PROCESSING AREA: 40, 45, 50, 55 – Solvent Extraction (High/Low Grade), Ponds, Crud Treatment

OPERATING & TRAINING MANUAL

MMG
Kinsevere KPP-OTM-SX-001

OPERATING AND TRAINING MANUAL

KINSEVERE PROCESSING PLANT II

SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND

CRUD TREATMENT CIRCUITS

Kinsevere Stage 2 Copper Processing Plant Page 1 of 136

 PROCESSING AREA: 40, 45, 50, 55 – Solvent Extraction (High/Low Grade), Ponds, Crud Treatment
OPERATING & TRAINING MANUAL
MMG
Kinsevere KPP-OTM-SX-001

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES............................................................................3

AREA HAZARDS............................................................................................................................ 4
PPE............................................................................................................................................... 12
EMERGENCY RESPONSE.......................................................................................................... 13
REAGENTS – SOLVENT EXTRACTION …………………………………………..………………..14
SAFETY SHOWERS & EYE WASH STATIONS..........................................................................18
ISOLATION & TAGGING.............................................................................................................. 19
HOUSEKEEPING......................................................................................................................... 22
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CREWS......................................................................................23
PROCESS DESCRIPTION—SOLVENT EXTRACTION...............................................................24
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION....................................................................................................... 37
SOLVENT EXTRACTION THEORY............................................................................................. 64
PROCESS VARIABLES IN THE SX CIRCUIT.............................................................................90
PROCESS CONTROL................................................................................................................ 101
PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION............................................................................................... 103
CONTROL LOOPS – SOLVENT EXTRACTION........................................................................106
SEQUENCE START AND STOPS............................................................................................. 111
INTERLOCKS AND PERMISSIVES...........................................................................................112
AREA SPECIFIC OPERATOR DUTIES.....................................................................................118
TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................................................ 127
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP'S)..................................................................131
GLOSSARY OF TERMS............................................................................................................. 133
CRUD AND CLAY TREATMENT................................................................................................ 138

PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

SOLVENT EXTRACTION OPERATOR

Kinsevere Stage 2 Copper Processing Plant Page 2 of 136

 PROCESSING AREA: 40, 45, 50, 55 – Solvent Extraction (High/Low Grade), Ponds, Crud Treatment
OPERATING & TRAINING MANUAL
MMG
Kinsevere KPP-OTM-SX-001

AND CRUD TREATMENT OPERATOR

What are Responsibilities and Duties?

 Responsibilities are obligations and liabilities for which a person is held

accountable.

 Duties are specific actions and tasks for which a person is responsible

Solvent Extraction and Crud Treatment Circuit Operator:

 Ensure that the necessary PPE is worn at all times when operating the circuit

 Observe and follow all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) applicable for the
solvent extraction circuit

 Ensure that circuit operating parameters and outputs reach the targets set by the
Production Superintendent and Metallurgists

 Continuously aim to identify, rectify and report all hazards encountered within the
circuit

 Ensure that all requirements related to various permitting systems are carried out
and observed when applicable

 Where opportunities for improvement to SOP’s, equipment and the process are
identified, ensure that they are properly communicated and if required, assist in
their development and implementation

 Monitor circuit equipment for damage and wear, prevent additional damage and
wear from occurring when possible and ensure maintenance requirements are
communicated to the shift supervisor.

 Ensure that a high standard of housekeeping is maintained within the circuit

Kinsevere Stage 2 Copper Processing Plant Page 3 of 136

AREA HAZARDS
A hazard is defined as anything that can cause harm to people, the environment, or
damage to equipment. The solvent extraction and crud treatment circuits present a
number of occupational hazards. Some of these hazards include:

 Moving & rotating equipment – pumps, agitators, etc

 Manual handling
 Slips, trips and falls
 Confined spaces (eg vessels)
 Pressurised hoses and pipes
 Splashing
 Pressure pumps
 Organic—Diluent and Extractant
 Acidic solution
 Suspended loads
 Clay dust

It is important that all employees are able to determine and therefore identify hazards.
Once identified, and the risk or probability of the harm or damage occurring is
determined, controls can then be put in place to ensure that the risk is minimised. Some
of the hazards identified in and around the production circuits are discussed below:

“Moving & Rotating Equipment – Pumps, screws,

agitators etc”
Some of the equipment in the solvent extraction and crud
treatment circuit is capable of being started remotely or may
start automatically.
Moving or rotating equipment that can be started remotely or
automatically includes:
 Processing pumps
 Mixer tank and crud treatment agitators

Other points to take heed of when working around rotating equipment include the
following:

 Unless rotating or moving equipment has been properly isolated, locked and
tagged, no person is to perform any work on or within that equipment.
 Before equipment is started, ensure that guards and protective screens have
been put back into place
  Ensure that when you are working around rotating equipment and in close
proximity to protective guards, that you have tucked in loose clothing and if
applicable, long hair is tied back.

Pumps or any other

rotating equipment is NOT
to be operated without
protective guards installed

If work is to be done on this

pump, it must be properly
isolated, locked and tagged

“Manual Handling”

There are numerous tasks in the solvent extraction and crud

treatment circuits that involve manual handling. SOP’s or JHA’s
JSA’s will help pinpoint these, and will indicate whether gloves
should be worn to protect against nip points, or correct lifting
techniques are required in certain steps of a task.

Key considerations to remember when performing tasks that

require manual handling are:

 If required, ensure equipment is isolated before performing the task

 Wear industrial gloves when performing manual handling, to avoid cut and
abrasion injuries on hands
 Wear PVC or rubber gloves when handling acidic, organic or chemical solutions
 Use the correct lifting techniques when shoveling or lifting, pulling, pushing or
carrying heavy or awkwardly positioned objects; enlist the help of another person
or a lifting machine (forklift, crane, winch, hand trolley) if possible when lifting
heavy objects
 Use the correct posture when opening or closing manually operated valves

Ensure PVC gloves are

used whenever handling
reagents or chemicals
 Use team lifting when lifting Wear industrial gloves when
and carrying heavier loads performing manual handling

“Slips, Trips and Falls”

Walkways and steps often become slippery when wet,
particularly when fine dust coats the steps and walkways,
and hosing down or rain has occurred, therefore necessary
care must be taken.

All potential trip hazards (i.e. hoses, rubbish, and tools)

must be removed from steps and walkways as soon as
possible, or at the completion of the job. If necessary
danger or caution tape should be utilised to ensure all
personnel are aware of such hazards.

Running is not permitted within the solvent extraction or crud treatment circuit at any
time. When using stairs, keep hands out of pockets and use hand rails.

Beware of slippery areas in the bunded areas, due to aqueous or organic spillages.

Beware when crossing a bunded area that has a depth of organic or aqueous solution in
it—it could conceal submerged objects such as hoses that may cause a trip hazard.

Ensure the working area is clear and unobstructed before commencing tasks.

When the bunded

area is full of slurry
and solution, beware
of submerged objects
such as hoses

“Confined Spaces”
The solvent extraction and crud treatment circuits contain several vessels that are
considered to be confined spaces, such as the primary and secondary mixers, the
settlers, the organic, electrolyte and crud treatment tanks

No confined space is to be entered at any time unless a confined space permit has been
properly raised and authorised. Persons entering a confined space must have
undergone the Kinsevere site approved confined space training or equivalent.

A permit to work and

a confined space
entry permit needs to
be completed before
entering a confined
space

If in doubt, ask your supervisor as to what is classified as a confined space before

undertaking any task which may involve working inside a confined space.

“Pressurised Hoses and Pipes”

Ensure hoses have been depressurized before disconnecting them from supply lines
Ensure they are secure when re-connecting them and fitted with minsup clips where
possible.
After use, roll hoses up so that they don’t become trip hazards

Ensure all hose

connections are fitted
with minsup clips

Ensure all hose

connections are fitted
with hose clamps

When walking around and working in the solvent extraction and crud treatment area, be
on the constant lookout for burst or leaking pipes and flange gaskets. This is especially
applies to pipes carrying organic solution, which, when leaking or spraying
uncontrollably, represents an increased fire hazard in the solvent extraction/crud
treatment area. If fine droplets of organic settle on a pump that has been heated up, or
some other form of ignition source, then a fire may result

Report any defects immediately to the shift supervisor and the maintenance department
so that it can be monitored and if necessary repaired.

In the case of a broken or leaking organic line:

 Inform the shift supervisor and CRO so that he can
switch off the pump responsible for the leaking organic
 Clean up the organic spill via a hose and the area sump
pumps as soon as possible
 Await instructions from the shift supervisor

“Splashing”
Ensure that safety glasses are worn to protect from splashing whilst using the hose or
taking samples. Use monogoggles if the SOP or JSA JHA for the task advises you to do
so.
Never walk through or perform work in the processing plant without wearing safety
eyewear.

Wear safety glasses

when hosing

“Pressure Pumps”
The process pumps used in this circuit generate considerable pressure.
Be vigilant and careful when present in the vicinity of any pump or pipe connected to a
pumping system.
If a pump is bogged or blocked and has been dead-heading, allow the contents inside
the pump to cool before opening any drain valve.
Do not operate a pump unless the guards are in place, and never perform any work on
or in a pump unless it has been stopped and isolated.
 If a pump has been
bogged or operating with
no discharge flow, ensure
solution/slurry has been
cooled before opening
any drain valve

“Organic—Diluent and Extractant”

Organic is circulated throughout the solvent extraction and crud treatment circuits.
 Wear PVC gloves when handling organic, as repeated contact with no protection
may cause skin dryness.
 When performing tasks or checks in areas where organic mist concentrations are
high, wear a suitable respirator fitted with a canister that filters organic vapours—
a normal dustmask is not suitable in this case.
 Ensure that eye protection is worn at all times when present in the SX area.
 Be careful when walking around these areas. Be wary of leaks, and report them if
any are observed.
 Regularly ensure that safety showers are in a good serviceable condition.

The diluent component of the organic solution (ie, approximately 90% of organic make-
up) is combustible, and will readily ignite and burn if a source of ignition (lighters,
matches, cigarettes, welding and oxy-acetylene cutting equipment, electronic devices )
is contacted with organic vapours.
Therefore, ignition sources are strictly prohibited in the SX area, and any maintenance or
operational activities that may involve any risk of producing a source of ignition must be
authorised through the approved permit to work, JSA JHA and hot work permit
system.

Each solvent extraction and crud treatment operator must be:

 Familiar with and confident in executing emergency procedures involving fire in
the SX area
 Thoroughly familiar with the location of firefighting equipment
 Trained in first response firefighting techniques To avoid SX fires such as this
one, it is imperative that:

 All ignition sources are

prevented from entering the
SX area
 Any work involving risk of
ignition is assessed by a
permit to work, JSA JHA
and hot work permit
“Acidic Solution”
Raffinate, PLS and electrolyte solution continuously circulates through the SX and crud
treatment circuits.
 All of these solutions contain sulphuric acid, which is corrosive and can cause
damage to eyes and skin.
 Wear protective eyewear at all times in the SX and crud treatment circuit, and
wear PVC gloves if contacting solution in these circuits.
Be careful when walking around these areas. Be wary of leaks, and report them if any
are observed.
Regularly ensure that safety showers are in a good, serviceable condition.
 Wear safety glasses and
PVC gloves when handling
raffinate, PLS or electrolyte
solutions

“Suspended Loads”
Wooden pallets containing bags of clay are lifted by a crane onto the platform adjacent
to the crud tank so that the clay can be emptied into the crud tank using the bag breaker.

 When the lifting task is being conducted, chains must be drawn at ground level
around the area to prevent people from walking under suspended loads.
 Do not cross over the chains when they are in place during hoisting operations.

“Clay Dust”

When loading bags of clay into the crud tank, large quantities of clay dust may be
dispersed into the surrounding atmostphere
Ensure that you wear a dustmask, monogoggles and gloves when performing this task

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

Mandatory PPE that must be worn in the solvent extraction and crud treatment circuit
when outside of the control room are:
 Steel Capped Footwear
 Hard Hat
 Eye Protection
 Hi –Vis Clothing

Additional PPE that may be required to be worn by the operator whilst working in the
area are:
 Respirator fitted with Organic vapour filtering canister
 PVC Gloves
 Monogoggles
 Dustmask

Points to remember when wearing PPE are:

 Ensure that you wear the correct PPE for the task
 Ensure that the PPE fits you correctly
 Clean PPE after use
 Replace PPE if it becomes damaged or worn out

SOP’s and JSA’s JHA’s will also indicate which other PPE should be worn whilst
carrying out certain tasks in these circuits.

If an SOP to perform a task is not available, then a JSA JHA must be completed
before performing the task, so that the required PPE can be identified.

Wear safety glasses and PVC gloves when hosing and handling raffinate, PLS,
electrolyte and organic solutions
EMERGENCY RESPONSE

In the event of an emergency, the muster point assembly point is located west of the
Sulfuric Acid area.

Other emergency response equipment includes:

 Fire hydrant boxes containing a hydrant, hose and branch are located on the
East and West sides of the CCD area.
 A fire reel is located near the control room and other locations around the plant.
 Fire extinguishers are situated in several locations around the plant.
REAGENTS—SOLVENT EXTRACTION
A reagent is a chemical substance that is used for the following purposes:
 To measure another substance
 To detect another substance
 To react with another substance

The reagents that are present in the solvent extraction and crud treatment areas are:
 Dilute sulphuric acid present in the raffinate, PLS and electrolyte solutions
 Diluent
 Extractant
 Clay

Raffinate is a weakly acidic aqueous solution. It mainly consists of water, but also
contains small amounts of:
 Sulphuric acid, at a concentration of approximately 15g/l
 Copper sulphate, at a concentration of approximately 1g/l 0.1 - 0.5 g/l to the Low
Grade Circuit and no more than 1 g/l to the High Grade.
 Trace amounts of other impurities that have been dissolved in the leaching process,
such as iron, manganese, chlorides, silicas

Raffinate is generally brown in colour, due to it having lost its copper to the organic in the
extraction mixer-settlers.
It can be pink in colour when it as recovered dissolved cobalt.

High grade raffinate reports to the high grade raffinate pond and then to the grinding and
acid leach areas where it is used to leach, or dissolve, acid-soluble copper minerals from
the ore.

During the leaching process, the colour of the raffinate will progressively turn light blue
green in colour as it recovers dissolved copper and becomes PLS solution.

Low grade raffinate reports to the low grade raffinate pond and then to the CCD circuit,
where it is used to recover copper in the leach discharge slurry. Some low grade
raffinate is used for gland seal solution on pumps, and slurry dilution.

PLS is also a weak acidic solution which is very similar to raffinate solution, with the
exception that it is slightly richer in dissolved copper and slightly weaker in acid tenor.
PLS enters the SX circuit from the high and low grade PLS ponds, from where it is
pumped into the respective E1 primary mixer tanks.

After exiting E1 and E2 mixer settlers and having transferred its copper to the organic,
the PLS is now referred to as raffinate and reports to its respective raffinate pond (high
and low grade)
It is worth noting that although raffinate, PLS and electrolyte solution contains varying
quantities of sulphuric acid, concentrated sulphuric acid is not added to any part of the
solvent extraction of crud treatment circuits.

Raffinate (left) and PLS (right) solutions

Electrolyte is a stronger acidic aqueous solution. It also mainly consists of water, but
contains higher quantities of:
 Sulphuric acid, at a concentration of between 150-180g/l, pH of approximately 1.0
 Copper sulphate, at a concentration of between 35-50g/l 35 - 55 g/l
 Trace amounts of other, undesirable impurities (eg iron, manganese, chlorides) that
have been dissolved in the leaching process and been introduced into the electrolyte
stream via contamination of PLS and chemical extraction by the organic

Electrolyte is cobalt-blue deep blue in colour, due to it having a higher concentration of

copper ions.

Electrolyte circulates through the high grade and low grade strip mixer-settlers (S1 and
S2), before transferring to the electrolyte filtration and electrowinning tankhouse.
Eventually it completes its circuit by returning from the tankhouse to the strip mixer-
settlers.

Copper electrolyte solution,

a deep blue colour
Diluent (Shellsol 2046) is a colourless hydrocarbon solvent, which is similar to kerosene
but with modifiers added to make it suitable to the SX process
 It is used as a diluting solution for the chemical extractant (see below).
 When combined with the extractant at a 9:1 ratio, the diluent and extractant solutions
form the overall organic solution that is used in the SX circuit (a similar comparison
would be diluting cordial with water)
 The diluent is insoluble is water, and because of its lighter density (0.8 specific
gravity, with water being 1.0), will float on water when not subjected to mixing forces.
After exiting the secondary mixer in each of the mixer-settlers, the organic will quickly
separate from the aqueous solutions
 Diluent is pumped from the diluent storage tanks via the diluent transfer pump 84-
PU-188 to the high and low grade S1 settler when the organic inventory in the SX
circuit becomes too low
 Diluent is combustible, therefore adequate and site-approved safeguards must be
adhered to when working with diluent (eg, strictly no ignition sources, utilization and
adherence to hot work permits)

Diluent storage area—strict procedures and safeguards must be adhered

to in the SX and diluent storage areas

Extractant (LIX ? Acorga ?) ACORGA) is one of the key reagents in the SX process
 It is amber in colour and reasonably viscous in consistency
 It completely dissolves in the diluent (at a ratio of approximately one part extractant
to nine parts diluent) to form the organic solution, which circulates through the
extractant and strip mixer-settlers, extracting copper from the PLS and transferring it
to the electrolyte
 Because the extractant is formulated to specifically target copper ions present in the
PLS solution, it is thus responsible for the high copper purity and concentration of
copper in the electrolyte solution
 The extractant arrives on-site in 1000 litre containers and is manually discharged in
small quantities into the SX area sumps. From there, depending on whether the
 extractant is to go to the high grade or low grade circuit, the area sump pump will
pump it into the E1 settler

Extractant is delivered
onsite in 1000 litre
containers. It is combined
with diluent to form the
organic solution

HANDLING OF REAGENTS

When handling raffinate, PLS, electrolyte and organic (extractant and diluent) solutions,
the following rules should be observed:

 Wear PVC gloves to avoid skin reactions

 Wear safety glasses to avoid contact of raffinate in your eyes
 Always wash thoroughly before eating or drinking
 No eating/drinking/smoking in the vicinity of reagents

If raffinate does make contact with your eyes or skin:

 Proceed to emergency shower

 Wash contaminated area
 Remove or wash contaminated clothing
 Notify Shift Supervisor if splashing into eyes or swallowing of any of these solutions
has occurred

All reagents that are used on site have material safety data sheets (MSDS) that
outline all precautions, safe handling, mixing, storage, disposal, PPE, emergency and
first aid requirements that apply with respect to the reagent.

These MSDS are located in the control room… and should be referred to if you have any
questions or doubts with regards to the reagent.

SAFETY SHOWERS & EYE WASH STATIONS

 Safety showers and eye wash stations are located ;
- in front of every extraction/strip mixer
- in front of every settler
to the low grade as well as the high grade circuit....

Each unit is identified with a green fluorescent light and a green sign.

The shower is activated by pulling down on the handle.

The eye wash station is activated by either pushing the hand tab or standing on the foot
bar.

Pull down handle to

Pull down handle to activate shower
activate shower

Push hand tab or

foot bar to activate
eyewash station

Safety showers and eyewash stations should be

checked for correct operation when performing
tasks that involve handling, or being in proximity
with, hazardous substances
ISOLATION & TAGGING
No work is to take place in or on any equipment in the solvent extraction or crud
treatment circuits unless it has been:

 Stopped using Citect

 Positively isolated—opening the circuit breaker for the equipment in the
Electrowinning MCC, or closing a valve controlling the flow of air or fluid/crud etc
 Locked/tagged—to ensure that the isolating mechanism cannot be tampered with
 Start-tested to ensure that the isolation is in fact effective, and that the equipment
won’t start.

Only an authorised isolator can perform isolations on equipment, or complete an

Isolation Plan.

The Electrowinning Area MCC room contains the various permits, lockout devices, locks,
lock boxes and tags required to correctly complete the isolation process.

The Kinsevere approved permit to work and isolation process must be followed when
performing isolations.

Information relating to the permit to work and isolation processes can be found in the
procedures and training modules for these processes.
What Are Some Tasks in the Solvent Extraction/Crud Treatment
Circuit that Require Isolation and Tagging of Equipment?

These are some tasks that will require isolation of equipment before the task is to be
commenced:

OPERATIONAL ISSUE REQUIRING EQUIPMENT THAT WOULD

CORRECTION REQUIRE ISOLATION
 Repair/replace impeller high grade  High grade loaded organic pump 40-PU-
loaded organic pump 063 (MCC isolation)
40-PU-063 o Suction valve closed (manual butterfly
valve)
o Discharge valve closed (manual butterfly
valve)
o Drain valves open

 Clean solids residues out of E1 low  E1 low grade mixer tank no. 1 agitator 45-
grade settler AG-032
 E1 low grade mixer tank no. 2 agitator 45-
Note: a confined space entry permit will AG-033
be required in addition to the permit to  Low grade loaded organic pump 45-PU-
073 (MCC isolation)
work and isolation plan o 45-PU-073 Suction valve closed (manual
butterfly valve)
o 45-PU-073 Discharge valve closed
(manual butterfly valve)
o 45-PU-073 Drain valves open
 Low grade PLS feed pump 50-PU-088
(MCC isolation)
o 50-PU-088 Discharge valve closed
(manual butterfly valve)
o 50-PU-088 Drain valves open
 PLS and loaded organic inlet valves into
mixer tank no.1
 Low grade aqueous bleed pump 45-PU-
074 (MCC isolation)
o 45-PU-074 Suction valve closed (manual
butterfly valve)
o 45-PU-074 Discharge valve closed
(manual butterfly valve)
o 45-PU-074 Drain valves open
 Inlet valve from crud pump 55-PU-098 (and
blanked)
 Inlet valves on area sump pumps 45-PU-
077 and 45-PU-078 (blanked off)


 Do welding repairs on gridmesh near  NOT PERMITTED without a HOT WORK

low grade sump pump No. 1 PERMIT authorised by the Process
45-PU-077 Manager
 Replace hose on centrifuge feed pump  Centrifuge feed pump 55-PU-096 (MCC
55-PU-096 isolation)
o 55-PU-096 Suction valves closed (seven
manual butterfly valves)
o 55-PU-096 Discharge valve to crud
centrifuge closed (manual ball valve)
o 55-PU-096 Discharge valve to crud
recovered solution tank closed (manual
ball valve)
o 55-PU-096 Drain valves open

Tasks such as the ones outlined in the table above will have need to:

 Have a permit to work form completed

 Have an equipment isolation permit completed that fully documents:
o the scope of the task
o the extent of isolations required to perform the task
o the type of lockout method needed for each isolation
o other types of permits that may be required to perform the task
HOUSEKEEPING
Housekeeping is a term used to describe the constant process of keeping a processing
circuit clean. In the solvent extraction and crud treatment circuits, this is a daily task.
Many injuries sustained in a processing circuit can be attributable to poor housekeeping.

Examples of poor housekeeping is rubbish, hoses, tools, rocks and other objects that
obstruct walkways, stairs and working areas. Working around industrial equipment is
difficult and risky enough, without the additional complication of stumbling, slipping,
tripping or falling over due to poor housekeeping.

In the solvent extraction and crud treatment circuit, there is the additional requirement of
cleaning up organic spills as soon as possible in order to reduce the risk of fire
hazards.

Everything that is allowed to build up on stairs and elevated walkways imparts a level of
risk. Objects can fall through gridmesh, or be kicked over the side of walkways or
platforms, resulting in the potential for people and equipment being struck from above.

Other housekeeping guidelines include:

 All rubbish is to be placed in the appropriate bin as soon as it is generated.
 Stairs and walkways must be kept clear.
 Material and objects must always be neatly stacked on stable and level ground
capable of carrying the weight of the stack.
 All unnecessary items must be removed from the workplace.
 Minsup clips must be used on all hoses, and hoses must be rolled up when not in
use.

Roll up hoses after use, and clean

Clean up all rubbish from
up organic spills as soon as
stairs and walkways
possible to minimise the risk of fire.
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CREWS
The transfer of information between operators, supervisors and managers helps
everyone to understand what is happening within our process so that then we can more
safely and efficiently control it.

Communicating information to the relieving operator ensures that the oncoming operator
is fully aware of any issues and activities encountered during the previous shift.

A logsheet is present in the control room so that the following information of events that
occurred during the shift can be recorded:

 Performance of the solvent extraction/crud treatment circuit, for example:

o How well the targeted copper tenors are being maintained
o PLS and raffinate pond levels are being maintained
o Phase continuities are being maintained
o Entrainments are being minimised
o Any issues with pump or agitator performances
o Correct sampling is being maintained
o Any SX circuit being bypassed
o Performance of the tri-canter
o The number of batches of crud that have been processed

 Maintenance issues that are relevant to acid leach area, for example:
o Equipment failures or breakages that have occurred during the shift
o Equipment that is wearing out and requires especially vigilant monitoring
—eg a mechanical seal on a loaded organic pump that is beginning to
wear out

 Specific requirements demanded by management that has varied from previous

shifts. This could include:
o A change in the blend of ore fed into the crusher/mill that requires
additional extractant to be added
o Changes in the required flowrates of organic, PLS, recycle

It is essential that this type of information is recorded in the logsheet and then verbally
transmitted to the oncoming operator at the change of a shift so that effective
communication is maintained.

Information is also available on the white board in the control room regarding
metallurgical requirements for the solvent extraction/crud treatment circuit.

Cooperation across crews is also vital. Each crew must do their fair share of
housekeeping and maintenance tasks. Whilst operating the solvent extraction and crud
treatment circuit to achieve maximum production is the aim of the operation, it should not
be at the expense of conducting housekeeping when required, or allowing a build up of
solution in the bunded areas of the circuit, or continuing to operate equipment that
should be shutdown for maintenance.
PROCESS DESCRIPTION—SOLVENT EXTRACTION

PURPOSE OF THE SOLVENT EXTRACTION (SX) CIRCUIT

The Solvent Extraction Circuit is the stage in the process that comes after high grade
thickening/CCD/clarification, and before electrowinning. The solvent extraction operator
and the CRO are responsible for the safe and effective operation of this circuit.

The main purpose of the solvent extraction circuit is to:

 Maximise copper recovery from the PLS into the organic in the extraction mixer-
settlers, whilst minimizing the transfer of impurities that are present in the PLS
 Transfer copper from the loaded organic into the electrolyte in the strip mixer-
settlers, so that the electrolyte becomes rich in copper and as free of impurities
as possible

The solvent extraction area consists of a high grade and a low grade circuit, with the
main difference between them being the source and copper tenor of their respective
PLS sources, and the destination and copper tenor of their raffinate streams.

In all other respects, the low grade and high grade SX circuits are practically identical
in design, construction and operating principles, therefore the following process
description applies to both the low and high grade circuits.

During solvent extraction operations, the set targeted specifications include:

 Maintaining organic and PLS flowrates (at the correct mixer O:A ratio) in the high
grade SX circuit so that the copper tenor in the raffinate is no more than 1.0g/l
 Maintaining organic and PLS flowrates in the low grade SX circuit so that the
copper tenor in the raffinate is no more than 0.10g/l no more than 0.5 g/l.
 Maintaining a suitable quantity of extractant in the organic so that the above
raffinate copper tenors can be achieved
 Maintaining electrolyte flowrates (spent electrolyte and recycle) and a suitable
acid concentration in the electrolyte so that maximum amount of copper can be
stripped from the loaded organic in the strip mixer-settlers
 Minimizing the loss of organic in the high and low grade raffinate streams to
levels that are less than 10ppm
 Minimizing the loss of organic in the high and low grade strong electrolyte
streams to levels that are less than 10ppm

The above parameters may change to suit various operating conditions. These will be
communicated regularly via the white board in the Control Room and will be relayed
verbally when necessary at the daily pre-shift meetings.
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF SOLUTION FLOWS IN THE SX CIRCUIT
 PLS from the PLS ponds has its copper removed by the organic in the extraction
mixer-settlers (E1 and E2)
 The PLS, on exiting the two extraction mixer-settlers, becomes raffinate and
flows into the raffinate pond
 High grade PLS is sourced from the high grade clarifier overflow
 Low grade PLS is sourced from the low grade clarifier overflow

 Raffinate from the raffinate ponds is pumped to several locations:

o High grade raffinate is pumped to the grinding and classification area and the
acid leach area where it assists in the leaching process
o Low grade raffinate is pumped to:
 CCD3,4 and 5 feed tanks to assist in copper recovery in the CCD’s
 it is also used as CCD underflow pump density control solution
 and gland solution for the gland seals on slurry pumps

 The organic, having extracted copper from the PLS in the extraction mixer
settler (E1 and E2), flows to the loaded organic tanks. The majority of entrained
aqueous in the organic settles to the bottom of the organic tanks and is removed
from the tanks by the aqueous bleed pumps, being pumped to either E1 settler or
the crud tank
 The loaded organic is then pumped by the loaded organic pump to the strip
mixer-settlers, where it has its copper removed from it by the high-acid
electrolyte in the strip mixer-settlers (S1 and S2)
 The organic, on exiting the two strip mixer-settlers, has now become stripped
organic, and returns to the extract mixer settlers to once again extract copper
from incoming PLS. It then become loaded once more
 Periodically, fresh diluent and extractant are added to the circuit in order to
maintain organic volume in the circuit, which may decrease due to organic losses
(due to entrainment in outgoing aqueous flows, evaporation, spills etc)

 Spent electrolyte, having had copper removed from it in the electrowinning cells
(now having a copper tenor of 35 g/l), returns via heat exchangers to the strip
mixer-settlers (S1 and S2) to remove copper from loaded organic
 The electrolyte, after exiting the two strip mixer-settlers, is now strong, and has a
copper tenor of approximately 55 g/l 50 g/l.
 After collection in the advanced and strong electrolyte tanks, it is pumped to and
filtered in the electrolyte dual media filters.
 From there the filtered strong electrolyte is pumped through the heat exchangers
to the polishing and then commercial electrowinning cells, where copper is once
more deposited onto cathodes
 The electrolyte (now spent electrolyte again) is collected in the spent electrolyte
tank and pumped once more to the strip mixer-settlers to collect more copper
from the organic
  Crud is recovered from the high grade and low grade settlers where it is pumped
to the crud tank 55-TK-072.
 From there, clean organic and aqueous is decanted and returned to the SX
circuit, whilst the crud is treated in the crud centrifuge.
 After treatment, recovered organic is returned to the SX circuit, whilst waste
solids are pumped to the tails surge tank for final disposal

SX SOLUTION FLOWS IN MIXERS AND SETTLERS

The following description outlines the flows at each stage in the SX process. The specific
equipment tags in each stage are identified in each of the tables. Each flow diagram
illustrates the process flows for each stage.

PLS pond to E1 Primary Mixer

PLS is pumped from the PLS pond to the first extraction mixer, E1 mixer tank no.1, via
the PLS feed pump at a nominal flowrate of 630 m3/h 650 m3/h, and a copper tenor of
2.10 4 to 12 g/l.

High Grade PLS Low Grade PLS

High grade PLS feed pump Low grade PLS feed pump
PLS feed pump 50-PU-084 50-PU-088
Flowrate: 630 m3/h 650m3/h Flowrate: 630 m3/h 650 m3/h
Cu tenor: 11.0 g/l 10 – 12 g/l Cu tenor: 2.1 g/l 4 – 6 g/l

E1 Mixer-Settler Flow Description (High Grade and Low Grade Circuits)

S2 Settler S1 Settler E2 Settler E1 Settler

Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow

S2 S2 S1 S1 E2 E2 E1 E1
Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1

Partially-loaded organic

Partially-depleted PLS
Loaded Organic

Strong
Electrolyte
Tank LOT 2 LOT 1

Raffinate PLS
Pond Pond PLS to E1 Mixer Tank No.1
 In E1 primary mixer, PLS (the aqueous phase) is mixed with partially loaded
organic (the organic phase) that has been discharged from E2 settler. The
nominal organic flowrate through both high grade and low grade circuits is 830
m3/h 850 m3/h
 In E1 primary mixer, the organic extracts some of the copper from the PLS, in a
time period of approximately 2 minutes.
 The mixture of PLS and organic then overflows into E1 secondary mixer, where
further mixing of PLS and organic occurs for approximately 2 minutes. The
organic extracts some more copper from the PLS.
 The mixture then discharges from E1 secondary mixer into the rear of E1 settler.
At this point in time:
o the PLS has become partially-depleted PLS (as copper has been
extracted from it)
o the organic has become loaded organic (as it has become fully loaded
with copper after having mixed with aqueous in E1 and E2 mixer settlers)
 The mixture in the rear of the settler (referred to as ‘dispersion’) flows through
three sets of picket fences located at the rear of the settler, which serve to evenly
distribute the dispersion throughout the width of the settler, and promote early
separation of the organic and aqueous phases

Copper transfer between organic and

Organic and aqueous takes place inside mixers
aqueous
phases mix
together

Settler

Organic inlet

Mixer Tank
Aqueous inlet No.2
Mixer Tank
No.1
  After passing through the picket fences, the organic and aqueous now enter a
calming area in the settler where the two phases can gradually separate from
one another, with the organic floating on top of the aqueous.
 After approximately 15 minutes spent in the settler, the organic, having almost
entirely separated from the aqueous phase, flows over the organic weir into the
organic launder, and flows by gravity into the loaded organic tank no.1
 The aqueous flows underneath the organic and organic launder, and then flows
over the aqueous weir and into the aqueous launder. From there, it is pumped by
the E2 primary mixer into the E2 primary mixer tank

LAYOUT OF SX SETTLERS Aqueous

launder
Organic
Picket Organic launder Aqueous
fences overflow weir overflow weir
(adjustable)

Direction of flow

Organic phase
Flow from Flow
mixer Dispersion
tank no.2
Flow Aqueous phase

Dispersion separates
into organic and
aqueous phases Organic discharge Aqueous discharge

TYPICAL SETTLER DISCHARGE LAYOUT

The following photo depicts what occurs at the discharge end of each settler in the SX
circuit. Note:
 How the organic floats on top of the aqueous (ie, the PLS in E1and E2, and
electrolyte in S1 and S2)
 How the aqueous flows under the organic launder before overflowing the
aqueous weir, where it is then collected in the aqueous launder
 Organic launder Organic overflows
the organic weir

Organic
Aqueous flows under phase
the organic launder,
over the aqueous weir
and into the aqueous
launder
Aqueous
phase

Summary of flows in/out of E1 mixer-settler:

Organic Phase:
 Partially loaded organic enters E1 primary mixer from E2 settler (830 m3/h 850
m3/h)
 It exits E1 settler as loaded organic and flows into the loaded organic tank no.1
(830 m3/h 850 m3/h)

Aqueous Phase:
 PLS enters E1 primary mixer from the PLS pond (630 m3/h650 m3/h)
 It exits E1 settler as partially-depleted PLS and is pumped into E2 primary mixer
(630 m3/h 650 m3/h)

High Grade Low Grade

E1 Mixer No.1 E1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 E1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
40-TK-023 45-TK-042
E1 Mixer No.1 Agitator E1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 E1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
Agitator 40-AG-021 Agitator 45-AG-032
E1 Mixer No.2 E1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 E1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
40-TK-024 45-TK-043
E1 Mixer No.2 Agitator E1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 E1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
Agitator 40-AG-022 Agitator 45-AG-033
E1 Settler E1 high grade settler E1 low grade settler
40-TK-025 45-TK-044
Loaded Organic Tank High grade loaded organic tank Low grade loaded organic tank
No.1 no.1 40-TK-035 no.1 45-TK-054

E2 Mixer-Settler Flow Description (High Grade and Low Grade Circuits)

  In E2 mixer tank no.1, partially depleted PLS (the aqueous phase) from E1 settler
is mixed with stripped organic (the organic phase) that has been discharged from
S1 settler.
 In the mixer, the organic extracts copper from the aqueous, in a time period of
approximately 2 minutes.
 The mixture of aqueous and organic then overflows into the E2 mixer tank no.2,
where further mixing of aqueous and organic phase occur. The organic extracts
more copper from the aqueous, again in a time frame of approximately 2
minutes.
 The mixture then discharges from E2 mixer tank no.2 into the rear of E2 settler.
At this point in time:
o the aqueous has become raffinate (as copper has been extracted from it)
o the organic has become partially-loaded organic (as it has become
partially loaded with copper after having mixed with aqueous in E2
mixers)
 The mixture (referred to as ‘dispersion’) flows into the settler and separates into
distinct organic and aqueous phases in the same way as what occurred in E1
settler
 After approximately 15 minutes spent in the settler, the organic, having almost
entirely separated from the aqueous phase, flows over the organic weir into the
organic launder, and is then pumped into E1 mixer tank no.1
 The aqueous, flowing underneath the organic and organic launder, flows over the
aqueous weir and into the aqueous launder. From there, it is flows by gravity to
the raffinate pond

S2 Settler S1 Settler E2 Settler E1 Settler

Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow

S2 S2 S1 S1 E2 E2 E1 E1
Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1

Stripped organic Partially-loaded organic

Partially-depleted PLS

Strong Raffinate LOT 2 LOT 1

Electrolyte
Tank

Raffinate
Summary of flows in/out of E2 mixer-settler: PLS
Pond Pond
Organic Phase:
 Stripped organic enters E2 mixer tank 1 from S1 settler (830 m3/h 850 m3/h)
  It exits E2 settler as partially-loaded organic and flows into E1 mixer tank no.1
(830 m3/h850 m3/h)

Aqueous Phase:
 Partially-depleted PLS enters E2 mixer tank no.1 from E1 settler (630 m3/h 650
m3/h)
 It exits E2 settler as raffinate and flows by gravity into the raffinate pond (630
m3/h 650 m3/h), having a copper tenor lesser than 1.0 g/l of 0.13 g/l to the high
grade(as opposed to 2.10 g/l 10-12 g/l when discharged from the high grade PLS
pond), and no more than 0.5 g/l to the low grade (as opposed to 2-4 g/l when
discharged from the low grade PLS pond).

High Grade Low Grade

E2 Mixer No.1 E2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 E2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
40-TK-026 45-TK-045
E2 Mixer No.1 Agitator E2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 E2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
Agitator 40-AG-023 Agitator 45-AG-034
E2 Mixer No.2 E2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 E2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
40-TK-027 45-TK-046
E2 Mixer No.2 Agitator E2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 E2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
Agitator 40-AG-024 Agitator 45-AG-035
E2 Settler E2 high grade settler E2 low grade settler
40-TK-028 45-TK-047
Loaded Organic Tank High grade loaded organic tank Low grade loaded organic tank
No.1 no.1 40-TK-035 no.1 45-TK-054
Raffinate Pond High grade raffinate pond Low grade raffinate pond
Cu tenor in pond: 1.30 g/l lesser Cu tenor in pond: 0.13 g/l no
than 1.0 g/l more than 0.5 g/l
 S1 Mixer-Settler Flow Description (High Grade and Low Grade Circuits)

S2 Settler S1 Settler E2 Settler E1 Settler

Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow

S2 S2 S1 S1 E2 E2 E1 E1
Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1

Partially stripped
organic Stripped organic

Partially-strong electrolyte

Strong Spent electrolyte LOT 2 LOT 1

Electrolyte
Tank

From Heat
Exchangers
Raffinate PLS
Pond Pond

 In S1 mixer tank no.1, spent electrolyte (the aqueous phase) pumped from the
spent electrolyte pump no.1 and no.2 (60-PU-108 and 60-PU-109 via the
electrolyte trimming heat exchanger) is mixed with partially stripped organic (the
organic phase) that has been discharged from S2 settler.
o The spent electrolyte has a copper tenor of 35 g/l
 In S1 mixer tank no.1, the aqueous, due to its high acidity, strips copper from the
organic, in a timeframe of approximately 2 minutes.
 The aqueous and organic then overflows into the S1 mixer tank no.2, where
further mixing of aqueous and organic phases occur. The aqueous strips more
copper from the organic, again in a time frame of approximately 2 minutes.
 The mixture then discharges from S1 mixer tank no.2 into the rear of S1 settler.
At this point in time,
o the aqueous has become partially-strong electrolyte (as it is now richer in
copper tenor)
o the organic has become stripped organic (as it become stripped of its
copper after having been mixed with the high-acidity electrolyte/aqueous
solution in S2 and S1 mixers)
 The mixture (referred to as ‘dispersion’) flows into the S1 settler and separates
into distinct organic and aqueous phases in the same way as what occurred in
 E1 and E2 settlers
 After approximately 15 minutes spent in the settler, the organic, having almost
entirely separated from the aqueous phase, flows over the organic weir into the
organic launder, and is then pumped into E2 mixer tank no.1
 The aqueous, flowing underneath the organic and organic launder, flows over the
aqueous weir and into the aqueous launder. From there, it is pumped into S2
mixer tank no.1

Summary of flows in/out of S1 mixer-settler:

Organic Phase:
 Partially-stripped organic enters S1 mixer tank 1 from S2 settler (830 m3/h 850
m3/h)
 It exits S1 settler as stripped organic and flows into E2 mixer tank no.1, where it
will begin loading up with copper (830 m3/h 850 m3/h)

Aqueous Phase:
 Spent electrolyte enters S1 mixer tank no.1 from the spent electrolyte tanks (90
m3/h 150 m3/h low grade, 410 m3/h 350 m3/h high grade)
 It exits S1 settler as partially-strong electrolyte and flows into S2 mixer tank no.1
(90 m3/h 150 m3/h low grade, 410 m3/h350 m3/h high grade)

High Grade Low Grade

S1 Mixer No.1 S1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 S1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
40-TK-029 45-TK-048
S1 Mixer No.1 Agitator S1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 S1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
Agitator 40-AG-025 Agitator 45-AG-036
S1 Mixer No.2 S1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 S1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
40-TK-030 45-TK-049
S1 Mixer No.2 Agitator S1 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 S1 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
Agitator 40-AG-026 Agitator 45-AG-037
S1 Settler S1 high grade settler S1 low grade settler
40-TK-031 45-TK-050
Spent Electrolyte Spent electrolyte tank no.1 60-TK-082 (commercial cells 101-162)
Tanks Spent electrolyte tank no.2 60-TK-083 (commercial cells 201-262)
Copper tenor 35 g/l
Spent Electrolyte Spent electrolyte pump no.1 60-PU-108
Pumps Spent electrolyte pump no.2 60-TK-109

S2 Mixer-Settler Flow Description (High Grade and Low Grade Circuits)

 S2 Settler S1 Settler E2 Settler E1 Settler

Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow

Direction of flow

S2 S2 S1 S1 E2 E2 E1 E1
Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1

Partially stripped organic

Partially-strong electrolyte

Loaded organic

Strong electrolyte Spent electrolyte LOT 2 LOT 1

Strong
Electrolyte
Tank From Heat
Exchangers/
Electrowinning Raffinate PLS
Tankhouse
Pond Pond
To Electrolyte
Filters &
Electrowinning
Tankhouse

 In S2 mixer tank no.1, partially-strong electrolyte (the aqueous phase) pumped

from the S1 settler is mixed with loaded organic (the organic phase) that has
been pumped from the loaded organic pumps.
 In S2 mixer tank no.1, the aqueous, due to its high acidity, strips copper from the
organic, in a timeframe of approximately 2 minutes.
 The aqueous and organic then overflows into the S2 mixer tank no.2, where
further mixing of aqueous and organic phases occur. The aqueous strips more
copper from the organic, again in a time frame of approximately 2 minutes.
 The mixture then discharges from S2 mixer tank no.2 into the rear of S2 settler.
At this point in time,
o the aqueous has become strong electrolyte (as it is now rich in copper
tenor, approximately 50 g/l 55g/l copper)
o the organic has become partially-stripped organic (as it has had some of
its copper stripped from it by the aqueous)
 The mixture (referred to as ‘dispersion’) flows into the S2 settler and separates
into distinct organic and aqueous phases in the same way as what occurred in
E1, E2 and S1 settler
 After approximately 15 minutes spent in the settler, the organic, having almost
entirely separated from the aqueous phase, flows over the organic weir into the
organic launder, and is then pumped into S1 mixer tank no.1

To Electrolyte From Heat

Strong
Filters & Exchangers/
Electrolyte
Electrowinnin Electrowinnin
TankStrong electrolyte g Tankhouse
g Tankhouse Spent electrolyte Raffinate
  The aqueous, or strong electrolyte, flowing underneath the organic and organic
launder, flows over the aqueous weir and into the aqueous launder. From there,
it flows by gravity to either the:
o Strong electrolyte tank 40-TK-037 (high grade circuit)
o Advance electrolyte transfer tank 45-TK-056 (low grade circuit)

Summary of flows in/out of S2 mixer-settler:

Organic Phase:
 Loaded organic enters S2 mixer tank 1 from the loaded organic tanks 1 and 2 via
the loaded organic pump (830 m3/h 850 m3/h)
 It exits S2 settler as partially-stripped organic and flows into S1 mixer tank no.1,
where it will have more copper stripped from it (830 m3/h 850 m3/h)

Aqueous Phase:
 Partially-stripped electrolyte enters S2 mixer tank no.1 from S1 settler (90 m3/h
low grade, 410 m3/h high grade)
 It exits S2 settler as strong electrolyte and flows into either:
o Strong electrolyte tank 40-TK-037 at 410 m3/h 350 m3/h (high grade
circuit)
o Advance electrolyte transfer tank 45-TK-056 at 90 m3/h150 m3/h(low
grade circuit)

High Grade Low Grade

S2 Mixer No.1 S2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 S2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
40-TK-029 45-TK-048
S2 Mixer No.1 Agitator S2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.1 S2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.1
Agitator 40-AG-025 Agitator 45-AG-036
S2 Mixer No.2 S2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 S2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
40-TK-030 45-TK-049
S2 Mixer No.2 Agitator S2 High Grade Mixer Tank No.2 S2 Low Grade Mixer Tank No.2
Agitator 40-AG-026 Agitator 45-AG-037
S2 Settler S2 high grade settler S2 low grade settler
40-TK-031 45-TK-050
Loaded Organic Tanks High Grade Loaded Organic Low Grade Loaded Organic
Tank No.1 40-TK-035 Tank No.1 45-TK-054
High Grade Loaded Organic Low Grade Loaded Organic
Tank No.2 40-TK-036 Tank No.2 45-TK-055
Loaded Organic Pumps High grade loaded organic pump Low grade loaded organic pump
40-PU-063 45-PU-073
Strong Electrolyte Tank Strong Electrolyte Tank
40-TK-037
Strong Electrolyte Strong Electrolyte Pump
Pump 40-PU-065
Advance Electrolyte Advance electrolyte transfer tank
Transfer Tank 45-TK-056
Advance Electrolyte Advance electrolyte transfer
Transfer Pump pump
45-PU-075

OVERALL SUMMARY OF FLOWS THROUGH EACH MIXER-SETTLER

S1 Settler S2 Settler E2 Settler E1 Settler

Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow Direction of flow

S1 S1 S2 S2 E2 E2 E1 E1
Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Mixer 1

Partially stripped organic Stripped organic Partially-loaded organic

Partially-strong electrolyte
Partially-depleted PLS
Loaded organic to S1

Strong electrolyte Spent electrolyte Raffinate LOT 2 LOT 1

Strong Loaded organic

Electrolyte
Tank From Heat
Exchangers/
Electrowinning Raffinate PLS
Tankhouse
Pond Pond PLS to E1 Mixer Tank No.1
To Electrolyte
Filters &
Electrowinning
Tankhouse

EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION
As previously indicated, the equipment which comprises both the high grade and low
grade SX circuits is essentially the same, and operates by the same processing
principles.

The following discussion will outline the equipment that is to be found in the following
areas that service the high grade and low grade solvent extraction circuits:
 The Mixer-Settler Circuit
 The PLS and Raffinate Pond Area
 Diluent Area
 The Crud Treatment Area

It is important to note that the electric motors that provide power to all the pumps,
agitators and the crud centrifuge in the solvent extraction, diluent and crud treatment
areas is hazardous area-rated:
 They are explosion proof, whereby any spark generated inside a motor has
insufficient energy to escape into the surrounding atmosphere which may contain
combustible organic vapours
 They operate at a cooler temperature than other electric motors, meaning that
insufficient heat is generated that may provide a potential source of ignition if
contacted with organic vapour

THE MIXER SETTLER CIRCUIT

PRIMARY MIXER TANKS—MIXER TANK NO.1

High grade: E1 40-TK-023, E2 40-TK-026, S1 40-TK-029, S2 40-TK-032

Low grade: E1 45-TK-042, E2 45-TK-045, S1 45-TK-048, S2 45-TK-051

 The primary function of the mixer tanks is to mix the incoming organic and
aqueous phases so that the chemical transfer of copper can occur from one
phase to another.
 Thus, in the extraction mixers (E1 and E2), copper is chemically transferred from
the aqueous (PLS) to the organic
 In the strip mixers (S1 and S2), copper is chemically transferred from the organic
to the aqueous (electrolyte)
 The mixing process takes place in a time period of between 1 and 2 minutes
 Each primary mixer tank incorporates a false bottom floor, where organic and
aqueous flows enter into the bottom compartment as separate flows.
 A divider wall running across the bottom compartment keeps the organic and
aqueous flows separate, until the two flows are drawn through a centrally located
hole and into the main mixing chamber by the pump mixer/agitator.
 Each primary mixer tank no.1 is:
o Constructed of 316L stainless steel
 o Has a volume of 37 m3, giving a residence time of approximately 1 ½
minutes for the organic/aqueous mixture at normal flows
o Has three inlet nozzles located at the bottom compartment of the tank
 One to allow entry of organic
 One to allow entry of aqueous
 One to allow entry of aqueous recycle

Approximate location of
where the false-bottom
floor is located which
divides the mixer into
the bottom
compartment and the
main mixing chamber

Mixer tank no.1 and mixer tank no.2 is

located side-by-side. Mixer tank no.1 is the
tank with the pipes entering into the
bottom compartment

Diagrammatical Summary of Flows into the Primary Mixer Tank No.1

Mixer tank no.1 Mixer tank no.2

Settler
Pump
mixer/agitator

Main mixing
chamber

Entry of organic
solution

Organic and aqueous Entry of aqueous

enter the main mixing Divider plate keeps the solution
chamber through the organic and aqueous
hole in the false bottom separated in the bottom
floor compartment
MIXER TANK NO.1 AGITATOR
High grade: E1 40-AG-021, E2 40-AG-023, S1 40-AG-025, S2 40-AG-027
Low grade: E1 45-AG-032, E2 45-AG-034, S1 45-AG-036, S2 48-AG-038

 Each primary mixer tank (Mixer Tank No.1) in the high grade and low grade
circuit is installed with a pump mixer/agitator
 The purpose of these pump mixer/agitators is to:
o Act as a pump (0.8m head) to draw in organic and aqueous solutions
from their respective chambers in the bottom compartment through the
opening of the “false floor”, which is centrally located directly below the
agitator (see diagrams below)
o Ensure that the aqueous and organic phases are thoroughly dispersed
(mixed) so that the chemical transfer of copper can occur from one phase
to the other
 Each pump mixer agitator:
o Is installed with a 15 kW, variable speed drive (VSD)
o Is dual impeller, with the impeller located on the bottom of the mixer shaft,
and a turbine mixer attached halfway up the mixer shaft
o Is geared so that the impeller will rotate with a maximum of 69 rpm

Impeller Design on the Pump Mixer Agitator

Pump agitator shaft

Tank outlet

Tank baffles

Pump agitator impeller blades

False bottom floor

Orifice

Inlets

Divider
SECONDARY MIXER TANK—MIXER TANK NO.2

High grade: E1 40-TK-024, E2 40-TK-027, S1 40-TK-030, S2 40-TK-033

Low grade: E1 45-TK-043, E2 45-TK-046, S1 45-TK-049, S2 45-TK-052

 The function of the secondary mixer tanks is to prolong the available mixing time
of organic and aqueous so that the additional transfer of copper can take place
from one phase to another.
 The mixer tank no.2 receives the organic-aqueous dispersion from the mixer tank
no.1, provides further mixing via the installed agitator (see below), before finally
discharging the dispersion into the settler tank
 Thus, in the extraction mixers (E1 and E2), copper is chemically transferred from
the aqueous (PLS) to the organic
 In the strip mixers (S1 and S2), copper is chemically transferred from the organic
to the aqueous (electrolyte)
 The mixing process takes place in a time period of between 1 and 2 minutes
 Each secondary mixer tank no.2 is:
o Constructed of 316L stainless steel
o Has a volume of 37 m3, giving a residence time of approximately 1 ½
minutes for the organic/aqueous mixture at normal flows

The secondary mixer tank no.2

receives the organic/aqueous
dispersion from tank no.1,
mixes it for a further 1 ½
minutes, before discharging
the dispersion into the rear of
the settler tank

MIXER TANK NO.2 AGITATORS

High grade: E1 40-AG-022, E2 40-AG-024, S1 40-AG-026, S2 40-AG-028

Low grade: E1 45-AG-033, E2 45-AG-035, S1 45-AG-037, S2 48-AG-039

 Each secondary mixer tank (Mixer Tank No.2) in the high grade and low grade
circuit is installed with an agitator
 The purpose of these agitators is to:
o Ensure that the aqueous and organic phases are thoroughly dispersed
(mixed) so that the chemical transfer of copper can occur from one phase
to the other
o Unlike the primary pump mixers, they do not serve the purpose of a pump
 Each agitator:
o Is installed with a 4 kW, fixed speed drive
o Is single impeller, with the impeller located on the bottom of the mixer
shaft
o Is geared so that the impeller will rotate with a maximum of 85 rpm

SETTLER TANKS

High grade: E1 40-TK-025, E2 40-TK-028, S1 40-TK-031, S2 40-TK-034

Low grade: E1 45-TK-044, E2 45-TK-047, S1 45-TK-050, S2 45-TK-053

 The purpose of the settler tanks is to:

o Act as a settling area where the dispersion (mixture) from the mixers
GRADUALLY separates into the aqueous phase and organic phase
o Organic floats on top of the aqueous due to it having a lower density than
aqueous (ie, it has the same principle of petrol floating on a puddle of
water)
 It is important to note that no chemical transfer of copper takes place in the
settlers—this only occurs in the mixer tanks. The settler is purely designed to
 provide sufficient time and a turbulent-free environment so that organic can
separate from aqueous
 Each settler:
o Is constructed of 316L stainless steel
o Is 21m wide, 18m long and 1m high
o Has a live settling volume of approximately 300 m3, giving the organic
and aqueous solutions approximately 10 to 15 minutes residence time
when operating with normal flows
o Is fitted with an infrared detector which provides early warning in the
event of a fire. Detection of a flame will activate a warning light and sound
a distinctive siren. All operations in the SX-EW circuits will stop, as they
are interlocked to stop if fire is detected. Citect will indicate which infrared
detector on the particular settler has activated
 The interior of each settler is fitted with the following installations:
o Flow guiding vanes
o Guiding vanes and three picket fences per settler tank
o An organic weir and organic launder per settler tank
o An aqueous weir and aqueous launder per settler tank

Guiding Vanes

 The purpose of the guiding vanes, which are located at the rear of each settler
tank, is to distribute the organic/aqueous dispersion that is discharged from mixer
tank no.2 across the entire width of the settler
 This prevents uneven distribution of solution when it enters the settler tank
 They are made of 316L stainless steel

Picket Fences

 There are three picket fences that are installed in each settler tank, each of which
is made of 316L stainless steel
  These picket fences are located at the rear of the settler. The first picket fence
receives the flow that is distributed by the guiding vanes
 The purpose of the picket fences are to:
o further aid in the distribution of the organic/aqueous dispersion across the
entire width of the settler
o reduce the velocity of the dispersion (a small pressure-drop is applied
across each picket fence) by forcing the solutions to navigate their way
through the offset plates that form the picket fence
o promote the early separation of the organic and aqueous phases

Picket fences (3 in each settler) :

 Promote even distribution of the
incoming flow across the width of the
settler
 Promote early separation of the
organic and aqueous phases
 Reduce the velocity of the flow of
solution

Organic Weir and Organic Launder

 The organic weir is located at the discharge-end of the settler tank, at a point
where the vast majority of organic should have already separated from the
aqueous phase
 Due to the organic floating on top of the aqueous, and the depth of organic
usually being approximately 300mm in depth 300mm to the extraction and
200mm to the strip circuit, only organic will overflow the organic weir
 The organic overflows the organic weir and is collected in the organic launder,
which then directs the organic stream from the launder outlet to its next
destination via an interconnecting pipe
 The organic launder is attached so that aqueous can flow underneath it

Aqueous Weir and Aqueous Launder

 The aqueous phase that has separated from the organic in the settler tank flows
underneath the organic launder, and then up and over the aqueous weir
  The aqueous weir is adjustable in height, and by adjusting the height, the depth
of organic and aqueous in the settler can be influenced
 Once the aqueous overflows the weir, it is collected in the aqueous launder
 The aqueous launder has two outlets:
o One outlet directs the aqueous via a pipe to its next downstream
destination
o The other outlet acts as a recycle facility, allowing aqueous to be recycled
back into the primary mixer tank no.1 so that the target organic to
aqueous ratio inside the mixer tank can be achieved

Organic, because it has a depth

of 300mm, and floats on top of
the aqueous, is the only solution
that is able to overflow the
organic weir

The organic is then collected in

the organic launder and directed
by a connecting pipe to its next
downstream destination

Organic
launder
Organic weir

Aqueous weir

A Typical Organic and Aqueous Weir/Launder Arrangement at the

Discharge End of a Settler Tank
 Other Secondary Flows into the Settler Tanks

Some of the settler tanks are also recipients of other solutions feed flows besides the
main flow discharging from the mixer tank no.2, which is the standard flow into every
settler tank.
These secondary flows are typically discharged into the rear of the settler just prior to the
first picket fence
Aqueous
launder
Organic
Picket Organic launder Aqueous
fences overflow weir overflow weir
(adjustable)

Direction of flow

Organic phase
Flow from Flow
mixer Dispersion
tank no.2
Flow Aqueous phase

Dispersion separates
into organic and
aqueous phases Organic discharge Aqueous discharge

Layout of Organic and Aqueous Weirs and Launders

These other secondary flows are discharged into:

High Grade Settlers

High grade E1 settler 40-TK-025:

 Recovered organic solution from the crud recovered solution pump 55-PU-098
 Filter backwash electrolyte solution from the filter backwash transfer pump 60-
PU-104 (note, that this flow would normally discharge into S1 settler)
 Aqueous bleed from the high grade aqueous bleed pump 40-PU-064
 Bunded area spillage from the high grade sump pumps no.1 and no.2 40-PU-067
and 40-PU-068
 Extractant solution that is emptied into the sump and then pumped by the sump
pumps

High grade E2 settler 40-TK-028:

  Nil secondary flows

High grade S1 settler 40-TK-031:

 Filter backwash electrolyte solution from the filter backwash transfer pump 60-
PU-104
 Fresh diluent from the diluent transfer pump 84-PU-188

High grade S2 settler 40-TK-034:

 Bunded area spillage from the high grade sump pumps no.2 40-PU-068
 Recovered organic solution from the crud recovered solution pump 55-PU-098

Low Grade Settlers

Low grade E1 settler 45-TK-044:

 Recovered organic solution from the crud recovered solution pump 55-PU-098
 Aqueous bleed from the low grade aqueous bleed pump 45-PU-074
 Bunded area spillage from the low grade sump pumps no.1 and no.2 45-PU-077
and 45-PU-078

Low grade E2 settler 45-TK-047:

 Nil secondary flows

Low grade S1 settler 45-TK-050:

 Filter backwash electrolyte solution from the filter backwash transfer pump 60-
PU-104
 Fresh diluent from the diluent transfer pump 84-PU-188

Low grade S2 settler 45-TK-053:

 Bunded area spillage from the low grade sump pumps no.2 44-PU-078
 Recovered organic solution from the crud recovered solution pump 55-PU-098
LOADED ORGANIC TANKS

High grade: 40-TK-035, 40-TK-036

Low grade: 45-TK-054, 45-TK-055

 The loaded organic tank system for both the high grade and low grade circuits is
identical.
 They comprise a set of two tanks that are linked to one another by a 600mm
diameter interconnecting pipe installed at the bottom of the two tanks
 All loaded organic tanks:
o are made of 316L stainless steel
o are fitted with an infrared detector which provides early warning in the
event of a fire. Detection of a flame will activate a warning light and sound
a distinctive siren. All operations in the SX-EW circuits will stop, as they
are interlocked to stop if fire is detected. Citect will indicate which infrared
detector on the particular loaded organic tank has activated
o are fitted with a drain hole controlled by a valve which purpose is to
purge cruds and aqueous solution that settle by gravity at the bottom of
the organic tank.

 The first loaded organic tank:

o Receives loaded organic from E1 settler discharge
o Has a total volume of 185 m3 (therefore when the tank is 50% full, the
organic has approximately 6 minutes residence time for an organic
flowrate of 830 m3/h 850 m3/h)
o Contains coalescing media made of HDPE pipes ?? which promotes the
separation of any entrained aqueous from the organic so that it can
quickly settle to the bottom of the tank
o Has an outlet whereby settled aqueous can be removed from the tank by
the aqueous bleed pump (recovered aqueous is pumped to either the E1
settler or the crud tank)
o Has a 600mm interconnecting pipe allowing organic to transfer into the
second loaded organic tank
 The second loaded organic tank:
o Receives organic from the first tank
o Has a total volume of 185 m3 (therefore when the tank is 50% full, the
organic has approximately 6 minutes residence time for an organic
flowrate of 830 m3/h 850 m3/h)
o Has an outlet whereby settled aqueous can be removed from the tank by
the aqueous bleed pump
o Has an outlet whereby loaded organic solution can be withdrawn by the
loaded organic pump and pumped to the strip 2 mixer tank no.1 in each
circuit
LOADED ORGANIC PUMPS

High grade: 40-PU-063

Low grade: 45-PU-073

 These pumps withdraw loaded organic from the loaded organic tank no.2 and
pump it to the S2 mixer tank no.1 (S2 primary mixer)
 The organic pumping system is duty only, with no standby pump provided
 Each loaded organic pump:
o Is a horizontal centrifugal pump
o Is fitted with a 30kW variable speed drive (VSD)
o Has a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o Is fitted with a mechanical seal
o Is able to pump 915 m3/h (normal flowrate being 830 m3/h 850 m3/h) at
5.5m head
o Will stop operating if the loaded organic tank level falls below 30% full and
triggers a low-low level alarm
o Has a temperature element which measures the pump seal temperature in
order to detect if the pump is operating against a dead head. A high
temperature alarm will trip the pump
o The pump will also trip if no flow is detected while the pump is operating
(apart from when the pump is first started)
AQUEOUS BLEED PUMPS

High grade: 40-PU-064

Low grade: 45-PU-074

 These pumps remove aqueous solution that has settled at the bottom of both
loaded organic tanks and pumps it either to the common crud tank 55-TK-72 or
to their respective E1 settlers
 The aqueous needs to be removed from the loaded organic due to it having
undesirable impurities such as chlorides, iron and manganese which needs to be
kept out of the electrolyte solution. It arrives in the loaded organic tank due to it
being still present in the organic stream when it discharges from E1 settler
 The aqueous bleed pumping system is duty only, with no standby pump provided
 Each aqueous bleed pump:
o Is a horizontal centrifugal pump
o Is fitted with a 3kW fixed speed drive
o Has a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o Is fitted with a mechanical seal
o Is able to pump 11 m3/h at 12.5m head (in order to discharge at the top of
the crud tank)
o Has a temperature element which measures the pump seal temperature in
order to detect if the pump is operating against a dead head. A high
temperature alarm will trip the pump

ADVANCE ELECTROLYTE TRANSFER TANK

Low grade: 45-TK-056

  This tank collects strong electrolyte from the low grade S2 settler discharge
 It is made of 316L stainless steel, and has a live volume of approximately 190 m3
 This means that for a normal electrolyte flowrate of 85 m3/h 150 m3/h flowing
into and out of it, it has a residence time of just over two hours one hour.
 It has a decant point near the top of the tank so that any entrained organic that
has entered with the electrolyte flow can be removed once the organic has
disengaged from the electrolyte inside the tank
 The entrained organic, once decanted, flows to the low grade crud pump

ADVANCE ELECTROLYTE TRANSFER PUMP

Low grade: 45-PU-073

 This pump transfers strong electrolyte from the advance electrolyte transfer tank
to the strong electrolyte tank 40-TK-037
 This pump is duty only, with no standby pump provided
 The advance electrolyte transfer pump:
o Is a horizontal centrifugal pump
o Is fitted with a 110kW variable speed drive (VSD)
o Has a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o Is fitted with a mechanical seal
o Is able to pump 479 m3/h at 51m head, though normal flow will be 85
m3/h150 m3/h at 6m head

STRONG ELECTROLYTE TANK

High grade: 40-TK-037

 This tank collects strong electrolyte from two sources:

 o From the high grade S2 settler discharge, at a flowrate of 440 m3/h 350 m3/h
o From the low grade advance electrolyte transfer pump at a flowrate of 85
m3/h 150 m3/h
 The tank is made of 316L stainless steel, and has a live volume of approximately
190 m3
 This means that for a normal electrolyte flowrate of 525 m3/h500 m3/h flowing
into and out of it, it has a residence time of just under 20 minutes if the tank level
is at 80%
 It has a decant point near the top of the tank so that any entrained organic that
has entered the tank with the electrolyte flow can be removed once the organic
has disengaged from the electrolyte inside the tank
 The entrained organic, once decanted, flows to the high grade crud extraction
pump 40-PU-066

STRONG ELECTROLYTE PUMP

High grade: 40-PU-065

 This pump transfers strong electrolyte from the strong electrolyte tank to the
electrolyte-electrolyte heat exchanger 60-HX-001, prior to entering the electrolyte
filters for filtration
 This pump is duty only, with no standby pump provided
 The strong electrolyte pump:
o Is a horizontal centrifugal pump
o Is fitted with a 200kW fixed speed drive
o Has a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o Is fitted with a mechanical seal
o Is able to pump 575 m3/h at 59.5m head, though normal flow will be 530
m3/h. 500 m3/h
 This gives the pump enough capacity to pump electrolyte through the heat
exchanger and the electrolyte filters at the design flowrate of 530m3/h
SUMP PUMPS

High grade: 40-PU-067, 40-PU-068

Low grade: 45-PU-077, 45-PU-078

 The bunded areas in the high grade and low grade SX area collect organic and
aqueous spillages wash down water and rainwater
 Sump pumps pump these solutions to the following areas:
o High grade sump pumps discharge to either:
 Crud tank 55-TK-072
 E1 high grade settler
 S2 high grade settler

o Low grade sump pumps discharge to either:

 Crud tank 55-TK-072
 E1 low grade settler
 S2 low grade settler

 Each sump pump:

o Is a peristaltic Bredel positive displacement pump (a description of these
types of pumps can be found in the Process Pump Training Manual)
o Is fitted with a 7.5kW fixed speed drive
o Is fitted with a hose made of nitrile rubber, which is able to withstand
corrosion from acidic solutions and organic that contains hydrocarbons
o Is able to pump 10 m3/h at 16m head
 This gives the pump enough capacity to pump solution up to the top of the
crud tank
PLS AND RAFFINATE POND AREA

 The PLS and raffinate pond area, though outside of the solvent extraction
compound, is nevertheless an integral part of the SX process.
 This is due to it delivering copper-rich PLS from the PLS ponds to the first
extraction mixer in the low and high grade SX circuits, and then receiving copper-
depleted raffinate solution in the raffinate organic reclaim ponds from the second
extraction settler in the SX circuit.
 Organic that is reclaimed from the raffinate organic reclaim ponds by the rope
mop skimmers is returned to the SX circuit after clay treatment in the crud
treatment area
 The following is a discussion of the main equipment and facilities in the PLS and
raffinate pond area:

PLS PONDS

High grade: 50-PD-001

Low grade: 50-PD-004

 These ponds receive copper-rich PLS solution from the following sources:
o High grade PLS pond receives PLS from the high grade pinned bed clarifier,
or the high grade clarifier feed pump if the clarifier is bypassed
o Low grade PLS pond receives PLS from the low grade pinned bed clarifier, or
the low grade clarifier feed pump if the clarifier is bypassed
 Each pond is 110m long x 61m wide by 4.5m deep, having a live volume of
19,000 m3.
 This would mean that for a flowrate of 630 m3/h 650 m3/h, it has a residence
time of approximately 24 hours when the pond is 80% full
 The level of the ponds is monitored using a hydrostatic level transmitter
 A leak detection pump is manually operated to determine if seepage from the
pond has occurred, even though the ponds have a double lining of HDPE liner
which is protected by layers of geotextile liner to prevent stones from perforating
the HDPE lining
 The high grade leak detection pump no.1 50-PU-083 discharges into the
high grade PLS pond
 The low grade leak detection pump no.1 50-PU-087 discharges into the low
grade PLS pond

PLS FEED PUMPS

High grade: 50-PU-084
Low grade: 50-PU-088

 These pumps transfer PLS from their respective ponds to E1 mixer tank no.1 (E1
primary mixer) so that he the copper can begin to be extracted by the organic in
the extraction mixer-settlers
 These pumps are duty only, with no standby pump provided
 The PLS feed pumps:
o are horizontal centrifugal pumps manufactured by Sulzer
o they are self-priming, with the solution inlet of the suction spool
submersed in the pond, but also being supported by pipe floats
o are fitted with 75kW fixed speed drives
o the discharge pipes are fitted with pressure sustaining valves to maintain
a minimum flow through the pump in case where the PLS flow is stopped
or is below a minimum flowrate
o Has a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o Is fitted with a mechanical seal
o Is able to pump 700m3/h at 22m head, though normal flow will be 630
m3/h 650 m3/h at 17m head.

RAFFINATE ORGANIC RECLAIM PONDS

High grade: 50-PD-002

Low grade: 50-PD-005

 Raffinate from the high and low grade E2 settler tanks discharge into their
respective ponds through 10 discharge points that are evenly spaced along the
width of the pond
 The organic reclaim ponds allow the collection of any entrained organic from the
raffinate solution that discharges E2 settlers in the high and low grade SX circuits
 Organic that is entrained in the raffinate from the E2 settler discharge has 4
hours to disengage from the raffinate and float to the surface
 A 300mm deep boom is spread across the width of the pond so that the organic
can be contained in a small area, which allows collection by the rope mop
skimmer to be more effective
 These ponds are 55m long x 31m wide and 3.5m deep, having a live volume of
2400 m3 (approximately just under 4 hours residence time at a raffinate flowrate
of 630 m3/h 650 m3/h)
 The pond is designed to operate at 100% capacity, with raffinate discharging the
pond only after first flowing underneath a polyethylene barrier, before overflowing
into the respective raffinate pond
 The polyethylene barrier is designed to recover residual organic that wasn’t
recovered by the raffinate rope skimmer, by retaining any solution that remains
on the surface of the pond (ie organic), but allowing solution near the bottom of
the pond to flow underneath it (ie, raffinate/aqueous)
 Other flows that discharge into the raffinate organic reclaim ponds are:
o High grade 50-PD-002
 Raffinate discharge from high grade E2 settler (by gravity—main flow)
 Spillage solution from the tankhouse no1. sump pump 60-PU-113
 Spillage solution from the tankhouse no2. sump pump 60-PU-114
 Spent electrolyte bleed via spent electrolyte pump no.2 60-PU-109
 Electrolyte filter area sump pump 60-PU-105
 Solution from the SX event pond pump 74-PU-145
 Discharge from the high grade leak detection pump no.3 50-PU-234

o Low grade 50-PD-005

 Raffinate discharge from low grade E2 settler (by gravity—main flow)
 Treated tails reclaim solution from low grade S1 settler discharge (when
the low grade SX circuit is run as a series parallel configuration, with two
extract on low grade PLS (E1 & E2), one extract on tails reclaim solution
(S1), and one strip (S2)
 Tails reclaim solution from the tails reclaim solution pond pump 90-PU-
202
 Contaminated water from the environmental control pond pump 74-PU-
144
 Solution from the SX event pond pump 74-PU-145
 Discharge from the low grade leak detection pump no.3 50-PU-235
RAFFINATE ROPE SKIMMER

High grade: 50-XM-046

Low grade: 50-XM-047

 Organic that is entrained in the raffinate from the E2 settler discharge floats to
the top of the raffinate organic reclaim ponds and is able to be recovered by the
operation of rope mop skimmers
 The rope skimmers are able to collect between 300-2000 litres of organic per
hour
 The rope is made from specially woven, fibrillated polypropylene strands which
are woven into a narrow band. These polypropylene strands have the ability to
absorb the organic into them, much like a common household mop
 The rope skimmer performs the following functions:
o It constantly pulls the continuous loop of rope over the surface of the
pond, in the process collecting organic that is present in the raffinate
solution
o Floating guide pulleys guide the rope over the surface of the pond. These
floating pulleys are anchored so that they are kept in the correct position
on the pond.
o The rope is then pulled into the main unit where two electrically-driven
nitrile coated rollers and a guide tube squeeze the recovered organic from
the rope into a separator tank
 The separator tank separates the raffinate from the recovered organic.
 It has a system of baffles and a stabilizing chamber together with a weir which
allows the collected organic to flow into the rear of the tank from where the
organic can be drained into the high or low grade raffinate organic reclaim tank
 The raffinate organic reclaim tank, when full, is taken by forklift to the crud area
sump for treatment
 The raffinate that is collected in the separator is drained back into the raffinate
organic reclaim pond
 The rope mop is made of polypropylene Note the separation tank located
strands which absorb organic. The rope underneath the main unit.
is pulled through the rollers so that
organic can be squeezed from the mop
and reclaimed in the separator tank

RAFFINATE POND

High grade: 50-PD-003

Low grade: 50-PD-006

 The raffinate ponds receive organic-free raffinate that overflows from the organic
reclaim ponds
 The raffinate ponds are the main storage ponds for raffinate, with dimensions of
102m long x 75m wide and depth of 3.5m. The maximum live volume is 18,000
m3
 This would mean that for a flowrate of 630 m3/h 650 m3/h, it has a residence
time of approximately 23 hours 22 hours when the pond is 80% full
 The level of the ponds is monitored using a hydrostatic level transmitter
 A leak detection pump is manually operated to determine if seepage from the
pond has occurred, even though the ponds have a double lining of HDPE liner
which is protected by layers of geotextile liner to prevent stones from perforating
the HDPE lining
 Other flows that discharge into the raffinate ponds are:
o High grade 50-PD-003
 Overflow from the high grade raffinate organic reclaim pond (main flow)
 Raffinate discharge from low grade raffinate pump no.1 50-PU-090
 Overflow from high grade raffinate pond (by gravity) if that pond becomes
too full
 Recycled high grade raffinate solution through the pressure sustaining
valve on the high grade raffinate feed pump 50-PU-086
  Discharge from the high grade leak detection pump no.2 50-PU-085

o Low grade 50-PD-005

 Overflow from the low grade raffinate organic reclaim pond (main flow)
 Overflow from the high grade raffinate pond (by gravity) if that pond
becomes too full
 Recycled low grade raffinate solution through the pressure sustaining
valves on the low grade raffinate feed pumps 50-PU-090 and 50-PU-100
 Discharge from the low grade leak detection pump no.2 50-PU-089

RAFFINATE FEED PUMPS

High grade: 50-PU-086

Low grade: 50-PU-090 and 50-PU-100

 The high grade raffinate feed pump transfers raffinate to the following
destinations:
o To the grinding and classification circuit
 SAG mill feed line
 the cyclone feed hopper
 the trommel sprays
o To the acid leach circuit
 the acid dilution inline mixer
 the leach discharge sampler hopper

 The low grade raffinate feed pumps transfers raffinate to the following
destinations:
o to the gland raffinate tank 50-TK-067
o the tails reclaim solution pond 90-PD-013
 o the underflow density control lines feeding into the high grade thickener
and each of the CCD thickener suction spools
o CCD3, 4 and 5 thickener feed tanks (CCD wash solution)
o the clarifier underflow distribution box
o to the high grade raffinate pond (50-PU-090)

 All the raffinate feed pumps:

o are horizontal centrifugal pumps manufactured by Sulzer
o they are self-priming, with the solution inlet of the suction spool
submersed in the pond, but also being supported by pipe floats
o the discharge pipes are fitted with pressure sustaining valves to maintain
a minimum flow through the pump in case where the raffinate flow is
stopped or is below a minimum flowrate
o have a 316 stainless steel impeller and casing, frame and guards
o are fitted with a mechanical seal
 the high grade raffinate feed pump 50-PU-086:
o Is able to pump 880m3/h at 48m head, though normal flow will be 715
m3/h 700 m3/h at 48m head.
o is fitted with 200kW fixed speed drive
 the low grade raffinate feed pumps 50-PU-090 and 50-PU-100:
o are able to pump 770m3/h at 31m head, though normal flow will be 630
m3/h 700 m3/h at 29m head.
o are fitted with 90kW fixed speed drive

LEAK DETECTION PUMPS

The leak detection pumps are manually operated periodically in order to determine if
seepage from any of the ponds have occurred
Each pump (six in total, to monitor seepage in each PLS, raffinate organic reclaim and
raffinate pond) is an air displacement submersible borehole pump, which collects any
seepage solution from the bottom of the borehole located underneath a pond, and
discharges back into the pond from where any seepage had occurred.
In cases where seepage has occurred, it is imperative that the shift supervisor is
contacted, so that the seepage can be assessed and any necessary action can be
initiated
DILUENT AND EXTRACTANT STORAGE AREA

The diluent and extractant are added to the SX circuit as required to maintain the
desired extractant concentration and organic volume in the circuit.

EXTRACTANT ADDITIONS

Extractant is stored in the extractant storage area

Extractant is added to a SX circuit by using a forklift to transport a 1000 litre extractant
container to a high grade or low grade sump.
The container is manually emptied into a sump, and the respective sump pump is used
to transfer the extractant to the respective high or low grade E1 settler

A 1000 litre container is emptied into

either the low grade or high grade sump.
The sump pump delivers it to either the
high grade or low grade E1 settler

DILUENT STORAGE TANKS

84-TK-125 and 84-TK-126

 The diluent is added to the SX circuit to dilute the extractant, and to provide
organic volume in the circuit
 Diluent is stored in two diluent storage tanks
 Diluent unloading from the diluent truck is performed manually
 The diluent transfer pump is used as the unloading pump by aligning the
positions of the valves. The diluent is then transferred from the truck into the
storage tanks
 Each diluent storage tank has a 60 m3 storage capacity
DILUENT TRANSFER PUMP

84-PU-188
 Depending on which SX circuit requires diluent, the diluent transfer pump
discharges diluent to:
o the rear of the high grade S1 settler tank
o the rear of the low grade S1 settler tank
 The diluent transfer pump:
o Is a peristaltic Bredel positive displacement pump (a description of these
types of pumps can be found in the Process Pump Training Manual)
o Is fitted with a 7.5kW fixed speed drive
o Is fitted with a hose made of nitrile rubber, which is able to withstand
corrosion from acidic solutions and organic that contains hydrocarbons
o Is able to pump 15 m3/h at 28m head
 The diluent is added to an SX circuit using a batch controller on the diluent and
extractant storage screen on Citect
o The required batch volume in litres is entered into the controller and the
diluent transfer pump will stop automatically once the setpoint volume has
been delivered
 A flame detector is mounted near each diluent storage tank for early warning in
the event of a fire
o If a fire is detected, it will interlock the diluent transfer pump to an off status,
which will prevent further spreading of fire from the area
DILUENT SUMP PUMP

84-PU-239

 The bunded area in the diluent and extractant area collects spillages, wash down
water and rainwater
 It pumps these solutions to the crud tank 55-TK-072

 The sump pump is the same type and make and has the same capacity as the
sump pumps in the SX area
 SOLVENT EXTRACTION THEORY

PURPOSE OF SOLVENT EXTRACTION

The purpose of the solvent extraction circuit is:

 To remove the copper that is contained in the PLS solutions
 To then transfer the copper to an electrolyte solution that is purer (ie, very low in
impurities) and has a high concentration of copper ions, therefore making it
suitable for electrowinning in the tankhouse

WHY IS SOLVENT EXTRACTION NECESSARY?

What would happen if we were to simply pump the PLS solution from the PLS ponds
directly into the electrowinning tankhouse?

 Basically, PLS solution is too dilute in copper and contains too many impurities to
be suitable for electrowinning
 The end result of doing this would be highly inefficient electrowinning conditions,
low copper production, and poor quality copper sheets.

Comparisons can be made between PLS and electrolyte solutions in the following
tables, which confirm the necessity of solvent extraction for the production of high
quality, 99.99% pure copper sheets

PLS Parameter Resulting Electrowinning Condition

Copper tenor = 10g/l 10-12 g/l Low availability of copper ions near the surface of the cathode

Acid tenor = 10g/l 1g/l Low electrical conductivity in the electrowinning cells
High levels of suspended Nodular and uneven copper growth on the cathodes during
solids and dissolved silicas electrowinning

High levels of chlorides Higher rate of cathode corrosion. Pitting on surface of

stainless steel cathode occurs, causing copper sheets to stick
onto cathodes during copper stripping
High levels of soluble iron Causes poor electrical current efficiency in the electrowinning
circuit

High levels of manganese Causes increased levels of manganese oxidation in the EW

circuit, which adversely affects organic extraction capabilities
and organic/aqueous phase separation

Electrolyte Parameter Resulting Electrowinning Condition

Copper tenor = 38g/l35-55 g/l High availability of mobile copper ions near the surface of the
(inside the electrowinning cathode which can be deposited onto the cathode
cells)
Acid tenor = 150 -180g/l Excellent electrical conductivity in the electrowinning cells
Negligible levels of suspended Minimal nodular, an even copper growth on the cathodes
solids (due to electrolyte during electrowinning, less likelihood of short circuiting and
filtration) lead contamination
Low levels of chlorides Low rate of cathode corrosion and pitting on the surface of
(due to the high copper- stainless steel cathodes. Copper sheets easily peel off
selectivity of the organic) cathodes during copper stripping
Low levels of soluble iron Good electrical current efficiency throughout the
electrowinning circuit

Low levels of manganese Decreased levels of manganese oxidation in the EW circuit

The above comparison shows that pumping PLS solution straight into the tankhouse
without purification or concentration of copper ions would result in poor quality copper
sheets—powdery, dendritic and uneven copper deposits, that would be almost
impossible to remove from the stainless steel cathode

It is extremely important when operating the solvent extraction circuit that the carry-over
of leach/PLS solutions into strip mixer-settlers 1 and 2 is kept to an absolute minimum

THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIC SOLUTION

In order to achieve an electrolyte solution that is highly suitable for electrowinning, the
PLS solution must be contacted with and then separated from organic solution.
The organic solution, consisting of a mixture of approximately 90% diluent and 10%
oxime extractant, performs the copper extraction function in E1 and E2 mixers
What makes the organic particularly useful is that it specifically targets the copper
ions present in the PLS when the two are combined in each of the extraction mixers (E1
and E2). The organic is designed so that it largely avoids the extraction of other metal
species contained in the PLS solution, such as iron and manganese, which are
impurities that cause operating problems in the electrowinning tankhouse
Having extracted the copper in the extraction mixers, the organic then readily allows
the copper to be removed from it when mixed with strongly acidic electrolyte solution in
the strip mixers (S1 and S2).
After copper stripping has occurred, the oxime sites in the organic are free once more to
extract more copper from incoming PLS solution, and repeat the process over and over
Both the extraction and strip processes occur in a relatively short time (between 1-2
minutes)
Other qualities that make the organic suitable to the solvent extraction and
electrowinning processes are:
 The extractant is soluble (i.e., able to dissolve into) in the diluent
 The organic mixes well with the aqueous solutions, but does not dissolve into
them
 Given that the organic (being an oil-based compound) doesn’t dissolve in the
aqueous solutions, it instead is able to disengage (separate) quickly and
completely from PLS and electrolyte once mixing stops and the solutions enter
the settlers
 The diluent component in the organic has a high flash point, which means that it
won’t ignite when operating under normal operating temperatures

ORGANIC PROVIDES THE LINK

The organic circuit provides the link between the leach and electrolyte circuits to ensure
that the copper leached from the acid leach tanks and recovered in the CCD circuit as
PLS is then captured and made suitable for copper-plating in the electrowinning
tankhouse.
The diagram below illustrates the way the leach, organic and electrolyte circuits are
linked together.

SIMPLIFIED LEACH / CCD / SX / EW CIRCUIT

PLS Loaded Organic Strong Electrolyte

Leaching & CCD’s Extraction Stripping Electrowinning

Raffinate Stripped Organic Spent Electrolyte

Acid Leach and CCD Circuits

Organic Circuit

Electrolyte Circuit

An important consideration to note when considering each individual circuit is that after
each aqueous solution has mixed with the organic in a particular mixer tank, it is
essential that it completely separates itself from the organic when discharging from the
settler.
Thus, when looking at the diagram above:
 The raffinate needs to be completely free of organic when it returns to the leach
and CCD circuits
 The electrolyte needs to be completely free of the organic when it returns to the
electrowinning tankhouse
 The organic must be completely separated from PLS/raffinate when it begins
mixing with electrolyte
Thus in summary:
 We don’t want to see organic solution neither in the leach tanks or CCD
thickeners, nor the electrowinning tankhouse
 We don’t want to see solution from the PLS/raffinate circuit mixing with solution in
the strong electrolyte/spent electrolyte circuit

COPPER EXTRACTION CHEMISTRY

 Extraction of copper occurs when the mildly acidic, copper-bearing PLS solution
is mixed with stripped organic (from S1 settler) in the E1 and E2 extraction
mixers
 The copper-selecting chemical in the organic, which is the oxime component in
the extractant, extracts the copper from the PLS solution and gives acid to the
PLS in return.
 Thus there is a copper-acid chemical transfer in the mixers, whereby the acid in
the oxime is transferred into the aqueous solution.
 When the copper is transferred to the organic, acid is transferred to the aqueous
solution (raffinate) at a rate of 1.54 grams acid per 1 gram of copper transferred.
 One of the factors that determines the amount of copper that is able to be
extracted from the PLS is the strength of oxime/extractant contained in the
organic—the more oxime that is present in the organic, the more copper-loading
sites there are available, therefore the greater the amount of copper transfer from
the PLS, all things being equal
 Though the oxime component in the organic is designed to be particularly
selective toward the copper ions in the PLS, if there is an insufficient quantity of
copper in the PLS and the oxime still has vacant sites that are able to load metal,
the oxime will begin to chemically load iron in order to fill up the vacant sites.
o For this reason, the operating strategy is to fully load the organic with
copper in the extraction stages, whilst always ensuring that there is a
small quantity of copper in the raffinate solution so that the oxime always
has sufficient copper to fill up any vacant oxime sites in the organic

Solvent extraction of copper from an aqueous PLS solution can be represented by:

Cu2+ (aq) + 2R-H (org)  R-Cu-R (org) + 2H+ (aq)

 (PLS) + (Stripped Organic)  (Loaded Organic) + (Raffinate)
Where:
Cu2+ (aq) - is copper in PLS solution
2R-H (org) - is extractant i.e. stripped organic
R-Cu-R(org) - is extractant that is loaded with copper i.e. loaded organic
2H+ (aq) - is acidic solution (raffinate)

EXTRACTION MIXERS
Stripped organic Loaded organic to strip

PLS Raffinate
LEACHING / CCD’s

Copper Iron Manganese Oxime

The diagram illustrates above how, in the extraction mixers (E1 and E2), the oxime
sites in the organic ( ) capture the copper ions ( ) , but leave the other metal
species alone (iron and manganese )

COPPER STRIPPING CHEMISTRY

 Basically, the stripping of copper from the loaded organic is the reverse of the
copper loading process onto the stripped organic
 Stripping of copper from loaded organic occurs when the strongly acidic
electrolyte solution is mixed with the loaded organic (from the loaded organic
tanks) in the strip mixers (S1 and S2 mixer tanks no.1 and no.2)
  The oxime in the extractant releases its copper into the electrolyte when
contacted with such a low pH solution, and receives some acid from the
electrolyte in return
 Thus there is a copper-acid transfer in the strip mixers, whereby some acid in the
electrolyte transfers onto the “active sites” on the oxime, and copper that had
been loaded onto the oxime in the extraction mixers is now transferred into the
electrolyte
 The oxime, having received acid and off-loaded copper, now has many copper-
loading sites which are now able to preferentially load any available copper in the
PLS when the organic returns to the extraction mixers once again
 When the copper is transferred to the electrolyte, acid is transferred to the
organic solution at a rate of 1.54 grams acid per 1 gram of copper transferred.
 One of the factors that determines the amount of copper that is able to be
stripped from the organic is the strength of acid in the electrolyte—electrolyte
with an acid concentration of 180g/l is able to strip copper more efficiently than
electrolyte with an acid concentration of 150g/l, all things being equal

Stripping of copper by electrolyte from loaded organic solution can be represented by:

R-Cu-R (org) + 2H+ (aq)  Cu2+ (aq) + 2R-H (org)

(Loaded Organic) + (Spent Electrolyte)  (Strong Electrolyte) + (Stripped Organic)

Where:
R-Cu-R(org) - is extractant that is loaded with copper i.e. loaded organic
2H+ (aq) - is acid in spent electrolyte solution
Cu2+ (aq) - is copper in strong electrolyte solution
2R-H (org) - is extractant i.e. stripped organic
 STRIPPING
Loaded organic Stripped organic

Advance
Spent
Electrolyte
Electrolyte
Electrowinning (E/W)
Copper Iron Manganese Oxime

The diagram above illustrates how, in the strip mixers (S1 and S2), the spent
electrolyte solution removes copper ions ( ) from the oxime sites in the organic
( ), as well as any impurities that are present in the organic

OVERALL COPPER TRANSFER ANALYSIS

The diagram below summarises a typical situation of copper transfer between organic
and aqueous phases in the various stages of an SX circuit, with the copper values
represented in grams per litre (g/l).
 The green line represents the PLS/raffinate circuit (leach aqueous circuit)
  The pink line represents the organic circuit
 The blue line represents the electrolyte circuit

You will note, for example:

 How the copper value in loaded organic is high, then becomes diminished as it
passes through the stripping section (transferring copper to the electrolyte in
return for acid), then increases once more as it passes through the extraction
section of the SX circuit (extracting copper from the PLS, in return for acid to the
raffinate)
 The reduction in copper value of the PLS as it passes through the extraction
section and becomes raffinate
 The increase in spent electrolyte copper values after it has passed through the
stripping section and becomes advanced, or strong electrolyte

(Note: the copper values are examples only)

O/A RATIO AND PHASE CONTINUITY

Under normal operating conditions, each mixer tank will contain a mixture of organic and
aqueous solutions.
The ratio, or proportion of organic solution relative to aqueous solution inside the mixer
tank is referred to as the organic to aqueous ratio, or the O:A ratio
If the organic flowrate is 800m3/h850 m3/h, and the aqueous flowrate is also
800m3/h650 m3/h, then the O:A ratio would be 1:1 1.3 —ie, one part organic to one
three part aqueous
Each mixer-settler unit has an aqueous recycle line, which enables aqueous solution to
recirculate from the aqueous launder back to the mixer tank no.1

Recycle line recirculates aqueous

from the aqueous launder at the
settler discharge back to the mixer
tank no.1.
This allows a portion of the aqueous
flow to recirculate, which enables
correct O:A ratio to be obtained

Thus the flow into each mixer tank no.1 comprises of:
 An organic advance flow
 An aqueous advance flow
 An aqueous recycle flow

To measure the O:A ratio inside a mixer tank, a 1 litre sample using a measuring
cylinder is taken from the sample port located on the wall of the mixer tank.
 The 1 litre sample of organic and aqueous solutions is allowed to settle for a few
minutes, so that the layer of organic is distinct from the layer of aqueous.
 The quantity of organic inside the cylinder is divided by the quantity of aqueous,
with the result being the ratio of organic to aqueous
 To decrease the organic ratio, either the organic flow would need to be
decreased, or the aqueous advance and/or recycle flow would need to be
increased

VOLUME OF VOLUME OF O:A O:A RATIO

ORGANIC (ml) AQUEOUS (ml) CALCULATION
350 650 350/650 0.5 : 1
400 600 400/600 0.7 : 1
450 550 450/550 0.8 : 1
500 500 500/500 1.0 : 1
550 450 550/450 1.2 : 1
600 400 600/400 1.5 : 1
650 350 650/350 1.8 : 1

Volume of organic (m/l)

Volume of aqueous (m/l)

Taking an O:A ratio sample inside a mixer tank

The same sample can be also used to check phase continuity

The proportion of organic to aqueous, or the O:A ratio, inside a mixer tank has a large
effect on the transfer rate of copper between phases.
Under normal operating conditions, in order to optimise the efficiency of copper transfer
in the mixers, the O:A ratio is kept within a narrow range of between 1.3:1 and 0.7:1

The proportion of organic to aqueous, or the O:A ratio, inside a mixer tank can also
affect the phase continuity inside the mixer tank
Each mixer tank will operate in one of two distinct states, either aqueous continuous or
organic continuous:
Organic continuous means that inside a mixing tank there are numerous small bubbles
of aqueous solution that are dispersed throughout a main body of organic solution
(For a comparison, imagine tiny bubbles of air that are dispersed throughout a container
of water—only in this case, substitute tiny bubbles of aqueous for the air, and the
container being full of organic rather than water)
When the organic/aqueous dispersion enters the settler, the aqueous bubbles dispersed
throughout the organic will begin to coalesce (ie, join together), and move down toward
the rapidly forming aqueous phase in the settler
Aqueous continuous means that inside a mixing tank there are numerous small
bubbles of organic solution that are dispersed throughout a main body of aqueous
solution (either PLS or electrolyte)
  A mixer with an O:A of greater than 1:1 is more likely to be organic continuous
 A mixer with an O:A of less than 1:1 has a greater likelihood of being aqueous
continuous
 Though the O:A ratio can influence phase continuity inside a mixer, sometimes a
mixer will hold an aqueous continuous condition, even though the O:A ratio is
greater than 1:1

Significance of Phase Continuity

The significance of phase continuity inside a mixer tank lies in the type of entrainment
that will occur at the settler discharge
Entrainment is the undesirable presence of one solution phase in another as the
solutions overflow a weir at the discharge of a settler.
 If a small amount of the aqueous phase remains with the organic when the
organic overflows the organic weir, then there is aqueous entrainment in the
organic.
 Conversely, if a small amount of organic is present in the aqueous when the
solutions overflow the aqueous weir, then there is organic entrainment in
aqueous

This is an example of organic

entrainment in aqueous.

The organic is floating on top of

the aqueous in the aqueous
launder of a settler

Phase continuity can also influence the characteristics of crud formation inside a settler.
Crud is a stable emulsion consisting of:
 Fine particles of solids and precipitated impurities
 Organic and aqueous
This crud forms a layer of sludge in the settler, residing between the organic and
aqueous phases
Mixers that operate in organic continuous usually have a more compacted crud layer
that is less prone to developing uncontrolled crud rushes that transport impurities to the
electrolyte solution, as well as reduce or even stop copper production.
Crud will be discussed later in this section

Observing Phase Continuity

The phase continuity inside a mixer tank is determined by observing the separation
characteristics of the aqueous and organic inside the measuring cylinder.
If a mixer tank is operating in organic continuous, the disengagement of the organic
and aqueous phases will be slower, and will exhibit a cobweb-like appearance at the
interface. Movement of this interface will appear uneven.
 The small aqueous bubbles dispersed throughout the organic will begin to
coalesce and move down toward the rapidly forming aqueous phase in the
cylinder
 This aqueous phase will be relatively clean and free of entrained organic
 Any aqueous droplets that can’t manage to coalesce and join the aqueous phase
by the time the organic arrives at the organic weir (ie, they remain trapped in the
organic phase) will be carried over the weir with the organic—this constitutes
aqueous entrainment in organic
 Thus a mixer in organic continuous will generally have:
o a clean aqueous phase with little organic entrainment at the aqueous weir
(settler discharge)
o small amounts of aqueous entrainment in the organic at the organic weir

If a mixer tank is operating in aqueous continuous, the disengagement of the organic

and aqueous phases will be more rapid, and will exhibit a neater, more distinct
appearance at the interface than that exhibited for organic continuous conditions

 The small organic bubbles dispersed throughout the aqueous phase will begin to
coalesce and move up toward the rapidly forming organic phase in the cylinder
 This organic phase will be relatively clean and free of entrained aqueous
 Any organic droplets that can’t manage to coalesce and join the organic phase
by the time the aqueous arrives at the aqueous weir (ie, the organic bubbles
remain trapped in the aqueous phase) will be carried over the weir with the
aqueous—this constitutes organic entrainment in aqueous
 Thus a mixer in aqueous continuous will generally have:
o a clean organic phase with little aqueous entrainment at the organic weir
(settler discharge)
o small amounts of organic entrainment in the aqueous at the aqueous weir
 MIXER CONTINUITY AND THE EFFECT ON ENTRAINMENT

A mixer in aqueous continuous—thousands of If a mixer is operating in aqueous continuous, upon

small organic bubbles are dispersed throughout settling, the organic/aqueous interface will be a clean
a main body of aqueous solution line

At the settler discharge:

Some small bubbles of organic may remain in the
aqueous phase as it overflows the aqueous weir
The organic phase will be clean, containing very little
aqueous entrainment

If a mixer is operating in organic continuous, upon

settling, the organic/aqueous interface will show a ‘cob-
A mixer in organic continuous—thousands of webbing’ effect
small aqueous bubbles are dispersed throughout
a main body of organic solution At the settler discharge:
Some small bubbles of aqueous may remain in the
organic phase as it overflows the organic weir
The aqueous phase will be clean, containing very little
organic entrainment
 Preferred Continuities in a Particular Mixer
Due to the effect that phase continuity has on entrainment, mixer tanks are often
operated in a particular continuity so that the effects of the entrainment have a minimum
adverse impact on the process
The mixer continuity targeted should be the opposite of the phase leaving the SX circuit.
Consider the table below, whilst consulting an SX flowsheet if necessary:

Mixer- Preferred
Reason why
settler Continuity
 When exiting E1 settler, loaded organic leaves the extraction
circuit and enters the loaded organic tanks
 Since entrainment of PLS into the loaded organic will contaminate
the electrolyte when the loaded organic is pumped to S1 mixer
tank, we need aqueous entrainment in this organic phase to be
low
 Operating the mixer continuity for E1 in aqueous organic
E1 Aqueous Organic continuous usually minimises aqueous entrainment in organic
allow to avoid PLS entrainment in the loaded organic
 As organic exits E1 settler and enter the S2 mixer passing through
the loaded organic tank, it contains impurities (manganese, and
other elements dissolved into it) coming from the PLS solution and
transfers it into the SPENT electrolyte solution which is to be pure.
 Any organic entrainment in the aqueous phase leaving E1 settler
will be re-mixed in E2 mixer tank, which is of no concern
 When exiting E2 settler, raffinate leaves the extraction circuit and
enters the raffinate organic reclaim pond and then raffinate pond
 Since entrainment of organic into the raffinate will result in organic
losses from the SX circuit when the raffinate exits E2 settler, we
need organic entrainment in this raffinate phase to be low
E2 Organic
 Operating the mixer continuity for E2 in organic continuous usually
minimises organic entrainment in the aqueous (in this case
raffinate)
 Any aqueous entrainment in the organic phase leaving E2 settler
will be re-mixed in E1 mixer tank, which is of no concern
  When exiting S1 settler, stripped organic leaves the strip circuit
and enters the extraction circuit (to E2 mixer tank no.1)
 Since entrainment of electrolyte into the stripped organic will result
in electrolyte losses from the strip circuit, as well as potentially
high copper tenors in the raffinate solution exiting E2 settler, we
need aqueous entrainment in this organic phase to be low
S1 AqueousOrganic  Any aqueous or electrolyte entrainment into the extraction circuit
will result in an increase of acid tenor, impeding copper extraction
into E2 mixer.
 Operating the mixer continuity for S1 in aqueous continuous
usually minimises aqueous entrainment in organic
 Any organic entrainment in the aqueous phase leaving S1 settler
will be re-mixed in S2 mixer tank, which is of no concern
 When exiting S2 settler, strong electrolyte leaves the strip circuit
before being filtered and sent to the electrowinning area
 Since entrainment of organic into the strong electrolyte will result
in organic losses from the SX circuit when the electrolyte exits S2
settler, as well as risking organic breakthrough in the filters which
would see organic enter the electrowinning cells, we need organic
S2 Organic entrainment in this aqueous phase to be low
 Operating the mixer continuity for S2 in organic continuous usually
minimises organic entrainment in the aqueous (in this case
electrolyte)
 Any aqueous entrainment in the organic phase leaving S2 settler
will be re-mixed in S1 mixer tank, which is of no concern

Though the above table gives a guide as to the preferred continuities, in practice it may
be beneficial to operate mixers in organic continuous due to the better compaction
characteristics of the crud layer within each settler—which often results in less overall
entrainments due to lower crud excursions over organic weirs

Changing Phase Continuities

Sometimes during SX operations mixer tanks may ‘flip’ continuities—ie, change from
one continuity to another
For example, if we wish to operate E2 mixer tanks in organic continuous, we would not
want to see it change to aqueous continuous, due to the risk of increased organic
entrainment in the raffinate exiting the settler
Therefore this would necessitate the E2 mixer tank being ‘flipped’ back into organic
continuous. This procedure would involve increasing the volume of organic inside the
mixer tank (ie, increasing the O:A ratio by either increasing the organic flowrate and/or
decreasing the aqueous flowrates) so that the overall organic matrix can be resumed
COALESCENCE AND PHASE SEPARATION INSIDE A SETTLER
Whilst the function of a mixer tank is to maintain contact of the organic and aqueous
phases so that the correct copper transfer can take place, the function of a settler is to
ensure that the two phases completely separate from one another prior to exiting the
settler.
When the two phases are discharged from mixer tank no.2 and enter the rear of a
settler, two things begin to occur:
 The discontinuous phase begins to coalesce, whereby the tiny bubbles that are
dispersed throughout the continuous phase begin to join together to form a
bigger bubble, which has sufficient size to quickly move towards its own rapidly
forming phase
o For example, in an aqueous continuous dispersion, the tiny bubbles of
organic will join together to form a larger bubble of organic, which will
then quickly rise up out of the aqueous phase to join a rapidly forming
organic phase
o The opposite occurs in an organic continuous dispersion
 The continuous phase begins to drain away from the tiny bubbles of the
discontinuous phase that it surrounds

Coalescence of aqueous droplets dispersed throughout an organic continuous phase

Inside a mixer, small bubbles of Upon entry into the settler:

aqueous are dispersed throughout the small bubbles of aqueous join together, or
body of organic (organic continuous) coalesce, to form a larger bubble
the larger bubble is more easily able to force
its way down toward the rapidly forming
aqueous phase

A cobweb-like appearance at the

interface indicates that the mixer is
operating in organic continuous

o In the above example, the aqueous phase drains from the tiny organic
bubbles that are coalescing
o
 Coalescence of organic droplets dispersed throughout an aqueous continuous phase

A clean, distinct line at the interface, as

well as organic bubbles rising upwards,
indicates that the mixer is operating in
aqueous continuous

Inside a mixer, small bubbles of Upon entry into the settler:

organic are dispersed throughout the small bubbles of organic join together, or
body of aqueous (aqueous continuous) coalesce, to form a larger bubble
the larger bubble is more easily able to force
its way up toward the rapidly forming
organic phase

PHASE DISENGAGEMENT TIMES

As previously described, after the organic and aqueous phases have discharged from
the mixer tanks they enter the settlers where the calm environment enables the two
phases to separate
The time taken for the two phases to separate is referred to as the phase
disengagement time, or phase separation time
Each settler is designed with sufficient capacity to enable enough time for the phases to
adequately separate with minimal entrainment when design organic and aqueous
flowrates are utilised
 The phase disengagement time for a mixer-settler is taken periodically to test
whether the phases are separating in a timely manner.
 This test is performed at the same time that an O:A ratio sample is conducted,
utilising a stopwatch to measure the time taken to reach the exact point where
the two phases have completely separated.
 Mixers that operate in aqueous continuous usually have a faster disengagement
time than mixers operating in organic continuous
Nonetheless, the phase disengagement times can serve as a useful guide for abnormal
operating conditions, such as:
  The phases are separating too quickly (eg 30 seconds), whereby a phenomenon
called ‘secondary haze’ forms, which consists of very fine droplets that take a
long time to coalesce—much more residence time than is available in the settler
o This may indicate that the solutions are becoming too-vigorously mixed,
leading to shearing of the solutions
 The phases may be taking too long to separate, which leads to increased
entrainments. This may be caused by the following reasons:
o The organic may be building up with contaminants, and therefore require
clay treatment in order to remove the contaminants.
o High levels of manganese in the organic and electrolyte is a potential
problem—a reason why PLS entrainment in organic should be minimised
o Increased suspended solids in the PLS, indicating poor clarification
o A high entrainment of air from launders due to the liquid level being too
low
o A high entrainment of air in mixers due to over-turbulent mixing. Air
ingress causes the formation of a stable emulsion that requires increased
time to separate
o Over-flocculation in the CCD’s and clarifiers
o High levels of soluble silicas in the PLS, indicating poor clarification
performance
o Over-mixing in the mixer tanks, with the VSD on the mixer set too high,
causing an excessively fast tip speed
o Organic recovered from the organic reclaim ponds that hasn’t been clay
treated

Example of Organic Coalescence Inside a Settler (ie, mixer operated in aqueous continuous)

The organic phase should

be clean and have very little
aqueous entrainment

Coalescence of organic droplets

occurs in the dispersion band

Organic droplets that haven’t

coalesced in time will overflow the
aqueous weir (organic entrainment)
OTHER CAUSES OF ENTRAINMENT

So far the possible causes for undesirable entrainment have included:

 Incorrect mixer phase continuities
 Poor phase disengagement times

Other causes of higher than desirable levels of entrainment include:

 Higher than design (ie excessive) flowrates that are passing through the settlers,
which reduce residence and hence settling time
 A thin depth of organic in the settlers, which means that the organic phase
travels swiftly along the settler, creating turbulence at the organic/aqueous
interface which encourages aqueous entrainment in the organic when the
organic overflows the weir
 High quantities of crud in the settlers, which reduces settling volume and hence
settling residence time (also reduces the actual depth of organic in the settler,
causing turbulence at the interface)
 Crud rushes—these result in high levels of entrainment in all mixer settlers

In the case of PLS entrainment in the loaded organic, which will then cause increased
impurities in the electrolyte, it is very important that entrained aqueous is regularly
removed from the loaded organic tanks using the aqueous bleed pumps located at the
high and low grade loaded organic tanks

SUMMARY OF THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTRAINMENT

  Contamination of electrolyte with impurities that are introduced by the leaching
process and subsequent PLS introduction into the SX circuit can present several
problems that can sometimes severely disrupt copper production and cause
substantial damage to equipment.
 The issues outlined below illustrate the need to minimise PLS entrainment in the
loaded organic, and to constantly remove entrained PLS from the bottom of the
loaded organic pumps using the aqueous bleed pump 40-PU-064 and 45-PU-074

Impurity Potential Problem Danger Level

 Can be transferred to the electrolyte by:
Fe3+/Fe2+ o Chemical loading onto the organic if the copper level in the Above 2g/l iron in
raffinate solution is too low electrolyte
o aqueous entrainment of PLS solution in the loaded organic in
Iron
E1 settler (usually the main cause)
 Can be beneficial to copper quality in low levels and controlling
manganese oxidation in the electrolyte, but if iron levels in
electrolyte is too high, it reduces current efficiency as iron levels
increase
 Iron levels in electrolyte are controlled by electrolyte bleed,
reduction in entrainment, and maintaining copper levels in
raffinate to above 0.8g/l

Mn2+  Can be transferred to the electrolyte by:

(Manganese) o aqueous entrainment of PLS solution in the loaded organic in The level at which Mn
E1 settler (usually the main cause) becomes a problem in
o It is not chemically extracted by the organic the electrolyte depends
on the redox potential of
 In electrowinning, it can become oxidised to MnO4-, which can the electrolyte
oxidise both the extractant and the diluent components of the
organic
 The degree of organic degradation can then be very severe Maintaining the Fe/Mn
ratio at greater than 8:1
 Degradation products can then prolong phase separation in the can control manganese
settler and extraction efficiencies in the mixers oxidation
 Oxidation of manganese in the tankhouse can be controlled by
maintaining more than 1000ppm (1g/l) iron in the electrolyte

Cl- o aqueous entrainment of PLS solution in the loaded organic in

(Chlorides) E1 settler (usually the main cause) Maintain Cl- below 40
o It is not generally chemically extracted by the organic ppm in the electrolyte
 Causes severe corrosion and pitting of the stainless steel
cathodes at the solution line which in turn causes copper cathode
stripping problems
 Cl- can adversely affect crystal growth, copper cathode quality and
discoloration of the copper
 Cl- levels in the electrolyte above 40ppm is typically the level at
which problems commence
 A lower concentration of chloride (20-25ppm) in the electrolyte
 can be beneficial to the copper deposit onto the cathode
 Above 500 ppm in the PLS solution, any entrainment PLS
entrainment in loaded organic will cause higher levels of chlorides
in the electrolyte
 Need to maintain an electrolyte bleed to control escalating Cl- and
ensure that correct mixer continuities are observed so as to
minimise PLS entrainment

 Dissolved silica can be present in the PLS solution

Soluble  If not removed by the coagulant in the clarifiers, it will cause slow About 500 ppm
silica and phase separation, mixer instability and increased crud formation
flocculant in the settlers when the PLS is mixed with the organic
 Silica problems can be increased by the presence of flocculant in
the PLS

CRUD

Crud is a stable emulsion of the following components:

 Fine particles of solids (usually about 10%)
 Organic (usually about 60%)
 Aqueous (usually about 30%)

It is referred to as a stable emulsion because the mixture of solids, organic and aqueous
take a long time to separate, far too long for efficient separation in the settlers
A good emulsion in the context of SX is a mixture of organic and aqueous in the mixers
that, when it enters the settler, will separate quickly and completely
Because the crud primarily consists of aqueous and organic, after it forms in the mixer it
usually resides in the settler at the interface between the organic and the aqueous

The formation of crud in the SX circuit can present several operating problems. Some
problems include:
 It retains organic within the crud.
 o When the crud is removed from the settler, this retention of organic within
the crud reduces the amount of organic available in the circuit to be used
for the extraction and stripping of copper in the mixers.
 It accumulates in the settler, reducing the settler capacity and increasing
entrainments.
o This means that the dispersion of organic and aqueous entering the
settler doesn’t have the optimum residence time or volume available to
separate into the two different phases.
o Insufficient residence time can result in increased entrainments.
 When crud quantities in a settler are excessive, a crud rush often eventuates if
the crud isn’t removed.
o A crud rush is the uncontrolled movement and circulation of crud
throughout the entire SX circuit—ie, through each mixer, settler and
organic tank
o This crud rush, or migration of crud, causes large amounts of entrainment
and also significantly reduces the amount of copper transfer occurring in
the mixers (ie, extraction of copper in E1 and E2 is reduced, as is
stripping in S1 and S2). High losses of organic to the raffinate pond, and
a loss of acid and copper tenor in electrolyte also occur, with the
electrolyte becoming so contaminated with impurities that electrowinning
is usually suspended until operating stability returns

The amount of crud residing inside a settler is ascertained by using a clear plastic tube
and dipping tube down to the depth of the settler
When the tube is drawn up out of the liquid portion of the settler, the depth of organic
and crud residing in that portion of the settler should be visible

Crud formation in a mixer-settler can occur due to following reasons:

 Large amounts of solids in the PLS which enter the SX circuit via E1 mixers,
which causes rapid crud formation in the mixer-settlers
 Air entrainment in the mixers (eg over-vigorous mixing, with the VSD set too
high) encourages the formation of stable emulsions, which increases
entrainments at the settler discharges, and crud formation
 Air entrainment in the organic and aqueous launders increase the risk of
generating crud
 A thin depth of organic in the settlers, which means that the organic phase
travels swiftly along the settler, creating turbulence at the organic / aqueous
interface which encourages crud at the interface to come loose and accompany
the organic in overflow the organic weir. When crud overflows a weir and is
mixed in the advance mixer, crud generation results
 Contaminants from the PLS and electrolyte, increased manganese
concentrations in the organic, and degraded organic products that accumulate
and precipitate in the organic can cause crud generation as well as increase p
 hase disengagement times and thus increase likelihood of entrainments
 Crud that migrates with the
organic over the weir and into
the advance mixer will increase
the likelihood of generating even
more crud

CRUD RUSHES

As mentioned, crud rushes are absolutely undesirable in an SX circuit, due to high

entrainments, loss of reagents and loss of copper production

A crud rush may develop in the following situations:

 Very large quantities of crud that have accumulated in the settlers suddenly lose
cohesion and stability and ‘let go’, beginning an uncontrolled migration through
the SX circuit
 Large and sudden increases in flowrates (organic, PLS or aqueous recycles) that
disturbs the stability of compacted crud in a settler, causing it to break up and
overflow the organic weirs
 Sudden, large increases in aqueous weir heights, which lifts the crud layer
towards to top of the organic weir
 Large amounts of solids in the PLS which enter the SX circuit via E1 mixers,
which causes rapid crud formation in the mixer-settlers and rapid accumulation of
uncompacted crud in the settlers
 Operating with organic and aqueous flowrates that are way above design
flowrates. The forward pressure brought on by the high flow volume eventually
breaks up the stable crud layer in the settler, causing the disturbed crud to
overflow the organic weir.
 Operating mixers in aqueous continuous, with any crud that is generated being
fluffy and uncompacted, and much more prone to float within the organic phase
in a settler
PREVENTING CRUD RUSHES

As the SX operator, one prime responsibility is to ensure that every effort is made to
prevent accumulation of crud in settlers.
Ways that this can be achieved are:
 Monitor the performance of clarifiers (through lab results and liaison with the
leach/CCD operator) to ensure they are not allowing excess solids to be present
in the PLS
 Do not make large, sudden flow increases in the SX circuit (increas4e increase
flows gradually), nor raise the height of aqueous weirs excessively
 Maintain mixers in the correct continuity
 Ensure that over-vigorous mixing does not occur, and air entrainment in launders
is minimised
 Ensure that clay treatment for organic is conducted at a rate as per metallurgical
instructions
 Ensure that crud accumulation in settlers is removed regularly

Crud removal from a settler is undertaken at the settler using the crud removal pump in
both the high grade and low grade circuits.
The pump is used in conjunction with a hand-held crud-sucking wand, with the operator
directing the suction-end of the wand at the crud layer inside the settler, attempting to
pump as much crud from the settler whilst managing to avoid pumping organic and
aqueous
The harvested crud is pumped to the crud tank, where it then undergoes treatment in the
crud centrifuge so that organic trapped in the crud can be reclaimed, and the remaining
crud can be disposed of in the TSF

Crud manifold—crud enters Aqueous flows Organic weir

here and is then pumped to under organic
the crud tank weir
ORGANIC TREATMENT

During the operation of an SX circuit the organic phase can become contaminated with
substances and damage from sunlight.

Organic contamination can be the result of:

 Manganese entrainment in the loaded organic (from the PLS) that has gone to
the electrowinning tankhouse and become oxidised
 Organic that has been reclaimed from the organic reclaim pond and that has
been damaged by sunlight
 Excessive flocculant in the PLS resulting from overdosing in the CCD and
Clarification areas
 Dissolved impurities in the PLS that, over time, precipitate or undergo chemical
change when mixed with organic in the extraction mixers

These substances are detrimental, and can:

 Increase phase separation time in the settlers (and therefore increase
entrainments)
 Decrease the ability of the organic to extract copper in the extraction mixers,
which results in lower copper recoveries in the SX circuit
 Decrease the ability of the organic to select copper over iron, which results in
greater iron transfer into the electrolyte
Clay treatment of the organic phase will usually remove the contaminant from the
organic phase
PROCESS VARIABLES IN THE SX CIRCUIT
In order to optimise the solvent extraction circuit so that the maximum copper recoveries
and minimum impurity transfer into the electrolyte can be achieved, many variables need
to be adjusted and monitored by both the control room operator and the field operator.

The following variables are examples of typical changes which may need to occur in the
solvent extraction circuit, and the subsequent effect that these changes have on both the
rest of the SX circuit and the electrowinning circuit, chemically and physically.

The following variables need to be monitored, adjusted and maintained:

 Increasing/decreasing the PLS flowrate
 Increasing/ decreasing the PLS feed grade
 Increasing/decreasing the organic flowrate
 Increasing/decreasing the spent electrolyte flowrate
 Increasing/decreasing the aqueous recycle flowrate on S1 and/or S2 mixers
 Increasing the acid concentration in the electrolyte
 Increasing the extractant concentration in the organic
 Increasing/decreasing the O:A ratio in mixer tanks
 Increasing/decreasing the level in the loaded organic tanks
 Increasing/decreasing the level in the advance/strong electrolyte tanks
 Increasing/decreasing the depth of organic in a settler
 Methods to increase/decrease the copper tenor in the raffinate
 Methods to increase/decrease the copper tenor in strong electrolyte

NOTE:
 The following discussion applies equally to both the high grade and low grade
SX circuits
 The method on how to affect these changes are described in standard
operating procedures (SOP’s)

INCREASING THE PLS FLOWRATE

Chemical effect:

An increase in PLS flow, with no other changes made to the process, would have the
following effect:
 More copper is now available for the organic to extract.
 Therefore,
o Copper tenor in organic should increase.
o Note: If the excess copper isn’t successfully loaded onto the organic (ie, the
organic is already fully loaded), then raffinate copper tenor will also increase.
 If more copper has been loaded onto the organic, then more copper is now
available for the electrolyte to strip from the organic.
o Therefore,
  Copper tenor in electrolyte should increase.
 As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production

Physical effect:

Increasing the PLS flowrate will have the following physical effects throughout the SX
circuit:
 Decrease the O:A ratio in E1 and E2 mixer tanks
o This is due to the additional PLS solution displacing organic solution from the
mixer tanks
 Increase the level of the loaded organic tanks
o This is due to the displaced organic (see above) from E1 and E2 mixer tanks
ultimately being stored in the loaded organic tanks
 Possible increase in entrainment and crud movement
o If the flowrate increase is too excessive, such that there is insufficient settling
time in the settler, aqueous entrainment in organic, or organic entrainment in
aqueous may occur—the situation will need to be monitored
o If crud accumulation in a settler is high, an increase in flow may unsettle the
crud layer and cause movement of crud—the situation will need to be
monitored
 Possible change in continuity
o Due to the decrease in the O:A ratio, a mixer tank operating in organic
continuous may flip to aqueous continuous

Decreasing the PLS flowrate will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASING THE PLS FEED GRADE

Chemical effect:

An increase in PLS feed grade, with no other changes made to the process, would have
the following effect:
 More copper is now available in the PLS for the organic to extract.
 Therefore,
o Copper tenor in organic should increase.
o Note: If the excess copper isn’t successfully loaded onto the organic (ie,
the organic is already fully loaded), then raffinate copper tenor will also
increase.
 If more copper has been loaded onto the organic, then more copper is now
available for the electrolyte to strip from the organic. Therefore,
o Copper tenor in electrolyte should increase.
  As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production

Physical effect:

An increase in the PLS feed grade will have no significant physical effect throughout the
SX circuit, unless other SX flows are adjusted in order to react to this increase in feed
grade

Decreasing the PLS feed grade will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASING THE ORGANIC FLOWRATE

Chemical effect:

An increase in the organic flowrate, with no other changes made to the process, would
have the following effect:

 There would be more oxime sites available in the organic that can extract copper
from the PLS in the extraction mixers.
o Providing there is sufficient surplus copper in the PLS, we would expect the
organic to load more copper
o By extracting more copper, the loaded organic copper tenor will increase,
while the raffinate copper tenor will decrease (thus greater copper recovery in
the extraction mixer-settlers)
 More copper in the loaded organic means the electrolyte has more copper
available to strip
o We would expect the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte to increase
o As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production

Physical effect:

Increasing the organic flowrate will have the following physical effects throughout the SX
circuit:
 Increase the O:A ratio in all mixer tanks
o This is due to the additional organic solution displacing aqueous solution from
all of the mixer tanks
 Decrease the level of the loaded organic tanks
o This is due to the increase of O:A ratios in the mixers increasing—organic
that was stored in the loaded organic tanks is now circulating throughout the
SX circuit
 Increase the level of the strong/advance electrolyte tanks
 o This is due to the displaced electrolyte (see above) ultimately being stored in
the electrolyte tanks
o Note: technically, the level in the raffinate pond will also increase, but due to
the size of the raffinate pond, this increase will not be noticeable
 Possible increase in entrainment and crud movement
o If the flowrate increase is too excessive, such that there is insufficient settling
time in the settler, aqueous entrainment in organic, or organic entrainment in
aqueous may occur—the situation will need to be monitored
o If crud accumulation in a settler is high, an increase in flow may unsettle the
crud layer and cause movement of crud—the situation will need to be
monitored
 Possible change in continuity
o Due to the increase in the O:A ratio, a mixer tank operating in aqueous
continuous may flip to organic continuous

Decreasing the organic flowrate will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASING THE SPENT ELECTROLYTE FLOWRATE

Chemical effect:

An increase in the spent electrolyte flowrate, with no other changes made to the
process, would have the following effect:

 There would be more electrolyte available in the mixer tank that can strip copper
from the organic in the strip mixers S1 and S2.
o Providing there is sufficient surplus copper in the organic, we would expect
the electrolyte to strip more copper
o By stripping more copper, the strong electrolyte copper tenor will increase,
while the stripped organic copper tenor will decrease (thus, greater copper
recovery in the strip mixer-settlers)
o As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production
 Less copper in the stripped organic means the organic has more oxime sites
available in the organic to extract copper from the PLS when the organic passes
through the extraction mixer-settlers
o We would expect the copper tenor in the raffinate to decrease

Physical effect:

Increasing the spent electrolyte flowrate will have the following physical effects
throughout the SX circuit:
  Decrease the O:A ratio in the strip mixer tanks
o This is due to the additional electrolyte solution displacing organic solution
from the S1 and S2 mixer tanks
 Increase the level of the loaded organic tanks
o This is due to the displaced organic (see above) from S1 and S2 mixer tanks
ultimately being stored in the loaded organic tanks
 Decrease the level of the strong/advance electrolyte tanks
o This is due to increased electrolyte inventory in the strip mixer tanks, though
the decrease in level may be small
 Possible increase in entrainment and crud movement
o If the flowrate increase is too excessive, such that there is insufficient settling
time in the settler, aqueous entrainment in organic, or organic entrainment in
aqueous may occur—the situation will need to be monitored
o If crud accumulation in a settler is high, an increase in flow may unsettle the
crud layer and cause movement of crud—the situation will need to be
monitored
 Possible change in continuity
o Due to the decrease in the O:A ratio, a mixer tank operating in organic
continuous may flip to aqueous continuous

Decreasing the spent electrolyte flowrate will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASING THE AQUEOUS RECYCLE FLOW ON S1 AND/OR S2 MIXER-

SETTLERS

 Increasing the aqueous (electrolyte) recycle flow on S1 or S2 mixers, with no

other changes made to the process, would have the same chemical and physical
effects as increasing the spent electrolyte flowrate (see above).
 The electrolyte in the aqueous launder of a strip settler, by recycling back to the
mixer tank, becomes further enriched with copper after it strips additional copper
from the organic in the mixer tank

Decreasing the aqueous recycle flows will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASING THE ACID CONCENTRATION IN THE ELECTROLYTE

Chemical effect:
An increase in the acid tenor in the electrolyte, with no other changes made to the
process, would have the following effect:

 The electrolyte will have more acid sites available to strip more copper from the
organic in the strip mixers S1 and S2.
o Providing there is sufficient surplus copper in the organic, we would expect
the electrolyte to strip more copper
o By stripping more copper, the strong electrolyte copper tenor will increase,
while the stripped organic copper tenor will decrease (thus, greater copper
recovery in the strip mixer-settlers)
o As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production
 Less copper in the stripped organic means the organic has more oxime sites
available in the organic to extract copper from the PLS when the organic passes
through the extraction mixer-settlers
o We would expect the copper tenor in the raffinate to decrease

Important note: the acid tenor in spent electrolyte should not exceed 180g/l.
If the acid concentration approaches or exceeds 200 g/l, the following problems may
arise:
 Increase chances of damage to the oximes in the extractant in the organic phase
(resulting in poorer extraction performance in the extraction mixers)
 Increased rates of anode spalling in the EW cells (see Electrowinning Operating
and Training Manual)
 Causes damage (pitting) to stainless steel surface of cathodes, which leads to
difficulties in copper stripping
 Elevated sulphur levels in the electrolyte can lead to impurities in copper sheets
(below 99.99% purity)

Physical effect:

 An increase in the acid concentration in the electrolyte will have no significant

physical effect throughout the SX circuit, unless other SX flows are adjusted in
order to react to this increase in stripping capacity of the electrolyte
 The quantity of acid that would be added would not affect tank levels (unless the
addition was accompanied by a substantial amount of water) or O:A ratios

Decreasing the acid concentration in the electrolyte will have the opposite effect of
an increase

INCREASING THE EXTRACTANT CONCENTRATION IN THE ORGANIC

Chemical effect:

An increase in the extractant concentration in the organic, with no other changes made
to the process, would have the following effect:

 There would be more oxime sites available in the organic that can extract copper
from the PLS in the extraction mixers.
o Providing there is sufficient surplus copper in the PLS, we would expect the
organic to load more copper
o By extracting more copper, the loaded organic copper tenor will increase,
while the raffinate copper tenor will decrease (thus greater copper recovery in
the extraction mixer-settlers)
 More copper in the loaded organic means the electrolyte has more copper
available to strip
o We would expect the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte to increase
o As the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte increases, it may be possible to
increase rectiformer amperage to increase overall copper production

Physical effect:

 An increase in the organic concentration in the organic will have no significant

physical effect throughout the SX circuit, unless other SX flows are adjusted in
order to react to this increase in stripping capacity of the electrolyte.
 The quantity of extractant that would be added would not affect tank levels
(unless the addition was accompanied by a substantial amount of diluent) or O:A
ratios

Decreasing the organic concentration in the organic will have the opposite effect of
an increase

INCREASING THE O:A RATIOS IN MIXER TANKS

 This means that the proportion of organic to aqueous (ie PLS or electrolyte)
increases.
 Methods on how to do this include:
o Increasing the organic flowrate
o Decreasing the PLS (extraction mixers) or spent electrolyte (stripping
mixers) flowrate
o Decreasing the aqueous recycles

 The chemical effect and physical effects of the above changes are described in
the sub-sections above
Decreasing the O:A ratios will have the opposite effect of an increase

INCREASE THE LEVEL OF THE ORGANIC TANK

To increase the level in the loaded organic tanks, the following methods may be
employed:
 Increase the height of the aqueous weirs
o This will decrease the depth of organic in the settlers, with the surplus
organic eventually reporting to the loaded organic tanks
 Increase the PLS and/or spent electrolyte flowrates
o This will decrease the O:A ratios, thus decrease the volume of organic
inside the affected mixer tanks. The displaced organic will eventually report
to the loaded organic tanks
 Decrease the organic flowrate
o This will decrease the O:A ratios in all the mixers, with the effect described
as above
o This is usually the least preferable method, as copper production is
decreased
 Increase the aqueous recycle flow
o This will decrease the O:A ratios in all the mixers, with the effect described
as above
 Recover entrained organic from the organic reclaim ponds
o This organic will first need to be clay treated before reintroduction into the
SX circuit
 Decant organic from the crud tank
 Decant organic from the advance and strong electrolyte tanks
 Add diluent and organic to the SX circuit
o This increases the overall volume of organic in the SX circuit
o This is usually one of the last options taken to increase the organic tank
levels

INCREASE THE LEVEL OF THE ADVANCE AND STRONG ELECTROLYTE

TANKS

To increase the level in either of the advance or strong electrolyte tanks, the following
methods may be employed:
 Decrease the height of the aqueous weirs in S1 and/or S2 settlers
 o This will decrease the depth of electrolyte in the settlers, with the surplus
electrolyte eventually reporting to the electrolyte tanks
 Decrease the spent electrolyte flowrates
o This will increase the O:A ratios, thus decrease the volume of electrolyte
inside the affected mixer tanks. The displaced electrolyte will eventually
report to the relevant electrolyte tanks
o This is usually the least preferable method, as copper production is
decreased
 Decrease the aqueous recycle flow in S1 and S2 mixers
o This will increase the O:A ratios in all the mixers, with the effect described
as above
o This is usually the least preferable method, as copper production is
decreased
 Increase the organic flowrate
o This will increase the O:A ratios in all the mixers, with the effect described
as above
o The level of the loaded organic tanks will need to be monitored to ensure
the level doesn’t become too low
 Reclaim electrolyte from the electrowinning backwash tank
 Add sulphuric acid and raw water to the electrolyte circulation tank no.2
o This increases the overall volume of electrolyte in the SX-EW circuit
o This is usually one of the last options taken to increase the electrolyte tank
levels

INCREASING THE DEPTH OF ORGANIC IN A SETTLER

To increase the depth of the organic in a settler:

 Decrease the height of the aqueous weirs in S1 and/or S2 settlers
o This will increase the depth of organic and decrease the depth of electrolyte
in the settlers, with the surplus electrolyte eventually reporting to the
electrolyte tanks
o The level of organic in the loaded organic tanks will decrease
o The O:A ratios will not change, though initially there will be a brief
decrease in O;A ratio in some mixers due to a brief reduction of organic
overflowing the weir of the affected settler, which occurs as the depth of
organic in that settler increases

To decrease the depth of the organic in a settler, employ the opposite method to that
above

METHODS TO DECREASE THE COPPER TENOR IN THE RAFFINATE

To decrease the copper tenor in the raffinate solution that exits the extraction circuit, the
following methods may be employed:
 Increase the organic flowrate
 Decrease the PLS flowrate (least preferable—decreases copper production)
 Increase the spent electrolyte flowrate
 Increase the aqueous recycle flowrates
 Add more acid to the electrolyte, if the acid tenor in electrolyte is low
 Add more extractant to the organic (one of the last options chosen)

To increase the copper tenor in the raffinate solution that exits the extraction circuit, the
opposite methods may be employed, with the exceptions being:
 Add raw water to the electrolyte rather than acid, in order to dilute the acid
concentration if it is too high (otherwise, do not alter the acid concentration)
 Add diluent to the organic rather than extractant, in order to dilute the extraction
concentration in the organic (least preferable method)

METHODS TO INCREASE COPPER TENOR IN STRONG ELECTROLYTE

To increase the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte solution, the following methods
may be employed:
 Increase the PLS flowrate
 Increase the organic flowrate
 Increase the spent electrolyte flowrate
 Increase the aqueous recycle flowrate in S1 and/or S2 mixer-settlers
 Increase the acid concentration in the electrolyte (not above 180g/l in the spent
electrolyte)
 Increase the concentration of extractant in the organic
 Decrease the rectiformer amps (least preferable method, as copper production
will be reduced)

Important note: the copper tenor in strong electrolyte should not exceed 55g/l.
If the copper concentration approaches or exceeds 55-60 g/l, the following problems
may arise:
 When the strong electrolyte starts to have an excessive concentration of copper
(copper tenor of 55 g/l or greater), the copper sulphate ions in the electrolyte
solution begins to precipitate (solidify) into copper sulphate crystals.
 This is highly undesirable, as blocked pipes, blocked pumps, valves etc normally
ensue as a result of the crystallisation.
  It is therefore important to keep copper tenor in electrolyte below 55 g/l, even if it
means stopping the SX process so that copper loading onto the electrolyte stops
(it would be preferable in the first instance to increase rectiformer amperage).

To decrease the copper tenor in the strong electrolyte, the opposite methods may be
employed, with the exceptions being:
 Add raw water to the electrolyte rather than acid, in order to dilute the acid
concentration if it is too high (otherwise, do not alter the acid concentration)
 Add diluent to the organic rather than extractant, in order to dilute the extraction
concentration in the organic (least preferable method)

PROCESS CONTROL

CIRCUIT CONTROL ON CITECT—SOLVENT EXTRACTION AREA

The solvent extraction circuit is controlled remotely by a Supervisor Control And Data
Acquisition system (SCADA), manufactured and supplied by Citect.

The Citect system monitors and controls Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC).
  PLC’s are field devices that directly supervise and control field-located
equipment.
 PLC’s collect information from level sensors, flowmeters, and any other
measured or metered process equipment,
 PLC’s then use this information to manage the operation of the process
equipment.

Citect collects all data sent by the PLC’s and displays it in a form usable by operators via
a Human Machine Interface (HMI).

Operators use computer screens to interact with the HMI in real time, and in doing so
can fulfill the following functions:
 Stop and start equipment
 Change setpoints
 Monitor alarm and trend information

Data received by Citect is retained in a database, allowing operators to visually view

process trends on the HMI. Trends are an important means of visualizing monitoring
past and present process performance, particularly in an area where changes happen
incrementally over long time periods.

Each section of the plant is viewed and controlled on a separate page on the HMI.
Additional pages for summaries of alarms and trends are included.

The HMI is navigated

by mouse. Most items that
are underlined or display a changing numeral can be interacted with in a variety of ways
with the mouse.

The page relating to the solvent extraction and crud treatment circuit are:

 40#1 HG SX
 45#1 LG SX
 50#1 HG/LG PLS Pond, HG/LG Raffinate Ponds
 50#2 LG Raffinate Distribution
  55#1 Crud Centrifuge

Operation of the HMI/ Citect is outlined in the Process Control Operator Manual.
This manual outlines how to use and navigate the different features and functions in the
Operator Work Stations, and includes information on:
 Setpoint control
 Drive control: stops/ starts
 Alarms
 Trends
 Equipment status
 Manual/ automatic/ cascade control
PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION
Instruments used in the Kinsevere plant measure process variables such as:

 Flowrate of processing fluids in pipes

 Levels in tanks and vessels
 Pressures in pipes and vessels
 Slurry densities

Some process instrumentation is used for:

 Monitoring and information purposes only

 Part of a process control loop (see the section Control Loops—Grinding and
classification for a description on how control loops function).

SOLVENT EXTRACTION INSTRUMENTATION

The different types of process instrumentation equipment used in the solvent extraction
area, the PLS and raffinate pond area and crud treatment circuit include:

Magnetic Flowmeters

 They are installed on the following lines:

o PLS feed line to E1 mixer tank no.1 (high and low grade)
o Spent electrolyte feed line to S1 mixer tank no.1 (high and low grade)
o Spent electrolyte feed line to low grade S2 mixer tank no.1 (when low
grade S1 mixer tank is used as extraction mixer for series parallel
configuration)
o Low grade raffinate line to gland raffinate tank
o Centrifuge feed line to crud centrifuge

 A description on how magnetic flowmeters function is presented in the Process

Instrumentation Operating and Training Manual

Ultrasonic Flowmeters

 They are installed on the following lines:

o Loaded organic lines to S2 mixer tank no.1 (high and low grade)
o Centrifuge feed line to crud centrifuge

 A description on how ultrasonic flowmeters function is presented in the Process

Instrumentation Operating and Training Manual
Ultrasonic Level Indicators

 They are installed in the following tanks:

o Loaded organic tank no.2 (high and low grade)
o Advance electrolyte tank
o Strong electrolyte tank
o Area 40, area 45 and area 55 sumps
o Gland raffinate tank
o Crud tank
o Crud recovered solution tank
o Spent clay repulp tank
o Diluent storage tanks

 A description on how ultrasonic level indicators function is presented in the

Process Instrumentation Operating and Training Manual

Pressure Transmitters and Pressure Control Valves

These are fitted onto pump discharge lines and ensure that the pressure generated by
pumps is not excessive

 They are installed on the following lines:

o PLS feed pump discharge line, high and low grade (pressure control
valves)
o Raffinate feed pump discharge lines, high and low grade (pressure
control valves)
o Gland raffinate pump discharge lines (pressure control valves)
 o High pressure gland raffinate pump discharge liens (pressure control
valves)
o Centrifuge feed pump discharge line (pressure transmitter only)
o Diluent transfer pump discharge line (pressure control valve)

Temperature Transmitters

 They are installed on the following equipment:

o Loaded organic pumps (high and low grade)
o Aqueous bleed pump (high and low grade)
 CONTROL LOOPS—SOLVENT EXTRACTION
One of the true useful aspects of Citect / PLC control systems is the ability to utilise
‘control loops’ to achieve a ‘setpoint’ or desired level of performance from process
equipment.

A control loop can be summarized as follows:

 A sensor (level element, flowmeter) measures the performance of a process

(tank level, or a process flowrate) which is influenced by a controlled device (eg a
flow control valve, or the variable speed drive on a pump)
 The sensor sends this measured performance as an input to a field-located
transmitter
 The transmitter sends the inputted information to a PLC
 The PLC then compares the value returned by the sensor/transmitter against the
setpoint stipulated by Citect
 The PLC will then send a signal to the controlled device (a flow control valve, or
the variable speed drive on a pump) to react in such a way so that the setpoint
can be attained

As an example, think of a potable water tank fitted with a level sensor. The scenario is
illustrated in the diagram below:

HMI gives the operator

visual details of process
HMI Citect contains the setpoint
on what the level of the tank
performance and enables should be (60%)
commands to be given to
equipment The PLC continually refers to
the setpoint on Citect before
CITECT/ SCADA acting on information sent to
it by the level sensor

PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC

The Flow Control Valve is

the controlled device that
receives instructions The Level sensor measures
from the PLC on whether process performance—it
to open or close so that sends the result to the PLC
the setpoint can be via a transmitter.
achieved.
This is referred to as an
This is referred to as the ‘input’
‘output’

TANK
The tank is filled from a water pipe which is fitted with a controllable valve. A desired
tank level of 60% is required to be maintained.

 A PLC is connected to the level sensor and the valve.

 The PLC is instructed by the SCADA to maintain a setpoint of 60% in the tank.
 The input into the PLC is the tank level measurement as recorded by the level
sensor
 The output from the PLC is instructions sent to the controllable valve, which is
instructed by the PLC to open or close in order to allow sufficient quantities of
water to enter the tank and thus maintain the 60% level.
 The PLC will instruct the valve to open or close, based on the data coming from
the level sensor.

CONTROL LOOPS IN THE SOLVENT EXTRACTION AREA

The following control loops are installed in the solvent extraction, PLS/raffinate pond and
crud treatment circuit:

Cooling Water Inlet Flow Control Loop

 A temperature transmitter measures the temperature of oil in the lube oil tank,
and this provides a signal to the cooling water flow control valve (FCV-0124) on
whether to increase or decrease the flow of cooling water through the heat
exchanger in order to maintain the oil temperature setpoint of 40 degrees celcius
(when the controllers FIC-0124 (fixed bearing) and FIC-0080 (floating bearing) is
in ‘auto’)
 If the oil temperature in the tank becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller
will open up the flow control valve in order to increase the flow of cooling water
through the heat exchanger. This will cool down the oil temperature, due to the
greater rate of heat transfer between the oil and the cooling water.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a oil temperature which is below the
setpoint level

PLS Feed to E1 mixer tank no.1 Flow Control Loop (high and low grade)

 A magnetic flow meter installed on the PLS feed line (high grade and low grade)
to the E1 high grade mixer tank no.1 provides the input for the controller FIC-
0401 HG and FIC-0451 LG.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the flow indicator to regulate the flowrate of PLS to the E1 mixer,
which has a setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the adjustments of
the flow control valve (HG = FCV-0401 and LG = FCV-0451)
  If the flow of PLS becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will slightly
close the flow control valve so that the flow of PLS decreases back to its targeted
setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a PLS flow which is below the setpoint level

Loaded organic feed to S2 mixer tank no.1 Flow Control Loop (high and low
grade)

 An ultrasonic flow meter installed on the loaded organic feed line (high grade and
low grade) to the S2 mixer tank no.1 provides the input for the controller FIC-
0405 HG and FIC-0455 LG.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the flow indicator to regulate the flowrate of loaded organic to the
S2 mixer, which has a setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the
adjustments of the flow control valve (HG = FCV-0405 and LG = FCV-0455)
 If the flow of loaded organic becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will
slightly close the flow control valve so that the flow of loaded organic decreases
back to its targeted setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a loaded organic flow which is below the
setpoint level

Spent electrolyte feed to S1 mixer tank no.1 Flow Control Loop (high and low
grade)

 A magnetic flow meter installed on the spent electrolyte feed line (high grade and
low grade) to the S1 mixer tank no.1 provides the input for the controller FIC-
0402 HG and FIC-0452 LG.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the flow indicator to regulate the flowrate of spent electrolyte to the
S1 mixer, which has a setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the
adjustments of the flow control valve (HG = FCV-0402 and LG = FCV-0452)
 If the flow of spent electrolyte becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller
will slightly close the flow control valve so that the flow of spent electrolyte
decreases back to its targeted setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a spent electrolyte flow which is below the
setpoint level

Crud centrifuge feed pump discharge Flow Control Loop

  An ultrasonic flow meter installed on the crud centrifuge discharge line feeding to
either the crud centrifuge or the crud recovered solution tank provides the input
for the controller FIC-0552.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the flow indicator to regulate the flowrate of crud, which has a
setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the adjustments of the flow control
valve FCV-0552
 If the flow of crud becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will slightly
close the flow control valve so that the flow of crud decreases back to its targeted
setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a crud flow which is below the setpoint
level

Strong electrolyte tank Level Control Loop

 An ultrasonic level indicator mounted at the top of the strong electrolyte tank
provides the input for the controller LIC-0407.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the level indicator to regulate the level of the tank, which has a
setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the speed of the variable speed
drive on the strong electrolyte pump 40-PU-065
 If the level in the tank becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will speed
up the pump in order to pump sufficient electrolyte so that the level in the tank
decreases back to its targeted setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a tank level which is below the setpoint
level

NOTE: NEED TO CHECK ON FINAL INSTALLATION so far as tie-in with filters

Advance electrolyte transfer tank Level Control Loop

 An ultrasonic level indicator mounted at the top of the advance electrolyte

transfer tank provides the input for the controller LIC-0456.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the level indicator to regulate the level of the tank, which has a
setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the speed of the variable speed
drive on the advance electrolyte transfer pump 45-PU-075
 If the level in the tank becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will speed
up the pump in order to pump sufficient electrolyte so that the level in the tank
decreases back to its targeted setpoint level.
  The opposite will occur in the case of a tank level which is below the setpoint
level

Gland raffinate tank Level Control Loop

 An ultrasonic level indicator mounted at the top of the gland raffinate tank
provides the input for the controller LIC-0521.
 When the controller is in ‘auto’ mode on Citect, it uses the information
transmitted by the level indicator to regulate the level of the tank, which has a
setpoint determined by the CRO, by regulating the adjustments of the flow control
valve FCV-0521
 If the level in the tank becomes greater than the setpoint, the controller will
slightly close the flow control valve so that the level in the tank decreases back to
its targeted setpoint level.
 The opposite will occur in the case of a tank level which is below the setpoint
level

SEQUENCE START AND STOP

The equipment in the high grade and low grade solvent extraction circuits can be started
and stopped by the following methods:
 1. All drives can be started at the field-located local control station when the
selector is in the ‘manual’ position (as opposed to ‘remote’), provided that all
process interlocks are satisfied.
o Crud centrifuge?
 2. By the CRO manually starting/stopping, opening/closing individual items of
equipment on Citect
o The selector switch at the local control station must be in the ‘remote’
position for the CRO to be able to start/stop equipment on Citect
 3. By the CRO utilising the start-up and shut-down sequences on Citect in the
MCR.
o This will start all the required drives in a pre-determined order, and at the
same time manipulate the instrumentation in order to enable proper
control of the plant parameters.
o A sequence will only initiate provided that all the drives, valves etc
required for the sequence to operate are healthy and in ‘automatic’ mode
on Citect

More details on start-up and shut-down sequences can be found in part 1 of the Control
Room Operating and Training Manual.

Solvent Extraction Start-up and Shutdown Sequences

The sequence start-ups and shut-downs in the solvent extraction circuit, including the
PLS and raffinate pumps, are listed as follows:

You will notice that the high grade and low grade circuits follow the same format in the
sequential start-up and shutdown.

INTERLOCKS AND PERMISSIVES

When an item of equipment is interlocked with other equipment in the solvent extraction
circuits, PLS/raffinate pond circuit, and the crud treatment circuit, it means that if the
 equipment is stopped or started, then the other affected equipment may stop or start.
Electrical Interlocks are installed to protect people and machinery.

There are three types of interlocks in the PCS:

 Start Interlocks are interlocks that prevent equipment from starting, but which do
not stop the device once it is operating.
o These interlocks are referred to as Start Process (permissive) or Start
Critical (non-permissive) on the OCS.
· Critical interlocks are interlocks that prevent damage to plant equipment or
personnel.
o They exclude emergency stops and protection relay alarms which are
monitored and interlocked separately as part of the standard drive logic.
o Critical interlocks trip a drive in automatic, manual, or maintenance modes.
· Process interlocks are interlocks that are not a danger to plant equipment or
personnel, but may cause a process spillages or poor performance.
o Process interlocks trip a drive in automatic and manual modes, but not the
Maintenance mode.

Type Of Interlock
Equipment Condition Start Process Critical
Pump will not start if either of the high grade X
primary agitators (mixer tank no.1 agitators)
are not running
High grade loaded
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X X
organic pump
on the high grade loaded organic tank is raised
40-PU-063 on Citect
Pump will stop running if high temperature X
alarm raised on mechanical seal on high grade
loaded organic pump
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the high grade loaded organic
pump (30 second delay after a pump start)
Agitator not running X
Bleed aqueous pump not running 30 minutes X

Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X

on the high grade loaded organic tank is raised
High grade aqueous
on Citect
bleed pump
Pump will stop running if high temperature X
40-PU-064 alarm raised on mechanical seal on high grade
aqueous bleed pump
Pump will stop after expiry of a timer (30 X
minutes of operation)
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will not run if electrolyte filters are not X

ready (a minimum of two filters need to be in
automatic mode)
Strong electrolyte pump
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm
40-PU-065 raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the high grade strong electrolyte tank is
raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the high grade strong electrolyte
pump
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on either of the spent electrolyte tanks is
raised on CitectFilter pressure high high

Pump will not start if a high level alarm on the X

crud tank is raised on Citect
High grade crud
extraction pump Pump will stop running if a crud treatment X
processing batch is in operation
40-PU-066
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the crud tank is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will not start if either of the low grade X

primary agitators (mixer tank no.1 agitators)
are not running
Low grade loaded
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
organic pump
on the low grade loaded organic tank is raised
45-PU-073 on Citect
Pump will stop running if high temperature X
alarm raised on mechanical seal on low grade
 loaded organic pump
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the low grade mixer-
settler units, or any of the low grade loaded
organic tanks
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the low grade loaded organic
pump (30 second delay after a pump start)
Agitator not running X
Bleed aqueous pump not running 30 minutes X

Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X

on the low grade loaded organic tank is raised
Low grade aqueous
on Citect
bleed pump
Pump will stop running if high temperature
45-PU-074
alarm raised on mechanical seal on low grade
aqueous bleed pump
Pump will stop after expiry of a timer (30 X
minutes of operation)
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X

on the advance electrolyte transfer tank is
raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
Advance electrolyte alarm on the strong electrolyte tank is raised
transfer pump on Citect
45-PU-075 Pump will stop if temperature sensor TIC-0610 X
indicates strong electrolyte temperature above
45oC
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the strong electrolyte pump flow to
polishing cells(120 second delay after a pump
start)
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on either of the spent electrolyte tanks is
raised on Citect

Pump will not start if a high level alarm on the X

crud tank is raised on Citect
Low grade crud Pump will stop running if a crud treatment X
extraction pump processing batch is in operation
45-PU-066 Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the crud tank is raised on Citect
High high level alarm of strong electrolyte tank X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

PLS AND RAFFINATE POND AREA

Pump will not start if a high level alarm on the X

high grade raffinate pond is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
High grade PLS feed
is raised on the high grade PLS pump flow (30
pump
second delay after a pump start)
50-PU-084
Pump will stop if the high grade loaded organic X
pump stops (after a delay of 5 minutes)
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the high grade PLS pond is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the high grade raffinate pond is
raised on CitectPrimary mixer agitator not
running
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

High grade raffinate feed Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
pump on the high grade raffinate pond is raised on
Citect
50-PU-086
No mill feed during 15 min X
Zone 4 interlock 2 min X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will not start if a high level alarm on the X

low grade raffinate pond is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the low grade PLS pump flow (30
Low grade PLS feed second delay after a pump start)
pump
Pump will stop if the low grade loaded organic X
50-PU-088 pump stops (after a delay of 5 minutes)
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the low grade PLS pond is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the low grade raffinate pond is raised
on CitectPrimary mixer agitator not running
LG PLS flow low low X
LG PLS pump X
No mill feed during 15 min X
Zone 4 interlock 2 min X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Low grade raffinate feed Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
pump on the low grade raffinate pond is raised on
Citect
50-PU-090 No.1
No mill feed during 15 min (bypass) X
Zone 4 interlock 2 min X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Low grade raffinate feed Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
pump on the low grade raffinate pond is raised on
Citect
50-PU-100 No.2
No mill feed during 15 min (bypass) X
Zone 4 interlock 2 min X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will not start if a low level alarm on the X

low grade gland raffinate tank is raised on
Gland raffinate pump
Citect
no.1 and no.2
Pump will not start if a high pressure alarm on X
50-PU-091 the pump discharge pipe is raised on Citect
50-PU-094 Pump will stop running if a high-high pressure X
alarm on the pump discharge pipe is raised on
Citect
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the low grade gland raffinate tank is raised
on Citect (after a 120 second delay)
Pump will start if the stand by pump stops X
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Pump will not start if a low level alarm on the X

low grade gland raffinate tank is raised on
Citect
High pressure gland
Pump will not start if a high pressure alarm on X
raffinate pump no.1 and
the gland raffinate pump discharge pipe is
no.2
raised on Citect
50-PU-092
Pump will stop running if a high-high pressure X
50-PU-093 alarm on the pump discharge pipe is raised on
Citect
Pump will stop running both of the low grade X
gland raffinate pumps (50-PU-091 or 094) stop
running
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the low grade gland raffinate tank is raised
on Citect (after a 120 second delay)
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

CRUD TREATMENT AREA

Crud tank agitator Agitator will stop if a low level alarm on the X
crud tank is raised on Citect
55-AG-044
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Spent clay tank re-pulp Agitator will stop if a low level alarm on the X
agitator spent clay re-pulp tank is raised on Citect
55-AG-045
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Centrifuge feed pump Pump will not start if a low level alarm on the X
crud tank is raised on Citect
55-PU-096
Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the crud tank is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the spent clay re-pulp tank is raised
on Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the crud recovered solution tank is
raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if the crud centrifuge X
stops running
Pump will stop running if a low-low flow alarm X
is raised on the centrifuge feed pump (15
second delay after a pump start)
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Crud recovered solution Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
pump on the crud recovered solution tank is raised
on Citect
55-PU-098
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks

Spent clay transfer pump Pump will stop running if a low-low level alarm X
on the spent clay re-pulp tank is raised on
55-PU-099
Citect
Pump will stop running if a high-high level X
alarm on the tails surge tank is raised on Citect
Pump will stop running if flame detection alarm X
raised on Citect on any of the high grade
mixer-settler units, or any of the high grade
loaded organic tanks
AREA SPECIFIC OPERATOR DUTIES

SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND CRUD TREATMENT AREA

In the section Roles and Responsibilities you were introduced to a number of general
obligations and duties which you will be required to observe and undertake.

Where possible, SOP’s should be referred to when performing routine tasks, and JSA’s
for performing non-routine or complex tasks. A full list of SOP’s is included in the next
section. Specific duties include:
 Liaise and Work with the Control Room Operator to Perform Circuit Start-ups and
Shutdowns and Monitor Normal Operations
 Take Area Samples
 Perform O:A ratio, phase continuity and phase disengagement time checks
 Check each settler for entrainment
 Check organic and crud depths in settlers
 Remove crud from the settlers
 Purge aqueous and crud from the loaded organic tank
 Reclaim organic from the organic reclaim pond
 Perform crud treatment
 Perform clay treatment
 Check operating conditions, equipment and status to the every 4 hours
 Maintaining Housekeeping Standards
 Update and Maintain Shift Logsheet
 Issuing permits and performing equipment isolations when required (only if
authorised to do this work)
 Conduct General Safety Checks

Liaise and Work with the Control Room Operator to Perform Circuit Start-ups and
Shutdowns and Monitor Normal Operations
As a process technician in the solvent extraction and crud treatment area you will have
certain duties to perform to help ensure that the plant runs smoothly. You will also assist
the CRO in controlling the area processes during pre-start checks, start-ups, shutdowns
and normal operations by:
 opening/closing valves
 starting/stopping pumps,
 checking local gauge indications

During these periods, you will inform the CRO of the following situations that may arise
so that the process can operate safely and efficiently:
 abnormal operating noises or conditions
 damage to equipment
 process leaks/spillages
 required changes to processes that have been identified
through visual observations.

SOP’s for pre-start checks, start-ups and shutdowns for solvent

extraction circuits are:

KPP-SOP-SX-001 High Grade Solvent Extraction Pre-Start Checks

KPP-SOP-SX-002 Low Grade Solvent Extraction Pre-Start Checks
KPP-SOP-SX-003 High Grade Solvent Extraction Start-Up
KPP-SOP-SX-004 Low Grade Solvent Extraction Start-Up
KPP-SOP-SX-005 High Grade Solvent Extraction Shutdown
KPP-SOP-SX-006 Low Grade Solvent Extraction Shutdown
KPP-SOP-SX-007 Power Failure High Grade Solvent Extraction
KPP-SOP-SX-008 Power Failure Low Grade Solvent Extraction
KPP-SOP-SX-009 Solvent Extraction Circuit Routine Operational Inspection

Other tasks that need to be performed that also require communication with the CRO
include:
 Wash and prepare equipment in preparation for maintenance
 Assist in the rectification of process and equipment faults
 Monitoring the process on Citect and liaise with the CRO when operating
changes need to be made

Take Area Samples

Samples of SX solutions are taken at a frequency that is prescribed by the plant

metallurgist. After samples are taken, they should be sent to the laboratory as soon as
possible so that they can be assayed for various minerals and compounds such as
copper, sulphuric acid, chlorides, iron, silica, solids and entrainments.

Whenever a sample is taken, care should be taken to avoid contaminating the sample
before it is taken to the lab, otherwise false assay results will be obtained.

You should:
 Maintain cleanliness of the sample containers
 Seal the container once the sample is taken
 Ensure that the sample is clearly and accurately labeled as per approved area
labeling conventions.

When taking samples, you should ensure that the relevant SOP for the task is followed.

Sample requirements for the solvent extraction area are:

 Loaded organic sample every 4 hours
 Stripped organic sample every 4 hours
 PLS sample every 4 hours
 Raffinate sample every 4 hours
 Strong electrolyte sample every 4 hours
 Clay treated organic sample on an as-needs basis

Perform O:A Ratio, Phase Continuity And Phase Disengagement Time Checks
The O:A and phase continuity samples for each mixer tank no.1 should be taken every 2
hours, or at the request of the CRO
They are performed by taking a 1 litre sample of solution from the mixer tank no.1
sampling port
This sample is particularly important for monitoring phase continuity, as there are no
instrumentation devices (conductivity probes) installed to monitor continuity
Samples for phase disengagement time should be taken at least once a shift

Check Each Settler For Entrainment

This is conducted by using a 1 litre glass conical container, and obtaining a sample of
solution as it discharges over a weir
For instance, to check for organic entrainment in aqueous solution, a 1 litre sample of
aqueous solution would be taken at the aqueous weir, and after allowing the solution to
settler for a few minutes, observe how much (or preferably, little) organic solution has
separated and risen to the top
These samples should be taken every 4 hours

Check Organic And Crud Depths In Each Settler

This is performed using a thin, clear dip tube—the dip tube is inserted into the solution
residing near the discharge end of the settler, and withdrawn.
Through the clear tube you will be able to ascertain the depth, in mm of the upper
organic layer, and the depth, in mm, of the crud layer beneath it
Ideally, each settler should have an organic depth of 200-250mm, and as little crud as
possible
By performing this test, it will indicate the necessity or otherwise of adjusting aqueous
weir heights, and whether it is necessary to begin removing crud from the settler.
It can also indicate if a period of high crud generation is taking place in the circuit, which
can lead to an investigation as to the cause of the excessive crud generation
This test is usually performed every 2 hours, or when required

Remove Crud From Settlers

After checking the quantity of crud in a settler, it may be necessary to remove the crud
using the crud removal pump, discharging the crud into the crud tank. Regular removal
of crud, and not allowing an excessive accumulation inside a settler, helps prevent
disruptive crud runs, which severely impact on copper production

Reclaim Organic From The Organic Reclaim Pond

Organic that is entrained in the raffinate at the discharge of E2 settler is discharged to

the organic reclaim pond.
From there, most of the entrained organic will be reclaimed by the rope skimmer, which
discharges reclaimed organic into a container. The organic in this container is taken to
the clay treatment area so that the organic can be clay treated before being reintroduced
into the SX circuit

Perform Crud Treatment

Crud that is removed from the settlers needs to be treated so that the organic and the
aqueous can be separated from the waste solids and precipitates.
A crud centrifuge is used to achieve this task
Perform Clay Treatment

Organic that circulates continuously throughout the SX circuit is exposed to

contaminants such as fine particulate solids, which form crud, and chemical
contaminants that can affect the both the physical and chemical performance of the
organic.
To maintain optimum performance in the SX circuit, routine tasks such as crud removal
and clay treatment of organic are required to be performed.
Clay treatment involves treating a small flow of organic with bentonite clay (activated
clay), which absorbs the undesirable chemical and degradation products from the
organic onto activated sites on the surface of the clay particles. The end result is that the
oxime sites on the organic are regenerated.

Maintain Housekeeping Standards

Housekeeping duties were discussed in the section ‘Housekeeping’

Update and Maintain Shift Logsheet

During the course of the shift, you should record and communicate to the next solvent
extraction operator all relevant and important information pertaining to the operation of
the circuit on the shift logsheet (solvent extraction circuit).
This information includes:
 Any changes in PLS, organic or spent electrolyte flowrates, or other metallurgical
parameters that have changed during the course of the shift
 Adjustments in aqueous recycles
 Any changes to phase continuities
 Any issues with excessive entrainments, crud accumulation/migration
 Amount of crud harvested and treated, and organic reclaimed
 Any clay treatment of organic
  Any issues with solids or silica levels in the PLS solution
 Additions of diluent or extractant
 Changes in any of the PLS grades
 Any circuit downtime, with an accurate description (time and details) of the
circumstances responsible for the downtime
 Equipment failure, with a description of the time and nature of the failure
 Any equipment or operating condition that needs to be closely monitored
 All totalisers, pump flowrates (ie, all operating data listed on the logsheet that is
required to be entered)

Issuing permits and performing equipment isolations when required (only if

authorised to do this work)

The issuing of work permits and performing equipment isolations can only be carried out
by trained, competent personnel who have successfully completed the Permit to Work
and Authorised Isolator training package.

After you have completed the required training and have

been assessed as competent in operating the solvent
extraction circuit, you will be required to issue/manage work
permits and isolate/de-isolate equipment that is part of the
circuit. Insert site photo when available

Conduct General Safety Checks

During the course of a shift, checks should be made on the following where applicable:
 Lighting around the area
 Leakages in air lines and process pipes
 Protective guarding is installed on all operating equipment
 Electrical wiring and cables are installed correctly and are
undamaged
 The condition of and correct access to walkways, stairs and
handrails
 Safety shower and eyewash operation
 Presence of, access to and condition of firefighting equipment
 Availability and condition of area-specific PPE

Refer to the procedure:

KPP-SOP-SX-009 Conduct Safety Checks in Solvent Extraction Area
TROUBLESHOOTING
During the course of operating any machinery or equipment it is expected that operating
problems will arise, some minor, and some major. There are often established methods
to overcome most problems, including those outlined in SOP’s.

One of the best troubleshooting tools available to you is communication. This means
talking with other supervisors and shift crew, reading shift logsheets, and consulting with
maintenance personnel.

The most important point to remember is that when there is a problem about which you
are unsure, you should ask someone — they may have the answer or know where to
get the necessary information.

SYMPTOM POSSIBLE CAUSE ACTION

Low organic flowrate Increase organic flowrate so that
O:A is at or above 1:11:1.2
Low copper recoveries Insufficient extractant Add more extractant to the
in extraction mixers concentration in organic organic (obtain supervisor
(raffinate copper tenor permission first)
is too high) Electrolyte isn’t stripping Check spent electrolyte flowrate,
sufficient copper from the S1 and S2 aqueous flowrates,
organic acid concentration in electrolyte
Contaminant buildup in the Clay treat the organic
organic (eg manganese)

Low copper stripping Low spent electrolyte flowrate Increase spent electrolyte
performance in strip flowrate so that O:A is
mixers approximately 1:1 (use aqueous
recycles also)
Low flowrate on S1 and/or S2 Increase aqueous recycle
 aqueous recycles flowrate so that O:A is
approximately 1:1
Low acid tenor in electrolyte Increase acid concentration in the
electrolyte so that acid tenor in
spent electrolyte is approximately
180 g/l

Flip the mixer back into the Refer to procedure KPP-SOP-SX-

Mixer flips into the correct continuity XXX Flip Mixer Tank to Correct
wrong continuity Continuity

Low-low level in loaded organic Increase level of organic in the

tanks loaded organic tanks
 Increase aqueous weir height
 Increase aqueous flowrates
and aqueous recycle
flowrates
 Decant organic from the crud
tank, or reclaim organic from
crud treatment
 Reclaim organic from the
raffinate pond (clay treat first)
 Add fresh diluent and
extractant to the circuit

Primary Mixer tank agitator has  Re-start mixer tank agitator

tripped out  If not immediately possible,
shutdown the affected SX
circuit

Loaded Organic Pump Low-low flow alarm on the pump  Check suction and discharge
trips valves on pump and S2 mixer
tank
 Check condition of pump
 Check level of organic in
loaded organic tank
 Re-start the bleed aqueous
- Bleed aqueous pump is not run pump
30 min  If not immediately possible,
shutdown the affected SX
circuit
High temperature alarm on Contact supervisor and
mechanical seal on pump maintenance—be prepared to
shutdown the affected SX circuit
Flame detection alarm on the Immediately investigate the alarm
pump or a settler in the circuit Be prepared to shutdown the
affected SX circuit and instigate
fire response

PLS pump trips

High-high level alarm on the Increase level of raffinate in the
raffinate pond pond
  Transfer some tails reclaimed
solution from the tails reclaim
solution pond, the SX event
pond
 If possible transfer some
raffinate solution from the
other raffinate pond
 Decrease aqueous weir
height in E1 and E2 settler
Low-low flow alarm is raised on  Check suction and discharge
the PLS pump flow valves on pump and E1 mixer
tank no.1
 Check condition of pump
 Check level of PLS in PLS
pond
Low-low level alarm on the PLS Increase level of PLS in the PLS
pond pond
 Transfer some tails reclaimed
solution from the tails reclaim
solution pond to CCD3, 4 or 5
feed tank
 If possible transfer some
raffinate solution to the PLS
pond
Decrease aqueous weir height in
E1 and E2 settler
Primary Mixer tank agitator has  Re-start mixer tank agitator
tripped out  If not immediately possible,
shutdown the affected SX
circuit

The loaded organic pump has Check troubleshooting method

tripped above for when loaded organic
pump trips

Strong electrolyte
pump trips Low-low level in strong Increase level of electrolyte in the
electrolyte tank strong electrolyte tank
 Decrease aqueous weir
height in S1 and S2 settler
 Increase organic flowrate
 Decrease slightly aqueous
recycle flowrates
 Reclaim electrolyte from the
backwash tank
 Add raw water and acid to the
recirculation tank no.2

Low-low flow alarm on the pump  Check suction and discharge

valves on pump and
electrolyte filters
 Check condition of pump
 Check level of electrolyte in
strong electrolyte tank
Electrolyte filters are not ready  Check status of electrolyte
 (a minimum of two filters need to filters
be in automatic mode) 
Electrolyte filter pressure High
High
High-high level alarm on either Reduce level in spent electrolyte
of the spent electrolyte tanks tanks—increase spent electrolyte
flow, check that raw water and
acid isn’t filling the tank

Excessive flowrates running Check and if necessary adjust

through the settler organic and aqueous flowrates
and recycles
High entrainment High accumulation of crud inside Remove curd from the settler
exiting settler the settler using the crud removal pump
Contaminants building up in the Clay treat the organic
organic that prevents a good
phase disengagement time
Insufficient depth or organic in Increase the organic depth—
the settler lower the height of the aqueous
weir
Crud movement in the settler Reduce flows so that the crud can
stabilize, then remove the crud
using the crud removal pump
Excessively vigorous mixing in If necessary, reduce the speed of
the mixer tanks the VSD’s on the mixer tank
agitators
Excessive air entrainment in the Reduce mixer speeds, operate
mixers or settler launders advance valves so that level of
solution in the settler launders is
above half full
Overflocculation in the CCD Check with the CCD and
and clarification circuit clarification operator regarding
flocc dosage and clarification
performance

Upstream mixer agitator has Check operating status of all

A settler is overflowing tripped out mixer tank no.1 agitators
A settler discharge valve has Check all valves on the settler
been closed discharge

High crud generation in Excessive air entrainment in the  Reduce mixer speeds so that
the settlers mixers or settler launders over-turbulent mixing doesn’t
occur
 Operate advance valves so
that level of solution in the
settler launders is above half
full
High level of solids and Ensure clarification circuit is
dissolved silicas in the PLS feed performing to required level
Crud is migrating through mixers  Reduce flows so that the crud
and settlers (crud run), causing can stabilize, then remove
further crud generation in the the crud using the crud
mixer-settlers removal pump
 Ensure that the organic depth
in the settler is adequate
  Ensure that the organic and
aqueous flowrates are not
excessive
Organic is becoming Clay treat the organic
contaminated, eg with
manganese or other
contaminants that precipitate in
the mixer-settler

Crud layer has become de-  Reduce flows so that crud

Crud Rush in SX circuit stabilised due to excessive can stabilize and re-compact
organic and/or aqueous flows  Maintain flows so that crud
through circuit doesn’t become de-stabilised
Crud layer has become de-  Reduce flows so that crud
stabilised due to excessive lifting can stabilize and re-compact
of aqueous weir  Ensure that aqueous weirs
aren’t set too high causing
the organic depth to be thin in
the settler, so that crud
doesn’t become de-stabilised
High level of solids and  Reduce flows so that crud
dissolved silicas in the PLS feed can stabilize and re-compact
 Ensure clarification circuit is
performing to required level
Excessive air entrainment in the  Reduce flows so that crud
mixers or settler launders can stabilize and re-compact
 Reduce mixer speeds so that
over-turbulent mixing doesn’t
occur
 Operate advance valves so
that level of solution in the
settler launders is above half
full
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

AGITATORS – devices which mix solution so that they are continually kept in contact
with one another in the mixer tanks—this enables the efficient transfer of copper and
acid between the solutions

AQUEOUS– a solution that is water-based, as distinct from the solution that is oil-based,
such as the organic solution (diluent and extractant). In the SX circuit, aqueous solution
can refer to either the PLS/raffinate or electrolyte solutions

AQUEOUS BLEED – aqueous solution that has been entrained in the loaded organic
exiting E1 settler—it is then collected at the bottom of the loaded organic tank and
pumped as aqueous bleed back to either the E1 settler or the crud tank

AQUEOUS CONTINUOUS – a condition whereby numerous small bubbles of organic

solution are dispersed throughout a main body of aqueous solution inside a mixing tank

AUTOMATIC CONTROL - where a PLC controller automatically controls the output of

an item of equipment to match the output to a designated set point.

CLARIFIER – a vessel which facilitates the removal of small, suspended solids that may
be present in PLS solution that has overflowed either the high grade thickener or CCD1
thickener

CLARITY – the amount of solids present in an overflow solution. A turbid overflow

solution has low clarity. Clarity is measured by a turbidity meter, or a clarity wedge

COAGULANT – a reagent, in the form of a white powder, that is diluted with water and
serves to neutralise the electrical charge present around ultra-fine colloidal silica
particles. This enables the particles to join together and be removed from PLS solution
COALESCENCE – a condition inside a settler whereby the tiny bubbles that are
dispersed throughout the continuous phase begin to join together to form a bigger
bubble, which then has sufficient size to quickly move towards its own rapidly forming
phase

CONTROL LOOP – an automated control process whereby a field-installed measuring

instrument transmits real-time data to a computer (PLC) so that the PLC can then
process the data and use it as a basis to control the action of another device so that a
targeted operating parameter can be maintained

CLAY TREATMENT – the process of treating organic with bentonite clay in the
centrifuge so that contaminates that have accumulated in the organic can be removed
and disposed of. The result is that the organic is regenerated, both in its ability to extract
copper in a mixer and also to separate from aqueous inside a settler

CRUD – a stable emulsion, or mixture, consisting of solids, contaminates, organic and

aqueous that does not readily separate into its distinct components. It forms a layer
between the organic and aqueous phases inside a settler, and can cause several
problems relating to copper production and impurity transfer

CRUD TREATMENT – the process of treating crud in a centrifuge in order to separate

the solids from the organic and aqueous solutions. The solids are disposed in the TSF,
whilst the reclaimed organic and aqueous solutions are returned to the SX circuit

DENSITY – the percentage weight of solids in a sample of slurry

DISPERSION – a condition where aqueous and organic phases are mixed together,
which occurs inside the mixer tanks and also in the area where the two phases enter the
settler. The discontinuous phase is dispersed throughout the continuous phase in this
context

ELECTROLYTE – an aqueous, highly-acidic solution that has the necessary acid

concentration required to be able to strip copper from the organic in the stripping mixer-
settlers. The electrolyte solution also has the necessary conductivity so that DC current
can flow through the electrolyte and cause the copper ions to deposit onto the stainless
steel cathodes in the EW cells

EMULSION – a mixture of two immiscible solutions that, after mixing between them has
stopped, will readily separate from one another

FIXED SPEED - when a variable speed drive is in DOL (direct on line) mode. Its output
doesn’t fluctuate.

FLOCCULANT – a long chain polymer, in the form of a powder, that is heavily diluted
with water and serves to join together solids particles present in a slurry so that the
solids can settle at a fast rate

FREE ACID – The amount of sulphuric acid, measured in grams per litre (g/l) that hasn’t
been consumed by acid soluble minerals such as copper, iron, silicas, chlorides
manganese etc. this free acid is still available to leach any mineral that it may come into
contact with in the leach tanks

GANGUE MINERALS – minerals that are present in the ore that have no commercial
value to the Kinsevere process, but may be leached as a by-product of being exposed to
acidic solution in the leach tanks

INTERFACE – the line, or point at which the organic phase sits on top of the aqueous
phase inside the settler

INTERLOCK – a safeguard condition designed to protect people and machinery by

preventing the start of equipment/a process or stopping equipment/a process if any
condition is present which makes operation of the equipment/process unsafe or
dangerous

LAUNDERS – collection troughs at the discharge end of settlers that collect solution that
has overflowed a weir and then directs it toward the next stage of the SX circuit

LEACHING – The process of dissolving minerals such as copper by contacting the

mineral with a lixiviant such as an acidic solution. At Kinsevere, acid soluble copper is
leached through contact with a dilute sulphuric acid solution

LOCAL CONTROL - where an item of equipment is controlled from it's location in the
field; eg controlling the leach discharge secondary sampler from the local control panel.

LOADED ORGANIC – organic that has loaded its oxime sites with copper after having
mixed with copper-rich PLS solution in E1 and E2 mixer-settlers

MANUAL CONTROL - where an operator uses the controller to manually adjust the
output of a piece of equipment. The equipment will not be locked in to any control loop.

MASS TRANSFER - the chemical activity inside an SX mixer tank whereby copper and
acid are exchanged between organic and aqueous solutions when they are mixed
together

MEASURED VARIABLE - the measure at any given time of a process variable such as
high grade raffinate flowrate, or leach discharge sampler hopper level

MIXER TANK – vessels in the SX circuit which enable the organic and aqueous phases
to be mixed together so that copper and acid transfer can take place between the two
phases

O:A RATIO - the ratio, or proportion of organic solution relative to aqueous solution
inside the mixer tank is referred to as the organic to aqueous ratio

ORGANIC – a solution consisting of a mixture of approximately 10% extractant and 90%

diluent solutions. The organic solution continuously circulates throughout the SX circuit,
extracting copper from PLS solution in the extraction mixer-settlers, and then having its
copper removed from it by the electrolyte solution in the stripping mixer-settlers
ORGANIC CONTINUOUS – a condition whereby numerous small bubbles of aqueous
solution are dispersed throughout a main body of organic solution inside a mixing tank

ORGANIC DEPTH – the vertical depth or thickness of the organic phase after it has
separated from the aqueous phase inside a settler. It is usually measured near the
organic weir, and should be approximately 200-250mm

pH –a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. The pH of a solution is

measured on a scale of 1-14 with a neutral reading being 7. Pure water has a pH of 7.
The lower the number, the more acidic the solution

PHASE –one of two distinct types of solution. In an SX circuit, the two phases are the
organic phase, and the aqueous phase

PHASE DISENGAGEMENT – the process whereby the organic separates from the
aqueous solution inside the settler after it has discharged from mixer tank no.2

PHASE DISENGAGEMENT TIME – the time required for the organic phase to
completely separate, or disengage, from the aqueous phase inside the settler—usually
between 1 – 3 minutes

PICKET FENCE – a component in the settler that evenly distributes incoming solution
across the width of the settler. In doing so, it reduces the velocity of the incoming
solution, and can also initiate phase separation

PID LOOP - Proportional-Integral-Derivative loop which is computer controlled, steadies

out process variables so that they stay close to operator-set parameters.

PHASE – the solutions inside a mixer and settler. One phase will be organic solution and
the other phase will be the aqueous solution (either PLS/leach or electrolyte solution)

PHASE SEPARATION – the separation of the organic and aqueous phases inside the
settler after they have discharged from the mixer tank no.2

PLS SOLUTION – an aqueous, acidic solution that is richer in copper than raffinate, due
to it having recovered copper from the acid leach and CCD circuits. PLS solution reports
to the PLS pond and is then mixed with organic in the extraction mixer-settlers in the SX
circuit

PPE – personal protective equipment. The last line of defense in the risk control
hierarchy, is used to prevent or minimise the risk of human exposure to hazards such as
chemicals, reagents, manual handling, impact, inhalation etc

PUMP MIXER – also referred to as mixer tank no.1 agitators, they serve to pump
organic and aqueous solution through the false bottom floor of the mixer tank into the
main mixing chamber, and then to mix the two solutions together so that copper transfer
between the two solutions can occur

RAFFINATE – an aqueous, acidic solution containing low amounts of copper (copper

has been removed by the organic in E1 and E2 mixers) that has been discharged from
the E2 settlers in the high and low grade SX circuits. It is then pumped to the grinding
and acid leach circuit to provide the free acid concentration where, when mixed with
copper-bearing minerals in the mill and the leach tanks, it enables the copper to be
leached. It is used in the CCD circuit to recovery copper from leached slurry through a
series of wash steps through the CCD circuit

REMOTE CONTROL - where an item of equipment is controlled from a place away from
the equipment e.g. the control room.

RESIDENCE TIME – the amount of time that slurry or solution spends in a particular
tank or process. It is dependant on flowrate and volume of the tank

SEQUENCE START/STOP – a Citect initiated process which starts/stops all the required
equipment drives in a pre-determined order, and at the same time manipulate the
instrumentation in order to enable proper control of the plant parameters.

SET POINT - a desired output; eg leach discharge sampler hopper level, sulphuric acid
addition flowrate (the actual value which is required).

SETTLERS – vessels in the SX circuit that provide a calm, non-turbulent environment so

that the organic and aqueous phases can separate from one another after having
discharged from mixer tank no.2

SPENT ELECTROLYTE – electrolyte that has had copper ions removed from it during
the electrowinning process inside the EW cells, and is now transferred to the S1 mixer
tank no.1 so that it can begin to once more strip copper from the organic

STABLE EMULSION – a mixture of two immiscible solutions that, after mixing between
them has stopped, do not readily separate from one another, but instead remain mixed
for a prolonged period of time. Crud is referred to as a stable emulsion

STRIPPED ORGANIC – organic that has had copper stripped from its oxime sites by
highly acidic electrolyte solution after having mixed with the electrolyte in S1 and S2
mixer-settlers

STRONG ELECTROLYTE – copper-rich electrolyte that has stripped copper from the
organic in the stripping mixer-settlers, and is ready to be filtered in the electrolyte filters
prior to entering the EW polishing cells

SULPHURIC ACID (CONCENTRATED) –a powerful oxidising agent that is almost

colourless, has an oily consistency and is completely soluble in water. It is highly
corrosive to human tissue and most metals in the presence of moisture, and reacts
violently when small amounts of water are added to it

VARIABLE SPEED - equipment output can be varied by a controller to attain a

designated setpoint; eg leach discharge sample return feed pump speed is variable as it
maintains a designated level in the leach discharge sampler hopper

WEIRS –partitions running across the width of a settler that, because of their
configuration, allow organic and aqueous solutions to discharge from a settler as two
separate solutions