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Our client experienced a significant water and debris contamination event in the Fixed Bearing circuit of the SAG Mill. The mill was immediately shut down to avoid bearing damage and the contaminated oil was removed and new then oil introduced. \n - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Copper Concentrator - SAG & Ball Mill Case Study
The Problem
Our client experienced a significant water and debris contamination event in the Fixed Bearing circuit of the SAG Mill. The mill was immediately shut down to avoid bearing damage and the contaminated oil was removed and new then oil introduced.
Even so, there was concern that the circuits still had potentially harmful debris and moisture present. The lubricant removed was very dirty and saturated with water to 5000ppm, a level of contamination that high would normally mean disposal/total loss, at a cost of $20,000.
Lost production downtime at this mill is circa $1,000 per minute of downtime as the two mills run in series potentially affecting other operations.
BioKem’s mobile VDOPS, on site and operational within hours of arrival, and conforming to all site requirements.
The Challenge
The rapid response solution was to firstly remove residual water and particulate contamination in the in-service SAG fixed bearing lube tank followed by cleaning and polishing of the bulk contaminated oil. All tasks were completed in an urgent timeframe to mitigate any potential damage to the gearbox and trunnions.
Working with ISO 460 oil required raising the temperature from operating temp of 47°C to >70°C to lower the viscosity to a workable 100cSt or less.
Filtration was to be conducted on in-service oil by way of kidney bypass to the required standard in a reasonable timeframe. Access restrictions added to the complexity of the job.
Solution
After initial contact and a phone consultation, BioKem mobilised the 50GPM Vacuum Dehydration Oil Purification System (VDOPS) asset and engineering team to the remote site in Queensland immediately. Site inductions, JSEA and documentation were completed and BioKem were on site with all equipment within 30 hours.
The Mobile VDOPS is equipped with 2 x 32 kW heaters, capable of heating 100L/min of this gear oil to 80°C, and drawing over 20” Hg of vacuum, for the most efficient moisture dehydration and viscosity adjustments, without risk of damaging the oil further.
The VDOPS is capable of moisture removal and dissolved gases to below 50ppm, and ISO 4406 cleanliness to 13/12/10, with a β1000, 2.5 micron filtration. Equipped with 4m, 6m, and 12m hoses, we can access the most challenging locations.
With 8 drain points and a pressurised flushing system, we ensure no cross contamination from previous jobs between different tanks and lubricants.Fitted with 2” Camlocks, Plugs & Caps for quick installation and adhering to a ‘NO SPILL’ policy.
To keep downtime and revenue losses to a minimum, BioKem has developed operational procedures and reporting systems, that maximise efficiency and professionalism, setting the industry standard.
In this case BioKem’s VDOPS not only purified the contaminated oil, but also polished other in-service oil whilst the asset was available, offsetting the cost of having BioKem onsite for the event and saving the customer money.
Purification Tasks 1. SAG Mill Fixed Bearing Tank 6,000
L2. SAG Mill Floating Bearing Tank 4,500 L3. Outside Bulk Tank 5,000
L4. Polishing SAG Mill Floating Tank 4,500
L5. Ball Mill Floating Bearing Tank 4,500 LTotal Oil Purification Completed 24,500 L
