Ore Extraction
Ore variability, moisture and particle shape are captured before pump and crusher assumptions are locked.
WeirFlow Mining ships, services and rebuilds equipment for slurry movement, hydrocyclone classification, crushing, screening, dewatering and tailings transfer so project teams can connect process risk across the whole plant.
Primary Crushing
Jaw plate profile, feed distribution and closed-side setting form the first wear-control checkpoint.
Secondary Crushing
Cone liner life is monitored against product shape, tramp events and downstream screen loading.
Screening
Deck angle, media style, spray condition and blinding risk are matched to throughput expectations.
Slurry Transfer
Pump duty points are reviewed against actual solids SG, pipeline head and seal-water availability.
Classification
Apex, vortex finder, feed pressure and overflow density are treated as connected operating variables.
Dewatering & Tailings
Long-line pumping, pH variation and pipe wear are reviewed before spare parts are specified.
Shutdown Handover
Inspection records, torque sheets, oil samples and parts registers close the maintenance loop.
A single purchase order does not automatically create a reliable plant. Reliability comes from linking observations: the ore feed, the crusher setting, the screen condition, the slurry pump duty point, the cyclone pressure and the next available shutdown. WeirFlow Mining gives plant teams a common language for those links, which helps maintenance, processing and procurement make the same decision from the same evidence.
8process stages mapped
4wear material families
24 hengineering response target
Process Route Trade-offs WeirFlow Documents Before Quoting
Mining and aggregate buyers regularly debate which process route best fits the orebody and the site. WeirFlow keeps both sides on the table - the equipment supplier should not collapse the debate into a single recommendation when the operating context is what actually decides.
Wet vs. Dry Mineral Processing
Wet route
Standard for sulphide concentrators and fine-particle iron beneficiation. Flotation and wet magnetic separation deliver higher recovery on sub-75 µm material. Requires 1.5-3 m³ make-up water per ton plus tailings dam capacity. Slurry pumps, cyclones and thickeners dominate the equipment list.
Dry route
Used in arid regions or where tailings storage is constrained. Dry magnetic separation can recover strong-magnetic iron at competitive grade; air classification handles coarser cuts. Penalty: fine-particle recovery (sub-100 µm) drops 5-15% versus wet route.
WeirFlow position: we will not recommend a process route on equipment-vendor preference alone. The water permit, tailings storage horizon and downstream metallurgy are the deciding inputs - the customer's environmental and metallurgical lead must sign off, not the supplier.
Jaw vs. Impact Primary Crushing
Jaw crusher
Tolerates high-abrasion hard rock (Mohs 6-9, UCS 200-400 MPa). Lower wear cost per ton on granite, basalt, iron ore. Reduction ratio 4:1 to 6:1, jaw opening 600-1,500 mm. Cubicity is poor; downstream secondary crushing is mandatory for asphalt-grade aggregate.
Impact crusher
Produces cubical product (flakiness below 15%) suited to high-spec asphalt and concrete. Reduction ratio up to 20:1 in single stage. Limitation: blow-bar wear cost rises sharply on hard, abrasive feed (silica above 40%); recommended Mohs 4-6.
WeirFlow position: hard, abrasive feed and mining duty - jaw plus cone. Limestone or recycled concrete with strict shape and gradation specs - impact crusher with screen recirculation.
Operating Boundaries WeirFlow States Up Front
The proposal makes the boundary conditions visible so process, maintenance and procurement work from the same evidence.
- Slurry pump duty point: heavy-duty slurry pumps run efficiently within ±15% of best-efficiency-point flow. Sites operating outside that band see 2-4× faster impeller and liner wear; we will recommend a re-rate or a parallel pump rather than guarantee the published curve.
- Pipeline solids loading: long-line tailings transfer is validated up to 45-50% solids by weight (slurry SG ≤ 1.55) at typical mineral densities. Higher loading requires positive-displacement pumps, not centrifugal, plus dedicated standby capacity.
- Cyclone feed pressure stability: hydrocyclone classification needs feed pressure stable within ±10 kPa to maintain cut size. Variable feed pumps without VFD control will not hold the metallurgical target - this is a system constraint, not an operator-training fix.
- Wear-life range on first deployment: manganese liner life is quoted as a range (typically 600-1,200 hours) until 30 days of plant data are collected. Single-figure liner-life guarantees on uncharacterised ore are not offered.
- Crusher feed-size envelope: primary crushers handle top-size up to 0.85 × jaw-opening width. Oversize lumps must be removed by grizzly or breaker; otherwise bridging events cap throughput at 60-70% of nameplate.