Heavy Liquid Separation

Capability Statement

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 Introduction
ALS Metallurgy is part of the ALS Group, a
diversified and global analytical laboratory
and testing services company.
ALS Metallurgy is the global leader in metallurgical testing and
consulting services for mineral process flowsheet development
and optimisation.
Extensive bench scale laboratory, large scale pilot plant
facilities and expert metallurgists, provide mineral processing,
hydrometallurgical, mineralogical and inplant services to the
global resources community.
Our metallurgical solutions are internationally recognised by
the mining, engineering and financial sectors for all major
commodities:
Precious metals gold, silver, platinum group metals
Base metals copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, molybdenum,
manganese
Iron ore hematite, magnetite, goethite, itabirite
Nickel laterite & sulphide ores
Uranium & thorium
Rare earth minerals & other exotics
Mineral sands
Industrial minerals
Tungsten & tin.
ALS Metallurgy has an enviable reputation for delivering the
highest quality extractive metallurgical testing service with
accurate and timely data, expert support and a culture of safety
and innovation.
Our dedicated HLS testing team works across a range
of commodities and mineral complexities. We will work
closely with you to design tailored programs that meet
your project requirements in terms of sample availability,
data output and budget constraints.
2| ALS Metallurgy - Heavy Liquid Seperation
Quality
ALS understands the value of data quality and integrity to
exploration and mining companies. Our processes are designed
to ensure clients receive the best quality assay data to assist
informed decision making. The ALS quality program consists
of a series of checks and balances with monitoring at senior
management levels.
Health, Safety and Environment
ALS Metallurgy staff are highly trained in the
use of hazardous heavy liquids. We have a
rigorous OH&S programme for heavy liquid
use in order to educate, monitor and protect
our employees.
Being an employee of ALS is about putting safety first. Globally,
ALS is committed to a safe work culture.
Safety Management
As part of this global approach, ALS has developed an
industry leading standard for managing health, safety and
environmental issues.
Protection of the Environment
ALS has Extensive procedures and policies to ensure Protection
of the Environment. Specific procedures and policies address
the following issues:
Waste Management, Monitoring and Maintenance;
Disaster Management plans for spills;
Management of Solid waste, with recycling where possible.
Why use Heavy Liquid
Separation?
Heavy liquid separation (HLS) tests provide key data for
exploration programmes and process design projects. Most
commonly, data derived from HLS tests is used for:
Characterising the density parameters of ore samples;
Predicting the performance of ores through gravity circuits;
Preconcentrating low grade high density minerals prior to
further physical or analytical testing.
At ALS Metallurgy, our dedicated HLS testing team works closely
with you and your consultants to design tailored testwork
programmes to meet your project requirements.
We are able to provide testwork data on samples across a
range of commodities including:
Iron Ores
Mineral Sands
Base Metals
Precious Metals including Gold and PGMs
Uranium
Industrial Minerals.
HLS for Iron Ore
characterization
Data derived from HLS tests on iron ores is chiefly used for
ore characteristion and process design. Typically, samples
are screened into a range of size fractions prior to testing,
for example:
6.3 + 2mm
2 + 0.5mm
0.5mm + 0.045mm
Each size fraction is then separated into a range of density
intervals, for example: 2.6, 2.8, 3.0, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, & 4.05.
For the other commodities, similar procedures are used
with the size and density ranges dependent on the project
requirements.
Choose from a wide range
of densities
Using heavy liquids including Tetrabromoethane (also known
as TBE), Diiodomethane (aka MI, Methylene Iodide) and
Clericis Solution (aka Thallium Malonate Formate, TMF), our HLS
laboratory can separate samples into a wide range of specific
gravity (SG) intervals from 1.00 all the way through to 4.05. We
are able to separate samples at a single density, resulting in a
pair of sinkfloat products, or into a range of density intervals
with a minimum density increment as small as 0.1. If necessary,
we can modify the tests to produce density fractions up to a
density of about 4.35. Speak to our experts!
On coarsergrained fractions (greater than 0.5mm), we generally
perform static separations. On size fractions less than 0.5mm
static or centrifugal separations are performed, dependent
on the mass to be separated, minimum particle size, and the
number of density fractions to be produced, and whether or not
the samples have had fines removed (deslimed). Centrifugal
separations are very effective on finer particles and can be
used on with reasonable success on samples that have not
been deslimed.
How much sample should I submit?
This is a commonly asked question and our experts will be
able to assist you in determining this before you submit the
samples! Factors affecting this include:
The particle size distribution of the sample
The range of particle size increments required
The number of sequential density increments
at which the separations will be performed
Subsequent analyses that are to be performed
on the density fractions
What next?
Once the density fractions have been produced, our inhouse
analytical, mineralogical and metallurgical teams can provide
you with further information about the samples. Speak to us
about our comprehensive range of services.
Australia
Perth
6 MacAdam Place, Balcatta
Western Australia 6021
T +61 8 9344 2416
F +61 8 9345 4688
E metallurgy@alsglobal.com

North America
Kamloops
2957 Bowers Place
Kamloops BC V1S 1W5 Canada
T +1 250 828 6157
E metallurgy.kamloops@alsglobal.com

Latin America
Santiago Mineral Services Centre
Hermanos Carrera Pinto 159
Parque Industrial Los Libertadores Colina
Santiago, Chile
T +56 2 2654 6100
F +56 2 2654 6163
E Santiago.MineralServices@alsglobal.com

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