Dura-Bilt5i MV Strikes Gold in Siberia!
Kinross Gold Corporation’s new Kupol mine is now in production, using TMEIC GE’s Dura-Bilt5i MV drive system to power the mine’s Semi Autogenous Grinding (SAG) Mill.
Kinross Gold, a Canadian-based gold mining company, is the third largest primary gold producer in North America by reserves. The company operates mines in the United States, Brazil, Chile, and Russia. Kinross’ core purpose is to lead the world in generating value through mining. The company’s principal activities are responsibly mining and processing gold and silver ore, and the exploration for and acquisition of gold-bearing properties.
The Kupol mine is located north of the Arctic Circle, in the Chukotka region of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. The project consists of an open pit and underground mine and conventional mill working a high-grade gold and silver vein. The climate of the region around the Kupol site is extremely severe, consisting of long and cold winters, overcast weather, and a short summer.
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Conveyor bringing ore to the SAG Mill
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TMEIC GE’s Dura-Bilt5i MV drive provides 4,000 hp for the synchronous motor driving the Kupol mine’s SAG Mill. This 3 phase, 48 pole, 4,160 V ac motor offers plant operators the ability to vary the speed of operations in response to the quantity of ore from the mine. The Dura-Bilt5i MV also provides smooth starting for the large motor.
Logistics was a challenge for this remote Arctic location in Eastern Siberia. The Kupol mine’s extremely remote site requires stellar reliability in its operations. Traveling to the site takes days, while shipping of parts and supplies requires special consideration. The Dura-Bilt5i MV drive was shipped from the West Coast of the United States in time to pass through the Bering Strait, scheduled to arrive before the port of Pevek froze over for the winter. After the lakes in the region were frozen, the drive was trucked to the site via an ice road, arriving in spring 2007 for installation. In May 2008, Kinross announced that the mill had begun processing ore and that the Kupol mine had produced its first bar of gold-silver dore.
“We have been most impressed by the performance of the drive to date,” said Mr. Heinz, the mine site manager. “The TMEIC GE DB5i drive’s performance has helped us successfully bring Kupol into full production.”
TMEIC GE Commissioning Engineers: Weber Wang and Viktor Kozuhs
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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