Jesus Perez presenting at the conference 
PAPI colleagues from Chile present at their booth
How to meet the challenge of drives for ever-larger mills was one of the questions that ABB raised as part of its presentation at Procemin-Geomet 2024, an event organized by Gecamin. Jesús Pérez, Product Marketing Manager Grinding LATAM at ABB, was in charge of presenting the Gearless Mill Drive Systems (GMD).
"We visualize mining projects becoming increasingly challenging in terms of CAPEX as well as OPEX. Therefore, one of our proposals to optimize the large projects under study is to reduce the number of mills in the new concentrator plants," said Jesús Pérez.
To meet demand for high ore milling capacity, with decreasing ore grade, ABB offers the world's largest GMDs, capable of operating at a record altitude of over 5,000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.).
Currently, the company is moving forward with GMDs of 44 feet in diameter and 32 megawatts of power considered to operate at an altitude of 5,300 meters above sea level, "achieving significant savings in CAPEX by reducing the number of mills needed in the new concentrator plants, minimizing plant footprint and reducing in the number of upstream and downstream mechanical equipment such as conveyors, screens, pumps, etc., as well as future savings in OPEX, as the amount of equipment that must be maintained is less," said the executive.
ABB's GMD system is an inherent variable speed drive, allowing to control the mill speed and operate in both directions. These features optimize the grinding process, improve efficiency, and reduce downtime by extending useful life of liners.
"ABB, with more than 50 years of experience in GMD, in the case of the development of large mill drives, the ring motor is where its main challenges are concentrated, in relation to their design from the electrical, thermal and mechanical point of view," said Jesús Pérez.
With these largest GMDs, ABB is positioned as a leader in the development of drives for large SAG mills and ball mills, increasing the power-to-diameter ratio of the mills, reinforcing its pioneering role in the industry.
"Our mill drive systems reduce the civil works required, thus lowering CAPEX so that the new concentrator plants of mining projects can be economically viable. These qualities allow us to offer complete solutions tailored to the needs of our customers," concluded the ABB executive.
