Dust Control at Mining OperationsValéIronOreFacility,Brazil

SiteReport

LOCATION: Guaíba Island Terminal, Brazil

CUSTOMER: Valé

DISTRIBUTOR/CONTRACTOR: IRRICOM Intelligence

RAIN BIRD PRODUCTS USED:

• SiteControl

• WS-PRO2WeatherStation

• 1005M-DCRainGun

• 25BJPImpactSprinkler

• 35A-TNTImpactSprinkler

• Falcon®6504Rotors

• 7005Rotors (8005Rotorreplacedthe7005)

• 300BPEValve

RAIN GUN ADVANTAGES: • Largetrajectory(angleofspray)foruseonlargeslopingstockpiles.

• Heightofwaterstreamcanreach79feet(23,7meters).

• Radiusofthrowcanreach182feet(55,4meters).

• Durablealuminum,stainlesssteelandbronzeconstruction.

• AvailableforInternationalmarketsspecificallyforminingandindustrialapplications.

IMPACT SPRINKLER ADVANTAGES: • Riser-mountedforuseonlargeslopingstockpiles.

• Ruggedbrass,bronze,andstainlesssteelconstruction.

• Straight-throughflowforsuperiorperformanceindirtywater.

FALCON 6504 ROTOR AND 7005 ROTOR ADVANTAGES: • Stainlesssteelriserforaddeddurability.

• Pop-uprotorshavealowprofile,whichmakethemidealtouseinareaswithfootandmachinetraffic.

• Radiusofthrowcanreachupto80feet (24,7meters).*

*Usingthe8005rotor,whichreplacedthe7005rotor.

CENTRAL CONTROL ADVANTAGES:

• Managemultiplewateringschedulesforfieldcontrollersviacentralcomputer.

• Linkedwithweatherstation,wateringschedulescanbeupdatedonadailybasisusingthelatestweatherdata.

WS-PRO2 WEATHER STATION:

• Collectsweatherdata:Airtemperature,relativehumidity,solarradiation,rainfall,andwindspeedanddirection.

Rain Bird Sprinkler System Provides Dust Control at Mining OperationsAir Quality Compliance Improves 53% at Valé Iron Ore Facility

At Guaíba Island Terminal in Brazil, the third largest iron ore port in Brazil, iron ore is delivered by railcars, off loaded into stockpiles, processed, and loaded into shipping containers for export to other countries. The dust created by these activities regularly exceeded the upper limits for airborne particulate matter and jeopardized long-term operations at the facility. Valé, the owner and operator of the facility, installed a Rain Bird® sprinkler system with a central control system and weather monitoring to control airborne dust.

WHY DUST CONTROL IS IMPORTANTDustisclassifiedasfine,dryparticulatematterandcanbemadeupofpollen,minerals,soil,andmanyotherparticulatesfoundinthelocalenvironment.Companiesintheminingindustryaretaskedwithmonitoringandcontrollingtheirdustemissions,becausedustiscreatedineverystepoftheminingprocess:mineconstruction,extraction,processing,storageandtransportation.IntheUnitedStates,Canada,andtheEU,particulateemissionsstandardsaresetandmonitoredbygovernmentagencies,andasmoreminesarebroughton-lineindevelopingcountries,airqualityconcernsaresuretobecomeanissue.

Dustcancauseahostofproblemsforminingoperations,suchaslow-visibilityissuesandequipmentfailure,andcanalsobelinkedtohealthproblems,suchasasthma,lungcancer,andheartdisease.Airbornedustcanadverselyaffectemployeesworkingatminesorattransportationfacilities,residentswholivenearby,andthesurroundingenvironment.Insomecountries,dustlevelsthatareconsistentlyaboveacceptableairqualitylevelssetbygovernmentscanresultinfinesandcanpotentiallyshutdownoperationstemporarily.Anditisnotjustgovernmentregulationsthatminingoperatorshavetocontendwithbutalsopublicperceptionandactivismthatcanturnanegativespotlightonuncontrolleddustandtheminingoperator’sownershipoftheproblem.

USING WATER TO CONTROL DUSTWaterisusedtohelpcontroldustduringtheexcavationandprocessingofore,ontailingsandstoragepiles,andthroughoutthetransportationprocess.Notonlydoeswaterhelpsuppressdustthatisalreadyairborne,butitalsobindsmineraldusttotheore’ssurface.Onunpavedhaulroads,largetrucksgoinandoutofminesmultipletimesadaycreatinglargeamountsofairbornedust.Thedustcreatedbythistrafficiscontrolledmainlybytheuseofwatertrucks.Becausewatertruckshavetomoveataslowpaceinordertodelivertheappropriateamountofwatertowetdowntheroad,theycanimpedetraffic,slowingupothertruckscarryingmoreimportantcargo.Theuseofwatertrucksisconsideredbymanyintheminingindustrytobeoneofthemostinefficientwaystocontroldust.

Effectivedustcontrolusingwateratminesandonhaulroadsrequiresuniformwettingandmonitoringofweatherconditions,likeairtemperature,relativehumidity,andwinddirectionandspeed.Installingasprinklersystemwithweathermonitoring,centralizedcontrol,andproperwaterdistributioncomponentscanbeaneffectiveandoperationallyefficientsolutionforusingwatertohelpcontroldust.

RAIN BIRD PROVIDES SOLUTIONS FOR DUST CONTROLIRRICOMIntelligence,aRainBirddistributorandcontractorinBrazil,designedandimplementedthesprinklersystemsatGuaíbaIslandTerminaltohelppreventandcontrolairbornedust.ThesystemusesRainBirdSiteControl,whicharecentralcontrolsystemsthatallowValétomonitorsystemperformance,managewateringschedules,andupdateweatherdataformultiplefieldcontrollersfromasinglelocation.ThewaterusedbythesystemispumpedfromtheSahyriverbasinalong13kmofpipeline,aboosterpumpprovidesthepressureneededtomovethewateralongthepipelinetothesprinklersystem.Thesystemsprayswaterontostockpiles,roadways,andrailwaysusingacombinationofRainBirdRainGuns,impactsprinklersandpop-uprotors.Thesecomponentswerechosenfortheirtrajectory(angleofspray),throwradius,durability,andperformanceindirtywaterconditions.

IRRICOMIntelligencedesignedandinstalled“asystemwhereweshowedanintelligentsolution,integratingRainBird’shardyagriculturalRainGunsandimpactsprinklers,reliableoperationwithourcontrolvalves,andcentraloperationofourcentralcontrolsystems,theresultwasthebestcostbenefitsolutionforthecustomer”,saidJoséGiacoiaNeto,RainBirdGeneralManagerinBrazil.

CENTRAL CONTROL AND MONITORINGSiteControlisacentralcontrolsystemthatoffersakeyoperationaladvantage–usersareabletoprogramandadjustwateringschedules,andmonitorsystemperformancefromacentralcomputer.Thecomputerisconnectedtosatellitecontrollersortwo-wiredecodersinthefieldviahardwireorwirelessconnections.Insteadoftravelingtothecontrollerinthefieldtoprogramoradjusttheschedule,theusercanmaketheprogramadjustmentsfromthecentralcomputer.SiteControlisusedforasinglecontiguoussite.IRRICOMchoseacentralcontrolsystemfortheGuaíbasitebecauseValéwantedasolutionthatcouldbeoperatedefficientlywithoutincreasinglaborcosts.

Airtemperature,relativehumidity,solarradiation,rainfall,andwindspeedanddirectionhaveadirecteffectonmoisturecontentinironorestockpilesanddirtroadssurroundingtheport.Inordertomonitorthesekeyweatherconditions,aWS-PRO2WeatherStationwasinstalled.TheweatherstationsendsthedatadirectlytotheSiteControlsystemevery24hours.Thecontrolsystemmakesautomaticupdatestothewateringschedulesincorporatingthemostrecentweatherdata.MonitoringweatherconditionsdailyallowedValétoapplytherightamountofwatertostockpilesandroads,andbecausethesystemautomaticallymadetheadjustments,Valéwasabletomonitorsystemoperationswithoutincreasinglaborcosts.

PROPER WATER DISTRIBUTION COMPONENTS CONTROLS DUST ON MULTIPLE SURFACESRainBirdRainGuns,impactsprinklersandpop-uprotorswereusedtowetlargestockpilesofironore,roadways,andrailways.RainGunsareusedtowetstockpilesbecauseofthetrajectory(orangleofthespray)andradiusofthrow.The1005M-DCRainGunusedattheGuaíbasitehasa43°trajectoryangleandtheheightofthewaterstreamcanreach79feet(23,7meters).Thethrowradiuscanreachamaximumof182feet(55,4meters).AllofthesefeaturesmakeRainGunsidealforthisapplication.Inaddition,twotypesofbrassimpactsprinklers,the25BJPand35A-TNT,wereusedincombinationwiththeRainGunstoprovideadequatecoveragefortheslopedstockpiles.Theimpactsprinklerswereriser-mounted,liftingthemofftheground.Theimpactsprinklershaveamaximumthrowradiusof51feet(15,6meters).

AlongroadwaysandrailwaystwodifferenttypesofRainBirdpop-uprotorswereinstalled,theFalcon®6504andthe7005.Theserotorswereusedinareaswithfootandmachinetraffic,whereriser-mountedimpactsprinklerswerenotsuitable.And,therotorswerealsoinstalledwithstainlesssteelrisers.Thestainlesssteeladdsanextralayerofstrengthtoguardagainstdamagefromsideimpact.

DIRTY WATER SUPPLYThewatersupplyusedforthesprinklersystemwascapturedfromtheSahyriverbasin.Eachofthecomponentsusedatthissiteweredesignedtoperformreliablyindirtywaterconditionslikethis.TheFalcon6504andthe7005rotorfeatureapressure-activatedwipersealandtaperedriser.Thiswipersealkeepsthestemclearofdebrissotherotorwillreliablypopupanddown.Theimpactsprinklersfeaturestraight-

throughflow,sodirtywatercaneasilypassthroughthenozzle.IRRICOMinstalled121300BPEvalvestocontroltheflowofwater.Thebodyofthevalveisconstructedfrombrasswhichprovidesdurableandlong-lastingperformanceandthebonnetismadefromglass-fillednylon,whichmakesthevalvemoreeconomical.Eachofthesecomponentsperformreliablyinindustrialapplicationswithdirtywaterandhighpressure.

AIR QUALITY COMPLIANCE IMPROVES 53% ThedustlevelsatGuaíbaIslandTerminalwereregularlymonitoredbeforeandaftertheRainBirdsprinklersystemwasinstalled.Beforethesprinklersystemwasinstalled,67%oftheairqualityreadingsforairborneparticulatematterexceededtheupperlimit.Afterthesprinklersystemwasinstalled,thepercentageofairqualityreadingsexceedingtheupperlimitfellto31%.Theinstallationofthesystemhadanimmediatebenefitondustlevelsandairquality.

PROPER WEATHER MONITORING AND WATER DISTRIBUTIONRainBirdsprinklersystemsofferacompletesolutionwheneffectivedustcontrolisneeded.Labor-savingcentralcontrolsystemscombinedwithautomaticweathermonitoringcancontrolairbornedustbyapplyingthecorrectamountofwaterbasedoncurrentweatherconditions.Combiningthistechnologywiththeproperwaterdistributioncomponentsforvarioussurfaceareasandtopographycanensurethatwaterisuniformlyappliedthroughoutthesite.DurablecomponentsandtechnologicallyadvancedcontrolsystemsfromRainBirdcanhelpsuccessfullycontroldustwithacomprehensiveandeffectivesolution.

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Rain Bird Technical Services (800)RAINBIRD(U.S.andCanada)

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