Engineering Design and Commissioning
METS was commissioned to expand a concentrator to treat 9Mtpa of copper ore (having a grade of 0.75%) to produce copper concentrate. The role included the basic design, generation of flowsheets, equipment lists, mass balances and process design criteria to permit the design and commissioning phases.
METS were initially approached by National Iranian Copper Industries Co, which then elicited meetings with Iran to confirm the project scope. General engineering principles were then followed through to design finalisation.
Project Brief
Outcome
- Improved capacity through brownfields expansion
- Reduced CAPEX
- Engineering package
Background
In 1972, Sarcheshmeh Copper Mines Joint Stock Co. of Kerman was established; and later, in 1976, it was renamed as National Iranian Copper Industries Co. (NICICO) to involve all copper mine operations throughout the country. The company has numerous responsibilities including the extraction and utilization of copper mines, production of copper concentrates and manufacturing copper products such as cathodes, slabs, billets and 8 mm wire rods. The Sungun Copper Complex is located in northern Iran near the Armenian border.
Project Objectives
The Sungun Copper Operation is NICICO’s northern operation. In order to modernise the plant and add ore capacity, NICICO sought a competent process engineering company to assist. METS role was to assist in project development.
Challenges
METS worked under contract for the Iranian engineering company Kanikavan Shargh Engineering Co. All communications were in English. METS had two Iranian engineers as employees, which simplified any arising issues. Furthermore, the need to overcome the common challenges of international consulting, included forging firm relationships with Iranian employees and limiting language barriers.
Our Approach
METS were initially approached by NICICO, which then elicited meetings with Iran to confirm the project scope. General engineering principles were then followed through to design finalisation.