ABB has been awarded a contract valued at over $19 million by Copper Mountain Mining Corp, to deliver energy efficient drive systems for the Copper Mountain project in Canada. Located in southern British Columbia, the Copper Mountain mine had produced 1,700 Mlb of copper before it closed in 1996. Copper Mountain is building a new mill and re-opening the mine, with production expected to begin in 2011. Annual output is estimated at 105 Mlb of copper in the first five years.
ABB’s scope of supply for the project includes three variable speed drive systems for a dual pinion SAG mill and two ball mills. Each low speed drive system has power of 2 x 6,340 kW at 200 rpm. ABB is also providing MV ACS6000 multidrives, motors and transformers as well as an E-house including motor control centre (MCC) and control systems for the mill auxiliary, and related project and engineering services.
Variable speed operation optimises the grinding process and is ideal for ores with varying grinding properties. This leads to significant optimisation potential for the plant design, as well as for its operation. Variable speed drives use less electricity, providing significant energy and operating cost savings, as well as high system efficiency and high system availability.
“Innovative energy saving ABB technologies, such as our variable speed drive systems, combined with our industry knowledge and experience, provide our minerals and mining customers with the solutions and support they need to significantly improve their productivity, energy efficiency and process reliability,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division.
ABB’s variable speed mill drives use direct torque control (DTC) to deliver precise and strong torque control during start up and during cascading of the material. DTC technology extends gear life up to 30%, by reducing wear and tear. ABB’s dedicated mill control system allows for smooth starts, reducing stress on the equipment and features critical monitoring during the starting period, protecting the mill against damage by the dropping of a frozen charge. Torque and load sharing between motors is adjusted, as needed, 40,000 times per second, minimising backlash.
