Test phase of new diamond-in-rock detection technology successfully completed

(miningweekly.com) - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering’s MinPET three-dimensional (3D) diamond-in-rock detection system is now nearly ready for scaling up to commercial scale. The system detects diamonds enclosed in kimberlite ores, after mining and during processing. “We have essentially completed the technology development,” explains Professor Simon Connell, the project physicist and a member of the school’s staff. “It has been proven at the laboratory test scale. We’ve done computer simulations of the scale-up and these are delivering very encouraging results. The simulations indicate that scaling up will pose no problems. Indeed, some aspects of the process could become easier with the scale-up.” The simulations were done assuming a throughput of 500 t/hour of ore, which is generally the throughput used with existing processes. Now we need to build a fully operational system at a mine,” he states. “It would be both the pilot plant and the first full-scale commercial plant – a commercial pilot plant, so to speak.” The project team is close to signing a partnership agreement with a venture capitalist, which would see the latter become a co-developer. The intellectual property developed by the school through this project will be vested in the UJ.