Working in collaboration with project house Paradigm Project Management, diamond processing technology specialists DebTech is supplying its well-proven X-ray diamond recovery technology to the Tongo diamond mining project in Sierra Leone, currently being developed by Newfield Resources Ltd.

DebTech’s mature sorting technology is a dependable solution for high efficiency recovery of diamonds from a wide variety of kimberlite, marine and alluvial sources, capable of treating a material size range from 1 mm to 32 mm.

In this case, the dry unit – the CDX118CD – was specified for the West African project, featuring an eight-channel photo multiplier detection system capable of identifying all types of diamonds including low luminescence, yellow and boart.

“The appeal of the technology is its efficient diamond recovery with minimum gangue material, even at high feed rates,” says Gavin Alexander, products manager at DebTech. “These rates can range from 825 kilograms per hour with material sized between 1 mm and 2 mm, to 4,5 tonnes per hour with material of 16 mm to 32 mm in size.”

Among the benefits of the system are its unique “dual wavelength” detection system and small installed footprint. It is capable of self-testing, while calibration can be conducted on-line.

“Designed to be operator-friendly and straightforward to maintain, the unit offers complete operator safety due to its improved features,” he says. “It is specifically designed to enhance diamond security, and the compact sorting modules can be configured for higher throughput or for a double-pass process, as required.”

There are manual and automated inlet chute gate options available, with a robust air ejector system that ensures no loss of valuable stones. Design is modular, compact and ergonomic, with left and right-hand variants available to suit. The split cabinet design features a heat exchanger-cooled X-ray generator and power supply compartment with separate control and service panel configurations.

There is a single network interface for control and information, and DebTech ensures there is full maintenance support for customers, wherever they are on the globe.