Project Synopsis

Develop a detailed process design package for multiple scrubber systems at a gold mining and ore processing facility in Mexico.

Project Summary

MINING FACILITY H2S SCRUBBER UNITS PROCESS DESIGN

Process Engineering Associates, LLC (PROCESS) was subcontracted by an international process engineering company for the ultimate client, a mining and minerals processing company in Canada, to provide a definitive detailed process design for three (3) emission control systems to reduce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from several sour gas vent streams that will result from the addition of new equipment proposed for their existing mining facility in Mexico.  The proposed scrubber feedstock is caustic (NaOH).  H2S is converted by caustic to an aqueous NaHS-rich (sodium hydrosulfide) liquor stream for use in the existing mining facility.  This project is a continuation of work performed previously by PROCESS (Preliminary Process Design).

PROCESS completed the following tasks and developed the following process design documents in support of this effort:

  • Design Basis Preparation – The first step in the project was to develop a document that contained all of the baseline information and design parameters that would govern the subsequent process design. This information included inlet process stream composition and temperatures, ambient conditions, vessel materials of construction, and guidelines for equipment sizing.
  • Mass and Energy Balance and Process Flow Diagram (PFD) Preparation – Process created a process simulation of the three scrubber systems using Chemstations’ CHEMCAD simulation software.  The software allowed for an electrolyte description of all the liquid streams.  Process developed a heat and material balance of the systems in order to define the product streams, the treated gas composition, the amount of caustic required, and the individual utility requirements for each system.  PFDs of the three systems were then developed.
  • Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) Development – Process developed P&IDs for the three systems from the PFD and modeling output.  The P&IDs show primary unit operations, major process streams, primary instrumentation and controls.  The P&IDs were prepared in AutoCAD.  Line sizing and equipment tags with equipment descriptions are also shown on the P&IDs.  An instrument list was generated based on the P&IDs.
  • Equipment Specifications – All major equipment was sized, and specification sheets were prepared for detail design.  These specifications were used as the primary basis for obtaining equipment purchase price quotations for suppliers in order to produce a preliminary capital cost (FOB factory) of the three systems.  An equipment list was developed for the three scrubber systems.
  • Preliminary Capital Cost Estimates – Cost estimates (FOB factory) were developed for the three systems.

 

Industry Type

  • Gold Ore Processing

Utilized Skills

  • Scrubber systems design

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