LXML Sepon Area 49 – CSM Improvement December 2014 CJ Galeotti
LXML Sepon
Area 49 – CSM
Improvement
December 2014
CJ Galeotti
Context
2
• Failure of CSM on 27th October 2014 initiated RCA investigation
• Failure of “Chisel” hydraulic Cylinder attributed to repeat chiselling to separate “sticky
copper”
• Significant step change rise in “Extra Chisel” process delays recorded in AMPLA
around March 2014
• Repeated chiselling has potential to affect;
• machine availability due to component stress and failure
• CSM strip rate – production bottleneck
AMPLA Downtime
3
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
2013 2014
Extra chisel required (equivalent lost time hours)
• Step change Rise in March 2014 (avg. Oct13-Feb2014 = 49.8hours vs. avg. Mar2014-
Oct 2014 = 97.2)
• Potential Organisational factors at play; • Reduction in Expats – Dec 2013
• Labour Strike – March 2014
• Loss of Stripping Crew – June 2014
• “Sticky” or difficult to strip copper is not a new phenomenon
“Sticky Copper”
4
• Sticky Copper or difficult to strip copper is characterised in AMPLA by the
need to switch the CSM out of auto and perform repeated manual strikes
with the chisel.
• Often the repeated manual strikes are performed in conjunction with
cycling of the locking bar clamps and moving the cathode sideways on the
transfer conveyor in an effort to shake the copper loose.
• This has questionable effect in releasing copper but significant effect
on machine reliability
• Causal factors
• Lacy Growth
• Nodular growth (dendrites)
• Growth in/around bottom corners of mother plate and edge strips
• Overly thick or thin copper growth (variance in plate weight)
“Sticky Copper”
5
Previous Xstrata report from 2011 identified “Sticky Copper” as a
causal factor in reduced strip rate
“Sticky Copper”
6
“Sticky Copper”
7
“Sticky Copper”
8
“Sticky Copper”
9
“Sticky Copper”
10
“Sticky Copper”
11
“Sticky Copper”
12
“Wider Chisel Assembly”
13
Recommendations
14
No. Action Who When Status
1 Improving the tolerance of the CSM to
poorly formed/difficult to remove cathode
1.1 Proceed with purchase of wider CSM chisel
assembly, Inc. widened guides, new cylinder,
etc. (Outoec) Estimate installed @ $130,000
AF Raise PR Dec
2014
Quote received, awaiting Go-ahead
1.2 Investigate interim solution of procuring a
wider chisel (blade only)
CJG Dec 2014 Complete. OEM cautioned.
Delivery not significantly better then
1.1
2 Removing defects that encourage poor
copper growth
2.1 Commission “edge strip pusher” PMO Jan/ Feb 2015? Waiting on materials and window to
commission
2.2 Identify target boundaries for plate weight,
measure variance
OPs tba
2.3 Commence program to improve cathode
quality by ensuring edge strips correctly
positioned and defective plates removed
before returning to EW cells (detailed actions
in report)
OPs tba Requires additional personnel in
CSM area to identify and remove
defective mother-plates