IWC’s forced draft counter flow cooling towers, which have been designed and manufactured for the specific pressure-leach process used in copper mining, excel at cooling slurry with high levels solids, extreme temperatures and highly aggressive chemical compositions.

IWC’s forced draft cooling tower is typically octagonal in shape and consists of a number of field assembled, dual composite GRP panels. These structural panels have polypropylene liners with the structural laminate made from high quality vinyl ester resin. The panels also have a conductive carbon tissue that acts as a corrosion barrier.

This carbon tissue also preforms non-destructive “spark testing” of the internal polypropylene panel seal welds to establish the integrity of the weld during the whole life of the slurry cooling tower. The cooling tower comes complete with a rubber lined stainless steel basin which is designed to prevent clogging.

IWC’s forced draft counter flow cooling tower is installed with a fibreglass fan reinforced with vinyl ester resin making it suitable for hostile industrial environments. The forced draft fans have a 16 degree blade angle and have a recorded operational efficiency of 97.85%.

The slurry cooling towers are also fitted with corrosion-resistant Grade 316 stainless steel distribution pipes, distribution pipe sprayers and drift eliminator spray pipes to ensure durability and thereby reduced downtime for maintenance.

Advantages of IWC’s slurry cooling towers

The segmented, modular design of IWC’s slurry cooling towers allows for easy assembly and cost-effective maintenance. The forced draft fans and removable spray lances can be conveniently accessed from an external walkway.

IWC’s slurry cooling towers have no fill, which eliminates the possibility of fouling and corrosion within the cooling tower and the risk of growth of microbes such as the deadly Legionella bacteria. Despite having no fill, the forced draft counter flow slurry cooling tower has the perfect contact process between air and water thanks to the effective water break-up pattern afforded by pressure spray nozzles. This design attribute allows for more efficient heat transfer in the cooling tower.

Another advantage of IWC’s slurry cooling towers is that drift eliminators are assembled into easily removable pads and can be provided with an automatic Cleaning in Place (CIP) system. Drift losses can be reduced to as low as 0,0002% of the re-circulating solution flow rate. IWC’s slurry cooling towers are the perfect cooling solutions for copper mining industry.

The robust design, easy assembly, low maintenance costs and guaranteed operational efficiency ensure extended service time of operational machinery.

IWC has extensive experience in the design, manufacture and installation of industry-specific cooling towers and the refurbishment thereof. In 2006, IWC designed five slurry cooling towers for the Kansanshi Copper Mine in Solwezi, northern Zambia, now the eighth largest copper mine in the world, with two open mining pits.