Source : THE AGE NEWS
Viking Mines has ticked off a critical milestone on its strategic path towards a rapid, low-capital expenditure production model at its Linka tungsten project in Nevada, United States.
Initial X-ray transmission ore sorting test work completed by Norwegian- headquartered TOMRA at its specialised test centre in Wedel, Germany, has successfully split mineralised feed into distinct product and waste streams.
Processing of two bulk grab samples, each weighing 19.4 kilograms, demonstrated Linka’s ore is well suited to sensor-based sorting prior to processing. The company’s Conquest pit sample directed an impressive 67.8 per cent of its total sample mass straight into high-value product streams.
Under blacklight ultraviolet illumination, the high-grade product fraction showed abundant visible scheelite, flashing with its characteristic blue-white fluorescence.
‘We have the potential to both upgrade run-of-mine feed and unlock value from our existing stockpiles.’
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
Visual estimates place the scheelite content at between approximately 1.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent, which the company says translates to an estimated 1.2 per cent to 2.8 per cent tungsten trioxide.
Simultaneously, a separate sample sourced from the Linka stockpile directed 56.1 per cent of its sample mass to the clean product streams.
These outcomes appear to demonstrate the immense potential of applying smart ore-sorting technology to upgrade lower-grade surface materials already above ground.
The technical program used TOMRA’s newly launched “CONTAIN” deep-learning inclusion-detection software alongside its established “OBTAIN” technology. Viking says the technology could deliver a double win by boosting the grade of freshly mined ore and upgrading historic stockpiles into higher-value feed.
Each bulk sample went through a strict three-stage cascade sorting process to snap up the tungsten-bearing particles. Stage one ejected high-grade inclusions, stage two isolated lower-grade inclusions and stage three used the new deep-learning module to capture the final remaining inclusion-bearing rocks.
Tungsten is a heavy mineral with an ultra-high atomic density, causing it to absorb X-rays strongly and stand out vividly in diagnostic images. While the physical separation has proved successful, laboratory assays are currently pending to officially quantify the final grade and recovery performance.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock said: “These initial ore sorting results are an important step in our strategy to define a rapid low-CAPEX pathway to production at Linka. The clear presence of scheelite in the high-grade sorted fraction gives encouragement that the technology could have direct benefits to the Project.”
Beyond the primary Linka operations, Viking maintains an active footprint across several other asset holdings in Nevada.
These regional land claims include the Alpine, Long, Ragged Top, Terrell, and Victory tungsten projects, which are held under various unpatented mineral claim agreements. The company says it’s actively gathering and evaluating historical exploration data across these peripheral claim blocks to plan future field campaigns.
Moving forward, the company has lined up a busy schedule of near-term workstreams.
Management expects to receive the independent laboratory product assays during the second half of July. Once these results land, the data will be fed directly into gravity and flotation test work at Base Met Labs to update the processing flowsheet.
Mineral Technologies will then firm up equipment quotes from TOMRA to help refine the economics of a proposed 300,000tpa processing plant. Additionally, a maiden drilling program is slated to kick off at Linka this month, with earthworks and site preparations already underway.
With clever tech sorting out the good stuff from the rubble before it even hits the mill, Viking looks well on its way to carving out a highly efficient and cost-effective operation in the heart of Nevada.
Punters will likely be keeping an eye out for those crucial laboratory assay results next month, potentially providing the formal fuel to supercharge this project’s underlying economics.
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