[ferro-alloys.com]Pre-commissioning of a magnetite (iron ore) concentrate drying unit has been launched at Bystrinsky GOK (Bystrinsky Mining and Processing Plant, Trans-Baikal Territory), with the work to obtain the construction completion certificate currently underway. The first shipment of dry iron ore concentrate is scheduled for 1 October.

Concentrate will be dried in winter (October to April) to reduce its moisture level and prepare it for further transportation. At low temperatures, wet concentrate can freeze inside the rail cars, hampering delivery and unloading operations.

Three 165.7 tph drum dryers have been installed in the unit. Dried concentrate will be transported to the storage facility via a conveyor system, while designated software will ensure automatic loading of the finished product into gondola cars. As a result, moisture levels will decrease from the initial 8.5% to 1.5%.

According to Sergey Korolev, Head of Nornickel’s Chita PMO, shipments will commence in October. A total of ca. 2 mt of concentrate will be dried every season.

Nornickel constructed Bystrinsky GOK in a hard-to-reach area of the Trans-Baikal Territory in late 2017. The plant which is currently under pre-commissioning began shipping copper and magnetite concentrates to China as early as this spring.

After reaching the design capacity, Bystrinsky GOK will be producing up to 3.5 mt of magnetite concentrate and 260,000 t of copper concentrate. In addition to China and Russia, its target markets include Japan and South Korea.

• [Editor:王可]