AUTOMATION
Thanks to automation, operators can now troubleshoot issues in real time
The Pine Cove Project is automating processes and moving towards centralised control of operations
control room was also constructed to house the control system and operator, from which the entire plant and crusher can be controlled and monitored. Full data trending is available to the operator and management, and the control interface (VTSCADA) can be accessed remotely by technical staff to provide 24/7 troubleshooting assistance. T e new control room could also serve as the central operating point for future milling operations at other Anaconda projects outside of the Point Rousse Project.
ABOUT ANACONDA A
naconda Mining is a gold mining and exploration
company with a producing project called the Point Rousse Project and an exploration/ development project called the Viking Project in Newfoundland, Canada. The Point Rousse Project is approximately 6,300 hectares on the Ming’s Bight Peninsula located in the Baie Verte Mining District in Newfoundland. Since 2012, Anaconda has increased
its property control by ten- fold on the peninsula and gold production to approximately 16,000 ounces per year. In an eff ort to expand production, it is currently exploring three primary, prospective gold trends, which have approximately 20km of cumulative strike length and include fi ve deposits and numerous prospects and showings, all within 8km of the Pine Cove Mill.
Anaconda set up various fl ow meters, control valves and level sensors throughout the plant to establish automatic control loops on certain metrics such as tank levels, pump speeds and reagent addition, which will create more stable and consistent operating conditions. By increasing stability, the fi rm expects to achieve greater levels of throughput while maintaining the highest possible recovery. Manual processes such as sampling and monitoring of turbidity, pH and pressure have been considerably reduced because of automation. Consequently, manpower can now be spent on more value added tasks. Furthermore, the control room operator can, through the control system and cameras, better avoid process disruptions, identify issues at earlier stages or prevent them altogether. To monitor and control the leaching circuit of the mill, a cyanide analyser was installed, manufactured by the Australian company Orica, which is the fi rst of its kind in the world to be used in an operating mill. T e analyser handles cyanide addition and monitoring automatically, which is expected to reduce overall cyanide consumption; one of the company’s highest consumable costs.
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