BUENAVISTA DEL COBRE

Sonora, Mexico

Location

Cananea, Senora, Mexico

Type

  • Open Pit Mine
  • On-Site Refinery

Mineral(s)

  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Zinc

Mining Equipment

  • Cat® 797F Mining Truck, 363-tonne (400-ton)
  • Cat® 325BL Excavator
  • Cat® 988B Wheel Loader
  • Cat® 924G Wheel Loader
  • Cat® 834H Wheel Dozer
  • Cat® 824C Wheel Dozer
  • Cat® D9N Crawler Tractor
  • <a href="https://www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/equipment/dozers/large-dozers/104260.html"Cat® Cat® D9R Dozer
  • Cat® 16H Motor Grader

  • Komatsu PC300 Hydraulic Excavator
  • Komatsu D275A-2 Crawler Tractor
  • Komatsu D275AX-5 Crawler Dozer
  • Komatsu 830E-AC Electric Drive Truck
  • Komatsu WD600-3 Wheel Dozer
  • Komatsu WA900-3 Wheel Loaders
  • Komatsu WA470-6 Wheel Loaders

Wash System

  • Haul Truck Wash
  • Light Vehicle Wash System
  • Water Reclaim Pit and InterScreen Filtration System

Highlights

  • 2 Lanes
  • Heavy Duty Oil Skimmer
  • Water Reclaim Pit
    Haul Truck Wash
  • 1,600 GPM Front & Rear Spray Towers, 60 PSI
  • Floor Mounted High-Pressure Monitors
  • Manual Wash Guns with 50' Hose Reels
  • 1,600 GPM Chassis Wash at 76PSI
    Light Vehicle Tire Wash and De-Mucking
  • 1,360 GPM Recycled Water
  • Galvanized Splash Walls
  • 600 GPM Side Spray Towers

To manage the continuous traffic of Haul Trucks, mining machinery, and light vehicles at the Buenavista del Cobre mine site, InterClean was asked to come up with a plan for on-site wash systems that would run reliably for 12 or more hours per day.

  • The Haul Truck wash bay was specifically designed to clean the largest equipment on-site, accommodating vehicles up to 32 feet wide and 24 feet tall.
  • Adjacent to it, a wheel and tire wash system was installed to ensure that any vehicles leaving the site were free from dirt and debris.

The Buenavista del Cobre mine is located in the Cananea, Senora region of Mexico. The expansive open-pit site is mainly dedicated to copper mining, with additional exports of silver and zinc also mined from the region.

Wash System Start-Up (2018)

Project Scope

  • High Pressure Side Arches
  • Underchassis Wash 
  • Manual  Wash System
  • Light Vehicle Tire Wash System
  • Traffic Lights
  • Activator Controls
  • Fill Pipe Assembly
  • Guidance Lighting
  • Heavy Duty Oil Skimmer
  • Water Reclaim & Filtration System

Install and start-up took 2 weeks to complete. Buenavista transformed from a mining site with no structures to having a fully operational maintenance building, a drive through haul truck wash and manual wash bay, light vehicle wash, and a reclaim pit for recycling used wash water.

Fully Operational Haul Truck Wash

Start of construction

Mid construction - Haul Truck Wash

Mid construction - Reclaim Pit

Mid construction - Tire Wash

Haul Truck Wash

haul truck wash bay

( 100 ft long)

spray towers

83 high-pressure spray nozzles per tower

Underchassis Wash

1,600 GPM

Dual wash monitors

High pressure spray

Monitor and Hose Reel

side spray towers

Chassis Wash

Chassis Wash

High-Flow

Wash Monitors

Reclaim Pits

High pressure Pumps

Filtered Wash Water

Light Vehicle Tire Wash

Wash Process

Side Spray Towers Power Wash

The Sides of Each Haul Truck

and clean under the truck bed

followed by High-Pressure monitors

Haul Truck 641

Haul Truck 641 Pre-Wash

In Line for Haul Truck Wash

Rear Side Sprays

Chassis Wash

Chassis Wash and Reclaim Pit

Monitors Used for Front and

Rear As Truck Pulls Through

Haul Truck 641 After Wash

Why InterClean?

We help design
the wash system you need.

Custom wash systems designed, engineered, and built to meet the requirements specific to your mining site.

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