Atlas Copco light towers illuminate JRC’s open-pit mining opportunities
Atlas Copco says Peru-based mining development, construction and infrastructure services business, JRC, has recently purchased six HiLight V5+ light towers to ensure continuous and efficient operations at the Iscaycruz zinc-lead mine in Oyón province.
Iscaycruz, owned by Empresa Minera Los Quenuales SA
(majority owned by Glencore), is a polymetallic deposit with four mines in
production: Limpe, Chupa, Tinyag 1 and Tinyag 2. Due to its altitude of
4,700-5,000 m above sea level, the mine is situated in one of the most
challenging areas of Peru.
“The survival in this area is very hard, both for people and
equipment: we worked with light towers from another manufacturer for a while
and they did not work out,” Julio Tello, JRC Equipment Manager, said. “The
three-cylinder engines shut down after two hours working and the lamps broke
easily.”
The tough working conditions and the lack of having the
right light tower for this project led to heavy losses for JRC, due to the
impossibility of starting the night shift, according to Atlas Copco. To solve
this issue, the company tested on site a HiLight V5+ light tower from Atlas
Copco to ensure the unit was the right equipment for the project. After
carrying out the test, JRC purchased six HiLight V5+ light towers to be used at
Iscaycruz.
Atlas Copco’s HiLight V5+ light tower has been designed for
the most demanding conditions, according to the company.
Featuring a HardHat® canopy as standard, which ensures
maximum protection of internal parts, the design includes directional optic
lenses that maximise practical light coverage while minimising dark spots. A
single light tower has four LED floodlights each projecting 350 W of light and
the HiLight H5+ can illuminate an area of up to 5,000 sq.m, providing an
average brightness of 20 lux. The LED lamps offer users higher durability
without any deterioration in lux level and have a life expectancy of more than
50,000 hours, according to Atlas Copco.
Additionally, the HiLight H5+ light tower offers low fuel
consumption, offering a run time between refuelling of 260 hours and
consumption of less than 0.5 litres/h of fuel.
“The acquisition of Atlas Copco’s HiLight V5+ light towers
with two-cylinder engines changed the whole picture for us. It’s a solution
that has been radical,” Tello said. “Until now, JRC’s expertise has been mainly
in underground mining projects, however the operations at Iscaycruz is showing
that we are the right fit for open-pit operations; that is why we are preparing
seven mining projects in Peru and one in Mexico. The HiLight V5+ light towers
are helping us to operate this type of project perfectly.”
Nelson Batistucci, Atlas Copco Business Line Manager for the
Andean region, explains: “In order to deliver the right solution for our
customers, we need to understand their needs well. In this case, considering
the challenges of working at extreme altitude, as it is common for many of our
mining customers in Peru, helped us choose the right light tower for JRC. At
Atlas Copco, we are strongly committed to technological innovation and have a
highly skilled team to analyse the challenges and provide the best solution for
our customers.”
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