Spudless Dredge Automation

TiZir Grande Côte Operations SA | Senegal | 2012-2014

10-20%

higher productivity

Largest

mining dredge in the World

Higher

continuous mining capability

Patented

and award winning technology

Challenges

  • The project was the first mining dredge in Senegal and required a nominal throughput of 7000tph, significantly higher than any existing mining dredge operations.
  • The ore body is situated in a coastal area of Senegal, West Africa with limited local expertise in dredge mining.
  • Due to the shallow ore body, the required rate of mining advance would be difficult to achieve when using conventional spud dredging techniques.
  • 我灵活的路径recov效率最大化eries and aid in management of infrastructure.

Solutions

  • Applying Hatch’s Virtual Spud (HVS) dredging technology achieved a fully automated maneuvering/mining solution that provides consistency of operations and performance across shifts.
  • HVS overcame a number of production inefficiencies with conventional spud dredging, including channel relocations, slew reversals and spud movements.
  • Higher sustained throughput, mining advance rate and more stabilized feed to improve Wet Concentrator recovery through continuous single block mining.
  • Simplify operation through integrated solution that allows automatic execution of mine plan through HVS system.

Highlights

  • Dredge achieving design throughput rates.
  • 2013 Western Australia Engineering Excellence Award.
  • Extended application of the HVS technology to simplify control of the wet concentrator position.

“Hatch’s Maneuvering Control system is a ground breaking achievement for the industry and I see it as the future for dredge mining operations. It is beneficial for all stakeholders from the dredge operators through to the shareholder due to, amongst other things, a higher consistent mining throughput and fully automated maneuvering operation. "

Peter Harrison|Dredge Master, TiZir

Project numbers

7000tphnominal throughput
200m+continuous mining width
30mmine advance a day
25+year planned operation
445.7km2project area stretching 106km

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