Minera Los Pelambres continues to place its trust in Siemens: Gearless mill drives increase processing capacity for copper ore
Since January 2010, Chile´s Minera Los Pelambres Ltda. is operating a new SAG mill and a new ball mill equipped with gearless drives systems by Siemens. The mills are intended to increase processing capacity for copper ores. Siemens already equipped two mills for Los Pelambres in 1999 and has been responsible for maintenance of the conveyor belt equipment for more than 10 years.
In 2009, Minera Los Pelambres, an operation of Antofagasta Minerals plc., produced 311,600 metric tons of copper concentrate and 7,800 metric tons of molybdenum. The new ore-grinding mills were built as part of an expansion program which is aimed at increasing copper production by approximately 100,000 metric tons. For this purpose, Siemens supplied the gearless drives for a 36-foot SAG (Semi Autogenous Grinding) mill with a rated power of 15 megawatts and a 26-feet ball mill with 15.5 megawatts of rated power. The order was worth around 16 million euros
Compared to geared motors, gearless drive systems are more efficient, require less maintenance and display a greater degree of availability. Variable speed and transvector control ensure that the operating point of the motor can be set exactly, for example for processing different material hardnesses or for different operating modes.
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