Productivity increase at LKAB’s Malmberget mine
ABB has won an order to supply a dual pinion high-speed ring-geared mill drive (RMD) system for LKAB’s latest grinding circuit expansion at the Malmberget iron ore mine in Swedish Lappland. The RMD system is designed in a bypass configuration, allowing LKAB to start two separate mills in sequence, compared to just one in the traditional setup. This reduces plant footprint and increases operational efficiency at Malmberget, which supplies iron ore to customers including the European steel industry.
LKAB’s plant is the second-largest underground iron ore mine in the world, with an annual output of more than 5 million tons of high-grade pellets. LKAB is upgrading its ore processing capability by adding this RMD system as part of a continuous program of expansion in an area that has been home to iron ore mining since the mid-18th century. For this latest order, ABB’s complete scope of supply includes a 5 MW (megawatt) and 2.8 MW motor, both powered by an ACS 5000 drive, a converter transformer and an advanced integrated mill controller. The contract was awarded in February 2015. Installation is due to begin at the end of September with operations expected to start in December.
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