Birla Nifty Copper; MIPAC to Advance Control Strategies

MIPAC recommendations to improve process performance at Nifty Copper Operation in Western Australia

MIPAC, a respected world leader in process control, will implement advanced control strategies to improve process performance at Birla’s Nifty Copper Operation in Australia.

Birla initially engaged MIPAC to review its use of process control and instrumentation at the Nifty operation west of Port Hedland. Birla has now chosen to continue working with MIPAC to implement the control strategy improvements recommended in the areas of SAG milling, flotation and thickening.

“At Birla Nifty we actively strive for continuous improvement and aim to use world best practice in process control to increase plant stability, said Johan Welmans, Concentrator Manager, Birla Nifty Copper Operation. We look to manage process outcomes in conjunction with MIPAC, which has a relevant track record of implementing process control strategies to help maximise throughput and plant stability.”

As a result of the control strategies implemented by MIPAC, Birla Nifty Copper expects to achieve the following results:

• Improve process stability
• Consistently increase the feedrate to the SAG mill
• Reduce the demands on operators

“At Nifty, we will employ an approach which maximises the attributes of the existing control system infrastructure, said Andrew Thornton, Principal Process Control Engineer, MIPAC. “While MIPAC can and has provided successful ‘black-box’ control solutions we feel that the Nifty site being remote is best served with a robust PLC based control strategy which can be understood and maintained locally.”

High Resolution Photos available below.

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Public Relations Contact: amy.ward@mipac.com.au or +61 (0) 437 088 618 (mobile)

About MIPAC: MIPAC is a respected provider of process control, instrumentation and electrical engineering solutions. MIPAC is committed to working with our customers to help them achieve operational excellence. MIPAC specialises in industries that require continuous process control such as minerals and metal processing. We serve renowned companies such as Xstrata, Glencore, Birla, Rio Tinto and Zinifex in more than a dozen countries. MIPAC is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and employs some of the industry’s most talented process control professionals. Learn more at www.mipac.com.au.

About Aditya Birla’s Nifty Copper Operation: Aditya Birla Minerals’ principal asset is the Nifty copper operation, located in the Great Sandy Desert Region on the East Pilbara in Western Australia, approximately 1,250 km north of Perth and 350 km east of Port Hedland. The Nifty operation comprises open pit and SX–EW processing operations, and through the recent commissioning of the Nifty Sulphide Operation, an underground mine, a concentrator and associated site infrastructure, with a concentrate storage facility located at Port Hedland. Learn more at: http://www.adityabirlaminerals.com.au.

• Photo: Nifty Copper SAG Feed Conveyor (High Res JPG)
• Photo: Nifty Copper SAG Mill (High Res JPG)
• Photo: Nifty Copper Primary Grinding & Flotation Circuit (High Res JPG)