thyssenkrupp provides new Crushing and Overland Conveying System for Cuajone Copper Mine in Peru

• New system combines one of the largest semi-mobile crushing plants and an overland conveyor equipped with the largest gearless conveyor drives built to date
• Significant reduction in operating costs and energy consumption
• Service network in South America to be expanded

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, the engineering and construction specialist within the thyssenkrupp Group, has won a contract from the Southern Peru Copper Corporation to supply a primary crushing and overland conveying system. The new system will be installed at the Cuajone copper mine in Peru, which has been in operation since 1976, to transport ore from the open pit mine to the concentrator. It will replace the existing long railway haulage system and is expected to start operating in 2016. The contract awarded to thyssenkrupp includes engineering, procurement and construction supervision as well as commissioning support of the complete in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) system to process run of mine copper ore.

Christof Brewka, Head of Operating Unit Mining, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions: “The new crushing and conveying system will significantly reduce operating costs and energy consumption as well as emissions. This makes it a good example for our leading customized solutions for the mining industry which provide added value for our customers while at the same time helping to conserve natural resources.”

Zlatan Azinovic, CEO of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Peru): “As part of our global growth strategy, we are further strengthening our footprint in South America. Our service center in Peru enables us to provide better and faster services to our customers in the local mining, minerals and cement industries. Only recently we have also invested into new service centers in Brazil and Chile.”

As part of the new order, thyssenkrupp is supplying a semi-mobile crushing plant with discharge, transfer and two overland conveyors with a capacity of 120,000 tons of crushed ore per day transported to the existing coarse ore stockpile. The copper ore will be fed directly into a semi-mobile crushing plant located in the mine. Truck ramps made of sectional steel modules provide access for mine trucks with payload up to 360 metric tons. The crushing plant’s main service and operating areas, including electrical infrastructure, will be physically separated and independent from the truck dumping level, which will significantly reduce vibration, dust and noise levels. The semi-mobile design is especially suitable for mine sites affected by frequent seismic activities.

The 63” – 114” heavy duty thyssenkrupp gyratory crusher with its 1,200 kW direct drive takes the feed material from the feed hopper and reduces the run-of-mine copper ore to the required product size. The crushed ore is extracted from the surge bin underneath the crusher by means of a heavy duty low speed belt feeder. The 2,800 mm wide ST 1800 conveyor will run at a nominal speed of 1.5 m/s and is powered by one 800 kW conventional drive and a variable-frequency drive (VFD). A 400 m long sacrificial conveyor carries the crushed ore from the semi-mobile crushing plant and crusher discharge conveyor to two overland conveyors spanning the 7.5 km distance to the coarse ore stockpile.

The first of the two overland conveyors will be 1830 mm wide with ST 6800 belting and will run at 6.2 m/s. It is powered by two 6,000 kW Siemens gearless drives. The largest of their kind in the world, these conveyor drives utilize Siemens Integrated Drive System technology to provide a high level of availability (exceeding 99%) by eliminating many of the traditional conveyor drive components such as reducers, couplings, and motor bearings and their associated maintenance times and costs. The applied technology not only significantly increases the capability of overland conveyors for ever-higher capacity requirements and higher speed applications, but it also leads to reduced overall energy consumption and higher efficiency of these conveying systems.

The Gearless Drive System has been developed in cooperation by thyssenkrupp and Siemens and was first installed in the Prosper-Haniel coal mine in Germany in 1985. This technology has been proven by a long list of successfully completed projects, with ongoing research and development.

More recent gearless drive conveying projects provided by thyssenkrupp include the dual 3,800 kW gearless driven conveyor for Glencore’s Antapaccay mine in Peru, five 5,000 kW gearless drives for an overland conveyor system in Chile, and the overland conveyors powered by four 4,400 kW gearless drives for the MMG Las Bambas mine in Peru.

A full range of specialist engineering and construction services and a shipbuilding history stretching back centuries are the strengths of the Industrial Solutions business area. High-quality engineering is at the center of our success. Global project management skills, first-class system integration expertise, reliable procurement and supplier management, and a service offering meeting the highest standards form the basis for lasting customer satisfaction. Around 19,000 employees at over 70 locations form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees maximum productivity and cost-efficiency.

More information at: www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com