Providing engineering services for new copper ore grinding mills

Copper Concentrator Plant Semi-Autogenous Grinding Mill Upgrade

Located in New South Wales, a copper mine required a significant upgrade of its copper concentrator plant by replacing two semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills. The original SAG mills were installed in the late 1960s and have operated reliably for over 55 years, clocking up an estimated 270 million revolutions. However, cracking in the outer shell determined that repairing them was not an economical option, prompting the need for an upgrade.

Our team provided the engineering design and commissioning support to upgrade the new mills. Replacing the mills posed some challenges including working within tight timeframes to minimize production downtime. To overcome this, we provided flexibility with the timing of commissioning services to support the mill’s outages and detailed scanning and 3D modelling of the mills to increase design process efficiencies.

The new mill designs take advantage of modern technology and introduce variable speed drives as well as safety and maintenance improvements.