Furnace component engineering and production company Thos Begbie has completed the manufacturing of water-cooled copper components for the Isasmelt furnace, based at TSX-listed First Quantum Minerals’ (FQM’s) Kansanshi mine on the Central African Copperbelt, in Zambia.

“Thos Begbie had been awarded the contract in April by mineral processing and metal smelting company Xstrata Technology, after which Xstrata Technology designed various water-cooled copper launders and blocks that were manufac- tured by Thos Begbie, and shipped to Zambia in September,” says Thos Begbie sales manager Joubert Groenewald.

This comes after inter- disciplinary and academic journal Africa Review reported in August last year that Kansanshi mine was building a copper smelter valued at $640-million, with a projected life span of two decades.

Mining Weekly reported in September that Kansanshi is the eighth-largest copper mine in the world and that FQM aims to achieve 900 000 t/y total copper production by 2016. The new smelter, currently under construction in Zambia, will be shared by Kansanshi and Sentinel, another FQM mine, and will process 1.2-million tons of treated copper concentrate a year.

Total supply of 67% needed to complete the project will come from Sentinel, with Kansanshi providing the remaining 33%. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency approved FQM’s planned multimillion- dollar copper project in the country.

FQM states that the smelter at Kansanshi, which is about 20 km south of the country’s northern border shared with the Democratic Republic of Congo, forms part of the company’s plans to triple its copper production capacity, making it one of the top ten copper producers in the world.

The project comprises the construction of the Isasmelt furnace, an oxygen plant, a sulphuric acid plant and other support infra- structure, such as materials handling and storage facilities, a power supply substation, an operation office and a workshop.

The project site is located on 45 ha of land, 10 km north of Solwezi town, in Zambia’s Solwezi district.

Since it started operating in 2005, the Kansanshi mine has undergone several expansions. From an initial production capacity of 110 000 t of copper, it can currently produce 340 000 t/y of copper and more than 120 000 oz/y of gold. The multistage expansion project aims to increase copper output to about 400 000 t by 2015.

Groenewald notes that Thos Begbie prides itself on its ability to manufacture quality components for its clients, adding that the water-cooled copper components are manufactured to customer specification.

“With all the improvements currently taking place within the company, we are proud of the contract we received for Xstrata Technology, as this will validate our reputation as a leader in the supply and manufacture of water-cooled furnace components,” he points out.

In July, the company received funds from the Manufacturing Competitiveness Enhancement Programme to buy a new software program that significantly improved business. The company plans to install thermal kinetic energisers in its furnaces, which will cut gas consumption.

“The Novacast Foundry Technology software, bought in Sweden, is improving yield in castings and simultaneously contributing to cleaner production,” says Thos Begbie CEO Eugene Rossouw.

He adds that the solidification modelling system, a relatively new innovation currently trending in the foundry industry, improves yield in castings and ensures the free flow of molten metal, giving better integrity to the casting.