Sentinel Copper Mine and Ore Processing
Mining and ore processing
Sentinel is a conventional open-pit mining operation using fleets of electric face shovels, hydraulic excavators and haul trucks of 330t and 240t capacities.The current mining plan involves the staged development of a large open-pit measuring 5.4km- long, 1.5km-wide and 375m-deep.The extracted ore is crushed in-pit and sent to a crushed ore stockpile overland, from where it is further conveyed to a nearby processing plant.The Sentinel processing facility houses two milling trains, each comprising a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, a ball mill, and two parallel banks of rougher flotation cells.
The fine ore material undergoes a conventional sulphide ore flotation circuit for the production of copper concentrate.The resultant concentrate is thickened and filtered in a concentrate handling facility before shipping.The Sentinel processing plant is designed to treat up to 55Mt of ore a year.
The Sentinel mine is accessed through a 34km-long sealed road connecting the national trunk road that connects Solwezi and Mwinilunga.Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) supplies electricity for the mine through approximately 600km of 330kV power transmission lines. Five substations namely, Kansanshi, Lumwana, Kalumbila, Lusaka West and Mumbwa were built as part of the project.Water for the processing plant is sourced from the nearby Chisola dam, which was built as part of the Sentinel copper project.
Contractors involved 01
FLSmidth supplied SAG mills and ball mills for the Sentinel processing plant under a contract awarded in June 2011 and has been rendering mantainence till to date.
Contractors involved 02
Metso Mining and Construction supplied two MP2500 cone crushers for the Sentinel copper mine under a contract awarded in November 2013 and to date they render servicing of the crushers and daily maintainence.
Contractors involved 03
Other Suppliers and sub contractors have been awarded tenders to render the following:
- Safety Supplies
- Water Systems Reticulation
- Industrial and Mining Equipment Supplies
- Logistics and Bulk Delivery Services
- Construction Services and General Supplies
Sentinel Copper Mine and Ore Processing
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