First on-site rewinding completed ahead of schedule.
Baden, Switzerland, September 8, 2009 – ABB, the leading power and
automation technology group, announced that the rewinding of the SAG
mill stator of Minera Escondida, the worlds largest copper mine, has
successfully been completed. The rewinding was done on-site and
completed ahead of schedule.
The Escondida deposit is located in the North of Chile, in the Atacama
Desert, 170 km southeast of the city of Antofagasta, at an altitude of
3,100 meters above sea level. The Escondida mine produced 1.05 million
metric tons of fine copper in 2008, close to 8% of the world’s total
copper production and approximately 23,5% of Chilean production.
Productive operations began in 1990, and since October 2005 the company
has also operated Escondida Norte, which is a second open pit located
five km from the main pit.
For the first time in 40 years of gearless mill drive (GMD) history, ABB
completed a stator rewinding on site. In a joint effort, engineers from
ABB in close cooperation with its suppliers and Minera Escondida started
the design process. Within six months, this team produced a complex and
detailed engineering design. The new stator winding material was
manufactured at Alstom factories and the equipment from Switzerland and
Spain was finally shipped to Antofagasta, Chile, on a Boeing 747 cargo
aircraft specially chartered for this occasion.
For training purposes, a stator dummy was manufactured in Santiago de
Chile. Expert site staff from 13 countries was trained to become
familiar with all possible special conditions. On July 1, some 300
people started to work in three shifts. Under a most experienced team,
the rewinding job at the SAG mill was accomplished according to
schedule.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that
enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while
lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in
around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people.