Ten years of sustainable pilot production

Since 2005, the pilot production plant of OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite” has been processing the Tugansk deposit mineral sands and producing small amount of high standart zircon concentrate, ilmenite concentrate, silica sand for glass production, and graded silica sand according to costomer requirements.

After ten years of sustainable pilot production, the Company achieved the following results:

• the specific geological properties of the deposit have been determined;
• the mineral sands mining process has been elaborated in accordance with local conditions;
• a well-proven process technology has been established, tailored to the specific properties of mineral sands;
• significant experience in the use of  existing infrastructure has been obtained and logistical issues have been overcome;
• the cooperation of all production departments has been productive, the labor heath and safety issues have been settled;
• the enviromental impact of the production has been determined, and environmental protection mitigants have been decided;
• the coordination with local authorities regarding subsurface management, land-use management, and ecology has been established with due consideration of relevant production requirements;
• a quality management system has been introduced in accordance with international and local quality standards;
• the products specific characteristics and markets have been examined and the customer base has been formed.

Pilot open-pit of OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite”

Industrial site is located on the territory with a well-developed infrastructure

Production starts with the mining operations including:

• stripping and ore mining operations;
• loading a truck with an excavator;
• truck hauling to a plant storage facility.

Pilot open-pit of OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite”, 2012

Loading for further hauling to the plant

At the plant there are several processing stages, including primary gravity separation where preliminary heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) is delivered before being processed by electromagnetic and electrostatic separation into finished mineral products.

The process flow sheet for the Tugansk mineral sands ncludes four principal stages:

1.  Feed preparation for processing including scrubbing, screening, and desliming with the use of scrubber trommel, high frequency screen, and hydrocyclone.

2.  Gravity separation on spirals and production of preliminary HMC and silica sand.

3.  Preliminary HMC processing by the wet magnetic separation into magnetic and non-magnetic fractions:

• The magnetic fraction (ilmenite) is processed by shaking table, vacuum dehydration and drying. Then, the dry ilmenite concentrate is treated by electrostatic separation to a finished ilmenite product.
• The non-magnetic fraction (zircon) is processed by gravitation, dehydration, drying and refining by electromagnetic separation to  a finished zircon concentrate.

Spirals on the pilot plant of OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite”, 2012

Ilmenite and zircon concentrates

4.  Silica sand processing by wet magnetic separation, high frequency screen classification, dehydration, and drying into glass sand VS-050-1 grade and co-products includong mortar and graded sands.

Belt filter transporting dehydrated silica sand to a dryer

Cylinder dryers with heat-transfer material formed by natural gas flaring

Despite severe climate (long and cold winters), the pilot plant operates all year round maintaining regular supply to long-term consumers.

Consumers of the final products are manufacturing enterprises in 15 regions of Russia focused on welding electrodes, refractories, antistick coatings, glassware, and construction materials production. Abroad, many foreign companies from Kazakhstan, China, Japan, and Europe have made production requests for the pilot plant products.

Final product stockpile, OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite”, 2013

Sales geography, pilot production of OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite”

In 2013 OJSC “TOMPE “Ilmenite” started the next stage of the Tugansk deposit development – design of a large-scale ore and processing plant with  4 Mtpa throughput capacity.

Internationally recognized mining consultants and leading specialized Russian companies as well as world leading specialists are involved in the project as design engineers, experts and design contractors.

The pilot plant will operate until the start of the second project stage – plant with 2 Mtpa throughput capacity.