The main drive motor of the first huge ThyssenKrupp in-pit crusher at CITIC Pacific Mining’s Sino Iron project was operated for 30 minutes in July 2011, marking an important milestone for the Chinese-owned magnetite project near Cape Preston in Western Australia. The crusher is the first unit of a series of equipment to be commissioned as the process plant moves from the construction to commissioning phase in 2011/2012.

CITIC Pacific Mining stated: “This exciting milestone was witnessed by representatives from CPM, lead engineering, procurement and construction contractor MCC and its local sub-contractors, including TKF, Nilsen Resources and Programmed Construction and Maintenance.” CPM’s Executive Director – Projects Wenbiao Li was quoted as saying that reaching this point was very important to CPM and resulted from the collaborative efforts of all parties. “CPM’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction department is appreciative of the continuous contribution and firm commitments of suppliers, contractors and employees; without them, achieving this milestone would not be possible. We know their ongoing support and commitment will lead to the successful delivery of this world-class magnetite project.”

The frame for the second crusher is now being installed. While the third and fourth crushers are being assembled in China, the construction of the final two crusher slots will also be undertaken. Once in place and commissioned, each of the four in-pit crushers will have the capacity to crush 4,250 t/h of magnetite, making it the largest in-pit crushing system in Australia. During operations, the crushers will be fed by 363 t Unit Rig MT6300 AC trucks, originally delivered by Terex Mining but now part of Caterpillar. Each basic crusher is 21 m high and weighs 750 t but this increases to 1,400 t of total weight including all the associated mechanics and structures. Each crushing unit contains a ThyssenKrupp 63 in by 83 in gyratory crusher that will crush the magnetite to 145 mm.