Mining and metals are the markets where Mixtec has the most expertise. Established in South Africa they have a vast and first-hand knowledge when it comes all things mining.
Add to this — subsidiaries in Australia, North and South America and you have a wealth of experience and expertise in one of the most important industries of our time.
Precious, base metals, iron ore, phosphate rock and potash, bauxite, you name it, we know them all!
Regardless of the application, you can be sure that you will get an optimal mixing solution from us. Most common of them are:
- Reagent solution preparation
- Conditioning tanks
- Filter-press feed tanks
- Attritioning
- Repulping
- Mine backfill and tailings
Mixtec has successfully designed and commissioned mechanical agitators to operate in tanks larger than 6000 cubic meters, with agitator systems in excess of more than 38 tonnes, impellers manufactured over 7.6 meters in diameter and with shaft lengths of over 21 meters. For such applications, Mixtec’s Series 4000 heavy-duty agitator drives are available in standard models up to 450 kW but can easily be upgraded to suit the application.
One of the most common applications in the mineral processing industry is the suspension of solids. Grind size, material density, product viscosity and throughput; all play their part in agitator designs.
The efficiency of the agitators is also greatly influenced by the type of impeller selected. These factors combined with the operating condition, such as start-up in settled solids and varying liquid levels are examined by experienced Mixtec Applications Engineers to ensure the customer receives the best possible agitator for the duty specified. We back our designs with product know-how, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work and a large track record of successful designs.
The EDICT system is the preferred configuration for modern day solids suspension applications, vastly improving on older impeller configurations which are less efficient and can result in higher impeller wear rates for no added benefit. This configuration has been used successfully in the suspension of solids in thousands of applications including retrofitting of existing agitators based on older technology.
Mine backfill is the material used to fill the cavities such as stopes created during underground mining. Backfilling can also be an environmentally friendly means to dispose of tailings.
Agitators are utilised in many areas of the backfill process. Preventing the solids from settling is of utmost importance to ensure that the material remains pumpable and easy to transport. Tailings are often required to go through surge tanks to maintain a constant feed to filter presses. Tailings can be thickened through various processes including the additions of binders and cement.
Thickened tailings/paste can be used to strengthen underground supports or minimise the risks associated with storage of more fluid tailings slurry while allowing for the reclamation of the process water. Our extensive knowledge in both areas allows us to best design a mixer to suit client specific needs.
Mixtec has custom engineered numerous mixers for all tailing’s applications, including horizontal mixers which have been requested to ensure a high-quality mixture in either batch or continuous operations. Mixtec’s R&D team has developed prototype mixers as well as full scale production units for a number of these paste applications with solids concentrations in excess of 80%, proving our dedication to innovation within the industry and commitment to solving our customers problems, even where it might involve non-standard equipment.