Modern Mining November 2019

PRODUCT News

ACTOM Turbo Machines wins Sasol award

absolutely essential that the service pro- vider has all the critical skills needed to ensure that the equipment is maintained to OEM specification,” Hamman says. “If you use a non-OEM company for this work, you must be certain they have the required skills and competencies to perform this work to the correct standard every time and understand the associated risks.” He emphasises that safety awareness is a critical aspect of this service. The 36 MW machines in Sasol’s oxygen plant, for instance, are extremely large and heavy. This makes them difficult and potentially dangerous to work on. “ACTOM Turbo Machines has dem- onstrated its awareness of the hazards involved and rigorously applies all the pro- cedures necessary to ensure that no one gets injured and that the work gets done as per agreed schedules,” he says “On turbo machines, we look for the best skills in the country and globally, and this is what ACTOM Turbo Machines offers.” Bezuidenhout says ACTOM Turbo Machines was honoured to have received the award. “It signifies recognition of the highest order, which we greatly value and cherish,” he says. “It marks an important milestone for us in our ongoing drive to pro- vide the best possible service to industry.” Marthinusen & Coutts, website: www.mandc.co.za

Petrochemical giant Sasol has recog- nised ACTOM Turbo Machines with one of its top 2019 awards for exceptional ser- vice in repair, refurbishment and ongoing maintenance. The award in the ‘Top Performing Ser­ vice Supplier’: Large Enterprises category was recently made by Grace Nndwammbi,

Sasol’s senior vice-president supply chain, to ACTOM Turbo Machines’ MD, Chris Bezuidenhout, at Sasol’s head office in Sandton. A division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd, ACTOM Turbo Machines is the only large non-OEM business in its service category to win the award to date. Since its inception six years

ago, it has become the largest non-OEM turbo- machinery and high-speed rotating equipment service provider in sub-Saharan Africa. Sasol is very OEM- reliant in terms of service backup and parts sup- ply, according to Anton Hamman, Sasol’s prin- cipal specialist sourcing mechanical equipment. Nonetheless, ACTOM Tu r bo Mach i nes has proved itself in service pro- vision for turbo machines, where critical and complex skills are required. “ We v i e w t u r b o machines as the heart of our operations, so it is

Anton Hamman (second from left), Sasol’s principal specialist sourcing mechanical equipment, congratulates Chris Bezuidenhout, MD of ACTOM Turbo Machines, on receiving the prestigious Sasol award. Others in the photo are (from left): Leon Greeff, Sasol’s senior manager, oxygen electrical & instrumentation; Mervyn Naidoo, ACTOM’s Group CEO; and Nicholas Mokgosi, Sasol’s senior manager E,C & I sourcing, category management.

Large volume SAG mill trommel screens from Multotec The global mining industry has become more discerning about equipment selection for process plant applications, driven by the need to increase throughput and reduce downtime. The SAG mill trommel is one example that deliv- ers on both fronts. With large volume capabilities and a robust and simple structure, it is considered a viable alternative to vibrating screens in SAG mill scalping applications.

4 500 tons per hour SAG mill applications,” Fouche states. Multotec has nearly four decades of experience supplying locally manufactured trommel screens and today has the process capability to size SAG mill trommel screens with diameters up to 5,5 m. The company also designs its trommel screens to suit each customer’s unique requirements and confidently offers process and mechanical guarantees. “Considering the size and complexity of large SAG mill trommel frames, Multotec is able to apply the latest Finite Element Analysis techniques during the design phase to ensure we reduce fatigue stresses and ensure structural integrity,” Fouche points out. Given the arduous duty, Multotec covers all frame surfaces that are exposed to the milled product with a wear resistant material, typically rubber. Fouche says that the operational performance of a SAG mill trommel is another key consideration for Multotec. “As adequate retention time is required for the efficient removal of the fine frac- tion, we need to reduce the high velocity of the slurry that exits SAG mills. We are able to achieve this with various configurations of weir bars. The design of a set of scrolls is an integral part of the design process as these regulate the flow of solids through the trommel screen,” he says. Multotec has supplied a number of trommel screens for 38 to 40-foot SAG mills that required 500 to 600 mm high weir bars to create sufficient retention time. Multotec, website: www.multotec.com

Many designers and mill operators believe that the benefits of simplicity and the ability to handle throughputs in excess of 3 500 tons per hour of solids make trommels the preferred equipment for this application. “A key component ensuring optimal performance of SAG mill trommels is the screen panel, which enables this equipment to clas- sify large volumes of mill product,” says Francois Fouche, senior screening specialist at Multotec. The company has developed a special range of rubber com- pounds that are used to manufacture the compression moulded rubber screen panels which are considered the highest wearing items in the trommel. “We have achieved excellent results from our compression moulded screen panels with wear life extending over six months in

44  MODERN MINING  November 2019