferrosilicon
chrome and the supply of a new 8 MW DC
furnace to smelt low carbon ferrochrome via
silico-thermic reduction.
Other current projects include design and
supply of new copper roofing for a pig iron
and titanium dioxide slag plant in Norway,
and a pre-feasibility study for a 5 000 t/a
magnesium plant to be constructed in the
Western Cape, South Africa.
“The pooled knowledge and experience
of our pyrometallurgy team has put us on
the map. We have the process expertise and
equipment capabilities to deliver cutting edge
solutions,” Fulton adds. “We’re now acceler-
ating our search for new projects, while at the
same time providing support to the greater
SNC-Lavalin organisation on other pyromet-
allurgical projects.”
SNC-Lavalin’s South African pyrometallurgy
A low carbon DC furnace recently installed in Turkey by SNC-Lavalin.
team comprises about 18 specialists, engi-
neers and designers with full 3D-design ca-
pability specialising in custom designed pyro-
metallurgical plants and equipment. In-house
competencies include CFD (computational
fluid dynamic) to solve flow and heat transfer
problems and FEA (finite element analysis) to
determine the structural integrity of equipment
and evaluate thermal performance. Both these
modelling systems are used for equipment de-
sign and are also offered as a service to clients
on other engineering applications.
Fulton says that a big investment is cur-
rently underway to improve the technology
on offer even further, ensuring Best Available
Technology (BAT) and Best Environmental
Practice (BEP), to meet future requirements
of the global industry.
The pyrometallurgical technology team in
South Africa specialises in a wide range of
services to the smelting industry. These in-
clude AC and DC furnace components, com-
plete AC and DC furnaces, complete smelter
plants, furnace upgrades and retrofits, and
other services forming part of feasibility stud-
ies, engineering services and Lump Sum
Turnkey (LSTK) contracts.
The team has experience and know-how
across a broad spectrum of industries and
commodities. SNC-Lavalin’s AC furnace tech-
nology comprises innovative equipment such
as electrode columns for medium and large
furnaces using Söderberg, pre-baked or com-
posite electrodes, electrical power systems
for single and multiple transformer configura-
tions, roof designs for closed and semi-closed
furnaces and long-life refractory lining de-
signs, cooling and furnace-control systems.
“Our DC arc furnace technology has sig-
nificant economic and technical benefits over
conventional pyrometallurgical processes
when smelting fine materials,” Fulton says.
“This also applies to metallurgical systems,
where maintaining control of the furnace can
be difficult owing to factors such as the elec-
trical resistivity properties of the slag. Typi-
cal applications include smelting of chromite,
nickel-laterite ores, ilmenite and the recovery
of metals from steel-plant and stainless-steel
plant dusts and non-ferrous slag.”
Further successful intercepts at Waterberg deposit
Platinum Group Metals (PTM) has announced
a total of 52 successful new platinum, pal-
ladium and gold intercepts at the Waterberg
Joint Venture.
“The Waterberg deposit has been signifi-
cantly expanded with this new drilling beyond
the previous resource estimate of 10 million
ounces,” comments R. Michael Jones, CEO
of Platinum Group Metals. “The thickness
and continuity of the F and T layers com-
bined with the consistent setting, structural
contours and metal ratios all confirm a new
important platinum deposit at Waterberg.”
Planned drilling and deposit definition
work on the Joint Venture property is near-
ing completion. All drilling data will be used
in a resource estimation update from the in-
dependent qualified person team at the in-
ternational firm of Coffey Mining. Some 111
holes totalling 129 000 m of core with approx-
imately 350 mineralised layer intercepts and
85 000 assay results are being compiled for
the resource update. The Waterberg deposit
on the Joint Venture property covers approxi-
mately 5,5 km of strike length. The shallowest
edge of the deposit thus far is on the T layer
at about 140 m from surface.
An engagement to complete the detailed
work for a Preliminary Economic Assessment
of theWaterberg deposit has been awarded to
engineering firm WorleyParsonsTWP, which
has extensive mechanised underground min-
ing experience. The planned August resource
update will be utilised for this work. The PEA
work on the Joint Venture property is on tar-
get for completion at the end of 2013.
PTM holds a 49,9 % effective interest in the
Waterberg Joint Venture with the Japan Oil,
Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOG-
MEC) holding 37 % and the balance being
owned by a private empowerment company
in South Africa.
