Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1 issue

FIRST QUARTER 2020

VOLUME 10 |1

See Directory pp21-23

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n Key Words: COVID-19 effect Scrap flows E-scrap outlook n News: Mine forecasts Recycled trade Smelter updates Key appointees n Electrorefining: Anode makeup Capacities Market n Tube and wire: Suppliers and processes n Primary: Zijin profile Steam drying n Energy Efficiency: Smelt well Renewables n Rolling: Turkey and Taiwan contracts n Events: Cesco / WCC Wire Tube 2020 Digital Mines ALTA at 25 GDMB work n Contracts: Project plans Appointments MINO mill Amer Xinjiang n Supplier Directory Find what you need in here ISSN 2046-9438

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CONTENTS | 1

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Key Words

3

COVID-19, scrap and e-scrap updates

News

4,5

Mines and concentrates forecasts; Successful Hamburg shutdown; Deziwa in operation; Recycled copper trade flows; IERC 2020 review; New LME Chair

7

Henry tops at BHP; Mount Isa not done yet; Lualaba smelter; Market data

Spotlight

6

Cesco Week; World Copper Conference; Digital Mines; Alta reaches 25

The Mexicana de Cobre Nacozari refinery in Sonora. Photo: Grupo México (see Page 10)

Inside this issue PRIMARY SMELTING

8,9

The Kumera Steam Dryer in detail; Zijin Mining expansion goes on

ELECTROREFINING

10

Global refinery anode compositions; Refinery capacity trends;

Refined market

The 2020 World Copper Conference coming soon in Santiago.

Photo: CRU (see Page 6)

Product Information

21

Glencore IsaMill , Outotec TankCell, PWM strip welder TM

®

Energy Efficiency

24

Kansanshi Isasmelt features; Onsite renewables; Peru can do it

Contracts & People

16

Metso changes; Cochilco cadastre; Llurimagua and Timok plans; Jackson WRA head

17

Mino foil mill for China; Amer Xinjiang project

Supplier Directory

21-23

Always something worth a look here

MELTING AND CASTING

11

Going direct to wire; Saint-Gobain refractory solutions

WIRE TUBE 2020 PREVIEW

12,13

SMS group; Primetals; Properzi; Holton Crest; Combilift items

COPPER ROD SECTOR

14

Southwire pitch; CONTIROD order; Lamifil strategy

TUBE AND WIRE

15

A compact rod line; CAWI in New Delhi

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

TRANSFORMING WITH COPPER

18

Recognising the GDMB and its work on copper

ROLLING TECHNOLOGY

19

OTTO JUNKER in Turkey; ANDRITZ Taiwan upgrade; Trimming website

SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE

20

Oil film bearing fruit; Fire curtain firm expanding

Front Cover Southwire Company, LLC is headquartered in the United States, where nearly one in two new homes built contains our wire, and we produce half of the cable used to transmit and distribute electricity throughout the nation. More than half of the world’s refined copper passes through one of our SCR® systems, our tools and equipment business continues to grow and our wire plays a key role in the manufacturing of other products including automotive wiring harnesses and electrical motors. (see Page 14) www.southwire.com

2 | COPPER WORLDWIDE A-Z

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

Companies COMPANY NAME

Volume No: 10 Issue No: 01 Date: First Quarter 2020

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

ALTA 2020.......................................................... 6

Digital Mines (Clariden Global)....................... 6

Küttner Group................................................... 18

Amer International Group............................... 17

EMC 2021 (GDMB).......................................... 18

Lamifil................................................................ 14

AMETEK........................................................... 17

Fastmarkets MB (Events).................................. 5

LME............................................................... 5, 17

Andritz Group................................................... 19

Fire Curtains Group......................................... 20

Metso.................................................................. 16

Andritz Maerz................................................... 11

First Quantum............................................... 5, 24

MetSoc................................................................ 16

Antofagasta plc.................................................... 4

FLSmidth........................................................... 17

MINO................................................................. 17

Atlantic Copper................................................. 18

Fraunhofer .................................................... 5, 16

Otto Junker........................................................ 19

IT/www Contact: webmaster@copperworldwide.com

Aurubis........................................................... 4, 18

Freeport McMoRan (FCX)............................ 5, 7

Outotec......................................................... 18, 21

Beijing Antaike Information Development.... 4, 17

GDMB (EMC 2021).......................................... 18

P. J. Mackey......................................................... 9

Managing Director: Chris K Holding

BHP ....................................................... 4, 5, 7, 16

Glencore......................................................... 7, 18

Primetals Technologies.................................... 12

Cable & Wire Fair India (Tulip 3P Media)... 15

Glencore Technology........................................ 21

PWM Ltd........................................................... 21

CEEC................................................................. 17

HarbisonWalker International........................ 16

RHI Magnesita.................................................. 16

CESCO Week (CESCO/CRU).......................... 6

Hatch.................................................................. 18

Roskill.................................................................. 7

Clariden Global................................................... 6

Holton Crest...................................................... 13

Saint-Gobain...................................................... 11

Cochilco............................................................. 16

hpl Group........................................................... 19

Schenck Process................................................ 16

Codelco............................................................... 16

International Copper Association................... 17

Shanghai Metal Markets (SMM)....................... 3

COM + Copper 2019.................................. 10, 24

IERC 2020 (ICM)........................................... 3, 5

SMS group....................................... 12, 14, 15, 18

Combilift............................................................ 13

International Copper Study Group.... 3, 4, 5, 7, 10

Southwire Company / SCR.......................... 1, 14

Continuus-Properzi.......................................... 12

IMN Gliwice...................................................... 18

Wire/Tube 2020.......................................... 12, 13

The Copper Mark............................................... 4

International Wrought Copper Council....... 4, 5

World Bureau of Metal Statistics...................... 5

CRU Consulting........................................ 4, 7, 16

Ivanhoe Mines..................................................... 9

World Refractories Association....................... 16

CRU Events..................................................... 1, 6

Jinyuan Zhaohui Copper................................. 17

19th World Copper Conference (CRU Events).

Danieli Group................................................... 20

KGHM................................................................ 18

................................................................. 1, 6, 16

Daye Nonferrous Metals.................................... 5

Kumera Corporation.......................................... 8

Zijin Mining.................................................. 9, 16

Publisher: Chris K Holding BSc BEng Publishing Consultant: John Clarke Contributing Editors: Phillip Mackey Jonathan Barnes

copper@atrium5.plus.com Published by Metallic Media Ltd 5 Dennis Road Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3NF United Kingdom Tel: +44(0)7731 784798 e-mail: office@copperworldwide.com www.copperworldwide.com Distribution: free to managers involved in the various stages of the copper industry: Production of primary or secondary copper and associated refining; recycling, melting and casting operations; processing of copper by extrusion, rolling and tube/wire drawing for the manufacture of semi-finished products or fabrications; or involved in the manufacture of components and structures from copper alloys; and who are involved in the buying process for equipment and materials.

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The articles within Copper Worldwide are copyright and are the property of the publisher Metallic Media Limited and cannot be reproduced in any media form without permission of the publisher. Application should be made in writing to the above address, or by e-mail to office@copperworldwide.com Reprints of articles and advertisements are available, allow 28 days for delivery. PDF pages available by e-mail. Prices on application to the publisher.

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Advertisers COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

COMPANY NAME

PAGE NO

Alex Stewart International......................................23

Heath & Sherwood (1964) ......................................23

Primetals Technologies.....................................12, 23

Andritz Maerz..............................................19, 22, 23

Holton Crest.......................................................13, 21

RHI Magnesita.........................................................22

CA Group..................................................................21

Kopar.........................................................................21

Saint Gobain.................................................11, 13, 22

Combilift.......................................................13, 15, 22

Kumera Corporation.........................................21, 22

Schenck Process.................................................22, 23

Continuus-Properzi...........................................12, 13

Küttner GmbH...............................................7, 22, 23

SMS group................................................ Cover 2, 12

CONTIROD.............................................................14

Metalex................................................................21, 23

SMS group (PolyMet)..............................................22

CRU Events (WCC 2020)..............................Cover 3

Mettop.................................................................21, 22

Southwire Company................................ Cover 1, 14

Danieli Group..........................................................20

MINO.................................................. 17, 23, Cover 4

UrbanGold..........................................................21, 22

Danieli Froehling.............................. Cover 1, 22, 23

Otto Junker...............................................................19

Weir Minerals...........................................................22

HarbisonWalker International...............................22

PolyMet Solutions....................................................22

World Copper Conference 2020 (CRU).......Cover 3

Another interesting year unfolding – Discover the ISSUES affecting copper now!

The next Vol 10 No 2 issue of Copper Worldwide is published in May 2020. Scheduled features include 21st Century Smelting, Plant Integration and Control, Operational Efficiency, Materials Handling, 2019 Managerial Review, A Sustainable Supply Chain, Profiles and Reviews, and more. Supporting website www.copperworldwide.com features up-to-date content and event details. Thank you to all advertisers once again.

All correspondence welcome.

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

KEY WORDS | 3

www.copperwor ldw ide. co m

COVID-19 impacts China metals sector The recent coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has caused a heavy impact on demand and supply of copper, leading to a sharp increase in inventories in China, according to the latest SMM China Metal Special Report (1).

Downstream processors delayed their resumption of operations due to logistical constraints, delayed return of workers and the absence of approval from authorities. Smelters, meanwhile, have maintained production since the Chinese New Year holiday, even as transportation restrictions led to a shortage of storage capacity for sulphuric acid and heightened risks of excessive inventory of finished goods, which would subdue production.

SMM data showed that social inventories of copper across Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong stood at 403,000 t as of 14 February, up 188,000 t from 23 January, the last trading day before the CNY holiday. The inventories are likely to continue to trend higher in February and exceed 500,000 t. Meanwhile, copper stocks across bonded warehouses increased 27,800 t, and are expected to see a larger gain following the recovery of operations of warehouses.

Smelters also saw an inventory accumulation of copper cathode. An SMM survey showed that copper cathode inventories across Chinese copper smelters increased about 50,000 t from a month earlier to a

record high of 77,300 t as of early February, which put smelters under great pressure in terms of storage capacity and cash flows.

Inventories of copper cathode and finished goods at copper processors have barely changed, as their resumption of operations was delayed.

Processors are likely to see raw material stocks decreasing while finished goods stocks increasing upon resumption amid lingering logistical constraints.

Resumption at manufacturing end-users missed expectations and diverged in different regions. Enterprises in Guangdong, Henan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangsu where the epidemic was serious remained closed.

Some employees worked from home, and purchasers started to contact traders for raw material purchases. Less than 50% of manufacturing in other regions less affected by the epidemic has resumed operations as workers need to be quarantined for 14 days before returning to work.

Automobile manufacturing in Hubei and Hunan, the two major producing areas, was basically muted amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which had a great impact on general resumption in the automobile sector. Enterprises in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, major home appliance manufacturing provinces, have also resumed slowly. www.metal.com

Domestic effects of scrap trade restrictions An ICSG Briefing Paper released as an ICSG Insight (2) in February says that additional to the impact on global and Chinese imports, there are two ongoing impacts on the Chinese copper industry from the related shortage of imported scrap: one is the contraction in the production of smelter and refined copper from recycled sources in China in 20182019. The second is the impact of the No.1 Bare Bright Copper Wire Scrap shortage of scrap on Chinese fabricators of copper and copper alloy products such as brass mills, copper alloy tubes and copper alloy wire producers. With less imported scrap available, these fabricators had no option but to increase their use of domestic scrap and refined copper in China in 2018-2019 or reduce fabrication output, as already seen in the

case of some brass mills in Northern China in 2019.

There is an additional impact on the copper wire rod mills using scrap in China, with some confirmed cases of reduced production as high as 50% and other plants temporarily closing in the second half of 2019. Another important impact was the change in the composition of copper raw materials imported by China from scrap to more concentrates, blister and refined copper that changed dramatically in 2018 and 2019 in part as a consequence of the implementation of the trade ban. An additional impact was a change of the composition of the main exporters of now much higher-grade copper scrap to China (more on Page 5). www.icsg.org

Industry Barometer at IERC 2020 According to a recent survey of participants at IERC 2020 in Salzburg, around 45 per cent expect economic conditions for the electronics recycling industry to improve over the next two years, while around 24 per cent expect business to deteriorate. Two thirds of those surveyed predict that scrap volumes will increase over the next two years, with only 8 per cent expecting a decrease.

In the Industry Barometer IERC 2020 survey (3), congress participants were asked to assess the current and future business situation from both a monetary and a quantitative point of view: • Is current economic situation favourable? 39% agreed • Dissatisfied with current business performance? 26% • Is current volume development positive? 63% • Are current volume trends negative? 10%

Participants see increased sorting costs due to the poorer quality of e-waste. This not only increases the demand for better processing technologies, but also makes the disposal of sorting residues more difficult and possibly more expensive. The survey participants point to export restrictions, especially to Asian countries. Plastic waste, which is of poorer quality, is particularly affected. One aspect that continues to occupy the industry is the increasingly strict legal requirements and the varying legal framework conditions in individual countries. Recyclers mention binding use quotas for recyclates in new products, as well as the use of recyclable materials and the simpler removal of components.

The e-waste recyclers also welcome the planned restriction on landfill (more on Page 5). www.icm.ch

Compiled by: Chris Holding References (1) SMM Hot News, China Metal Special Report 5 - Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on China metals market, 10pp, 18 Feb 2020.

(2) ICSG INSIGHT - ICSG SECRETARIAT BRIEFING PAPER No. 17, International Flows of Recycled Copper Raw Materials: The Impact of Trade Restrictions and Recent Trends, 16pp, February 2020.

(3) Media Release IERC 2020 - Results of the Industry Barometer, 2pp, 22 January 2020

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

4 | NEWS In brief…

Antofagasta plc reached a record 770 kt (+ 6.2 % y-o-y) copper production for 2019, as Los Pelambres, Centinela and Zaldívar all increased output. Disruption of fuel deliveries and ancillary infrastructure damage Los Pelambres equated to a 10,000 t production impact. Antucoya labour negotiations concluded in November, equalling a 4,000 t output loss.

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

New ICSG Directory of Copper Mines and Plants

www.antofagasta.co.uk

Thales and GE Steam Power are collaborating to deliver cybersecurity solutions to power plant operators.

This agreement brings together Thales’ cyber knowledge and GE’s expertise in the power generation industry to help protect customers from cyber risks by providing threat intelligence, joint training and a combined portfolio of cyber solutions. www.genewsroom.com www.thalesgroup.com

According to Antaike Copper & Copper Fabrication Monthly No. 276, Chinese domestic copper concentrate production was 1.549 Mt (- 0.8% y-o-y), while metal content of imported copper concentrate was 5.511 Mt (+ 11.7% y-o-y). The total supply was 7.06 Mt, up 8.7% y-o-y. The demand for copper concentrate was 6.814 Mt, up 8.2% year on year. www.antaike.com

CRU’s Copper Concentrates Team says new smelter projects in China have pushed the concentrates market into deficits. Declining TCs, weak acid prices and premiums, and rising costs, will prompt closures. As the market tightens, the 10-member CSPT group is already vetting new members and may look to snap up distressed assets in 2020. www.crugroup.com

BHP Foundation is, in addition to the AU$2 million already donated to Australian Red Cross, making a AU$500,000 donation to be evenly distributed between Zoos Victoria and the WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation to assist with bushfire relief efforts. This brings the BHP Foundation’s total bushfire relief contribution to AU$2.5 million. www.bhp.com

The Copper Mark, the company which will administer the copper industry’s responsible sourcing initiative: the Copper Mark, currently open just to the copper producing sector, had its first board meeting in January. Fabricator meetings are expected to be held in North America, Europe and China in 2020 and Japan and other countries in Asia in 2021. www.coppercouncil.org

Copper mine projects (thousand tonnes). Source: ICSG

The latest International Copper Study Group (ICSG) biannual Directory of Copper Mines and Plants incorporates the latest updates to capacity, project development and ownership for more than 2,000 individual copper mines, smelters and refineries. It’s reported trends reflect production capability and not necessarily production forecasts. In the last 5 years, global mines have operated at an average of 85% of the capacity reported in the ICSG Directory due to constraining factors.

After an annual average growth rate of only 1% in the period 2017-2019 (with the notable exception of Cobre Panama), copper mine capacity is

Forecasts made around concentrates Senior Analyst Hamish Sampson has précised the CRU’s Copper Concentrates Team’s outlook on the wider copper concentrates market this year in a mid-January post. Possible stumbling blocks in Chile in 2020 include more than 10 labour contract negotiations and the risk of civil unrest erupting around the constitutional referendum on 26 April. Severe droughts and increased water demand from copper miners are expected to impact costs and output in parts of South America, Africa and Australia.

Levels of complex material are expected to return to normal in 2020, but how we define complex concs could be affected by tighter import restrictions in China, which may yet return. With the sharp revision of the annual benchmark, down to $62/6.2¢, the spot market should remain more range bound this year.

The benchmark has pushed many smelters towards, or even past, their breakeven threshold. Further, the blister copper market has tightened over the past year as production and trade have been affected by numerous disruptions. The annual benchmark for blister RCs was revised down to $128/t, and the market is expected to remain tight as both primary and secondary feed demand increases.

expected to grow by around 4.5% per year in the period 2020 to 2023, with 90% of new capacity due to concentrates. An average annual growth rate about 4.5% per year should result, with a higher growth of 6% in 2023 when major projects are starting or ramping up. The Directory is available for sale to ICSG member country/non-member country clients at an annual subscription rate of EUR 550/EUR 850. Capacity data www.crugroup.com for copper mines, smelters and refineries may be accessed through Deziwa copper and the ICSG online statistical database at an additional cost of EUR 200/ cobalt mine opens EUR 250 respectively.

According to Reuters, the Democratic www.icsg.org Republic of Congo’s state mining company Gécamines opened the Deziwa copper and cobalt mine Aurubis to benefit from Hamburg improvements and processing plant, part of a joint The Aurubis Group reports operating impacts of Coronavirus. The venture majority-owned by China earnings before taxes (EBT) of EUR company anticipates that treatment Nonferrous Metal Mining Company 31 million in the first three months and refining charges for copper (CNMC), in mid-January. The Deziwa of fiscal year 2019/20 (previous concentrates will remain significantly deposit, around 35 kilometres east year: EUR 40 M), meeting market below the previous year in light of of Kolwezi, is estimated to hold 4.6 expectations. After a successful the current benchmark of US$ 62/t million tonnes of copper and 420,000 planned maintenance shutdown at (6.2 c/lb). It further expects copper tonnes of cobalt. Somidez, the joint the Hamburg plant in October and scrap refining charges to remain at venture controlling it, is held 51% by November, Aurubis AG Executive a good level with a good supply CNMC and 49% by Gécamines. A Board Chairman Roland Harings situation. Two additional planned, US$ 880 million project which started said “We expect a considerable legally mandated shutdowns are construction in May 2018, the Deziwa improvement in plant availability and scheduled at the Lünen site for April mine aims to produce 80,000 t of a higher concentrate throughput.” and September. copper and 8,000 t of cobalt per year, Less sulphuric acid was produced www.aurubis.com according to Somidez. due to the shutdown. There Gécamines Chairman Alber t was also significantly weaker Oz Minerals’ West Musgrave Yuma described it as an innovative demand for shapes and flat rolled project in central Australia has the partnership for DR Congo. CNMC products in the period. Aurubis potential to produce 28,000 t of will operate Deziwa for nine years, saw revenues of EUR 2,709 M copper and 22,000 tonnes of nickel with a possible two-year extension, during the period. a year for 26 years, according to before transferring it to Gécamines, Aurubis believes the market’s a pre-feasibility study released on which will operate the facility for a economic trend remains to be 12 February, reports The Leads further seven to nine years. www.reuters.com seen due in part to the unknown South Australia.

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

NEWS | 5

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IWCC TS 2020 spans downstream innovation Here is a papers update on the International Wrought Copper Council’s IWCC Technical Seminar 2020, which is taking place in Milan, Italy from 1 to 5 March. The subject of the Seminar is “The Latest Innovations in Copper Products and Applications”. Of the 28 papers being presented, 1 is on ‘Fabrication’, 3 are on ‘Information Technologies for Materials and Processes’, 7 are on ‘Innovations in Alloys, Foils and Coatings’, 6 are on ‘Innovations in Joining and Additive Technologies’, 4 are on ‘Developments for Automotive Applications’, 3 are on ‘International Lead Regulations’, and 4 are on ‘Lead-Free Alloys’. www.coppercouncil.org

Trade of recycled copper raw materials The ICSG Insight (ICSG SECRETARIAT BRIEFING PAPER No. 17) entitled ‘International Flows of Recycled Copper Raw Materials: The Impact of Trade Restrictions and Recent Trends’, which has been prepared by Carlos R. Risopatron, Director of Economics and Environment, International Copper Study Group, is now available. It covers the impact of China’s recent ban on imports of metal waste and scrap on the international flow of copper scrap and copper alloy scrap.

For example, it concludes that as a short-term consequence of the trade restrictions imposed by China, an oversupply of low-grade copper raw materials has been observed in most of the developed economies’ markets of recycled copper raw materials, and now is appearing as imports in developing economies. Further, the January 2020 decision of Chinese authorities to classify category 6 scrap as a ‘renewable raw material’ is expected to be implemented in July 2020. More detailed discussion around the issues covered by the Insight will appear in Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 2 issue in the ‘A Sustainable Supply Chain’ feature. www.icsg.org

IERC 2020 again highly successful

Surendra Borad Patawari was the winner of the IERC Honorary Award. Photo: ICM

This January some 430 experts came together for the International Electronics Recycling Congress IERC 2020 in Salzburg, Austria.

A total of 39 different nations were represented, there were 25 presentations, two panel discussions and three workshops, as well as two plant tours at Müller-Guttenbrunn Group and Montanwerke Brixlegg AG. In the keynote speeches Robert C. ter Kuile, Global Director of Environmental Affairs at Amazon, emphasised its efforts to promote recycling. Professor Dr Egbert Lox,

Senior Vice President Government Affairs at Umicore, then covered the complexity of sustainable mobility.

Surendra Borad Patawari, Gemini Corporation N.V. founder, outlined how he expects the plastics recycling sector to develop worldwide. He also received the IERC Honorary Award from Jean Cox-Kearns, IERC Steering Committee Chairman, in recognition of his lifetime’s work.

Innovations in e-waste image recognition applications were presented by Hederik Tijs from Recupel vzw in Belgium. Dr Katrin Bokelmann from the Fraunhofer IWKS in Germany presented on recovering material from display applications and PCBs. Dr Mathias Schluep from the World Resources Forum Association spoke on the CEWASTE voluntary certification scheme for CRM recovery. Country e-waste recycling reports from Rwanda, Australia and Brazil were presented. There were also 46 sector exhibitors. The IERC returns to Salzburg from 20 to 22 January 2021 for its 20-year anniversary. www.icm.ch

Huey Evans is new LME Chair

According to the January 2020 World Bureau of Metal Statistics Press Release, the copper market recorded a deficit of 269 kt in January to November 2019, which follows a deficit of 275 kt in the whole of 2018.

Reported stocks rose during November to close 6.2 kt higher than at the end of December 2018. www.world-bureau.com

World mine production in January to November 2019 was 18.8 Mt, up 1.1 per cent year-on-year. Global refined production for the period was 21.45 Mt (- 0.6 % y-o-y) with significant decreases recorded in India (down 123 kt) and Chile (down 202 kt), according to the January 2020 World Bureau of Metal Statistics Press Release. www.world-bureau.com

FCX capital expenditure was US$ 2.65 bn (including US$ 1.5 bn for major projects) for the year 2019. Capex for 2020 is expected around US$ 2.8 bn, including US$ 1.8 bn for major underground projects in the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia and completion of the Lone Star copper leach project in Arizona. New Indonesia smelter costs are excluded. www.fcx.com

The LME’s package of new rules and obligations aimed at optimising its warehousing network came into effect on 1 February 2020. The LME’s new Complaints Procedure has been in operation since 15 November 2019.

The LME’s responsible sourcing requirements for all its listed brands, based on four core principles, were announced in October 2019. www.lme.com

Gay Huey Evans OBE is the new LME Chair

The LME welcomed its new Chairman, Gay Huey Evans OBE, to the London Metal Exchange on 6 December 2019, bringing significant commercial, risk, governance and regulatory knowledge and expertise.

Commenting on her appointment, Gay said: “I am excited and

proud to be joining the Exchange.

I very much look forward to meeting and working with members, clients and colleagues to evolve the LME whilst ensuring we retain our position at the heart of the global metals community.” www.lme.com

Smelters resuming at reduced output China’s copper smelters face limited scope to slash production even as diminished demand on virus-related lockdowns raises concerns refined inventories could grow, according to sources, a Fastmarkets’ coronavirus content hub report says. Although

In brief…

demand for the metal has slumped on prolonged factory closures, smelters are reticent to incur the costs of more drastic production cuts. Daye Nonferrous’ 600,000 tpy smelter in Huangshi City, Hubei, resumed operations on 3 February, and plans to

operate at 70-80% of capacity for the first quarter. The CSPT has not announced any joint plans among its members to cut output so far. The next quarterly meeting will be held at the end of March. www.fastmarkets.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

First Quantum Minerals reports its highest ever annual copper production of 702,000 t in 2019, an increase of 96 kt from 2018. Copper production in Q4 2019 was 204 kt compared to 158 kt in the same quarter in 2018. Cobre Panama’s final mill (8th mill), came on line in mid-December, so monthly mill throughput rose to 6.6 Mt with a 25 kt copper output. www.first-quantum.com

BHP’s Olympic Dam copper production increased by 32 % to 86 kt in the half year to 31 December 2019 as a result of the prior period acid plant outage, partially offset by the impact of planned preparatory work related to the refinery. The physical replacement and commissioning of the refinery crane is scheduled for the March 2020 quarter. www.bhp.com

6 | SPOTLIGHT – EVENT PREVIEWS

www. c op p e r wor l d w i de. co m

One of the most important mining events Going digital Cesco Week will take place between from pit to port March 23 and 27, and will feature multiple activities related to the national and international industry. Between March 23 and 25 (see this page), the World Copper Conference will be held. More than 500 delegates, CEOs and senior executives of the main companies of the sector will participate and issues related to the challenge of the mining sector around the creation of social value and the role of new technologies will be addressed, as well as analysing the variables that influence the market.

At the end of the World Copper Conference, the twenty-fourth version of Cesco Dinner will be held at Casa Piedra, an event that brings together the main players in the mining sector and that has become a meeting place and networking. To close the week, Cesco

Alejandra Wood is the Executive Director of Cesco

and the consultant EY will present on 27 March at Casa Piedra the document ‘The 10 risks and opportunities of mining’, an analysis that allows elucidating the trends that will mark the industry in the short term. www.cesco.cl

Achieving social value creation Delegates, CEOs and senior managers from more than 30 countries are expected to attend this year’s CRU World Copper Conference focussing on the environment, sustainability and governance in mine development. The 19th CRU World Copper Conference, during Cesco Week in Santiago, runs from 23 to 25 March and will be focused on environmental issues, sustainability and governance. Organised by CRU Group and supported by the Center for Copper and Mining Studies (Cesco), the conference will also provide updated information on the copper market and the prospects for demand and supply of the red metal.

“The mining business is being challenged and social value creation is becoming the goal in this complex scenario,” said Dominic Halahan, Portfolio Director at CRU Events. “As a leading public forum, the World Copper Conference will address how the mining industry will update its value proposition to communities and societies.” For its part, the Executive

Following the success of the first edition Digital Mines Conference in 2019, and to help mining companies align their strategy and operations towards innovation, Clariden Global would like to warmly welcome you to the ‘2nd Digital Mines 2020: Building Fully Autonomous Mines From Pit To Port’ from 1 to 3 April 2020 at Pan Pacific Perth, Australia.

Digital transformation is emerging as a driver of sweeping change.Within the mining industry, digitalisation is becoming a force that changes the nature of companies and their interaction with employees, communities, government and the environment at every step of the value chain. Liezl Gutierrez-Castillo, Client Success Manager at Clariden says be sure to use code ‘L20011_NRW’ during registration to receive a 5% discount. www.claridenglobal.com/conference/digitalmines/

Vanessa Davidson is the embodiment of CRU’s expertise. Photo: CRU

Director of Cesco, Alejandra Wood, said that “after the social outbreak in our country, we want to offer an instance of reflection on the environmental, sustainable and governmental dimensions of the mining business. Global Industry leaders will be present to learn firsthand how they will address this new context. In this scenario, the social value that the mining industry creates and how this value is perceived in the long term and away from its operations is one of the key challenges that it faces.” www.events.crugroup.com

Global Mining Leaders and Speakers line-up at the 2nd Digital Mines conference

A quarter century for ALTA ALTA 2020 takes place from 23-30 May in Perth, Australia. This world-class annual metallurgical conference is now celebrating its 25th year as a leading platform for innovation.

The In Situ Recovery (ISR) sessions are organised in partnership with CSIRO and the Gold-PM sessions in partnership with Curtin Gold Technology Group.

Held over eight days, ALTA 2020 comprises five technical conferences, six short courses, and a trade exhibition. It features highly focused programs, topical forums and key international speakers. In total around 100 papers have been scheduled across a number of sessions. The Nickel-Cobalt-Copper (25-27 May) session includes ‘Hydromet Processing of Ni-Co-Cu Sulphides Forum & Panel’. The program includes 40+ presentations grouped into key streams covering the processing of nickel, cobalt

and copper ores and concentrates, with an emphasis on hydrometallurgy, innovation and products for the battery industry. Short Courses ‘A-Z of Copper Ore Leaching’ and ‘Design of Successful Bulk Flow Systems for Hydromet Operations’ are due on 23 May, with ‘SX and its Application to Copper, Uranium & NickelCobalt’ and ‘The ART of HPAL - The Way to Success’ scheduled on 24 May. The In Situ Recovery (ISR) (29 May) session includes an ‘Application of ISR to Copper Forum & Panel’. Keynote Speaker Leon Faulkner, Managing Director, Environmental Copper Recovery (Australia) presents ‘Opportunities and Challenges for Copper ISR Kapunda CRC-P as an Example’.

The event is an outstanding platform for showcasing the latest worldwide developments in plant operations, process technology, Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

new projects, testwork and scale-up, process modelling and control systems, application of mineralogy and geometallurgy, R&D, equipment, reagents, materials, tailings disposal and environmental alleviation. Over the past 24 years, 3,471 people from 66 countries have attended ALTA conferences 6,410 times. www.altamet.com.au

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BHP CEO on latest half year

The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) released preliminary data for October 2019 world copper supply and demand in its January 2020 Copper Bulletin. The data indicates that in the first ten months of 2019, Indonesian output declined by 47% as a consequence of ore zone transition of the country’s major two mines, whilst after growth of 13% in 2018, aggregated production in the DRC and Zambia declined by 3% as a consequence of temporary suspensions at SX-EW mines, reductions in planned production and operational constraints. Overall, mine production is estimated to have increased by around 4% in North America, 1.5% in Latin America and 5% in Oceania but declined by 6% in Asia, 2% in Africa and 2% in Europe.

Mike Henry assumed the role of BHP CEO and Executive Director on 1 January 2020

New BHP Chief Executive Officer, Mike Henry has praised BHP’s “solid operational performances across the portfolio in the half year to 31 December 2019.” Total copper production increased by seven per cent to 885 kt, with Escondida copper production up

four per cent to 602 kt. Elsewhere Pampa Norte copper production recovered to 124 kt, whilst Olympic Dam reached 86 kt. Guidance for the 2020 financial year remains unchanged at between 1,705 and 1,820 kt copper. www.bhp.com

Mount Isa copper smelter still viable A CRU Insight published in January 2020 by Paul Wiggers de Vries, Senior Analyst looks at Glencore’s 300,000 tpy Mount Isa copper smelter in Queensland, which was set to close in 2023, but could be in operation to 2026. Operations that rely on the smelter include Glencore’s own Townsville copper refinery. Running at a utilisation rate of 75-80%, Mount Isa sources material from Glencore’s own X41, Enterprise and Black Rock Cave Mines, as well as the Evolution/Glencore Ernest Henry joint venture and other third parties.

A decision on the future of the smelter is expected in mid to late 2020. As part of the decision process,

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environmental requirements, power, rail and gas costs will be reviewed.

The next smelter rebricking is due in 2022, the expiry date of its current environmental licence.

Power inve stment proposals include an 1,100 km high voltage electricity transmission line between Mount Isa and Townsville, and a solar farm. There is already state government rail investment commitment, and a new freight terminal at Cloncurry would add 2 Mtpy rail capacity. Another plus is that the smelter has an ongoing off-take agreement for its acid to a nearby fertiliser plant. www.crugroup.com

Preliminary ICSG data for October 2019 From 2020 to 2023, annual copper smelter capacity is expected to grow at an average rate of around 3.3% per year, according to the latest ICSG Directory of Copper Mines and Plants. Chinese annual capacity is seven times higher than in 2000 and is expected to increase by a further 30% by 2023, accounting for 70% of expected world copper smelting capacity growth. The proportion of smelters using Chinese technology has increased from 2% to around 13% in the last 10 years.

On an ex-China basis, new copper smelters are planned in Chile, the DRC, India, Indonesia, Iran and Mongolia and expansions in Finland, Russia, Sweden and Uzbekistan in the period. www.icsg.org

Lualaba copper smelter project The Lualaba copper smelter (LCS) was launched alongside Deziwa mine in January 2020 as the first modernised large-scale pyrometallurgical copper smelting facility in the DR Congo, according to Roskill’s website. As a joint venture between CNMC (60%) and China Copper (40%), LCS targets a phase-one capacity to produce 120 ktpy of copper blister with a total investment of US$ 470 M. As a sub-system of the copper blister

production line, the joint venture is also constructing a cobalt recycling system targeting a capacity of 10 ktpy copper-cobalt alloy containing 2 ktpy of cobalt, which Roskill expects to be online around mid-2020. The commissioning of these two new projects will make CNMC fully integrated from mining to hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical smelting in the DRC, where it first ventured in 2004. www.roskill.com

The new PT-FI smelter in Indonesia In connection with the extension of PT-FI’s mining rights from 2031 to 2041, PT-FI committed to construct a new smelter in Indonesia by 21 December 2023. A site has been selected, and ground preparation is advancing. Engineering and frontend engineering and design for the selected process technology are expected to be completed in 2020.

The preliminary capital cost estimate

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is around US$ 3 billion, pending completion of final engineering.

Estimated capex for 2020 is circa US$ 0.5 bn. PT-FI has advanced financing discussions with a syndicate of banks and expects the project will be funded by a bank loan to PT-FI. FCX’s future distributions from PT-FI will incorporate approximately 49 percent of the smelter debt service. www.fcx.com

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8 | PRIMARY SMELTING

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Steam drying boosts smelter efficiency For drying of non-ferrous metal concentrates, a leading technology is offered by Kumera Corporation of Finland.

With experience of more than a half a century, Kumera Corporation serves the mineral and metal industry with a wide range of process equipment. Probably the most well-known solution is the Kumera Steam Dryer, which is the leading technology for water removal, and the solid global market leader in drying of nonferrous metal concentrates.

The technology is recognised worldwide as a symbol of clean and sustainable technology in drying. Kumera offers a niche with its unique Kumera Steam DryerTM, in addition to other products, for the global mining sector. In most projects in which the Kumera Steam DryerTM has been used to equip a new production line or to modify an existing one, it has provided significant energy savings, emission reduction, high availability, and a low level of maintenance.

Traditional direct-heated drying

In the present mining conditions, constantly exploring innovative ways of sustaining operations in the long term is now the modus operandi. One area worth considering is the process of drying copper concentrates and other non-ferrous concentrates and minerals.

Typically, the traditional direct-heated drying technique of non-ferrous concentrates in smelters can be quite an involving process, when high equipment maintenance requirements, operational expenses (OPEX), and environmental impact need to be managed. The Kumera Steam DryerTM has demonstrated that these problems can be solved. This is based on data gathered from more than twenty industrial steam dryers worldwide, where it has been deployed globally during the last 20 years.

Filling the void

The Kumera Steam DryerTM is a patented solution which fills the void in drying requirements for copper concentrates and other abrasive mineral materials. Steam for the Kumera Steam DryerTM is generated from either waste heat boilers or a recovery boiler of the smelter acid plant. The structure of the Kumera Steam DryerTM has unique features, which allow for: • High capacity of concentrate feed rate up to 250 t/h • High capacity of water evaporation rate up to 25-30 t/h • Very high energy efficiency • Low specific energy consumption • Zero gas emission, i.e. CO2, SOX, NOX, • Low dust emission rate due to low gas flow rate • Low operational expenses • Low need for maintenance • High availability

Kumera Steam Dryer with installed feed capacity of 240 t/hr. Photo: Kumera

• Easy maintenance due to light weight components • Minimum space requirement • Small size and low cost gas handling equipment • Low steam and electric power consumption

A global benchmark

Kumera’s technical support team affirms that the mining industry recognises the benefits of using the Kumera Steam DryerTM in drying of copper concentrates. According to end user feedback, in the projects where the Kumera Steam DryerTM has been used in order to equip a new production line or to modify an existing one, it has shown significant energy savings, emission reduction, high availability and low level of maintenance.

With a major market share of all dryers for copper smelters, the Kumera Steam DryerTM is globally regarded as a benchmark in technology for water removal and the solid global market leader in drying of non-ferrous metal concentrates. “Our technology is recognised worldwide as a symbol of clean and sustainable technology in drying, due to minimal need of maintenance, low operational expenses, and minimum impact on the environment,” the technical support team confirms.

Wide scope of supply

In addition to the Kumera Steam DryerTM itself, Kumera Corporation’s scope of supply can include a concentrate feeder, condensate handling system and bag house filter. Moreover, Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

it is worth mentioning that Kumera Corporation can configure the set-up for steam dryer plants to fit the smelter site and operational conditions for respective clients, to achieve optimal performance in two ways: an optional waste heat recovery system, integrated into the dryer system, and optional screening and subsequent crushing of coarse fraction. The optional waste heat recovery system integrated to the dryer is intended to further decrease the primary energy consumption significantly. The optional screening and subsequent crushing of coarse fraction, all integrated into the dryer system, is recommended for sensitive special blister copper and nickel smelting applications.

Kumera Corporation serves non-ferrous metal smelters, for instance, copper, nickel and zinc/ lead smelters, worldwide with a wide range of equipment, and is a worldwide manufacturer of industrial machinery and engineering services.

Kumera Corporation consists of three major operating divisions: • Power Transmission Group provides a comprehensive range of industrial and marine gearboxes for all major process industries • Technology Division specialises in state of the art engineering and heavy process equipment for metallurgical and environmental industries • Foundry Division with Peiron Oy produces all types of steel and iron castings, forming a link in the Corporation’s vertical refining chain.

Kumera Corporation offers a niche with its unique Kumera Steam DryerTM, in addition to other products, for the global mining sector. www.kumera.com

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Zijin is a growing copper producer The Zijin Mining Group, with mines and smelters in China, now has over a 40% share in the giant Kamoa-Kakula copper project in Africa - ranked as one of the largest copper projects - and the Group looks poised to be producing close to one million tonnes of copper within 5 years, writes Phillip Mackey.

The Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd. is a large mining group headquartered in Shanghang, China and is engaged in exploration and production of gold, copper, zinc and other metals.

It is dual-listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. Zijin was ranked in 2018 by Forbes Global 2000 in 14th place among global non-ferrous mining enterprises.

Originally formed principally as a gold mining company, Zijin some twenty years ago saw the need for copper in China’s rapidly growing economy and, expanding local copper mines, built a number of copper smelters and refineries over the past 20 years for processing copper. This was followed by several key investments in both gold and copper projects outside of China. By 2017, Zijin was earning some 66% of its revenue from gold and 34% from copper operations. The proportion from copper is expected to rise. This article focuses on Zijin’s copper processing plants and briefly describes current copper smelting and refining operations.

Smelters and refineries

Table 1 lists the Zijin copper smelters and refineries. The Zijin copper smelter located in Jiaoyang, Shanghang in China’s middle southeast in Fijian Province commenced operation in 2010. The plant, with a nominal capacity of 320,000 t Cu/yr consists of a flash smelting furnace, Peirce-Smith converters and anode refining furnaces. Anodes are refined in the adjacent copper refinery. In 2018, the Zijin smelter produced 315,000 tonnes of cathode copper along with significant quantities of gold and silver. An expansion project to boost output to 400,000 tonnes of copper is presently underway.

The Jilin Zijin copper smelter located in Hunchun, Jilin Province in northern China commenced production in 2016. This plant, with a nominal capacity of 120,000 t Cu/yr, consists of a side-blowing smelting furnace of Chinese design, Peirce-Smith converters and anode refining furnaces. Anodes are refined in the adjacent copper refinery. In 2018, Zijin Jilin produced 115,800 tonnes of cathode copper.

The Heilongjiang Zijin copper smelter located in Fulearji, Qiqihar, in Heilongjiang Province in northern China started up in 2019. The plant has a design capacity of 150,000 t Cu/yr. It is based on a side-blowing smelting furnace of Chinese design, with new SKS bottom blowing converter technology designed in China for matte converting. Anodes are refined in the adjacent copper refinery.

In December 2018, Zijin acquired the RTB Bor assets in Serbia including the Bor copper smelter. The new managing entity is Serbia Zijin Bor Copper. Dating back to 1904, the

Heilongjiang Zijin copper smelter is in Qiqihar City. Photo: Zijin Mining

then existing reverberatory furnace plant was replaced by a modern Outotec flash smelting furnace prior to 2019. Matte converting is by Peirce-Smith converters. The present capacity of 80,000 t Cu/yr is to be increased to 150,000 tonnes by additional oxygen and extra converter capacity. The adjacent Bor refinery treats the smelter anodes.

The giant Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a joint venture between developer Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the DRC Government (20%) and is ranked as the world’s largest undeveloped high-grade copper project.

Note that as Zijin has a 13% share in Ivanhoe, hence Zijin essentially has a 46% share of the project. Based on present plans, initial copper concentrate production from the Kakula mine is scheduled to commence in Q2 of 2021 (see Table 1). Initially copper concentrate will be shipped to international copper smelters for processing. An integrated development plan brings in the Kamoa project at a later date, along with the construction of a direct blister Table 1. Zijin Mining Group copper smelters and refineries

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flash furnace with a capacity of 467,000 t Cu/yr for treating the grade of concentrate produced.

Research and development

Interestingly, Zijin Mining is active in innovation, research and development activities in support of the company’s business. This will no doubt bring benefits with respect to keeping plant operating costs low. Zijin Mining & Metallurgy Testing Technology facilities are located at the Zijin operations in Shanghang and Xiamen. These facilities include a full, up-todate analytical laboratory and testing equipment covering geology, mineral processing and metallurgical work. Studies focus on processes for the treatment of refractory gold ores and lowgrade copper ore. It is a National key laboratory for investigating the treatment of low-grade and refractory gold ores. Zijin also has an engineering subsidiary to carry out the engineering design work for mining and mineral processing. www.zijinmining.com

Author: Phillip Mackey

10 | ELECTROREFINING

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Trends in refinery anode composition

Aerial view of Aurubis Bulgaria. Photo: Aurubis

The findings of the latest ‘Global survey of Copper Electrorefining’ presented at Copper 2019 in Vancouver (1) surveyed 19 refineries in depth.

During copper smelting, most of the undesirable impurities such as lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), and bismuth (Bi) are only partially removed by oxidation. When white metal and blister copper are in equilibrium, these impurities are distributed mainly into the copper phase, from which their removal is difficult. Upon casting, the impurities either remain in solution within the solid copper grains or are found as discrete impurity

Interior of Aurubis Pirdop Refinery. Photo: Aurubis

particles as oxides or selenides along the copper grain-boundaries.

Commercial copper anodes contain variable amounts of impurities dependent upon the original source. Thus, secondary smelters which process scrap typically have higher concentrations of elements associated with solder (e.g. lead, tin) than primary smelters who typically have higher concentrations of selenium, tellurium, antimony, bismuth and arsenic. The 2019 survey contained mostly refineries that produce primary copper.

Many elements have remained unchanged over the past 15-30 years. Some noticeable

trends are observed in the concentrations of As, Bi, Te and Pb since 1987. It is expected that the increased use of complex concentrates and new smelting/converting processing that utilise lower oxygen potential than traditional PeirceSmith converting will cause continued increase in anode impurity content.

References (1) Global survey of Copper Electrorefining: 2019 world tankhouse operating data, Paper No. 594940, 10th International Copper Conference, Vancouver, August 2019.

Authors: Michael S. Moats, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Andreas Filzwieser, Mettop GmbH et al.

Refinery capacity trends to 2023 Over the period 2020 to 2023, annual copper refinery capacity is likely to grow at an average rate of around 2.3% per year, according to the latest ICSG Directory of Copper Mines and Plants. Growth in electrolytic refinery capacity is projected to average 2.5% per year, whilst growth

in Electrowinning (SX-EW) capacity is projected at 1.9%. About 85% of the growth in global refined capacity from 2020 to 2023 is expected to come from electrolytic refineries.

China (in the form of electrolytic capacity) will be by far the biggest contributor to world

growth in refined capacity, followed by the DRC and Peru (in the form of electrowinning capacity). By the end of 2023, Electrowinning capacity is expected to have declined by 10% in Chile. www.icsg.org

Supply and demand to October 2019 The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) released preliminary data for October 2019 world copper supply and demand in its January 2020 Copper Bulletin.

The data indicates that world refined production declined by about 0.3% in the first ten months of 2019 with primary production (electrolytic and electrowinning) falling by 0.7% and secondary production (from scrap) increasing by 1.7%. World refined production growth was constrained as a consequence of a 27% decrease in Chilean electrolytic refined output due to temporary smelter shutdowns whilst undergoing upgrades to comply with new environmental regulations. Total Chilean refined production (including Electrowinning) declined by 10%.

There was also a 37% decrease in Zambian refined output due to power supply interruptions, smelter outages and temporary shutdowns, and the introduction on 1st January 2019 of a 5% custom duty on copper concentrate imports that constrained smelter feed. A decline of 21% in India’s production was mainly a consequence of the shutdown of Vedanta’s Tuticorin smelter in April 2018. There were also a number of smelter maintenance shutdowns in the period. On a regional basis, refined output was estimated to have increased in Asia (3%) and in Oceania (10%) but declined, in North America (-2%), in Latin America (-7%), in Africa (-9.5%) and in Europe (-2%).

Preliminary data indicates that world apparent refined usage grew by 0.2% in the first ten months of 2019. Although Chinese Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

net refined copper imports declined by 11%, Chinese apparent usage grew by around 2.2% as a consequence of higher Chinese refinery output. Demand increased in the United States, India and Taiwan (China) but declined in the EU and Japan. World ex-China usage declined by around 2% overall. The world refined copper balance, based on apparent Chinese usage (excluding unreported/bonded stocks), indicated a deficit in the market of 439,000 t.

The world refined copper balance adjusted for changes in Chinese bonded stocks indicated a market deficit of 615,000 t. The world refined copper balance is adjusted based on an average estimate of changes in unreported inventories provided by three consultants with expertise in China’s copper market. www.icsg.org

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Are you going direct to wire?

Direct-To-Wire is a fire refining technology for optimised production of liquid ‘fire-refined high-conductivity copper’ (FRHC copper) for rod manufacture from copper scrap. The liquid FRHC copper can be used directly in the wire rod casting and rolling process. The technology is based on the long experience of ANDRITZ Metals in furnace construction and, due to its flexibility, can be installed either in existing or new copper rod production plants. Depending on the required production capacity, DirectTo-Wire can be realised with three different furnace concepts: • 240 to 600 t/d: Efficient hearth shaft furnace for melting in combination with two drumtype furnaces for refining and casting • 40 to 300 t/d: Flexible tilting furnace for melting, refining, and casting, expandable by a second furnace • 20 to 30 t/d: Drum-type furnace for melting, refining, and casting, expandable by a second furnace for minimum investment.

To achieve optimum efficiency and cycle time, all ANDRITZ Metals furnaces are equipped with purging plugs and high pressure tuyere injectors in addition to other technical advantages, for example: The drum-type furnaces are mainly used for refining of liquid copper from upstream melting furnaces in primary and secondary metallurgy.

Andritz drum-type furnace

They can be applied as anode furnaces and refining furnaces for copper rod, or as Pierce Smith converters. Drum-type furnaces are also available in a design for handling solid scrap input. Capacities ranging from 20 to 630 t have been implemented. Advantages of the drumtype furnace include: • Fast and efficient refining • Advanced and proven refining technology with submerged tuyeres

• Solid and liquid input can be handled • Accurate dosage during the casting process by controlled rotation of the furnace vessel • Tuyere technology for gaseous and liquid reducing agents • Optimised production logistics in the plant due to simultaneous operation of two or more drum-type furnaces. www.andritz.com

WIRE TUBE 2020 PREVIEW First in upcasting Stand 6 A01 / 9 C06 - Upcast Oy of Finland has achieved more than 50 years of consistent deliveries, R&D, operational experience and know-how and excellent customer service regarding the UPCAST® continuous upward casting technology and process. UPCAST OY will have their experts at the Stand 9 C06 available for the interested parties during the entire week. They are happy to answer your questions and find solutions for you whether

about casting of Cu-OF rod of various sizes, other shapes than rod (flat bar, profiles), SGTube or any Cu alloys or those of other non-ferrous metals. They are more than happy to tell you more about the optimised energy consumption, too.

There is also great news to share with you regarding the new professional UPCAST® UPtime software program for the maintenance optimisation of the casting lines. You might

also have interest in UPCAST® lines designed for recycled materials, which is very important in today’s environment, or the topic can cover the original spare parts and consumables or any technical support you might have in mind. When planning your visits for this years’ exhibitions, remember to mark down a time slot for visiting UPCAST OY. Either in Düsseldorf soon or in Shanghai at wire China 2020 in September. www.upcast.com

High performance ceramics and refractories

Stand 14 F10 - Saint-Gobain leads the industry in the design, development and production of the highest performing solutions for extreme operating conditions and high temperature environments. Every product and material is designed to maximise performance and longevity while minimising long-term environmental impact. This commitment to

Saint Gobain will deliver a custom engineered solution for your copper shaft and holding furnace. See their new Twinfrax Burner blocks for improved furnace performance on Stand 14F10

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sustainability is the cornerstone of every Saint-Gobain division. All of SaintGobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories division expertise will be on hand at wire and Tube 2020. Saint-Gobain strives to deliver value through its global technical expertise and the long-term partnerships it forms with customers. All employees are committed to delivering the best solutions and services to meet the unique material and engineering needs of customers. From refractories that withstand the most extreme conditions to lightweight, highly engineered ceramics, a global team of experts is able to design solutions for your needs in multiple markets and applications. www.ceramicsrefractories.saint-gobain.com

12 | WIRE TUBE 2020 PREVIEW

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A global power and communications hubbub These leading trade fairs for the wire, cable, and tube and tube processing industries, take place in Düsseldorf from 30 March to 2 April 2020.

The trade fair duo wire and Tube will bring together some 2,600 exhibitors on total net

space of 115,000 square metres in 15 exhibition halls. Organisers Messe Düsseldorf expect in excess of 70,000 visitors from some 130 countries. This year wire will be presented in Halls 9 to 12 and 14 to 17, with Tube in Halls 1,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7.0 and 7a. For current information on the two trade fairs visit web portals www.wire-tradefair.com and www.tube-tradefair.com

A selection of key copper sector exhibitors at wire and Tube 2020 follows:

New processes and digitalisation focus Stand 07a B03/04 - SMS group is embracing the changes taking place in the metals industry with innovative developments.

As a systems supplier, SMS group is relying on new products and digital technology that enhance the efficiency of production processes.

SMS group will be presenting examples of this at wire and Tube, with a wide range to showcase at its booth, B03/04, in Hall 7a.

Another future-oriented topic is additive manufacturing, an area in which SMS group already plays a pioneering role. The company will be presenting parts manufactured using

3D printing technology that are just as custommade, yet lighter than their conventionally manufactured counterparts. SMS group will also be showing visitors how these and other spare parts can be ordered quickly and easily online from its eShop.

SMS group will also be continuing its ‘Leading Partner Talks’ at Tube and wire.

The open discussion rounds with customers and developers are a special experience. For information on dates and topics, visit www.sms-group.com/press-media/events/. www.sms-group.com

Technological advances and improved ROI

Finishing block featuring Morgan No-Twist® rod mill technology

Stand 14 C03 - Primetals Technologies offer innovative designs and pioneering technologies to deliver immediate returns on investment, as their copper rod mill equipment produces

high-quality products consistently and reliably.

They bring decades of experience to new equipment designs that reduce downtime and minimise downstream processing with ‘plug and play’ modular installations.

Components offer increased durability and maximum uptime.

On continuous copper rod mills, they feature Morgan No-Twist® rod mill technology.

In partnership with Southwire, they have built and installed 110 copper and aluminium rod mills and completed about 40 mill upgrades.

In addition to upgrading continuous cast rolling systems, Primetals Technologies also offers solutions on conventional billet mills for increasing production rates, rolling different grades or improving tolerance. Through

detailed equipment and process audits, they can determine the best, customised solution tailored to your needs, including electrical automation packages.

In addition, erection advising, commissioning expertise, maintenance training and spare parts management combine to make your projects successful. They support customers with services at group sites worldwide, as Primetals Technologies is a joint venture of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and partners, with around 7,000 employees. No-Twist is a registered trademark of Primetals Technologies LLC in certain countries. www.primetals.com

New optimisation services from Properzi Stand 11 G40 - Continuus-Properzi a world leader in the design and construction of continuous casting systems for the production of aluminium and copper wire rod, microrolling® lines for ferrous and nonferrous materials and furnaces, among them for refining copper scrap, will present new services at wire Düsseldorf: IULIUS 4.0 - which is able to fulfil four fundamental principles of Industry 4.0, namely Interoperability, Information Transparency, Technical Assistance and Decentralized Decisionmaking Process. Moreover, this service is active in three typologies - Basic, Standard and Deluxe

- each one utilising various interfaces from simple operator intervention to Industry 4.0 configuration, featuring local Wi-Fi and remote internet access.

THE NEW PROPERZI TECHNICAL CONSULTANCY - offering an enormous return from a small investment! With the new consultancy, and the new dedicated team of technical advisors, the customer has access to: remote assistance via internet connection, written consultancy by e-mail, on-site technical audit or, if preferred, training courses by specialised staff at Properzi’s headquarters. All the consultancy offerings Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

are tailored to specific customer requirements and technical necessities.

Current and potential customers should come and visit Hall 11 Stand G40 to hear details on these services, which allow remarkable savings and optimisation of production processes.

Properzi commercial staff will be at your complete disposal for giving further details. www.properzi.com

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Continuous extrusion excellence Stand 11 H39 - Holton Crest designs and manufactures Continuous Rotary Extrusion machines and is a global leader within the market, helping international manufacturers to produce copper and aluminium components, cables, wires and profiles. With over 30 years’ experience, Holton Crest offers the best quality, durable machines with the most advanced technology to drive optimum production performance. A focus on the CRE process as its key driver ensures that its machines are designed around optimising the process.

Holton Crest is continually investing in R&D, product enhancements and new technological advances to future proof the machines and provide the upgrades and additional features needed to run production at maximum capacity and efficiency. The expertise doesn’t stop with the machines - it provides a full ‘end to end’ service and focus on maintaining optimum production levels by managing the process effectively and keeping customers’ machines running at all times - through its process assessment service, design, tooling, upgrades, consumables and maintenance spares and regular servicing. www.holtoncrest.com

Complex extruded profiles are possible for Holton Crest CRE machines

Safer and more productive handling

Stand 6 I08 - Combilift is a global specialist manufacturer of multi-directional forklifts which offers better use of your storage space, speeds up handling procedures and boosts productivity. The company’s award-winning customised products, exported to over 85 countries, also ensure the very safe handling of long and bulky products, palletised goods,

A Combi-WR4 purpose-built 4-way pedestrian reach stacker in operation.

Photo: Combilift

containers and oversized loads. Combilift’s range includes multidirectional forklifts and sideloaders, narrow aisle articulated trucks, pedestrian operated models as well as straddle carriers which can move 100 t loads. Pedestrian

trucks ensure a higher level of safety where other members of the workforce are present compared to ride-on forklifts. Combilift’s pedestrian range all feature the unique, patented multi-position tiller arm which can be turned to the left or right to position the rear drive wheel, allowing the operator to remain at the side of the machine for safety. Combilift’s original multidirectional C- Series trucks work inside and out and on uneven terrain in all weathers. Electric powered models such as the 8,000 kg capacity C8000ET will be exhibited. www.combilift.com

Stand 14 F10

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

14 | COPPER ROD SECTOR

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Cast rod systems and technology Capacity range

Stand 09 A07 - Southwire Company, LLC, SCR Technologies provides continuous cast rod systems and technology for the production of copper and aluminium rod.

SCR copper systems range in size from 7 to 54 tonnes per hour of ETP copper rod.

SCR Technologies is a world leader in Continuous Cast Copper Rod systems

SCR aluminium systems range in capacity from 2.5 to 15 tonnes per hour of EC aluminium and alloyed aluminium rod. SCR shaft furnaces and furnace systems for rod, billet, and anode casting are available with capacities ranging from 7 to 60 tonnes per hour. Stop by Booth 9A07 at wire Dusseldorf 2020. www.southwire.com

Efficiency and quality in copper wire production production capacities to meet the demand in the western Chinese regions, consolidating its leading position.

Modular structure

A comparable CONTIROD® casting and rolling plant for copper wire

Xinjiang Amer Qian Golding Cable Co., Ltd. from China, a subsidiary of Amer Group, has placed an order with SMS group for a CONTIROD® casting and rolling plant to produce copper wire. The new CONTIROD® plant of the CR- 3500 type has been the fourth plant for the Amer Group over the last decade.

The new plant is destined to be installed at the Urumqi location in Xinjiang Province, and is scheduled to go on stream at the end of the second quarter of 2021. The technological knowhow of SMS group’s copper specialists and the proven plant concept were decisive.

The high-performance wire rod line CR-3500 is designed for the production of up to 35 tonnes of ETP copper wire per hour corresponding to an annual production output of about 225,000 tonnes. ETP copper wire (Electrolytic Tough Pitch) serves as starting material for the production of conductors for the electronic and electrical industries. With the new CONTIROD® plant, Amer Group expands its

The CR-3500 for casting and rolling copper wire in one process is modularly structured and consists of a shaft melting furnace, a holding furnace, a twin-belt caster, a twelve-stage rolling mill with separate individual drives, a deoxidation and cooling section as well as a wire coil station, strapping unit and foil packaging plant.

For the CONTIROD® CR-3500, SMS group employs state of the art technologies, for example Lambda control on the shaft furnace, frequency-controlled three-phase drives, and deoxidation and cooling line with separate media circuits. The above features enhance the comprehensive process efficiency while product quality is improved at the same time.

Fuel, working material and power consumption can be significantly reduced. As a result, CONTIROD® is marked with the SMS group ecoplants label.

Efficient melting

In addition to the proven Lambda control, an improved charging and distributing system for cathodes and return scrap is employed on the shaft melting furnace.

This technology minimises the consumption of natural gas by efficient heat transfer and increases product quality.

Molten copper is continuously cast in an almost horizontal way via the Hazelett twinbelt caster to a casting ingot with a crosssectional area of 6,510 square millimetres.

A homogeneous casting structure and an even oxygen distribution in the casting ingot are key factors for a high-quality wire rod. A chamfer plane and a spraying unit optimally prepare the casting ingot for the additional rolling process.

Quality rolling

In the rolling line with altogether twelve individually driven mill stands, the rectangular casting ingot is rolled down to 8 mm round wire. Due to a specific force control from the individual mill stands, a top wire quality with fine-grained homogeneous rolling structure can be attained. In a two-stage deoxidation and cooling section, a water-alcohol solution first of all reduces the oxide layer on the wire rod surface. In a second step the wire rod is cooled down with water until a configured target temperature is reached. A laser measuring system controls the finished rod diameter.

In a wire coil station with automated strapping unit and foil packaging plant, the finished copper wire is prepared for further transport. A previously applied wax coating ensures that an oxidation process by ambient air is prevented. www.sms-group.com Note: CONTIROD® is a registered trademark of Aurubis Belgium

Bringing connections to life Stand 10 A47 - Lamifil produces tailor made overhead conductors, catenary and speciality wires. Celebrating its 90th anniversary, over a 5-year period Lamifil is rolling out a substantial package of strategic and operational investments, beginning with a renewed brand positioning and a modernised brand identity, the essence of which is that Lamifil is ‘bringing connections to life’. The new strategy consists of four main pillars: Connecting with customers - covers how Lamifil is answering current and future customer challenges Connecting with the future - is about preparing

its products, manufacturing site and processes for the future Connecting with each other - amounts to how Lamifil employees work together to improve wellbeing, safety and productivity Connecting with the environment - guides how Lamifil commits itself towards society, through local anchoring and respect for its environment.

Lamifil’s superior copper alloys are used in industries demanding wire and cable products with the lowest breakage ratios, yet offering high conductivity, tensile strength and thermal stability. www.lamifil.be

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

Filip Goris is the new CEO of Lamifil as of 1 February 2020

TUBE AND WIRE | 15

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A compact high-quality rod plant At Tube and wire, SMS group is going to show its compacROD® technology for copper wire production. This technology package uniquely combines state of the art technologies for gasfired shaft furnaces, with a purpose-tailored casting system and a high-end rolling mill equipped with separately actuated individual drives. This modular plant concept is the perfect starting solution for producers wishing to take up the production of ETP- or FRHCgrade copper rod. The integrated production process, designed for a capacity of 5 to 7 t/hr (30,000 to 50,000 t copper wire rod per year), is characterised by extremely low process costs.

Design features

The vertical furnace vessel’s special charging system enables cathodes to be loosely distributed. Gas burners in the lower part of the furnace melt the copper.

The hot offgases are almost fully utilised in the upper furnace zone to heat up the charged material. The modular rolling line consists of several mill stands, all of which have the same design. Each mill stand features two roll rings and the roll gap is adjusted via a central spindle. A centralised synchronous adjustment of both rolls ensures that a long service life is achieved. www.sms-group.com

A compacROD® Tube plantProducts offers topInternational product quality and low production half horiz Ad Liz 2.pdf 1 cost 04/11/2019 14:44:59

India Cable & Wire Fair summary The 3rd edition of India’s Cable & Wire Fair organised by Tulip 3P Media took place in New Delhi in November 2019.

It was opened by Shri Suresh Prabhu, India’s Sherpa to the G 7 and G 20 Summits, who urged the wire and cable industry to make safety its first priority. Several keynote speakers saw latent growth potential in India. There were around 200 exhibitors from 20 countries. The next event will be held from 26 - 28 October 2021 in New Delhi. www.cablewirefair.com

L to R: Mr. Andrew Shaw, Managing Director, Ducab; Mr. Priyank Jain, CEO, Tulip 3P Media Private Limited (Organisers); Shri Suresh Prabhu, India’s Sherpa to the G 7 and G 20; Mr. Dilip Dev, CMD, HD Wires Private Limited; Mr. Vijay P. Karia, Chairman & Managing Director, Ravin Group of Companies; and Suranjan Gupta - Executive Director, EEPC

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SAFETY | STORAGE | EFFICIENCY All over the world, Combilift is revolutionising the way companies handle and store materials, especially long and awkward loads, or when space is limited. Our pioneering product range includes multi-directional, articulated, pedestrian forklifts as well as straddle carriers.

Companies of all sizes, across a diverse array of industries, are using Combilift handling solutions – but what our customers all have in common is an understanding of how clever design can maximize efficiency, safety and profitability in their business.

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

+353 47 80500 COMBILIFT.COM

16 | CONTRACTS & PEOPLE In brief…

The Board of BHP has announced that Andrew Mackenzie’s retirement date will be 31 March 2020, three months earlier than previously announced. The CEO transition is proceeding well and ahead of schedule, with Mike Henry having assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer from 1 January 2020. www.bhp.com

BHP’s Chief Technology Officer, Diane Jurgens, is to leave in early 2020.

Ms Jurgens joined BHP in 2015, and was appointed Chief Technology Officer in February 2016. Rag Udd, currently Vice President Technology Global Transformation, was appointed Acting Chief Technology Officer, effective 14 December 2019. www.bhp.com

Schenck Process is opening a new Centre of Excellence in the Czech Republic, and plans to transfer all UK Manufacturing Operations currently in Thorne there. Sales, aftermarket, engineering and administrative functions would remain in the Doncaster region. The Doncaster Test Centre will remain available to support customers. www.schenckprocess.com

CRU is pleased to announce the appointment of Rebecca Gordon as Chief Executive Officer, CRU Consulting.

Rebecca now leads the global consulting business and becomes a member of the Executive Committee for CRU Group. Joining in 1995, Rebecca has held a variety of senior roles within the business, especially in the technology metals space. www.crugroup.com

Registered CRU World Copper Conference delegates will have the option to travel independently to attend an organised site visit to either Centinela or Sierra Gorda SCM on 26 March. This year’s delegate fee includes access to the Environmental Strategy and Technology Forum on 23 March and the Sulphuric Acid Seminar on 25 March. www.worldcopperconference.com

The MetSoc Board of Directors seek a 3rd vice-president (COM 2023).

Candidates interested in the 3rd VP position must be willing to fill a volunteer position for five to six consecutive years, plan COM 2023, and have knowledge of COM. See other criteria and process for nomination by following the link. The application deadline is 31 March 2020. www.metsoc.org

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Metso adds to Executive Team Giuseppe Campanelli has been appointed President, Minerals Services business area and a member of Metso’s Executive Team from 2 January 2020. Previously he has been a member of the Minerals Services business area management team heading Professional Services.

Concurrently, Kalle Sipilä has been appointed President, Pumps business area and a member of Metso’s Executive Team. Previously he has been operationally in charge of the Pumps business area in addition Giuseppe Campanelli has been appointed President of to his role as head of Finance and Metso Minerals Services Business Control of the Minerals and a member of the Metso Executive Services business area. Mikko Keto, Team, ended his employment with latterly President of Metso’s Minerals Metso on 1 January 2020.

Services and Pumps business areas www.metso.com

Cochilco updates cadastre of mining projects The Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) announced an increase of US$ 6,756 million in mining investments compared to the previous year during its presentation of the 2019-2028 Mining Project Cadastre. In total, the estimated investment reaches US$ 72,503 million. As reported by Pulso (La Tercera 4.12.19), this increase is explained by some changes in the composition of the portfolio, which is related to projects that have been discarded or paralysed, and others that have been added to the list. The investment increase of US$ 6,171 million due to costs of some Codelco structural projects is noteworthy, and the increase in the item ‘other

Codelco projects’, which reach US$ 2,513 million compared to the 2018 cadastre.

Chilean companies explain 51% of the investment associated with this cadastre, while Canada (21%), United Kingdom (10%) and the US (7%) follow. In relation to the probability of execution, the cadastre indicates that 37% of the initiatives are in a ‘base’ condition, 21% in a ‘probable’ condition, 16% in a ‘possible’ condition and 26% in a ‘potential’ condition. The region that will receive the majority of investment is Antofagasta, with US$ 24,518 million, followed by Atacama, with US$ 16,055 million.

Zijin set to complete Timok mine acquisition Zijin Mining has agreed to buy the Timok copper and gold mine in Serbia from US-based Freeport McMoran. Zijin expects the acquisition to be completed before 29 February 2020, subject to the approval of the Chinese and Serbian governments and authorities. This acquisition is part of Zijin’s strategy to secure mining assets and expand globally. Zijin will pay an initial US$ 240 M to FCX to acquire its stake and mining rights under Timok Copper and Gold mines. Five exploration rights at the periphery of the mine will also be part of the acquisition. Zijin aims to reach full ownership of the upper and lower belts of the Timok mine. The lower belt is a low-sulphur porphyry goldcopper ore with simple composition and few impurities. The ore could be used for blending in concentrate feedstock to reduce harmful impurities. Due to deteriorating copper ore grade globally, levels of arsenic, lead, fluorine, cadmium and mercury level have been rising in copper concentrates. www.sulphuric-acid.com

Borgas hands over WRA reins to Jackson

www.cochilco.cl

Towards a European warning system Neuschwander. Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS at the behest of TURM solutions, EUWARN is based on KATWARN, a public warning system deployed successfully in Germany and Austria New WRA President Carol Jackson is CEO of for years now. The KATWARN HarbisonWalker International (HWI) system delivers alerts only to affected Carol Jackson, Chairman and CEO of areas or buildings.

HarbisonWalker International (HWI), has been elected as the incoming www.turm-solutions.com president of the World Refractory www.fraunhofer.de www.katwarn.de Association (WRA). Jackson began her two-year term in January 2020, succeeding Stefan Borgas, CEO of Joint venture to progress Llurimagua RHI Magnesita, who has led the A decision to build a potential 210 in the project. Enami will own 51% organisation since January 2018. “As ktpy copper mine with a 27-year and Codelco 49% of a new JV the global voice of the refractory estimated life at the Llurimagua company to be set up in early 2020 industry, it is imperative for us to copper-molybdenum project in to progress the project. Around unify and advance the common Imbabura, Ecuador, could be taken US$ 250 million is expected to interests of this trade association, as in 2023 after a feasibility study be spent on the project over the we promote the value and criticality is completed. Enami, Ecuador’s next four years to bring it to a of refractory in manufacturing to state mineral company, and construction decision. all our stakeholders,” says Jackson. www.thinkHWI.com Codelco are joint venture partners www.mining-journal.com EU Commission staff will soon be receiving location-based danger alerts on their mobile phones from an app that calls their attention to potential hazards such as a building fire, a suspicious package or the threat of an attack. Called EUWARN, the new warning system was launched in Brussels on 11 September by EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger, Fraunhofer President Prof. Dr. Reimund Neugebauer and TURM solutions GmbH CEO Ortwin

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MINO delivers highest quality mill

In brief…

Lingbao Jinyuan Zhaohui Copper Co., Ltd has selected MINO of Italy as supplier of a new copper foil mill as part of its new expansion project in Lingbao in Henan Province.

Contract signing ceremony for Zhaohui Copper Phase II Rolled Copper Foil Project. Photo: MINO

Control, specifically designed and tuned for the requirements of copper foil rolling process and perfectly matching with the latest version of MINO’s mechanical design for Copper Foil Mills.

The Automatic Gauge Control can provide speed control, tension control and pressure control modes combined in different ways to adapt to any rolling condition and to guarantee the best values of thickness tolerance. Notwithstanding the compact design of the mill, the mill design and control includes HGC pistons skewing, mechanical work and intermediate rolls bending, and work rolls dynamic thermal crown control (realised by frequency controlled electrical spray valves) to keep under control the flatness of the strip at any value of thickness, especially when rolling the thinnest products for which the risk of strip breakage is higher.

Specification

The basic data of the mill are: Typical MINO Copper Foil Mill configuration. Photo: MINO

Jinyuan Zhaohui Copper Co., Ltd is a renowned company specialised in the production of ultra-thin rolled copper foil of highest quality. The company produces and exports in all the world plain foil, surface treated foil, high corrosion resistance foil and copper foil for graphene. The company is beginning the second phase of its development plan by increasing production capability. As rolled copper foil has the most stringent quality requirements in the whole market of copper alloys, the new MINO Copper Foil Mill, which is currently under design and manufacturing, shall incorporate state of the art mechanical and hydraulic design, conceived and developed to cope with the specific and unique requirements of copper foil rolling. The mill will be completely manufactured in Italy and pre-assembled in MINO’s Alessandria workshop.

The mill is derived from MINO’s six high reversing mill concept the design has been modified and improved to allow the use of work rolls with very small diameter (110 mm), but keeping at the same time the advantage of the thickness and flatness control principles of the six high mill configuration. The reversing mill is equipped with two reels that allow to apply a very wide range of tensions. Special equipment such as X ray thickness gauges, flatness rolls, tensiometer load cells, high precision encoders are installed on board the mill.

The auxiliary hydraulic and fluidic circuits are designed to cope with the peculiar mill design. The automation is equipped with a Technological Control System provided by MINO Process Control from the UK for high-performing Automatic Flatness Control and Automatic Gauge

Alloys to be processed: C10200, C101000, C11000, C19400, C70250 Max. entry thickness: 0.2 mm Min. exit thickness on copper: 0.006 mm Max. strip width: 650 mm Min. strip width: 400 mm Max. line speed at the mill: 800 m/min Max. coil weight: 3.5 t The mill will be able to roll down to 6 microns of pure copper over maximum strip width. This is the most challenging rolling product that nowadays is requested to the very few mill manufacturers who are able to provide such high precision mills. The selection of MINO by Jinyuan Zhaohui Copper Co. confirms MINO’s technological leadership in the field of thin and ultra-thin gauge rolling of copper alloys on medium/ wide strips. www.mino.it

Amer Xinjiang industrial park project underway The Amer International Group 8 bn yuan project in Xinjiang comprises a 5 bn yuan first phase, which includes a 100 ktpy precision copper wire project (commissioned Nov 2019), 250 ktpy electrified railway overhead conductor

and low oxygen bright copper rod and 50 ktpy polymer modified materials project. The 3 bn yuan second phase includes high precision electronic copper foil, 50 ktpy high performance copper alloy (including nanometer copper

wire project), and an advanced PCB and amorphous alloy injection molding project.

Xinjiang has become a magnet for investors with its unique position on the Silk Road. www.antaike.com

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

Mikko Keto will join FLSmidth as President, Mining Industry and member of Group Executive Management in early July 2020. The appointment comes following Manfred Schaffer’s decision to retire in 2020. Mikko joins FLSmidth from Metso, where he has worked for 10 years, the last two years as President, Minerals Services and Pumps. www.flsmidth.com

LME Week Asia has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The event is jointly organised by HKEX and the LME and was scheduled to take place on 4-8 May 2020. The eighth annual Asia Seminar was due to happen on 6 May and will now be rescheduled later in the year. The associate LME Asia Week dinner is cancelled altogether for this year. www.lme.com

AMETEK Surface Vision now has regional hubs for SmartView® and SmartAdvisor® surface inspection and monitoring solutions. François Levac and Satoshi Suzuki are now Americas Business Director and Asia Business Director, and Paul Stuyt and Yamina Lansari are Global Manager of Projects and Service, and Global Manager of Technical Services respectively. www.ameteksurfacevision.com

FLSmidth has secured an order from Red Metal to supply four production lines of grinding equipment, with ancillaries, to a copper mine in the Khabarovsk region of Russia. When operational, the equipment will process a total of 84 Mtpy of ore. The order is valued at approximately DKK 1,700 million and will be booked in the first quarter of 2020. www.flsmidth.com

The Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Canadianbased global copper, nickel and zinc producer, Lundin Mining Corporation.

A sponsorship agreement with leading mining and rail consumables manufacturer Molycop was announced shortly afterwards. www.ceecthefuture.org

The International Copper Association (ICA) will present Future Demand Sessions on 23-24 March at the CRU World Copper Conference 2020 in Santiago covering the future of copper demand, including new content exploring opportunities in EVs and energy efficiency, climate-based retrofitting of buildings, responsible sourcing, and copper substitution. www.copperalliance.org

18 | TRANSFORMING WITH COPPER

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Copper Committee meets in Spain The 78th GDMB Copper Committee meeting took place in Huelva, Spain in late October 2019 by invitation of Atlantic Copper.

Shortly afterward, Chairman Magnus Ek, M.Sc. of Skelleftehamn, Sweden, reported ‘The year 2019 has been a busy year with the EMC conference and the triennial Copper conference in Vancouver earlier this autumn.

Still the interest to attend this year’s GDMB meeting was high. The meeting also managed to attract people from both South- and North America, which is rather unusual for the event.

Presentations and discussions

Irene Ruiz Oria, M.Sc., Atlantic Copper, introduced their work with slag to find methods to recover energy and reduce water consumption using dry granulation technique. The preliminary results will be further investigated in an EIT project.

Dr. Pengfu Tan, Glencore, pointed out that the trend in China is to go for grinding and flotation of slags to get better copper recoveries.

Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.Ing. Timm Lux, SMS group GmbH, presented a great variation of trends in the field and how SMS can assist. SMS knowledge from the steel industry presents an interesting approach to new solutions for the non-ferrous metals industry. Examples of high-pressure applications were discussed.

Dr. Tan mentioned that in China no new project involves PS converting technology.

Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Hanusch, Küttner GmbH & Co. KG, presented their work on TBRC technology for shredded residues and WEEE material. They used results from pilot trials in Aachen to scale up and offer the ‘KTRC’ process.

A discussion on the gasification kinetics and recovery took place with the presenter.

Dr. Pengfu Tan, Glencore International AG, divided the development of smelting into five categories of technology, flash smelting, bottom blowing, Vanyukov, top submerged lancing and direct to blister technologies. He also presented the development in China using continuous converting and new process for smelting with bottom blowing or side blowing technologies.

Dr.-Ing. Ilkka V. Kojo, Outotec Oy, gave an interesting insight into the effects of e-mobility and its implications on future metal consumption. The increased use of e-car each

Participants of the 78th GDMB Copper Committee meeting at Atlantic Copper in Huelva, Spain. Photo: Atlantic Copper

in order to explain differences in copper drop size in the slag from the furnaces. One identified difference that may affect the result is the two metre higher reaction shaft in the old Flash converting furnace at Glogow I.

Copper anode casting. Photo: Atlantic Copper

having about 100 kg of copper will by 2040 increase the used metal stock to contain 45 Mt of primary copper and 10 Mt of secondary copper.

Dr.-Ing. Anton Klassert, ChemSys GmbH, presented the use of mono-disperse copper particles for metal printing, etc. Though current development into the use of solid copper as the source for production of mono-disperse copper has led to a pause in the development, Dr. Klassert thinks this will attract a lot of future development.

Dr. Patricio Barrios, PB Metals & Mining Advisers, took us back in time presenting the development of legislation in Europe to promote sustainability.

He also put the legislation evolution and its impact on the copper industry into context.

Sean Southall, P.Eng., Hatch, presented their project model using 3D visualisation to enhance accuracy in furnace turnovers. The optimisation considers several aspects to, e.g. keep the project on time and proactively plans to avoid accidents.

Katarzyna Klejnowska, M.Sc., Siec Badawcza Lukasiewicz, Institut Metali Niezelaznych, reported their investigation comparing Glogow I and II

Dipl.-Ing. Eric Klaffenbach, Aurubis presented work on slag modelling to further clean the slag from metals hence increase recovery.

The investigation looked at “deep cleaned” slag with a lower oxygen partial pressure than usual. The modelling showed a relationship between copper in slag and lime content in the slag as well as slag temperature.

Robert Gregorczyk, KGHM Polska Miedz S.A., presented how work to improve H&S KPI in Glogow has shown a good improvement between the years 2009 and 2018, with almost 40 % fewer accidents.

Plant visit

The plant visit was to Atlantic Copper Huelva smelter, where last year production reached 283 kt cathode copper and 13 kt anode copper.

They have had a strong focus on energy savings in recent years with good results. Stops were made at the flash furnace control room, anode casting and tank house.

Finally, an appreciated thank you to host Atlantic Copper for making the 78th GDMB Copper committee meeting a very successful one.’ www.atlantic-copper.es www.gdmb.de Note: This report first appeared in GDMB News and is summarised by kind permission

EMC 2021 takes on complex ores The next EMC will take place from 27 - 30 June 2021 in Salzburg, Austria with the theme ‘From Mine to Metal: The search for an integral solution to process complex ores and residues (with high impurities) and produce high value multi metal at lowest CO2 footprint.’

The GDMB Society of Metallurgists and Miners invites you to the European

Metallurgical Conference, EMC 2021, the most important conference in Europe dedicated to non-ferrous metals. It is particularly directed to metal producers, plant manufacturers, equipment suppliers and service providers as well as members of universities and consultants.You will find further details on the conference website.

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

Call for papers

Prospective authors wishing to present papers are invited to submit the title, the name(s) of the author(s) and an abstract of 250 to 300 words (in English) by 10 June 2020 at the latest, to: emc@gdmb.de.

Use the opportunity to participate. www.emc.gdmb.de

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OTTO JUNKER supplies key Turkish producer Based in Istanbul in Turkey, the company Altek Döküm Hadde Mamulleri San. S. A. placed an order with OTTO JUNKER GmbH for a strip flotation furnace in December 2019.

The furnace will be integrated into a continuous strip degreasing, annealing and pickling line for copper and copper alloys.

Altek Döküm has an extensive product portfolio that includes copper and copper alloy strips, sheets, washers, specialty alloyed products, coin blanks and cartridge case cups.

The company specialises in rolled products made of copper and copper alloys, and supplies its products to the electrical, electronics and automotive industries, as well as to the textile, sanitary systems, automation, construction, roofing and cladding, and minting sectors.

For the expansion of its production facility, the company was looking for an innovative system that meets particularly high quality standards for strips. Altek Döküm therefore opted for technology from OTTO JUNKER. The line is designed for strip widths between 300 and 460 mm and thicknesses ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 mm.

Flotation furnace design

In the gas-heated 2VX-T strip flotation furnace, the metal strip is supported only by a cushion of protective atmosphere of nitrogen and hydrogen, without any mechanical contact, as it passes through the annealing and cooling sections. The patented 2VX-T strip flotation furnace was developed in close cooperation with RWTH Aachen University. Its specified

An OTTO JUNKER reference line

target characteristics were optimised using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and had been confirmed by previously supplied systems of this type, namely: • High buoyancy and stable strip position •U niform heat transfer across the strip width for consistently high product quality •A erodynamic strip centering by means of patented centering nozzles • Long-life centrifugal fans for optimum efficiency • No feed-throughs from outside into plenum chambers.

The plant also meets the highest standards in terms of CO2 savings. In addition to the typical features for minimising energy losses, such as

Example CFD analysis results (left) and FEM analysis results (right).

Source - OTTO JUNKER News, No. 23, April 2014

recuperative burners or optimum insulation, the furnace will be equipped with the OTTO JUNKER heat recovery system. With this system, up to 30% of the useful energy input is re-used to heat the rinsing baths. www.altekdokum.com www.otto-junker.de

ANDRITZ to modernise Taiwanese rolling mill

A 20-high rolling mill from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ announced in October it has received an order to modernise a 20-high cold rolling mill for First Copper Technology Co., Ltd., Taiwan, at its plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The scope of supply and services includes engineering and supply of the mechanical and electrical equipment as well as erection work supervision and start-up. The modernisation work is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2021.

After the modernisation, the rolling mill’s mechanical, electrical and safety-related equipment will reflect the current state of the art. This will ensure increased production reliability in the future, and the quality of the end product will be improved by the new components installed, in particular new Shapemeter rolls. First Copper Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in 1989. The company mainly deals in the production and sale of copper sheet, copper wire and copper plate. www.andritz.com

New hpl Group website launched

Strip edge trimming line from hpl-Neugnadenfelder

A competent and trusted partner in the field of strip processing and machining, hplNeugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH

has just launched a new microsite focussing on its comprehensive and innovative product portfolio in strip edging technology. Extensive knowhow and long-term experience gained from the successful implementation of customer-specific systems worldwide as well as a comprehensive portfolio of complementary line assembly modules allow them to offer a complete range of state of the art devices machining the edges of strip thicknesses from 0.05 mm. Customers benefit from an extensive range of services such as ConScan® for the Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

accurate monitoring of Strip edge contours in real time.The microsite www.edge.hpl-group. de/strip-edge-trimming-technology/ offers the user not only information about the company hpl-Neugnadenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH and its product portfolio in the field of Strip edge trimming technology, it also includes a direct contact form. The hpl Group microsite is also available in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Turkish. wwww.edge.hpl-group.de/strip-edge-trimming-technology/ www.hpl-group.de

20 | SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE

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DanOil® oil film bearings Oil film bearing technology for metal rolling mills has made giant steps forward, and the major international players still focus on these bearings, which the experts refer to as ‘the heart of the rolling stand’.

Conversions and upgrades Bearing It is possible to convert a bushing from hydrodynamic to hydrostatic while maintaining a constant oil pressure of the load area, thus reducing the friction coefficient between bushing and sleeve (up to 0.001) and increasing the lifetime and efficiency of the bushing.

A complete conversion of the bearing body also entails transforming the sleeve from Full Key (FK) to Semi Keyless (SK). This increases the load-bearing capacity of the bearing, while reducing to a minimum strip defects due to Backup Rolls (BUR) during rolling (-75%), with a consequent increase of productivity.

Neither of these modifications require making changes to the existing equipment.

Sealing By investing in research, Danieli was able to develop a new Seal End Plate (with all surfaces nitrided), new roll neck seals (Danieli patent) and a new roll-coolant seal (Danieli patent) to retain the oil within the bearing and prevent infiltration of the coolant. The standard rollneck seal rotates with the roll and has garter springs and internal stiffening to prevent it from being deformed by centrifugal forces when rotating at high speeds. For the cold rolling mills, careful selection of the correct grade of rubber combined with PTFE lips has substantially reduced heat hardening of conventional seals, which leads to premature failure. Nitreg hardening ensures a hardwearing and heat-conducting seal-running surface that outperforms ceramic coatings.

Locking conversions

In the traditional configuration, the backup-roll chock is fastened to the roll body with a threaded locknut assembly. This threaded assembly requires the use of an overhead crane, pin, and wire rope wound around the circumference of

DanOil modern sealing system respects the existing solution

3D drawing of DanOil® oil film bearing

the lock nut for tightening and loosening.

This method carries the risk of projectiles due to pin failure and does not indicate how much load is present during fastening or loosening.

One of the latest innovations that Danieli is bringing to the market to solve the abovementioned problems is the mechanical lock, referred to as T-lock, which provides the same results as the hydraulic one while at the same time being less invasive and costly.

The T-lock fits the existing backup roll perfectly, ensuring that the sleeves and other components are in the proper operating position, with a measurable locking pressure that is not possible with the traditional method.

At the same time, the use of a cable and crane is eliminated, thus guaranteeing operator safety during the assembly and disassembly operations in the workshop.

The T-Lock system installed at ArcelorMittal Dunkerque (France)

The main benefits after the above conversions include: • No modification to existing equipment • Increase the capacity and the accuracy of bearing • High reduction of the flatness defects -70% • No oil leakage and water ingress into and out of the film of bearing • Quicker assembly and improved safety procedures in the roll shop • Improved service life for bearing components +20% • Reduced investment and operational cost • Medium return of investment within 2 years. www.danieli.it

Lewis to head Smoke & Fire Curtains Mr Chuck J. Lewis, who took up the position of CEO within the Fire Curtains Group in early November 2019, brings with him an abundance of more than three decades of Chuck J. Lewis is the new CEO of Fire Curtains Ltd direct experience from the smoke and fire curtain sector having previously worked with Coopers Fire and

latterly the IFC Group at both Management and Director level. Mr Lewis was a co-author of both PAS 121:2007 and BS 8524:2013 series, and became the recipient of UK’s prestigious inaugural Passive Fire Protection Award for Member Contribution in 2018, awarded by the Association for Specialist Fire Protection, who cited ‘consistently excelling in his chairmanship of Technical Task Group 7 (Active Fire Curtains) and going over and above the normal duties required for this role’.

This news follows on from the purchase of Intumescent Chemicals, a specialist in indicative fire-resistant testing and the research and development of intumescent Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

liquid flame retardants (LFRs), by Fire Curtains Group at the end of 2019.

Fire Curtains Group owns Smoke & Fire Curtains Ltd, which specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of bespoke, smoke and fire curtains, available for domestic, commercial and industrial use.

Founded in 2005, over the past five years Smoke & Fire Curtains Ltd have expanded into a network of companies employing a group total of over 65 employees, with manufacturing facilities in both the UK and India supplying and installing smoke and fire curtains globally. www.firecurtainsltd.com

21 | PRODUCT INFORMATION

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SUPPLIER DIRECTORY

Mid-range mill Glencore Technology has taken the successful IsaMillTM fine grinding mill and introduced two significant changes. Firstly, it’s been redesigned to reduce civil infrastructure costs up to 28%.

Secondly, a new 1,600-2,200 kW ‘M7500’ has been introduced to sit between the M5000 and the M10000. The two changes are intended to achieve significant savings for clients. Engineering Manager, Nick van Heerden, said the smaller plant configuration has been achieved by lowering the IsaMillTM by between 2 metres for an M3000/M5000 and 3 m for an M10000. For example, the media hopper was moved from under the IsaMillTM to the side. Due to

BULK MATERIAL HANDLING Kopar Oy

The M10000 at the B2 Project in Minsur is delivering above-target tin recoveries from the designed powerdraw and from a smaller footprint

the backpressure created from the rotor, it was possible to utilise this to pump media out of the IsaMillTM during its maintenance shutdown sequence rather than drop it to the hopper below. Tying the gland and IsaCharger waters directly into the plant water eliminated the need for separate tanks and their corresponding additional pumps.

Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Mettop GmbH

Kumerankatu 2 FI-11100 Riihimäki Finland Tel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200 Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320 E-mail: kumera@kumera.com Web: www.kumera.com Contact: Hannu Mansikkaviita

CONTINUOUS ROTARY EXTRUSION Holton Crest Limited

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

ELECTRONIC SCRAP RECYCLING UrbanGold GmbH

The Outotec® CellStation controls the air feed and pulp level in flotation cells

ExactLevel controller, which enables more accurate level control and significantly reduces process disturbance, resulting in more stable froth conditions. Outotec CellStation has plug-and-play connectivity with the Outotec FrothSense sensor system, which measures the essential properties of froth and provides statistical data related to these variables.

10 Cowley Road, Poole, Dorset BH17 0UJ, UK Tel: +44 1202 681 501 Fax: +44 1202 681 502 Email: info@holtoncrest.com Web: www.holtoncrest.com Contact: Malcolm Ladd

COOLING SOLUTIONS

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)664 88364080 E-mail: www.urbangold.at Web: recycling@urbangold.at Contact: Dr. Stefan Konetschnik

ELECTROWINNING

Mettop GmbH CAgroup

www.outotec.com

New strip welder PWM will present a new version of its ST40 strip welder on Stand 9 B41 at wire/Tube 2020. The company will also exhibit a comprehensive range of manual and powered cold welders, including its largest machine model, the P1500, for rod up to 30 mm (1.181”). The re-designed ST40 now has a welding head that can be positioned either vertically or horizontally on the trolley. The air/hydraulic-powered machine, specifically designed for strip, can weld nonferrous material up to a maximum width of 45 mm (1.772”) and a minimum thickness of 0.2 mm (0.00787”), depending on material

CONCENTRATE DRYING Kumera Corporation

www.glencoretechnology.com

Flotation solutions In minerals recovery time is money, and ensuring profitability requires investing in high-quality solutions that deliver a fast return on investment. Outotec® TankCell s-Series flotation units are standardised units based on Outotec’s proven TankCell e-Series solution, while Outotec® CellStation is an intelligent and easy-to-operate solution for controlling the air feed and pulp level in flotation cells. Based on in-depth test work, Outotec can design a tailor-made flotation circuit based on the s-Series that will deliver optimised cell volume and residence time for a plant.

Units are available in sizes from 5 to 30 m3.

The Outotec® CellStation solution incorporates Outotec’s

Sepänkatu 2 FI-39700 Parkano Finland Tel: +358 3 440180 E-mail: sales@kopar.fi Web: www.kopar.fi

ELECTROLYTIC REFINING

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser PWM’s ST40 strip welder with welding head in vertical position

properties. The P1500 offers wire and cable manufacturers a cost-effective way to weld large nonferrous rod sections. Extremely energy-efficient, clean, quiet and user-friendly, the P1500 uses a combination of electro/hydraulic power to produce reliable permanent welds stronger than the parent material. PWM’s products are precision engineered in-house and tested to ensure total accuracy. www.pwmltd.co.uk

ELECTROLYTE PURIFICATION

32 Industrial Avenue Thomastown 3074, Victoria Australia Tel: +61 3 8301 7100 Fax: +61 3 9359 4076 E-mail: sales@caanodes.com Web: www.caanodes.com Contact: Sebastian Ortega Galli

Metalex

Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Santiago, Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

22 | SUPPLIER DIRECTORY FURNACES Kumera Corporation

Kumerankatu 2 FI-11100 Riihimäki Finland Tel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200 Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320 E-mail: kumera@kumera.com Web: www.kumera.com Contact: Hannu Mansikkaviita

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

FURNACES, MELTING DROSS AND SCRAP

www. c op p e r wor l dw i de. co m

MATERIALS HANDLING Combilift Ltd

DANIELI FRÖHLING

Gallinagh Monaghan Town Co. Monaghan Ireland Tel: 00353 (0)47 80500 Fax: 00353 (0)47 80501 E Mail: info@combilift.com Web: www.combilift.com Contact: Sales Office

DANIELI GERMANY GMBH Scherl 12 D - 58540 Meinerzhagen Germany Tel: 0049 2354 7082 0 Fax: 0049 2354 7082 200 Email: sales.germany@danieli.com Web: www.danieli.com Contact: Frank Otterbach

Why not come and join the rest of us now?

MINERAL PROCESSING Weir Minerals Europe Limited

FURNACES, MELTING, TILTING AND ROTARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

Corneliusstraße 36 40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com Web: andritz.com

HEAT RECOVERY Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

REFRACTORIES AND INSULATION HarbisonWalker International

1305 Cherrington Parkway, Suite 100, Moon Township, PA 15108 USA Tel: 001 905 977 7694 E-mail: anthony.rigby@thinkhwi.com Web: www.thinkhwi.com Contact: Joe Rigby

PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

RHI Magnesita GmbH

PROJECT ENGINEERING Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

PROCESSING LINES

Halifax Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 5RT United Kingdom Tel: 0044 1706 814251 Fax: 0044 1706 815350 Email: europe.minerals@mail.weir Web: www.minerals.weir Contact: Sales

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

Kranichberggasse 6 A-1100 Vienna Austria Tel: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6200 Fax: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6391 E-mail: nfm-marketing@rhi-magnesita.com Web: www.rhi-magnesita.com

Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics Limited

Mettop GmbH

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING/ INJECTION Schenck Process

Unit 3, Alpha Court Capitol Park, Thorne Doncaster DN8 5TZ UK Tel: 0044 (0) 1302 321313 Fax: 0044 (0) 1302 554400 E-mail: enquiries@schenckprocess.co.uk Web: www.schenckprocess.co.uk Contact: Richard Sims

PROCESS MODELLING

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES & EQUIPMENT

Mill Lane, Rainford St Helens, Merseyside WA11 8LP, UK Tel: 0044 (0)1744 887939 E-mail: craig.d.brennan@saint-gobain.com Web: www.refractories.saint-gobain.com Contact: Craig Brennan

REFRACTORIES ENGINEERING

PolyMet Solutions GmbH

Mettop GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 817 87 E-mail: andreas.filzwieser@polymetsolutions.com Web: www.polymet-solutions.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)3842 81787 Fax: 0043 (0)3842 1787-8 E-mail: cu@mettop.com Web: www.mettop.com Contact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

UrbanGold GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Str. 4 A-8700 Leoben Austria Tel: 0043 (0)664 88364080 E-mail: www.urbangold.at Web: recycling@urbangold.at Contact: Dr. Stefan Konetschnik

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY | 23

www.copperwor ldw ide. co m

ROLLING MILL TECHNOLOGY DANIELI FRÖHLING

DANIELI GERMANY GMBH Scherl 12 D - 58540 Meinerzhagen Germany Tel: 0049 2354 7082 0 Fax: 0049 2354 7082 200 Email: sales.germany@danieli.com Web: www.danieli.com Contact: Frank Otterbach

SMELTING – PRIMARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com Web: andritz.com

Alfredstr. 28 Via Torino 1 15122 - San Michele (AL) P.O. Box 362 – 15121 Italy Tel: 0039 0131 363636 Fax: 0039 0131 361611 E-mail: sales@mino.it Web: www.mino.it Contact: Geminiano Chiesa

D-45130 Essen Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134

Alex Stewart (International) Corporation

Alex Stewart International 2b Sefton Business Park, Netherton Liverpool, Merseyside L30 1RD, UK Tel: 0044 (0)151 525 1499 Fax: 0044 (0) 151 523 3760 E-mail: analysis@alexstewartinternational.com Web: www.alexstewartinternational.com Contact: Stephen Russell

Schenck Process

Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

SMELTING – SECONDARY ANDRITZ Maerz GmbH

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

512 Government Road West P.O. Box 340 Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, P2N 3J2 Tel: 001 705 567 5313 Fax: 001 705 568 8545 E-mail: info@heathandsherwood.com Web: www.heathandsherwood.com Contact: Michael Marinigh

WEIGHING AND FEEDING

Germany

Primetals Technologies USA LLC

40 Crescent Street Worcester, Massachusetts, USA 01605 Tel: 001 508 755 6111 Fax: 001 508 849 6573 E-mail: contact@primetals.com Web: www.primetals.com Contact: David Gow

Heath & Sherwood (1964) Limited

Corneliusstraße 36

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

MINO S.p.A.

TUYERES - PUNCHING, SILENCING, PYROMETRY

Pallaswiesenstraße 100 64293 Darmstadt Germany Tel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0 Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66 E-mail: sales-eu@schenckprocess.com Web: www.schenckprocess.com Contact: Martin Brauer

Corneliusstraße 36 40215 Duesseldorf Germany Tel: 0049 211 38425 0 E-mail: welcome-maerz@andritz.com Web: andritz.com

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG

Alfredstr. 28 D-45130 Essen Germany Tel: 0049 201 7293 0 Fax: 0049 201 7293 134 Email: team-knf@kuettner.com Web: www.kuettner.com Contact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

SOLVENT EXTRACTION Metalex

SCREENING Schenck Process

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806 Pallaswiesenstraße 100 64293 Darmstadt Germany Tel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0 Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66 E-mail: screening-eu@schenckprocess.com Web: www.schenckprocess.com Contact: Ingo Fjelsten

Santiago Chile Tel: 0056 2335 2217 Fax: 0056 2321 8280 E-mail: alillo@metalex.cl Web: www.metalex.cl

You will find these firms exhibiting at upcoming events

Contact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

SAMPLE CATEGORIES Ageing Ovens Analytical Instruments Analytical Analysis Apparel Auto Firing Systems Automation & PLC Control Systems Bar Code Labelling Camera Detection System for Mills Casting Casting Equipment Castings Certified Reference Material Coil Storage Systems Combustion & Burners Computer Software Consumables Cranes & Hoists DC Extrusion Billet Casting Deburring Tools & Equipment Die Heaters Embossing Equipment Engineering Design Environmental Control Extrusion Equipment Extrusion Presses Extrusion Temperature Measurement Extrusion Tooling Fans, High Temperature Filters and Filter Materials Filtration Systems Foil & Strip Processing Foundry Alloys Foundry Equipment Furnaces, Billet Heating Furnaces, Heat Treatment Furnaces, High Temperature Insulation Materials Furnaces, Melting Furnaces, Melting, Dross & Scrap Furnaces, Melting, Tilting Rotary Furnaces, Open top & closed type for anodes & cathodes Induction Heating Industrial Gases Inspection Systems for Mills Lubricants Marking & Automatic Identification Materials Handling Measurement & Testing Mechanical Handling Metal Circulation Molten Metal Level Control Molten Metal Technology Non-Contact Temperature Measurement Packaging Processing Lines Production Management Systems Project Management Recycling Recycling Equipment Refractories Refractory Installation Roller Sleeves Rolling Mills Rolling Mill Automation & Process Consulting Rolling Mill Technology Rolling Technical Courses Sawing & Cutting Scrap Processing Slitting & Cut to length Lines Smelter Equipment Stockholder, Trader Service Centre Storage Systems Thermocouples Thermocouple Protection Sheaths Tool & Die Shop Transfer Belts Used Machinery

24 | ENERGY EFFICIENCY

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Process optimisation works at Kansanshi Automation and design features implemented to maximise operational and environmental performance at Kansanshi Copper Smelter (KCS) were presented at Copper 2019 in Vancouver.

KCS commenced operation in March 2015.

The smelter features four Peirce- Smith Converters (PSCs) operated in a three hot, two blowing configuration (1). The nominal capacity of each converter is to treat 350 t of copper matte and produce up to 250 t of blister copper per batch. The PSCs were purchased from Andritz Maerz, Germany.

The steel shell (cylinder), inside dimensions are 4.57 × 12.8 metres (diameter and length respectively). Each converter has 60 tuyeres.

The tuyeres have an inside diameter of 52.5 mm and are punched using Gaspe style punching machines purchased from Heath and Sherwood.

To ensure that the converters were easy to operate, efficient, and were protected in emergency situations such as power failures or loss of tuyere air supply, a significant focus was placed on automated sequences initiated by ‘one button’ operator commands or otherwise automatically by the Distributed Control System (DCS). Examples include: main converter roll-in and roll-out sequences;

emergency roll-out in the event of power failure; and the charging sequences for reagents (silica and reverts).

Other automated features configured for the PSCs were specifically aimed at maximising converter capacity and reducing the environmental impact from fugitive emissions. These features include ‘one button’ in-stack charging, automated restriction of blowing rate based on the available acid plant capacity (see below), and fully-automated control logic for the Secondary Ventilation System. In-stack charging allows anode furnace oxide slag to be poured into the PSCs while the converters are still blowing and still sending off-gas to the acid plant. PSC Secondary Ventilation control logic was configured to require minimum input from the operators while ensuring maximum utilisation of the available draft from the ventilation system. Highly automated PSC controls contribute to high utilisation, averaging 41.2 in-stack hours per day.

Blowing rate control

To maximise concentrate treatment, while avoiding exceeding acid plant capacity, DCS control logic was developed and implemented. The logic automatically restricted the PSC blowing rate setpoint on copper blow, and therefore SO2 generation, based on the maximum allowable SO2 to the acid plant. The DCS continuously calculates the maximum SO2 allowed from the PSCs on copper blow. The SO2 flow rate from the Isasmelt furnace is estimated based on the concentrate composition, targeted matte grade and the Isasmelt furnace feed rate. If two PSCs are on copper blow simultaneously, the restriction is performed evenly between the two PSCs. The restricted blowing rate was limited to a minimum rate to avoid plugging the tuyeres by a backflow of molten material. The advantage of this strategy is that PSCs are only limited when absolutely necessary, resulting in maximum overall smelter throughput. www.first-quantum.com

Onsite renewable energy gains traction The Energy and Mines World Congress that took place in Toronto in December provided great insights into the recent developments of onsite renewable energy applications at remote mines.

Generally, the year 2019 has been identified as the tipping point. The business case for partly substituting expensive fuel like diesel, heavy fuel oil (HFO) or gas by solar and wind had been positive on paper for years. However, actual projects have evolved slowly. In 2019, almost a dozen new projects have been officially

announced and at the same time many more projects are under development and on the verge of being announced. Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa are leading the way.

Act now

Miners are gaining trust in renewable energy solutions. The fear of production losses has been decreasing over the past years with every new renewable energy system that has been added to a mine globally. Before, the general

attitude was characterised by “wait and see”, but the mode has been changing in 2019 to “let’s act now”. Suppliers have been coming up with redeployable solar solutions that allow for offering short-term power purchase agreements. The solutions that are being built now are often more sophisticated than they were before, and they incorporate a higher share of renewables that is also enabled by storage solutions. www.th-energy.net

An excellence opportunity for Peru While Peru is probably a couple of decades behind in its mining development when compared to Chile, this can be seen as an opportunity: the country has the chance to start new mines with the latest technology to assure the lowest cost per pound of copper produced (2). There is already a natural mining cluster in Arequipa. Matarani is the largest port in the

world for mineral concentrates, handling 6 Mt annually. The Peruvian market is dominated by the large open pit segment, since eight mining operations run by seven companies represent more than 90% of the country’s total output.

Continuous mining is shaping up as the way forward in the years to come, provided the technology continues to improve its

performance. The advantages of continuous mining versus discontinuous operations (drilling and blasting) are obvious, both in extraction and transportation. So far, the technology available has been used for soft rock, like coal or potash, but it is gradually transferring to semi-hard or hard-rock applications.

Page references (1) Peirce-smith converters: automation, design, operation and environmental improvements at Kansanshi Copper Smelter, Paper No. 593106, 10th International Copper Conference, Vancouver, August 2019. Authors: Nurzhan Dyussekenov, Technical Superintendent, KCS et al.

(2) Mining in Peru - Adding new capacity in copper. Global Business Reports (www.gbreports.com) for Engineering & Mining Journal (www.e-mj.com), August 2019

Copper Worldwide Vol 10 No 1

World Copper Conference 2020 23-25 March 2020

• Santiago, Chile

One of the key challenges the mining industry faces is about the social value it creates. This year, in addition to the valuable networking opportunities, the conference will focus on this issue as well as other challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Speakers include:

Michael Staffas, President, Boliden Octavio Araneda, CEO, Codelco Harry M. “Red” Conger, President and COO – Americas, Freeport McMoran Diego Hernández Cabrera, President, Sociedad Nacional de Minería Jorge Gomez, Executive Director, Collahuasi Matthew Chamberlain, CEO, London Metal Exchange Aaron Puna, Executive President, Chile, Anglo American Marcin Chludzinski, CEO, KGHM

“The CRU hosted World Copper Conference is an opportunity to see analysis of the copper industry from exploration to consumer markets.”

Christopher Richings, Director Technical Services, Minera Candelaria

Parte de

Auspiciadores Oro

Auspiciadores Plata

CESCO WEEK STGO 2020

For more information, or to book your place, visit: www.worldcopperconference.com

#CRUcopper