Debottlenecking the throughput with VEGAPULS 69

Australia is often referred to as “the red continent.” This is partly due to the spectacular colors of Ayers Rock and the composition of the soil. The red color of the earth is created by the minerals bauxite and laterite. Both minerals have a high iron content, which oxidizes in the air to create the very red rust that gave the continent its name.

Strictly speaking, the continent only shimmers reddish in the deserts of the Northern Territory, but the color remains a symbol of Australia's all-important raw materials industry. After all, most of it, in terms of export tonnage, is iron ore.

The northwestern region of Australia, commonly known as the "Pilbara" region, is home to some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. Some of the most important customers for this raw material are the Chinese steel mills. Not long ago, one of the mining companies failed to meet its export tonnage targets, resulting in a supply shortage for its customers. The mine launched an investigation at one of the main sites to identify and eliminate any bottlenecks.

Every process was examined in detail – the first blasting, the feed into the main plant, the setup of the crushers, the operational parameters implemented in the area, and loading the iron ore onto the trains transporting the raw material to the export ports. The team discovered a problem area with an unreliable level check of the ore in the crushers.

VEGA Australia has been working with the plant for a long time and has always provided the impetus to introduce new technology. In 2004, the company, a world leader in the area of level, switching, and pressure measurement, introduced the world's first radar level sensor for bulk solids, the VEGAPULS 68. These instruments were installed in the entire site at that time. VEGA was also approached with the current requirements for process optimization.