This project increased production at the Radomiro Tomic plant from 180,000 to 256,000 tonnes per year of fine wire-grade copper cathode, and places the plant among the largest and lowest-cost copper leach-SX-EW facilities in the world.
Elements within Aker Solutions’s scope of work included:
-
Modifications at the primary crusher discharge.
-
New coarse ore stockpile.
-
New secondary crushing plant.
-
New material handling systems.
-
Four new 4 m x 13 m agglomeration drums (among the world’s largest).
-
Increase in size of the leach heaps.
-
Lengthening of the Ripios reclaim and heaping equipment with bucket wheel reclaimer by 83 m.
-
Increase of coalescers from six to nine, and installation of four additional electrolyte filters. Addition of flotation columns and additional pumps.
-
Enlargement of the electrowinning building to house new cells.
-
Expansion of the loaded solution ponds and installation of floating pumps.
-
Expansion of the raffinate, surge, and process water ponds.
-
Addition of new equipment in the main electrical substation.
-
Expansion of the truck shop by 50%.
Codelco is the world's largest producer of copper.
Printable version