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