UK Company B&W Mechanical Handling Limited, based in Ely, Cambridgeshire, has
recently commissioned its second major project in South America within the last 18 months.
Following on from the successful installation of its mobile shiploader at Port of Salaverry in
Peru, the company has now supplied a fully integrated system to AMEC International Chile
S.A. to handle copper concentrate.
The Carmen de Andacollo project in Chile is the latest landmark project in South America
on which AMEC is providing engineering and project management services. AMEC’s project
scope included a 55,000 tonnes per day concentrator with tailings and ancillary facilities
and its involvement started in the early planning stages, followed by feasibility design and
engineering, procurement and construction management services. The concentrator was
completed during 2009.
The Carmen de Andacollo mine is located in central Chile, adjacent to the town of
Andacollo, approximately 55km southeast of La Serena and 350km north of Santiago. The mine
is located near the southern limit of the Atacama Desert at an elevation of 1,000 metres. The contract also included the construction of new shiploading facilities at the nearby Port of Coquimbo to out
load the copper concentrate at rates up to 1,000tph (tonnes per hour).
B&W enjoys the benefits of being fully integrated into the substantial and respected international Aumund Group with
strategically placed offices in more than ten countries and representatives in over 40.
The integrated system comprises three main equipment types:
  • a 36 metre boom rubber-tyred mobile shiploader;
  • a mobile telescopic link conveyor with radial travel having
  • a closed length of 26 metres and extendable to 41 metres;
  • and a fixed-length link conveyor 20 metres long.
Working in combination these allow material which has
been transported to the quay area on a fixed conveyor
system to be transferred efficiently in to the vessels. The
effective linear travel capability for the system is around 100
metres.
This totally mobile system provides maximum operational
flexibility and enables trouble-free loading at any point into a
50,000dwt vessel. The equipment can be easily withdrawn
from the quayside and stowed when not in use retaining the
multi-use berth functionality for other commodities and
vessel types.
The deflected boom arrangement supported mid-span on
hydraulic lift cylinders giving an elevation of 15° to 30°,
enables efficient loading into a variety of vessel sizes up to a
freeboard height from the quay of 13.4 metres and beam of
30.0 metres. Full mobility is achieved by the inclusion of an
on-board 110kW diesel generator/electric drive combination
power pack and B&W’s unique ‘New Generation Travel’ wheel
system.
In addition to the powered in-line and parallel travel
offered on all machines this new system provides infinite
combinations of wheel alignment enabling extra features of
radial boom slewing and multi-angle crabbing. The new
system is achieved by independently moveable and rotating
wheel assemblies controlled via a PLC (programmable logic
controller).
At the shiploader delivery-end accurate ship trimming is
achieved through a steel telescopic trimming chute with a
variable fore and aft angle range of ±30°. At the base of the
telescopic trimming chute is a hydraulically driven 360° radial
trimmer. Dust is controlled throughout the system by the
inclusion of dust extraction units located at the tail transfer
point and the head end discharge position. Dust covers
provide additional protection over the length of the
conveyors.
The new system was commissioned in November 2009
Since no special civil works are required the mobile
shiploader may operate on any suitable existing quay area or
river berth using existing infrastructure thus drastically
reducing the capital cost of a new export facility with the
further benefit of fast track availability.
The flexibility and fast track availability offered by mobile
equipment allows the port operator to react to changing
market conditions taking advantage of often short-term
contracts.
In a rapidly changing export commodity market, the mobile
option may be confidently selected in the knowledge that the
equipment may be easily relocated or even resold if a
contract is terminated.