BOUGAINVILLE COPPER COMPANY

PANGUNA, BOUGAINVILLE
PAPUA NEW GUINEA

T h e Bougainville o r e body was d i s c o v e r e d in 1964 by a p a r t n e r s h i p

of Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia and New Broken Hill Consolidated
Limited. T h e o r e body i s a porphyry copper i n a fine-grained q u a r t z
d i o r i t e , which i n t r u d e s andesite volcanics and is located a t a n elevation
of about 2, 000 f t in the Crown P r i n c e Range of Bougainville i n the
Solomon Islands. Mineralization i s predominantly chalcopyrite with
s o m e bornite and s o m e gold and s i l v e r p r e s e n t . Rainfall i n the a r e a
a m o u n t s t o 200 in. (5. 08 m ) p e r y e a r . An a c t i v e volcano i s situated
only 24 m i l e s (38.4 k m ) f r o m the m i n e , and a l l s t r u c t u r e s w e r e
designed to r e s i s t s e i s m i c shocks. An i n t e r e s t i n g and unique f e a t u r e
of the Bougainville operation was t h a t the overburden was s t r i p p e d with
hydraulic m o n i t o r s .
Bougainville Copper, a t 90,000 tpd, i s the l a r g e s t copper c o n c e n t r a t o r
t o be designed and constructed at one t i m e ; and besides t h e twin 54 in.
by 74 in. A l l i s - C h a l m e r s g y r a t o r i e s , it f e a t u r e s seven 7 f t (2. 13 m )
s t a n d a r d and fourteen 7 ft shorthead c r u s h e r s , in addition to nine 18 f t
d i a m e t e r by 21 f t long (5. 5 m by 6. 4 m), 4250 hp, single - s t a g e ball m i l l s .
During the d e s i g n stage of the Bougainville p r i m a r y c r u s h i n g plant,
s e v e r a l a l t e r n a t e s w e r e studied because the o r e was expected t o break
with t h e production of l a r g e amounts of s m a l l - s i z e d p a r t i c l e s but with
a m i n i m u m of fines. These a l t e r n a t e s included two 54 in. by 74 in.
g y r a t o r i e s with g r i z z l i e s , two 60 in. by 89 in. g y r a t o r i e s , and one
72 in. by 96 in. gyratory, the l a t t e r two installations without g r i z z l i e s .
T h e two 54 in. units with g r i z z l i e s w e r e finally s e l e c t e d a s giving good
r e l i a b i l i t y and the ability t o handle the l a r g e amounts of s m a l l m a t e r i a l
in the feed. As originally installed, g r i z z l y b a r s w e r e s e t a t 8 in.
(203 rnm); but, in an effort t o p e r f o r m m o r e i n t e r p a r t i c l e c r u s h i n g in
the p r i m a r y and l e s s rock-on-steel c r u s h i n g i n t h e s e c o n d a r i e s and
t e r t i a r i e s , a t e s t i s underway (1976) t o d e t e r m i n e the effect of using
6 in. (152 mm) g r i z z l y spacings ( s e e w r i t e -up on Anaconda's c r u s h e r
a t Butte).
T h e Bougainville o r e i s mined with 17 c u yd (13 cu m ) shovels and
hauled in 105, 170, and 210 s t t r u c k s t o the c r u s h e r s , which a r e
equipped f o r t w o - s i d e dumping. Up to 40% of the o r e p a s s e s the
g r i z z l i e s , which a r e equipped with s p l i t t e r s ; and additional horizontal
s p l i t t e r b a r s a r e located d i r e c t l y above the s p i d e r c a p s . Because of
the g r i z z l i e s , the c r u s h e r s a r e supported by unique U-shaped e n c l o s u r e s ,
which a r e i n t u r n supported by the end and c e n t e r walls of the installation.

T h e c r u s h e d o r e pockets a r e n e c e s s a r i l y wide t o a c c o m o d a t e the

g r i z z l y u n d e r s i z e and hold 500 s t each. Two 6 f t wide (1. 83 m )
v a r i a b l e -speed a p r o n f e e d e r s under each c r u s h e r t r a n s f e r the c r u s h e d
o r e t o two p a r a l l e l 54 in. (1. 37 m ) takeaway b e l t s which s e r v e both
c r u s h e r s . With one a p r o n f e e d e r o r belt conveyor down f o r m a i n t e n a n c e , a c r u s h e r m a y still operate by dumping o r e only into the opposite
s i d e . Radioactive l e v e l i n d i c a t o r s on each s i d e of t h e c r u s h e d o r e
pocket c o n t r o l the corresponding t r u c k dump lights.
Maintenance a c c e s s to the c r u s h e r s i s through h a t c h e s between them,
a s is usual with t w o - c r u s h e r installations. This a r e a was equipped
with s t a i r w a y s and s p a c e f o r an elevator to be added l a t e r . E c c e n t r i c
r e m o v a l i s e a s e d by a unique double drawbridge a r r a n g e m e n t . Doors
on e i t h e r s i d e of the c r u s h e d o r e pockets a r e hinged a t t h e i r bottoms.
E c c e n t r i c c a r t r a i l s i n the outer door faces join when t h e d o o r s a r e
lowered into pockets.
On t h e s u r f a c e , the e l e c t r i c a l room i s located a t one end of t h e
installation and the r e p a i r a r e a with mainshaft s t a n d s i s located a t the
other. Handling of the mainshafts and maintenance m a t e r i a l s i s done
by a bridge c r a n e equipped with 60 - and 10 -ton h o i s t s . Both the
concaves and m a n t l e s a r e secured with epoxy r e s i n i n s t e a d of zinc.
Dust collection piping is located between the c r u s h e r s , and a wet
c o l l e c t o r i s situated p a r t i a l l y above and below the f l o o r a t elevation
z e r o . Since the o r e i s a l r e a d y wet f r o m rainfall, the collected and
s l u r r i e d d u s t i s pumped t o the concentrator. No w a t e r s p r a y s a r e
used in the dump pocket.
Although the double g r i z z l i e s contributed substantially t o the o v e r a l l
height of this fine c r u s h i n g plant, concrete usage was only 9,500 yd
(7264 c u m ) . Total steelwork, including the s u p e r s t r u c t u r e , ductwork,
l i n e r s , and r e b a r , amounted to 3,500 tons.

BOUGAINVILLE C O P P E R C O M P A N Y
P a p u a New G u ~ n e a

O r e type

Copper

C o n c e n t r a t o r rapacity

86,000 s t l d a y

Shovel s i z e

1 7 yd ( 1 3 m 3 1

Truck sizes

105, 170, a n d 210 s t

Primary crusher

T w o 54" x 74" A l h s C h a l m e r s C y r a t o r l e s

C o n n e c t e d a n d c o n s u n ~ e dh o r s e p o w r

500

C a p a c l t y of d u m p p o c k e t

NII

Gr~zzlies

Double

P o r p h y r y , 9 3 # / c u ft ( 1 5 3 8 k g / m 3 )

50 a v e

L e n g t h a n d width

24 ft and 36 f t ( 7 3 and 1 1 m )

Slope

37 d e g r e e s

Spacing of b a r s

8 in

E s t l l n a t e d 9: o r e t h r o u g h g r i z z l y

20%

u n d e r t e s t ) 2 0 3 - 1 5 2 rl;m)

(6 in

40%

g
M e t h o d of b r e a k ~ n go r r e n ~ o v ~ noversize

Grapple hook

O p e n s i d e se:ting

6 in

(product slze)

(152 m m )

1 5 1 8 In.

(41 5 m r n )

Crusher drive

Direct

C a p a c i t y of c r u s h e d o r e pocket

500 st

Crushed o r e feeder

T w o 6' w ~ d ea p r o n f e e d e r s p e r c r u s h e r
11 8 3 rn)

S p e e d of f e e d e r

2 6 t o 27 0 f p m (0 8

Takeaway l s ~ l t

One belt sped up

T w o 54" w ~ d e ,6 1 5 f p m
t o 7 8 0 f p m d u r l n g 1975, o t h e r b e l t t o be
s p e d u p i n 1976 (1. 3 i m - 1 8 7 m p m )

8 3 rnpm)

Ooeratlng data
S h i f t s o p e r a t e d p e r week

21

Effective o p e r a t i n g h o u r s

U t l l i z a t ~ o n68%

Morninal c a p a c i t y

3, 500 s t l h o u r

- 5.4 hours
- total

Maximum capacity (peak)

6 . 500 s t l h o u r

E f f e c t ] \e a\.ailabillty

85V of s c h e d u l e d t i m e

Backing f o r l i n e r s

Epoxy

14antle l i f e

12 m o n t h s

C o n c a v e 11fc

12 months

T i m e to change mantle and concaxes

48 hours

per s h ~ f t

total

C a p a c i t y of o v e r h e a d s e r v i c e c r a n e

6 0 ton

C o a r s e o r e stockpile ( a f t e r c r u s h e r 1

5 0 , 0 0 0 t o n s l i r e . 150, 000 t o n s t o t a l

D l r e c t o p e r a t i n g c o s t > e r ton

Not a v a i l a b l e

Concrete

9,500

R e ~ n f o r c i n gb a r

940 tons

Embedded steel

155 t o n s

Structural steel

1, 100 t o n s

m a l n . 10 ton a u x ~ l i a r y

c u yd ( 7 2 6 4 m 3 )

\liscellaneous steel
P l a t e and s t r u c t u r a l

501 t o n s

L~ners

322 t o n s

'.Year b a r s

258 tons

Duct~vork

223 t o n s

Oxerall helght of installation

Constructed c o s t (includes tunnel and c o n v e y o r )

102 f t 2; in

( 3 1 1 15 m )

c a $ 1 7 , 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 ( J u n e 1972)

BOUGAI NVI LLE COPPER CO.

SOLOMON l SLANDS

ELECTRICAL R O O M 3

SECTION

ALJ I

ilNDER

54"/l

37h4

7211/'1 .63M.

5 0 0 ST.

EACH CEL153E;Z

?A?RLN F E E D E R 5

CRUSHED ORE POCKET

APR0I.I FEEDER SIZE
DISCHARGE CONVEYOR SIZE

NOTE

C 10TO13

60 TON CLP BRITJI5E C K A N E

SECT ION

BOUGAI N V I LLE COPPER CO.

SOLOMON l SLANDS

EL. 0'-0" - 0.0 M

PLAN @ GRADE FLOOR

EL.

- 88' - 6"
- 26.974 M.

PLAN @ FEEDER FLOOR

MOTOR

r
>;'-

EL. -52'-0''

- 15.850 M

PLAN @ DR IVE FLOOR

.-

...

DR~.IE (

~ y ?

BOUGAI NVI LLE COPPER CO.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

5 4 Y 74" C R U c j H E Y

Box

MOTOR CONTROL

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