- Opencast mine
1
China
2x spreader ST10000.60
boom length 60 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1800 mm
overburden 10000 t/h - Processing plant2
Opencast mine
Uzbekistan
1x spreader ST12100.60
boom length 60 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1200 mm
dumping height 22 m
overburden 12100 t/h, 8100 m³/h - Opencast mine3
Kosovo
2x spreader [P3M/P4M] A2Rs-B5200.55
refurbishing, crawler mounted cable drum
boom length 55 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1800 mm
dumping height 17 m
overburden 7280 t/h, 5200 m³/h - Opencast mine4
Chile
1x spreader ST2400.20
compact-type with trailer bridge
relocation from Minera Escondida to Minera Cerro Colorado
boom length 20 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1000 mm (42'')
dumping height 8 m
belt drive 132 kW
copper ore 2400 t/h, 1900 m³/h - Processing plant5
Opencast mine
Russia
1x spreader ST1700.140
boom length 140 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1200 mm
dumping height 30 m
overburden 1700 t/h, 1380 m³/h - Opencast mine6
Greece
1x spreader ST18000.70R
boom length 70 m
belt width of boom conveyor 2400 mm
dumping height 18 m
overburden 18000 t/h, 12000 m³/h - Mine7
Turkey
1x spreader ST560.16R
compact-type
boom length 16 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1000 mm
height of pile 5 m
slewing angle +/-60 °
nickel ore 560 t/h, 450 m³/h - Processing plant8
Mine
Chile
1x spreader ST3500.40
compact-type
boom length 40 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1219 mm (48'')
dumping height 15 m
leached copper ore 3500 t/h, 1950 m³/h - Processing plant9
Mine
Chile
1x spreader ST4200.55
compact-type
boom length 55 m
belt width of boom conveyor 1524 mm (60'')
dumping height 6 m
copper oxide 4200 t/h, 2700 m³/h - Opencast mine10
Germany
1x spreader [1102] A2Rs-B15400.120
refurbishing upgrading
boom length 120 m
belt width of boom conveyor 2500 mm
dumping height 33 m
overburden 34000 t/h, 20000 m³/h
In 2003 the Chilean copper producer BHP Billiton was planning a new leaching system for the copper mine SPENCE in Northern Chile. In 2004 BHP charges FAM Förderanlagen Magdeburg with the turnkey erection of this complex system. For the planned commission by August 2006 FAM had to deliver and assemble about 7500 tonnes of materials handling technology including the trial operation. Despite this short period it succeeded completely with the result of a stable copper production since August 2006.
This characteristic Chilean technology of copper production is based on the leaching process of copper ore by requiring a systematically and technologically handling of huge bulk material masses. In addition to the required conveying systems and facilities the complex control engineering for the automatic operation mode had been delivered and installed by FAM Förderanlagen Magdeburg. While the FAM parent company in Germany engineered and manufactured the more complicated structural steel elements, basic steelwork was contracted out mostly to Chilean suppliers. The electrical and process control and instrumentation systems incorporating advanced features such as GPS, WLAN und ZEDAS, a complex condition and event monitoring facility, were developed and built by GPA, a Magdeburg based FAM subsidiary.
This characteristic Chilean technology of copper production is based on the leaching process of copper ore by requiring a systematically and technologically handling of huge bulk material masses. In addition to the required conveying systems and facilities the complex control engineering for the automatic operation mode had been delivered and installed by FAM Förderanlagen Magdeburg. While the FAM parent company in Germany engineered and manufactured the more complicated structural steel elements, basic steelwork was contracted out mostly to Chilean suppliers. The electrical and process control and instrumentation systems incorporating advanced features such as GPS, WLAN und ZEDAS, a complex condition and event monitoring facility, were developed and built by GPA, a Magdeburg based FAM subsidiary.
| Crawler-mounted conveyor system with tripper car, 3,500 tonnes/h of copper ore |
For leaching the produced copper oxides and sulfides, already crushed and pretreated, are discharged onto two separate large piles (2,5 x 1 km). These piles reach a maximum height of 10m. The leaching process is effected by acid, which is supplied via pipelines passing through the piles. It dissolves the copper contained in the ore. The acid is recovered in a drainage system and fed to the electrolysis plant where copper is extracted.
The SPENCE mine uses dynamic piles for an effective utilization of the huge stockyard area. The piles are continuously reclaimed after finishing the leaching and subsequently rebuilt with fresh or. The leached material „Ripios“ is conveyed to the final storage by a dumping system.
FAM’s scope of supplies included the following main items:
1 crawler-mounted stockpiling belt conveyor (300 m long) for the copper oxide pile
1 crawler-mounted stockpiling belt conveyor (425 m long) for the copper sulfide pile
1 crawler-mounted recovery belt conveyor (300 m long) for the copper oxide pile
1 bucket wheel reclaimer
1 spreader on crawlers
1 belt wagon on crawlers
4 stationary conveyor systems, total length 5,700 m
1 shiftable conveyor system, 950 m long
5 tripper cars
2 hopper cars
The SPENCE mine uses dynamic piles for an effective utilization of the huge stockyard area. The piles are continuously reclaimed after finishing the leaching and subsequently rebuilt with fresh or. The leached material „Ripios“ is conveyed to the final storage by a dumping system.
FAM’s scope of supplies included the following main items:
1 crawler-mounted stockpiling belt conveyor (300 m long) for the copper oxide pile
1 crawler-mounted stockpiling belt conveyor (425 m long) for the copper sulfide pile
1 crawler-mounted recovery belt conveyor (300 m long) for the copper oxide pile
1 bucket wheel reclaimer
1 spreader on crawlers
1 belt wagon on crawlers
4 stationary conveyor systems, total length 5,700 m
1 shiftable conveyor system, 950 m long
5 tripper cars
2 hopper cars
Stockpiling system
Ore is crushed and chemically preconditioned at the agglomeration plant and subsequently conveyed by a longitudinal conveyor to the stockpile.
A tripper car transfers the material supplied by the belt conveyor running along the pile to a crawler-mounted conveyor system, which moves along the length of pile. This in turn carries a tripper car with a cross belt for stockpiling the material systematically in one line after another. This way continuous operation is ensured and the required highly accurate pile shape (achieved with GPS control) is built up.
Depending on the material to be conveyed it is fed either to the oxide pile with a width of 245m or to the sulfide pile with a width of 375m.
For operation on the sulfide pile, the tripper car is switched over to through delivery. As a result, the material is delivered to a second belt conveyor running along the pile. The further operation is effected as mentioned above.
A tripper car transfers the material supplied by the belt conveyor running along the pile to a crawler-mounted conveyor system, which moves along the length of pile. This in turn carries a tripper car with a cross belt for stockpiling the material systematically in one line after another. This way continuous operation is ensured and the required highly accurate pile shape (achieved with GPS control) is built up.
Depending on the material to be conveyed it is fed either to the oxide pile with a width of 245m or to the sulfide pile with a width of 375m.
For operation on the sulfide pile, the tripper car is switched over to through delivery. As a result, the material is delivered to a second belt conveyor running along the pile. The further operation is effected as mentioned above.
| Crawler-mounted conveyor system with tripper car, 3,500 tonnes/h of copper ore |
Both piles have a designed stacking capacity of 3,500 tonnes/h and an average rated capacity per day of 50,000 tonnes of copper ore.
After stacking the final length of pile, the crawler-mounted conveyors swing round in a half circle to the side opposite the belt conveyors running along the piles and continue operation. In doing so, these crawler-mounted conveyors traverse the underfloor sections of the belt conveyors running along the piles in a clockwise direction.
The specific design of the crawler-mounted conveyors makes few demands on subgrade building. The crawler-mounted conveyors of the SPENCE project include novel function and control principles applicated for the first time. Individual crawler undercarriages now incorporate new features, which make it easy to compensate differences in level and inclination in every direction. The positions of the entire mobile conveyor can be adjusted at any time, even lengthwise. The system is insensitive to temperature so that belts run with a high degree of reliability.
After stacking the final length of pile, the crawler-mounted conveyors swing round in a half circle to the side opposite the belt conveyors running along the piles and continue operation. In doing so, these crawler-mounted conveyors traverse the underfloor sections of the belt conveyors running along the piles in a clockwise direction.
The specific design of the crawler-mounted conveyors makes few demands on subgrade building. The crawler-mounted conveyors of the SPENCE project include novel function and control principles applicated for the first time. Individual crawler undercarriages now incorporate new features, which make it easy to compensate differences in level and inclination in every direction. The positions of the entire mobile conveyor can be adjusted at any time, even lengthwise. The system is insensitive to temperature so that belts run with a high degree of reliability.
Reclaiming system
| FAM bucket wheel reclaimer – compact design, capacity 4,000 tonnes/h Ripios |
After a procedural caused idle period the leached ore is reclaimed for dumping on a final pile.
During reclaiming operation, a bucket wheel reclaimer picks up the leached ore in bench-type operation, line after line. Via mobile hopper car the ore is transferred over a crawler-mounted conveyor system to the belt conveyor running along the pile to take the material away.
After a procedural caused idle period the leached ore is reclaimed for dumping on a final pile.
During reclaiming operation, a bucket wheel reclaimer picks up the leached ore in bench-type operation, line after line. Via mobile hopper car the ore is transferred over a crawler-mounted conveyor system to the belt conveyor running along the pile to take the material away.
During reclaiming operation, a bucket wheel reclaimer picks up the leached ore in bench-type operation, line after line. Via mobile hopper car the ore is transferred over a crawler-mounted conveyor system to the belt conveyor running along the pile to take the material away.
After a procedural caused idle period the leached ore is reclaimed for dumping on a final pile.
During reclaiming operation, a bucket wheel reclaimer picks up the leached ore in bench-type operation, line after line. Via mobile hopper car the ore is transferred over a crawler-mounted conveyor system to the belt conveyor running along the pile to take the material away.
| Pile reclamation using bucket wheel reclaimer and crawler-mounted belt conveyor |
Copper ore stockpiling and the subsequent pile reclamation are continuous and dynamic processes. In practice, new ore is piled on the same pile shortly after spent material has been reclaimed so as to make efficient use of available pile capacity.
When they reach the end of a pile, the crawler-mounted conveyors swing round in a half circle to the side opposite the belt conveyors running along the piles and continue operation. In doing so, these crawler-mounted conveyors traverse the underfloor sections of the belt conveyors running along the piles in a clockwise fashion.
The specific design of the crawler-mounted conveyors makes few demands on subgrade building. Individual crawler undercarriages now incorporate new features, which make it easy to compensate differences in level and inclination in every direction. The positions of the entire mobile conveyor can be corrected at any time, even lengthwise. The system is insensitive to temperature so that belts run with a high degree of reliability.
When they reach the end of a pile, the crawler-mounted conveyors swing round in a half circle to the side opposite the belt conveyors running along the piles and continue operation. In doing so, these crawler-mounted conveyors traverse the underfloor sections of the belt conveyors running along the piles in a clockwise fashion.
The specific design of the crawler-mounted conveyors makes few demands on subgrade building. Individual crawler undercarriages now incorporate new features, which make it easy to compensate differences in level and inclination in every direction. The positions of the entire mobile conveyor can be corrected at any time, even lengthwise. The system is insensitive to temperature so that belts run with a high degree of reliability.
Maintenance and service
| FAM mobile compact spreader for "Ripios“ dumping, 4,000 t/h |
The leach pad system for copper oxide at the SPENCE mine has given reliable operation since August 2006. The agreed performance data has been achieved. In the meantime copper sulfide system and conveying route for Ripios are in full operation.
The entire facility has been designed for easy maintenance, with a high level of component standardization to reduce the number of spare parts to a minimum. This includes individual parts, drive assemblies and even complete undercarriages.
Diagnostic data for the most important drive assemblies is centrally collected by a teleservice station as a base for ZEDAS, a condition and event monitoring system, which uses these system parameters (transmitted by WLAN) to calculate servicing intervals and data for necessary maintenance and repairs, and even forecasts potential defect spots. Faults can also be diagnosed retroactively.
A CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) system has been installed using a large number of Ethernet-capable cameras and workstations, which are linked via another wireless network. The images of each camera are fed to the network and may be recorded or reproduced at any internal or external workstation.
A three-year maintenance contract for the facility described has been awarded to the Chilean company FAM América Latina Ltda., a wholy owned subsidiary of FAM GmbH.
The entire facility has been designed for easy maintenance, with a high level of component standardization to reduce the number of spare parts to a minimum. This includes individual parts, drive assemblies and even complete undercarriages.
Diagnostic data for the most important drive assemblies is centrally collected by a teleservice station as a base for ZEDAS, a condition and event monitoring system, which uses these system parameters (transmitted by WLAN) to calculate servicing intervals and data for necessary maintenance and repairs, and even forecasts potential defect spots. Faults can also be diagnosed retroactively.
A CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) system has been installed using a large number of Ethernet-capable cameras and workstations, which are linked via another wireless network. The images of each camera are fed to the network and may be recorded or reproduced at any internal or external workstation.
A three-year maintenance contract for the facility described has been awarded to the Chilean company FAM América Latina Ltda., a wholy owned subsidiary of FAM GmbH.