The mine will operate as an open-pit mine for around seven year followed by a further 20 years of underground development.
The bifurcated chute is one of nine transfer point solutions that are being engineered and manufactured by Weba. Alwin Nienaber, technical director at Weba Chute Systems, explained that this particular chute is engineered for the secondary crushing circuit. The chute feeds either a surge bin, which in turn feeds the secondary crushers, or it provides a facility whereby the crushers are bypassed.
Six of the chutes, out of the total order for nine, will be installed on the primary crushing circuit; four of which are apron feeder discharge chutes and have been designed for material feed rates varying from 1,200t/h up to 1,598t/h with a max lump size of minus 300mm.
The other two chute systems to be installed in the primary crushing circuit are a primary crusher sacrificial conveyor discharge chute and an ore reclaim sacrificial conveyor discharge chute. The former is designed for a material throughput rate of 1,598t/h and the latter 1,197t/h; both transferring minus 300mm material loading onto belts with a width of 1,372 mm.
Apart from the bifurcating chute system, two others will be installed in the secondary crushing and pebble bypass circuit. The first of these is a SAG mill screen oversize chute designed for a feed rate of 611t/h and the second in this section of the plant is a bypass circuit conveyor chute that feeds back onto the SAG mill conveyor. This is approximately a 45 degree chute reversing back on itself, and changing direction three times on itself over a height of 4m.
