Background

Ausenco were awarded the contract for the development of the Kinsevere stage 2 copper project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, by AMVK mining SPRL. Kinsevere is a high grade copper deposit of exceptional quality. The stage 2 project in 2011 a $400 million solvent extraction and electro winning (SXEW) plant. The mine has a name plate capacity of 60,000
tonnes of copper cathode per year.

Operating Conditions

The treatment of primary ore to extract copper is a chemical process using leach technologies and strong acids such as sulphuric acid. The ore is processed as slurry and has signifcant erosive  ualities. The processing method is crushing, grinding, agitated leach.

Special Requirements

The remote location made for a real logistical challenge, coupled with the fact that the Country was in a conflict zone. So to successfully complete this project nearly a month ahead of schedule was a major achievement for Trepax. As a result of this endeavor we were asked to come back to undertake further work projects, which is testament to the dedication and commitment of the Trepax team.

Another challenge we faced prior to us undertaking the lining work , was to address the poor condition of the concrete, this had to be addressed before we could apply the lining systems. So several large areas of concrete were prepared in the following ways. The areas were scabbled back to remove any loose or weakened areas of the poorly laid concrete, this was then primed and treated, before these sections were repaired and releveled, using a vinyl ester resin repair system.

Corrosion Protection

The constant contact to the concrete of corrosive media meant that 3 high quality lining system had to be installed to withstand this amount of corrosive attack. These lining systems had to resist corrosion and high erosion and maintain suffcient thickness to meet the projects service
life.

Systems

To meet the requirements of the project and to allow for movement within the concrete, an elastomeric polymer membrane was used under some of the below mentioned systems.

The following lining systems were installed.

A medium to heavy duty system was applied to the low traffcked areas, low grade SX areas.

A heavy duty FRP lining system was applied to the more heavily traffcked areas, such as electrowinning areas.

An acid resistant epoxy novalac system was applied to the sulphuric acid tank farm and unloading area.

Project Details

Location	Lubumbashi, Katanga, DRC Africa
Project	Kinsevere DRC Copper
Owner	Anvil Mining Limited
EPC	Ausenco
Date	2011
Work	Concrete Areas
Systems	Vinyl Ester Lining, FRP & Epoxy Novolac Lining
Area	18,000 m2
Value	US$ 3.5 Million