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24-068
Ore Control Technological Innovations at Peña Colorada Mine
M. Marín-Pasillas
Peña Colorada, Colima, México
H.R. Hernandez-Guerrero
Peña Colorada, Colima, México
S. A. Robles-Salazar
Hexagon Mining, México
P. J. Pompilla-Rosales
Hexagon Mining, Perú
INTRODUCTION
Peña Colorada is a company dedicated to the explora-
tion, exploitation, and beneficiation of iron ore, serving
the national steel industry. Established in 1975 as a state-
owned enterprise, it transitioned to operating as a private
organization in 1991. It is jointly owned by two investors,
ArcelorMittal and Ternium, each holding a 50% stake.
The mining operation is situated in the municipality of
Minatitlan, in the northwestern part of the state of Colima,
Mexico (Figure 1).
It comprises an open pit mine and a concentrator, cov-
ering an area of approximately 2,300 hectares. The pellet
mill is in the town of Manzanillo, Colima state, a port on
the Pacific coast, about 46 km southwest of the mine. The
pellet mill occupies its own property with a total area of
60.4 hectares. A gravity-driven concentrated slurry pipe-
line connects the mine and the pelletizing plant, located
at an average elevation of 1,020 meters above sea level and
20 meters above sea level, respectively. Currently, Peña
Colorada produces 4.1 million tons of pellets and 0.4 mil-
lion tons of iron concentrate annually.
In 2018, due to a change in the cutoff grade, the pro-
cessing volume of the beneficiation plant increased from
9 million tons to 16 million tons annually. This led to a
greater amount of information to process and character-
ize the ore extracted from the pit before its processing in
the beneficiation plant. Consequently, Peña Colorada
sought new ore control technologies to enhance ore selec-
tion, optimize human resources and data management,
as well as minimize discrepancies between planning and
execution. To ensure adherence to quality agreements with
stakeholders, it is crucial to understand the ore characteris-
tics before initiating mining activities.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In mining, operations engineers and geologists process
extensive data to extract valuable information from the
field. Their role is to transform this data into actionable
knowledge, guiding crucial decisions for mining execution
and production monitoring. Efficient communication tools
are vital for conveying these decisions to stakeholders. This
document explores how the adoption of a new Ore Control
(OC) technology addresses these challenges, enhancing
selectivity, performance, and data management while mini-
mizing planning-to-execution variation. OC technology
drives comprehensive operational improvement.
Figure 1. Project location
24-068
Ore Control Technological Innovations at Peña Colorada Mine
M. Marín-Pasillas
Peña Colorada, Colima, México
H.R. Hernandez-Guerrero
Peña Colorada, Colima, México
S. A. Robles-Salazar
Hexagon Mining, México
P. J. Pompilla-Rosales
Hexagon Mining, Perú
INTRODUCTION
Peña Colorada is a company dedicated to the explora-
tion, exploitation, and beneficiation of iron ore, serving
the national steel industry. Established in 1975 as a state-
owned enterprise, it transitioned to operating as a private
organization in 1991. It is jointly owned by two investors,
ArcelorMittal and Ternium, each holding a 50% stake.
The mining operation is situated in the municipality of
Minatitlan, in the northwestern part of the state of Colima,
Mexico (Figure 1).
It comprises an open pit mine and a concentrator, cov-
ering an area of approximately 2,300 hectares. The pellet
mill is in the town of Manzanillo, Colima state, a port on
the Pacific coast, about 46 km southwest of the mine. The
pellet mill occupies its own property with a total area of
60.4 hectares. A gravity-driven concentrated slurry pipe-
line connects the mine and the pelletizing plant, located
at an average elevation of 1,020 meters above sea level and
20 meters above sea level, respectively. Currently, Peña
Colorada produces 4.1 million tons of pellets and 0.4 mil-
lion tons of iron concentrate annually.
In 2018, due to a change in the cutoff grade, the pro-
cessing volume of the beneficiation plant increased from
9 million tons to 16 million tons annually. This led to a
greater amount of information to process and character-
ize the ore extracted from the pit before its processing in
the beneficiation plant. Consequently, Peña Colorada
sought new ore control technologies to enhance ore selec-
tion, optimize human resources and data management,
as well as minimize discrepancies between planning and
execution. To ensure adherence to quality agreements with
stakeholders, it is crucial to understand the ore characteris-
tics before initiating mining activities.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In mining, operations engineers and geologists process
extensive data to extract valuable information from the
field. Their role is to transform this data into actionable
knowledge, guiding crucial decisions for mining execution
and production monitoring. Efficient communication tools
are vital for conveying these decisions to stakeholders. This
document explores how the adoption of a new Ore Control
(OC) technology addresses these challenges, enhancing
selectivity, performance, and data management while mini-
mizing planning-to-execution variation. OC technology
drives comprehensive operational improvement.
Figure 1. Project location