As referenced in a recent IM interview with Ricardo Takeda, Sales Director – Minerals for Brazil at Metso, three stations were designed, manufactured and delivered by the company in nine months, with the mission of optimising the operation of the so-called fifth crushing plant at Vale’s S11D site, in Pará. Metso has now released some additional details about the project.
Vale’s S11D faced a critical bottleneck in the so-called fifth crushing operation, a strategic stage that feeds the following phases of processing. The operation, consisting of three primary crushing fronts, suffered from unscheduled stops on the conveyor belts, which add up to more than 12 km in length.
The problem was in the granulometry; it was necessary to reduce the top size from 450 mm to 150 mm. This adaptation would avoid tears in the belts and would give greater flexibility to carry out differentiated blends in the production of iron ore. In addition, the solution needed to respect a layout restriction and be implemented during the scheduled annual shutdown, with a maximum period of 90 days for activation.
“We are looking for projects that are increasingly safer, faster to implement and efficient. This project has everything to do with that: we were able to assemble about 1,200 tons of structures in just 94 days, a fast, efficient installation that added value to the operation,” says Anderson Gomes, Vale’s General Manager of Implementation.
To meet these requirements, Vale chose Metso FIT™ station technology – a modular, ready-to-install solution that reduces risk, deployment time and ensures quality.
Three new modular crushing stations were designed and delivered, creating an intermediate step between the existing primary and secondary crushing. The entire process – design, procurement, manufacturing, and delivery – was completed in nine months, versus the 14 months typically required by traditional approaches.
“The concept of modularisation is something we seek within Vale. It reduces people’s exposure to risks, reduces implementation time and brings more quality and efficiency to the operation,” adds Anderson.
According to Luiz Otávio Arantes, Vale’s Engineering Manager, three factors were decisive: the fact that it was project ready, which facilitated planning; modularisation, which drastically reduced the assembly time; and security, with a solution validated by Metso.
“Metso FIT™ stationis a new technology, with a system of keys and skids, all modularised and implemented in an extremely short time,” reinforces Roberto Nascimento, Master Engineer of Capital projects at Vale.
The configuration included GP500 crushers, screens and conveyor belts, totalling 1,200 tons. Two stations were installed overlapping, taking advantage of the plant’s restricted space. The assembly used skid bases, eliminating traditional civil foundations and allowing the 94-day deadline to be met, including the commissioning and start-up stages.
With the activation of the FIT™ station, Vale achieved the goal: reducing the top size from 450 mm to 150 mm, ensuring greater reliability in the posterior circuit and flexibility for blends.
“The crusher has delivered a good performance. Today it is visible that the material has a much smaller particle size,” says Luis Otavio Arantes, Vale’s Operations Engineer.
One of the great challenges was to show that the 100% Metso solution, in line with national and international standards, fully meets Vale’s demands. “Convincing Vale of the FIT™ station model was a challenge, but the modularity and foundation concept allowed delivery in record time and met the assembly window,” says Gabriel Oliveira, Project Manager at Metso.
The Metso FIT™ station is a modular solution developed by Metso to accelerate crushing projects safely, efficiently and with less environmental impact. By using skid bases and standardised components, it reduces the need for civil works, reduces soil movements and generates less waste, aligning with sustainability practices.
In addition, modularisation contributes to less exposure of people to risks, fewer displacements and greater predictability in execution, factors that reinforce the commitment to the Mining of the Future – focused on innovation, safety and reduction of environmental impact in operations.
