Modern Mining August 2021

Zest WEG’s electrical installation for platinum mine expansion

Zest WEG is installing a range of electrical control and instrumentation equipment at Anglo American Platinum’s Mogalakwena mine in Limpopo province, working closely with engineering group DRA Global. The const ruct ion is taking place within the Mogalakwena mine’s exist- ing North Concentrator Plant, around various plant areas. The Electrical Control Instrumentation (ECI) package is being led by Eben Kleynhans, E&I electrical project engineer from DRA. According to Calvin Fisher, electrical and instrumentation construction proposals manager at Zest WEG, the Zest WEG work is being conducted for the mine’s Coarse Particle Rejection (CPR) plant, and will be completed in the second half of 2021. “In addition to applying the highest level of workmanship and professionalism, we are carrying out the project in line with our client’s Mining Charter requirements on local procurement,” says Fisher. “This means that over 70% of people involved in our scope of work will be drawn from local communities, and we are sourcing a significant level of our supplies from local businesses.” Equipment to be installed includes three 2 MVA transformers, stepping down from 11 kV to 550 V, and a 630 kVA mini substation for lighting and small power requirements. Containerised Motor Control Centres (MCCs), complete with Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), an HVAC unit, cable

Containerised Motor Control Centres form part of Zest WEG’s scope of supply.

racking, cables, lighting and small power also form part of the scope of supply. In addition, two backup generators will be installed – one of 630 kVA capacity and the other 330 kVA. “The three new containerised MCCs and VSD sets will be placed on plinths near the CPR feed tank, CPR process water area and CPR building and a steel roof structure erected over the containers,” he says. “The new transformer bay will be constructed next to the MCC, also with a roof over the transformer.” About 70 km of cable will be laid – rang- ing from low voltage to medium voltage cable – as well as 3 300 terminations and almost 2,5 km of cable racking. The various structures that Zest WEG will install require some 9 t of steel. The instrumentation to

be installed will comprise about 170 instru- ments including flow transmitters, pressure gauges, level switches, temperature gauges and density transmitters. There will also be around 250 lights installed, mainly outdoors. Fisher notes that the electrical installa- tion specialists are typically among the last contractors on a project, and must be quite flexible to accommodate certain modifica- tions that may have been required in the civils, structural and mechanical work com- pleted beforehand. “Wherever necessary, we work closely with the client to implement the plan smoothly while meeting their need for safe access to the equipment being installed, to allow maintenance to be readily con- ducted,” he says. 

Champion Iron to partner Caterpillar for advanced drilling tech Champion Iron Limited has signed a letter of intent with Caterpillar to implement artificial intelligence-based advanced drilling technolo- gies on Cat equipment at its Bloom Lake Mine.

Caterpillar’s integrated technology wi l l sup- port Champion’s ability to assess the status of machines, technolo- gies, and material to enable more timely and accurate operat ional decisions and consis- tent execution across Champion’s entire min- ing value chain. The goal of the col- laborative effort will be

The project will progressively implement a remote-controlled, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous Cat electric drilling fleet, utilising the technologies engineered, designed, and/or integrated by Caterpillar. With Champion contributing its experienced workforce, and Caterpillar’s independent dealer, Toromont Cat, its aftermarket sup- port, the collaboration will aim to optimise Bloom Lake’s operational productivity and reduce energy consumption, while demonstrating the capabilities of Caterpillar’s advanced drilling technologies. A Drill-to-Mill strategy (D2M) is expected to be deployed based on a series of tightly integrated systems, driven by Cat MineStar solutions, designed to optimise the drilling, loading and hauling pro- cesses. D2M is focused on delivering improved milling performance by supplying optimised mill feed, while contending with dynamic operational conditions. Using real-time data, artificial intelligence and analytics,

A Drill-to-Mill strategy is expected to be deployed based on a series of tightly integrated systems, driven by Cat MineStar solutions.

to deliver a fully integrated drill-to-mill technology solution powered by data connectivity and advanced analytics to ultimately improve workflow between the mine and plant, providing a more efficient end-to-end enterprise process that delivers more consistent raw material for final product specification requirements. 

August 2021  MODERN MINING  43