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OUTOTEC CUSTOMER eNEWSLETTER 3/2016
Editor: Laura White, [email protected]
SOUTH EAST ASIA PACIFIC
CONTENTS• Protecting your mill, page 1• Case study: Yamana Gold retrofit, page 4• Flotation control - XRF on-stream analyzer, page 7• Business and product news, page 10• Thickeners gearboxes, page 12• Case study: Flash furnace rebuild, page 13• Electrochemical water treatment, page 15
3/2016
Without question, one of the most critical components in a plant’s throughput is the grinding mill. It therefore makes sound economic sense to protect the mill from unnecessary, preventable and costly damage
This is even more important in current times as mills are under even greater pressure, with lower grade orebodies and higher resulting throughputs.
The saying “the bigger they are – the harder they fall” has never been truer than for grinding mills. Nowadays, larger mills require more sophisticated bearings and lubrication systems as they are subjected to higher loads and stresses.
Larger mills also have higher throughputs, meaning thatthe opportunity cost in lost production with an unscheduled shutdown can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. The question then is; how do you best protect a mill from preventable damage?
PROTECTING YOUR MILL - BY MINDSET OR BY ACCIDENT?
Modern control systemsA modern mill should be supplied not only with an up-to-date control system, but also a control philosophy which protects the mill. As a part of this control system, critical mill areas should have transducers to sense, in real time, the condition of each given part. This is then fed back to the control system which, as part of the control philosophy, will digest the information and make decisions based upon pre-set interlocks. In general, there are three types of interlocks;
1. Permissive interlocksConditions that must be met before a mill is allowed to start (e.g. bearing lubrication pumps must be running to allow the mill to start)
2. Alarm interlocksConditions that will cause the mill to raise an alarm, but not prevent the mill from operating (e.g. bearing temperature lower or higher than normal will trigger an alarm)
3. Trip interlocksConditions that will cause the mill to cease operation (e.g. dangerous bearing temperature will stop the mill fromoperating)
It is important to understand that the set points for these interlocks are selected to prevent the mill from operating under conditions that have the potential to cause significant damage.
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 2
It can be tempting for an untrained or inexperienced operator to change these set points or bypass the interlocks to keep a mill operational, however this mindset fails to consider the potential damage this may cause. Instead, a short investigation to find out why an interlock is tripping and fixing it may save an extended shutdown in the future and thousands of dollars in repair in the process.
ExampleAn interlock could trip if the oil cooling heat exchanger or its upstream strainer becomes filled with dust. This would, in hot climates, reduce the efficiency of the heat exchange, causing the hydrostatic bearing lubrication oil to increase in temperature. This would first trip an alarm interlock warning that the temperature is higher than usual and close to being dangerously high. If this alarm was ignored, and the temperature kept rising, a trip interlock would activate and stop the mill to protect the bearings from damage.
Damage could occur due to the fact that, as oil increases, the viscosity lowers, reducing the oil film thickness at the bearing. Should the trip interlock be bypassed in this condition, the mill would be running with an oil temperature that may allow the bearing’s oil film thickness to reduce to the point where there is journal-to-bearing contact, thereby damaging the bearings and mill journal.
Repairing such damage would mean a shutdown of up to one week (or more depending on spares availability). Had the mill been inspected at the first alarm, the simple process of cleaning dust from the heat exchanger or its upstream cooling water strainer would have solved the problem.
Stand alone mill control systemsIn stand-alone mill control panels, interlocks cannot be bypassed so easily. They usually have password protected PLC programs, and require specific knowledge or highly skilled personnel to bypass or change the interlocks. Where the mill control and interlocks are part of the centralised mine control system, bypassing an interlock may be as easy as a few clicks on a mouse. So, in these situations it may be worth upgrading to a stand-alone control system, or putting the necessary protection in place to prevent unwanted interlock bypass.
When purchasing a new mill or refurbishing an older mill, it is important to take into consideration the additional protection a standalone mill control system will provide. It is also worth considering that electrical technology moves at lightning pace when compared to mechanical technology (especially mills), and reputable mill manufacturers are constantly reviewing and updating the best practices of mill operation and control.
Control system upgradesWith this in mind, mill control philosophies and systems may be subject to upgrades over only a short elapsed period of time, so it is always worth speaking regularly to the manufacturers and discussing if your control system can be upgraded to meet current best-practices.
Firmware upgrades are very important, as they are generally released by the PLC manufactures to update the functionality of a CPU, or to prevent a re-occurrence of a recently discovered fault. The need for a firmware upgrade should be reviewed every six months and will require the services of skilled PLC programmer. If the status of the firmware onsite is known, this review may be able to be performed offsite.
Damage to an inching drive when the mill was started with the inch drive engaged. The safety systems had been compromised.
Damage to axial bearing when a mill was started with a frozen charge. Locked charge interlocks on modern mill can
prevent this.
3 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016
Tips on maintenance of control systemsSite maintenance personnel also need to be aware that the control systems protecting themill require regular maintenance, which includes the following checks:
1. Ensure that the control system is installed in a protected area, away from the presence of extreme heat, moisture and dust
2. Ensure the panel exhaust fans are operating correctly, and filters cleaned regularly
3. Ensure the panel doors are sealing sufficiently to prevent the ingress of dust and water
4. Ensure that any PLC forces and bridges are recorded and action put in place to remove as soon as possible. Note that bridges and forces should only ever be used in circumstances with no other alternatives
5. Review the system set points regularly to ensure they are correct
6. Ensure the PLC firmware is regularly reviewed and updates downloaded to the PLC
Conclusion A broken down mill will generally mean an idle plant, or at the very least a highly compromised plant. An up-to-date control system, operated correctly, will assist in preventing break downs. This is only effective, however, when combined with a sense of ownership of the mill (across all levels of mine management and operations).
In such a scenario, there is a commitment to monitor, investigate and repair faults as (or before) they occur, rather than blindly bypassing the control system. With such an approach, when we protect our mills by mindset rather than by accident, responsible care of the mill is probable, rather than accidental, and an increased overall mill availability will be the result.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
HOLIDAY PERIOD CLOSUREAustralia - offices will be closed from Friday December 23 2016 and re-open Tuesday January 3 2017. During this period, please use the following numbers to reach our Services team (hours of operation will be 8.30am (AEDT) - 4.30pm (AWST).
Spare parts: + 61 2 9984 2835Site services: +61 8 9211 2435Email: [email protected]
Philippines - offices will be closed from Friday December 23 2016 and re-open Tuesday January 3 2017. During office closure period, for emergencies contact Peter Cunningham on +63 917 573 1879 or [email protected]
Indonesia - normal business operation and contact details.
HOLIDAY PERIOD CLOSURE INFORMATION
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 4
TURN-KEY FLOTATION RETROFIT WITH FAST TURNAROUND FOR YAMANA GOLD IN BRAZILOutotec delivered an extremely fastturnaround, minimizing productionlosses and increasing recovery whileimproving the availability and energyefficiency of the flotation cells
Yamana Gold is a Canadian-based gold producer, withmines and operations in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentinaand Chile. The Chapada open pit gold-copper mine inBrazil began production in 2007. It is a relatively low-costoperation and contributes significantly to Yamana’sfavourable cost structure.
Last year, Outotec delivered a new Courier on-streamanalyzer, which enabled Yamana operators to detect
CHALLENGES
• Poor flotation performance in terms of copper and gold recovery
• Flotation circuit had poor availability due to heavy sanding
• Substantial maintenance-requirements due to heavy-corrosion
• Limited time available for shutdown
SOLUTION
• In-depth metallurgical assessment identified large improvement potential in the flotation plant
• Retrofit of 2 lines of 5 existing 160m3 flotation cells with 2 lines of 5 TankCell160
• A full turn-key delivery, including shutdown plan-ning, scheduling and management and manu-facturing steel works and tanks in Outotec Brazil own service center
• Advanced operator training with Outotec´s Virtual Expe-rience training
BENEFITS
• Greater stability & control of flotation cells allowing for increased process optimization
• Significantly decreased energy consumption with Outotec cells (40%)
• Minimized production losses during installation & commissioning, second bank shutdown took only 6 days instead of planned 11
• Minimized sanding increases flotation circuit availability, leading to increase production
• Improved flotation perfor-mance,recovery of both-copper and gold
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 5
that they were losing a significant amount of valuables to tailings. In addition, the flotation circuit suffered from poor availability that was caused by heavy sanding of the other supplier´s flotation cells. Yamana was also looking for a partner to continuously improve their operations. These factors contributed to Yamana seeking ways to further improve its flotation circuit performance.
In mid 2015 Daniel Diez, responsible of Yamana Gold business and operations development in South Americas, and the entire site processing team were seeking ways to further improve the flotation circuit performance at their Chapada gold-copper mine in Brazil.
After a thorough research of available technological options, including the FloatForce value calculator at www.outotec.com to estimate the potential return of investment (ROI) of a flotation retrofit project, Outotec´s experts were contacted to jointly develop a solution to solve Yamana´s operation challenges in Chapada flotation circuit.
In March 2016, Outotec began turn-key retrofit of 10 existing 160m³ non-Outotec flotation cells with Outotec TankCell® and FloatForce® technology.
Yamana was also looking for a partner to continuously improve their operations.
Project ScopeThe project scope included Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies, basic and detailed engineering, shutdown planning, delivery of proprietary equipment, turn-key installation, commissioning, assisted operation and advanced training of on-site personnel. Outotec´s manufacturing and service workshop in Guarapari, Brazil, gave additional benefits and flexibility to this project.
At the beginning of the project Outotec completed an in-depth metallurgical assessment of the rougher/scavenger flotation circuit and identified a large potential for improvement in the flotation plant, which could positively impact the overall copper and gold recoveries.
Outotec engineers providing training on Outotec Courier 6 On-Stream XRF Analyzer.
Delivery scope contained standard Outotec TankCell® e160 components modified to fit the tanks.
6 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016
An on-site mechanical assessment with advanced laser 3D scanning was implemented by Outotec in co-operation with Yamana to find out all required technical details for the installation and shutdown planning.
Outotec offered a turn-key project delivery, manufacturing custom made steel works in Brazil and importing only specialist items, took care of logistics, disassembly and removal of old equipment, installation and mechanical completion of new cells, implemented all commissioning phases, started up the flotation cells in cooperation with Yamana personnel with slurry. Process testing was done in cooperation with Yamana process experts. All installation and commissioning personnel were provided by Outotec (except for certain electrical specialists which were contracted locally). In total, more than 80 Outotec representatives implemented the modernization in day and night shifts.
In addition to retrofit and turn-key delivery, advanced operator training with Outotec´s Virtual Experience training, was provided by Outotec.
Fast and efficient shutdownThe shutdown took place in two phases, one line of five flotation cells at a time. This meant that the process was able to continue with half the equipment operational at all times.
“As the reduction of production loss due to the installation work was of utmost importance to the customer, Outotec developed a concept with the target to minimize the shutdown period, which takes the total cost of the project and the return of investment into consideration. With this concept and the full solution including demolition, installation and commissioning and shutdown process know-how, Outotec offered the added value to the customer and won the project,” said André Batista, Sales Director, Outotec Brazil.
Outotec developed a concept with the target to minimize the shutdown period, which takes the total cost of the project and the return of investment into consideration
Yamana Gold Chapada mine site in Brazil.
Outotec personnel providing flotation Virtual Experience Training for Yamana Gold in Brazil
Cooperation continues by debottlenecking other parts of the process to ensure peak performance of the whole plant.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
7 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016
FLOTATION CONTROL - A SIMPLE ADDITION TO BOOSTING YOUR XRF ON-STREAM ANALYZER
In flotation control, elemental assays of the slurries are among the most important measurements obtained from the process. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the most common technique used for on-line slurry assaying in base metal flotation applications
Reflectance spectroscopy, on the other hand, is an emerging technique that can be used to obtain more frequent measurements from slurries. The measurement is based on the mineral-specific absorbance of light in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) wavelength range. Due to the relatively inexpensive and simple measurement system it is possible to conduct the measurement simultaneously in several slurry lines. However, the information contained in the VNIR spectra is difficult to interpret and frequent calibration of the measurement is required.
This article is an abbreviated version of the paper “Reflectance spectroscopy with X-ray fluorescence for rapid online assaying in a copper-nickel flotation plant” (Haavisto et al) presented at the AusIMM’s Mill Operators’ Conference 2016 in Perth, Australia.
SOLUTION• Reflectance spectroscopy
to boost on-line slurry XRF assaying
BENEFITS• Fast grade changes
and oscillations can be detected with the combined analysis approach
• Almost continuous estimate of the grades can be obtained
RESULTS• At Kevitsa, good accuracy
(for the reflectance spec-trum measurement) was obtained for most of the copper grades, and a fair or good accuracy for the nickel grades
• Solids content from the slurries could be esti-mated from the reflectance spectra
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 8
Applying the technologies at KevitsaThe application of combined reflectance spectrum and XRF measurements for rapid on-line slurry assaying was conducted at the Kevitsa nickel, copper and PGE concentrator in Northern Finland. At Kevitsa, the main ore minerals are chalcopyrite and pentlandite. Sequential flotation is used after autogenous grinding to produce copper and nickel concentrates. The plant throughput is approximately 7 Mtpa (2015) and it produces around 17 kt copper and 9 kt nickel annually, as well as, cobalt, gold, and platinum as by-products.
Flotation process control is based on on-line XRF analysis. The XRF analyzer at Kevitsa (Outotec Courier® 6i SL) is a typical centralized on-stream analyzer currently measuring iron, nickel, copper and solids content of 23 slurry lines. A typical sampling interval for a single line is between 15-25 minutes. Primary samplers collect continuous slurry flows from the process lines, and the secondary sampler selects one line at a time for the analysis and reduces the volumetric flow of the slurry.
The reflectance spectrum instrument was installed in the secondary sampling and multiplexer unit of the on-stream XRF analyzer. The sampling interval of the reflectance spectrum measurement used in this study was 10 seconds.
The data of the following three streams is analysed in greater detail: Copper rougher-scavenger concentrate, Nickel rougher concentrate, Nickel final concentrate, and Flotation feed.
Adaptive calibrationThe calibration of the reflectance spectrum measurement is based on the XRF samples of the on-line slurry analyzer. A static calibration model can capture the relationship between reflectance spectra and elemental contents present in the calibration data set. However, in a continuous process use such models seldom remain valid for long. In the present case there are several factors that affect the reflectance spectra besides the direct changes in the elemental contents of the slurry – particle size distribution, changing mineralogy, and solids content.
It has been shown that in real process conditions, frequent and regular calibration of the reflectance spectrum analyzer is required.
As a result, a recursive updating of the calibration model is used. The idea is that every time an XRF assay is available, the reflectance spectrum measured at the same time instance is selected and the calibration model is updated using this new calibration sample pair. Gradually the older samples are forgotten to keep the model up to date with the current relationship present in the data.
Reflectance spectraThe spectrum of a slurry sample is formed by a mixture of spectra of all the minerals present in the slurry. Performance of the reflectance spectrum measurement can be roughly predicted by looking at the reflectance spectra of the main minerals in the slurry. Figure below shows the library spectra of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and pentlandite ((Fe,Ni)9S8), which are the main copper and nickel ore minerals respectively at Kevitsa. The spectra shown are measured from dry ground samples, but give an idea of the spectral behavior of the minerals also in the slurry. Clearly the chalcopyrite spectrum has a more characteristic shape, whereas the pentlandite spectrum is nearly flat. This indicates that the changes in chalcopyrite concentration will have a greater impact on the measured slurry spectrum than will the changes in the pentlandite concentration.
NIR
Library spectra of the main minerals at Kevitsa as well a as typical slurry spectrum measured from the process.
Reflectance spectrum measurement probes were installed on the secondary sampler of the Courier analyzer.
9 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016
The measurement is performed in the visible and near infrared wavelength range (400-1000 nm). In general the spectra are relatively flat and the overall reflectance is low – only 4.5%-6% of light is reflected back from the samples. This indicates that the slurry is dark and greyish in color.
Estimation resultsThe accuracy of the reflectance spectrum measurement can be estimated by comparing it to the XRF assays. The table below shows the coefficient of determination (R2) between the XRF values and the corresponding reflectance spectrum estimates. Especially the copper concentration is well estimated, and the other elements can be predicted as well. Also the solids content can be estimated with a good accuracy. The most difficult line is the flotation feed, where the elemental contents are relatively small.
Improved elemental assaysThe main benefit of the reflectance spectrum analysis is the radically reduced sampling interval of the elemental assays – from 15-25 minutes to 10 seconds. The practically continuous assay information reveals fast changes in the grades that could be missed by the XRF analyzer alone.
Examples of the rapid assays provided by the reflectance spectrum measurement in the copper rougher-scavenger concentrate and final nickel concentrate lines are shown in the figures below. The instantaneous XRF values are shown along the rapid reflectance spectrum measurement.
The copper rougher-scavenger measurement illustrates clearly how the grade is oscillating at a high frequency that cannot be detected from the periodic XRF data. For the nickel rougher concentrate measurement, a major drop in the nickel content is visualized. The reflectance spectrum measurement illustrates this excursion to lower concentrate grades in detail, providing more information than is available from the less frequent XRF values during this process disturbance.
Example of sudden drop in the grade of the nickel rougher concentrate.
Conclusions on combining reflectance spectroscopy and XRFReflectance spectroscopy provides a relatively inexpensive and simple method to reduce the sampling interval of a centralized XRF on-stream analyzer. An automatic calibration scheme for the measurement is utilized where the periodic on-line XRF assays are continually used as the source of calibration for the reflectance spectrum measurement. This ensures that the calibration model remains automatically up-to-date regardless of changes in the particle size, solids content or mineralogy of the slurry that can easily cause deviations in the assay estimation by reflectance spectroscopy.
At Kevitsa, good accuracy for the reflectance spectrum measurement was obtained especially for most of the copper grades, and a fair or good accuracy for the nickel grades. It was also possible to estimate the solids content of the slurries from the reflectance spectra. The main benefit of undertaking measurement in this way is the almost continuous estimate of the grades (at 10 second update intervals) that could be obtained in contrast to the original 15-25 minute sampling interval of the XRF analyzer in standalone mode. It has been demonstrated that fast grade changes and oscillations in the grades can be detected with the combined analysis approach presented here. In future studies the improved assays are to be utilized as part of the advanced process control, enabling faster control actions and thus further improvement to the performance of the flotation process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Example of occasional oscillations detected by the reflectance spectrum measurement in the Copper
rougher-scavenger concentrate.
Line FeR2 Ni R2 Cu R2 Solids R2
Copper rougher – scavenger concentrate 0.71 0.82 0.80 0.87
Nickel rougher concentrate 0.64 0.76 0.72 0.79
Nickel final concentrate 0.80 0.71 0.92 0.80
Flotation feed 0.60 0.68 0.86 0.57
10 Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016
OUTOTEC AWARDED AN ORDER FOR A MINE BACKFILL PLANT IN AUSTRALIAOutotec has been awarded an order by MMG Limited to design and deliver a paste backfill plant to MMG’s Dugald River zinc mine in North-West Queensland, Australia.
Outotec’s supply includes the design and delivery of an Outotec Mid Range Continuous Paste Backfill Plant, equipment supplies as well as construction and commissioning services. The new technology reduces the capital cost of a backfill plant, making it more attractive and affordable for mining companies.
“This is Outotec’s second order within a week for the newly developed paste backfill plant concept. Mine operators appreciate its environmental benefits, lower capital costs and quick delivery time. We are the industry frontrunners for the mine backfill technology development and see that there is growing interest for these type of solutions”, says Kalle Härkki, head of Outotec’s Minerals Processing business unit.
More information is available here....
OUTOTEC TO SUPPLY A MINE BACKFILL PLANT TO THE PHILIPPINESOutotec has been awarded a contract by OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc. to design and deliver a paste backfill plant to OceanaGold’s Didipio gold mine in the Philip-pines.
Outotec’s supply includes the design and delivery of a new Outotec Mid Range Continuous Paste Backfill Plant (MPB), which was launched at the Paste 2016 conference in July. The new technology reduces the capital cost of a backfill plant, making it more attrac-tive and affordable for mining companies.
Deliveries from Outotec will be completed by April 2017.
More information is available here....
OUTOTEC LAUNCHES HISTORY BOOK “150 YEARS’ EVOLUTION TOWARD A GREENER FUTURE - THE OUTOTEC STORY”Outotec has published a book that tracks the development of the mining and metal industries, engineering science and technology sales from mid 19th century to 2010. The history of Outotec is intertwined with this development.
The book was researched and written by Dr Panu Nykänen. Panu Nykänen is a historian who specializes in history of technology and industry. He comments: “I found it highly enjoyable to study the key factors that contributed to the develop-ment of the mining and metal industries through world wars to today, including politics, technology research and education as well as rising environ-mental awareness. Outotec is part of the economic history of the era of industrialization in Europe.”
Outotec has its roots in the history of many widely known corporations, such as Outokumpu, Metall-gesellschaft, Lurgi Metallurgie, Klöckner-Hum-boldt-Deutz, and Boliden. The book traces the development of the technology sales business of Outokumpu and Metallgesellschaft and looks at why and how Outotec became an independent company in 2006.
More information is available here....
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 11
OUTOTEC PARTNERS WITH THERMO-SYSTEM TO DELIVER THERMAL PROCESSING SOLUTIONS FOR NUTRIENT RECYCLING Outotec has partnered with Thermo-System GmbH, a German based global leader in low-energy drying technology, to complement its waste-to-energy and sludge incineration technologies. In this partnership Outotec will get exclusive rights to market Thermo-System’s low-energy drying method in connection with Outotec’s thermal processing solutions in Scandinavia, the Baltic and the CIS countries. Outotec has a portfolio of comprehensive sludge treatment solutions for energy production and nutrient recycling.
Municipal energy and sewage treatment companies will benefit from Outotec’s thermal processing solutions, because instead of composting the sludge, they can recover valuable nutrients and sell it to fertilizer producers. Low-energy drying technology is used mainly for pre-drying the sewage sludge or wet peat before incineration, using waste heat from district heating as an energy source. Part of the pre-dried sludge will be mixed with the incineration ashes to produce valuable raw material rich in phosphor, nitrogen and potassium for the fertilizer industry.
Phosphor recovered in thermal processing combined with low-energy drying is in slow-soluble format and thus particularly well suited for forest fertilizers. Outotec is cooperating with the leading Finnish forest and organic fertilizer producer Ecolan Oy to develop a thermal treatment plant for sewage sludge for the town of Nokia in Finland.
More information is available here....
OUTOTEC TO DELIVER A MODULAR FLOTATION CPLANT TO SAUDI ARABIAOutotec has agreed with Saudi Arabian mining company Ma’aden Gold on the design and delivery of a novel Flotation cPlant for modernizing the Al Amar gold processing facilities.
This fully modular flotation plant is the first of its kind and is expected to set a record in terms of fast delivery for this type of projects. Outotec will deliver process design, basic and detail engineering, process equipment, equipment instal-lation and start-up services. In addition, Outotec will provide operation and maintenance support services to Ma’aden for two years after the start-up of the plant.
“By selecting modularized plant Ma’aden will benefit from a short lead time for production and lower capital investment. The pre-fabricated modules are easy to transport and allow a quick erection at the site. Fully standardized modules are also easy to replace or upgrade and they improve the environmental performance and increase availability of a minerals processing plant. Furthermore, the modular flotation plant has all proven metallurgical features of conventional flota-tion plants,” says Kalle Härkki, head of Outotec’s Minerals Processing business unit.
More information is available here....
OUTOTEC AWARDED TWO MODULAR SOLVENT EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY ORDERSOutotec has been awarded two orders, for the new VSF®X Modular Solvent Extraction technology. Outotec will deliver detail engineering and a complete technology package for a modular copper solvent extraction and electrowinning plant for Sardich MC in Kazandol, Macedonia. Another contract is with the Italian engineering company Desmet Ballestra S.p.A Milano. Outotec will design and deliver a solvent extraction plant to purify fertilizer phosphoric acid before evapo-ration. More information is available here....
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 12
THICKENERS GEARBOXES - THE TIME FOR LIVING DANGEROUSLY?When was the last time you checked your thickener gearbox? That check may have been fairly recent, but what about your back-up critical spare? Is there one at your site? If not, then this is one critical spare where one should not live dangerously but have a gearbox spare on site, ready to go for when it’s needed.
Gearboxes, as we know, are essential to keeping your thickener drive up and running. If the gearbox fails, you risk extended periods of downtime waiting for a replacement. And over any holiday periods, for example, accessing a critical spare part can take even longer. As your gearbox reaches the end of its operational life expec-tancy, common causes of failure can include:
• Pitting – the main source of wear• Worn teeth – leading to cracking• Hydraulic drive motor failure – can contaminate
gearbox oil• Poor maintenance and storage• Corrosion
Gearboxes and its output accessories are far from stand-ardized. Selection and design considerations include:
• Torque properties of the thickened slurry• Axial loads• Rakelift requirements• Drive type• Drive protection
So, now is the time to speak to your thickener OEM and get advice. Outotec, for example, can not only help with high quality OEM spare parts designed specifically for your equipment and process, but also assist with inven-tory audits and management or even data cleansing of your inventory planning system.
So, no more living dangerously! With your customised spare gearbox on hand, you can be back up and running at site with minimal delay, maximising your productivity and avoiding substantial unnecessary costs.
For further information, email [email protected] or talk to your local Outotec representative.
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 13
FLASH FURNACE REBUILT IN RECORD TIME AT AURUBIS BULGARIAAurubis Bulgaria (Pirdop) operates one of two Aurubis smelters (the other being in Hamburg, Germany) which produce copper for Aurubis AG, a major client for Outotec. The smelter features an Outotec flash smelting furnace (FSF) which forms the heart of the operation. When Aurubis Bulgaria approached Outotec in December 2014 about an upcoming major furnace shutdown in April 2016, Outotec’s shutdown services team offered Aurubis the most attractive solution, to secure another project at this repeat customer.
The project featured a modernization of the FSF, namely a new reaction shaft and new cooling elements.
The shutdown services project team from Outotec, led by Matthew Jahnke, worked closely with the Outotec equip-ment supply project team to support the customer in the most integrated manner possible.
Aurubis chose Outotec for this project because, in addition to safety, the shortest possible shutdown time was the most important criteria, and we could deliver exactly that. While Aurubis originally expected a schedule of 55-57 days, Outotec’s early assessment showed that 54 days would be possible. Indeed, through eight months of plan-ning and sixteen iterations of schedule optimization, our shutdown planning experts, working together with
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 14
Aurubis Pirdop project colleagues, were able to achieve 54 days, a new record for Pirdop. What’s more, safety targets (zero harm) and other project goals, especially quality and cost, were met during this complex shutdown.
Smelter production reached full capacity faster than antici-pated. “We owe this to the quality performance of the repairs and the hard work of our colleagues,” remarked Aurubis Technical Director Nikolay Nedelchev, speaking about the furnace and all of the other areas affected by the shutdown.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
The shutdown project was so succesful that it prompted Aurubis CEO, Jürgen Schachler, to say, “I was pleased to hear that we carried out our shutdown in Pirdop … as scheduled, and that our employees completed this very ambitious task so successfully”.
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 15
ELECTROCHEMICAL WATER TREATMENT IN AN EASY-TO-USE SOLUTIONOutotec EWT combines our unique understanding of water treatment, process design, electrolysis, and hydromet-allurgy in an easy-to-use solution that delivers efficient performance with minimal manual intervention and main-tenance. The system can process wastewater containing a diverse range of impurities using only electricity and a combination of electrode materials. Furthermore, the modular design makes it both easy to transport and easily scalable.
Benefits• Fast, efficient water treatment and lower residual
impurities compared to conventional processes• Modular design supports easy relocation and
expansion• Highly automated process minimizes personnel
requirements and enables remote operation and monitoring
• No need to procure or handle chemicals
Easy to install, operate and relocateThe modular design of Outotec electrochemical water treatment (EWT) makes it easy to install, dismantle, and relocate. The system has been developed based on our understanding of typical customer challenges with conventional precipitation treatment. While it features standardized, prefabricated components that support ‘plug-and-play’ operation, each solution is customized according to the individual water treatment requirements of your site.
The system is designed to be easy to operate, with a high level of automation.
This makes it possible for personnel who are not experts in water treatment to run the process. Remote operation is also possible – a significant advantage at sites that are difficult to access.
The modular EWT concept can be scaled to suit various kinds of operations, from a single unit that can be added to as requirements increase, to complete plant solutions for larger volumes. Outotec EWT has the flexibility to adapt to changes in the size, scope, and even the location of your water treatment requirements for the lifetime of your operations.
Outotec SEAP Customer eNewsletter 3/2016 16
Cost effective, sustainable water treatmentPreventing water contamination is an important issue for companies in the mining and minerals processing industry as they increasingly focus on finding ways to minimize the envi-ronmental impact of their operations. Drainage from surface and underground mines, wastewaters from beneficiation, surface run-off, and acid mine drainage (AMD) are all poten-tial sources of contamination.
These different types of wastewaters can contain a diverse range of impurities, including oxyanions like arsenic, sele-nium, and antimony; trace metals like copper, cadmium, nickel, and zinc; as well as sulfates, nitrates, and cyanides.
ApplicationsThe Outotec EWT process is suitable for the following applications: • Removal of arsenic, selenium, antimony, and other
oxyanions• Removal of metals such as copper, nickel, and zinc• Oxidation and removal of inorganic and organic
compounds
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Lower initial investment
Less equipment required means a lower initial
Lower installation costCompact footprint makes installation
straightforward and
Lower life-cycle cost
Cost-efficient process reduces operating
Lower energy consumption
Energy-efficient process is more environmentally sustainable
KEY BENEFITS OVER CONVENTIONAL PRECIPITATION TREATMENT
Complimentary products• Outotec OKTOP® reactors for pretreatment, addi-
tional chemical precipitation, or post-treatment• Complete dosing systems for coagulation and
flocculation• Clarifiers and thickeners• Dissolved air flotation• Pressure and vacuum-belt filters• Liquid and polishing filters • Screens, filters, microfiltration, membranes• Sand filters
Complimentary services• Laboratory-scale test work, on-site piloting• Conceptual and feasibility studies• Basic and detailed engineering• Development of water treatment solutions for entire
processes• Replacement of electrode packs and other spare and
wear parts
