Model to improve the copper concentrate production process in a mine at Panama

Cabanillas-Tafur M.; Palomino-Muñoz D.; Velásquez-Costa J.; Vílchez-Baca H. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2024) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2024.1.1.1197

Resumen

This research is based on the detection of problems through technical diagnostics to understand the root cause through the "5 Why?” methodology and determine the best practices that could be implemented to address the situation that does not allow for escalation to a higher impact on production. This study enabled the design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and implementation of two redundant direct starters and two variable speed drives to control the speed of two agitator motors in two copper concentrate tanks. One of the main issues was that unprocessed solids accumulated as sediment at the bottom of the tanks. This resulted in unplanned maintenance, which stopped production and necessitated the shutdown of the motors and the implementation of a lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) procedure to permit the entry of maintenance personnel for the purpose of cleaning the interior of the tank using extra labor and hand tools. The implementation of this cutting-edge technology has led to a 33% improvement in annual production, equating to 175,200 tons more than before. The technology has optimized the operation of the equipment, minimized downtime or stoppage of the equipment due to failures, and/or lack of speed control of the motors. The implementation has enabled the company to fulfill its commitment of an annual export of 700,800 metric tons of copper concentrate to China, a world record for one of the largest world-class mines in Panama.

Instituciones: Universidad Continental