Hatch completes Lonmin furnace upgrade
Hatch has successfully completed a furnace upgrade at the Lonmin smelter in South Africa. The project was completed under budget and with zero loss-time incidents (LTI).
The Lonmin No.1 furnace upgrade project was undertaken to improve the furnace uptime, reduce operational risk, and improve safety measures for the hot section of the smelter area.
Hatch was the EPCM contractor for the project, with overall responsibility of all quality control, cost and schedule aspects.
Improvements to the No. 1 furnace included a split copper-cooler design, the addition of a third-matte taphole, improved refractory design and the use of an automated pressure-test system. The improvements have enabled the furnace to operate consistently at the 20-MW power level with a high degree of predictability in performance and planned maintenance requirements.
The project team operated under an accelerated schedule to complete detailed engineering, equipment procurement and construction preparation. The full suite of iPas project-management systems was used from project planning to newly upgraded furnace commissioning.
The project was executed by Hatch Woodmead. Furnace designs were developed by Hatch Mississauga.
- posted March 2, 2009
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