Late last year Marthinusen & Coutts (M&C) carried out the on-site winding and sub-assembly of an 18 MW gearless mill drive for a new ball mill at the Cobre Panama copper mine in Panama. This was done as part of the mine’s expansion of its processing plant to cater for increased ore output. M&C has undertaken similar contracts for the mine eight times over the previous five years.
On the site, the M&C team that took on the gearless mill drive winding contract.
M&C’s seven-man on-site team, led by Divisional CEO Richard Botton, did the work over 40 days during October and November last year.
“We knew from previous experience that the working conditions at the mine are extremely tough, with frequent heavy rain, high humidity and excessive heat, but our familiarity with the procedures involved helped to ensure that the project went according to plan and was completed on time,” Botton commented. He added that it is the complexity of the job that requires the winding and sub-assembly to be done on site.
“Our preparation is extensive and starts about six months prior to site establishment. The machine is transported to the site from the OEM in Europe, in four quadrants, each of which weighs 85 tonnes. We are responsible for the connecting and continuity between the four segments, which have been pre-wound by the OEM,” he explained.
“About half of the tools we use for the on-site work are purchased and supplied by the mine, and we supply or bring with us the other more specialised tools, as well as the test equipment needed.”
As previously, M&C was contracted for the latest project by the owner and operator of Cobre Panama, Minera Panama, the Panamanian subsidiary of international mining company, First Quantum Minerals (FQM),
M&C has also carried out four on-site winding and sub-assembly projects on gearless mill drives for FQM’s Sentenial copper mine in Zambia in recent years.
For more information visit: www.mandc.co.za
