Metso is set to provide an HRC-3000 for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold's Morenci copper mine in Arizona, USA. It will be the world's largest machine of its kind, an is Metso's new concept in high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) technology. The HRC-3000 will perform tertiary crushing in the comminution circuit, which includes crushers and ball mills (also supplied by Metso) and will provide a highly efficient solution for this application. “Operating costs are increasing throughout the industry, with power b
Metso Minerals is set to provide an HRC-3000 for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold’s Morenci copper mine in Arizona, USA. It will be the world’s largest machine of its kind, an is Metso’s new concept in high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) technology.
The HRC-3000 will perform tertiary crushing in the comminution circuit, which includes crushers and ball mills (also supplied by Metso) and will provide a highly efficient solution for this application.
“Operating costs are increasing throughout the industry, with power being a key component, and our customers are looking for more efficient technology to achieve the best returns in these circumstances,” says Andy Lingenfelter, Metso’s global key account manager for Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold.
Metso says that the HRC’s ability to meet the demands of this application is a result of its innovative design, which improves throughput and efficiency of the existing HPGR technology. Over 8,000 hours of testing, including 4,000 hours in a pilot plant operating at Morenci, have proven the design and efficiency of the HRC.
Design features include a patented arch frame to eliminate downtime and flanges to maintain wear and increase throughput, and these changes were implemented for the type of application in which the HRC-3000, scheduled to be online by early 2014, will be operating: high-tonnage tertiary crushing of hard rock.
“One of the reasons our customers are looking at HRC technology is because they see how our design can provide long-term benefits in operating costs,” says Lingenfelter.
