From our Ore to Your Door - Episode 16: Briquetting
To be fed into QMAG’s vertical shaft kilns, the magnesia must be transformed from loose powder into compressed briquettes.
Using high-pressure roller presses, we press finely ground magnesia into a compact shape that is suitable for high-temperature sintering (or deadburning). The inherent properties of caustic calcined magnesia means we can briquette the material without adding any additional chemicals or binders.
There are two roller presses used to service each of QMAG’s three high-temperature vertical shaft kilns. Each press has a unique purpose. The first press, referred to as the ‘predense press’, builds or replenishes the magnesia aggregate. The second, or ‘final press’, presses a mixture of magnesia powder and crushed pre-dense aggregate to produce a high-quality dense briquette ready for the kiln.
Making briquettes from powder is a fairly simple operation. We mix a ratio of finely ground magnesia and aggregate, and feed it into a column above the press. A pre-compacting screw removes some of the trapped air and forces the mixture from the column in between two counter-rotating rollers. These rollers are furnished with matching moulds that define the briquette shape. One roller is fixed and the other floating, as hydraulic rams apply pressure. We can continuously adjust the hydraulics to optimise the final briquette shape and properties.
Double-barred finch family
Whilst we actively mine magnesite at our Kunwarara Mine, a plethora of birds, large to small, live and feed in the tropical dry grassland, shrub land and open woodland terrain adjacent to the mine pits.
Meeting Ian Hartnell
Last week Dr. Christoph Beyer (Managing Director), Mark Christmas (Supply Chain Manager) and Suren Dias-Jayasinha (Head of Sales & Marketing) had the pleasure of meeting Ian Hartnell.
RACQ CapRescue Ball
On Friday, 21st July, Central Queensland residents donned their most beautiful dresses and suits to attend the biennial RACQ CapRescue Ball, presented by QMAG.
Our new corporate video
We previewed it at the recent SAIMM Copper/Cobalt Conference in Zambia where it was warmly received. We would love your feedback as well!
Part 2 of the shaft kiln ignition ceremony post
and more pictures of Tim, Richy, Adam and the rest of the QMag team:
We lit up our Shaft Kiln No. 3
Our QMAG production team in Parkhurst / Queensland lit up our Shaft Kiln No. 3 for Deadburned Magnesia production after a scheduled shutdown for maintenance and repairs.
Any remaining questions?
Just get in touch using the contact form and we’ll get back to you
as soon as we can.