The repackaging of established technology to process mined minerals is set to serve the local market well, according to mining and cement process technology company FLSmidth.

The company manufactures and commissions its range of fine-particle separation technology through the FLSmidth Reflux Classifier, which incorporates three types of gravity-based separation methods – lamella settling, autogenous dense-media separation and fluidised bed separation.

FLSmidth Reflux Classifiers product manager Taavi Orupold notes that, although Reflux Classifier technology is not new, the manner in which FLSmidth has redesigned the systems into modular units that can be easily and rapidly installed and commissioned will be a key factor in the way in which they are accepted by industry.

Reflux Classifiers are generally used in applications where the particle feed size is less than 2 mm and where there is a reasonable gravity differential between the product and the gangue material.

He states that a pilot plant has been commissioned at State-owned research and development organisation Mintek, as Mintek is well established in Southern Africa and very proficient in undertaking testwork using the machine.

FLSmidth country manager Deon de Kock says the Reflux Classifier will, in most applications, produce a better rate of recovery at a higher grade. “We have not come across any applications where it has not performed within or beyond specifications,” he says, adding that all current operating classifiers are being used on a commercial scale.

There are about 12 units operating in Southern Africa, including Mozambique for coal and mineral applications.

De Kock notes that the classifier can assist in “driving success through sustainable productivity enhancement”, adding that it is a product ideally suited to the current constrained economic environment worldwide.

FLSmidth is the exclusive global licence holder for Reflux Classifier technology. The company has also taken out patents on all components to protect the rights and privileges associated with a global licence.