The Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex continues to implement one of the largest investment projects “Development of the Yoshlik I deposit”, within the framework of which a number of facilities are being built. It is worth noting that some innovations will be used for the first time at AMMC. One of them is cyclic-flow technology (CFT). We asked the head of the CFT project of the project office for the implementation of the investment project “Development of the Yoshlik I deposit” Alexey POTRYASAYEV to tell us about what work is being done in this direction.

- For the first time, cyclic-flow technology appeared in 1956 at one of the lime quarries in Germany. CFT has advantages compared to road and rail transport: it is more economical, which ultimately allows you to reduce the cost of finished products. Also, when choosing this technology, we took into account safety, convenience and ease of operation, obtaining a consistently high class of crushed product size to achieve the required extraction of valuable components from ores.

To date, the longest continuous conveyor used for CFT is located in the Indian state of Meghalaya. Its length is 17 km.

The CFT, as mentioned above, will be used by the Complex for the first time and will ensure the transportation of ore from the western side of the Yoshlik I open pit to the MOF-3 coarse ore warehouse using two conveyors with a length of 4.2 km each. These will be the longest continuous conveyors in Central Asia to date.

The main contractor is Enter Engineering Pte.Ltd, with which an EPC contract was signed for the design, construction and purchase of equipment. The equipment is supplied by PJSC Uralmashzavod and FLSmidth (Germany).

The implementation of the CFT project began last year. As of October 1 of this year, during the construction of this facility, soil excavation amounted to 3,520,260 m3, soil fill - 1,989,556 m3, concrete work - 112,968 m3, reinforcement - 18,645 tons, 2,238 tons of metal structures were installed. I would like to note that the weight of the metal structures of one of the most famous buildings in the world - the Eiffel Tower - is 7300 tons. 8960 tons will be installed here!

One of the areas where active work is currently underway is the complex of crushing and transfer units (CTU) and main conveyor No. 1.

The task of the CTU is to receive ore, crush it and reload it onto the conveyor line. In total, three diesel power Complexs are being built with a capacity of 6.5 thousand tons/hour each and a power of 6 MW: it is planned that two diesel power Complexs will be in operation, one in reserve. Three unloading conveyors will reload coarse ore onto two main conveyors.

The Ural Heavy Engineering Complex will supply 3 coarse crushers, 6 apron feeders, 3 jib cranes, which will also be used for the first time at AMMC, 3 manipulating hammers designed to destroy oversized pieces of ore, and other auxiliary equipment.

FLSmidth is responsible for the supply of conveyor systems: 3 unloading conveyors with a length of 64 to 78 m, 2 main conveyors with a length of 4200 m each.

Today, a large complex of construction and installation work is being carried out at this site to install metal structures and main technological equipment. Concrete work was completed at all three CTUs, the volume of which amounted to 11.5 thousand m3 of concrete for each node.

To date, 90% of the equipment has been delivered and is being installed. At CTU-3, work has also been completed by 90%, the crusher has been rotated, into which ore can simultaneously be loaded from two dump trucks with a lifting capacity of 220 tons, and two apron feeders. The main conveyor is 90% installed and unloading conveyor No. 3 is 70% installed. This equipment is part of the first launch complex, the readiness of which is currently 85%. It is he who will receive the first ore from the Yoshlik I quarry in November this year.

In addition, work on the second main conveyor is 90% completed, work on CTU-2 is 50% completed, work on CTU-1 is 20% completed, work on unloading conveyor No. 2 is 30%, and unloading conveyor No. 1 is 5% completed.

Almost all metal structures for conveyor systems - 2.5 thousand tons - were manufactured at the factories of Enter Engineering Pte.Ltd

Completion of work is planned for April next year.

Anastasiya KALINKINA