Embedded Files
Hydrometallurgy
Gold, Zinc, Lead, Manganese
In the field of Hydrometallurgy, exposure has been in the field of Gold, including Carbon-in-pulp, Carbon-in-Leach, Elutriation, elution, and electrowinning. Work was also done on the recovery of gold from a calcine bed tapping’s plant. I have been involved with Anglo American and Van Eck & Lurie in their first commercial design and commissioning of a continuous elution plant.
Extensive work was also done on the recovery of Lead and Zinc at a mine in the Northern Cape. This included milling and flotation operations of the residue disposal site. Managing the PLC and plant laboratory was also included for this site.
The recovery of manganese formed an integral part of hydrometallurgical training. Firstly, as part of the operational team, thereafter as part of the Business Excellence Team, and lastly as head of the technical department. Exposure included the milling, calcination/reduction of the higher manganese oxides and thereafter leaching and solids separation and removal. Purification, including the removal of metal impurities, formed part of the preparation of the catholyte for manganese electrowinning. Monitoring and control of the electrowinning circuit formed an integral part.
Research in the latter part of the process included alternative anode alloys, protection of the anode interface at the solution level in the cell, optimisation of cathode header bars, and groundbreaking work completed with a Canadian company on Cell Monitoring.
Responsibilities also included main laboratory as well as site laboratories. Equipment used included:
Titrators
Spectrophotometers
Courier 30 analyser
Inductive Couple Plasma analysers
Atomic absorption analysers
ONH analysers
Carbon Sulphur analysers
Blue Cube at line analysers
Automated silica analysers
XRF analysers
Plant Design & Review
During my career up to now, I have been involved in several designs as well as design reviews. I have also been privileged to be involved in design reviews for BHP Billiton, and a well-known Canadian company.
Thinking out of the box is second nature and something I excel in.
Corrosion Protection
Completed postgraduate Corrosion Engineering and assist with the protection of equipment against corrosion as well as galvanic corrosion. Doing corrosion protection might be expensive, but not doing it always costs more.
Six Sigma
Plant Assistance &
Training: Yellow, Green & Black Belt
I was introduced to Six Sigma while working for BHP Billiton. I completed my Green Belt, Black Belt, and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt under the attentive eye of a world-renowned Master Black Belt trainer. I am a Master user of both Minitab and QI Macros.
I can present Yellow, Green, and Black Belt training. The main focus in my method of training is not to give someone a fish, but to rather teach them how to fish and to become self-sufficient. It is my opinion that too many Six Sigma projects are done without asking the operator on the floor for their opinion.
Ore Reduction
An initial introduction to the reduction process, apart from tertiary education, was in the reduction of manganese ore. Apart from the normal control and optimisation of three indirectly heated kilns, extensive work was done on laboratory and pilot-scale kilns. Work included the optimum amount of reductant required, as well as the retention time inside the kiln and the maximum temperature exposed to. Groundbreaking work was also done on the effect of mineralogy on reduction efficiency.
Work was done in collaboration with the University of Pretoria on the use of hydrogen as a reductant. Dam rings as well as the rotational speed of a kiln were tested to determine the influence of each on the maximum temperature achieved. Development on pneumatic knockers was done to eliminate glazing of the kilns as the latter results in insufficient heat transfer to the load and poor reduction efficiency.
Electro Winning
Gold & Manganese
A lot of exposure in the field of electrowinning, both full-size electrowinning cells, mini cells, and laboratory-size cells. Work was done on power saving, optimisation of cell temperatures, types of diaphragms, types of cathodes as well as washing of material for sulphur control.
Manganese electrowinning is not difficult, but controlling the variability therein is what gives hydrometallurgical engineers nightmares.
Google Sites
Report abuse