Project Background
A European coal mining operator needed to upgrade a legacy preparation plant to meet new EU emissions and product quality standards. The new plant had to handle 1,500 TPD of run-of-mine coal and produce both coking coal (8% ash max) and thermal coal (18% ash max) products.
Process Design
WSHT designed a modern heavy-media + fines flotation circuit:
- Raw coal screening at 50mm with reject crushing and recirculation
- Two-stage heavy-media cyclone separation (50-1mm coarse; 1-0.25mm fine)
- Reflux classification for 0.25-1mm size fraction
- Column flotation for -0.25mm fines
- Centrifugal dewatering + thermal drying for product moisture control
Equipment Supplied
2× DSM screens, 2× heavy-media cyclones, 2× reflux classifiers, 4× column flotation cells, 2× vibrating basket centrifuges, fluidized bed dryer, and complete medium recovery & densification circuit.
Compliance & Performance
Plant meets all EU ATEX and environmental standards. Final products: coking coal 7.6% ash, 0.7% sulfur; thermal coal 17.4% ash. Plant recovery at 92%, exceeding the client's 90% target.