748 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
The sizing resulted in one very large filter press with
141 plates, a total filtration area of 2850 m2 and a total
chamber volume of 71 m3. It is designed to reach 8,000
tonnes per day of solid throughput. The installation of the
filter at site was successfully completed in less than three
months. After this, the commissioning and ramp-up phases
lasted for another three months each. Pictures of the filter
press and the overall demonstration plant (where it is pos-
sible to see the dry stacking) are reported in Figures 7 and 8.
An important feature of the filter press is the imple-
mentation of the AIDA system, the software developed by
Diemme Filtration for remote process monitoring, sup-
port, and maintenance by means of data collection and,
most importantly, data analysis. The AIDA system has
been a vital tool in assisting the fine process tuning and
filter optimization, that is currently still in progress. The
first results are very promising, Figures 9 and 10 report the
data taken from AIDA showing how the filter is matching
the required performance both in terms of productivity and
cake dryness.
In Figure 11 a trend of the total throughput obtained
during the first week of continuous operation is reported.
By constant monitoring of the process parameters, the cycle
time and the overall availability of the filter have been opti-
mised showing an increasing trend of the total productivity
that is currently close to 10,000 tonnes per day. This opti-
misation focuses mainly on the components of the cycle
(particularly the blowing time) and the filter availability.
The AIDA system can also be used for monitoring cake
moisture content as well as slurry feed flow and filtrate flow.
This allows the mass balance to be available in real time
and trends are accessible whenever required. See Figures 12
and 13.
CONCLUSION
Water conservation is an increasingly important matter in
all industries, including mining. Filtering tailings to a stable
cake form and dry stacking maximises the recovery and reuse
of water while minimizing losses (such as evaporation that
occurs with tailings dams). In arid locations where the cost
of water is high (e.g., seawater treated using reverse osmo-
sis), filtered tailings and dry stacking is more economic than
using tailings dams. The same applies for mines in locations
Figure 6. Optimization of blowing phase in recessed configuration
Table 2. Cycle time sequence
Cycle phase Time (min)
Filter filling 2.0
Cake compacting 3.5
Cake blowing 2.0
Non-process time 8.0
The sizing resulted in one very large filter press with
141 plates, a total filtration area of 2850 m2 and a total
chamber volume of 71 m3. It is designed to reach 8,000
tonnes per day of solid throughput. The installation of the
filter at site was successfully completed in less than three
months. After this, the commissioning and ramp-up phases
lasted for another three months each. Pictures of the filter
press and the overall demonstration plant (where it is pos-
sible to see the dry stacking) are reported in Figures 7 and 8.
An important feature of the filter press is the imple-
mentation of the AIDA system, the software developed by
Diemme Filtration for remote process monitoring, sup-
port, and maintenance by means of data collection and,
most importantly, data analysis. The AIDA system has
been a vital tool in assisting the fine process tuning and
filter optimization, that is currently still in progress. The
first results are very promising, Figures 9 and 10 report the
data taken from AIDA showing how the filter is matching
the required performance both in terms of productivity and
cake dryness.
In Figure 11 a trend of the total throughput obtained
during the first week of continuous operation is reported.
By constant monitoring of the process parameters, the cycle
time and the overall availability of the filter have been opti-
mised showing an increasing trend of the total productivity
that is currently close to 10,000 tonnes per day. This opti-
misation focuses mainly on the components of the cycle
(particularly the blowing time) and the filter availability.
The AIDA system can also be used for monitoring cake
moisture content as well as slurry feed flow and filtrate flow.
This allows the mass balance to be available in real time
and trends are accessible whenever required. See Figures 12
and 13.
CONCLUSION
Water conservation is an increasingly important matter in
all industries, including mining. Filtering tailings to a stable
cake form and dry stacking maximises the recovery and reuse
of water while minimizing losses (such as evaporation that
occurs with tailings dams). In arid locations where the cost
of water is high (e.g., seawater treated using reverse osmo-
sis), filtered tailings and dry stacking is more economic than
using tailings dams. The same applies for mines in locations
Figure 6. Optimization of blowing phase in recessed configuration
Table 2. Cycle time sequence
Cycle phase Time (min)
Filter filling 2.0
Cake compacting 3.5
Cake blowing 2.0
Non-process time 8.0
