How Voltex Conducted Protection Coordination for the Cobre Copper Mine Using ETAP

We took full advantage of creating feeder templates and, in some cases, substation templates in ETAP, which allowed us to make this vast digital model quite efficiently. It also allowed us to run load flow studies simultaneously across 79 Composite networks, which is what we ended up having. It also made it so efficient because it allowed us to create reports.
By Raul Barrera, Lead Engineer, Voltex Power Engineers

Voltex Power Engineers had the rare opportunity to design and commission a green-site power system, encompassing an open-pit copper mine, processing plant, port, and power station of Panama's first Quantum Minerals Copper Mine. This presentation explores how Voltex conducted the Electrical Protection Coordination studies for the entire site, and implemented IEC61850 communications, inter-tripping, inter-locking, and protection blocking schemes. This presentation focuses on protection coordination studies using ETAP.

Cobre Panama is one of the most significant new copper mines opened globally in the past decade. Located in Colon Province, 120km west of Panama City, the production complex includes two open pits, a processing plant, a 300-megawatt power station, and an international port. First Quantum manages the Cobre Mine. It is a global copper company that produces copper in the form of concentrate, cathode, and anode, and has nickel, gold, and cobalt inventories.
Voltex Power Engineers (VPE) specializes in high-voltage power, from Design to End-of-Life. They manage electrical risk and improve plant reliability through design, protection, commissioning, auditing, maintenance, and asset management. Their familiarity with industry compliance requirements, legislative standards, mining regulations, hazardous areas, and HSE systems enables customers to avoid design issues, performance shortfalls, budget overruns, legislative impediments, and industrial or environmental difficulties. As specialists in high-voltage power and protection system projects, audits, and asset management, with a deep understanding of the industry, they offer world-class project continuity from design to commissioning.

Location: Cobre Mine, Colon Province, Panama

Year: 2022

Providing protection coordination study for electrical installation of the cooper mine

Challenges

  • Finding the right tool to make an electrical network inventory and upload single-line diagrams to the computer system is crucial and complicated because the mine uses many voltage levels: 34.5kV, 14.14kV, 7.2kV, and 4.16kV. Paco power station produces 306 MW to power the mine.
  • Keeping single-line diagrams with transmission lines, substations, and electrical loads up to date. There are different loads, like typically in the copper mine industry: 4 SAG Mills x 28 MW, 5 Ball Mills x 22 MW, and many others.
  • Consider many variations of electrical equipment with specific configurations, methods of protection, protection relays used, circuit breakers, cables, and communication protocols. According to their electrical behavior, they should be modeled using stringent rules.
  • Considering different methods of protection, Sepam 80 Protection Relays, Reyrolle 7SR12 Overcurrent Protection Relays, and 465 protection relays should be coordinated to protect 90 power transformers and 179 switchboards.
  • The electrical protection coordination should cover cycloconverters' harmonics and their protection. Cobre is trying to mitigate significant harmonics generated by two 222 MW cycloconverters used for the mine railroads. Harmonics degrade power quality, making the voltage not sinusoidal. The mine uses specific filters to decrease the impact of harmonics on the electrical system. The electrical protection coordination should cover this topic.
  • Synchronizing various sources of electrical data in the model and enabling communication with different tools to build one source of truth. The primary challenge is the collection of actual protection settings, motor model starting, and other parameters of the electrical installation to avoid under-voltage work.

Which solutions did they choose?

Selected applications

They utilize ETAP StarZ to analyze protection coordination and decide on protection settings. The ETAP Digital Twin solution collected and kept information about the electrical installation, encompassing synchronization and data integration.

StarZ™ transmission and distribution system protection and coordination software offers insight into line protection, protective relay performance and evaluation, troubleshooting false trips, and system-wide protective device operation. It emulates realistic performance of distance relays considering choice of polarization, dynamic expansion, and many other factors.

Why do they use ETAP?

Main Customer Benefits

  • Modeling an electrical installation network with all equipment and settings in one Digital Twin model. The ability to run load flow studies simultaneously across 79 composite networks is one of the many factors that made the design process so efficient.
  • ETAP Auto-build efficiently facilitated the creation and editing of numerous single-line diagrams.
  • Single-line diagrams are up to date. It is a significant benefit that can be used to persuade people to change.
  • Many IDs or protection relays were integrated into one digital model, enabling the analysis of complete protection coordination for the Cooper Mine. 
  • Thanks to the data and parameters from the field, the controlling and managing process and studies are safe and efficient despite the various types of equipment.
  • Transient analysis was done, and settings for harmonic filters were adjusted.
  • Safe motor starting settings for SAG and BALL machines were provided.
  • The ability to manage 203 STAR Views and summarize protection parameters reduced the time needed to create relay setting files for various relay brands and types.

What do they think about ETAP?

Opinions

We had to convert those PDF drawings into single-line diagrams in ETAP. The ETAP auto-build facility was a blessing. It saved us so much time and allowed us to create single-line diagrams quite efficiently.
By Raul Barrera, Lead Engineer, Voltex Power Engineers

Another thing that shone in ETAP for us was that we managed over 200 STAR reviews and summarized protection parameters, reducing the time needed to create relay settings files for various brands, each with its idiosyncrasies regarding how the settings go in.
By Raul Barrera, Lead Engineer, Voltex Power Engineers



Videos

Protection Coordination at Panama Mina de Cobre

Design and commission of a green-site power system including protection coordination for the entire site and implementation of IEC61850 communications, inter-tripping, inter-locking and protection blocking schemes.


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