Coeur Mining
& Newterra
Case Study: Reducing contaminants to meet updated environmental regulations for discharging treated water
Overview
Our Solution
Coeur Mining is a Silver, Lead, and Zinc mine in northern British Columbia. The environmental regulations for discharge of the treated water from the plant was tightened and the installation of a secondary water treatment plant was required to meet these new standards.
Newterra was selected as the water treatment system to be used for this purpose, and Alliance Power was chosen to program and commission the PLC and SCADA for the secondary filtration plant.
At Alliance Power, our approach to providing project efficiency with optimal results is to plan ahead and to expect the unexpected. Mining sites require increased attention to detail due to their high-risk environments and potential harmful environmental impacts.
Our solution for the Coeur Mining and Newterra Project was carried out with the process listed below:
Challenges
1
Control System Variance
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Coeur Mining uses a different control system than Newterra
-
An outside contractor was required to integrate Coeur Mining's control system and software
2
Flow Based pH Control
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Notoriously difficult measurement to take due to its slow acting rate of measurement and high reactivity of the free chlorine sensor
3
Plant Shutdown Time
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Commissioning and implementation require full plant shutdown
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Plant shutdown is costly and requires minimum downtime
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Installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting require 100% completion before plant startup occurs
4
Environmental Concerns
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High level of detail and diligence is required to ensure that no errors occur
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Any errors in the wastewater treatment has a potential to harm wildlife and the environmental surroundings of the mine
Develop method to Integrate cross-talk between Newterra's with Coeur Mining's systems
Plan and prepare strategic testing method to obtain optimal pH readings
Implement synergistic plan with site partners to ensure minimal downtime
Real-time commissioning, troubleshooting and bug reporting
Client Achievements
Implemented difficult task to control dosing
Exceeded stringent testing standards of discharged water
Clean and environmentally friendly water discharged into nearby river
