Back Ground
Newmont Mines
Papa New Guinea
The Lihir Island Open Pit Gold Mine, a unique site situated 900 km from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, rests on an extinct volcanic crater that is still geothermally active. This intriguing location is where most of the refractory ore is produced and treated using pressure oxidation, followed by a conventional leach process to recover the gold.
Gold must be leached from refractory ore by subjecting it to high temperature, high pressure, and/or oxygen. Newmont treats refractory ore using an autoclave or a roaster.
The Challenge
One of the methods used by Newmont is the autoclave. This process begins with the heating and feeding the slurry into the autoclave. A chemical reaction is initiated by applying high-pressure steam, water, and oxygen, which oxidises the sulphide material. The slurry is then cooled and reintroduced into the process for leaching.
Regularly, the autoclaves are partially shut down to conduct routine maintenance or repairs, and it is crucial to seal off the Autoclave to ensure a safe environment for technicians to work.
Inflatable insulated isolation barriers
The shutdown specialists at the Lihir Island Mine contacted Giant Inflatables to design two sets of isolation barriers. One set was standard, while the second set was insulated using an aluminised mylar fibreglass hybrid cloth to reflect the heat and protect the inflatable isolation barrier and, more importantly, the workers inside.
KIND WORDS
A closer look
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Double Block and Bleed Duct Isolation System
The double block and bleed system is commonly used for isolating power station ducts and ventilation systems during maintenance and repairs.
Inflatable Isolation Duct Cushion
The isolation duct cushion ensured that if there were any faults with the stack damper, the inflatable duct barrier would prevent downdrafts.
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