Mining Magazine > Panorama > ASD to debut new NIR over-the-conveyor-belt minerals analyzer

ASD, a leader in high-performance analytical instrumentation for materials measurement, will demonstrate the QualitySpec 7000, a new high-speed NIR (Near Infrared) minerals analysis solution for over-the-conveyor-belt mining applications at the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) Annual Convention in Denver, February 27-March 2, 2011.

“In the mining industry, NIR has been used in the lab for quality testing and in the field for exploration for many years, but not over the belt during actual ore processing,” said Dr. Brian Curtiss, CTO of ASD. “By packaging state-of-the-art reflectance technology in a ruggedized instrument enclosure, we’ve perfected real-time spectral analysis in the production environment.”

Capable of measuring multiple constituents simultaneously including moisture, minerals, clay content and physical properties in real time, ASD’s new QualitySpec 7000 analyzer gives geologists, mineralogists, metallurgists and mining engineers the knowledge to make process adjustments more quickly than ever before. Live, on-site test results are achieving accurate measurements on non-uniform materials in a fraction of the time it takes in a typical lab setting. This analysis can aid in increasing metals recovery and more tightly managing production processes.

“The QualitySpec 7000 is capable of generating unprecedented cost-savings by reducing the use of chemicals and increasing metallurgical yield,” said David Rzasa, ASD President and CEO. “The application of ASD’s over-the-belt spectrometer is complementary to our lab and field instruments. We now can deliver to today’s mine operators an entirely new level of quality control that has been engineered into our products over the last 20 years by ASD’s geologists and mining industry experts.”

The technique aims to achieve dramatic cost savings by providing accurate measurements in real time. Data garnered by the QualitySpec 7000 may ultimately reduce the use of sulfuric acid in heap-leach operations. The QualitySpec 7000 can measure a wide range of mineral constituents simultaneously before the ore reaches the copper mine’s agglomerators. This information can be used to create algorithms that tell the mine operator how much sulfuric acid and water to use. Huge efficiencies can be gained in the management of sulfuric acid, the price of which hit a record high of $329/ton in March of 2010.

“ASD is confident in achieving high savings rates. For instance, with only a 1% reduction in acid use, we are able to project savings of nearly $2 million in less than four months at high-production copper mines,” said Rzasa. “To say the least, this represents an incredibly fast projected return on investment for the QualitySpec 7000.”