:: Second Bateman Mega DMS Module for Damtshaa Diamond Mine

A 150 t/h Bateman Mega Dense-Media Separation (DMS) Module was supplied to Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Ltd’s project to double-up production at the Damtshaa mine near Orapa in Botswana.

It took 16 weeks to fabricate the components of the plant and a further six weeks to trial erect and test the plant in the fabricator’s yard, before it was stripped and transported to site. On site the fabricator’s personnel re-assembled the plant and incorporated it into the existing processing plant. Their familiarity with the new module greatly facilitated this phase of the project.

The module then passed the required certification requirements and successfully completed the final production test.

Although this module was built to suit Debswana’s special requirements, it is virtually identical to the one provided to the greenfield Damtshaa project completed by Bateman Engineering in 2002, with the exception that it shares the existing re-concentration circuit. The 2002 module was the largest Bateman Mega Module of its type to have been supplied up till then (see Bateman Globe No. 29). Subsequently, however, four 200 t/h DMS plants were commissioned by Bateman Engineering at other diamond-processing facilities.