Gas Leadership in the Mining Sector: Air Products Provides Pivotal Gas Solutions to Top Mining Companies
Air Products South Africa, with more than 40 years’ experience in gas production and supply in this country, has been making ever deeper inroads into the local mining industry.
Because gas, in many forms, forms a vital component in a variety of mining processes, the company has established ongoing supply relationships with a number of Southern African mining operations, including some of the biggest gold, platinum and iron ore producers in the country.
This is according to Rob Richardson, Air Products’ General Manager: On-site, who asserts that the spectrum of gases applicable to mining is as wide as the variety of applications and mining processes themselves. “Gas affects almost every aspect of mining operations, including human safety, quality control of the metals, productivity and environmental health”,
Richardson continues: “The gases used in mining include an assortment of both industrial and specialty (or high purity) gases. Industrial gases used on a daily basis are oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, but also include dissolved acetylene, LPG (liquid petroleum gas), carbon dioxide and argon.”
Richardson explains that oxygen, which forms the main part of Air Products’ Bulk Gases supply to the mining industry, has three important functions when it comes to metal extraction: Firstly, because it effects faster reactions, its presence in the leaching, ,roasting or smelting processes both increases yield, and reduces the processing time, thus improving overall productivity. Secondly, oxygen is used to remove impurities (such as sulphur and carbon) in metals; and thirdly, the use of oxygen provides environmental benefits by decreasing the volume of emissions, thereby making them easier to treat or recover.
Nitrogen is also used frequently in mining operations, most commonly to extinguish underground fires, but also in hot metal processes, to control oxidation, as well as to control furnace atmospheres.
Apart from these base gases, Air Products also supplies a variety of specialty blended welding gases to the industry, and recently, the company has had a great deal of success with the use of ozone in the destruction of cyanide, used in the gold leaching process.
Taking special care of its customers’ individual requirements, and focusing on an uninterrupted supply, Air Products prides itself on its market-leading supply modes. Liquid and gaseous product is distributed using a modern fleet of cryogenic tankers and cylinder trucks to provide reliable supplies of gases to customers, including gold, uranium and ferro-chrome mines.
Where high volumes of gas product are required, special on-site plants are built for the continuous supply of gas via pipe-line.
Air Products is particularly strong in the platinum sector, where Air Products supplies the three major platinum producers in South Africa with oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen via pipe-line. The company has in recent years also established a strong presence in the Zambian copper belt, having established five oxygen plants to feed copper and cobalt mines in that region.
Richardson explains that the On-site business model is based on the principle of building/owning/operating a plant on behalf of a customer. “It is important to ensure a high level of reliability when it comes to on-site gas supply”, he says. “We focus strongly on technical excellence when it comes to operations and maintenance, and consult closely with our customers to design dependable backup systems.”
One such system, commonly used at on-site plants, is to store gases in liquid form at extremely low temperatures, and then vaporise the relevant gases if and when needed.
Another system used is an on-line programme called Telalert, which assesses a customer’s requirements for bulk and cylinder gas in real time. Richardson explains: “The system helps us to understand exactly where our mining customers are at, in terms of their gas supply. It alerts us well before the critical stage, so we can plan our supply options timeously.”
Air Products, at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the latest gas products and technologies, is proud to have become the largest supplier in the on-site and pipeline market in South Africa, as well as a leader in the bulk, cylinder, specialty gas and chemicals supply market.
“We are especially proud that so many of the big mining players in this region have come to rely on us for both expert supply solutions and quality gas products to enhance their operations”, he concludes.
Published on June 12, 2011 in Company News |