Highland Valley Copper's in-pit crushing and conveying system

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 81, No. 917, 1988

M.D. SCOTT,Highland Valley Copper,Logan Lake, British Columbia

Highland Valley Copper recently installed a semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveyor system designed to feed both the Bethlehem and Lornex concentrators with a feed averaging 120 000 tonnes per day. The system installed with a rated capacity of 12 000 tonnes per hour is the highest capacity hard rock semi-mobile crushing and conveying system currently in existence. The system is designed in a manner that the crushers can be moved easily as the pit is developed in depth with conveyors extending deeper into the pit, and conveyors being moved radially from a surge pile located at the rim of the ultimate pit as the pit increases in size laterally. The system consists of two 6000 tph, 60 by 89 Krupp semi-mobile crushers feeding two moveable 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long feeding a 7500 tonne live storage surge pile. Two 96 in. belt feeders installed in reclaim tunnels under the pile feed two parallel 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long on a 12 per cent uphill grade to the two existing Lornex plant feed conveyors. A third 96 in. belt feeder, under the pile, feeds a 60 in. conveyor, loading trucks hauling crushed ore to the Bethlehem mill. A description will be given: (1) of the system's design features in which climatic extremes, operating, and mainA description will be given: (1) of the system's design features in which climatic extremes, operating, and maintenance characteristics were of primary importance; (2) of the way the system was constructed from components purchased internationally on an extremely tight construction schedule; and (3) of the way the system has operated during the first few months in operation during which time it demonstrated that it has met various design criteria.

Mots Clés: Open pit mining, Crushers, Conveyor systems, Highland Valley Copper.