Tag Archives: Los Bronces

Highfield Resources engages EPOS-TUNELAN joint venture for Muga potash decline work

Highfield Resources has signed an agreement with the Portuguese/Spanish joint venture, EPOS-TUNELAN, to carry out the declines and underground mining infrastructure on the Muga-Vipasca potash project in Spain.

EPOS-TUNELAN, the joint venture formed by mining specialist contractors EPOS-Empresa Portuguesa de Obras Subterráneas S.A. and TUNELAN-Obras Subterráneas S.A., is expected to use trackless mobile equipment for both decline excavations. Three roadheaders and one conventional excavator in combination with a boom jumbo and two bolters will be utilised for excavation, face drilling and rockbolting. While four 30 t low-profile mining haul trucks and one 14 t LHD will be used to transport material to surface.

The development excavation will be supported by sprayed concrete and rock bolts, with the thickness of sprayed concrete and bolt spacing having been determined by the geological surveys developed by the drilling undertaken and will be confirmed during construction with specific scheduled horizontal drilling.

The value of the decline contract is €48 million ($52.5 million) which represents 11% of the phase 1 capital expeniture of €449 million and just under a third of the total planned contract-construction budget for Muga-Vipasca.

Muga-Vipasca is a two-phase project, which will produce a total of 1 Mt/y of muriate of potash, according to Highfield. It plans to use conventional underground room and pillar mining, with the declines accessing shallow
mineralisation. The material will then undergo conventional flotation and crystallisation processing.

The contracting strategy for the project will employ an owner-managed project delivery model that envisages the construction of the declines and the underground mining infrastructure to be undertaken by a specialist mining contractor and the civil works by a general contractor.

The scope of the EPOS-TUNELAN contract covers:

  • The construction of two parallel declines, each 2.6-km long, with a cross section of 32 sq.m and a 15% slope to access the mineralisation at a depth of 350 m;
  • The construction of crosscuts that connect the parallel declines and a bypass gallery for the mine’s main fans;
  • The construction of the declines’ pumping stations, which will be used to collect and pump out any water that could infiltrate into the declines;
  • The construction of the surface facilities to treat the fresh and saline water collected in the declines during construction;
  • The construction of the underground mining infrastructure, which includes 2 km of underground drifts within the potash deposit to access the production panels, and where the principal conveyor belts will
    be located;
  • The ore transfer room, where ore is transferred via conveyor belts from the various mining areas to the main decline conveyor belt, hauling the ore directly to the process plant;
  • The electrical room, from where the electrical network will be connected to the mine;
  • The backfill transfer room, where the backfilling material is distributed to the different conveyor belts and transported to the different mining areas; and
  • Other facilities such as the water tank room, from where the brine water network will be distributed to the mine.

The design and engineering of the declines and underground infrastructure was developed by international engineering company Systra-Subterra, which specialises in underground projects. Systra-Subterra, which has wokeed on mines like Los Bronces and Chuquicamata in Chile, will provide technical support and supervision during the construction of the declines and underground infrastructure at Muga.

The duration of the construction agreed with EPOS-TUNELAN covers 26 months and is consistent with the overall schedule of the project.

Once the bottom of the declines is reached, the main conveyor belt will be installed in the eastern decline, which will allow the continuation of the excavation works for the infrastructure by hauling the material directly
to the surface.

Highfield and EPOS-TUNELAN are negotiating the purchase of equipment which is suitable not only for the declines’ construction but for mining as well, especially road headers, trucks, loader and bolters, among
others.

Works are expected to commence in the first half of this year upon completion of funding and a final investment decision.

Rolls-Royce truck engine repower project lowers emissions at Los Bronces

Rolls-Royce Solutions and its Chile-based distributor Detroit Chile S.A. have helped lower emissions associated with Anglo American’s Los Bronces haulage operation thanks to a strategic engine repowering project on its 30-strong fleet of Komatsu 930E haul trucks.

The project for Los Bronces, a copper mine in Chile, originated with the mining company looking to comply with incoming emission guidelines for mine operations, as well as Anglo American’s own plans to make operations increasingly sustainable over the long term.

For the fleet at the Chile mine, the company was looking at engines to repower the trucks that would meet the emissions targets without compromising performance. Together with Detroit Chile S.A., the company found what it was looking for in the mtu Series 16V 4000 C05, which, in addition to significant emission savings, also offered other benefits for operations in the South American mine, Rolls-Royce says.

This project kicked off back in January 2018, with all 30 trucks in the fleet having now been equipped with mtu engines. An operating time of around 24,000 hours was calculated for each engine and, up to today, this fleet has surpassed 720,000 cumulative operating hours.

“Another and undoubtedly the biggest benefit of this repower project is the cleaner operation of these engines, or the tremendous reduction of emissions,” Rolls-Royce says. “To comply with local emissions regulations, the previous engines required to add a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to meet Tier 4 emissions. This includes additional maintenance and extra failure points that impact truck operation, the use of Diesel Exhaust Fluid and the potential for the catalyst to become contaminated at any time through regular operation of the truck, requiring replacement of the catalyst.

“Since the mtu engine meets Tier 4 emissions without the SCR system, this results in less downtime, less maintenance and lower operating costs.”

With the mtu Series 16V 4000 C05 engines, Anglo American is cutting CO2, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to Rolls-Royce. These engines comply with US EPA Tier 4 regulations, they consume less fuel than Tier 2 engines and still deliver the same power as previous engines.

Since the start of the repower project in January 2018, around 9,960 t of CO2, 91 t of particulate matter and over 3,000 t of nitrogen oxide have been eliminated, according to Rolls-Royce. As a result, the mining haul trucks meet local emission targets and bring Anglo Americans operations at the Los Bronces mine closer to the goal of net zero.

mtu Series 2000 and 4000 Tier 4 emission reduction technologies include a common rail injection platform, advanced electronics, two-stage turbocharging and exhaust gas recirculation

Rolls-Royce said: “An important factor in the decision for our solutions was the holistic approach: together with Detroit Chile S.A., we were able to provide engines, repower kits and ongoing comprehensive service that gets the most out of the mtu engine.

“The first of the trucks recently achieved over 24,000 hours of operating time, in mid-2023, and is still operating as expected. This proves the project is a strong, sustainable milestone not only for Anglo American, but also for other mining companies.

“The future has already begun and together, we are providing a cleaner future for the world.”

The Komatsu AZPG: bringing unique mining concepts to life

Seeing Komatsu’s Arizona Proving Grounds (AZPG) in person, it is easy to understand why the OEM is in a leading position when it comes to both surface mining automation and electrification.

The 660-acre (270-ha) facility is a living and breathing example of mining’s past, present and future; touring round, one can see 20-plus-year-old machines, the latest -5 ultra-class haul trucks and concept vehicles that will form the basis for future commercial autonomous and/or electric solutions.

These concept vehicles – at least when IM visited in November – included the company’s EVX battery proof of concept vehicle and the cabless IAHV autonomous mining truck concept.

The EVX is based off the basic 860E platform (a 254-t payload machine) and was shown off at MINExpo 2021. Prior to that, it had been testing out its all-battery power functionality at AZPG.

The IAHV, which debuted at MINExpo 2016, was developed by Komatsu as an unstaffed vehicle designed to maximise the advantages of such operation. It remains on show, with the company incorporating several learnings from this vehicle into its standard Electric Drive Trucks (EDT) and autonomous products.

Pat Singleton, Product Director, EDT, refers to AZPG as the “ultimate laboratory to be able to bring unique mining concepts to life”.

He added: “The testing we do at AZPG gives us the opportunity to reduce product development risk and take the validation process one step further before the products make it to the mine.”

The original focus at AZPG was the EDT product line, yet, as Komatsu has expanded its product offerings, more solutions continue to be tested or validated at the facility each year.

This testing is extensive, as was made obvious to IM while navigating an autonomous vehicle ‘assault course’ and hearing about new wet- and dry-disc brake trial combinations, higher speed tramming on autonomous haul trucks and more.

It is not just trucks subject to these try outs either, with hydraulic shovels, surface drill rigs, water trucks, dozers and other vehicles having a presence on site.

“If anything, the importance of AZPG has increased as technology has continued to evolve,” Singleton said. “AZPG allows for a single location to harmonise development efforts of all the Komatsu entities, providing research and development into our products.”

What’s more, the facility is located in Arizona’s renowned copper heartland.

This has been very useful for Komatsu, with Asarco’s Mission mine next door to the facility representing a real life mine site testing opportunity for solutions that have graduated from AZPG.

AZPG has 23 full-time staff, but its desk count is much higher, indicating the number of visitors and partners AZPG welcomes on a weekly basis from across the globe.

Some of these visitors include FrontRunner® autonomous haulage system (AHS) customers, who have, more recently, been invited to send operators to the facility for invaluable training ahead of planned autonomous deployments.

Anthony Cook, Vice President, Autonomous Systems, Mining Technology Solutions, told IM that this approach is enabling mining operations to leverage more of the benefits of AHS from day one of deployment, reducing the need to conduct a ‘soft start’ with the technology as operators come to terms with the transition from staffed to autonomous operations.

A representative from Komatsu’s dealer network was receiving training on the AHS system during IM’s visit, with Cook confirming another major mining customer and Komatsu distributors had sent operators to Arizona earlier in 2022 ahead of a planned deployment in 2023.

AHS developments are a key focus area for AZPG, with the on-site trucks testing out many different scenarios that customers could experience at their operations.

Software updates make up many of the ongoing FrontRunner AHS developments, but the company also continues to explore the use of more sensors and cameras on board its vehicles for obstacle detection and positioning. This is all geared towards improving visualisation, communication and safety, reducing potential false positives during operation and ultimately helping to improve productivity.

As for software upgrades to FrontRunner AHS, all developments are initially tested in a bench environment where the company can simulate the system. This may be within the former Modular Mining facility, also in Tucson, or at another one of Komatsu’s many testing hubs.

“Once it has passed virtual testing then final functional and stability testing is validated at AZPG before release to the customer,” Singleton said.

Some recent testing related to mixed fleet operations of staffed and autonomous trucks that originated in the lab to later emerge at AZPG has since led to a FrontRunner first at Anglo American’s Los Bronces mine in Chile.

The mining company only recently started its AHS deployment at the copper mine, initially going live with ten 930E-5 trucks, but Cook confirmed to IM that these vehicles are now interacting with staffed trucks in the mining environment.

“We’ve got off to a very strong start at Los Bronces, with Anglo American really embracing the technology and pushing it to its limits,” he said.

The full Los Bronces deployment could see 62 electric drive Komatsu 930E trucks running by 2024.

Those who visited MINExpo 2021 in Las Vegas will also remember the PC7000-11 shovel that was being teleremote operated live from the show, while the unit was over 600 km away at AZPG. This unit (above) is still positioned on site and the teleremote operation is continuing to be refined from inside the facility, with AutoSwing and AutoDump functions a few recent notable additions for improved operability.

Komatsu expects to replace this shovel with a backhoe version later this year, to also be teleremotely operated.

Trolley transformation

The first vehicle IM saw when driving up to AZPG was the EVX; its shiny yellow exterior providing the perfect contrast to the rich blue backdrop of the Tucson sky.

Since leaving Las Vegas in September 2021 and heading for Tucson, the company has made preparations to remove the small on-board battery which was displayed on the Komatsu stand and begin replacing it with a larger one from one of its integration partners.

The connectors for trolley were still on board and the team was awaiting final commissioning of the on-site trolley line ahead of further testing.

IM Editor Dan Gleeson (left) on site at AZPG with some of the Komatsu team

Singleton explained: “The EVX was a proof of concept to demonstrate that a large electric drive haul truck could be powered by a battery. Now that we better understand the ability of this technology to work in our EDT products, we must continue to advance the technology to drive increased performance and reduced operating costs.”

To date, Komatsu has continued with truck testing to learn how the various subsystems work with batteries while finalising its battery chemistry.

“We’ve also installed trolley infrastructure, which will allow us to conduct further testing on batteries and other alternative power sources,” Singleton said.

This infrastructure – made up of 39 poles that are ‘movable’ and ‘self-supporting’ – could support two 980E-5s running on the line at the same time.

Initially, it will support both the EVX and one 930E running in tandem.

The line itself is powered by a 9 MW substation, which Siemens and a local electrical and engineering company established.

The trolley course has been designed with a 60° corner to demonstrate to operators that this technology is for more than just straight hauls.

“This highlights the flexibility of the system and shows mining operators where the technology can already go today,” Cook said. “The concrete pillars, which can be moved with wheel loaders and other support equipment, are an indication that the trolley can ‘move with the mining’, too.”

Singleton said the next development for the EVX will focus on an increase in the battery capability and the investigation of proof of concept on a variety of static and dynamic charging options.

The trolley line will, no doubt, play a role in this testing, although it is not yet known if a single or hybrid power setup will be selected initially.

What is more certain, however, is the status of fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) testing on the EVX. Singleton said research into this area continues, yet a practical test where fuel cells and a battery were mounted on the chassis was some way off.

At this early stage, Singleton says the first commercial power-agnostic offering the company establishes will likely be diesel and/or diesel trolley.

He explained: “This approach delivers reduced risk to the overall portfolio by blending the power-agnostic chassis with a refined version of an existing technology (diesel engine + overhead dynamic trolley).”

“It also serves the secondary purpose of allowing battery technology the opportunity to mature from a performance perspective as we work to define overall truck fleet performance. Additionally, static and dynamic charging options (including development of an industry-standard connector) are within the scope of this product.”

And the first commercial power-agnostic truck will be in the 291 t (320 ton) class – the same size as a 930E – Singleton confirmed, adding that scalability was something being considered at every stage of the truck’s development.

“Scalability is the overall goal and is in alignment with the general power-agnostic approach to our design,” he said. “The major challenge will be the scalability of the energy storage componentry from a cost and performance standpoint. This is the primary driver behind the continued deliberate development cadence designed to give the battery technology time to mature over the intervening period before the design is finalised.”

When asked about fixed fast charging – a concept that has risen up the mine truck charging rankings of late with Charge On Innovation Challenge work from Hitachi Energy and a consortium led by Shell, respectively – Singleton referred to developments as a “two-way street” and a “work in progress”.

“Essentially those solutions need better definition and ‘mining proofing’ before we introduce them into AZPG,” he said. “Perhaps an opportunity exists to co-develop these technologies and improve speed to market but, again, this is still being defined.”

The trolley infrastructure at AZPG – made up of 39 poles that are ‘movable’ and ‘self-supporting’ – could support two 980E-5s running on the line at the same time, according to Komatsu

All this work sounds encouraging for those companies interested in adding to their ultra-size class truck fleets in the 2030s in line with industry-wide decarbonisation plans, but Komatsu customers looking to buy trucks today will be after future-proofed solutions.

Komatsu is all too aware of this and planning to provide a battery retrofit solution for its current -5 products, Singleton said.

GHG Alliance and beyond

As has been well documented, Komatsu has aligned with a core group of customers under its GHG Alliance to accelerate developments on the electric haulage front.

Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco, Boliden, Teck, Antofagasta Minerals SA and Freeport-McMoRan are key stakeholders within the alliance and will be keen to see what testing emerges on that trolley line into 2023.

While Singleton said the communication process with these customers was still being refined, he acknowledged AZPG’s role in future developments.

“There is no question AZPG will provide a critical backdrop to accelerating our efforts and streamlining our ability to communicate and advance the development progress with our customers,” he said.

Whether the company chooses to initiate an early-learner program like the other big yellow equipment maker it competes with is yet to be seen, with Singleton saying its plans will leverage the “Komatsu approach” regardless of what the competition is doing.

What is clear is that AZPG will continue to keep Komatsu on the leading edge of mobile mining equipment technology developments.

As evidence, Cook reeled off several ongoing projects the company was engaged in, including an autonomous water truck in Australia, automated dozers in Brazil and plans to semi-automate electric blasthole drills.

Going forward, another consideration will be the ability to integrate AHS with trolley operations.

“Komatsu, as an organisation, is committed to solving our customer’s and the industry’s challenges, and we will continue to leverage AZPG and the wider Komatsu network to do this,” Cook said.

Anglo American to fill almost half of Los Bronces mine water requirements with desalinated resource

Anglo American, following the signing of an agreement with Aguas Pacífico, a Chile-based water desalination and solutions provider, says it has secured desalinated water supply for its Los Bronces copper mine in Chile from 2025.

This pact will meet almost half of the mine’s water requirements, Anglo American says.

In this first phase, Anglo American will be supplied with desalinated water from a plant that is being built in the Valparaiso region by Aguas Pacífico. The water will be transported via pipeline
to the Las Tortolas plant from where it will be pumped up to the Los Bronces mine. Anglo American will also provide desalinated water to supply the nearby communities of Colina and Til
Til, benefiting approximately 20,000 people.

Ruben Fernandes, CEO of Anglo American’s Base Metals business, said: “Anglo American has set an ambition of reducing fresh water abstraction in water scarce regions by 50% by 2030. This agreement – which is the first phase of a larger and longer term integrated water project to eliminate our use of fresh water at our Los Bronces operation – is an important step towards
achieving that goal.

“The Central zone of Chile, where Los Bronces is located, has been impacted by a decade-long severe drought and this desalinated water will supply more than 45% of Los Bronces’ needs while also providing clean water to approximately 20,000 people in communities local to the operation.”

Anik Michaud, Group Director of Corporate Relations and Sustainable Impact at Anglo American, said: “Beyond this first phase, we are also planning an innovative swap scheme to provide desalinated water for human consumption in exchange for treated wastewater that will supply our operation. This would allow us to stop drawing any fresh water for Los Bronces – our ultimate goal.

“This innovative approach not only secures industrial water supply for our Los Bronces operation to sustain copper production, but also benefits local communities with the provision of clean water.”

Anglo’s digital vision for Quellaveco takes shape with Epiroc autonomous drill rig arrivals

Anglo American’s automation plans for its Quellaveco mine in Peru are starting to take shape, with its first automated trucks having started up in “pre-mining” mode last year and now automation-ready drills on site ahead of first ore production later this year.

The company’s most digital and autonomous mine yet, Quellaveco is expected to produce 300,000 t/y of copper over the first 10 years of the mine from an orebody that currently has around 1,300 Mt of reserves.

In the company’s December quarter production results today, it said construction of the project was progressing to plan, with first ore mined in October and first copper concentrate production expected in the middle of 2022.

In the first half of 2021, the operation started up four of a planned fleet of 27 autonomous Cat 794AC haul trucks as one element in a range of technologies that will help to make Quellaveco Anglo American’s first 100% digital mine.

Anglo American plans to deploy a fleet of 27 autonomous Cat 794AC haul trucks at Quellaveco

Now, the company has drill rigs on site that, by the end of this year, should be fully integrated into its in-country remote operations centre. The rigs – six fully autonomous Epiroc Pit Viper 351s and three tele-remote SmartRoc D65s – will eventually be overseen from this remote operations centre.

IM put some questions to Tito Cacho, General Manager of Quellaveco, to find out more about these rigs and what led to the planned automation leap at the mine.

IM: How did your experience with Epiroc on developing and implementing a new tele-remote drilling project at Los Bronces influence the decision to implement a fully autonomous drill fleet at Quellaveco? Did many of the people that implemented the Los Bronces project come over to Quellaveco?

TC: One of the objectives of Anglo American has been building a modern and fully digital mine at Quellaveco, incorporating the latest technologies to make this an even safer, productive and sustainable mining operation. A team of Anglo American engineers that were involved in the Los Bronces implementation have assisted in some aspects of the project in Quellaveco, bringing the benefits from our experience gained in Chile.

IM: What qualities does Quellaveco as an asset have in terms of applying autonomous drilling (aside from the fact it is a ‘greenfield mine’ you can design around automation)?

TC: We believe that Quellaveco will set a new standard. Through our experience with automation, the industry is driving towards safer and more reliable operations. This can make a significant difference not only to the mining operations itself but for our stakeholders who increasingly demand more sustainable operations.

Our team has been developing processes and procedures to build autonomy into the operational culture from day one. We are developing multifunctional skills in our operators and technicians, so that they learn about new roles and equipment operation, giving us the flexibility for people to work in any part of the process. The enthusiasm and willingness to learn and work with this new technology that we have seen in all the groups in Quellaveco has been an incredible asset.

IM: What other benefits stood out to you when evaluating fully autonomous drilling at the asset (safety, productivity, etc)?

TC: Safety is the primary benefit, and, as you know, is our most important value at Anglo American. We can distance an operator from areas of risk and put them in an environment that is safer, with less exposure to dust, noise and vibration. The operator becomes an autonomous drilling controller and is more comfortable and in a better ergonomic position. In addition, we have been able to improve the use, efficiency and precision of the equipment, and the ability to control multiple machines per person are notable benefits over manual operation.

Anglo plans to deploy six fully autonomous Epiroc Pit Viper 351s at the operation

IM: How easy is it to implement fully autonomous drilling operations in Peru from a regulatory perspective? How does it compare with other countries?

TC: Anglo American’s approach is engaging with regulatory authorities from the beginning, and that is what we have done in Peru. We believe our stakeholders see the advantages of having a modern and fully digital mine operating in the country, from a safety, efficiency and sustainability perspective.

IM: How many rigs out of the “multiple” drill rigs you ordered from Epiroc will be autonomous? What does the timeline look like from here in terms of them reaching their capacity? When will their control and oversight be integrated into the remote operations centre?

TC: Quellaveco will have six Pit Viper 351s that operate fully autonomously and three SmartRoc D65s that operate in tele-remote (operator controlled from a distance with some autonomous functions). We aim to integrate full control and oversight of the drill fleet into the remote operations centre by the second half of this year.

Anglo moves Los Bronces Pit Viper drilling operations to remote operations centre

Anglo American has launched the first Epiroc Pit Vipers operating at its Los Bronces copper mine in Chile to be remotely controlled from its Integrated Remote Operation Center (IROC) in Santiago.

These five drills are the first in Chile and Latin America to be operated from outside the designated mine site, with the company planning to have all five blasthole drills running by fully-autonomous means by 2022, Anglo American Chile said.

All five drills have automatic drilling systems, such as AutoDrill and self-levelling. These features allow the controller to set the target depth of a hole, with the machine automatically drilling, while the self-levelling function results in the machine automatically altering the hydraulics to level the equipment. The rigs are also fitted with a high-precision GPS system with automatic navigation system, which enables the drilling sequences to be carried out after the controller issues the relevant instructions.

The sensors and advanced control systems of this equipment allows the continuation of work routines with minimal human intervention, translating into increasingly safer operations, Anglo American Chile said.

These five rigs in question were previously operated from the Operational Management Room in the Los Bronces mine offices.

The automation initiative is part of a plan for the development and implementation of new technologies for mining at the Anglo American group level, all guided by the overarching FutureSmart Mining™ approach.

“With these innovations, the operation will become autonomous in its drilling cycles, without the intervention of an operator, manually or remotely, turning the operator into a system controller, and making this task much more efficient,” the company said (translated from Spanish).

Anglo has a 50.1% interest in the Los Bronces mine, which it manages and operates.

Anglo American renews clean energy plans in Chile

Enel Generacion Chile and Anglo American, this week, signed a contract that will see the mining company use only renewable electricity to power its Chile operations from 2021.

The contract, for a total consumption of up to 3 TWh/y, is the largest in its type for independent customers in Chile, Enel said.

Anglo, in Chile, operates the Los Bronces and El Soldado copper mines, as well as the Chagres smelter.

Paolo Pallotti, General Manager of Enel Chile, said: With our generation matrix, becoming cleaner all the time, we have the possibility of submitting more competitive and sustainable offers for our customers.

“We are the first renewable energies operator in Chile and we are convinced that promoting this type of energy, we go out to meet our customers and we make significant contribution to the country.”

Hennie Faul, Anglo American Executive Chairman for Copper, said: “We are working from different fields in order to contribute towards a healthy environment. Our objective is to continue reducing our emissions, and to achieve efficient operations that are more careful in respect to their surroundings.

“The signing of this contract adds to other actions we are undertaking along the same line, such as the installation of the first PV plant, built over a tailings pile and the incorporation of electric buses for the transportation of our employees.”

The agreement, signed today will take effect in 2021 and shall be in force for 10 years, Enel said.

Metso reduces downtime and improves safety in Kumba Kolomela crushing circuit

Kumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela mine in South Africa has reduced crusher liner replacement downtime and improved safety using a concave carousel and removal trays system provided by Metso, the mining equipment manufacturer reports.

Located in the Northern Cape Province, Kolomela contacted Metso for assistance in reducing its primary gyratory crusher concave liners replacement time.

The mine produces over 13 Mt/y of iron ore and is one of Kumba’s (majority-owned by Anglo American) largest operations in the country.

In mineral processing, crusher efficiency can be compromised over time, affecting production time and, most importantly, the safety of employees, Metso said. A major factor affecting crusher efficiency is the amount of downtime. The longer it takes to replace the wear parts inside the chamber of a primary gyratory crusher during a maintenance shutdown, the less uptime and, thus, less production. By reducing the number of lifts, the replacement can be done much faster and safer, according to Metso.

Kolomela approached Metso’s expert team to help it reduce the average downtime the operation encounters when replacing concave liners of their Superior SG60-110 primary gyratory crusher.

Metso’s Regional and Technical Support Manager Crusher Wears, Andrew Stones, said: “When the mine approached us with a request to help them speed up the process of changing the concave liners on the primary gyratory on site, they asked us to replicate the methodology that we once used at one of Anglo American’s major copper mines in South America, Los Bronces, which included the use of special tooling such as carousels and removal trays to remove the liners.

“Following the review of the Los Bronces system, we identified that we used different parts and installation methods not suitable for Kolomela’s operating model.”

Metso’s team looked at an alternative solution not only for different fixing arrangement on the carousels, but also changed parts. Instead of the mine having six rows of concaves to install, Metso reduced the rows to four. This minimised the installation time, according to Metso.

In addition to this, the team supplied Kolomela with removal trays – which enable a faster removal of the worn segments – as well as with modified attachments to help lift and install the carousels.

Metso’s solution has reportedly halved the downtime required for a concave liner change, but reduced downtime was not the only value add provided; the mine also reduced the injury exposure rate by 95%, according to the company.

Metso said: “Unlike the previous system that the mine used, which required people to be in the crusher when lowering each concave, Metso’s innovative carousel system provided optimised operating labour and safer installations. It is not dependent on human interaction.”

Kolomela’s Section Manager Engineering, Pieter Malan, said: “At Anglo American, we are unconditional about the safety of our colleagues. When the Metso team highlighted the safety element that the carousel methodology brings, it was indeed an added benefit and advantage. We understood, at that point, that Metso will also prioritise the safety and well-being of all individuals. There is no price on safety.”

Metso’s Vice President Mining, Africa and Middle East, Qasim Abrahams, said: “Previously, the Kolomela mine used 288 lifts to remove and install each concave liner; a process that has been identified as potentially hazardous work for the liner replacement team. Our new concave carousel concept reduced the lifts to 16, substantially improving both uptime and safety. The carousel allowed an entire tier of new concave segments to be lifted in place at once.”

Metso’s relationship with Kolomela was established in 2010, when the company provided the mine with the installation and commissioning of its crushers and the supply of original equipment manufacturer spare and wear parts. Other Metso equipment on site include two MP800 cone crushers and one MP1000 cone crusher.

Metso said: “The removal trays and carousel systems can be used on any primary gyratory crusher – Metso or third party.”

While this was a known and tested concept, this project required a completely new carousel and removal tray design and also new wear parts which included new concave liner design, patterns and trial castings, according to Metso.

Metso’s team of experts completed this project in six months, from customer order until delivery.