May 2014
MODERN MINING
55
CRUSHING, SCREENING
AND MILLING
ture
Metso’s Trellex LS modular, rubber screening media
installed at the mine.
This photo illustrates the pegging issue with the mine’s previous
screening media.
2011, Metso’s Trellex LS modular, rubber
screening media – which are antipegging
– were installed. They lasted ten months
versus an estimated three months for the
previous supplier’s screens, and they didn’t
collapse under heavy loads.
With Metso’s screening media in place,
the mine has eliminated the need to stop
production on a daily basis to liberate the
clogged screens. According to the most
recent reports, annual operational down-
time at the mine has been reduced by 90
hours, meaning that an extra 108 000 tons of
ore can be processed annually. The annual
cost savings from the new Metso screening
media are at least US$315 000, and possi-
bly greater. Plus, the benefit to managers in
removing a chronic problem and reducing
headaches is priceless.
“The installation of the Metso panels
has brought great relief: our operational
downtimes have been drastically reduced,
increasing the plant’s throughput,” says
Louis Baanuo, Ag Unit Met Manager, NHL
at Tarkwa mine.
The fact that material no longer has to
be removed from pegged screening media
also makes the mine a safer, cleaner place
to work. Metso’s media also last longer, fur-
ther enhancing efficiency, safety, and profits
– and also reducing waste. Gold Fields is
now implementing the media in other parts
of the mine, including the CIL facility.
Acknowledgement: This article has been
reproduced from Metso Minerals’ cus-
tomer magazine ‘Results Minerals and
Aggregates’, issue No 2/2014.
