Pilot Plants

Reliable, robust and cost-effective process flowsheets – demonstrated, validated and confirmed through pilot plant operations.

Reducing project technical, environmental, operational and commercial risk is essential. Pilot plant testing can demonstrate, validate and confirm that the process flowsheet developed at the bench is viable. As a result, pilot plants provide a significant impact on the metallurgical success of your project.

Our pilot plant programs help mitigate project risk and are internationally recognized by the mining, engineering, and financial communities. We provide complex and integrated infrastructure, including on-site analytical, mineralogical, experienced professionals and a comprehensive equipment inventory, to ensure an effective pilot plant.

Why choose pilot plant programs from SGS?

Our pilot testing enables you to:

• Prove critical components of a metallurgical flowsheet
• Establish the viability of new equipment or technology
• Verify the ability to meet environmental requirements
• Minimize technical, environmental, operational and commercial risk
• Generate metallurgical data that can be used to design the full-scale plant by engineering houses, reducing design and capital risk

We provide a range of activities to help you:

• Establish flowsheet viability – especially important for complex deposits, utilizing new or unusual technologies or projects in high-risk areas
• Demonstrate continuous integrated operation to stakeholders
• Bulk sample preparation
• Evaluate the impact of local water supply
• Develop a water balance
• Quantify the impact of ore variability
• Produce byproducts for specialized testing (e.g., environmental assessments)
• Generate bulk samples for market evaluation
• Training of critical staff

Why choose SGS?

Our unique integrated pilot plant programs ensure that all unit operations work to provide continuous feed or product resulting in the generation of a concentrate, LME-grade metal or highly refined chemicals. Bleed streams and impurity build-ups are also reviewed. Pilot plants are performed at a variety of scales, typically ranging from < 100 kg/hr to > 1 tonne/hr.

For new projects, piloting demonstrates operational viability, “proof-of-concept”, and produces market samples of the expected final product, reducing technical risk.

Existing operations can also be simulated at the pilot-scale to evaluate new equipment or technology, assess the impact of different ore types or troubleshoot problems without interrupting production at the main plant.

Get in touch today to dive deeper into our full range of pilot plant solutions.