CONSUltiNG &
Advisory Services
Consulting
The consulting practice of CM Solutions has over 20 years of experience in advising clients how to get more value from their ore deposits and processing plants. Our expanding team of consultants has developed a wide range of expertise, traversing from onsite optimization, through flowsheet design, and on to technical auditing, due diligence, and forensic investigation.
Our consultants turn test work data and experience into the knowledge that tackles the individual challenges brought to us by our clients.
Our Capabilities
Flowsheeting
Flowsheeting is the engineering of a process flowsheet. It brings together knowledge of chemistry, equipment performance, mass and energy balancing, and plant operations to design a flowsheet that optimizes recovery and minimizes consumption and waste. Our team of consultants are world class in the design of metallurgical flowsheets. We have developed flowsheets for a great variety of commodities, ranging from copper SXEW plants and gold plants, through to operations for titanium dioxide production, vanadium peroxide production, PGM refining, autocat recycling, urban mining, and black mass recycling, amongst many others.
Capacity studies
Capacity studies determine what excess capacity is possibly available in a process or a piece of equipment. Our team of engineers has developed methodologies for the assessment of the capacity of hydrometallurgical reactors, such as autoclaves, leaching reactors, and precipitation reactors.
Mass and energy balances
Mass and energy balances form part of flowsheeting. Our team of engineers has developed a world-class solution, Cycad Process®, that catalyses our team’s efficiency and productivity. This solution is accurate to parts per billion, enabling our team to effectively design process flowsheets for high purity products.
Advisory Services
Our advisory services include NI 43-101 contributions, plant audits, due diligence reports, forensic audits, and expert testimony.
Process Optimization
Our team of engineers assist clients to optimize their operations through a multiprong, multidisciplinary approach. This might involve process control, plant trials, onsite campaigns. Our team of engineers has performed such functions at concentrators and hydrometallurgical refineries.
Process design
Our team of engineers is experienced in developing and designing processes for our clients, specializing in the process metallurgy, flowsheeting, mass and energy balances of the broader design project.
A particular strength is the detailed and in-depth study of particular equipment, for example, autoclaves in which complex chemistry occurs, or rotary kiln design in which both radiative heat transfer and sublimating and reacting materials require modelling. In a further example, our team has developed what is perhaps the most complete and flexible model of heap leaching.
Our Projects
Client & Project Description |
Deliverables |
| Anglo Operations Blast optimisation study |
Desktop study report and recommended required methodology |
| Vedanta Zinc recovery improvement on a flotation plant |
Achieved a measureable improvement through control and process changes |
| Logiman Total acid consumption of heap grade sample |
TAC test work |
| Rand Refineries Sulfide treatment options desktop study |
Desktop study report |
| Logiman Zinc oxide production desktop study |
Desktop study report |
| Rand Refineries Base metal treatment plant flowsheet development |
Mass and energy balances, block flow diagrams, process design criteria for each alternative investigated |
| SMP Detailed copper leach-SX-EW flowsheet development |
Mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams and process design criteria |
| ENRC Detailed copper leach-SX-EW flowsheet development |
Mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams, process design criteria, production and reagent report |
| SNC Lavlin Detailed copper leach-SX-EW flowsheet development |
Mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams, process design criteria, production and reagent report |
| Anglo American Platinum BMR process definition studies |
Consulting report, detailed kinetic leach modelling, capacity statements |
| AngloGold Ashanti AngloGold Ashanti Technology Innovation Consortium |
Assisted in the conceptualisation of an ISL development framework |
| Metorex Conceptual study for treatment of a copper sulfide & oxide ore body |
Concept report, BFDs, mass & energy balances |
| Chambishi Metals Design of pressure leaching plant |
PFS design report |
| Hindustan Zinc Concentrator control systems review |
Consulting report |
| Boss Mining Metallurgical Management Review – DMS, concentrator plant |
Consulting report |
| Anglo Platinum Thermodynamic assessment of hydrochlorination |
Consulting report |
| ENRC Strategies for treating copper sulfide concentrates |
Concept design |
| Chambishi Copper-cobalt circuit |
Mass balance for final design |
| UK company Recycling of rechargeable automobile batteries |
Concept design report |
| ENRC Impurity bleed stream with SX treatment |
Process design package: PFDs, P&Ids, equipment, valve, line etc lists |
| Anglo Platinum General consulting related to the BMR expansion project |
Overall control philosophy, Operational readiness for metallurgists |
| Lonmin Capacity of First Stage Leach |
Capacity statement |
| Anglo American Value-engineering on titanium flowsheet |
Early stage design deliverables |
| Undisclosed Heap leaching modelling |
Heap leaching Plant models |
| Anglo Platinum Treatment of Secondary Leach Residue |
Process flow diagrams, mass and energy balances, design criteria, P&IDs, line lists, valve lists. |
| Anglo Platinum Current and new base metal refinery (nickel, copper leaching, electrowinning, crystallisation) |
Block flow diagrams, mass and energy balances. |
| Lonmin Platinum Kinetic modelling, and process design for optimization of First Stage Leaching operation |
Process flow diagrams, mass and energy balances, process design criteria. |
| Anglo Base Hydrometallurgical treatment of a titanium ore |
Process flow diagrams, mass and energy balances. |
| Anglo Base Pyrometallurgical treatment of a precipitated titanium product |
Block flow diagrams, mass and energy balances |
| TWP / Meta Mining Processing a nickel/cobalt mixed hydroxide by SX and electrowinning |
Block flow diagrams, mass and energy balances. |
| Anglo Base Seven options for the treatment of a zinc deposit |
Block flow diagrams, mass and energy balances. |
| Metals Finance Africa Recovery of iron oxide – a variety of process options, including SX, pyrohydrolysis, ion exchange etc. |
Block flow diagrams, mass and energy balances. |
| TWP / Chambishi SX circuit for a copper producer – included full circuit, including upfront roasting and SO2 scrubbing |
Full and final process flow diagrams |
| Impala Platinum Base metal refinery for a major platinum producer |
Full process flow diagrams. |
| Anglo Platinum Ruthenium distillation |
Process flow diagrams. |