Mining operations

Mining operations

The Company started stable mining operations on the Chilisai deposit in 2008. Sunkar is on target to mine 1 mln. tonnes of ore in 2009. Major developments in 2009 are as follows:

• Base Camp & Support Base installed

• Mining Equipment Deployed, production rate in accordance to plan

• Beneficiation Plant deployed and to reach full capacity in 3Q2009


Mining equipment

Sunkar uses the following mining equipment on its Chilisai phosphorite deposit:


Articulated Dump Truck

Terex TA40 (5 units)

Articulated Dump Trucks are extremely versatile hauling machines, growing in popularity around the world. These machines were chosen by Sunkar for their high durability and passing abilities in complex road conditions. Deployment of the Terex TA40 allows the Company to decrease costs on road construction inside the deposit.

As part of an earthmoving system they can haul a wide spectrum of material in a huge variety of applications and underfoot conditions. Articulated Trucks usually offer a tighter turning radius than a rigid frame truck.







Excavator

S500LC-V (3 units)
Caterpillar 330DL (1 unit)

Excavators are necessary in any mining business.

Excavators mine P2O5 ore and load it to Articulated Dump Trucks.





Wheel loaders 

Terex DOOSAN Mega 500 (2 units)

Wheel loaders are very versatile mobile machines. They are used at almost every stage of mining operations.





Surface Miner

Wirtgen - SM 2500

Surface miner with mechanically driven cutting drum for mining useful minerals with unconfined compressive strengths of up to 50 MPa. The miner can optionally be equipped for loading the mined material via a front-loading conveyor system with slewing and height-adjustable discharge conveyor or for working in windrowing mode.

The Surface miner has demonstrated good results mining the 1m average thick ore body.  In one process, it breaks up the cemented top plate of ore and loads it onto the trucks.




Buldozer

Catterpillar D8R (2 units)


Scrapers 

Caterpillar 627G (2 units)

Chilisai deposit has a 3m. average layer of overburden and scrapers are irreplaceable in removing this.  Moreover scrapers are at the same time used in filling mined out pads with removed overburden thus producing recultivation of lands.









Dry Beneficiation Plant 

Crusher TEREX MAXTRAK 1000 (1 unit)
Crusher TEREX XR400 (1 unit)
Screen TEREX CHIEFTAIN 2400 (1 unit)
Screen TEREX WARRIOR 1800 (1 unit)
Conveyor TEREX Т5032 (1 unit)

The beneficiation equipment crushes and screens the ore to produce a concentrated ore with a P2O5 content of approximately 17%. Its economic effectiveness was proved and now a higher capacity equipment is being purchased.