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(Facility) Machadodorp Smelter

Plant in South Africa with commodity Chromium
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  8. Mining district
  9. Ownership information
  10. Links to other databases
  11. Bibliographic references
  12. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10280625
MAS/MILS ID 7910201013
Record type Site
Current site name (Facility) Machadodorp Smelter

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Plant
Geographic coordinates: 30.25142, -25.67991 (WGS84)
Elevation 5000
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary

Nearby scientific data

Plant (1) 30.25142, -25.67991
ListMap

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Processing Plant
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1970
Plant type Smelter
Plant subcategory Smelter-Pyrometallurgy

Mining district

District name East Bushveld Complex

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Ferralloys, Ltd.
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1992
  • Type Owner
    Owner Associated Ore And Metals
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1992

Comments on the production information

  • FOR THIS STUDY 1 MT OF LOW CARBON FECR REQUIRES .67 MT OF FESICR AT 38% CR AND 3.3 MT 17.3% CR SLAG. FECRSI PRODUCTION CAPACITY IS THE MAIN DETERMINATOR OF LC FECR CAPACITY. A SLAG INPUT OF 90,000 MT /YR WAS USED. THE COMPANY ACTUALLY PRODUCES TWO TYPES OF HIGH CARBON FECR. ONE, IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE A HIGH SILICON CONTENT OF 6.1% AND THE OTHER PRODUCT HAS A LOWER SILICON CONTENT OF 2.64%.
  • COMPANY CAN AND HAS PRODUCED 120,000 MT/YR OF HC FECR USING ALL 3 OF THE 24 MVA FURNACES. HOWEVER, IN THIS MODE, NO LC FECR PRODUCT CAN BE PRODUCED.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ORE FOR THIS SMELTER COMES FROM THE RUSTENBURG MINERAL DEVELOPMENT MINE ON GROENFONTEIN FARM (USBM SEQ # 7910200047) AND ZEERUST CHROME MINES LTD.(USBM SEQ # 7910200204) ORE FEED FROM RUSTENBURG MINERAL DEVELOPMENT CONSISTS OF: 56,714 MT/YR OF 41% CR2O3 LUMP, 52,000 MT/YR OF 48% CR2O3 LUMP AND 52,000 MT/YR OF 48% CR2O3 FINES. FROM ZEERUST, THE TWO FEEDS ARE: 50,000 MT/YR OF 47.8% CR2O3 LUMP AND 50,000 MT/YR OF 49.3% CR2O3 CONCENTRATE. THIS GIVES A TOTAL OF 260,714 MT/YR CHROMITE PRODUCTS FEED. 69% EQUITY=ASSOCIATED ORE & METALS CORP. AND ANGLOVAAL LTD. 31% EQUITY=U.S. STEEL CORP.(USX) OF THE U.S.(SOLD IN 1989 TO ASSOCIATED ORE & METALS). AS OF 1989, 5 FURNACES,4 IN USE: (1) 24 MVA,CONVENTIONAL = 40,000 MTPY HIGH-C (IN USE) (2) 24 MVA,CONVENTIONAL = 40,000 MTPY HIGH-C (IN USE) (3) 24 MVA,CONVENTIONAL = 18,000 MTPY SICR (IN USE) (4) 12 MVA,MELT FURNACE = 90,000 MTPY SLAG (IN USE) (5) 12 MVA,MELT FURNACE = 90,000 MTPY SLAG (NOT IN USE) TOTALS = 80,000 MTPY HC / 27,000 MTPY LC FOR THISINFORMATION, ALL "MT COMMOD" ENTRIES REFER TO AN AMOUNT OF FERROCHROME.

Comments on other economic factors

  • FERRALLOYS MUST NEGOTIATE WITH FIVE SEPARATE UNIONS PRIOR TO THE START OF EACH NEW WAGE YEAR.
  • FURNACES # 1 AND # 2 RECEIVE RUSTENBURG FINES, RUSTENBURG LUMP, ZEERUST LUMP AND ZEERUST CONCENTRATE. FURNACE # 3 RECEIVES ONLY RUSTENBURG LUMP. WHILE RUSTENBURG FINES ARE THE ONLY FEED FOR FURNACE # 4.
  • THE SMELTER USES THE PERRIN PROCESS. FURNACE #3 IS ASSIGNED TO FECRSI PRODUCTION (18000 MT/YR). WHILE FURNACES #1 AND #2 CAN ALSO BE USED FOR THIS PRODUCT, ONLY ONE IS NEEDED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 27,000 MT LC FECR/YR. ROOM HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FOR ANOTHER 24 MVA FURNACE, BUT ONE HAS NOT YET BEEN CONSTRUCTED. RAW MATERIALS CONSUMPTION FOR 1 MT HC FECR PRODUCTION INCLUDE .6 MT COKE, .2 MT QUARTZ, .25 MT DOLOMITE, .02 MT ELECTRODES AND 25 LITERS OF FUEL OIL. RAW MATERIALS CONSUMPTION FOR 1 MT LC FECR INCLUDE: 1.3 MT LIME, .06 MT ELECTRODES, .48 MT COKE AND 1.37 MT QUARTZITE. ELECTRIC ARC FURNACES CAN TYPICALLY RUN FOR 5 YEARS BEFORE THE LINING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE PRODUCTION COST FOR PRODUCTS "C" AND "D" REPRESENT TOTAL SMELTER OP COST FOR LC FECR PRODUCTION.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    SILK, M.H., 1988, "WORLD CHROMITE RESOURCES AND FERROCHROME

  • Deposit

    PRODUCTION". MINTEK SPECIAL PUB. NO. 11

  • Deposit

    DAVIDOFF, R.L., BOYLE E.H. JR., 1988, "NOTES FROM VISIT TO

  • Deposit

    THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA". USBM SEPT. 1988.

  • Deposit

    BUTTS, K. 1984, "FERRALLOYS LIMITED, CHROME DIVISION",

  • Deposit

    TRIP REPORT. 1984

  • Deposit

    CHAVES, MCSWAIN, 1988, TRIP REPORT, APRIL 1988.

  • Deposit

    RANKIN, G. 1975, "CHROMIUM AND FERROCHROMIUM IN SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA". SAUNDERS AND TAYLOR. JOHANNESBURG. 1975.

  • Deposit

    FOURTIE, G.P. 1959, "THE CHROMITE DEPOSITS IN THE RUSTENBURG

  • Deposit

    AREA", BULL. 27. SOUTH AFRICAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 28-JUL-92 Boyle, Ed U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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