Metso Minerals assembled crushers save time and improve safety for iron ore concentrator in Western Australia at the Karara project. This is an integrated development of a magnetite deposit, to produce both high grade magnetite concentrate on-site and blast furnace quality pellets in northeast China. Karara is a worldclassorebody in terms of its scale, quality, consistency and extremely low waste. Its ore stripping ratio will result in relatively low mining costs.
Karara is being developed by Gindalbie Metals, an independent Australian iron ore company based in Perth, through a 50:50 joint venture with AnSteel, one of China’s leading steel and iron ore companies. The use of three MP1000 secondary cone crushers supplied by Metso is a key aspect of the Karara operation. Part of what makes this supply so interesting is that Metso delivered the crushers fully assembled to the site, which is made possible because there are no logistical restrictions.
“Crushers are typically supplied in various pieces, sourced from around the world, and assembled on site,” explains Neil Rackham, project manager at Metso’s Perth office. “In this case we consolidated the parts in Geraldton on the west coast of Australia so that the crushers could be pre-assembled, and then delivered to the site in assembled form.” In addition to delivering the machine, Metso offers service and ultimately provides added value to the project.
Rackham points out the many benefits that the customer derives from this process. “First and foremost,” he says, “there is the element of safety. Assembly work is safer in a workshop environment where workers have better control and are familiar with their surroundings and potential local hazards. And obviously they have all the necessary equipment for assembling the parts and preparing the finished crusher for shipping.”
Equally important is the cleanliness of the work environment, allowing the assembly to be conducted without delays from rain and other adverse weather conditions. The clean workshop is also better suited to the assembly of high precision parts which need to be assembled free of dust.
“The work is carried out by one of Metso’s partners,” says Rackham. “We have a long-established relationship with them and we can easily address any issues, such as identifying and locating parts, with no impact on the customer’s installation schedule. ”
An important cost-saving aspect of Metso’s approach is the elimination of expensive on-site labour costs, as well as the travel and lodging expenses of putting an assembly crew at the concentrator. “It can take up to four months to assemble a crusher onsite with Metso assistance;” says Rackham. “But with the pre-assembly it only takes a day or two to position the crusher once it’s delivered. With so many different people trying to access the cranes and other equipment at the site, the benefit to the customer in their planning and time management is invaluable. Plus, many of the typical hazards of assembling on a site are eliminated.”
Once the crusher is assembled, the job of transporting the 157 t machine then becomes the challenge. Metso already had experience with this, having already delivered five assembled crushers to other customers in Western Australia. “Our method is quite simple, but it’s elegant,” explains Rackham. “We assemble the crusher on elevated stands that are wide enough to straddle a trailer. We reverse the trailer, which has a hydraulic loading system, under the stand. We then raise the trailer until it takes the load, then lower it back down to road level again once the crusher is secure. We don’t even need a crane and the whole operation only takes a couple of hours.”
Because the crusher is a high-point load on the trailer, beams are spread along the length of the trailer, which has 16 axles with eight wheels per axle. This allows even distribution of the weight of the crusher, which is then transported the 250km due east from Geraldton to the site at Karara.
When speaking of the customer’s reasons for choosing Metso, Rackham notes that it was largely the crusher’s reputation and Metso’s experience that made the sale. “We’ve been in the business for a long time,” he says, “and we care about what we do. We have the most experience with these types of large crushers and we feel we’re the best. Then we back it up with worldclass support and service.”
He goes on to point out that the customer was also influenced by Metso’s ability to deliver a pre-assembled machine. “Knowing that any issues would be handled directly by Metso was an important consideration for the customer,” he says. “We could save them time, money and logistical headaches.”
