It took them five years: from the first industrial unit to the biggest WHIMS ever built. And once again the Itaminas mine in the heart of the Brazilian iron quadrangle in the state of Minas Gerais is the place to be.
Where everything started in 2005, with a 120t/hr gaustec® 3200, the new Mega-WHIMS gaustec GX 3600 went into operation in July this year at a capacity of 700t/hr. Once again the area of one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world became the birthplace of this new class of giant magnetic separators, where huge mining activities require huge equipment capacities.
From the very first moment gaustec has convinced customers with simple but intelligent solutions. Numerous improvements to the well-known Jones-WHIMS concept were honoured by its users. Easier maintenance, less energy consumption and more flexibility by means of more parameters to adjust led to more than 50 WHIMS sold in five years only.
Now, with the new model, capacities per unit have doubled at almost the same footprint, the same weight, the same energy consumption and the same efficiency.
The new gaustec GX 3600 with capacities from 360t/hr to 800t/hr
At the Itaminas plant, the new gaustec GX 3600 is fed with hematite iron ore: 1mm with a feed grade of about 54% Fe and 23% SiO2 at a rate of 700t/hr, 50% solids. The product of this cobber stage can be further upgraded in a second, from the already existing gaustec G 3600 to a final product of plus 66% Fe and less than 3% SiO2.
The tailings of the cobber stage are fed to a gaustec GHP 150, which works as a scavenger, producing tailings with about 18% Fe and 60% SiO2. With the future introduction of a grinding circuit for better liberation it is expected that the iron in the tailings can be reduced to less than 10% Fe, since by now only natural iron ore fines are processed.
The gaustec GX 3600 offers all general features of gaustec WHIMS:
- Independently adjustable magnetic fields of the rotors of up to 15,000 gauss
- Easy access to rotors for maintenance
- Controlled feed distribution through improved feed box design
- Optimized spray boxes for product washing of higher efficiency at less water consumption
The gaustec GX 3600 also offers the following technical and economical advantages:
- Lower specific CAPEX and OPEX per ton of feed
- Less ancillary equipment required
- Simplified processing flow sheet and plant layout
The X in the new gaustec WHIMS not only symbolises the new pole arrangement but also leads the way to increased benefits for the mineral industry by using the high capacity gaustec GX technology.
Allmineral belongs to the leading suppliers of processing plants and equipments for the mining industry worldwide. With its superb technologies the Duisburg-based company is well-known as a specialist for processing and separation of coal, ore, slag, gravel and sand as well as various secondary raw materials.