ITT Corporation has received a multi-million dollar contract to provide filtered seawater to Esperanza, a large new copper-gold mining project in Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. The mine will be the first large-scale mine in Chile to make use of seawater in the mining process.
As part of the project, ITT will help move treated seawater from the ocean to an elevation of 7,550 feet above sea level over a distance of 91 miles. The ITT system will employ a total of 16 pumps to service four pumping stations, each comprising four horizontal multi-stage pumps driven by 2400 and 1800 horsepower motors. Annually, the mine needs millions of cubic metres for its operation.
"In an area with virtually no rainfall, supplying a mine with enough water to support its operations is a challenge," said Ken Napolitano, president of ITT's Industrial Process business. "As water scarcity continues, we anticipate more mining projects in Chile, Peru and other mining areas of the world will use seawater in this way."
In a TEDx WWF session held in Geneva, Switzerland, Stuart Orr talked about water which is a solvable crisis. Stuart Orr is freshwater programme director for WWF International.
As part of the project, ITT will help move treated seawater from the ocean to an elevation of 7,550 feet above sea level over a distance of 91 miles. The ITT system will employ a total of 16 pumps to service four pumping stations, each comprising four horizontal multi-stage pumps driven by 2400 and 1800 horsepower motors. Annually, the mine needs millions of cubic metres for its operation.
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