Solution Provided | Operational and Optimisation Review
Discipline | Process, Mechanical
The client’s Iron Concentrator Plant was still in its ramp-up phase and was achieving around a third of its design throughput. Due to the lower than nameplate production rates, the concentrate slurry transfer system was being operated in batch mode followed by water flushes, which pushed the slurry sitting in the pipe to terminal tanks. As the plant continued to ramp up production towards nameplate flows, there were concerns that longer slurry batch transfers would be required and that the concentrate transfer system was not capable of achieving the design flow rates. Carnac was engaged to review the original concentrate slurry pipeline designs and optimisation plan formed by a separate party, and provide recommendations for improvement.
Carnac recommended modifications to current system operating and control philosophy to improve system throughputs in addition to further studies to confirm the proposed concepts.