FIRE ASSAY ON-SITE LABORATORY

ABOUT THIS PROJECT:

TMAC Resources Inc. is a public Canadian mining company with 100% interest in the Hope Bay gold mine project located in the Canadian arctic archipelago, in northern Nunavut. The project aims to extract high grade gold deposits totaling 4.5 million ounces of gold in the project lifetime starting operations in late 2016.

Enginuity was tasked with design, engineering, and procurement management of the on-site laboratory serving the Hope Bay gold mining operations of TMAC Resources. Given the remote mine location and lack of access to resources, a modular design was provided to allow easy transport and assembly on site. The laboratory was required to provide full testing capabilities housing the following areas: Sample Preparation (drying, crushing, and pulverizing), Fire Assay (fusion and cupellation, annealing, and beading process), Web Lab (Sample Digestion and separation), & Instrumentation & Analysis (Mass spectrometry, Scalar operation, and sample testing.

The project entailed integrating a variety of equipment, each with distinct needs and waste extraction requirements. These included acid fumes, lead, and rock dust while rejecting large amount of heat. The design aimed to provide an optimal point between Operational expenses with Capital expenditures while ensuring operator comfort and safety. Other challenges included the need to provide a modular design, allowing construction of the laboratory in pre-fabricated modules. The modules were shipped on cargo ships, and allowed for remote site-assembly, balancing short timelines and a brief transportation time window.

ENGINUITY’S SCOPE INCLUDED:

Scoping, pre-feasibility and feasibility study
Detailed Design
Project budgeting and progressing
Tendering and procurement
Vendor and contractor management

DESIGN FEATURES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Modular design for pre-fabrication and easy site installation
Optimized floor plan for space savings and process optimization.
Unique HVAC design for energy optimization
Dust, lead, and acid extraction and neutralization
Structural design for transport and assembly
Foundation design overcoming permafrost
Power system design utilizing on-site genset, integrating equipment with European and north American standards
Automatic interlocks and emergency shut-down devices between process and HVAC equipment

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