How can you motivate and lead a team in mineral processing plant design?

While a multidisciplinary approach is needed the one person not involved is the mining engineer! Metallurgy is a science on its own, some still consider it alchemy!! The metallurgist will need to convince electrical and structural engineers as to why the crane aisle needs to be so wide, that the floor strength has to support sanded out tanks, not just water, and why the ball mill needs an overload capacity of power, as well as convincing management that there is no quick solution, as well as dealing with outsiders on the environmental protection, traffic and other half understood issues.

Completely agree, when your team is aligned to achieve the best outcome out of the project it makes the process much smoother. It is very important that everyone understands their role, however, what's more important is that roles should be assigned according to the individual's strength.

“Your team” is never going to be clearly defined. It may include other plant operatives, but that is not a given. There will be consultants you can turn too, experienced operators, and your supervisors can all supply input, but each ore is different. Starting a new process is often easier than taking over an operating plant especially when your manager was previously in your position, as they will have their own ideas, and may expect you to fail as they did. Brainstorming with equipment and reagent supplies will often provide out of the box thinking, these are “team members” even if not on the same payroll. They share you objective to succeed.

As a project engineer my greatest success was not as a manager, but rather the project coordinator, ensuring that the input from every discipline, mechanical, electrical, construction (even mining) etc. meshed smoothly and contributed to the overall project success. If you can explain why a change is needed, one gets more help faster, than simply writing out a ‘change order’. But always be open to ideas from others, including other stakeholders or the local community.

Mineral process plants frequently involve toxic or flammable chemicals, high voltage or high momentum equipment, fatalities or major injuries are always possible and need to be guarded against. This requires a host of skills, of which communication is paramount, especially in a multilingual environment. Don’t ask who is responsible - you are! You need to be an expert in all aspects that you supervise.

A successful plant needs to maximize recovery (and purity) at minimal cost. The operation has to controlled by a small team thus accessibility is key. The control room needs to be eyes on to all transfer points so that spills are corrected, and even when working at specific sites one knows that other sites are operating correctly. Alarms should identify the actual problem, rather than wasting time locating a problem, and obstructions to visibility must be avoided. Accidents must be anticipated so that one can minimize spills, and evacuate any injured person quickly and efficiently. Heavy equipment will fail, and Murphy’s law WILL APPLY! Thus plan accessibility for heavy hoisting equipment.

Expect the unexpected. The tailings dam is part of the process plant so anticipate major storms or other issues. Know how to quickly and safely shut down the plant in event of a power outage, and include this in the design so that spillage is safely contained, and does not obstruct emergency exits, or flow into workshops or reagent storage areas. If the plant includes valuable materials or toxic chemicals ensure the safety of these areas. One of the best guides is to ask “What if?” Even if it is unlikely, it may happen and should be anticipated. This includes training your replacement so that the plant operates efficiently in your absence.