Ballarat, VIC, Australia – “The OLGA – or online gold analyser – is a flagship product for Gekko’s real-time data instrumentation division and operates alongside other key products such as the Carbon Scout to assist in measuring the recovery of gold real-time in gold processing plants” said Nigel Grigg, General Manager – Global Sales & Solutions, Gekko Systems.
“We are really excited about these new design elements which will improve value and returns for our clients as well as improve ease of operation” he said. “Now gold grades can be measured in real-time compared with the traditional assay-based process which can often result in two-day delays. Operating management will be able to respond immediately if there is a gold excursion or if the data provides other insights into plant trends. This is a breakthrough technology which is now even more affordable and will deliver higher yields in processing plants.”
The Gekko OLGA innovation team, including Senior Process Engineer Mxolisi Ntombela, Technical Director Sandy Gray, and R&D Manager Austell Lanyon.
The OLGA has at its heart the world-first proprietary “Golden Eye” lens technology developed and designed in Australia’s pre-eminent government-funded CSIRO research laboratories. This cutting-edge component measures gold grade in slurries and solutions combined including low grade slurry streams down to as low 0.1ppm. Other elements are also measured including copper, silver, platinum, and nickel. The multiplexing feature will allow for up to four streams within a processing plant to be assessed for gold grades.
The OLGA is the only real-time online measurement system purpose built for gold. The unit typically installed to measure the cyclone overflow stream in CIL leach circuits, around the electrowinning circuit and on flotation feed, tails, and concentrate. With the multiplexing function, the OLGA can switch measurement of grade from stream to stream. “The technology represents a significant step forward in the potential to automate gold leaching circuits,” Grigg says.
Another key feature of OLGA is the dedicated sample feed line, facilitating continuous sampling of large volumes with no potential for cross-contamination. The system also offers additional sample points for ad-hoc samples, providing flexibility and adaptability to changing operational needs. Furthermore, the ad-hoc samples can be analysed as batch samples, minimising sampling errors and substituting the need for other sampling systems.
The OLGA Mk3 has undergone rigorous testing and refinement to ensure its robustness, reliability, and accuracy in various operational conditions, while offering low maintenance requirements. For mining professionals seeking to maximise internal rates of returns on their assets through higher yields and the potential to automate their processing plants, the OLGA Mk3 presents a game-changing opportunity.
Gekko Systems’ OLGA real-time instrument team pays tribute to our collaboration partners who assisted and provided critical feedback to improve an earlier OLGA technology design. That collaboration included the management and technical teams at Gold Fields, CSIRO, Orway IQ, Curtin University, METS Ignited and Gekko Systems. Core to the assessment was an OLGA installation and an outstanding technical team at Gruyere Gold Mine (a JV between Gold Fields and Gold Road Resources) where the OLGA achieves excellent results indicating a strong correlation between the automated OLGA and manual assay data and giving the Gekko team the confidence to further develop the OLGA. Collaboration is at the core of Gekko’s #smartertogether philosophy.
The OLGA installation at Gruyere Gold Mine in Western Australia. The OLGA achieved excellent results indicating a strong correlation between the automated OLGA and manual assay data.
About Gekko Systems
Gekko Systems is a family-based, award-winning global leader specialising in the design, development, manufacturing and commercialising of mineral processing technology and services. The company has invested in strong technical and client support capability and maintains significant collaboration networks in the research sector.
For nearly 30 years, Gekko has successfully delivered fully integrated solutions to mining companies around the world and maintained a particular capability in gold processing, pre-concentration and energy efficient mineral processing solutions. Based in regional Victoria, Australia, Gekko Systems provides technology, services and solutions for a wide range of minerals including gold, silver, tin, critical minerals and polymetallics.
