B&W Mechanical Handling Limited has recently commissioned its second major project in South America within the last 18 months. Following on the successful installation of its mobile shiploader at Port of Salaverry in Peru, the company has now supplied a fully integrated system to AMEC International Chile to handle copper concentrate.AMEC is providing engineering and project management services to the Carmen de Andacollo project in Chile. AMEC’s project scope included a 55,000 t/d concentrator with tailings and ancillary facilities and its involvement started in the early planning stages, followed by feasibility design and engineering, procurement and construction management services. The concentrator was completed during 2009.
The Carmen de Andacollo mine is located in central Chile, adjacent to the town of Andacollo, approximately 55 km southeast of La Serena and 350 km north of Santiago. The mine is located near the southern limit of the Atacama Desert at an elevation of 1,000 m. The contract also included the construction of new shiploading facilities at the nearby Port of Coquimbo to out load the copper concentrate at rates up to 1,000 t/h.
“B&W enjoys the benefits of being fully integrated into the substantial and respected International Aumund Group with strategically placed offices in more than 10 countries and representatives in over 40,” says Aumund.
The integrated system supplied to AMEC comprises three main equipment types; i) a 36 m boom, rubber-tyred mobile shiploader, ii) a mobile telescopic link conveyor with radial travel having a closed length of 26 m and extendable to 41 m and iii) a fixed length link conveyor 20 m long. Working in combination these allow material which has been transported to the quay area on a fixed conveyor system to be transferred efficiently in to the vessels. The effective linear travel capability for the system is around 100 m.
This totally mobile system provides maximum operational flexibility and enables trouble free loading at any point into a 50,000 DWT vessel. The equipment can be easily withdrawn from the key side and stowed when not in use retaining the multiuse berth functionality for other commodities and vessel types. The deflected boom arrangement supported mid-span on hydraulic lift cylinders giving an elevation of 15 to 30o, enables efficient loading into a variety of vessel sizes up to a freeboard height from the quay of 13.4 m and beam of 30 m.
Full mobility is achieved by the inclusion of an on-board 110 kW diesel generator/electric drive combination power pack and B&W’s unique ‘New Generation Travel’ wheel system. In addition to the powered in-line and parallel travel offered on all machines this new system provides infinite combinations of wheel alignment enabling extra features of radial boom slewing and multi-angle crabbing. This is achieved by independently moveable and rotating wheel assemblies controlled via a PLC.
At the shiploader delivery-end accurate ship trimming is achieved through a steel Telescopic Trimming Chute with a variable fore and aft angle range of plus/minus 30o. At the base of the Telescopic Trimming Chute is a hydraulically driven 360o radial trimmer. Dust is controlled throughout the system by the inclusion of dust extraction units located at the tail transfer point and the head end discharge position. Dust covers provide additional protection over the length of the conveyors.
Since no special civil works are required the Mobile Shiploader may operate on any suitable existing quay area or river berth using existing infrastructure thus drastically reducing the capital cost of a new export facility with the further benefit of fast track availability. The flexibility and fast track availability offered by mobile equipment allows the port operator to react to changing market conditions taking advantage of often short term contracts. Aumund asys that “in a rapidly changing export commodity market, the Mobile Option may be confidently selected in the knowledge that the equipment may be easily relocated or even resold if a contract is terminated.”