:: Cerro Verde Takes Delivery of QEMSCAN^TM

Another milestone for Intellection Pty Ltd has been reached with Peru’s first QEMSCAN^TM system installed late April 2005. This is also the first system to be commissioned in an operating mine.

The Cerro Verde porphyry copper mine in Arequipa is operated by Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde S.A.A., a Peruvian subsidiary of Phelps Dodge, one of the world’s largest producers of copper and molybdenum. Cerro Verde Technical Manager, Javier Guevara Aráoz and Phelps Dodge Manager of Material Characterisation, Dr Wolfgang Baum are the driving forces behind this exciting new development in on-site mineral analysis. Previously mine samples were sent to Phelps Dodge Process Technology Centre in Safford, Arizona for QEMSCAN^TM analysis.

Monitoring of crushing machines and mine blasting was undertaken during a pre-installation survey last year, as the QEMSCAN^TM system instrumentation can be sensitive to nearby vibrations. Additionally, the Cerro Verde mine lies within an area prone to earthquakes and tremors, so it was decided to utilise vibration isolation pads upon system installation.

Intellection expects on-site QEMSCAN^TM installations to become more prevalent as mining customers move to get rigorous automated mineral analysis done in near real-time. By analysing samples on-site the delays associated with packing samples, customs and logistics can be avoided. The system was commissioned and measuring samples in just four days.