direct nickel commences hot commissioning

http://www.directnickel.com/16-january-2013-dni-test-plant-stage-1-hot-commisioning-commences/

16 January 2013 – DNi Test Plant Stage 1 Hot Commisioning Commences
Stage 1 Commissioning Starts in January

A significant milestone has been reached with the commencement of the Stage 1 Plant hot commissioning on 15th January at the CSIRO facility at Waterford.

Over the past few weeks across Christmas/ New Year:

The sample from PT Antam’s Buli deposit in Indonesia was delivered to Cook Industrial Minerals for drying and preparation to minus 1.4mm

A HAZOP review was undertaken to assess safety implications of all modifications made to the Plant compared to the design

A ‘punch list’ of remaining items was worked through in readiness for start-up

A Commissioning Engineer from Therma-Flite in San Francisco arrived to ensure the decomposition unit is operating to specification

The full team of operators that underwent induction and training late last year were on hand for the start of 24/7 operations, which commenced on 14th January. The hot commissioning for the Stage 1 Test Plant flowsheet is planned to take three months followed by two months of operation.

DNi’s Project Manager, Graham Brock, said “The combined DNI, CSIRO and RMDSTEM team have worked very hard for many months to reach the point where we introduced ore feed to the Test Plant this week. It is very early days at present and we still have to fill the circuit and see if we encounter any mechanical issues before we can focus on process considerations. It is very satisfying to see the first ore move through the Plant and everyone can be proud of what we’ve done and look forward to the challenges we will face, with confidence.”

With Stage 1 commissioning now underway additional resources will focus on completing construction of the Stage 2 portion of the flowsheet with all equipment for this having been purchased and on site.

Meetings were held in Perth during last week with key stakeholders supplying ore and personnel for the Test Plant program. The emphasis was on ensuring the program adequately managed and continues without interruption after the completion of Stage 1 activities.

Discussions held with Indonesian mining company PT Antam focused on an ongoing involvement with DNi. Separately DNi is already planning for a program to identify the location for a possible first commercial Plant in Indonesia.