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there are 14 screens installed in the 1st phase of the twl restart …. most of the screens are co**** screens and the experts ( on screens ) say they do not generate lfn ….. i would like the lfn consultants meet up screen manufacturers to discuss this solution ( boxing in the screen )
twl has experienced mining people ( starting off with neil ) and i am surprised that the twl technical even agree to this solution
is there anywhere in the world that this has been done before ? in my vision , this is a first in the world but i would like some feedback ….. as the saying goes …. never but a “first”
the screen must operate and have maintenance and the solution looks an operational nightmare …. no doubt it may reduce lfn on the fine screening
ian gordon
my understanding from a british manufacture of screens( metso) is that lfn is caused in fine particle separation when there is no escape for compressed air from the top of the screen( co**** fraction ) mesh and the chute that captures the fine fraction …… this is resolved by designing the screens with small portholes in the lateral side to let the air escape
- if there was no feed to the screen then there is no blockage of screen mesh so what is the meaning of the ea measurements
- the new screens purchased from europe are not yet installed in the plant and are stored on the surrounding area of the plant …… so what screens where used in the ea testing ?
can anyone give any more detailed information ?
gives me the impression that top vibration ( secondary harmonics experts ) were employed in this task but were the screen manufacturer left out of these conversations?
spending big capex on boxing in screens is a “ world first * and if proven necessary in the fine screens then it only applies to 2 screens in the proposed circuit
boxing in the “ washing machine “ is the most impractical solution ….. await complaints from the wife and the house maid !!!
The LFN( low Frequency Noise) report is a very detailed and technical report done by competent people but in 2023 there was no feed in the plant so I presume the screens were run with no mineral feed and the measurements were made with and without plywood ….. so the measurements are only the LFN generated by the machine itself
I am not an expert in LFN
However it is similar to testing the vibration of a washing machine with no clothes in the tumbler !!!!!
Your question is all answered in the TWL annoucement today and they need more time to revise their present plan and hopefully that will include some laboratory testing of the alternative route ( lower Capex and Opex ) which goes back to the fundament error of WOLF MINERAlS who designed the primary process without taking into account the paramagnetic properties of the mineral which is Ferberite …surely my CSM colleagues must see that as well
Now they have the time and the money to do the testing…. What is stopping them ?
Ian Gordon Hall Dun
1) in late 2018 it was discovered that the WO3 mineral at Hemerdon was Ferberite and not Wolframite and that WOLF MINERALS has designed the mineral process plant for the wrong Mineral !
2) in 2019 tests were run at the renowned OUTOTEC research centre in Frankfurt Germany) and this work was paid for by the new owners of TWL , The results were excellent ( report available )and paved the way for changes to the circuit configuration to have a low cost operation at high recovery
3) The technical team of TWL opted to ignore the results and choose to try to repair the existing dense medium plant ( 5 years later not much done and requires Capex to move forward )
4) in the new circuit the dense medium plant is not required and the saving in Capex ad Opex is huge .... who every heard of a dense medium circuit for a paramagnetic mineral ( such as Ferberite)
5) The circuit can be modified and many parts are on site already
6) The tin circuit is already in place and needs no modification
7) if anyone is interested to know more details, please contact me
8) the present circuit is clumsy and will result in high operating costs and it is so essential to work in the lower operating cost in a world of heavy competition
9) is there any body out there prepared to restart a laboratory testwork in a British laboratory( or anywhere else ? ) with a total expenditure of GBP 25000,00 in laboratory expenses ? Simplicity is the route to Success
Ian Gordon Hall Dun
BSc ( Eng) Mineral Technology graduated 1971 , RSM, Imperial College
igordon@uol,com,br
+55 21 98444 0926 ( Whatsapp)
Thanks for your opinion and there is a fundamental error in the mineral process design that starts off with the Wolf circuit …. They have a dense medium circuit in the circuit but who ever heard of a dense medium circuit with a magnetic mineral !!!!!
The dense medium takes use of the mineral density but the magnetic properties of the Ferberite mineral are much stronger in separation properties at lower costs
The trials were done in the research center of OUTOTEC at Frankfurt , Germany in 2019 with samples prepared by the geological team of TWL … very good separation stages with low mass pulls to preconcentrate of 2% by weight
All information is available …. I was present at the testing as an observer / consultant of TWL ( see page 11) …
This is the moment ( 10/2023) to re-examine the process circuit and go the magnetic circuit using less screens and thus resolving the Low Frequency Noise barrier as well
England deserves that mine to be operative …and it’s value is in the WO3 reservas /resources so well drilled by the TWL geological team …. It just needs to modify the plant to the correct process and be in line withvtge environmental noise issues ….. someone needs to press the Restart button on the process design
Is the Low Frequency Noise from the different screens giving a cumulative effect ? If there were less screens would that be better and easier for the licence approval
One version of the circuit had 16 screens and if the magnetic circuit was adopted it would use only 6 screens
Would that be a better scenario for the licence to be
Approved ?
Look forward to comments
Making noise reports ( and measurements ) when the mine is not fully working sounds like a waste of time , energy and money
They could have more creative and made measurements around a identical METSO semi movel crushing unit which has been ordered ( not clear if it has been payed in part or totally ) to look forward to the new TWL operational future
Ian Gordon
Thanks again for the new messages
My advice
1 ) don’t buy the mobile crushers but rent them . These mobile units come with a classification screen with 3 decks to lmake the 2 different sized feeds for the ore sorter
2 ) the ore sorters (7 ) have already been purchased✅
And are on site ✅… the New FS will use 4 units so sell the other 3 ore sorters to give more money available
3) ore sorters are high on energy and I see no mention of compressors being puchased with the ore sorters …. Don’t buy the compressors but rent them by the operation in a service contract through a third party
On the subject of my shares , yes I had a formal contract with TWL and I got paid in shares for my work in UK in 2019 well before the IPO
It is interesting how I discovered the information about the Ferberite
I searched the WOLF MINERALS site and it is like all Australian site contains a lot of information and it cZlled transparency …. Going into the deep layers of the site I found the 3 Australian laboratory reports stating that the W was in the Ferberite form
What a find !!!!! I looked for a buyer for the failed asset during 6 months ( but not yelling my secret to anyone) … then I got a phone call from London saying I was making noise in London over the Hemerdon failed asset …. It was Mark Thompson and he was very correct when I told him the secret and he put our verbal agreement into writing and I travelled to London
Ian Gordon Hall Dun
Answers to Two questions:-
1. Why did you not challenge the decision back then at one of these 3 stages - especially being a TUN shareholder - when it could have likely reduced capex and positively affected your share holding?
2. What makes you think TW will change their minds now at hour 11:59?
1. The basis of my position is the OUTOTEC work at the renowned Research Centre in Frankfurt where I was an observer . I was brought from my Brazilian base home ( Scottish but live in South America since 77 ) by TWL and worked in the 2 laboratories in Cornwall ( WA and GS) for 4 months but there was no suitable magnetic equipment in UK … thus the test samples were prepared by TWL geologist and were sent to Germany . The importance of this testing had been explained to 2 TWL directors and I had their agreement to participate in this 2 day testing …as I travelled up by train from Plymouth to catch my flight from London to Frankfurt they both backrd out on going to the trip …. So I went by myself … it is important to get that OUTOTEC did the testing and i was an observer …. Pity I cannot post the report and photos on this link … please give me an alternative route ( email or whatsapp ) so that I can send you the technical report for your own analysis
Yes I have brought up this subject many times during the last 4 years but only recently a colleague in the investment area who lives in UK indicated this link to me
It has been a 4 year period with promises being made and little progress with no real information being published
2 . The withdrawal of ORION for various reasons is the present crisis … ORION had good people ( process people with the right background ) looking at the project and decided not to liberate the 36M£ ….. I don’t know the details but probably the stubbornness of the TWL was a cause …. The project has to be sustainable on all fronts and I personally I am having a personal last try to convince people to stop …. Rethink and Regroup the troops …. It has to have new music to attract the investors
The GS laboratory in Cornwall has magnetic equipment ( that coincidently I was party in bringing from the USA for a pilot plant on another project that I was working on ) and ERIEZ ( Europe) which is based in sales has the rest of the magnetic equipment …… I propose the TWL team repeat all the testing but this time to final commercial products
If there is doubt on the present project it is best to rethink …who in there right mind would put in a dense medium circuit when the mineral is magnetic !!!…. The dense medium plant is there but can be bypassed
I visited the plant in early 2019 after the Wolf stoppage in 10/2018 ….. I visited the high frequency screen but never saw it working ….. but I had to climb up to the 3rd or 4th floor to get to the high Frequency screen ….,one does not install high frequency screens ….. easy solved by installing at a low level
Studies of Harmonics in buildings with moving equipments is important in the design stage and plenty of specialized companies out there ….. I did have a problem with harmonics in a plant I worked at in the Peruvian Andes and all was resolved by measurements by us in an internet connection tool and the specialist never left his Vancouver office !!!!!
Item 1 0RE ORTING … gets my full approval .I understand 7 machines were bought and 4 will be used .
Were the Magnetic separators purchased ? I think not but would be good news if they were already purchased
In my opinion , if one goes the magnetic route then there is no need to operate the Dense Medium circuit and no need to repair it as it will stay idle ( about 60% of the plant idle and a big energy saving )
I understand that a long overdue plant clean up was conducted some months back as there was material that was held up in bins and silos ….this resulted in out of spec commercial products that were sold off with great discounts …. The plant has never operated since 18/10/2018
There is no luck element in process engineering but there are alternatives that might offer less risk
Wolf got it designed badly but spend a lot of investment money
The present administration of TWL has never operated the plant and getting the “ show on the road “ is not necessarily the best thing to do
I reccomend that the project team go back to the laboratory stage and simulate the magnetic primary route and it’s follow up to good commercial WO3 product
Convince themselves first …, then try to convince their upper management … an then try to convince the markets!!!
Ian
I did try phoning David on the given number ( which is TWL) and after a short wait I was attended by a very polite telephone woman who told me that he is not on site and only comes on site when there are meetings … she ask for my full name and telephone contact … which was given on the statement that he would return the call