Ok Tedi

Automation Roadmap

Project overview

Between 2018 and 2020, the Mipac team worked in close collaboration with Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) to improve their operations and automate their systems to achieve optimal operational efficiency through digital maturity. This work contributed to OTML’s strategic goal of improving their process automation and reducing production loss due to lack of automation.

The client

Ok Tedi, established in 1981, was previously run by BHP until the mine nationalised in 2013. It is 100% owned and run by the people of PNG, with 67% owned by the PNG government and 33% owned by a consortium of the local landowners.

Ok Tedi is the longest running mine in PNG, located in the Star Mountains, just 16kms from the border with Indonesia. It produces copper, gold and silver, mining 240kt of overburden and 60kt of ore daily, at an annual rate of 24Mtpa.

Ok Tedi mine site surrounded by lush green mountains

Background

Machinery at Ok Tedi

In 2018, OTML was experiencing plant instability and wanted to reduce variability from its operations. Gold and copper recovery was low, plant equipment was unreliable and, as a result, operators were running the plant in manual. A lack of digital maturity meant that the site was not ready to implement desired business improvement projects. Mipac was engaged to support the site through the co-development of a three-year automation roadmap (see Figure 1) and delivery of related projects.

Scope

Under the umbrella of the three-year automation roadmap, Mipac worked with Ok Tedi to target three key areas of concern:

  1. Instrumentation and process control optimisation to provide the basis for increasing process stability
  2. Data and business intelligence to improve decision making for the plant based on real data and analysis, shown by the short time interval control
  3. Capability development and support to ensure the gains in the other two prongs could be realised and have legacy long after the implementation team was finished
Ok Tedi Automation Roadmap

Project case studies

Hydrocyclones (Optimisation)

Ok Tedi mills

Problem:

Hydrocyclones blocking, causing downtime

Solution:

  • Automate sump and hydrocyclone control
  • Monitor and report percentage of time in automatic control

Outcome:

Reduction in hydrocyclone blocking and downtime events

Flotation (Process control)

Problem:

Poor flotation cell level control, resulting in loss of recovery

Solution:

Implement feed-forward control to stabilise and improve level control

Outcome:

Improved level control, resulting in more consistent froth recovery, mass pull and concentrate grade

Business intelligence via MPA (Data and business intelligence)

Problem:

Limited visibility and transparency of underperformance reasons

Solution:

Automated real-time reporting of performance and restraints

Outcome:

Increased accountability and performance

Project challenges

Whilst COVID-19 prohibited travel to site and forced 100% remote delivery for parts of this project, the use of Mipac’s Confluence portal enabled the site to have reasonable contact with the Mipac team and continue to log requests. The portal also enabled the transfer of knowledge to ensure the project could continue and improvements could be rolled out.

Ok Tedi crusher

“The milling circuit was a real bottleneck of Ok Tedi’s operations and a particular challenge that operators were facing was the bogging of the cyclone system. To address this, we applied some automation and control around cyclone feed sump and cyclone operation to prevent those downtime events from occurring, as well as conditioning the feed so it was suitable and optimised for downstream flotation. The design of this control philosophy was expected to deliver up to $2 million dollars per annum in benefits to Ok Tedi.”

Project outcomes

The delivery of OTML’s automation roadmap, together with related projects, resulted in:

  • Increased gold recovery from 55 – 70% and increased copper recovery from 83 – 89%
  • Enhanced digital maturity
  • A stable, automated operation (enhanced by the operation’s new levels of digital maturity) which has created time for other site improvements
Two female Ok Tedi engineers in yellow high vis, standing in a warehouse, reviewing something on a piece of paper.

Mipac: What were the contributing factors for the success of this project?

Lyndah Brown, OTML: They (Mipac) listened to what we wanted and tailored the project within our boundaries and team capabilities. We utilised their experience in project management and their project management portal, Confluence, to assist us with any support we needed, whether it be operational support or project management. This portal allowed us to track the values of the different projects we were putting in place; it also enabled us to capture what changes have been implemented and the knowledge that goes with that. That means that if one of our team leaves, the knowledge remains and there is a continuity for the next team to build on.

Why did you choose to work with Mipac? Mipac [were already] doing work for the major projects team… We had other vendors that we were looking at, but I chose Mipac because of the interpersonal skills, the relationships and the rapport that Martin was able to build with our team [as well as] the technical support that was available to him from the Mipac office. I wanted that support and I didn’t want a fully-fledged team coming in, putting something in and leaving, because with any sort of improvement, it has to be sustainable. I needed a team that could not only work with our various teams on site but be able to impart some knowledge in the process.”
Woman's profile image on grey background
Lyndah Brown
Manager Process Improvement, OTML

Want to learn more about Mipac's work with OTML?

CONTACT US

Got a project? Let's talk.

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Request a
Demonstration

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our TCard brochure.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our MPA product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our SMART Tankhouse brochure.

Download our Capability Statement

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Capability Statement.

[contact-form-7 id="7624"]

Download our OT Vision to Delivery brochure

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Capability Statement.

[contact-form-7 id="7623"]

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our E-Learning Brochure.

Request a
Demonstration

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

[contact-form-7 id="8762"]

Download TCard Case Study

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of the MIM Case Study.

[contact-form-7 id="8768"]

Register for Webinar

Simply fill out the below form and we will send you the details of the webinar directly to your email.

[contact-form-7 id="8833"]

Request a
Demonstration

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Request a
Demonstration

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our TCard™ product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our MPA Logsheets product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Digital TARP product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Capability Statement.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our ShortMeter product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you our Copper Monitor™ product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our SMART Tankhouse product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Alarm Manager product guide.

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will be in touch to discuss the best time for a demonstration.

Simply fill out the below form and we will email you a copy of our Copper Monitor brochure.