The R1,4-billion Anglo Platinum converting process project
currently under construction at Rustenburg Platinum’s Waterval
Smelter has been fitted with dust-control and collection equipment
supplied by Air Cleaning Equipment, of the East Rand.
The R1,9-million contract, awarded by Hatch Africa, the
engineering, procurement, construction and management contractor on
the project, was completed in May. Air Cleaning Equipment, a
division of MikroPstone crushing mechanismul, supplied a total of 13 dust-collectors, ten
of which are Silovent filters for collection of dust on the
pneumatic conveying systems. The remainder are centralised
dust-collectors, consistingrinder raymond mill plantg of HMB tubular-bag reverse-pulse
filters mobile crusher and screening plantto collect dust from the materials-handling systems.
The Silovent filters comprise Filcomatic reverse-pulse
envelope-type bag-filters in sizes varying from 10 m2 to 60 m2,
while the nuisance dust filters vary in size from 96 m2 to 208 m2
of filter cloth area. The materials being handled by the
dust-collection systems are silica, coal, UFM (Union furnace
matte), WFM (Waterval furnace matte) and PFM (Pietersburg furnace
matte). All the filters have been supplied with individual fan
units, with all dust being returned to the process.
Five of the dust-collectors are handling coaldust and have been
supplied with anti-static bags and certified explosion-relief
panels. Also included in the contract were the duct systems
connecting the exhaust points to the filter inlets, from the filter
outlets to the fan inlets and discharge to atmosphere. Geoff Craig,
of Air Cleaning Equipment, said the Filcomatic filters were
selected because of their compact size and good record. „All Air
Cleaning Equipment filter designs and drawings are done in
three-dimensional modelling on the Solid Edge drawing system, which
also complies with Anglo Platinum’s requirements,“ he notes.