Pit Dewatering

BHP’s Cerro Colorado Mining Company (CMCC) is an open-pit copper mine, which had a dewatering system that worked with submersible pumps, which propel the water to two pools, from where and through other pumps, cistern trucks were loaded for the irrigation of internal roads of the mine and the surplus water was transported to the plant’s water reservoir.

After several studies, CMCC decided to install a continuous pumping system with multistage centrifugal pumps to the reservoir.

PA Engineering developed advanced basic engineering in the specialties of processes, civil/structural, mechanical/piping, electricity, and instrumentation and control for the design of the project, which considered the implementation of a 50 l/s water extraction system with submersible pumps continuously from shallow wells at points near the loading faces.

The water extracted from the bottom of the mine is stored in small pools a slightly higher level and then pumped with multistage centrifugal pumps to the Reservoir, which also have a system for filling cistern trucks for the irrigation of roads.

The power supply for the equipment will be carried out through Generator Sets or power line from fixed substation transformers.