JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - Copper Worldwide …copperworldwide.com/copper/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/...Inductotherm Group Banyard .....25 International Copper Association availability

n Key Words: Innovation and sustainabilityn News: Głogów Smelter Kamoa-Kakula More copper mined Project issuesn Smelting features: Converting (2 of 3) Two-step method at Dongyingn Spotlight: Electrorefining progress UMMCn Optimisation: A 4-step process

n Copper in Germany: Jonathan Barnes on Europe’s copper majorn Copper semis: Producers and capacity surveyn Events: 30th Intl Copper 16th World Copper Conference Copper/Cobre 2016 Coming up in 2017n Contracts: Outotec re-orders Toquepala Steerhorn Chuquicamata n Buyers Guide - In search of added value

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 VOLUME 7 | 1

ISSN 2046-9438

www.copperworldwide.com

See Buyers Guide pp26-27

Copper Worldwide Vol 7 No 1

Key Words

3 Innovation and sustainability

News

4 Kamoa-Kakula progress; Rise in mined copper; Głogów starts up flash furnace;

Project acceptance study; IWCC Technical

Seminars; MIDAS undersea research results;

The MD issue around commissioning;

MKM into e-mobility; Market in surplus;

Aurubis update; Glencore knowhow; Peru output

Spotlight

6 Electrometallurgy 2016 review; UMMC tankhouse

Contracts & People

20 Outotec re-ordering and Toquepala contract; Steerhorn cathodes;

Gas management in France; Iran and Indonesia

items; Chuquicamata acid plants ordered;

Copper crucible restoration

Rod, Tube and Wire

16 A snapshot of producers and capacity across these sectors

Buyers Guide

26 Suppliers who give added value

Daily Lives

28 Detlef Neumann is Director of Sales at Danieli Fröhling

ELECTROREFINING/ELECTROWINNING

9 The SX-EW cost burden; G Corner top

in refining; Dias d’Ávila milestone;

Ion exchange processing

PLANT INTEGRATIONAND CONTROL

10 Optimisation of control systems via the

BBA 4-step method

GERMANY COPPER STUDY

14,15 Jonathan Barnes on

making it in Germany

21ST CENTURYSMELTING

17,18 The Dongying Two-step

process; Arsenic reduction;

Oxygen supply

EVENTS

22,23 Reviews and Previews

of key conferences into 2017

16TH WORLD COPPER CONFERENCE

19 Preview and latest CRU analysis

SAFETY ANDMAINTENANCE

24 Stories relating to these

two key operational areas

EXTRUSIONTECHNOLOGY

25 Banyard LFi keeps up billet heating

profile

Front CoverEarth, air, fire and water - Find your element - Continuous innovation is required to achieve ongoing sustainability in mining and processing of copper and its alloys: ‘Earth’ image - Chuquicamata open pit mine in Chile. Photo: Codelco; ‘Air’ image - Oxygen generation. Photo: Messer Group; ‘Fire’ image - Głogów Copper Smelter in Poland. Photo: KGHM; ‘Water’ image - Carlsbad desalination plant in San Diego. Photo: International Water Association

www.copperworldwide.com CONTENTS | 1

The Głogów Copper Smelter (see page 5)

Inside this issue

MECS state of the art metallurgical sulphuric acid technology (see page 21). Photo: DuPont Clean Technologies

SMS group GmbHOhlerkirchweg 6641069 Mönchengladbach, [email protected]

Copper working process – from the melting bath to the fi nal product

SMS group has been active in the copper fi eld for more than 50 years. Our business partners benefi t signifi cantly from our comprehensive portfolio. Our employees know every step in the copper working process, from the melting bath to the fi nal product. We connect individual machines to form integrated systems which meet all requirements of the customer. At the same time we off er our customers confi gurations in which all the components are ideally coordinated – both technically and economically.

Our integrated solutions are a byword for robust and reli-able state-of-the-art technology. And we never stop trying to become even better. The raw material prices for copper are high – which is why we are continuously looking for new ways to reduce material use and material loss during production. Close tolerances, top quality and effi cient pro-cesses – that is what you can expect from our plants.

Phone: +49 2161 350-0Fax: +49 2161 350-1667www.sms-group.com

We transform …the world of copper

Kupfer_A4_e.indd 1 19.12.16 07:54

Copper Worldwide Vol 7 No 1Copper Worldwide Vol 7 No 1

2 | COPPER WORLDWIDE A-Z www.copperworldwide.com

ABB.................................................................... 19

Air Liquide ........................................... 18, 19, 20

ALTA 2017.......................................................... 4

Amec Foster Wheeler ...................................... 19

Anglo American........................................ 3, 6, 19

Antofagasta Plc ................................................. 23

12th Asia Copper Conference (MB Events) .. 23

Asia Copper Week ........................................... 23

Aurubis ................................................................ 7

BBA, Inc. ......................................... 10, 11, 12, 22

Bechtel ............................................................... 19

Beijing Antaike Information Development ... 8, 21

BHP Billiton ........................................... 4, 23, 24

BMI Research ............................................... 8, 21

Butech Bliss ...................................................... 21

CEEC Medal ..................................................... 20

CESCO Week ............................................... 3, 19

China ENFI ................................................ 17, 18

Codelco .................................................... 3, 21, 23

Copper / Cobre 2016........................................ 22

CRU Consulting ................................. 8, 9, 16, 19

CRU Events ...................................................... 19

Danieli Fröhling........................................... 28

Dongying Fangyuan ........................................ 17

DuPont MECS ................................................. 21

Ecometales ........................................................ 21

Electrometallurgy 2016 ..................................... 6

ENAMI ............................................................... 3

Escondida ............................................................ 4

EUnited Metallurgy ....................................... 5, 7

First Quantum .................................................... 8

Flogen Technologies Inc. ................................ 23

Freeport McMoran Inc. (FCX)....................... 20

G Corner ............................................................. 9

Glencore Plc........................................................ 3

Glencore Technology ................................... 8, 20

Hatch ............................................................... 4, 6

IARC 2017 (ICM) .............................................. 5

IERC 2017 (ICM)............................................... 7

IIMCh .................................................................. 3

Inductotherm Group (Banyard) .................... 25

International Copper Association ................ 3, 8

30th Intl Copper Conference (MB Events) ... 23

International Copper Study Group .... 4, 5, 8, 16

International Lead and Zinc Study Group .......5

International Wrought Copper Council (IWCC) ... 5

Interwire 2017................................................... 16

Iontech Engineering .......................................... 9

Ivanhoe Mines .................................................... 4

J. Barnes ...................................................... 13, 15

Jiangxi Copper Corporation ........................... 16

JSC Uralelectromed (UMMC) .......................... 6

Kansanshi............................................................ 8

KGHM ......................................................... 1, 4, 5

KME .................................................................. 15

La Farga ............................................................ 20

LME ................................................................. 19

Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing (MKM) .... 7, 20

MEC 2017 (IMN) ............................................... 5

MECS .................................................................. 1

Metal Bulletin Events ...................................... 23

Metal Expo .......................................................... 4

Metso ........................................................... 21, 24

METTOP ........................................................ 4, 6

MIDAS project ................................................... 5

Mines and Money Americas.............................. 7

Mining on Top: Africa Summit (AME Trade) .... 5

Montanwerke Brixlegg ...................................... 6

NICICo .......................................................... 8, 20

NORAM ............................................................ 21

Outotec ......................................................... 8, 20

Paranapanema .................................................... 9

PDAC 2017 ......................................................... 7

P. J. Mackey ............................................ 6, 17, 22

PolyMet Solutions GmbH ................................. 4

Rautomead ........................................................ 21

RHI .................................................................... 20

Rio Tinto ........................................................... 23

Samarco ............................................................. 24

Sepon Copper ..................................................... 9

SIPS 2017 (Flogen) .......................................... 23

SKS bottom-blown technology ....................... 17

SMM .................................................................... 8

SMS group ...................................................... 4, 8

SNC-Lavalin ............................................... 19, 21

Southwire Company ........................................ 16

Sulphur 2017 (CRU Events) ........................... 23

Warren Centre .................................................... 3

Weir Minerals ..................................................... 4

Wire & Tube China ........................................... 4

Wire & Tube Russia .......................................... 7

World Bureau of Metal Statistics ..................... 7

16th World Copper Conference

(CRU Events) ............................................... 3, 19

Zijin Copper Company ............................... 4, 21

ZIMEC 2017 (AME Trade) ......................... 5, 11

CompaniesCOMPANY NAME PAGE NO COMPANY NAME PAGE NO COMPANY NAME PAGE NO

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2017 is going to be an interesting year – Discover the ISSUES affecting copper now!

The next Vol 7 No 2 issue of Copper Worldwide is published in April/May 2017. Scheduled features include 21st Century / Primary Smelting, Materials Handling, Melting and Casting / Molten Metal, South America Study, New Copper Movers, and more. Supporting website www.copperworldwide.com features issue summaries and event updates. Thank you to all advertisers once again. All correspondence welcome.

Volume No: 7 Issue No: 01Date: January/February 2017

Publisher: Chris K Holding BSc BEng

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Distribution: free to managers involved in thevarious stages of the copper industry:Production of primary or secondary copperand associated refining; recycling, meltingand casting operations; processing of copperby extrusion, rolling and tube/wire drawingfor the manufacture of semi-finished productsor fabrications; or involved in the manufactureof components and structures from copperalloys; and who are involved in the buyingprocess for equipment and materials.All other categories of reader are invited tosubscribe at £75.00 to UK, and non UK is:Surface £90.00, e125.00, $165 USDAirmail: £107.50, e150.00, $195 USD overseas.Single copy £25.00, e40.00, $55 incl. p&p.

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Reprints of articles and advertisements areavailable, allow 28 days for delivery. PDF pagesavailable by e-mail. Prices on application to the publisher.

Instead of Reader Reply cards, we are now including a contact website address with stories at the sole discretion of the Editor. You may submit your enquiries with the item titles, page and your full address, telephone, fax using the contact form on:www.copperworldwide.com

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ACCS .........................................................26, PW

Agellis ................................................................ 26

Alex Stewart International ......................27, PW

Andritz MeWa .................................................. 26

Banyard (Inductotherm) ................................. 25

Combilift ........................................................... 26

Continuus Properzi ................................. Cover 4

Danieli Froehling............................................. 27

EBNER Industrieofenbau ............................... 26

exma ................................................................PW

G Corner .........................................................PW

hpl-Neugnadenfelder ....................................... 27

30th Intl Copper Conference (MB) ................ 14

Kumera Corporation..........................26, 27, PW

Küttner GmbH ............. Cover 1, 24, 26, 27, PW

Metalex ................................................26, 27, PW

Mettop .................................................26, 27, PW

Oschatz .............................................................. 26

Polymet Solutions ..........................................PW

Primetals Technologies ................................... 27

RHI ............................................................27, PW

Saint Gobain ..................................................... 27

Schenck Process .................................26, 27, PW

SMS group ............................................... Cover 2

Weir Minerals ................................................... 26

16th World Copper Conference (CRU) ... Cover 3

ZIMEC 2017 ..................................................... 11

COMPANY NAME PAGE NO COMPANY NAME PAGE NO COMPANY NAME PAGE NO

www.copperworldwide.com KEY WORDS | 3

The study, commissioned by ICA from The Warren Centre, examined key economic sectors to determine the expected level of investment and activity in the region. Amongst other sources, it used census data from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to define demographic indicators in these areas to determine expected population and density.

The study found that India is expected to see a 17% increase in total population from 2015 through 2030, with a significant jump in urban population from 420 million to 583 million, or a 39% increase. China is expected to see an overall increase in population of 3% over the same timeframe, but the shift to urbanisation is significant, with 70% of the population expected to live in urban areas by 2030. The growth in population and shift towards urbanisation play critical roles in the expected use of copper.

Both India and China are travelling down parallel tracks as they plan to satisfy a population that is growing in size and wealth, with a migration towards urban environments. Increased material and copper use is forecast as their governments look towards clean technologies such as electric vehicles and renewable energy to mitigate urban pollution, according to Colin Bennett, Market Analysis & Outreach, ICA. Some parameters for development of demand for copper in Asia are:

• Significant basic infrastructure investments are expected to be US$ 11 trillion through 2030

• Asia is predicted to account for 50% of the world’s electricity by 2030 (2/3 from China) and there will be an overall need for increased availability of energy

• Copper demand from clean power generation is expected to be 6.5 million tonnes from solar photovoltaics and 3.6 million tonnes from wind

• The future of electro mobility is likely to be light vehicle solutions and more extensive public transport solutions to combat urban congestion

• Cumulative production of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in Asia between 2016 and 2030 is expected to be 75 million. This will result in 6.4 million tonnes for light EVs alone, with additional copper demand in charging equipment.

The International Copper Association (ICA) brings together the global copper industry to develop and defend markets for copper and to make a positive contribution to society’s sustainable development goals. Its Copper Alliance® programs and initiatives are executed in nearly 60 countries. ICA will be a featured presenter during the CRU 16th World Copper Conference (see page 19) held during CESCO Week in Santiago, Chile from 3 - 5 April 2017.www.copperalliance.org

Members of the International Organising Committee for Copper 2016 (see page 22)

Where to find markets for innovations Data released in February by the International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA), shows that continued economic development in Asia may drive significant growth in several key markets, resulting in an estimated additional 31 million tonnes of demand for copper up to 2030 in the region. The study highlighted urban infrastructure, clean power, electric vehicles and rail transportation to fuel the projected growth.

Holding onto innovation leadership The IIMCh Smelter and Refinery Seminar which took place in Calama, Chile on 20 -21 October 2016 asked ‘Does an environmental standard lead to economic development?’ To remain competitive the Chilean domestic smelter industry has to collect at least 95% of the sulphur and arsenic entering in the smelter feed at each facility.

It is advantageous to view the the four Codelco, one ENAMI, Chagres (Anglo American) and Altonorte (Glencore) smelters and the refineries in terms of a new business model on a case-by-case basis. The leaders are there, as is the wealth. To safeguard and capitalise on its knowhow and expertise in employment and research, Chile now feels it must develop policies and regulations that avoid the outflow of copper concentrates to other countries.

A smelter trade association could assist in bringing the smelters and refineries up to their nominal capacities. They really need to expand their business into recovering up to ten additional elements and stop being limited to just anodes, cathodes, smelter dust, anode sludge and sulphuric acid. Strategic alliances and joint ventures with other world producers and processors were recommended.

An apparent low availability and utilisation of furnaces and equipment at some state-owned installations was cited as causing low productivity. Maintenance programs on facilities due for a ‘someday’ upgrading can suffer, so exchange visits and cross-audits were proposed to enable benchmarking and activation of improvement programs. It

is possible to achieve full optimisation by avoiding the duplication of equipment (e.g. one production line processes 100% of output) and reaching full capacity (maximum availability and utilisation) with online controls. Automation and remote control of operations are the essential tools to facilitate this. The development and qualification of smelting/refining specialists at the level of plant operators and maintenance engineers is a compelling need.www.iimch.cl

Ranking sustainable economiesThe 5th edition of the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) was released in December 2016. The GSCI is based on an inclusive competitiveness model, analysing 109 indicators. All are measurable, quantitative indictors derived from the World Bank and UN databases. The only non-European economies in the top 20 are New Zealand (12) and Japan (15). Japan has been adept at setting and working towards its Sustainable Development Goals. The GSCI 2016 is topped by Sweden, followed by the other 4 Scandinavian nations,

while countries from Northern Europe, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe dominate, including Germany (14). Of the BRICS countries, China scores highest (37), with Brazil (41), Russia (45), India (153), and South Africa (158). From the Americas, the top performers are Canada (22), Peru (30) and USA (32). Other copper nations ranked include Poland (25), Australia (26), DR Congo (61), Chile (62) and Zambia (120). www.solability.com


www.copperworldwide.com NEWS | 5


4 | NEWS www.copperworldwide.com

Upcoming IWCC Technical SeminarsThe 2017 IWCC Technical Seminar will be held in Munich from 5 - 9 March. The subject of the Seminar will be ‘Melting, Refining & Casting’. The Seminar itself will be held on 6 - 7 March with up to 24 papers presented, sub-divided into five sessions:• Introduction and overview• Scrap for the circular economy• Melting and casting• Consumables• Modelling.The Seminar programme is designed to provide ample networking opportunities throughout the event. On 8 - 9 March there will be a programme of plant visits to:• Diehl, to visit the brass rod

plant located in Röthenbach an der Pegnitz, which is close to Nuremberg

• Wieland, at Vöhringen, where the focus will be on the manufacture of rolled products.

It is also planned to have visits to the wire drawing operations of Leoni and the technical application laboratories of Linde. The IWCC has also announced that the 2018 Technical Seminar on ‘Hot & Cold Deformation’ will be held in the USA in March 2018.www.coppercouncil.org

Commissioning versus ‘putting into service’ clarity soughtEUnited Metallurgy has worked out a Position Paper that provides concrete suggestions to establish a common understanding for a complementary, coherent and consistent interpretation of the MD regarding ‘commissioning’, and ‘putting into service’ (CE marking) of metallurgical machinery/plant. These two steps in the life cycle of metallurgical machinery/plant must be clarified, because different points of understanding regarding commissioning (as a period of time, e.g. in situ manufacture, trial operation, performance test, without the machine having to conform to the MD) and putting into service (as a point in time, i.e. CE marking) according to the MD exist. Metallurgical machinery/plants are assembled and commissioned on s ite. In this context, the question who is responsible for the commissioning phase and putting into service (CE marking) always needs to be answerable.www.eu-nited.net/metallurgy

Copper 2016 the perfect platform Significant rise in mined copper outputThe International Copper Study Group (ICSG) released preliminary data for October 2016 world copper supply and demand in its January 2017 Copper Bulletin. World mine production is estimated to have increased by around 5% (815,000 t) in the first ten months of 2016 with concentrate production increasing by 7% and solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) declining by 1.5%. There was a 43% (590,000 t) rise in Peruvian output from newand expanded capacity brought on stream in the last two years. Canada, Indonesia, the United States and expanded capacity in Mexico also contributed positively, but a 4.5% decline in production in Chile, and a 6% decline in DRC where output is being constrained by temporary production cuts, affected the growth figure negatively. Regional production rose by 6% in the Americas and 10% in Asia, but declined by 4% in Africa.

Wor ld re f i ned produc t ion increased by about 3% (540,000 t) in the first ten months of 2016 with primary production (including Electrowinning) increasing by 2.5% and secondary production (from scrap) by 6%. China increased output by 7%, followed by the United States (+12%) and Mexico (+18%), where expanded SX-EW capacity is contributing. Other country changes were Chile (-1%), Japan (+4%), and DRC and Zambia (-13% jointly). Ref ined output increased in the Americas (+3%), Asia (+6%) and Oceania (+3%), but declined in Africa (-12%) and in Europe (including Russia) (-3%).

World apparent refined usage is estimated to have increased by around 3% (515,000 t) in the first ten months of 2016. The world refined copper balance for the period indicates a deficit of around 64,000 t. This is mainly because of a 5% increase in Chinese apparent demand in the analysis period. The refined copper market balance for October 2016 showed a surplus of around 48,000 t. www.icsg.org

Workers at Escondida Copper Mine in Chile began strike action on 9 February as expected over the amounts due under a new pay and bonus deal. Several mine labour deals are due for re-negotiation this year. Escondida is currently the world’s largest copper mine, with BHP Billiton owning 57.5 percent and Rio Tinto 30 percent respectively. www.reuters.com

In brief…The International Copper Study Group has released its 2016 Statistical Yearbook covering world copper supply and demand data for the 2006-2015 period. The Yearbook is included as part of the ICSG Monthly Bulletin annual subscription and is also available at EUR 200 for orders originating from ICSG member countries and EUR 300 for other orders.www.icsg.org

ICSG projections for 2016 released in October indicated the market should remain essentially balanced, while in 2017 ICSG forecasted around 160,000 tonnes surplus in view of better than expected actual growth, compares with a deficit of 55,000 t and a surplus of 20,000 t for 2016 and 2017 respectively forecast at its March 2016 meeting.www.icsg.org

The 7th Annual Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition (ZIMEC 2017), under the theme of ‘Mining and Energy Development in Zambia - Increasing Economic Activities’, will take place from 22 - 23 June 2017 in Lusaka. The 2016 event in Lusaka saw 300 visitors, 235 delegates, 43 exhibitors and 35 speakers.www.ametrade.org/zimeczambia

The next Mineral Engineering Conference (MEC2017) organised by the Institute of Non Ferrous Metals (IMN) and KGHM Cuprum Sp. z o.o will be held on 20 - 23 September 2017 in Wisla, Poland. The Chairman of the Organising Committee of MEC2017 is Prof. Andrzej Wieniewski from IMN. The 2016 event saw 112 participants from 14 countries.www.imn.gliwice.pl

The 4th edition of the Mining On Top: Africa Summit, which is taking place on 6 - 7 July in Frankfurt, Germany, will have the aim of building shared value across the extractive supply chain so that the African mining sector can realise its full potential. The two day conference is expected to attract over 200 participants from over 20 countries.www.ametrade.org/miningontopafrica

The 17th International Automobile Recycling Congress IARC 2017 organised by ICM AG will be held from 22 - 24 March 2017 in the Hotel Palace in Berlin, Germany. Delegates will discuss and present news and challenges of the manufacturing and end-of-life vehicle (ELV) business. Over 250 international industry leaders will be expected.www.icm.ch

In brief…BHP Billiton and Hatch have entered into a collaborative technology development partnership to accelerate the development and deployment of key technological advances in the fields of mining and mineral processing. Hatch sees this collaborative approach as the future of technology development in the mining industry. www.hatch.com

ALTA 2017, now in its 22nd year, takes place from 20 - 27 May 2017 in Perth, Western Australia. The Nickel-Cobalt-Copper conference, including Pressure Acid Leaching Forum & Panel, runs from 22 - 24 May. At time of publication there were 67 papers from 21 countries and Short Courses on copper SX-EW (21 May) and Heap Leaching (27 May) scheduled. www.altamet.com.au

MIT Enterprise Forum Poland in partnership with KGHM, represented by Cuprum Research & Development Centre, is one of the 10 winners of the Scale up pilot contest organised by the Polish Industrial Development Agency. A grant of 5.9 MEUR will support acceleration projects in four key sectors of the Polish economy including energy and raw materials.www.kghm.pl

Metal Expo 2017 takes place from 14-17 November 2017 at the VDNkH in Moscow, Russia. This will be the 23rd International Industrial Exhibition. Around 530 companies from 32 countries across the ferrous and non-ferrous production sector participated, and 27,000 professionals visited the exhibition during the four day event in 2016.www.metal-expo.com

At least six new mega ports have been cleared to be built under the ambitious Sagarmala Project, taken up by the Ministry of Shipping. The National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the much talked about project envisions these new infrastructural facilities as part of its multi-pronged strategy to enhance India’s cargo handling capacity.www.economictimes.indiatimes.com

The wire and Tube China 2016 trade fair saw 1,645 exhibitors from 31 countries and in excess of 42,000 trade visitors in Shanghai, which was a new record. From 26 to 29 September 2018, wire and Tube China will once again be held for the eighth time at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).www.wirechina.net

Welcome to the Głogów flash furnace era A special launch ceremony took place at the Głogów Copper Smelter/Refinery on 20 January of its new state of the art facility for blister copper production w i t h a r e c t a n g u l a r electric furnace. The technology combines three stages - concentrate roas t ing, smel t ing of mat te copper and converting - into a single process. Commissioning of the modernised Głogów I Copper Smelter/Refinery took place in the middle of October 2016. After a series of full-scale trials of the flash furnace’s feed loading system, continuous feed of the concentrate and its smelting in the reaction shaft of the flash furnace commenced. After a three-month shutdown, the production of unrefined copper was recommenced at the Głogów I Copper Smelter/Refinery, but in a completely new technology. The first discharge of blister copper was achieved several hours after feeding the concentrate. The commissioning process started on

28 September with the firing of the electric furnace, and the firing of the flash furnace on 1 October 2016. Timeline:• 17 July 1971 - shaft furnaces launched

• 16 July 2016 - shaft furnaces extinguished

• 1 October 2016 - flash furnace fire-up process started

• 15 October 2016 - first kilograms of concentrate fed into the smelter

• 20 January 2017 - flash furnace launch ceremony. The ribbon was cut by Mr. Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland.

Commissioning of further facilities and production circuits is ongoing to achieve the new target production capacity of the installation.www.kghm.com.pl

The Kobe event was the perfect platform for PolyMet Solutions, S M S group a nd M et top to demonstrate their competences in the field of pyrometallurgical copper production technology

as well as tank house technology to numerous c l i e n t s . P o l y M e t Solutions welcomed many customers to their booth and presented 5 papers covering their knowhow with regard to complete copper plants solutions, the new revo lu t ion in vessel cooling by ILTEC-Technology, as well as a highly innovative

tank house technology. The PolyMet Solutions Team looks forward to being part of Copper 2019, which is being held in Vancouver, Canada.www.sms-group.com

Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project options outlinedThe Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd. and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has been independently ranked as the world’s largest, undeveloped, high-grade copper discovery by Wood Mackenzie. It lies within the Central African Copperbelt, approximately 25 km west of Kolwezi (Katanga Region).

In December 2016, Ivanhoe Mines announced results of an independent preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of initial options for the start-up of world-scale copper mining on the Kakula and Kamoa deposits in the D.R. Congo, namely:• An initial option for development

of a 4 Mtpy Kakula Phase 1 Mine at the Kakula Deposit with an average annual production rate of 216,000 tonnes of copper at a mine-site cash cost of US$ 0.37/lb copper for the first 10 years of operations, and peak copper production of 262,000 t by year three. The pre-production capital cost would be US$ 1.0 billion.

• A second initial option for a two-phase sequential expansion of production to 8 Mtpy from the proposed Kakula Phase 1 Mine at the Kakula Deposit and the

Kansoko Mine at the adjacent Kamoa Deposi t . The pre-production capital cost would be US$ 1.0 bn with an average annual production rate of 292,000 t of copper at a mine-site cash cost of US$ 0.42/lb copper during the first 10 years of operations, and peak production of 370,000 t by year seven.

The Kaku la 2016 PEA was independent ly prepared by OreWin Pty. Ltd., Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc. and SRK Consulting Inc. (the same team worked on the Oyu Tolgoi Project in Mongolia.).

R e c e n t d r i l l r e s u l t s h ave significantly expanded the Kakula Copper Discovery and resource estimate and preliminary economic assessments are being fast-tracked to examine expanded Kamoa-Kakula development options. There is exceptional continuity of high-grade copper mineralisation and relatively flat-lying geometry. A follow-on PEA, expected in 1Q 2017, will assess the potential for an 8 Mtpy stand-alone Kakula Mine, plus expanded, combined mining scenarios of 12 and 16 Mtpy from both the Kakula Deposit and the adjacent Kamoa Deposit’s Kansoko Mine. www.ivanhoemines.com

Commissioning of the Głogów Copper Smelter/Refinery

Project acceptance high on Study Group agendaMetals study groups the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG), International Copper Study Group and International Nickel Study Group have been working on community and social acceptance of new copper projects and also existing plants, in particular copper smelters with air emissions of impurities such as arsenic, and on the management of the hazardous wastes and precious meta ls sometimes related to equipment capturing air pollution.

The Joint Study Groups’ Seminar entitled ‘Social acceptance of the mining and metals industry’ in

October 2016 included copper plants and projects, including mining, smelting and refining copper. A 62-page Report entitled ‘Social Acceptance for Mineral and Metal Projects’ has been prepared by the University of Queensland-based Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining. The document is relevant for all non-ferrous metals and industry stakeholders. It is available (as a pdf via e-mail) from the ILZSG at EUR 500 to companies in member countries and EUR 750 to companies in non-member countries.www.ilzsg.orgwww.icsg.org

The PolyMet Solutions Team at Copper 2016

Specialist pump maker hails brand milestoneWeir Minerals can celebrate 125 years of developing and manufacturing its Lewis® Pump range used primarily in the Sulphur, Sulphuric Acid and Phosphoric Acid industries. The firm developed and manufactured its first sulphuric acid pump in 1914. In 1975 the company

manufactured its first sulphuric acid valve. In recent years it has added gate, globe and butterfly valves with the proprietary Lewmet® austenitic nickel-chrome alloys, proven to be highly effective in sulphuric acid pumps.www.global.weir

Keeping in touch with MIDASThe MIDAS project ran from 2013 to 2016, covering a wide array of topics all aimed at helping the nascent deep-sea mining industry, regulators and civil society to understand the potential impacts of mining on deep-sea ecosystems. A final summary pdf publication ‘MIDAS Research Highlights’ has been published, and is available from Vikki Gunn

MIDAS study areas included the mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMS), the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the central Pacific (nodules), the

Black Sea, and the Norwegian and Svalbard continental margins (gas hydrates). Additionally, the Canary Islands, Palinuro Seamount (central Mediterranean), Norwegian fjords and Portmán Bay in Spain were used as proxy sites for various mining impact experiments. A more comprehensive and technical summary of the project results will be available in early 2017 as part of the ISA’s Technical Series publications.www.eu-midas.net


www.copperworldwide.com NEWS | 7


6 | SPOTLIGHT: ELECTROMETALLURGY www.copperworldwide.com

Investing in forecast growth in e-mobilityMKM was successfully certified in November 2016 for the ISO/TS 16949 quality system, of critical importance for automotive and capital goods industries. Seeing further scope for development opportunities within the growing e -mobi l i t y market , MKM is investing in production technology, development of new products, quality and works processes to capitalise on them, according to CEO Roland Harings. There is already up to 6 km of copper cable in the electrical system of standard cars, and this is set to rise significantly. In hybrid cars this quantity doubles, in electric cars the demand is three times as high. Compared to conventional cars using around 24 kg of copper, this means a rise to 75 kg per car. According to the Fraunhofer-Institut, by 2050 around 20 per cent of the global demand for copper will be from the automotive industry. MKM has recently had its ISO 9001:2008 renewed.www.mkm.eu

Market in surplus for January to November 2016According to WBMS Market Balances released in January, The copper market recorded a surplus of 17 kt in January to November 2016, which follows a surplus of 35 kt in the whole of 2015. Reported stocks fell during November and closed 23.2 kt lower than at the end of December 2015. No allowance is made in the consumption calculation for unreported stock changes, particularly in the Chinese government stockpile.

World mine production in the period was up 7.0 percent y-o-y to 18.78 Mt. Global refined production rose 2.7 percent y-o-y to 21.37 Mt, with China up 422 kt and Spain up 14 kt. Global consumption for January to November 2016 was 21.35 Mt compared with 20.78 Mt for the same months of 2015. Chinese apparent consumption in the period rose by 273 kt to 10,515 kt y-o-y and represented just over 49 per cent of global demand. EU28 production fell by 2.1 per cent and demand was up 2.2 percent y-o-y to 3,165 kt. In November 2016, refined copper production was 1,969.0 kt and consumption was 1,931.3 kt.www.world-bureau.com

In brief…Mines and Money is coming to New York for the first time from 3 - 4 May 2017. Using the Meetmax system, attendees will be able to schedule meetings with qualified investors and a selection of mining companies. The exhibition gives delegates face-to-face access to the senior executives of over 50 global mining companies.www.newyork.minesandmoney.com

The PDAC 2017 International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange takes place in Toronto from 5 - 8 March 2017. In addition to over 900 exhibitors and 22,000 attendees from 125 countries, there are also technical sessions, short courses and networking events. The four day annual convention began in 1932.www.pdac.ca

ESI’s 26th Solidification course runs from 30 April - 5 May 2017 in Switzerland and is designed for engineers and scientists from industry and research centres who wish to improve their knowledge in the field of solidification. Participants should have a degree in materials science, metallurgy, mechanical engineering, physics or chemistry.www.esi-group.com/company/events

International Electronics Recycling Congress IERC 2017 e-waste recyclers meeting in Salzburg discussed the predicted increase from 15 to 50 billion devices in the IoT (Internet of Things) by the year 2020, including wearables, consumer electronics and vehicles. While consumers get more convenience, the recycling companies’ challenge increases.www.icm.ch

Russian metal trade fair quartet wire Russia, Tube Russia, Metallurgy Russia and Litmash Russia will take place in Moscow from 5 - 8 June 2017, organised by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Messe Düsseldorf Moscow and the Russian partners Joint-Stock Company VNIIKP for wire Russia and Metal Expo for the other three fairs.www.wire-russia.com

ITPS 2017: International Thermprocess Summit takes place in Düsseldorf on 27 - 28 June 2017, with a high-quality programme for stakeholders in the automotive, aviation and metal industries, covering the general economic and political conditions around the world, climate protection, carbon footprint, energy, and resource efficiency fields.www.itps-online.com

EUnited Metallurgy elects new Board

The General Assembly of EUnited Metallurgy unanimously elected their new Board in Brussels in December 2016, who expressed their will to further engage with the directorate:• Chairman: Benoît Caratgé, Fives

Group, France• Vice Chairman: Dr. Anthony

Tropeano, FATA HUNTER, Italy• Board members: Dr. Heinz

Autischer, Andritz AG, Austria; Axel E. Barten, Achenbach Buschhütten GmbH, Germany;

A n d re a s F l i c k , P r i m e t a l s Technologies, Germany; Fabrice Orban, CMI Industry S.A ., Belgium; Georges Rassel, Paul Wurth S. A. Luxembourg; and Dieter Rosenthal, SMS Siemag AG, Germany.

The theme ‘The digital manufacturing revolution and what it means for the machinery and equipment business’ was the subject of the EUnited Competitiveness Review and Dinner Debate after the elections.www.eu-nited.net/metallurgy

Results analysis and Aurubis projects snapshotThe Aurubis Group (Aurubis) generated a result within the company’s expectations, achieving operating earnings before taxes (EBT) of EUR 213 million in fiscal year 2015/16 (ended 30 September 2016). Reduced refining charges for copper scrap accompanied by a lower copper scrap supply, and a weaker sales price for sulphuric acid due to a surplus, a lower metal gain accompanied by decreased metal prices, a lower cathode premium and the scheduled shutdown in Pirdop, Bulgaria all negatively impacted profits. Some positives were higher treatment and refining charges for copper concentrates with an improved input mix, stable sales volumes for continuous cast wire rod and shapes, and the strong US dollar. The EUR 44 million shutdown at Pirdop, completed in budget in 54 days, was a notable achievement according to Jürgen Schachler, Chief Executive Officer of Aurubis AG.

Uncer tainties wil l continue to influence fiscal year 2016/17, although positive factors include the good ongoing supply of copper concentrates, as well as a relatively high level of treatment and refining charges. The situation

on the copper scrap market has also improved slightly, as the copper prices increased after the end of fiscal year 2015/16. Aurubis says it wants to close-the-loop with more product customers. The result of Q1 2016/17 is negatively impacted by a three-week maintenance shutdown carried out in Hamburg in October/November 2016. This shutdown is legally mandated every three years.

In the FCM (Future Complex Metallurgy) project, Aurubis will continuously develop its unique expertise in processing complex materials. In Hamburg, Aurubis has started the MSO (Metallurgical Slag Optimization) project with the goal of reducing unwanted elements in the iron silicate with an additional preparation stage. Another objective of the project is to expand the company’s granulation capacities.www.aurubis.com

The new EUnited Metallurgy Board

Refining electrolysis operationsThe Electrometallurgy 2016 conference at the Annual Conference of Metallurgists (55th COM) and XXVIII International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC) held in Quebec City, Canada yielded some interesting presentations.

Some 4 million tonnes (21%) of world mined copper comes from leaching followed by solvent extraction-electrowinning. Several papers presented related to copper electrowinning optimisation came from Hatch (Toronto) and Colorado School of Mines, whilst CSIRO (Melbourne) delivered simulation results in two presentations. The Missouri University of Science and Technology discussed lead- based anodes, and anode composition, while a paper from China covered permanent stainless steel cathodes.

High current density operating data came from Los Bronces courtesy of Anglo American, while a Sepon (Laos) supplier presentation from Scantech International summarised the successful application of an on-belt analyser to improve ore blending ahead of processing. A Short Course on Electrometallurgy with around six top instructors including Dr. Mike Moats (organised by Consultant Michael Agnew) was run. A one-day tour to Canadian Copper Refinery and Canadian Electrolytic Zinc also took place.

Electrorefining updatePrimary and secondary copper production by copper electrorefining totalled over 16 million tonnes in 2014. The typical current density at a modern copper refinery today is of the order of 300 to 350 A/m2. This is a key parameter establishing the copper output for a given size of plant). The upper value of current density while still giving a smooth deposit is essentially set by the limiting rate of convective mass transfer of copper ions to the cathode.

As seen in Figure 2, there has been a steady, slow increase in current density in copper refining since 1869 - when the world’s first copper refinery began at Pembrey, Wales. The current density at that time was of the order of 90 A/m2 (1). There was an initial increase to about 200 A/m2 over the first 80 years up to about 1940. Over the 50 year period from 1940 to 1990, the average current density further increased from 200 A/m2 to about 300 A/m2 - an increase of about 1.5 times. These increases were achieved by mainly incremental improvements in a number of areas such as improved anode uniformity, better electrolyte and addition agents control, and better quality starting sheets, among other factors. The basic cell design and electrolyte flow system remained essentially unchanged.

As discussed at Electrometallurgy 2016, a recent breakthrough in technology now at the commercial scale has allowed a jump in current density to 420 A/m2 virtually overnight - a further increase relative to that at a typical modern plant today by a factor of about 1.2 to 1.4. By introducing fresh electrolyte with active inhibitors at a high flowrate parallel to the cathode, METTOP-BRX Technology of Austria has significantly increased the present limiting step with, in effect, a ‘disruptive’ technological breakthrough. METTOP has now successfully installed this system at two commercial plants - the copper refinery of Xiangguang Copper Co. Ltd., in China (Figure 1) and the copper refinery of Montanwerke Brixlegg in Austria, with each plant operating at 420 A/m2.

New developments and advances in this interesting system were discussed by Andreas

Filzwieser et al. in a paper entitled, “FAQs with regards to operating a copper tankhouse above 400 A/m² using the METTOP-BRX-Technology”. It is believed that this technology will gradually be embraced by the industry as it means a smaller footprint for a given tonnage, or in some cases a significant increase in copper output ( by 1.2 to 1.4 times) at an existing plant. www.com2016.metsoc.orgwww.impc2016.org

References:1. A.E.Wraith, P.J.Mackey and R. Protheroe-Jones, Origins of electrorefining: Birth of the technology and the world’s first electrorefinery, in Proc. Conf. Cobre Copper 2013,Vol 5 - Electrowinning and refining (Eds. R. Abel and C. Delgado), pp 259-273, Santiago, Chile, IIMCh.

Author: Phillip Mackey

1 METTOP-BRX Installation at Xiangguang Copper, China (www.mettop.com)

2 The trend in average current density in copper electrorefining over the period 1869 to 2013, with key events. (1)

JSC ‘Uralelectromed’(metallurgical enterprise of UMMC Group) is setting about realising a major investment project in its copper refining facilities at Verkhnaya Pyshma. After building a new copper tankhouse in three stages, by around 2018 UMMC aims to achieve production capacity of 450-500 ktpy. The first and second stages are to have 150 ktpy capacity each, and the third, depending on the market and raw material balance, will have 150-200 ktpy capacity. Baseless technology (see below) is used in the process.

Conceptual and basic engineering was made by Outotec (Finland), with detail engineering provided by ‘Uralmekhanobr’ design institute (the structural division of UMMC). The new tankhouse is in accordance with state of the art world standards concerning equipment and working environment. In February 2012 Uralelectromed commissioned the first stage of the new tankhouse at a cost of over c.US$ 70 million (4.4 bn rubles). The first stage reached

and even exceeded its 150 ktpy design capacity. Construction of the second stage started in July 2014. The new production facility partly occupies areas of the old tankhouse. Baseless cathode production technology is used in the second stage as with the first stage. The technology provides application of permanent stainless steel sheets instead of disposable starting sheets. After starting up of the second stage, baseless cathode production capacity will increase from 150,000 to 300,000 tonnes annually. The total capacity including the starting sheet technology will be 400,000 tonnes. Construction is planned to be completed in 2017. According to UMMC, the budget of the second stage tankhouse project will exceed 4.5 bn rubles. At the same time within this project, JSC ‘Uralelectromed’ is carrying out design work for its copper sulphate and chemical-metallurgical plants, copper smelter shop, storage and railroad facilities.www.elem.ru

Tankhouse renovation program at UMMCPanoramic view of the Aurubis Belgium production site at Olen


www.copperworldwide.com ELECTROREFINING / ELECTROWINNING | 9


8 | NEWS www.copperworldwide.com

Glencore knowhow applied to Kansanshi smelter

One recent example where knowhow was tangible was the recent startup of the IsaSmelt™ copper smelter at First Quantum Minerals Kansanshi operations. The smelter was designed to treat 1.2 Mtpy of concentrate, with the first startup in early 2015. After 3 months f rom s ta r tup and

commissioning it had achieved over 100% of its nameplate capacity. Within 6 months of startup on 1 July, it had declared commercial production! Copper recoveries have been consistently between 97 to 98% - a great effort for the Kansanshi operations. Glencore Technology provided Kansanshi with hands on training and mentoring at Mount Isa Mines IsaSmelt™ operation, as well as supporting the operation through the commissioning period.www.glencoretechnology.com

Sulphuric acid plants to Iran from OutotecOutotec has agreed with National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICICO) on the delivery of two state of the art sulphuric acid plants for the Sarcheshmeh and Khatoon Abad copper smelters in the Kerman province in Iran. The value of the orders is approximately EUR 50 million. Scope of delivery includes engineering, main process equipment and instrumentation for the acid plants, as well as spare parts and supervisory services for installation and commissioning. Deliveries will take place in mid-2018. The off-gas cleaning systems and sulphuric acid plants complement earlier deliveries of Outotec Flash Smelting technology for NICICO’s two copper smelters, which will have full compliance with the latest environmental standards as a result.www.outotec.com

Peru copper output remains on track According to BMI Research from October 2016, Peru’s significant copper production growth will be driven by a strong project pipeline and competitive operating costs over the coming years, in contrast to decelerating copper production growth in top producer Chile. Peru is set to emerge as a copper outperformer, as output increased by 47.8% y-o-y over the first seven months of 2016. This production growth will be supported by a number of large-scale projects.

While Chile will remain the largest global producer of copper by a signif icant margin, the country’s growth outlook will lag. BMI forecasts Peru’s copper production growth to average 9.5% over the period 2017 to 2020, producing an additional 629 kt, while Chile averages just 1.5% annual growth, producing an additional 290 kt.www.bmiresearch.com

In brief…Chang’ge City government of Henan province signed a cooperation agreement with Jiangxi Tungsten Industry Group Co., Ltd., Henan Economic and Technical Cooperation Group and Henan Futong Co., Ltd on 7 September, aiming to build a 600 ktpy secondary copper rod and wire project in Dazhou Town, Chang’ge City of Henan Province.www.antaike.com

China’s exports of unwrought copper including copper alloy jumped to 57,265 tonnes in August, four times the 2015 equivalent period amount, China Customs reports. The G20 Summit was given as the reason why China’s refined copper output was down 645,000 tonnes in August, though still up 0.62% y-o-y, an SMM survey found.www.smm.com

At the 2nd China Nonferrous Metals Forum on 1 November there were around 120 attendees. Mr. Shang Fushan, Vice President of CNIA, said there was a 13% growth in Chinese nonferrous metal processing company usage in H1 2016 - copper saw a 4% consumption increase and aluminium an 8% increase in the period. www.chinania.org.cn

SMS group reports that compared to 5,250 jobs at the beginning of 2014, the workforce in Germany will be cut by 1,200 to some 4,050 by 2017. In 2015, the average number of employees including apprentices in SMS group totalled 14,342 (2014: 14,003), primarily as a result of the expansion of the service business and more jobs abroad.www.sms-group.com

The International Copper Association, Ltd. (ICA) says projections based on China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP) show the potential for 15% growth in the Chinese copper market. ICA commissioned the study (conducted by All China Marketing Research Co., Ltd.) to analyse potential demand in China under the country’s most recent FYP. www.copperalliance.org

UGOL ROSSII & MINING 2017, the 24th International Trade Fair for Mining Technology, Preparation, Material Handling and Safety & Security will be held from 6 to 9 June 2017 at the Kuzbasskaya Yarmarka Exhibition Center in Novokuznetsk, Western Siberia, Russia. There were over 500 exhibitors from 25 countries, and over 27,000 visitors, in 2016. www.ugol-rossii.com

The Kansanshi Smelter at night. Photo: Glencore

Market acid price benefits some smeltersSince 2007, global smelter revenues have increased, but the contribution made by acid has varied from 47% to 15%, according to a CRU Insight in October 2016 by CRU Consultant Peter Harrisson, who found the global trend of decline in acid prices had not cut the average revenue from acid at smelters to the same degree regionally. Two key factors are:• Share of acid sold to export

versus domestic markets• Relative pricing of those export

and domestic markets.Smelters with a greater share of sales within the domestic market have more stable and generally higher revenue from acid sales than exporting smelters. Domestic prices set on a contract basis can reduce exposure to international trade price risk. Using actual annual prices for export and domestic markets in 2015 with the

international price benchmark, and relating an international delivered price of $80/t CFR to an FOB price in a supply region by subtracting the freight, a regional differential impact on the change in revenue can be estimated.

Chile, India and China, which have little or no exports, show essentially no change in revenue as international prices vary. In SE Asia, where the major share of sales is exports, revenues change significantly. With a 25% increase in the global benchmark price, acid revenues in SE Asia increased by 66%. This increase seems dramatic but it is partially a function of SE Asia having a particularly low acid price in 2015. West European revenues increased 11% for a 25% increase in the global benchmark, with Japanese revenues increasing by 28%.www.crugroup.com

Kansanshi Smelter ramp up. Source: Glencore

China’s refined copper exports double in 2016The ICSG has looked into Raw Material Flows in 2016. China now produces 60 percent of all scrap refined worldwide, but this amount is only 30 percent of Chinese refined copper, so scrap refined worldwide is less than 18 percent of copper refined globally, while scrap refined in China represented over 10 percent of world refined copper output at the end of 2016. China imported copper scrap from 78 countries in 2016, yet this may only represent around 1.3 Mt of metal. There is

significant growth in imports of blister and anode (+45.5% y-o-y) and ores and concentrates (+34% y-o-y) into China, the research indicates. Reasons postulated for the doubling in Chinese refined exports are: • Some Chinese smelters were

converting copper concentrate into metal for traders, possibly to reduce the VAT and tax burdens.

• Chinese refineries were tolling anodes and blister into cathodes for export in 2016.Australia, Chile, Mexico, Mongolia

and Peru accounted for 76 percent of concentrate imports into China in 2016.

The International Copper Study Group currently has 24 member countries. Intergovernmental and international organisations sharing common interests may be granted observer status by the Group. The ICSG Copper Bulletin is produced monthly and has a 500 EUR annual subscription for new subscribers in member countries.www.icsg.org

On 22 December 2016, the Dias d’Ávila unit of Paranapanema in Brazil reached the 6 million tonnes of copper cathodes production milestone. To commemorate the occasion a special cathode displaying the number was fixed at the entrance of the administrative building of the plant. With around 1,000 employees, the company is the only one in Brazil to produce 99.99% pure electrolytic copper, certified by the London Metal Exchange. The concentrates imported from Chile and Peru contain around

28% copper. Pyrometallurgical processes are subdivided into seven furnaces: a flash furnace, an electric furnace, three converting furnaces and two refining furnaces. The plant operates a sequential molding wheel with a capacity of 80 t/hr. The Dias d’Ávila plant has an annual production capacity of 280 kt of cathodes. The plant generates coproducts with the copper, namely sulphuric acid, oleum, anodic sludge and granulated slag.www.paranapanema.com.br

Manchester-based G Corner is a global leader in the supply of DC Electrical systems and other specialist refinery equipment to the base metal refining industry.

In the early 2000’s, the refined production of copper saw a substantial amount of growth from around 17 million tonnes (Mt) in 2000 to just over 20 Mt by 2005. A significant proportion of this growth was through the development of electrowinning refining capacity, as supposed to the more traditional electro-refining process. G Corner was able to develop designs that were ideally suited for the higher DC currents required for the electrowinning processes

being developed at that time. This expertise in electrowinning design has allowed G Corner to develop cost effective designs for larger electro-refinery tankhouses using complex cell-bank and DC switching busbar formats.

The company works with customers on specific process issues to do with plant operation and develop products such as electrowinning shorting frames, which are able to increase plant operational performance by reducing plant downtime.

The G Corner HQ in the UK co-ordinates with manufacturing facilities in India and representative offices in Chile, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Russia. G Corner now offers design and engineering solutions for large and small base metal refinery projects, including the supply of:

• Main trunk DC Busbars busbars• Intercell and endcell busbars• Watercooled Equipotential busbars• High current electrowinning

Shorting frames• High Current DC switches• Expansion flexiblesThe company is also widely known for being an

effective source for replacement tankhouse refinery equipment, including copper cell top busbars, copper flexibles, contact rings for copper foil-plating plants, cell-top capping boards, stainless steel cathodes, rolled-lead anodes, and larger machinery such as cathode stripping machines and transformer rectifiers. To date G Corner exports of bespoke refinery solutions have been delivered to over 30 countries around the world.www.gcorner.co.uk

Dias d’Ávila Refinery in Brazil celebrates 6 Mt of production

In mid-2016, Piotr Ortonowski, Senior Consultant - Copper Supply Analysis at CRU, noted in a CRU Insight that two thirds of 2016 production cutback and closure losses were mooted by SX-EW mines, while SX-EW only constitutes a fifth of global mined copper output. At the time, CRU’s Copper Mining Cost Model indicated that on a net of by-product cash cost basis, 76% of SX-EW mine capacity features in the top half of the copper mine cost curve, with only 5% placed in the first quartile compared with 30% of concentrates mines. CRU estimated that at the 2015 LME cash price low of US$ 4,516 /t, twice as many (36%) SX-

EW mines were cashflow negative compared to concentrates mines (18%).

Overall, average SX-EW mine costs were 86% higher than the equivalent concentrates mine when compared on the above net basis. On average, site costs ran 10% higher at SX-EW mines than at concentrates mines, power costs (EW tankhouse) were 58% higher, and consumables costs 18% higher (sulphuric acid for leaching). On top of this, Electrowinning cathode producers also have low by-product credits compared to a large proportion of concentrate producers. www.crugroup.com

The cost burden of SX-EW only mines

The Sepon tankhouse in Laos - in 2016 Sepon (LXML) produced 78,492 tonnes of copper cathode (capacity 85 kt) by Leach / SX-EW operations

Dias d’Ávila reaches cathode milestone

Of the alternative processes, the most likely challenger to conventional SX-EW for large scale operations appears to be IX/EW, particularly for low grade solutions. Metal recovery by solvent extraction (SX) is practiced commercially for the recovery of copper, uranium, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum and other metals. However, it does have some limitations:• Leach solutions containing large quantities

of suspended solids are unsuitable for solvent extraction processing

• The SX circuit has a relatively large plant footprint

• Large volume and significant cost of the required organic compounds.One method which offers to overcome these is

the combined L/IX/SX/EW process using Ion Exchange and Solvent Extraction as developed by Iontech Engineering of Bulgaria. This method may be excellent for processing of PLS as well as in the decommissioning of spent copper heaps and dumps, acid mine drainage /AMD/ and other industrial streams without any preconditioning. An important factor will be the availability of cost-effective resins with copper selectivity comparable with SX extractants. The method involves four major stages -

Leaching, Ion exchange, Solvent Extraction and Electrowinning. According to Iontech, despite the wide acceptance of SX, it does use large quantities of volatile organic substances, SX extractants have to be handled with environmental awareness, and organic losses from the liquid organic phase are a potential hazard to ground water. Also, crud generation in the SX process requires special facilities and has both an economic and downtime impact. Solvent extraction is also sensitive to low temperatures, which can cause bad phase disengagement times and reduced process performance.www.ionteching.com

Time for an ion exchange?

Bespoke refining solutions


www.copperworldwide.com PLANT INTEGRATION AND CONTROL | 11


10 | PLANT INTEGRATION AND CONTROL www.copperworldwide.com

Get the benefit from control systemsMost plants do not track their systems’ performance. Optimisation is the easiest way to benefit from your control systems. A 4-step approach is demonstrated here by Michel Ruel of BBA Inc. in Québec.

Maximising what you already have is the best investment to remain competitive. This article aims to show the benefits of a systematic approach using modern tools to improve plant performance. We at BBA suggest dividing the work in four phases, and a subsequent phase can begin when the previous one has progressed: Assess, Remediate, Stabilise, Optimise or add advanced control. This approach has been successfully applied to several sites. Examples and illustrations from these plants demonstrate how this step-by-step method is applied and generates results. Under the BBA method, there are 4 questions to answer before moving to the next step. For each control strategy, you should ask the following questions:• 1 Assessment: Does it work? • 2 Remediation: Do you use it? • 3 Stabilisation: Is it stable? • 4 Optimisation: Does it perform? Do you need

advanced control? The first phase is to assess all equipment to determine the performances of instruments, valves, variable speed drives, and other equipment. To carry out the project, a database will be used to collect and store all the information. The second phase is to remediate instrumentation problems, including the ones pertaining to valves, variable speed drives, analysers, transmitters, etc. When equipment is in order, loops are put back in automatic mode. If a loop oscillates, use standard default values for this type of loop.

The third phase consists in validating the control strategies, properly configuring the systems (control system, programs and parameters, HMI, alarms), and then tuning the loops and control strategies. Soft sensors should be validated also. The fourth phase consists of analysing the process and expected performances to optimise the control loops and control strategies. When mixing products for instance, each flow loop should move at the same speed to ensure proper recipe when increasing the total flow. If performance is not sufficient, a decision tree will be presented to determine the right approach: advanced regulatory control, model predictive control, or fuzzy logic control.

Once all steps have been completed, control performance monitoring software is used to sustain the results and pinpoint equipment or loops not performing as stated. Also, after an audit on the alarm system, an alarm management and rationalisation could be performed if needed.

Basic control systemsInstruments, valves, control systems and other equipment can all be beneficial to the bottom line when set up, operated and maintained correctly. Although basic regulatory controls (PID controllers) are reliable workhorses in

the process industry, they are often underrated. Since the 1980s, computer control has evolved and the control algorithms used by control engineers have become increasingly complex. However, PID controllers still handle over 90% of the control loops in operating plants. Even if advanced control systems and expert systems are used, the basic layer of process control is the control loop. Table 1 shows the savings that can be made by achieving best

practices in several different process control categories. The savings are expressed as a percentage of production costs.

The actual benefits will certainly vary from plant to plant and from industry to industry, but in every case the benefits are significant and will undoubtedly impact the bottom line. Reported benefits are most often based on very specific case studies where a problem is identified, a faulty steam valve for example, and then corrected, thereby resulting in savings.

Based on BBA’s experience, the main sources of control problems include:1. Valve performance issues2. Instrument problems3. Inappropriate tuning parameters4. Inappropriate control strategies5. Lack of resources6. Absence of a proactive control loop

optimisation program7. Inability to link process control benefits

to process performance8. Lack of process knowledge9. Lack of monitoring technology10. Lack of necessary skills to implement

control strategies11. Changes in process and equipment wear.

The first items in this list relate to valves, instruments, and control loops. Statistics from our experience and projects performed in many plants are summarised in Table 2.

It is better to have a systematic approach to performance improvement rather than attempting to ‘cherry pick’ individual control problems. In most plants, maintenance is kept to a minimum and equipment availability becomes an issue. To fully benefit from instruments, valves and process control systems, this equipment must:• Work normally, i.e. be available:

Does it work?

Process control categories Savings in production costsFinal control device performance and basic loop tuning 1.5%

Unit operations control 0.8%

Advanced control 1.4%

Table 1. Savings in production costs associated with different process control categories

7th ZAMBIA INTERNATIONAL MINING AND ENERGY CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

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• Be used according to its purpose, i.e. usage: Do you use it?

• Perform as expected, i.e. performance: Is it stable?

• Be optimised, i.e. Does it perform? Do you derive the maximum benefit from it? Do you need advanced control?

Taking a systematic approachPrior to beginning a project, it is suggested to prepare a database with all instruments, analysers, valves, variable speed drives, and other equipment. All analyses, tests, observations, performance results will be stored in this database. The database will be used to generate progress reports, planning and detailed reports.

The first step to ensure that all equipment is adequate and properly installed is a thorough instrument audit of your facility. This assessment will also include tests and analyses. If all equipment of a control loop receives a green card, the loop is put back in automatic mode. If the loop oscillates, default tuning parameters will be used. If the loop is unstable, it will be identified for the second phase. Therefore this first phase will immediately generate results.

The second phase will remediate problems identified during the first phase. This second phase will begin simultaneously with the audit. The remediation will consist in recalibrating, reconfiguring, repairing, or replacing the equipment. As in the first phase, if all equipment of a control loop receives a green card, the loop is put back in automatic mode.

The third phase will start when enough equipment in a given area is performing well. This third phase consists of tuning control loops and optimising control strategies.

The fourth phase consists of designing new control strategies and adding more equipment to improve performance. If an advanced control system is used, this system will be optimised. If performance is not sufficient, advanced control will be added: advanced regulatory control, model predictive control, or fuzzy logic control.

Finally, once all steps are completed, monitoring tools are used to sustain performance and results.

Instrument auditingThis objective under Step 1 is to audit every instrument in the selected areas. The following tasks must be performed:• Visual inspection • Configuration• Analyses using historical data• Analyses using specialised software (control

performance software) or through testing• Observations and recommendations• Remediation needed: calibration,

configuration, reinstallation, repair, replacement, or re-design.

For example, see Figure 1. A magnetic flowmeter with its grounding wire missing means the signal will be noisy and erratic, so it is neither working normally nor performing as expected.

Remediation processIn the second (remediation) phase, the

following tasks must be performed on the identified equipment:

Using regular maintenance budget• Review of calibration methods, installation

practices, etc. o Drafting of new procedures if needed• Equipment calibration• Equipment configuration • Range change• Equipment repair.

Requiring extra budget• Replacement• Reinstallation• Redesign, when replaced by another

technology for instance.Transferring to future projects

Control valves of poor quality or in poor condition 30%

Instruments not installed properly 15%

Controller in manual mode 30%

Poor loop design 15%

Poor controller tuning (unacceptable values) 30%

Poor controller tuning

(not selected according to the performance goal) 85%

Control loop not performing according to control objectives 85%

Loops that perform better in automatic mode than in manual mode 25%

Table 2. Typical control loop problems and performance issues

1 A magnetic flowmeter with its grounding wire missing means the signal will be noisy and erratic

2 Passive sonar flowmeter (both 24 hr graphics have same scale and same filter)

After (reviewing algorithm, adjusting configuration):

3 Valve repaired, density meter recalibrated, control strategy optimised (graphs to same scale over a 24 hr period)

Before:

After (standard deviation reduced by a factor of 3, water usage reduced by 38%)):

Before 24hr:


www.copperworldwide.com GERMANY COPPER STUDY | 13


12 | PLANT INTEGRATION AND CONTROL www.copperworldwide.com

Copper makes it in GermanyWith resilient consumption, Germany stands tall in Europe’s copper sector, or does it? - writes Independent Analyst Jonathan Barnes.

Germany is the most important copper consumer in Europe, and it is also the third largest in the world after the United States and industry leader China. Its prominence as a consumer is just as relevant for secondary purposes (direct use scrap by semis manufacturers) as it is for the industry’s traditional benchmark measure of refined copper consumption (1.2 million tonnes in 2015). Germany’s status as a semi-manufacturing giant is reflected by the fact that, by a massive margin, it is the world’s largest exporter of copper and copper alloy products. The country is also the world’s eighth biggest producer of refined copper (0.8 million tonnes in 2015) entirely through the activities of Aurubis in cathode production by both primary and secondary means.

Steady economic growth The most recent release from the Federal Statistics Office reveals that the German economy lost momentum in the third quarter of 2016. GDP only grew by 0.2% between July and September compared to faster growth of 0.4% during the second quarter. The slowdown was mainly blamed on the external sector, with exports declining slightly quarter-on-quarter and imports growing marginally. The uncertainty caused by Brexit was attributed as the key element of blame, but it is just as likely that the then unresolved political situation in the USA, one of Germany’s largest export markets, was probably just as significant to the overall effect.

Amid the slowdown in external trade, private consumption has become the largest engine of growth. With unemployment at its lowest ever level, higher real wages and low interest rates are encouraging consumers to spend more. The government is also doing its part through increased state spending. There is a considerable rise in expenditure on the road network to alleviate congestion choke points and to expand capacity on major haulage and commuter routes. It is also spending over UR 20 billion on additional housing to meet the influx of over one million migrants to the country over the past 18 months. The government is forecasting GDP growth of 1.8% in 2016, the fastest rate for five years.

Key use sector strugglesWhile the overall economic indicators are broadly encouraging, some key end use sectors of copper demand are suffering. Of these, the German automotive industry is probably the brightest. The latest data from the Verband Der Automobilindustrie (VDA) showing preliminary full 2016 industry statistics reveals a healthy 5% year-on-year rise in new car registrations. However, digging a little below the surface paints a different story. New foreign

brand registrations increased by 8% against only a 3% improvement in German brands. With exports only flat against year-earlier levels, the annual gain in German vehicle production was limited to only 1%. In the electrical and electronics industry, production fell by 5.3% and incoming orders dropped by 4.2% in October, according to the latest newsletter from the ZVEI. In the German mechanical engineering industry (VDMA), orders in October fell 10%, while production is likely to be flat in 2016 as a whole.

Upbeat downstreamGerman statistics on aluminium and non-ferrous metals are compiled and published on a quarterly basis by the Wirtschafts Vereinigung Metalle (WVM) industry association (see Figure 1). The latest data covers the first nine months of 2016 and paints a more upbeat

picture of industrial activity in the downstream copper sector. Copper product statistics are divided into the two categories of Leitmaterial (literally ‘conductive material’, such as wire rod, the main raw material for the wire and cable industry) and Kupfer and Kupfer Legierungen (copper and copper alloys, in tubes, bars and sections, and plate, sheet, strip and foil), and both are measured in gross weight.

Output of copper and copper alloy products is on a steady upward trend and totalled approximately 729 kt in the first nine months of 2016, and 6.2% higher than the 686 kt reported in the prior year period. Leitmaterial output has been more variable, with a very strong Q2 year-on-year increase followed by a sharp retrenchment in Q3 last year. Nevertheless, production in the first three quarters of 2016 stood at 571 kt, some 4.5% more than the 547 kt recorded in the same

1 Germany’s quarterly semis output

2 German trade flows in copper semi-manufactures

• Addition of new equipment• Modification of the process.Once remediation has been completed, a performance assessment will be performed.

System stabilisationThe third phase will start when sufficient equipment in a given area is performing well. This third phase consists of tuning control loops and optimising control strategies. Control performance and tuning software is recommended. This will identify equipment problems and control loops that are not performing well. If the loops are in automatic mode, the software will identify a model for many of these loops. This model will be used to determine tuning parameters for the PID controller.

If no model is available for a loop, BBA will conduct tests to tune the loop according to its objective. Using a specialised tool, we conduct these tests in automatic mode and many loops can be tuned at the same time. Alternatively, these tests can be carried out in manual mode.

Performances are evaluated before and after using key performance indicators, for example:• Service factor (% of time in normal mode,

no saturation)• Standard deviation of PV• Response time• Relative performance index (actual

versus expected)• Oscillation index.

Control optimisationThe fourth phase will consist in designing new control strategies and adding more equipment to improve performance. If an advanced control system is used, this system will be optimised. If needed, an advanced control system could be added using guidelines to select the proper approach. For each area, all control strategies will be reviewed to ensure that the process is under control. These control strategies will be designed for normal conditions, but also to handle abnormal situations, start-ups, and shutdowns. The strategies are optimised to achieve process goals. Once everything has been optimised, we will evaluate other alternatives: soft sensors, addition of equipment, advanced control, expert systems.

Sustaining resultsProper procedures must be put in place to sustain the results. The most important measure is to keep the database updated, and for this, regular assessment and remediation are essential. The degradation in performance will trigger actions. The second measure is to install control performance software to monitor performance and usage. The third measure is to implement an alarm management program. When properly done, alarm management is the key to detecting process and process control problems.

Control project organisationThe consultant and client personnel should work together as a team, comprising:• Process and instrumentation control expert,

also acting as project manager• Process control engineer responsible for

tuning loops and reviewing control strategies• Engineers and technicians for assessment

and remediation.Estimation will require preliminary work (100 to 400 hours):• Collect data• Select and prepare the database• Populate the database• Connect the database to the network.To estimate the time needed on a given project for the assessment, remediation and optimisation work, BBA has developed metrics based on instrument age, complexity, technologies used, control system, documentation system, control strategies. www.bba.ca

References:Brisk, M. L. (2004). Process control: Potential benefits and wasted opportunities, 5th Asian Control Conference, Vol. 1, pp. 20-23.Brittain H., Dewey D., & Ruel M. (2009, October). Closed loop tuning: Methodology, tools, benefits and common mistakes, ISA, 2009 Conference, Houston, TX. Brittain, H. & Ruel, M. (2008, October). Optimize your process using normal operation data, NPRA Conference, Houston, TXLiptak, B.G. (Editor-in-chief) (2006). Instrument engineers’ handbook, Process control and optimization, (4th Edition, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press,), Ruel M., et al. Chapters 2.20 Optimizing control; 2.35 Tuning PID controllers; 2.38 Tuning by computer; Ruel M., Chapter 2.37 Tuning interacting loops, Synchronizing loops McNabb, C. & Ruel, M. (2009, February). Best practices for managing control loop performances - Roadmap to Success, Paptac Conferences, Montréal, QC.Patwardhan R.S. & Ruel, M., (2008, November). Best practices for monitoring your PID loops - The Key to Optimizing Control Asset, ISA EXPO, Houston, TX. Ruel, M. & Tremblay, E., (2008, November). Managing assets with modern tools at White Birch Paper, ISA EXPO, Houston, TX.Ruel, M., (1999, March, April, May). Loop optimization: Before you tune - Troubleshooting - How to tune a loop, Control Magazine Ruel, M.., (2010, November). Control System Performance Assessment - Best Practices, Automining, Santiago, Chile.Ruel, M. (1995, 2006). Fundamentals of process control, (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French) second Edition, 269 p. Ruel M., (2000, October). Control valve performance, Chemical Engineering, pp. 64-67

Author: Michel Ruel, P.Eng., Executive Director, Engineering Practice / Optimization and Process Control Principal, BBA Inc., Québec. Michel Ruel is a Process Control Engineer with over 35 years of expertise in process control and control performance monitoring.

The BBA approach in action The 4-step approach was applied at a concentrator plant. Initially, four areas were selected, but all the other areas were added to the project later on. The project team comprised:• A process and instrumentation control expert,

also acting as project manager• A process control engineer responsible for

tuning loops and reviewing control strategies• One engineer from the plant (part time,

management)• Four engineers and technicians from

the consulting firm for assessment and remediation

• Six technicians from the plant for remediation

This more than 25 year old plant had increased its capacity and modernised its equipment through several projects. In the early years, maintenance of the plant equipment was performed according to best practices and an expert system was used at the grinding circuit. Unfortunately, in the last 12 years, maintenance was reduced and the expert system was abandoned. More than 40% of loops were in manual mode at the beginning of the project. Approximately 38% of the instruments required remediation.

The plot in Figure 4 is indicative of progress measurement along the four steps in such a project. The following are the main benefits derived from this particular project:• Significant reduction of water usage at the

grinding circuit• Reduced downtime• Increased tonnage• 97% of control loops now in their highest

mode (automatic, cascade, ratio, etc.)• Use of all instruments except for 3

flowmeters and 2 density meters• Eleven procedures written for the

maintenance team• Three installation procedures prepared

for sonic flowmeters, ultrasonic level measurement, and pinch valves.

• Plan in place to replace radioactive sources in density meters for the next 5 years.

The project was extended to the entire plant after completion of this project.www.bba.ca

Instruments (transmitters, valves, etc.) 760

Control loops and strategies 110

Preliminary work 235

Assessment (hours) 2,269

Remediation (hours) 4,300

Optimisation (hours) 345

Advanced control (hours) 100

Total hours 7,014

Team (persons) 13

Equivalent full time 6.3

Overall Project Duration 6 months

Table 3. Efforts required to optimise the concentrator (hours)

4 Example graph of overall progress measurement


www.copperworldwide.com GERMANY COPPER STUDY | 15

Extruded profile KME plate coolersAbout 50 per cent of all blast furnaces in use worldwide today are cooled by copper staves. Copper plate coolers have also been used for many decades, but up to now these copper cooling plates have solely been manufactured by sand casting, which carries the risk of blowhole formation in the material. A leak in the cooling circuit may cause serious problems in manufacturing. Whilst KME has become a leading supplier of copper staves, it has always been keen to also solve the problems with plate cooling.

In close cooperation with Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, KME Engineering has now developed an economical production method for plate coolers made of copper profiles. Instead of sand casting, these profiles are manufactured in a reliable extrusion and drawing process. In addition to their fine grain and blowhole-free structure, the new products also offer considerably improved thermal and mechanical properties. Practical application in blast furnace A at the Salzgitter Flachstahl plant in Germany has delivered outstanding results since 2014, proving that the new plate coolers are a convincing alternative for furnace cooling. The main characteristics of the new plate cooler compared to the sandcasted plate cooler are:• Fine grain sized copper, no risk of blowholes• Higher thermal conductivity compared to

as-casted material• Use of asymmetrical copper profile to

reinforce the wearout zones

• Significantly reduced water channel area reduces the water leakage risk and increases the new plate cooler’s lifetime in the different Blast Furnace zones

• High conductivity refractory to fill the gaps between the water circuits

• Welded copper bottom plate and top plate design to protect the refractory inside the plate cooler

• Simple water channel design avoids ‘dead water’ or re-circulating water corners

• Easy design change from sandcasted to new plate cooler.

period in 2015. Therefore, total production of all copper products improved to 1,300 kt in the period, compared to 1,233 kt in the year-earlier, a noticeable gain of 5.5%, and much better than the underlying macroeconomic situation would appear to warrant.

Net trade balance gains Rod and wire and brass mill products trade is the main explanation for stronger performance of German mills, as they have been gaining market share both domestically and in the export market (see Figure 2). Imports of copper wire rod and drawn wire into the German market have fallen while exports to third markets have expanded. Similarly, imports of brass mill products have dropped slightly while exports have grown. In each case this has led to a more favourable net trade position in 2016 compared to 2015. As the chart illustrates, this is no one-year trend. German net exports of copper wire rod and drawn wire and those of brass mill products have been on a four-year upward trend since 2012. This has improved German’s net trade balance by almost 175 kt, helping to explain why the country has been Europe’s strongest performing copper consumer during this period of economic and political uncertainty.

Trading partner variety Germany’s country trading partners in semi-manufactured products reflect many factors aside from simple geographic proximity. Export destinations can sometimes be those

for inter-company transfers for local resale, or simply where the quantity or quality of local production is insufficient relative to that country’s demand. In copper wire rod and drawn wire, Poland, Italy, Austria, Romania, Saudi Arabia and France rank as the major export destinations. Most imports are attracted from Poland, Sweden, Belgium and Italy, some of which again may reflect inter-company transfers or more competitive product pricing. For brass mill products, the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, France and the Czech Republic are the leading export destinations. As sources of imports, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Belgium and Austria feature most highly.

Leading semis groupsIn no particular order the leading companies involved in German copper industry are Aurubis, Wieland Group, KME Group, Deutsche Giessdraht, Mansfelder Kupfer & Messingwerk, Diehl Metall, Schwermetall Halbzeugwerk and Nexans Deutschland, as well as a host of smaller fabricators. Further downstream, Nexans, Prysmian and the Wilms Group are significant wire and cablemakers, while Germany is also headquarters to Leoni, a major global player in the automotive harness business.

Outlook for 2017The German government expects GDP growth to slow a little in 2017 compared to 2016, and certainly based on the current end use

indicators and the unusually cold winter now been experienced, it is unlikely that the first quarter will see little if any expansion compared to the prior year period. If Germany is to remain one of the stronger performers amongst European national consumers, then it must look to secure further gains in its net trade position by remaining cost sensitive in its domestic market, while striving to be price competitive in its European and international export business.

30thInternational CopperConference13-15 March 2017 | Steigenberger Grandhotel, Leipzig, Germany

Easy ways to register+44 20 7779 7222 [email protected] metalbulletin.com/events/copper

Speakers include:• Roland Harings, CEO, MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und

Messing, Germany

• Robert Morris, Vice President Marketing, Vale Base Metals, Canada

• Benedikt Zeumer, Partner, McKinsey & Co, Germany

• James Jian Wu, Managing Director & Head of Global Metal Physical Trading, Mercuria (China) Metal Resources Co Ltd, China

• Nicholas Snowdon, Metals Analyst, Global Research, Standard Chartered Bank, UK

• Michael Widmer, Metals Strategist, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, UK

• William Adams, Head of Research, FastMarkets, UK

• Robin Bhar, Head of Metals Research, Societe Generale Corp & Investment Banking, UK

• Carlos Risopatron, Director of Economics and Environment, International Copper Study Group, Portugal

• Panos Lolos, Commercial Director, Halcor, Greece

• Alexander Dehnelt, Member of the Management Board, Diehl Metall Stiftung & Co, Germany

• Leonardo Botti, Global Head of Product Management & Marketing, Power Conversion, Product Group Solar, ABB, Italy

• Max Brandt, Head of Sales, Marketing and R&D, MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing, Germany

• William Berry, SVP and President SCR & International, Southwire, USA

• Rudolf van Rooyen, Business Development Manager, TMS International, South Africa

• Monica di Cosimo, Co-founder and Partners, Cu2 Consulting, Italy

• Stefan Eitel, Director of Metals & Mining, KfW IPEX-Bank, Germany

Author: Jonathan Barnes has worked as a principal consultant on copper demand for over 25 years with CRU and Wood Mackenzie. He is now an Independent Analyst on the copper industry, semi-manufactures and wire and cable markets. E-mail: [email protected]

Jonathan Barnes is now an Independent Analyst

The new KME copper plate cooler solution

Comparison of copper plate cooler designs

Asymmetrical copper profile for reinforcement of wear out zones

www.kme.com


16 | ROD, TUBE AND WIRE www.copperworldwide.com www.copperworldwide.com 21ST CENTURY SMELTING | 17

Two-step copper smelting processDongying Fangyuan discussed its ‘Two-step Copper Smelting Process’ in a presentation at Copper 2016 in November. Here in Part 2 of his copper converting story, Phillip Mackey briefly describes and illustrates the process and provides the available operating data.

The first commercial application in China of the SKS copper smelting technology developed by ENFI of Beijing was at the Dongying Fangyuan copper smelter in Shandong Province, China. This 500,000 tonnes of concentrate per year plant, which commenced operations in December 2008, was based on the use of a horizontal smelting furnace fitted with the SKS tuyeres - special concentric tuyeres which allowed the injection of tonnage oxygen accompanied by a controlled flow of air via a shrouded section of the tuyere.

The start-up of the Dongying plant followed the successful commissioning in 2001 of the first SKS commercial smelter at the Shengquan copper smelter in Vietnam (rated at 50,000 tpy of concentrate). The SKS unit, which operates akin to a ‘third generation’ Noranda reactor with high oxygen enrichment, top concentrate feeding and side-tapping of high grade matte, soon established itself as an important process adapted to conditions in China. The first vessel at Shengquan was sized (inside steel) at 3.1 m diameter by 11 m long with a rated capacity of 7 to 8 tonnes of concentrate/hr, while the larger Dongying unit was sized 4.4 m diameter by 16.5 m long, with a rated capacity of 70 tonnes of concentrate /hr.

Converting plantDongying continued technology development of the SKS unit with the incorporation of a continuous converting process, with the integrated operation now referred to as the ‘Two-step Copper Smelting Process’. The plant, rated at around one million tonnes of concentrate per year, commenced operations in October 2015 and was described in a paper presented at the Copper 2016 conference (1), upon which this second article in the series is based.

The process flowsheet of the new plant is illustrated in Figure 1, while Table 1 presents typical operating data for the smelting and the converting vessels. Figure 2 presents an illustration of the Two-step process steps, showing the single smelting furnace (SLS vessel) and the two converting vessels (SLCR vessels).

The operation of the Two-step process is described as follows:- Separate bins are provided to hold copper concentrate, slag concentrate, silica flux, dust etc. prior to feeding the smelting furnace. These materials are then fed to the smelting vessel at controlled rates through one of the three feed ports located at the top of the barrel section and towards the vessel ‘feed end’. Oxygen and air are injected through the near-bottom mounted concentric tuyeres. These injected gases react with the added feed to form a high grade matte containing 73 to 78 % Cu content, a slag averaging 2.5% Cu and a high-strength SO2 off-gas.

Figure 3 provides a schematic illustration of the smelting furnace (referred to as the SLS furnace). The process off-gas is ducted to the acid plant following gas cleaning. The tapped slag is cooled in 12 m3 ladles, and following slow cooling is treated by slag flotation for copper recovery. The high grade matte flows continuously by gravity via a launder to one of the two converting vessels (referred as SLCR vessels) which operate in parallel. The liquid matte feed port in each converting vessel is located at the centre of the vessel end-wall (also refer Figure 4).

The two converting vessels, which operate in batch mode, function alternately to allow for an

overall continuous operation. A typical sequence of the converter units is as follows: The No. 1 converter is charged with matte by launder transfer. When charging is complete, blowing commences to convert the charge to copper. At this point, the No. 2 converter starts to receive high grade matte. After slag skimming at the No. 1 converter, copper reduction commences and when the analysis of a sample of copper shows the anode copper is ready, casting commences. At the end of casting, the No. 1 vessel is ready to receive high grade matte when the No. 2 converter readies for finishing, followed by anode casting. Table 2 presents the average anode analysis (1).

The next largest product group is copper and alloy flat rolled PSS with a 14 percent share, with Rod Bar RBS and Tubes both at 10 percent each. The total listed capacity is 53.52 Mt across 2,319 plants. Of these, a total of 1,544 reported in the 2016 survey. There were 114 new plants reported between 2010 and 2016 representing 10.04 Mt of new capacity. In contrast, the operational status of 51 percent of pre-2010 plants is uncertain.

The global leaders in terms of reported fabrication capacity in 2016 are a group of

11 countries with a total capacity of 42.4 Mt or almost 80% of the capacity reported. China reported nearly 21.9 Mt capacity (represented by 582 plants), followed by the United States with up to 4.1 Mt (North America has around 230 plants), then Germany at 3 Mt (there are approximately 318 plants in Western Europe), and Japan with nearly 2.86 Mt reported. Italy (2 Mt) and the Korean Republic (1.8 Mt) follow, then India, Taiwan (China), Brazil, the Russian Federation and Turkey register greater than 1 Mt capacity each. Substantial capacity remains

under-reported, e.g. in Germany and Japan.Finally in this brief roundup of what is an

extensive 168 page document, 79% of new plant capacity in 2010 - 2016 started operations in 63 plants located in China (representing more than 55% of all new plants reported worldwide). Outside China the country with most new plants in the period was Japan with 11 and over 273 kt of new capacity, but Brazil secured most new capacity with a 518 kt increase.www.icsg.org

Global Wire and Cable Industry in 2016The wire and cable sector is producing and using most of the wire rod worldwide. Reported 2015 revenues were down 15% on the 2014 level of 58.2 bn euros. Just six corporations including Prysmian, Nexans, General Cable, Sumitomo, Southwire and LS Cable & Systems are making almost 50% of the revenues. The second tier of

cable makers (with revenues of 1 to 3 bn euros) includes some top Japanese and Middle East cable makers: Furukawa Electric, Fujikura, Hitachi, Leoni, Xignux, Riyadh Cable, Far East Cable, El Sewedy, Condumex, NKT Cables and Tele-fonika Kable.www.icsg.org

Rundown of the top wire rod producers According to CRU Senior Copper Consultant Matthew Wonnacott in CRU Copper Market Outlook in July 2016, Aurubis took the top spot as the world’s largest producer of wirerod in 2015, having grown production by 30,000 tonnes in 2015 to 779,000 t. The company has grown market share in Europe (including Russia) rapidly to reach 27% of total production, up from 21% in 2012, also gaining market share in Africa and the Middle East.

The next three largest producers Jiangxi Copper, Jiangrun Copper and Walsin Lihwa are all based in Asia. After expanding capacity and production of wirerod aggressively in recent years, Jiangxi Copper’s production stabilised in 2015 at around 750,000 t. The company operates two wholly-owned wirerod mills, one Southwire

technology and one Contirod technology, and owns a 51% stake in a third mill.

Third placed Jiangrun copper is the largest non-upstream-integrated wirerod producer in the world with production of 620,000 t in 2015, having grown output by 80,000 t in the year. As such, the company is estimated to be the largest buyer of copper cathodes on the open market to feed its two Southwire lines. Fourth is Walsin Lihwa, which has its headquarters in Taiwan but the majority of its production in China. The company enjoyed a strong performance in 2015 operating at 98.5% capacity utilisation. Fifth placed FCX manufactures continuous cast copper rod at its facilities in El Paso, Texas, Norwich, Connecticut, and Miami, Arizona, primarily using copper cathode produced at its

North America copper mines. The company produced around 212,400 t of rod in 2015.

Large cable companies that maintain an upstream presence by owning wirerod mills in the top 10 include the LS Group of companies (6th), with LS Cabling and Systems maintaining a large 270,000 tpy Southwire line in Korea, and wholly-owned subsidiaries LS Vina Cable and Superior Essex also running copper wirerod lines. Korea-based Gaon cable also falls under the umbrella of the LS Group of companies and produced 58,000 t of copper wirerod in 2015. Seventh placed Southwire consumes nearly all the wirerod it produces, following its acquisition of Coleman Cable which completed in 2014.www.crugroup.com

Cedynia copper wire rod plant of KGHM in Poland has 230 kt of capacity using Contirod and Upcast technology. Photo: KGHM

Global copper use capacity updateThe capacity expected to be operational in 2016 with some certainty was less than 50.8 million tonnes (Mt), according to the ICSG Directory of Copper/Alloy Fabricators Capacity 2016, which also has found that copper wire rod has 59 percent of the world share by product.

Main tube producers In 2016 China reported to the ICSG Directory of Copper/Alloy Fabricators Capacity around 2.53 Mt of copper and copper alloy tubes production, followed by North America (760 kt), Western Europe (713 kt), NE Asia ex China (510 kt), SE Asia/India/Oceania (387 kt), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (173 kt), South and Central America (148 kt), Middle East and North Africa (114 kt), and Africa Southern and Central (25 kt). In the period 2010 - 2016 around 579 kt of new copper tube capacity was installed globally, or 6% of all new capacity by product.

Expansions and new plants scheduled in 2016 included the CNMC Albetter Bronze Co. Ltd 110 ktpy Tube Plant Project, the Zhejiang Hailiang 25 ktpy Copper Tube Plant in Guangdong Province, and a 15 ktpy expansion at Mueller Industries in Bahrain.www.icsg.org

Interwire 2017 & The WAI’s 87th Annual Convention take place in Atlanta, GA from 8-11 May, with the Exhibition running from 9-11 May 2017.www.interwire17.com

Table 1. Key operating data for the Two-step Copper Smelting Process

Smelting Furnace One unit sized 5.5 m diameter by 28.8 m equipped with 23 tuyeres:

Item Unit Recent Data

Concentrate rate t/hr 156Total feed rate t/hr 180 (Max reached c.207 t/hr)Coal rate t/hr 0Furnace temperature °C 1,180Oxygen blowing rate Nm3/hr 25,668Air blowing rate Nm3/hr 13,706Total blowing rate Nm3/hr 39,374Oxygen enrichment of %O2 73blowing airMatte grade %Cu 73-78Dust make % of conc. <2Iron-silica ratio in slag Ratio 1.8 to 2.0Copper content of slag %Cu 1.9 to 3.1Sulphur capture % >99.5

SLCR Converting VesselsTwo units sized 4.8 m dia. by 23 m equipped with 17 tuyeres:

Item Unit Recent Data

Matte throughput t/hr 43 to 52Oxygen enrichment of %O2 21 to 30blowing airCopper content of slag %Cu 8 to 10Sulphur capture % >99.5

1 Process flowsheet of Dongying Fangyuan smelting process


18 | www.copperworldwide.com www.copperworldwide.com 16TH WORLD COPPER CONFERENCE | 1918 | 21ST CENTURY SMELTING www.copperworldwide.com

According to the Copper 2016 paper as referenced, the following improvements to the new process are underway:• Improved operation and scheduling of the

slag and matte transfer stages• Improvement to the copper tapping step• A new pyrometallurgical slag cleaning step

to reportedly replace slag flotation with slag cleaning.

Overall the Fangyuan Process, protected by Chinese Patent No. 20141023-7182.4, operates with two main steps instead of three steps in conventional processing (but a separate slag cleaning step is also required). The process involves no crane transfer of matte in ladles and has reportedly good energy and environmental performances. Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. is to be congratulated on the development of this ingenious new copper smelting process and the copper world awaits news of further developments.www.sdfygroup.com

References:1. Z. Cui, Z. Wang, H. Wang and C. Wei, Two-step copper smelting process at Dongying Fangyuan, Paper PY16-4, Copper 2016 International Conference, Kobe, Japan. MMIJ 2016.

Table 2. Average anode analysis (wt. %)

Cu Fe S O Bi As Sb Pb Zn Ni

99.2 0.003 0.013 0.198 <0.001 0.023 0.010 0.078 0.007 0.057

Oxygen supply to the Two-step process

Air Liquide announced a long-term contract with Shandong Fangyuan, China’s leading privately-owned copper smelter, in June 2015. Air Liquide will invest around EUR 60 million in a state of the art ASU (Air Separation Unit) with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of oxygen per day, expected to be commissioned by the second half of 2017. The new ASU, located in Dongying, Shandong province, will be built by Air Liquide’s Engineering and Construction teams, using state of the art technologies that offer energy efficiencies as well as optimal reliability and safety. It will support Shandong Fangyuan’s ongoing large-scale expansion plan to increase smelting capacity at the Dongying site from 400,000 tonnes to 700,000 tonnes per year by 2017.

The oxygen supplied will boost productivity of the smelter while reducing overall CO2 emissions and cutting maintenance costs. Air Liquide will also provide support for an optimised usage of Shandong Fangyuan’s oxygen injection technology. Oxygen injection is a strategic technology for the non-ferrous industry in which Air Liquide has over 20 years of proprietary research and several industrial references. Air Liquide has installed over 350 ASU’s worldwide to date.www.airliquide.com

Air separation unit operated by Air Liquide in China. Photo: Air Liquide

2 Two-step vessels in the Dongying Fangyaun process

3 Depiction of SLCR converting vessels operation 4 Operational details of SLS single smelting furnace

Arsenic mitigation Fangyuan Copper Smelter Phase I was commissioned in 2010 with the aid of ENFI, formerly known as China Nonferrous Engineering and Research Institute, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Metallurgical Group Corp. It independently invented Oxygen Bottom-Blowing Continuous Copper Smelting Technology (SKS/BBS) and a two-step copper smelting technology. With the SKS/BBS process, over 90% of As in the high-As concentrate enters into offgas in the form of gaseous As2O3. The offgas is then cooled down and quenched, where As2O3 powders can be collected. The product is high purity, and the whole process is safe and can be easily controlled. The technology and its complete equipment was successfully applied in the Yuguang Copper Smelter commissioned in 2014, for example. The Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Ltd Two-step line commenced operation on 1 October 2015. www.enfi.com.cn

All rising above C-levelSoon CRU’s 16th World Copper Conference will be held in Santiago during CESCO Week Chile from 3 - 5 April 2017. The three-day conference is widely regarded as the leading copper conference and regularly attracts nearly 500 delegates from over 40 countries.

At this annual event representing the complete copper value chain from miners to smelters, traders and end-users, over 40 percent of attendees are usually C-level executives - Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Chief Operations Officers (COO), and Chief Financial Officers (CFO).

Conference preview:The main sponsors of the 16th WCC at time of publication were: Gold - ABB, Anglo American, Bechtel, Fluor, Outotec, SNC Lavalin; Silver - Amec Foster Wheeler, LME, Proudfoot.

Monday 3 AprilInternational Exploration Forum12:30 - 17:30Covering strategies for the Chilean Government, mid-size mining, technologies and productivity, and Chinese demand.

14:30 - 16:00ICA Workshop- Copper Demand and Substitution

Tuesday 4 AprilCase Study Collection / Innovation Showcase14:30 - 17:00Showcase of technology, process and performance innovations. Last year’s presenters included University of Concepción, Ecometals, Hatch, University of British Columbia, Next Exploration, Brass, Olympic Dam Taskforce, Government of South Australia and SolGold.

Wednesday 5 AprilMetallurgical Sulphuric Acid Seminar14:30 - 16:30 Areas covered will include improvements in SO2 capture in Chile - timing and effectiveness of proposed programmes, and changes in smelting industry structure and investment in the Americas.

Grand exhibitionConfirmed exhibitors in Santiago include:• ABB - power and automation technologies• Air Liquide - gases, oxygen solutions, ALSITM

(injector for smelters and converters) and OXIALTM (Air Separation Unit)

• Anglo American - copper and molybdenum operations Los Broncos, El Soldado, Mantos Blancos, Mantoverde, Chagres smelter, Collahuasi mine (interest) in Chile, and Quellaveco project in Peru

• Outotec - minerals and metals processing technology, industrial water treatment

• Tsukishima Kikai - seawater-method flue gas desulphurisation, water purification, sewage treatment.

www.worldcopperconference.com

CRU Chairman Robert Perlman founded the company in 1968. He is seen here addressing the 14th WCC delegates in 2015

Codelco’s Ministro Hales Division (the concentrator control station is shown here) produced more than 238,000 tonnes of copper in 2015. In January 2016, Codelco CEO Nelson Pizarro said Ministro Hales had become their most productive operation, yielding 67 tonnes of copper per worker in just twelve months. Photo: Codelco

To conclude this roundup, here is an example of an excellent piece of CRU Analysis by CRU Principal Consultant Christine Meilton released in December. It declared that in 2015, global blister production from smelters totalled 16.1Mt contained copper against total electro-refined production of 18 Mt of cathode copper. The shortfall was filled by high-grade scrap. The recovery of copper from high-grade scrap is estimated to have totalled 1.95 Mt, and the intermediary market for copper blister was therefore approximately balanced. In 2016, blister production growth outpaced that of refined copper production as new standalone blister production capacity has been brought on stream and ramped up, while cutbacks to electro-refined production in Africa have not been matched with equivalent cutbacks to blister production. CRU forecast 2016 blister production at 16.86 Mt (up 4.6% y-o-y), compared to a 2.4% increase in electro-refined production to 18.41 Mt.

An increase in blister stocks of some 300,000 t contained copper will support a continued

strong growth in refined copper production in 2017, regardless of constraints on mine concentrates production growth. CRU’s analysis determined that much of the stock build is in Zambia and China, and this is supported by data on international trade flows.

A major underlying factor has been the establishment of new smelting capacity with no associated refinery capacity. In Zambia, First Quantum’s Kansanshi smelter, which started operating at the beginning of 2015, has continued to ramp up and production is now close to its 300,000 tpy capacity. The blister is all processed to anode before export, with China being the main destination. Also in Zambia, both Glencore and Vedanta have ceased operations at their refineries, but continue to operate their smelters. In Glencore’s case, this is at a reduced level due to the temporary closure of its Mufulira and Nkana mines in response to low prices, although custom concentrates are still being processed. While all of Glencore’s production is for the custom market, Vedanta is shipping

most of its product to India, to be processed at its facilities at Tuticorin and Silvassa.

Glencore has also brought on stream additional smelting capacity at its PASAR operation at Leyte in the Philippines. Production is now believed to be ramping up but still below previous expectations. Much of the blister is processed to anode before selling to third parties, and CRU estimates that the year’s surplus blister/anode will amount to 36,000 t, rising in 2017 to 74,000 t. In the year to August, only an estimated 6,500 t had been exported.

Within China, domestic blister production has risen by more than refinery output, as the country’s small operations have responded to a good supply of concentrates with favourable TC/RCs. Secondly, imports have increased sharply and in excess of requirements. Despite continued growth in global smelter capacity, tight concentrate availability is expected to restrict production from 2017 and CRU is forecasting a 0.3% rise. www.crugroup.com

CRU analysis: Copper blister surplus emerging


www.copperworldwide.com CONTRACTS & PEOPLE | 21


20 | CONTRACTS & PEOPLE www.copperworldwide.com

Outotec is to establish a Services business unit as of 1 April 2017. Until the appointment of a Services business unit head, CEO Markku Teräsvasara will lead the design work for it. In addition, Outotec has appointed Mr. Kimmo Kontola, MBA, B.Sc. (Chemical Eng.), as President of its Minerals Processing business unit and a member of the Executive Board of Outotec as of 1 January 2017. Kimmo Kontola was leading the Beneficiation business line and prior to that was head of Outotec’s Americas region. The company has two reporting segments according to IFRS 8: Minerals Processing and Metals, Energy & Water. The service business will continue to be reported as part of the two reporting segments, Minerals Processing and Metals, Energy & Water.www.outotec.com

In brief…According to BMI Research, in part due to strong Chinese investment, the DRC’s copper output will experience the second fastest growth rate (6% p.a.) of all major global copper producers from 2017 to 2021, particularly now the sale of Tenke Fungurume copper mine by Freeport-McMoran and Lundin Mining is to be completed. www.bmiresearch.com

The 1st International Seminar on Mining and Sustainable Development is on 6 April 2017 in Santiago as part of CESCO Week, with the theme ‘Impurities: Regulatory trends, markets and technologies’. Over 150 are expected. The Organising Committee includes Cochilco, Cesco, Anglo American, Codelco, EcoMetales Ltd and the University of Chile.www.ecometales.cl

Rautomead Chairman, Sir Michael Nairn, will be presenting a paper on ‘Developments in Vertically Up-Cast Rod for Non-Standard Alloys using Rautomead Continuous Casting Technology’ at March’s IWCC Technical Seminar in Munich, Germany. Rautomead will later be exhibiting at Interwire 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia from 8 - 11 May.www.rautomead.co.uk

Amer International Group commissioned a 500 ktpy low-oxygen bright copper rod continuous casting and rolling line from SMS Group in November 2016 to make aerial conductors and foil products, according to Antaike Copper Monthly No.240. Amer installed a 225 ktpy SMS group Contirod® CR 3500 plant to produce 8mm copper wire in 2008.www.antaike.com

Zhangjiagang United Copper Co., Ltd., the Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd subsidiary, made gains in 2016 after three years of prior losses, according to Antaike Copper Monthly No.241. In 2016, Zhangjiagang United Copper produced 297 kt refined copper. The business revenue and gross profit reached 21.4 bn yuan and 40 M yuan respectively.www.lianhecopper.com

The Zijin Mining 2.477 bn yuan Duobaoshan Copper Mine Stage 2 expansion project was approved in January 2017, according to Antaike Copper Monthly No.241, raising the capacity to 70,000t per day. Planned 2017 production volumes include 41 t of gold, 221.8 t of silver, 200,000 t of copper, 300,000 t of lead and zinc.www.zijinmining.com

New final acid tower for Chile An extensive upgrade of a sulphuric acid plant for a Chilean copper smelter included the supply of a new NORAM brick-lined final acid tower. The 1,300 MTPD double-absorption plant treats off-gas from Teniente and Peirce Smith converters. The acid tower, capable of increased gas throughput and a lower pressure drop, allows treatment of up to 150,000 Nm3/h of metallurgical gases, to capture essentially all SO3 gas and to produce commercial H2SO4 of 98.5% purity. Environmental performance of the plant improved significantly, with a greater than 95% reduction of SO3

and acid mist emissions. NORAM provided basic design, detailed engineering, site services, fabrication advisory services, and start-up assistance. Specialised equipment, including some tower internals,

and acid distributors, was custom manufactured in British Columbia for shipment to site. The contract was completed in 2016.www.noram-eng.com

In brief…Outotec has received an 18 million euro order from Chile for the delivery of concentrator process equipment, comprising grinding, flotation, thickening and filtration equipment and engineering. Outotec will provide spare parts and installation supervision services and training for the delivered equipment. Delivery is expected by the end of 2017.www.outotec.com

The RHI Supervisory Board has appointed Dr. Gerd Schubert as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Technology Officer of the Management Board of RHI AG for a period of five years from 1 January 2017. He will support the Management Board team in the course of the planned combination of RHI and Magnesita. Mr. Franz Buxbaum has stepped down.www.rhi-ag.com

Vincent Nguyen will be overseeing the finance department of MKM in his future role as CFO and will report directly to CEO Roland Harings. He will succeed Gerhard Bickmann, whose contract expires in April. Vincent Nguyen started working at MKM in January. Most recently he was head of recycling at Novelis Europe and managed their Nachterstedt foundry set-up.www.mkm.eu

Glencore Technology has recently been awarded the inaugural 2016 METS Ignited Collaboration Award presented at the IMARC Gala Dinner in Melbourne, along with project partner Core Resources. The award recognises the successful installation of the Albion ProcessTM treatment plant for GeoProMining Gold LLC’s GPM Gold Project in Armenia.www.glencoretechnology.com

Jordi Magnet has left his position as General Manager of La Farga Tub, and will end his 35 years’ exemplary service in April 2017. The new General Manager of La Farga Tub is Manel Antequera, until recently Sales Manager (with 14 years’ service). Sales Management is now under the direction of Victor Parellada, for the past 4 years the company’s Export Manager. www.lafarga.es

Applications for the CEEC Medal, an annual award intended to recognise and celebrate outstanding published papers, articles or case studies describing beneficial strategies for energy-efficient comminution, will close on 15 March 2017. Studies on measured energy improvements and financial benefits, achieved or potential, are of key interest. www.ceecthefuture.org

Filtration plant for Peru’s ToquepalaOutotec has been awarded a contract by Southern Copper Corporation, a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico S.A.B de CV. (Grupo Mexico), for the delivery of a concentrate filtration plant to the Toquepala copper project concentrator expansion in Southern Peru. The contract value exceeds EUR 15 million. Outotec’s scope of delivery includes the engineering and supply of a filtration plant consisting of automatic pressure filters, ancillaries and control as well as related installation supervision and commissioning services, including spare parts. Delivery is mostly during the second half of 2017. The expansion is expected to increase the annual production capacity by 100,000 tonnes of copper.www.outotec.com

Iran’s copper sector looks to move forwardMahan Company for Mines and Industries Development (MACMID) has two copper mines under development at Chah Firuzeh (20% completed) and Daralou (35% completed) in Iran. It wants to reach around 26,000 tonnes per year output in each mine by 2019. This will require around US$ 600 million investment in both the mines and associated processing plants. The Managing Director of MACMID, Ebrahim Sadeghi, says it has a mandate to use only European technology in these developments.

The National Iranian Copper Industries Company (NICICO) firms produced 528,768 tonnes of copper concentrate, an 18% rise, in the first half of the current Iranian year (20 March - 19 September 2016). Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex produced 306,684 tonnes, Sungun Copper Complex output was 148,194 tonnes, and Miduk Copper Company made 73,890 tonnes concentrate respectively, with a 20% y-o-y rise recorded in the final month of the period. Iran has nearly 14% of Asia’s copper deposits and about 3% of the world’s reserves, at around 4 billion tonnes.www.nicico.com

PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI), as of 3 February, awaits to export of its copper concentrates via the conversion from a COW to an IUPK operating licence. January 2017 regulations permitted the export of anode slimes, necessary for PT Smelting to continue operating.www.fcx.com

Services unit and Kontola move by Outotec

Steerhorn Cathodes added to IsaKidd™ range

Glencore Technology’s IsaKidd™ business has released the Steerhorn Cathode Plate to the market, consisting of a bar designed to reduce the distance for the current to travel from the hanger bar to the plate. Nigel Aslin, Technology Manager, said the new cathode

plate was designed to enable operators to achieve significant p o w e r s a v i n g s . Reductions of up to 1.7% total power use can be expected with this cathode, as was recent ly demonstrated in a South American EW tankhouse. This development can be retrofitted into

existing plants, or can be designed into new projects, to provide power savings from the start of the operation. It is ideally suited for Glencore Technology’s IsaKidd™ Cathode designs or HP Cathode Plate designs.www.glencoretechnology.com

Air Liquide has inaugurated in France, as part of its Connect project, a unique operations centre that enables the remote management of production for 22 of the Group’s units in France, optimising their energy consumption and improving their reliability. With ‘technological showcase’ certification from the Industry of the Future Alliance, Connect represents an investment of EUR 20 million. This project is based on the implementation of new digital technologies at French production sites and on the creation of new skills.Like a control tower, the remote

operation and optimisation centre, located near Lyon in Saint-Priest, has a nationwide vision of customer needs for oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen. Capable of stopping or restarting a site remotely, the centre adapts the production level of the plants according to customer demand. Thanks to this centre, the workflows of each unit are adapted in real time to the needs of each customer. The volume of production and the delivery of gases to customers are optimised throughout the country.www.airliquide.com

At the Butech Bliss facility in Ohio (USA), the copper-based melting equipment repair and replacement business has been steadily growing and gaining new customers. The melting or re-melting of many specialty or exotic metals often takes place under controlled conditions inside a water-cooled copper vessel. These vessels are typically a key part of melting systems known as VAR (Vacuum Arc Remelt), ESR (Electro-Slag Remelt), PAM (Plasma Arc Melting) and EBM (Electron Beam Melting). Butech Bliss has supplied both new components and repair services for all of these different systems.

The copper crucibles, liners and hearths are commonly used for the melting of titanium, nickel alloys, select stainless steels and exotics such as tantalum and vanadium. Some of these metals are initially melted in an induction furnace or electric arc furnace and poured into ingot molds. These ingots are then re-melted in copper crucibles as an additional step in the refinement process. This re-melting is often done under specific

conditions that remove undesirable elements during the melting process and greatly improves the quality of the metals. In the case of titanium, the initial melting occurs in a copper hearth and the subsequent re-melting in a copper crucible both under strictly controlled environmental conditions.

One of the interesting characteristics of these copper vessels is the amazing ability to conduct heat away from the molten metals. Titanium, for example, melts at around 3,000oF. The molten titanium is only separated from the cooling water by as little as ¾” of copper. The copper would normally melt at a temperature (2,000oF) well below that of titanium, but copper is such an excellent conductor of heat that the cooling water prevents a meltdown. These severe conditions require frequent maintenance and repairs to be performed. The copper is often received in a distorted condition with gouges, scars and arc damage requiring welding, straightening or machining in order to be returned to service.www.butechbliss.com

A line on restoration of copper cruciblesKimmo Kontola is the new President of Outotec’s Mineral Processing unit

The new Steerhorn hanger

Gas management goes national for Air Liquide

The NORAM acid tower installed on a Codelco smelter

A copper hearth for titanium melting

Codelco Chuqui contracts for SNC-LavalinSNC-Lavalin of Canada has been awarded an EPC contract by Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco) division Norte for the construction of two sulphuric acid plants at the Chuquicamata Copper Smelter in Antofagasta, Chile. The project incorporates sulphuric acid production technology by MECS Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DuPont, with whom SNC-Lavalin has successfully executed projects for over 50 years. The plants will treat off-gas from the Chuquicamata smelter, each producing up to 2,048 tonnes of market grade sulphuric acid per day. These new plants will replace those currently in operation at the facility and are part of Codelco’s ongoing environmental compliance plans. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017 with SNC-Lavalin performing basic and detailed engineering, procurement of equipment, and construction of the acid plants via their Santiago and Toronto offices.

Earlier in November 2016, SNC-Lavalin was awarded another EPC contract by Codelco Chuquicamata division for replacement of its effluent treatment plant at the Chuquicamata Copper Smelter. SNC-Lavalin will provide services for detailed engineering, supply of equipment and mater ia ls , construction, commissioning and start-up for the new effluent treatment plant. The new installations will replace the existing plant and will bring more efficiency to how effluents from the gas cleaning plant are treated. The project will be centrally managed from SNC-Laval in’s Santiago (Chile) office, with support from its Montreal (Canada) office for process design, commissioning and start-up services. The project is expected to be fully operational in 21 months.www.snclavalin.com

Metso change The Board of Directors of Metso has appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Eeva Sipilä as Deputy to the CEO with immediate effect. Ms. Sipilä has served as Metso’s CFO since 1 August 2016. Former Deputy to CEO, Harri Nikunen, will continue in his current position as SVP, Mergers & Acquisitions and Special Projects. Also, Metso Santa Ana de Bolueta Grinding Media SA located in Vizcaya, Spain, has been awarded by the Basque Government for its contribution to the mining industry and economic development of the local community.www.metso.com


www.copperworldwide.com EVENT PREVIEWS | 23


22 | COPPER/COBRE 2016 www.copperworldwide.com

The Copper 2016 Conference (9th Edition) held on 13-16 November in Kobe, Japan was the first to be held in Asia in its 30 year history (see Table 1). Hugely successful, there were 272 papers in total on all key areas of copper metallurgy. The conference attracted over 747 delegates from 31 countries. Around 70% of the delegates were from Asia, with the balance from Europe (15%), North America (7%), Central and South America (4%), and Australia (4%). New and improved technologies in all production areas were presented and discussed.

Conference makeupThe schedule included 10 plenary lectures, short courses on Arsenic and Recycling, and a workshop on Bottom Blowing Technology presented by delegates from China. The event included a successful Trade Show with 35 exhibitors. Post conference tours were well attended and included: Saganoseki (PPC), Naoshima (Mitsubishi) and Toyo (Sumitomo).

The successful event reflected the remarkable growth in the copper industry in the region. By 2015, Asia accounted for 12 million tonnes of refined copper, or 52% of world production (Figure 2). The same year, copper smelter production in Asia approximated 11 Mt of copper (60% world output). Some of the key findings

outlined in plenary presentations and others given at Copper 2016 included the following:• World copper demand is presently

about 23 Mtpy and is expected to grow at 2.8% per year over the next two decades. Brownfield expansions - some already announced - will meet part of this demand, but new mines will need to be developed. This growth rate suggested the equivalent of a new 300,000 tpy smelter-refinery each year over the period (see below and Figure 3).

• With growing demand in mind, several plenary speakers highlighted the role of sustainability in all areas of copper operations.

• The conference was informed that wind turbines, electric and hybrid cars will all require significant amounts of copper.

The copper requirement in electricity generating systems is graphically illustrated in Figure 4. In 2015, installed generating power in China was 1,505 GW, and this is expected to grow to over 2,100 GW by 2030. Based on the data in Figure 4, this will require of the order of over 7 million tonnes of copper.

There will be slowly expanding use of electric vehicles. The present number of passenger cars in use worldwide approximates 1,000 million vehicles, with about 100 million to be added every year over the next decade. Within two decades or so, electric vehicles are expected to represent about one-third of new cars sold. Presently an internal combustion engine requires about 20 kg of Cu/vehicle, while a plug-in hybrid requires about 55 kg of Cu/vehicle, and a fully electric car requires around 80 kg of Cu/vehicle, so there will be increasing copper demand for passenger cars in future. With an average of 0.12 cars per capita in China, there is some way to go to reach the higher level of about 0.85 cars per capita in the USA.

Finally it was announced by the 2019 Chairman, Dr. Joel Kapusta of BBA, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that Copper 2019 would be held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada in August 2019. www.metsoc.org/copper-2019

Table 1. Last five and upcoming Copper Conference venues

Metal Bulletin marks 30th International Copper ConferenceThis year’s International Copper Conference in Leipzig, Germany from 13 - 15 March 2017 marks a milestone: it is the 30th in the series of gatherings which have scrutinised the entire industry chain from mine to market and attracted delegates from across the continents. While it is edition number thirty, the International Copper Conference has been going for well over three decades, as the early ones were held only every two years, the very first conference taking place in 1982 in Copenhagen. The delegate list from that event reads very differently from today’s, but many company names still feature strongly, and some industry stalwarts such as Christian Schirmeister of Amalgamated Metal Trading have attended if not all, then the great majority of the conferences.

Binding force The copper industry has been marked for many years by a relative lack of vertical integration, which to some degree has led to a disconnect between supply side planning and consumption requirements, and the price volatility that brings with it. From the outset Metal Bulletin’s aim was to provide a forum in

which the value chain from up- to downstream could be brought together to discuss common aims and objectives, but also gain insight into the challenges faced by other segments of the chain. Exploration, mine development and finance, the mine-smelter interface, fabricating industry health, recycling, technology and of course, the end-markets, have been key themes throughout, with additional timely topics finding their way onto the programme each year. E-commerce, substitution, and inventory financing have all made appearances, and of course China, which is now very much a permanent feature.

Apart from bringing together all the links of the value chain, the conferences have moved each year to locations that are intrinsically linked to copper production of some kind, or major areas of copper usage. This rotation of venues has provided some notable associated field trips, ranging from the Highland Valley mine high in the Rockies to Atlantic Copper’s smelter and refinery in southern Spain, from Cananea in the north Mexican desert to KME’s state of the art fabricating plant near Florence, Italy. In the late 1990s, after an explosion in mine production, Chile’s Santiago became the venue for the conference, and

field trips visited El Teniente, Los Pelambres and Chuquicamata.

The conference has tracked the vicissitudes of the global copper market: in 1998 in Phoenix the industry was getting excited about prices breaking through the dollar per lb mark (thank you Mr Hamanaka); in 2009 it was looking on tearfully as prices sunk back to not far off that level. Then there were the heady heights of the mid-1990s and 2011 (with prices in the latter year almost at US$ 4/lb). It is fair to say attendance at the conference has not been as volatile as the market itself!

A number of successful offshoots to the event have been spawned

in response to changing industry dynamics, notably the annual Asia Copper Conference in Shanghai, African Copper and Copper Concentrates, and of course the popular and unique Copper Recycling Conference, but it is the International Copper Conference that continues to be the event that embraces all aspects of the business, living up to its rubric: Linking up the value chain to foster debate and global industry growth.www.metalbulletin.com

Executive Industry Panel at the 29th International Copper Conference in Lisbon in March 2016

Main event returns to Santiago

Positive tone at the Kobe gatheringWith the world facing increasingly troubled times, the Copper 2016 conference concluded on a somewhat positive note. There is a reasonable outlook on future copper demand and for mine-smelter-refinery sustaining developments to match in the near to long-term. Summary by Phillip Mackey.

Year City/Country

2003 Santiago, Chile2007 Toronto, Canada2010 Hamburg, Germany2013 Santiago, Chile2016 Kobe, Japan2019 Vancouver, Canada (planned)

1 Copper 2016 in Kobe attracted over 747 delegates from 31 countries

2 Refined copper production, 1990 to 2015 (‘000s of tonnes). Asia was the leading region in the world in 2015 (12 Mt). Source: ICSG

3 World mined copper to 2030 (N.B. OT is Oyu Tolgoi). Source: Copper 2016

4 Illustration of the copper requirements in electricity generating systems. Source: Copper 2016

5 Left is Yoshihiro Nishiyama, Copper 2016 Conference Chairman, and President and CFO, Pan Pacific Copper Co. Ltd., and right is Dr. Joel Kapusta of BBA Inc., the Copper 2019 Conference Chairman

The 16th CRU World Copper Conference is being held during CESCO Week in Santiago, Chile from 3 - 5 April 2017 (see also page 19). CESCO Week is a key date in the copper calendar and the World Copper Conference is firmly established as a flagship event during the week. Around 475 delegates from 35 countries are expected. Several 2017 CEO and Governmental Speakers have been announced, namely:• Oscar Landerrectche, Chairman of

the Board, Codelco • Aurora Williams, Minister of

Mines, Government of Chile • Nelson Pizarro, Chief Executive

Officer, Codelco• Jiangqiang Wu, President,

Chinalco China Copper • P. Ramnath, Chief Executive

Officer, Sterlite Copper, Vedanta • Daniel Malchuk, President

Americas, Mineral Operations, BHP Billiton

• Ivan Arriagada, CEO, Antofagasta • Arnaud Soirat, Chief Executive,

Copper and Diamonds, Rio Tinto • Jorge Gomez, Executive President,

Mineral Collahuasi• Mikael Staffas, President,

Boliden Mines• Daniel Meilan, Secretary of

Mining, Ministry of Energy & Mines, Argentine Federal Government

Starting with a site visit to Chuquicamata and Ministro Hales Mines on 3 April, the three-day programme also includes the International Exploration Forum, Metallurgical Sulphuric Acid Seminar, Innovation Showcase, Technical Case Studies, and ICA Workshop - Copper Demand and Substitution.www.worldcopperconference.com

The Press Area at the 2016 World Copper Conference

Shanghai hosts fifth copper weekMore than 2,000 people from more than 20 countries around the world, representing more than 100 leading companies, met from 15 - 17 November 2016 at the fifth annual CESCO WEEK SHANGHAI, the main copper event in Asia, organised by the Center for Copper and Mining Studies (CESCO). The 12th Asia Copper Conference (Metal Bulletin Events), the V CEO’s Summit and the V Asian Copper Dinner took place. Alejandra Wood, Executive Director of CESCO, believes Chile must set the standard as world leaders in the sector.

The future of China and its vision is key to the forming of strategy in the coming decades.

The Chilean delegation was headed by the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams; Nelson Pizarro, CEO of Codelco; Iván Arriagada, Executive President of Antofagasta Minerals; Diego Hernández, President of the National Mining Society (SONAMI); Mauro Valdés, President of the High Law Program, and representatives of CESCO. The 2017 dates are still to be announced.www.asiacopperweek.com www.cesco.cl

Author: Ann-Marie Moreno, Senior Conference Programme Manager, Metal Bulletin

Sulphur 2017This event was in London in 2016 and included a useful Session on Metallurgical Sulphuric Acid and a significant exhibition area. The CRU Sulphur 2017 International Conference & Exhibition takes place in Atlanta, GA from 6 - 9 November 2017. www.crugroup.com/events

SIPS 2017The SIPS 2016 Conference on Hainan Island Province in November saw more than 520 scientific works from over 80 countries around the world. Corporate Sponsors were Flogen Technologies, Domel and TOMS group. SIPS 2017 takes place 23 - 27 October in Mexico. www.flogen.org/sips2017


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24 | SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE www.copperworldwide.com

Banyard LFi Seminar on extrusionInductotherm Group colleagues from Europe, Russia, USA, Taiwan, Japan and China, India and Korea, joined a two day technology masterclass at Inductotherm Heating & Welding Ltd in Basingstoke, England in December. Inductotherm is home of the Banyard brand for the Non Ferrous and Steel sectors, in particular Banyard induction solutions for the Extrusion Industry. Banyard approaches 50 years in these market sectors. This important learning event took place to focus on the markets development for the singularly exceptional LFi products. Inductotherm has a dedicated centre of excellence in the UK that supports its Banyard global reach in engineering, process calculation, layout design, sales and after sales. The goal is to maintain a position as a leader in the Aluminium and Steel extrusion markets and to have Group companies manufacturing to compete locally.

The Group colleagues were given the opportunity to gain insight into the design criteria, topology, characteristics and benefits as well as the features of the LFi power supply and its many application uses, learning about:• Multiple zone heating, igbt technology, taper

gradients, phase locking, inverter power• Control, digital connectivity,

communication, diagnostics• Temperature control, pyrometers,

and thermocouples

• Multi-turn and multi-layer coil design benefits

• Digital connectivity and its operation in maintenance and planned service.

With 2016 installations in India and Korea, the hosts shared the experiences of the projects, proving the equipment, responding to queries and providing results that have provided a repeat order through the community of Inductotherm Group companies.

Recently Banyard Sales and Engineering staff undertook an Extrusion Technology training course and the event provided a

detailed overview of the lesson learnt and where working closer with the integrators of press manufacturers can present the most efficient, cost competitive solution, whilst still achieving all customer’s needs. Access was provided to the Inductotherm Heating & Welding Test bay to view, control and present an LFi 750 kW Unit with dedicated heating exercises. This application based on a 6” Aluminium Billet Heater, is available to view until the end of February 2017.www.inductothermhw.com

LFi Seminar group visiting the 6” billet heater test installation

Innovative Technologies for the Copper IndustryKüttner GmbH & Co. KGTeam Non FerrousEssen, Germany

[email protected]

Occupational safety awards for Metso Metso has been recognised with two awards for its proactive and dedicated efforts in occupational safety. One of the awards was presented to Metso for its outstanding management in preventive security by the National Safety Council of Chile, and the other one to Manuel Guzman, Manager, Health and Safety at Metso Chile, who received the Management Award for Prevention presented by the Institute of Occupational Safety. Metso is continuously looking for new innovative ways to enhance occupational safety and well-being at work. One of the most important initiatives implemented by Metso’s Pacific Rim market area in 2016 was the immersed virtual reality training system, where risk situations can be trained for in a 3D factory environment.www.metso.com

BHP Billiton continues Samarco remediationOne year after the Samarco tragedy, BHP Billiton CEO Andrew Mackenzie has paid his respects to the people affected by the dam failure and provided an overview of the remediation work. Mr Mackenzie said “The Samarco dam failure was a terrible tragedy and our thoughts remain with those affected. The emphasis has shifted to the Renova Foundation which will implement the long term programs to restore the environment and rebuild the communities.” More than 3,000 people have been mobilised to rebuild infrastructure, provide community and social services and prepare for the wet season. The findings from the external investigation into the causes of the dam failure were published in August 2016 and shared with the industry. BHP

Billiton is creating a new global tailings dam standard for its operations.

Maintenance rolesThe new BHP Billiton website launched in December makes company news and information easier to find and promotes job opportunities on the homepage. The company has already been recruiting globally-focused roles in its Maintenance Centre of Excellence (MCOE) hubs based in its Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth offices. Each MCOE has been created to remotely yet collaboratively support sites to deliver safe, sustainable improvement focussing on equipment performance.www.bhpbilliton.com

Andrew Mackenzie is Director of BHP Billiton Limited and CEO of BHP Billiton Plc. Photo: BHP Billiton

Acid topics are up for discussion The 2017 Sulfuric Acid Roundtable will take place from 3-6 April 2017 in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas. The 2015 Workshop attracted more than 180 participants from around the world. Presentations will be given by event co-sponsors on a variety of topics relevant to the industry, including:

Maximizing Energy Recovery in Metallurgical Acid OperationsSpeaker: Hannes Storch, Outotec

Selecting the Correct Converter DesignSpeaker: Guy Cooper, NORAM Engineering & Constructors

HAZOP - Hazard & Operability Review, Are We Safe?Speaker: Len Friedman, Acid Engineering & Consultingwww.acidroundtable.com

Shredder housing design expedites maintenance Metso has developed a new housing design that cuts service downtime, facilitates the maintenance of recycling equipment and makes it easier to keep the machinery in top shape. Available for almost every Metso LindemannTM shredder model, the new solution enables multiple maintenance operations to be performed conveniently, swiftly and at one time. The most significant improvement in Metso’s new housing model is the detachable front wall. The removable unit provides easier access to wear parts and speeds up the replacement of worn components. The new housing design also enables several maintenance tasks to be carried out at the same time. With the detachable front wall lifted out of position with a crane, the rotor adjustment and the replacement of wear plates can be conveniently handled simultaneously.www.metso.com

PROCESSING LINES

DANIELI FRÖHLING

Josef Fröhling GmbH & Co. KGScherl 12D- 58540 MeinerzhagenGermanyTel: 0049 (0)2354 7082 0Fax: 0049 (0) 2354 7082 200Email: [email protected]: www.danieli-froehling.deContact: Detlef Neumann

hpl-NeugnadenfelderMaschinenfabrik GmbH

Spangenbergstr. 20D-49824 Ringe/NeugnadenfeldGermanyTel: 0049 5944 9301 0Fax: 0049 5944 9301 44E-mail: [email protected]: www.hpl-group.deContact: Mr. Thomas Pieper

Alfredstr. 28D-45130 EssenGermanyTel: 0049 201 7293 0Fax: 0049 201 7293 134Email: [email protected]: www.kuettner.comContact: Dr. Farzad Salehi

PROJECT ENGINEERING

Küttner GmbH & Co. KG


METTOP GmbH

Peter-Tunner-Strasse 4A-8700 LeobenAustriaTel: 0043 (0)3842 81787Fax: 0043 (0)3842 82023E-mail: [email protected]: www.mettop.comContact: Dr. Andreas Filzwieser

REFRACTORIES AND INSULATION

RHI AG

Wienerbergstraße 9

A-1100 Vienna

Austria

Tel: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6322

Fax: 0043 (0) 50 213 – 6391

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.rhi-ag.com

Contact: [email protected]

Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics Limited

Mill Lane, RainfordSt Helens, MerseysideWA11 8LP, UKTel: 0044 (0)1744 887939E-mail: [email protected]: www.ceramicmaterials.saint-gobain.comContact: Craig Brennan

REFRACTORIES ENGINEERING

METTOP GmbH


ROLLING MILL TECHNOLOGY

DANIELI FRÖHLING

Josef Fröhling GmbH & Co. KGScherl 12D- 58540 Meinerzhagen, GermanyTel: 0049 (0)2354 7082 0Fax: 0049 (0) 2354 7082 200Email: [email protected]: www.danieli-froehling.deContact: Detlef Neumann

MINO S.p.A.

Via Torino 115122 - San Michele (AL)P.O. Box 362 – 15121ItalyTel: 0039 0131 363636Fax: 0039 0131 361611E-mail: [email protected]: www.mino.itContact: Geminiano Chiesa

Primetals Technologies USA LLC

50 Prescott StreetWorcester, Massachusetts, USA01605Tel: 001 508 755 6111Fax: 001 508 849 6573E-mail: [email protected]: www.primetals.comContact: David Gow

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

Alex Stewart (International)Corporation

2b Sefton Business Park, NethertonLiverpool, MerseysideL30 1RDUKTel: 0044 (0)151 525 1499Fax: 0044 (0) 151 523 3760E-mail: [email protected]: www.alexstewartinternational.comContact: Stephen Russell

SCREENING

Schenck Process

Pallaswiesenstraße 10064293 DarmstadtGermanyTel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66E-mail: [email protected]: www.schenckprocess.comContact: Ingo Fjelsten

SMELTING – PRIMARY



SMELTING – SECONDARY

Kumera Corporation

Kumerankatu 2FI-11100 RiihimäkiFinlandTel: 00358 (0)20 755 4200Fax: 00358 (0)20 755 4320E-mail: [email protected]: www.kumera.comContact: Hannu Mansikkaviita



SOLVENT EXTRACTION

Metalex

Hernando de Aguirre 162 Of. 806SantiagoChileTel: 0056 2335 2217Fax: 0056 2321 8280E-mail: [email protected]: www.metalex.clContact: Alejandro (Alex) R. Lillo

WEIGHING AND FEEDING

Schenck Process

Pallaswiesenstraße 10064293 DarmstadtGermanyTel: 0049 61 51 15 31 0Fax: 0049 61 51 15 31 66E-mail: [email protected]: www.schenckprocess.comContact: Martin Brauer

26 | THE BUYERS GUIDE www.copperworldwide.com www.copperworldwide.com THE BUYERS GUIDE | 27


ACID LINING

ACCS Ltd

Scott Lidgett RoadStoke-on-Trent, ST6 4NQUnited KingdomTel: 0044 1782 817107Email: [email protected]: www.accsltd.co.ukContact: Dr Thomas Skidmore

COOLING SOLUTIONS

METTOP GmbH


COPPER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY

ANDRITZ MeWa GmbH

Herdweg 4D-75391 GechingenGermanyTel.: 0049 7056 925 0Fax: 0049 7056 925 169Email: [email protected]: www.andritz.com/mewaContact: International Sales Team

ELECTROLYTE PURIFICATION

Metalex


ELECTROLYTIC REFINING

METTOP GmbH


ELECTROWINNING

Metalex


FURNACES

Kumera Corporation




FURNACES, HEAT TREATMENT

EBNER Industrieofenbau GmbH

Ebner-Platz 1A-4060 LeondingAustriaTel.: 0043 (0)732 6868Fax: 0043 (0)732 6868 1000E-mail: [email protected]: www.ebner.ccContact: Mr. Dieter Brandstätter (SalesExecutive Manager)

FURNACE LEVEL MEASUREMENT

Agellis Group AB

Tellusgatan 15SE-22457 LundSwedenTel: 0046 46 101360Fax: 0046 46 101361E-mail: [email protected]: www.agellis.comContact: Magnus Persson

HEAT RECOVERY



Oschatz GmbH

Westendhof 10-12D-45143 EssenGermanyTel: +49 201 1802-0Fax: +49 201 1802-165E-mail: [email protected]: www.oschatz.comContact: Sales Team

MATERIALS HANDLING

Combilift Ltd

GallinaghMonaghan TownCo. MonaghanIrelandTel: 00353 (0)47 80500Fax: 00353 (0)47 80501E Mail: [email protected]: www.combilift.comContact: Sales Office

Kumera Corporation


MINERAL PROCESSING

Weir Minerals Europe Limited

Halifax Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 5RT United Kingdom Tel: 0044 1706 814251 Fax: 0044 1706 815350 Email: [email protected] Web: www.minerals.weirContact: Sales

PNEUMATIC CONVEYING/ INJECTION

Schenck Process

Unit 3, Alpha CourtCapitol Park, ThorneDoncaster DN8 5TZUKTel: 0044 (0) 1302 321313Fax: 0044 (0) 1302 554400E-mail: [email protected]: www.schenckprocess.comContact: Richard Sims

2017 BUYERS GUIDE

ONE ENTRY WITH LOGO

FOR FOUR ISSUES (2017)

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28 | DAILY LIVES www.copperworldwide.com

Daily lives…Detlef Neumann,Director Sales, Danieli FröhlingRenowned for its planning, design, manufacturing and supply of strip processing lines and cold rolling mills, worldwide customers speak highly of their long lasting “Fröhling” machines

It is before 6 in the morning when my alarm clock rings. It’s time to get up and start the day with a fresh coffee. Lotta, our dachshund, fawns still tired but decides that at least for her it’s too early for a walk. I usually like to have the first cup of coffee standing on our patio and have a look into the garden. Gardening is one of my hobbies and I enjoy especially that time of the year when I can spend spare time outdoors planting something, pruning the roses or just sitting on the lawn chair with a cold beer and watching birds and bees. I snatch up my tablet and check the daily news as well as the weather forecast before I get to the car and drive to our company. It takes me about 30 minutes to drive from my home to the office. I like to hear radio during the ride, normally news and background reports about politics and business rather than music.

Danieli Fröhling is located in Meinerzhagen, a small town not far from Cologne. Josef Fröhling, a German engineer, founded the company right after WWII when industry in Germany was down and reconstruction of the country was getting off the ground. Everything at this company started with a small workshop in a private house, but soon grew to a mid-size company providing equipment and services for the metals industry. Fröhling, shortly after its foundation, became specialised in cold rolling mills and cutting lines. Our equipment may be found on 4 continents, and is used in steel, copper and aluminium plants. We design and supply cold mills in various configurations from 2-hi up to 20-hi mills which are providing best final product quality of the rolled strip. Our slitting and trimming lines have set standards regarding processing speeds and cutting accuracy. These facts and the long lifetime of our lines are reasons why worldwide customers speak highly of their “Fröhling” machines and often return to us when it comes to new investments or enhancement projects.

I have been working with Danieli Fröhling since 2001. I studied mechanical engineering until end of the 1980’s and then was employed in various positions in an engineering company

acting mainly in the steel sector. In 2004, I was appointed the Sales Director of Danieli Fröhling, and since then I have been leading the sales teams for complete lines as well as for revamping projects, spares and services.

First thing in the office is to check and answer my emails. We have business partners and offices around the world and naturally emails also arrive overnight from China, the Americas or wherever. Some of my colleagues are on a sales trip and may need support from home. Our Chinese colleague reports about a new potential project and wants to have advice how to follow it up. Then there are the latest reports from our building sites that need to be studied as well. Over the working day, there are many different tasks that may occur and that is what I like in my current job: diversity in work, meeting and exchanging with different people, and having the possibility to work with persons from various cultures and countries.

The day continues with discussions amongst our colleagues about a new technical offer, how to deal with some special requirements made

by that specific customer and how the layout might look best for that case. Another daily task for me is to check and confirm cost calculations and commercial offers. Lucky me to have such a good team and experienced colleagues that I can very much rely on their diligence, so that I rarely need to change something. Nevertheless, we as a team like to discuss both technical and commercial matters to make sure of finding the optimum solution. Every colleague has his dedicated experience and sharing is essential in order to learn from each other and improve our own knowledge.

Later, the Managing Director to whom I report is asking me to explain the monthly sales report and outlook. We need to prepare the planning for the next months and discuss latest trends in the market and how to adapt best. The high workload and need for additional, qualified personnel is a topic as well. I can receive some positive comments about the latest results of “my” Spares & Services Department - a plaudit that I will pass on to the team because they deserve it.

Of course, travelling belongs to my professional life as well. I always enjoy business trips,

meeting customers and colleagues from other divisions of the Danieli family. Unfortunately within a standard business trip there is little time to see more than airports, taxis, plants and hotels, but if a free weekend day or evening can be found, I try to absorb as much as possible of the local flair, discover the regional cuisine and try to see some of the sights.

The day spins away and the to-do-list for the next one is already set. One more email to write or a last call made before I go home to see the family. On the way back, thoughts are still with some open problems or ideas - how to do this and that maybe better. Back at home, my wife and I clarify who will take the dog out and who will prepare the dinner - both of us like cooking so either way will work well. Later, at the dinner table after a good meal and having a glass of wine, we agree that our work makes life exciting - but life is more than work and the right balance is important to remain in shape for things to come.www.danieli-froehling.com

Detlef Neumann is Director of Sales at Danieli Fröhling

COPPER IS THE ELEMENT,PROPERZI IS THE ROD LINE

H E A D Q U A R T E R S Continuus-Properzi S.p.A.Sordio (LO), ItalyPhone: +39. 02. 988 49 [email protected]

F R A N C E D I V I S I O N Properzi FranceSaint Ouen l’Aumône, FrancePhone: +33. 1. 34 32 34 [email protected]

U S A B R A N C H Properzi International, Inc.Sparks, Maryland 21152, USAPhone: +1. 443. 212. [email protected]

www.properzi.com · [email protected]

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