Metso Outotec oversaw all the major maintenance for the ML-1012 ball grinding mill at the Cordillera mine, where its trunnion and liner trunnion were replaced. Included in the service work was the planning, engineering, construction, preparations, and execution of the project, all conducted under strict quality and safety control. More than 42 service drawings, 18 calculation memories, and 30 instructions were made. Also, though the project itself lasted 13 days, the preparations that needed to be done prior to the project beginning, took over a month to complete. The work involved the handling of heavy and hard to maneuver components. Handling the trunnion, trunnion liner and transport cradle and passing them over the SAG mills involved moving more than 63,631 kg. Turning over the trunnion and the liner set with two cranes, involved the handling of 60,481 kg in total component weight. Other important activities were the removal and assembly of the trunnion and trunnion liner, as well as the regulation of the pads.
Additional overhauls
In addition, at the port of Patache site, an overhaul was carried out on the plant’s TK-1501 concentrate thickener, which involved the replacement of its drive ring. Both service projects were completed in less than the originally estimated time and without any health or safety incidents. During the service work, more than 21 work activities were carried out, including engineering, construction, preparations, and planning, all with strict quality and safety control. The overhaul involved the disassembly and reassembly of the Corona, maintenance of the drive system and the hydraulic unit.
Teamwork with a focus on health and safety
Metso Outotec was able to manage a great deal of the planning and execution thanks to good coordination with the mine's VP of processes, as well as a special focus on health factors in accordance with the covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the work, which lasted several weeks, mobilized more than 150 people and involved 21,000 person-hours on site. The maintenance work met with zero safety accidents and the services were delivered to the client ahead of budget, thanks to the excellent planning and coordination between the client and Metso Outotec.
From Collahuasi’s side, the producer expressed their appreciation for all for the work carried out between Metso Outotec and their site teams to develop and execute this major shutdown and maintenance event in the most efficient and safe manner. They also congratulated the workers who participated in the project due to their great commitment to this initiative. Thanks to them, significant results were achieved in terms of safety, health and control of covid-19.
Partnering for a successful execution
Metso Outotec's knowledge and technical expertise were fundamental to fulfilling the requirements of the project. As part of a historic maintenance event for Collahuasi, a joint business approach was the main pillar that led to the successful planning and execution of the service work. Metso Outotec has a wide knowledge and an extensive offering, which allowed for the delivery of this type of integrated project involving a range of expert services to drive improvements for our clients. Today Collahuasi has achieved a great milestone where the benefits of the partnership between Metso Outotec and the site experts at Collahuasi proved to be the critical factor.
