Company Annoucement - Field testing on the Longi-Multotec Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separators, in all minerals sectors, is producing excellent results. Minor adaptations to the Longi WHIMS, to accommodate the demands of the African environment, have resulted in magnetic separation equipment that clearly complements and enhances Multotec’s existing solution offering.“Multotec will only distribute products that meet the high quality and reliability standards we have set to provide customers with maximum productivity and guaranteed availability,” says Willem Slabbert, application and process manager for Multotec solid liquid and magnetic separation business line. “Hence, all new products are subjected to extensive field testing to ensure that they are able to perform according to spec in situ.”
Slabbert says that since the introduction of the Longi WHIMS to the African market, interest has been shown from chrome and platinum group metal sectors, manganese and iron ore in Africa. “Testing started in January 2014 and the duration of each study varies from single spot tests to 50 run campaigns. The feedback we have received is that customers are very impressed with the results the WHIMS has achieved to date.”
Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separators use electromagnetic coils to generate a very high magnetic force that can be implemented to allow separation of para-magnetic minerals. This technology also employs unparalleled high gradients, within their exchangeable matrices, to allow recovery of fine material down to 15 micron.
“One of the major advantages of the Longi-Multotec WHIMS is that the coil surface area that is exposed to the air is optimised and they can therefore be cooled directly with cooling water as opposed to the environmentally unfriendly cooling oil that must be used in older generation models,” Slabbert points out. The machines are also operated with ampere-control (instead of voltage control) which allows a constant energy supply to the coil for consistent metallurgical performance. The electrical transformer-rectifier converts the alternating current supply to high voltage, low ampere direct current and this configuration requires a smaller electrical installation infrastructure while achieving higher electrical efficiency.
“This exciting technology offers innovative new approaches towards solving para-magnetic minerals separation processes with payback periods on the machine price as low as three months. Applications include ilmenite, chrome, manganese and iron ore (haematite) beneficiation, PGM upgrading as well as chrome and manganese recovery from slimes dams,” says Slabbert.
The Longi-Multotec brand benefits from the combination of Longi’s two decades of supplying magnetic separation equipment and Multotec’s well-established and respected position in South Africa, with its extensive African footprint.