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Technical Paper
Maintenance/ Engineering
KEYWORDS: Lubrication, Oil analysis, Cost savings, Reliability, Predictive maintenance, Louvicourt mine.
Paper reviewed and approved for publication by the Maintenance/Engineering Division of CIM.
ABSTRACT
Since 1994, Aur Ressources has operated Louvicourt mine, a zinc and copper mine close to Val d'Or, at a rate of 4300 tld. Ever since the start-up of the plant, management has encouraged innovative approaches in reliability.
The first of three papers will discuss the vibration monitoring program in place. The program will be described and two examples will be given: detection of a rolling bearing defect on a pinion driving the ball mill and identification of wear on the bearings of the flotation cells. Figures on the return on investment and the costs of a monitoring program will also be given.
The second article will discuss the lubrication aspect. Since the establishment of a good monitoring and oil analyses, Louvicourt mine decreased its oil consumption by more than 38 000 Llyr. In addition, the company set up an
oil regeneration system that restores the original properties of oil.
The third article will cover the management aspect. Work organization as well as the management philosophy enabling the employees to push predictive technology to higher levels will be examined in detail. The key elements which made it possible for Louvicourt mine to position itself among world-class companies in the organization of maintenance will be discussed.
Introduction
This article is the second of three on predictive maintenance at the Louvicourt mine operated by Aur Resources Inc. The first article, published in the October 2002 issue, was about vibration analysis for rotating machines.
This article describes how lubrication and oil analysis for stationary machines permitted Louvicourt to save more than $150,000 within two years and presents the evolution of the oil analysis program.
Louvicourt mine, located near Val-d'Or, Quebec, is a copper and zinc mining and milling operation that processes 4300 tld of ore and employs 289 people. Production began in 1994. Louvicourt mine is a partnership between Aur Ressources (30%), Teck Corp. (25%), and Novicourt (45%).
Role of the Lubricant
All rotation objects, whether a crankshaft in a diesel engine, the shaft of an electric motor or gears on the mine hoist,...