Crisis Averted at a Large Copper & Nickel Mining Company

 
 A large copper & nickel mining company in Tucson, AZ sent Valin an emergency request for a crossover valve actuator assembly.  The company was trying to replace an obsolete actuator. This is an assembly that is used in conjunction with 3000 CFT flotation cell. Froth flotation is a process for separating minerals from gangue by taking advantage of differences in their hydrophobicity. Hydrophobicity differences between valuable minerals and waste gangue are increased through the use of surfactants and wetting agents. The selective separation of the minerals makes processing complex (that is, mixed) ores economically feasible. The flotation process is used for the separation of a large range of sulfides, carbonates and oxides prior to further refinement. The mine has nineteen valve actuator assemblies. The customer had one actuator valve assembly that was failing, which is a critical instrument in their production. They ordered a replacement actuator from another supplier, but the lead time was over 20 weeks and they could not have this particular part of their system go down.
 
Valin’s technical specialists worked with some of our key suppliers to find a solution. All suppliers reviewed the data and provided valuable input, however, none of them could provide a positioner that the customer could interchange easily. Valin was able to find a rebuilt replacement actuator with a two week delivery time that would work with the existing valve and positioner.

The customer was very happy to have all of the support that was offered by Valin and they were thrilled that we found a quick solution to their problem. Ongoing communication with the buyer and engineers at the mining company showed them that we were interested in helping them find a solution, and go the extra mile to get there. This could have been a potential crisis for the customer that was effectively averted. We were able to get them back online within 2 weeks versus 20, saving them time and money.