Southern Copper

Acid Plant Database July 31, 2011

Owner	Southern Copper Corporation
Location	17 kilometers north of the city of Ilo Peru
Background	Formerly 1952 - Company founded 1960 - Smelter commissioned 1994 - Southern Peru Copper Corporation sole bidder for Minero Peru S.A.'s180,000 t/y copper refinery (US$68.5 million) 1999 - Groupo Mexico becomes majority shareholder of SPCC 2005 - Southern Peru Copper Corporation changes its name to Southern Copper Corporation
Website	www.southernperu.com
Plant	Plant No. 1	Plant No. 2
Coordinates	17º 29' 51" S, 71º 21' 42" W	17º 29' 53" S, 71º 21' 45" W
Type of Plant	Metallurgical
Gas Source	Copper Isasmelt Peirce-Smith Converters (4) (13' dia x 35' L)
Hot Gas Cleaing	IsaSmelt Furnace: Waste Heat Boiler - Hot ESP - ID Fan - Mixing Chamber Pierce-Smith Converters: Evaporative Cooling Chambers - Manifold - Hot ESP (2) - ID Fan (2) - Mixing Chamber
Wet Gas Cleaning	-	Quench Venturi - Retention Vessel - Venturi Scrubber (Variable Throat) - Packed Gas Cooling Tower - WESP Quench Venturi: Brick-lined carbon steel Retention Vessel: FRP WESP: GEA Bischoff Sodium Silicate System
Plant Capacity	1156 MTPD	3740 MTPD
SA/DA	3 SA SO₂: 11.34% Conversion: 96.5%	3/1 DA SO₂: 13.0%, O₂: 13.0% Conversion: 99.82% Catalyst: BASF
Emissions	-	SO₂: 300 ppmv Acid Mist: 40 mg/Nm³
Status	Operating	Operating
Year Built	1995	2006
Technology	Chemetics	Aker Solutions - Chemetics
Contractor	Chemetics/Davy	Kvaerner
Remarks	Original capacity: 568 MTPD Design included the ability to double plant capacity. 1998 plant expanded to double production. Cost: US$103 million ⁽¹⁾ No. 1 Plant operates at steady rate (base load)	Gas cleaning and acid plant plot area = 6900 m² Plot Area: 56 m x 145 m = 8120 m² The ISASMELT™ furnace replaced two reverberatory furnaces and a Teniente converter for treatment of 1,200,000 tpa of concentrate. Two rotary holding furnaces are used for separating matte and slag product from the ISASMELT™ furnace. A waste heat boiler and electrostatic precipitator are used to cool and clean the gas before passing it to a sulfuric acid plant. Peirce Smith converters are used for converting the matte to blister copper. No. 2 Plant capacity fluctuates with operation of IsaSmelt and PS Converters NOx Treatment System: Stripper Blowers: 2 x 65%, Siemens, SFO-14, 2650 kW motor Converter: 15.3 m dia., SS, internal Hot HX Cold Exchanger: 5.4 m dia. x 15 m high, ~2700 tubes Inter and Final SO₃ Coolers Drying Acid System: 96 wt% Absorber Acid System: 98.5 wt% Intermediate Tower: 8.9 m dia. Acid Pumps: External vertical Lewis pumps Acid Piping: Saramet Cooling Water: Sea water Effluent Treatment - ETP1 is designed for 2 wt% H₂SO₄ maximum, 27 m³/h - ETP2 is designed for 3 wt% H₂SO₄ maximum, 43 m³/h - two stage neutralization, milk of lime and ferric sulphate - first stage: pH raised to 11.5 in 2 steps - recycle used to increase particle size - Arsenic reduced to 25-50 ppmw in initial neutralization. Second stage of arsenic removal is done by addition of ferric sulphate and pH is adjusted to 8.5
Pictures
Pictures
General	Smelter originally started in 1960. Smelting facilities consisted of two reverberatory furnaces and four P-S converters. Smelter expanded in 1976 with two additional reverberatory furnace and three P-S converters. One of the original reverberatory furnaces was taken out of service and demolished. Smelter expanded in 1995 with a Teniente converter. 1995 sulphur dioxide capture was 30%. After 2007 modernization and expansion sulphur dioxide capture was over 92%. LEPSA has been attending SOUTHERN PERU COPPER CORPORATION (SPCC), from the beginning of its activities. Working together with the consultant company, AKER KVAERNER CHEMETICS, we have participated in the NEW SULPHURIC ACID PLANT PROJECT for SPCC (ILO-PERU), manufacturing and installing FRP Ducts of Ø 104, 102, 96 and 94 inches for interconnection tanks. To satisfy our client and consultant company, we have accomplished the deadlines established for manufacturing and delivery of documented engineering. SPCC commissioned to G&M contractor the 100% of the work of installing the FRP Ducts and Piping and LEPSA was subcontracted from them to do all the FRP ducting and piping field welds. www.lepsa.com
References	1. Canadian Minerals Yearbook 1995 2. Jurado, K. and Wright, J., "Southern Peru's Ilo Smelter - Modernization and Environmental Improvements", Sulphur 2009, Vancouver, Canada, November 8-11, 2009, pp. 43-53.
News	-

MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption

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