GineersNow Engineering Magazine November 2016 Issue No 009
GineersNow Engineering Magazine November 2016 Issue No 009 Caterpillar Inc: A look at the company's social impact. Exclusive interview with Jean Savace, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Caterpillar Inc. Exclusive: Mining industry, social good, philanthropy, CSR, social impact, social innovation. Special Feature Stories: HVACR, Oil & Gas, Construction, Heavy Equipment, Machinery, Tools, Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, MEP, Water, Wastewater, Renewables, Energy, Petroleum, Heavy Equipment, Rental Equipment, Contractors, EPC. Country Focus: United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Australia More engineering stories at https://www.gineersnow.com/topics/magazines
GineersNow Engineering Magazine November 2016 Issue No 009
Caterpillar Inc: A look at the company's social impact. Exclusive interview with Jean Savace, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Caterpillar Inc.
Exclusive: Mining industry, social good, philanthropy, CSR, social impact, social innovation.
Special Feature Stories: HVACR, Oil & Gas, Construction, Heavy Equipment, Machinery, Tools, Civil Engineering, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, MEP, Water, Wastewater, Renewables, Energy, Petroleum, Heavy Equipment, Rental Equipment, Contractors, EPC.
Country Focus: United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Australia
More engineering stories at https://www.gineersnow.com/topics/magazines
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In the Chilean community of<br />
Machali in Cachapoal Province,<br />
in the Andes mountain<br />
range, lies the world’s largest<br />
underground mine. Called the El<br />
Teniente, it holds underground<br />
copper operations, which is the<br />
sixth biggest in the world by<br />
reserve size. Codelco, the stateowned<br />
copper miner and the<br />
world’s largest copper producer,<br />
owns and operates El Teniente.<br />
As of 2015, the underground<br />
mine has more than 3,000<br />
kilometers of tunnels and about<br />
1,500 kilometers of underground<br />
roads. It yields more than<br />
400,000 metric tons of refined<br />
copper per year – in 2013, they<br />
managed to reach a 450,000-<br />
tonne output; and in January<br />
to <strong><strong>No</strong>vember</strong> of 2014, about<br />
423,100 tonnes of copper were<br />
mined. It comprises six mining<br />
blocks around the Braden Pipe<br />
at different elevations including<br />
the Esmeralda, Reservas <strong>No</strong>rte,<br />
Diablo Regimiento and Pipa<br />
<strong>No</strong>rte.<br />
The operations of Codelco are<br />
divided into seven, namely<br />
Chuquicamata, Radomiro<br />
Tomic, Ministro Hales, Andina, El<br />
Teniente, Salvador, and Gabriela<br />
Mistral.<br />
Massive ores are hauled daily<br />
through a railroad system,<br />
leading to the surface. They are<br />
crushed in plants and conveyed<br />
to a concentrator where a<br />
copper concentrate is produced.<br />
This is sent to a nearby smelter.<br />
This underground copper mine<br />
boasts as one of the first mines<br />
to deploy a semi-automated<br />
load haul dumpers for ore<br />
extraction. They did it in 2004.<br />
El Teniente’s huge copper<br />
deposit was discovered early in<br />
the 19th century. It was in 1905<br />
when U.S.-based Braden Copper<br />
Company started operations on<br />
the site, with block caving used<br />
for extracting ore.<br />
All Photos by CodelcoViaMining.com<br />
NOVEMBER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Mining <strong>Engineering</strong> and Its Importance<br />
75
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