PATERSON AND COOKE LAB VISIT
On 20 September 2023, SAICE Western Cape members visited Paterson and Cooke at their Slurry Test Facility in Ndabeni. At 1200 m 2, the facility accommodates a variety of machinery and equipment used and operated by their engineering teams to analyse and design long-distance slurry pipelines, mine backfill systems, and more. The visiting members were taken through seven different stations within the Slurry Test Facility by the Test Facility Manager, James Wickens, where they were granted the opportunity to see and inspect different equipment, as well as engage with knowledgeable professionals that work at each of these stations.

At the first station, the visitors learned that slurries are classified according to whether they settle or not, and the tests performed on each type varies according to this classification. For example, non-settling slurries are tested with the slump test, also called the Boger test, similarly to how it is done for concrete. The visitors proceeded to the thickener station, where it was explained how the thickening process works and is optimised for at Paterson and Cooke. It was noted that it is key to choose your flocculent according to the specific slurry in question, because the slurry will dictate at what concentration flocculent must be added to the slurry, which one to use, and at what speed the flocculent can be added to the slurry on the mine. The visitors saw a quick demonstration of the Dynamic Tester, which simulates the conditions on a mine when thickener is added to slurry.

The visitors were brought to more stations, where there was a greater focus on the concentrations of harmful chemicals, such as arsenic, in mine products such as backfill, and how these are tested for. The visitors were also granted the opportunity to see an atomic spectroscopy machine in action – as it determined the elemental composition of a specimen inside it, a light inside the machine changed colour when it detected a concentration of a specific element. The most delightful demonstration occurred near the end, “to keep the best for last”, where settling slurry being transported through horizontal and sloped pipes was simulated with beads in clear water, visible through the transparent pipes.

The visitors were warmly and well received, and thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from the experience. Thank you to Paterson and Cooke for organising this great lab tour!