PATERSON AND COOKE
Engineering in Cape Town

Paterson & Cooke was formed in 1991 as a partnership between Dr. Robert Cooke and Dr. Angus Paterson, with the aim of providing consulting services specializing in hydraulics and hydrotransport to the local mining industry. Since then the company has grown and extended its range of services so that it now offers comprehensive specialist and slurry handling solutions from its offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Santiago in Chile, Denver in the USA, Sudbury, Vancouver and Calgary in Canada, Perth in Australia and Cornwall in the UK. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and on being able to offer innovative solutions to our clients. Our engineering operations are supported through comprehensive laboratory services covering rheology, pipe loop tests, pump performance tests, clay behaviour analysis, thickening, filtration, cycloning and backfill material characterization. Our strength lies in the intellect, commitment and creativity of the people who work for Paterson & Cooke. Material properties may no longer be the same as the first bulk sample collected during pre-feasibility. For these reasons, Paterson & Cooke has a dedicated group focusing on providing follow-up field services to our clients. This team provides the opportunity to apply our engineering and field experience in a way that optimises and upgrades the infrastructure already in place. We provide a range of field services including on-site pilot scale test work, design reviews, equipment and process audits, performance optimisation, upgrades & retrofits, performance validation, benchmarking, start-up, commissioning and operator training. The strength of our team comes from years of field experience and access to Paterson & Cooke’s global resources which enable us to tackle unique process challenges. Audits, field trials, troubleshooting and made recommendations to improve the paste backfill system. On site slurry behaviour and paste thickening test work in support of a cost study comparing High Rate and Paste thickening options. Cold eye review of the hydrotransport and tailings pumping systems at North and Aurora Mines to optimize system reliability. Thickener and feed distributor audit providing design and upgrade recommendations. Equipment and process audit with recommendations for increasing throughput and improving performance. Thickener and feed system audit, providing upgrade recommendations for improving performance. Perform equipment and process audits, providing recommendations for tailings and concentrate thickeners, flocculant make-up system, and tailings transportation systems. On site tailings feed system review, making recommendations to optimize the design and improving performance. Phase I- Comprehensive site audit providing test work and a technical evaluation with recommendations for new flotation & thickener equipment, upgrades to existing thickeners, and upgrades to tailings transportation systems. Phase II-Provided an upgrade package for one thickener to improve performance and accommodate an increase in throughput. Equipment and process audit with recommendations for optimizing performance and upgrading equipment. Design, supply and commissioning of a pilot scale paste plant for fly ash disposal. Audit, design and commission of magnetic separation (MC plant) and base metals refinery (RBMR) process pumping systems. Keywords: field services, on-site pilot scale test work, design reviews, equipment and process audits, performance optimisation, upgrades & retrofits, performance validation, benchmarking, training.