Improving Efficiency in Iron Ore Mining Facilities

A cost effective energy optimization project for a 35 MW iron ore pellet plant is presented. Applications involving large centrifugal loads and changing flow rates were prime targets for significant energy savings. Input-output power balances of these units provide significant data to energy improvement possibilities. On site high power fans (representing 35% of plant load) feature long annual operating times, thus they account for a relative large proportion of plant energy costs. A number of corrective actions including fan impeller redesign, proper selection of AC frequency converters and inclusion of passive filters were decided. Results show a reduction in plant energy consumption of 16 GWh/year with an operational cost reduction of 2.4 MUS$/year.