Atlantic Minerals Limited has some of the highest quality limestone and dolomite deposits available worldwide
Production Flow
Atlantic Minerals Limited has two active Quarries: High Calcium Limestone and Dolomite. These quarries differ due to their physical and chemical properties. The deposits are massive and proven by diamond drilling on controlled grid points, under the supervision of a registered Geologist.
Quarry Preparation
The topsoil and vegetation are stripped with an excavator to a competent layer of limestone or dolomite and is trucked to a designated disposal site.
Drilling and Blasting
As the bench being exploited is advanced, we monitor additional drilling for any non-conformity. These samples are taken well in advance of extraction operations to ensure that our physical and chemical properties are consistent with usage. The quarry face is 50 feet high and being developed the full width of the mining phase allows for visual inspection as the face is advanced. The massive limestone is reduced to approximately minus 76 cm.
Transportation
Transporting of raw material to the Primary Operation is done through the usage of a combination of 2 Hitachi excavators (2 x EX1200’s) and 2 Komatsu Excavators (1 x PC2000, 1 x PC1250) and trucks (4 x Hitachi EH1100, 11 x Hitachi EH1700’s, and 2 x CAT 777G. We also have 3 CAT 992 loaders, 4 CAT 990 loaders and 3 CAT 988 loaders which are used as backup loading units and for moving finished stockpiles.
Primary Operations
The haul trucks and loader feed quarry material into the Lippmann 5062 Jaw Crusher through a vibrating grizzly feeder. Jaw crushed material, approximately 20cm, is screened on a 2.4m x 6.1m screen. This results in the minus 2.5cm material being rejected on C43. In addition, 8.9cm primary material is fed through a Metso GP500 Cone Crusher. Primary material is then stockpiled over hoppers for uniform feed to the processing plant.
Processing Plant
Surge material is fed to two Hazemag 1320 (52” Rotor Diameter) horizontal impact crushers. Crushed material is conveyed by two, three deck 2.4m x 6.1m screens. Typically, oversize material of plus 3” is returned to a third Hazemag horizontal impact crusher. These crushers add to the quality of the material by reduction of the secondary material to product size at the lowest speed, resulting in cubical products and 100% fractured faces with minimal fines and no coating of particles. The plant’s screening station has several options for separating materials. The second deck can be sent back with the top deck or conveyed to the Blending Station via C8. This feature is allowed using our flop gates. The third deck of the screening may be sent to the Blending Station via conveyor C8; or sent to conveyor C6 for stockpiling.
Blending Station
Product sized material is conveyed into an enclosed screening/blending station, where it is separated by size into five tanks. Controlled by a digital computerized control station; specification material is either conveyed directly to the stockpile for loading, or sent back to the third crusher for reprocessing via conveyor C18.
Vertical Shaft Impactors
Finer products are produced in our Vertical Shaft Impactors (VSI’s), one Kolberg Pioneer 4500 and one Impact Service Corp model 103. This material is screened across 4 High Frequency screens.
Stockpiling
Stockpiling is created using multiple hydraulic radial stackers, some stockpiled over shiploading traps, others trammed to final location.
Segregation is reduced by the transverse movement of the stackers and by controlling the elevation and position of the conveyor depositing the material.
Contamination is controlled by site preparation in which the designated area determined by the Quarry Manager would be duly marked using the existing hopper numbering scheme prior to stockpiling. This area will be cleaned and free of any oversize or otherwise contaminating material.
Ship Loading
Material is drawn through several of the 50 traps concurrently, onto a 48” conveyor it the tunnel beneath the stockpile. Multiple traps are fed to avoid segregation. Personnel are station at SL-1A and or SL-1B with proper instruction to inspect and control material drawn onto the conveyor. This will ensure only the correct material from assigned draw points will be taken. The material is conveyed to a ship loading “downhill” conveyor and transferred to a shuttle conveyor, which distributes the material longitudinally and transversely, into the hold of a ship. All ship loading facilities and conveyors are enclosed.
