Synchronous mill drive replacement, copper concentrator
Replacement of a 4 MW synchronous mill drive within the existing foundation and shutdown window.
- Rating
- 4 000 kW
- Voltage
- 10 000 V
- Speed
- 600 rpm
- Shutdown window
- 21 days
The original machine was out of support and the OEM would not quote a like-for-like replacement. The concentrator had a fixed 21-day shutdown and no budget for civil work, so any replacement had to bolt to the existing foundation and couple to the existing pinion.
A dimensional survey established the foundation bolt pattern, shaft height and coupling geometry. A salient-pole machine was designed inside the original envelope with a modern Class F insulation system and brushless excitation, allowing the plant to remove the old brush gear and its maintenance requirement.
The machine was installed and commissioned inside the shutdown window. Measured efficiency was 1.4 points above the machine it replaced, with no change to foundations, coupling or the existing protection scheme.
Other projects
Zone 1 pump motor package, refinery expansion
Twenty-four flameproof motors for process pumps across a mixed IIB and IIC area classification.
Renewable EnergyGenerator refurbishment, 2.4 MW run-of-river plant
Two vertical hydro generators replaced inside a powerhouse built in 1968, to the original civil works.
MetallurgyFurnace transformer, electric arc steel plant
16 MVA furnace transformer with on-load tap changer, replacing a unit that had failed twice in five years.