At the copper concentrating plant No. 2, work continues on the implementation of measures under the "Program of Priority Measures for the Reconstruction and Stabilization of the Main Production Capacities of JSC “Almalyk MMC” for 2019-2022", which provides for the technical re-equipment of workshops and production sites of the enterprise. About what is being done in this direction in the grinding and flotation department (GFD) of the factory, Ruslan TURABEKOV, the mechanic of the department, tells. He came to work at the copper concentrating plant MOF-2 in 2013 after graduating from the State Pedagogical Institute, where he studied at the Mining Electromechanic Faculty. He was hired as a repairman at the GFD pressure pipeline section, three years later he was entrusted with the position of foreman, and since 2019, after graduating from TPU, R. Turabekov has been heading the repair service of the main building of the enterprise.

As part of the implementation of the Technical Reequipment Program, GFD continues a lot of work to replace obsolete and outdated main technological equipment. In order to reduce the cost of production, in the middle of last year, installation of new industrial wear-resistant rubber flanged pipelines with a length of 834.1 meters began at the pressure pipeline section, which will replace the previously used steel pipes for pumping pulp. Specialists of the manufacturing plant New Technology LLC from Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) were involved in the measurements and drawing up the routing scheme, who already in May began supplying industrial wear-resistant rubber flanged pipes with a diameter of 273 mm and 325 mm complete with bends, adapters and other components.

To date, the specialists of the GFD of MOF-2 repair service have completed work on replacing the existing metal pressure pipelines with wear-resistant rubber flanged pipelines in 5 sections. All of them were handed over for operation to the technological personnel of the site where raw materials are pumped and transported using soil pumps.

In connection with what was the decision made to replace the steel pipeline with rubber and what do we expect from this? Today, flexible pipe systems are being successfully used in concentrators, and practice shows that rubber has a number of advantages. For example, previously existing steel pipes were installed without a rubber coating, which reduced their service life. The inner part of the rubber pipelines installed today at the site is covered with wear-resistant rubber, which increases the service life of rubber pipes by 5-6 times compared to metal ones. In addition, the new pipeline is easy to dismantle and install, and its increased flexibility allows it to be used in confined spaces. Another important advantage of the new equipment is the reliable tightness of the connections and a significant reduction in vibration and noise during operation.

The installation of new wear-resistant pipes is carried out by specialists from one of the GFD units, specially created for this from among experienced workers: foreman of fitters Dzhumatoy Dzhanizakov, fitters Rasul Urinbaev, Agzam Kadyrov, electric and gas welder Khudoyar Abduganiyev, Agzam Abdullayev. All work on this site is coordinated and controlled by master Sarvar Mirzaev. Until the end of February this year, it is planned to complete the work on replacing the steel pipeline with a wear-resistant rubber pipeline.

In the grinding and flotation department of MOF-2, the reconstruction of the first section, which began in October 2021, continues. To date, a repair group led by foreman Abdunabi Usmanov and technological equipment repairman Ozod Ergashev have replaced the third, fourth and seventh row flotation chambers, the dismantling of worn-out metal structures is being completed, and new flotation units are being installed.

Of course, the renewal of technological equipment will have a positive impact not only on the activities of our department, but also on the entire factory: the new modernized equipment will save fuel and energy resources, increase the productivity of existing facilities, and will affect the reduction in production costs. And the team of the GFD of MOF-2 repairmen will continue to work at full strength, fulfilling all the tasks assigned to them!

Tatiana RUDENKO