Copper Concentrator - SAG & Ball Mill Case Study

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Copper Concentrator - SAG Ball Mill Case Study
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The Problem

• Our client experienced a significant water and
  debris contamination event in the Fixed Bearing
  circuit of the SAG Mill. The mill was
  immediately shut down to avoid bearing damage and
  the contaminated oil was removed and new then oil
  introduced.

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• Even so, there was concern that the circuits
  still had potentially harmful debris and moisture
  present. The lubricant removed was very dirty
  and saturated with water to 5000ppm, a level of
  contamination that high would normally mean
  disposal/total loss, at a cost of 20,000.

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• Lost production downtime at this mill is circa
  1,000 per minute of downtime as the two mills
  run in series potentially affecting other
  operations.

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BioKems mobile VDOPS, on site and operational
within hours of arrival, and conforming to all
site requirements.
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The Challenge

• The rapid response solution was to firstly remove
  residual water and particulate contamination in
  the in-service SAG fixed bearing lube tank
  followed by cleaning and polishing of the bulk
  contaminated oil. All tasks were completed in an
  urgent timeframe to mitigate any potential damage
  to the gearbox and trunnions.

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• Working with ISO 460 oil required raising the
  temperature from operating temp of 47C to gt70C
  to lower the viscosity to a workable 100cSt or
  less.

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• Filtration was to be conducted on in-service oil
  by way of kidney bypass to the required standard
  in a reasonable timeframe. Access restrictions
  added to the complexity of the job.

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Solution

• After initial contact and a phone consultation,
  BioKem mobilised the 50GPM Vacuum Dehydration Oil
  Purification System (VDOPS) asset and engineering
  team to the remote site in Queensland
  immediately. Site inductions, JSEA and
  documentation were completed and BioKem were on
  site with all equipment within 30 hours.

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• The Mobile VDOPS is equipped with 2 x 32 kW
  heaters, capable of heating 100L/min of this gear
  oil to 80C, and drawing over 20 Hg of vacuum,
  for the most efficient moisture dehydration and
  viscosity adjustments, without risk of damaging
  the oil further.

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• The VDOPS is capable of moisture removal and
  dissolved gases to below 50ppm, and ISO 4406
  cleanliness to 13/12/10, with a ß1000, 2.5 micron
  filtration. Equipped with 4m, 6m, and 12m hoses,
  we can access the most challenging locations.

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• With 8 drain points and a pressurised flushing
  system, we ensure no cross contamination from
  previous jobs between different tanks and
  lubricants.Fitted with 2 Camlocks, Plugs Caps
  for quick installation and adhering to a NO
  SPILL policy.

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• To keep downtime and revenue losses to a minimum,
  BioKem has developed operational procedures and
  reporting systems, that maximise efficiency and
  professionalism, setting the industry standard.

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• In this case BioKems VDOPS not only purified the
  contaminated oil, but also polished other
  in-service oil whilst the asset was available,
  offsetting the cost of having BioKem onsite for
  the event and saving the customer money.

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Purification Tasks

• SAG Mill Fixed Bearing Tank 6,000 L
• SAG Mill Floating Bearing Tank 4,500 L
• Outside Bulk Tank 5,000 L
• Polishing SAG Mill Floating Tank 4,500 L
• Ball Mill Floating Bearing Tank 4,500 L
• Total Oil Purification Completed 24,500 L

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• To know more information, visit us

http//www.biokem.com.au/