ONE of the world's leading minerals and metals technology organisations, , is to produce in Australia the largest TankCell it has ever made.
The 200 cubic metre Outokumpu TankCell - believed to be the world's largest mechanical cell - is the latest in a series of TankCells installed by Outokumpu in partnership with Bechtel Engineering Services at Pasminco's Century Mine in north-west Queensland.
Outokumpu systems sales manger Andrew Okely said the cell was scheduled to be installed by September this year to provide additional capacity in the zinc scavenger circuit, where a series of 100 cubic metre Outokumpu TankCells is already employed.
"Benefits of a single cell this size include space savings through having a smaller footprint overall than the combined footprint of two smaller tanks.
“Savings are also found in the capital and operating costs when one large cell rather than two smaller ones is employed.".
Outokumpu's structural and mechanical modelling for this tank included load measurements on components such as rotor/stator, drive, support rack and drive support bridge.
To be built by JV Engineering in Perth and installed by Bechtel, the cell is easily the largest of more than 1200 produced by Outokumpu worldwide, with the previous record being 160m3. It represents the latest step in an ongoing programme of efficiency enhancements produced by the partnership of Pasminco, Outokumpu and Bechtel.
The new flotation tank is intended to increase the capacity of the zinc scavenger circuit to allow the pulp density to be reduced without an associated loss of residence time.
Lower pulp densities in the flotation cells improve the rejection of silica in the primary zinc circuit.