DRC-based Boss Mining SPRL, owned by Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation PLC (ENRC PLC), one of the world's leading diversified natural resources groups, has awarded FLSmidth four different orders for equipment at its copper operation in Kakanda in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The value of this bundled equipment package makes it one of the largest orders placed with FLSmidth in South Africa for minerals processing equipment since its acquisition of Dorr-Oliver Eimco in 2007.
The bundled package comprises a mill contract and a gyratory crusher contract, both awarded in June 2011, and two contracts - for thickeners and flotation equipment respectively - signed in September 2011. Most of the equipment is scheduled to be on site at Kakanda by the third quarter of 2012 with installation starting before the end of that year leading into commissioning in 2013. "ENRC came to know of our full solution offering through a product directors' session that
FLSmidth hosted in 2010 to showcase the latest developments in our technology," FLSmidth's Terence Osborn says. "We continued the dialogue with ENRC during a reference visit to Northern Zambia to visit two copper operations where our equipment is operating. This gave the company's representatives a firsthand view of our capabilities in the copper sector.
Konkola Copper Mines was the site of the first concentrator we built as a turnkey project, while at Lumwama Mine we installed and commissioned equipment at the largest operating copper concentrator in Africa. We also have a significant established footprint in the DRC copper belt, with equipment operating at Freeport-McMoRan's Tenke Fungurume mine, Metorex's Ruashi mine and Glencore's Kamoto operation.
"Our 22-foot diameter ball mill at Tenke Fungurume is very similar to that required at Kakanda and a similar flow sheet comprising a gyratory crusher, grinding mills, flotation cells and thickeners is in operation at Lumwama. Effectively therefore, during the site visit ENRC was able to see all the equipment it was sourcing already in operation and clearly well-selected for the application," Osborn says.
"The mill required at Kakanda is specified for 11 000 kW of installed power, which requires a dual pinion drive. FLSmidth is the leader in this technology in the southern African market. We understand copper belt operations and have two full time agents based in Northern Zambia to support our customers in the region."
Osborn says apart from the obvious financial benefits, there are many other advantages to bundled packages. These include leveraging economies of scale and optimising project execution and on site resources. "This means that we need deploy only two project managers to oversee the entire project package and only one multi-disciplinary crew will be on site for installation and commissioning," he explains. "FLSmidth also aims to take an increasingly active position in the operation and maintenance of our equipment at customer sites throughout the lifetime of the equipment from a local base. We already have a full maintenance contract in place with Konkola Copper Mines at Nchanga, in terms of which we maintain the mine's entire mineral processing concentrator."
The Top Service gyratory crusher (Model TS1100) ordered for Kakanda features a 1 100 mm opening, with 450 kW of installed power and a throughput of 910 mtph, while the grinding mill is a 22 foot dual pinion run-of-mine ball mill harnessing 2 by 5 500 kW of power, with a throughput of 480 tph.
The flotation installation comprises 13 Wemco® Smartcell® self-aspirating flotation machines for oxide and sulphide rougher duty, with a volume of 130 m³ and a throughput of 480 tph and 11 Dorr-Oliver® RoundTank® forced air flotation machines for cleaner/scavenger duty, with a 50 m³ volume and a throughput of 123 tph.
The thickener section comprises one Hi-RateTM 35 m diameter bolted tank design thickener for tailings, with a throughput of 307 tph, a Hi-Rate 24 m diameter bolted tank design thickener for the oxide concentrate, with a throughput of 86 tph and a Hi-Rate 15 m diameter bolted tank design thickener for the sulphide concentrate, with a throughput of 30 tph.
