Screening Solution Increases Effeciency, Reduces Cost

The oil and gas industry’s demand for exceptionally fine screening made Fluid Systems’ decision to start out in this sector an easy one. With the development of new technology, namely linear motion technology 20 years ago, the company saw an opportunity to diversify. “This technology was extremely successful and a crucial factor in growing the business in the early days,” says Ben Hiltl, the company’s President and CEO. “Over the years, it became more and more prevalent in mining and that led to our interest in the mining sector.”

Fluid Systems designs and manufactures screening solutions for the processing phase of mining, specializing in liquid/solid separation. In mining, gold processing is a unique process to iron ore or phosphate production, so the design depends on the individual processing needs of the project and Hiltl says the company tailors its solution to each individual client. Typically, Fluid Systems’ machines are compact, powerful, and applicable to the whole range of mineral processing, including gold, silver, zinc and phosphate.

The Texas-based company’s relationship with Mexico first blossomed around 15 years ago. ArcelorMittal, one of the investors in the Peña Colorada iron-ore mine in Manzanillo, contacted Fluid Systems to request that it design some machines for the project. “The pilot testing produced positive results and we have been working with the company ever since,” says Hiltl. “We initially installed 10 machines and following the recent expansion at the mine we now have 72 machines operating on that project alone.”

That contract required a large aftersale support service and when Fluid Systems then sealed an equally significant deal in the oil and gas sector, it made the jump to set up a formal presence in Mexico. This led to the creation of SIPSA, which is based in Villahermosa and operates as its official distributor. Now, Hiltl says that with the downturn in the local oil and gas industry, mining has recently emerged as the company’s main focus in Mexico, equating to around 50 percent of its business.

At Peña Colorada, Fluid Systems installed a new product – the 3642 DFL MultiG screener – which is an extremely highfrequency solution, and it has already provided benefits for the operator. “It has been in operation since the start of 2016 and is around two to three times more efficient than the previous technology,” says Hiltl. The design is based on resonance technology and increases the frequency and forces on the machine substantially, as well as the separation efficiency and volume-handling capacity.

“Most screening solutions on the market work in ranges of 5-8g of acceleration, after which point the structure struggles to handle the level of vibration,” says Hiltl. “Our technology absorbs the extra power and feeds it back into the machine, allowing the screener to operate at over 50g of acceleration on the panel. The customer can reach the same level of performance and output with half the machines.”

When ore grade lowers in quality, which inevitably happens as a mine reaches the latter stages of its lifespan, screening and separation processes become vital to the operators’ productivity, which is where Fluid Systems’ technology can really help. The MultiG represents a huge jump in performance and is entirely different to the company’s previous technologies and those of its competitors, according to Hiltl. It is attractive from a cost standpoint because the customer now has to spend significantly less money to reach the same level of output. “We anticipate that this product will have a significant impact on the mining industry, not just in Mexico but around the world,” he says.

This technology was developed alongside Virto Group, an Italian-based outfit with which Fluid Systems has now set up a joint venture. It focuses on circular, dry screening applications whereas Fluid Systems is more specialized in the rectangular models for wet screening. The reason for this, Hiltl says, is simple. “Around 95 percent of all screening in both open-pit and underground mining uses water as the primary liquid medium in the ore separation process, so the rectangular solutions in particular are tremendously effective,” he says.