Engineered Solutions for Material Handling

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1 Engineered Solutions for Material Handling

2 Engineered Solutions for Material Handling AROUND THE GLOBE, SYNERGY IS MAKING ITS MARK as the leader in the development of technologically advanced Engineered Drive Systems and as an end-to-end electrical systems provider for large-scope projects in the mining and material handling industries. Delivering safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective drive solutions, Synergy is a full service systems integrator with a demonstrated expertise in power distribution, drive systems, and instrumentation and control. Since its inception in the 1980s, Synergy Engineering, based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, has developed its core competencies in four continents, bringing new cost-efficiencies to some of the world s biggest mining operations, including Chile s Minera Escondida Ltda., and Syncrude Canada Ltd. Synergy provides a complete electrical package, including the drive control systems and motors that power these massive crushers and conveyors, says Rick Neuman, P.Eng., Founder, President and Chairman of the Synergy Engineering Ltd. Group. Our company has become successful because we provide solutions that work, and we do it on time, for a lump sum, at a fixed price. Synergy takes on full responsibility for the project and takes the risk away from the client. We have a lot of satisfied customers and we get a tremendous amount of repeat business because of our reliability. We ve had zero equipment failures to date in the Four conveyor drive stations, Secondary Resistive Controller controlling a total of ten 1200kW and Wound Rotor Induction motors for the E1 expansion at Motor packages that we ve Minera Escondida Ltda. engineered. The core of Synergy s drive business is an innovative SRC/WRIM technology developed by Neuman. Secondary Resisters Controllers are drives that are engineered to control Wound Rotor Induction Motors applications. Synergy has made a name for itself by engineering these lower life-cycle-cost and highly Vancouver International Airport Delivering safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective drive solutions, Synergy is a full service systems integrator with a demonstrated expertise in power distribution, drive systems, and instrumentation and control. S Power Distribution: design and supply of substation switchgear for Vancouver International Airport. Gibralatar Mines YNERGY generally involves all three aspects of its business activity in its large-scope projects.the three business units Power Distribution, Drives and Motors, and Instrumentation & Control work cooperatively on major projects, but each unit also functions as a standalone business. Instrumentation, Control and HMI for mine concentrator One example of control system at Gibraltar Mines, British Columbia, Canada. a stand-alone power distribution solution is Vancouver International Airport, where Synergy was engaged in the design and supply of substation switchgear. Stand-alone solutions for Instrumentation, Control and HMI are ably illustrated by Synergy s work for Gibraltar Mines to replace the existing Mine Concentrator control system (Fisher Provox DCS) with a DeltaV control system, complete with new DeltaV I/O, two dual head control room operator stations and one Power Distribution: design and supply of four mobile remote wireless operator control station. aluminum housed 15kV substations for the refrigerated container storage area at Centerm container Synergy s work included design, panel manufacture and assembly, configuration conversion, installation, commissioning and start-up support. and break bulk cargo facility, Port of Vancouver, Canada. 2 Centerm

3 Minera Escondida reliable alternatives for larger horsepower wound rotor motors. The solution involves inserting resistance in the rotor circuit to change the characteristics of the wound rotor motor to match an application s load/speed requirements. Synergy provides these systems for controlled acceleration of many applications including conveyor systems and rock crushers. Over the last several years, our role has expanded dramatically in that we have become a large-scope end-to-end electrical systems provider, notes David Atkinson, Synergy s Executive Vice President and Director. We do that by integrating all three aspects of our business-drive systems, power distribution, and instrumentation & control. We work on large projects in a variety of ways, either directly with the enduser or the engineering procurement construction management company that represents the end-user, or with the original equipment manufacturer who in turn supplies the end-user or the EPCM contractor. Increasingly, once our project is successfully completed, we are working directly with end-user customer in terms of ongoing service, support, and maintenance. SOUTH AMERICA Synergy has been adding expertise and increasing its role since its first major project in Chile in 1994 for Minera Escondida Ltda., one of the largest sources of copper and one of the most productive open-pit copper mines in the world, providing 8% of the worlds copper production.to move approximately 350 million tonnes of material from the open pit each year, the mine utilizes the largest crushing and conveying systems in the industry. Synergy s first project was the design and supply of 14,000 horse power in four conveyor drive stations for the Phase III expansion of Escondida s operation with Fluor Daniel as the EPC contractor. Synergy s deliverables efficiency, reliability and life-cycle cost-savings-have led to greater opportunities. Again in 1996, the company was asked to provide solutions for Minera Escondida s E1 expansion phase with BHP Engineering as the EPC contractor. Synergy was asked to engineer four conveyor drive systems controlling ten large 1200kW motors, says Atkinson. We had already successfully designed and supplied a number of conveyor drive stations to Escondida s Phase III expansion, but this marked the evolution of Synergy from a design and supply company to a company recognized for its capability to provide a broader engi- Two E-houses, master control room, large drive motors, PLCs, HMI, etc. for in-pit crusher and discharge conveyor at Minera Escondida s Phase IV expansion. neering solution.as we began to be recognized as having core competencies badly needed by our customers, we were asked to participate further and further up stream in project scope. Now, we are often asked to write some of the specifications as part of our engineering deliverable, in addition to providing the downstream detailed engineering and design, manufacturing, installation supervision and commissioning the full-scope role. When the mine again expanded capacity by beginning their Phase IV expansion with Bechtel as EPC, the task of providing drives, electrification, and instrumentation and control was assigned to Synergy. Synergy designed and supplied the end-to-end package of electrical equipment for the in-pit crusher and discharge conveyor as well as the overland conveyor system.the project included building several large E-houses and a master control room, along with all the necessary PLC and HMI equipment. Achieving growth through excellence, Synergy continued to increase its activities at the mine in 2002, engaging in five separate projects. Working again for Minera Escondida, Synergy conducted the preliminary engineering for crushing, conveying, and electrification for successive mine expansion projects known locally as E2, E3, and Norte. In addition, Synergy supported Minera Escondida s Oxide operation, replacing fluid coupling conveyor drives with Wound Rotor Induction Motors and Secondary Resistive Controllers. These SRC motor controllers offer many advantages over the Variable Frequency Drive alternative, observes Rick Neuman. SRC solutions are very cost-effective and can be less than sixty five percent of the cost of a VFD system for large horsepower applications, and they have several other advantages. With a VFD, electronics are involved, so it s not sufficiently robust in harsh environments, but the SRC is very robust.the SRC does not require an 3

4 Four large E-houses, 1 x 1200kW Wound Rotor Induction Motor (WRIM) and 7 x 2000kW Wound Rotor Induction Motors (WRIM), PLCs and switchgear for the overland conveyor system in Escondida s Phase IV expansion. air-conditioned, climate-controlled environment and does not require an indoor installation. Many of our SRC installations are located out in the open in dusty, damp environments; others are located deep inside tunnels where space limitations make a VFD system problematic, if not impossible. Additional cost savings are gained because on-site electricians can do the field repair, testing and maintenance rather than bringing in specially trained technicians with the specialized test equipment required for VFD repair. As a result, downtime and costs are reduced. Recommended spare components are kept to a minimum, further reducing the money invested in the system and improving life-cycle cost.these features of reliability, maintainability, reduced life-cycle costs and higher system availability are important to our customers, and are even more critical to our customers who are in remote locations. We often find that end-users have a VFD system in place when perhaps they shouldn t for the specific application. The good news is that replacing VFDs in these applications pays for itself very quickly.we have customers who have replaced VFDs with a WRIM/SRC solution, and they ve achieved payback in less than a year, notes David Atkinson. Our customers believe it is critical to look at full-life-cycle cost in the evaluation of alternatives.as another example, the capital cost of a SRC solution is higher than that of a Liquid Rheostat solution, but the life-cycle cost the SRC solution is much lower. In 2002, with Sandwell as EPC contractor, Synergy engineered the upgrade of an electrical control system at Minera Escondida in conjunction with mechanical upgrade for shiploader at the port of Coloso. This time, we were involved in the complete chain of material handling processes that begin in the open pit and ultimately deliver material to the seaport, says Atkinson. In this instance, our work was at that seaport end with the electrical and control system, in conjunction with Sandwell s mechanical upgrade for the shiploader, which is a conveyoring gantry type system. Instead of having the conveyor running along the floor of a mine or along the surface 4

5 Minera Antamina of the land, it s supported high above the ground on a steel structure.the end PACIFIC RIM of the movable conveyor is suspended hundreds of feet in the air, because it s As Synergy prospered in South America, the company also began to being used to feed processed material into a number of ship hatches. expand its geographic reach to the Pacific Rim, introducing its For Minera Escondida s subsequent E3 expansion, with BHP Engineering in SRC/WRIM technology to Indonesia s Grasberg mine, operated the role of EPC, Synergy was contracted to design and supply the electrical and by P.T. Freeport Indonesia Company, a subsidiary of Freeport- control equipment for the relocation of two existing in-pit crushing and conveying systems. This included the supply of new E-Houses, motors and Secondary Resistive Controllers complete with PLC hardware and software, and HMI modifications to integrate into the existing ore distribution system. The mine s E3 project was immense, with Synergy s portion alone encompassing a total connected horsepower of 23,000hp with 59 motors and more than 2,000 cables for a total length of 157 kilometres. Synergy delivered successfully on that phase and went on to another largescale project at the mine in 2004 and 2005 for the Norte expansion with Hatch as EPC contractor. Synergy s role in the Norte project was the design and supply of electrical and control equipment for an in-pit 750kw gyratory crusher, along with more than seven kilometres of overland and distribution conveyors. In addition, the company provided four e-houses, the main control room, large drive motors, Secondary Resistive Controllers, and the PLC hardware and software. Norte required a total connected power of 10,000hp with 46 motors and 1,446 cables for a length of over 122 kilometres, along with 919 total instruments, says Atkinson. The scope of the project demonstrates that whatever the assignment, we have the resources and the capabilities to satisfy the needs of the customer. The highlight for us in Chile is that over the past 12 years we have been a selected contractor in virtually every one of Minera Escondida s major expansion phases I believe no one else can lay claim to this unique achievement! By the end of the 1990s, Synergy s early success as a supplier of major end-toend electrical projects in Chile led to opportunities in Peru. Located 270 km north of Lima, the Minera Antamina mine is one of the largest copper and zinc producers in the world.the mine is operated by Compañia Minera Antamina, owned by BHP Billiton, Noranda Inc.,Teck Cominco Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp. Bechtel brought in Synergy to engineer the automation of the coarse ore crusher, conveyors, and the stacker for the mine site, including complete system logic design, PLC programming and HMI design and development. When the mine went into production, a new port facility was needed to process the ore concentrate and transfer it to deep-sea vessels. Synergy was asked to engineer, design and manufacture a complete electrical system, including control, communications, and power for a 1,600-tph shiploader at Port Huarmey. Minera Antamina, Peru. McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. The Grasberg site, in the easternmost Indonesian SRCs installed at PT Freeport, Indonesia on the island of Papua. 4,000 m.a.s.l.; Jog function for maintenance; dedicated PLC. Wet and dusty environment. Initially, Synergy was requested to engineer a Wound Rotor 1000hp crusher and 800hp Papua, Indonesia. Conveyor Secondary Resistive Controller. province of Papua, is the world s largest single gold deposit and third-largest copper mine and is further unique in that it operates at a mountain top elevation above 4,200 metres (13,800 feet). Based on the success of this project, P.T. Freeport challenged Synergy to tackle an assignment that was many times larger. Synergy engineered a solution involving six 600 hp wound rotor induction motors and Secondary Resistive Controllers for accelerating and jogging three conveyor applications. In 2005, P.T. Freeport ordered six more motors and three SRCs for the Grasberg mine. PT Freeport Indonesia 5

6 New electrical house installed at Highland Valley Copper as an upgrade to their 138kV substation. CANADA In a very short span of time Synergy has evolved into a global player by leveraging the competence in problem solving it had demonstrated for its original end-user customers on its home turf. In an unrivalled track record of success over the past two decades, Synergy has participated in numerous projects in the Canadian West, including providing solutions for Teck Cominco at the Highland Valley copper and molybdenum mine near Kamloops, BC, for Texada Quarrying Ltd. for both their limestone and aggregate quarries on Texada Island, and for the Alberta-based Syncrude Canada Ltd., arguably the world s largest producer of crude oil from oil sands, as well as for Shell Canada s Albian Sands operation. Back in 1990, Highland Valley Copper became Synergy s first high profile Canadian client. Neuman s young start-up company soon proved it was up to the task of bringing cost-efficiencies to one of Canada s largest mining operations through the design, manufacture and supply of a special 2000 KVA mobile diesel generator set for moving mobile mining equipment. We didn t engineer their shovel mover, but we were responsible for the design of the mobile diesel gen set that is used to operate it, says Neuman. There s a diesel engine in it and it s running a generator that creates power. It solved a problem and created a real savings in life-cycle costs. Being able to put together this mobile set according to their specifications and have it work and continue to work over the years really went a long way toward establishing Synergy as a world-class solutions provider. It speaks volumes about how we bring greater efficiencies and cost-savings to our customers. The success of the initial project led to a steady stream of work at Highland Valley, where amongst other projects Synergy was hired to design, manufacture and supply a new overland conveyor drive system with a new improved PLC control system, switchgear, secondary resistors, contactor cabinets and three wound rotor motors. Overland conveyor drive system for Highland Valley Copper, including PLC control system, switchgear, secondary resistors, contactor cabinets and three wound rotor motors. In the mid-90s, Highland Valley Copper called upon Synergy to design and supply nine 800hp frequency drives systems, including the VFDs, transformers, motors and PLC control systems for a new tailings pumping station. We don t always implement an SRC solution, Neuman was careful to point out. In our engineering judgment, we want to provide the best solution for the client s application, and sometimes something other than an SRC is the appropriate solution. In 2001, acting on a recommendation from Synergy, Highland Valley Copper decided to replace six existing VFD pump drives with six 1250hp Wound Rotor Motor Slurry Pump Drives. Everybody was taking a big step forward and a fair amount of risk to see whether this would work or not, Neuman recalls. This was our first opportunity to apply SRC/WRIM solutions to a pumping application.the fact was that the VFD pump drives were costing too much to run. One of the major issues is electronics. In contrast, our SRC solution has no power electronics. The SRC is very robust and highly efficient, even with minimal speed control. It s an engineered system, meaning we create a unique design for each application, rather than selecting one off the rack. Another key issue is lifecycle costs. The SRC/WRIM solution is maintainable by the end-user and requires extremely low maintenance.we have systems that are operating in Highland Valley Copper SRC solutions for crushing and conveying applications at Syncrude Canada. 6

7 Texada Quarrying Total electrical packages, both for the replacement of the limestone crushing and materials handling system, and for the new portable aggregate plant at Texada Quarrying Ltd., Texada Island, British Columbia, Canada. Indonesia at high altitudes and humidity, and deep within tunnels, that haven t even had to have the cabinets opened for a number of years. Another high-profile client for Synergy in the Canadian West is Texada Quarrying Ltd. The original quarrying operation on Texada Island was built in 1973 to provide crushed limestone to the cement, agricultural and chemical industries. Operated by Texada Quarrying Ltd. in a joint-venture with Lafarge Canada Construction Materials Group, the plant underwent a major rebuild in 2000 to increase production, storage capacity, and flexibility. The crushing and materials transport equipment was replaced in the limestone quarrying operation including updated and new crushers, a new screen plant, a dozen vibratory feeders, and a total of 15 conveyors. At the other end of the property and totally independent from the limestone quarry, a portable aggregate plant was installed to supply the construction industry with a wide variety of products ranging from asphalt aggregate to crushed rock. Installed equipment included primary and secondary crushers, screen decks and a number of conveyors and stackers. Synergy Engineering Ltd. was contracted to provide the total electrical packages for both plants, including engineering the design of the power distribution system from KV downwards, the design of plant automation including PLC & HMI programming, the design and supply of multiple control rooms, prefabricated electrical rooms, substations, a 4160-volt motor control centre utilizing a Synergy wound rotor motor secondary resistance controller, plant lighting, fibre optic communications, PLC cabinets, field instrumentation devices and HMI control systems, as well as the provision of installation supervision and commissioning. Repeat business with customers such as Texada Quarrying and Teck Cominco has continued over the years and so has Synergy s long-term involvement with Syncrude Canada Ltd., the biggest player in the Alberta oil sands. Synergy s involvement in the oil sands began in 1993 when Rick Neuman conducted an engineering analysis of existing starting resistors and acceleration control schemes for Syncrude. He then designed a new improved system involving supply, manufacture and installation of a new drive station, controlling four 1250 hp Wound Rotor Induction Motors. Later on, Synergy was asked to design and supply Syncrude with custom manufactured Resistors and Rotor Contactor Cabinets for 1250hp and 900hp wound rotor motors for conveying and crushing applications. Synergy soon broadened its scope of offerings in the oil sands to include switchgear, control philosophy, and functional specifications in addition to its unique deliverables in SRC solutions. At the Aurora II phase of Syncrude s oil sands operation, Synergy was asked to design and supply wound rotor motor resistor equipment for a Surge Bin Feed Conveyor and Mix Box Feed Conveyor. On its next Syncrude project, Synergy engineered a retrofit of five wound rotor motors and SRCs for conveyor applications with specially designed automatic load-sharing function for oil sands. This added feature gives the customer more bang for his buck, says David Atkinson. It enables customers to have more flexibility.they can tweak things in the future to add functionality.there might be a change of use for a particular conveyor, so they re prepared for that, and they don t have the job done all over again.that makes it easier for them to respond to the changing configuration issues in the future. In the Canadian oil sands, business is booming, and Synergy is engaged in providing expertise and full-scale solutions to other mining operations now active in the area, including Albian Sands, owned by Shell Canada. Synergy has provided three 2600kW conveyor Secondary Resistive Controller drive packages and three single 800kW conveyor drive packages for their Albian Sands operation, and is leading the way in providing reliable, costeffective solutions in this region and around the world. One of the greatest strengths of the SRC product is the technological and operating life expectancy, says Rick Neuman. In most cases the technological life of a Variable Frequency Drive is five years, and the reliable operating life is ten to twelve years.with the SRC drive, the technological life is estimated to be in the range of 20 years, and the operating life in excess of 20 years. The Secondary Resistive Control solution that Synergy provides is designed with the basic standards of good engineering, which creates a system that is cost-effective, efficient, maintainable and, above all, reliable. Syncrude Canada Shell Canada 7

8 ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS FOR MATERIAL HANDLING VANCOUVER EDMONTON SANTIAGO, CHILE