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Acid Plant Database December 28, 2023
Owner | Teck Metals Limited |
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Location |
P.O. Box 1000 25 Aldridge Avenue Trail, British Columbia Canada V1R 4L8 |
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Background |
Formerly
The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada 1996 - Company name changed to Cominco Limited 2001 - Teck and Cominco merge - Teck Cominco Limited |
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Website | www.teck.com | ||||
Plant | No. 7 Acid Plant | No. 8 Acid Plant | No. 9 Acid Plant | ||
Coordinates* | 49º 6' 7" N, 117º 43' 14" W | 49º 6' 4" N, 117º 43' 11" W | 49º 6' 5" N, 117º 43' 13" W | ||
Type of Plant | Metallurgical | Metallurgical | Metallurgical | ||
Gas Source |
Zinc - Roasters (2) Lead - Kivcet |
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Plant Capacity | 350 MTPD | 460 MTPD | 581 MTPD | ||
SA/DA | 3 SA | 3 SA | 3 SA | ||
Status | Shutdown 2014 | Shutdown 2014 | Operating | ||
Year Built | - | - | 1972 | ||
Technology | MECS | MECS | MECS | ||
Contractor | - | - | - | ||
Equipment |
Blower |
Blower |
Blower |
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Remarks | - | 2006 - Original converter replaced with a SS converter designed and supplied by Chemetics |
- | ||
Gas cleaning system with a Boliden mercury removal system is common to all
acid plants. Acid plant tailgas is treated in an ammonia scrubber. Liquid
SO2 is produced by acidulation of the scrubber bleed.
NOx |
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Pictures | |||||
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Plant | No. 1 Acid Plant | No. 2 Acid Plant | |||
Coordinates* | 49° 6' 6" N, 117° 43' 15" W | 49° 6' 8" N, 117° 43' 19" W | |||
Type of Plant | Metallurgical | Metallurgical | |||
Gas Source |
Zinc - Roasters (2) Lead - Kivcet |
Zinc - Roasters (2) Lead - Kivcet |
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Plant Capacity | 1040 MTPD | 1040 MTPD | |||
SA/DA | 3/1 DA | 3/1 DA | |||
Status | Operating | Operating | |||
Year Built | 2014 | 2019 | |||
Technology | Chemetics/Jacobs | Chemetics/Jacobs | |||
Contractor | - | - | |||
Equipment | Bed 4: 100% Cesium Catalyst Two internal gas-gas heat exchangers DeNOx reactor |
- | |||
Remarks | Acid plants 7 and 8 shutdown | Estimated cost $174 million | |||
Pictures | |||||
General |
In smelting and refining, Teck Cominco Metals
owns and operates the integrated smelting and refining complex at Trail,
British Columbia. The complex’s major products are refined zinc and lead. It
also produces silver, gold, germanium dioxide, indium, cadmium and copper
compounds as metal co-products, along with a variety of sulphur products and
ammonium sulphate fertilizers.
Cominco started in 1906 as The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of
Canada, formed by the amalgamation of several units controlled by the
Canadian Pacific Railway. The company changed its name to Cominco in 1966.
Cominco's core Sullivan mine, which began production in 1909, would operate
for more than 90 years until its ore reserves were exhausted in 2001. |
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References | - | ||||
News |
September 13,
2019 - After two years of construction valued at $174 million, the
No. 2 Acid Plant is now in service at the Trail smelter. Teck Trail
Operations officially announced the plant’s completion on Thursday, though
the new facility has been fully operational since Q2 (second quarter), or
late spring. “This investment supports our ongoing focus on
sustainability and the long-term viability of our operation,” Thompson
Hickey, General Manager, Trail Operations, said in the Sept. 12 media
release. “Using the best available technology, the new plant will
enhance productivity and operational efficiency here at Trail Operations.”
The new structure is a state-of-the-art replica of the No. 1 Acid Plant,
which was completed in 2014. Attributes of both facilities is “to
significantly improve operating reliability and flexibility, reducing
downtime and maintenance costs.” The new plants replace 1970s
technology and are expected to have a lifespan of over 40 years.
Ground broke on the second site in early 2017. Over the course of the build,
the No. 2 Acid Plant created the equivalent of roughly 160 jobs, with local
hires as the majority of contractors. “Our employees and contractor
partners have exemplified safety as a core value on the project, which was
completed with zero lost time injuries,” said Hickey. Local and
provincial leaders were taken on a tour of the worksite in May 2018, when
the build was at the half-way point. “The No. 2 Acid Plant is the
latest major investment to further strengthen Trail’s position as a
world-class metallurgical facility and an important part of our business,”
Shehzad Bharmal, Vice President, North America Operations, Base Metals, said
at the May 22 event. “Teck, as a company, is committed to the future
of Trail Operations. That is why we have worked hard over the years to
strengthen the operational and environmental performance of every aspect of
the smelter.” The acid plants are part of zinc production processes
and convert SO2 (sulphur dioxide) gas into sulphuric acid. Sulphuric
acid is sent to Warfield Operations for use in fertilizer production and it
is sold in the open market for other industrial applications.
Technology used in the new builds will further reduce SO2 emissions.
Teck Trail Operations houses one of the world’s largest smelting and
refining complexes, which produces refined zinc and lead and a variety of
precious and specialty metals, chemicals, and fertilizer products. The
smelter employs approximately 1,400 people and has been in operation for
over a century. July 26, 2019 - Trucking sulphuric acid out of Teck Trail has been temporarily suspended after condensation was detected on a valve at the back end of a carrier last weekend. June 5, 2018 - After 80 litres of sulphuric acid was recently spilled on the highway through Trail by Westcan Bulk Transport, the Times contacted Teck to ask if transportation changes have been made to better ensure public safety. To clarify, 80 litres of sulphuric acid is the approximate total of two spills. The first happened the morning of April 10 and extended the 16-km run from the Trail plant to the Waneta re-load station. The second acid leak occurred around 6 p.m. May 23 and stretched from the smelter through the city to Shavers Bench. Immediately following the second spill, Teck Trail confirmed that Westcan Bulk Transport had been suspended. Communications Leader Catherine Adair stated that, given the recent incidents, the company would be working closely with IRM, the owner of the product, to review its transport arrangements. Since that time, IRM (International Raw Materials Ltd.) has made changes to both carrier and mode of transport. “IRM has contracted an alternative trucking company, Trimac Transportation, to conduct trucking of sulphuric acid from the production point,” IRM Vice President Tim Mahoney told the Times. “We have also positioned our own staff to supervise these operations directly to coordinate the transition and ensure the highest safety standards are met.” Historically, the company loaded 15 to 20 trucks per day from the production site. “We have reduced this by approximately 50 per cent,” Mahoney said. “And are shipping higher volumes via railcar from the Trail production site for the time being.” May 24, 2018 - After a second sulphuric acid spill in Trail in the past six weeks, Westcan Bulk Transport has been suspended as a carrier for Teck Trail Operations, the company confirmed Thursday. “IRM is the owner of the product (sulphuric acid) and is responsible for safe transport once it leaves Trail Operations,” Teck’s Catherine Adair told the Times. “Westcan is one of the carriers that IRM retains to ship product.” Teck is working closely with IRM to review their transportation arrangements given these recent incidents, Adair said. “A full investigation is underway, and the transportation of the product using Westcan as a carrier is suspended until Teck is satisfied it can be transported safely.” Three firefighters from Station 374 Trail were called to a Hazmat scene near Shavers Bench Wednesday night. A truck hauling sulphuric acid had “some spills” along Highway 3B, Captain Grant Tyson reported. “Starting at Highway 3B and Rossland Avenue and continuing to the west entrance of Glenmerry where the truck came to a stop,” he explained. “Teck’s Emergency Response team along with the Teck Fire Department were on scene and dealt with the spilled acid.” Tyson’s crew arrived to the site at 6 p.m. He reported the incident under control by about 8:30 p.m. Zoe LeParque, communications manager for RTL-Westcan Group of Companies in Edmonton, replied to questions from the Trail Times. “Initial findings indicate that the cause of the incident was a gasket failure on the trailer unit and was unrelated to the release that occurred on April 10. As the incident is still under investigation, we will not be speculating or providing any additional comment at this time.” May 23, 2018 - Teck Trail’s new state-of-the-art acid plant hit the halfway mark of construction this week. Local and provincial leaders met with Teck representatives at the site on Tuesday to hear an update on the $174-million build, which is slated to be fully operational by next summer. “Today is all about celebrating an important milestone in a major project here at Trail Operations – 50 per cent completion of the No. 2 Acid Plant, ” General Manager Thompson Hickey began. “And celebrating the achievements of our project’s team as well as the many contractors, including CIMS, West Kootenay Mechanical, A-Plus Electric and AMEC Foster Wheeler, who worked so hard to reach this milestone.” The new facility is a replica of the No. 1 Acid Plant which was completed in 2014. Together the new technology will replace three acid plants, which were constructed in the 1960s and ‘70s, that have now reached the end of their lifespan. “The No. 2 Acid Plant is the latest major investment to further strengthen Trail’s position as a world-class metallurgical facility and an important part of our business,” noted Shehzad Bharmal, Vice President, North America Operations, Base Metals, Teck. “Teck, as a company, is committed to the future of Trail Operations. That is why we have worked hard over the years to strengthen the operational and environmental performance of every aspect of the smelter.” The acid plants are part of zinc production processes, and convert SO2 gas into sulphuric acid. The sulphuric acid is sent to Warfield Operations for use in fertilizer production and it is sold in the open market for other industrial applications. The new plant will further reduce SO2 (sulphur dioxide) emissions. “It’s so great to see this continuing investment made in Trail Operations,” Mayor Mike Martin said. “This is new acid plant is going to be replacing two old units, and as was indicated today, it will have a 40-year asset life,” Martin told the Times. “So it will help, in part, to secure Trail Operations for the future.” As far as the City of Trail goes, any environmental improvement that is made by Teck, is a benefit, he added. “This is just another example of that, replacing an old unit with one that will be operating with higher efficiency in removing sulphur dioxide, so again, we’ll see improvement for the community.” Investments such as the KIVCET Smelter and the Nov. 1 Acid Plant have reduced emissions from the Trail plant by 95 per cent, and the No. 2 Acid Plant will further reduce emissions while enhancing the efficiency of operations, Hickey noted. “This investment is good for our operation and for the community, helping to ensure that Trail Operations continues to be an economic drive in the region for decades to come,” Hickey said. “At Teck, nothing is more important than everyone going home safe and healthy every day, so I’m very pleased to say we’ve also reached this important milestone with zero Lost Time Injuries.” Trail Operations houses one of the world’s largest smelting and refining complexes, which produces refined zinc and lead and a variety of precious and specialty metals, chemicals, and fertilizer products. The site employs approximately 1,400 people and has been in operation for over a century. April 11, 2018 - Westcan Bulk Transport issued an April 11 statement regarding a sulphuric acid release the previous morning in the Trail area. “Shortly after 8:00 a.m. PST, there was a release of sulphuric acid from a Westcan Bulk Transport truck during the 16-km drive from Teck’s Trail Operations to the Quark Siding reload station in Waneta,” said the release. The statement added, “The release was quickly identified and our incident response team secured the area to assess the incident and begin the clean up process, with the assistance of the Teck Emergency Response Team. “The cleanup was completed at approximately 2:00 p.m. PST today (Tuesday). We can confirm that there was no waterway or ground water contamination as a result of the release and do not expect there to be any long-term health, safety or environmental impacts.” The company did offer some precautionary actions for anyone concerned. “Anyone who feels they may have come in contact with the product should avoid inhalation, digestion, and skin contact and wash any surface or item that may have come in contact with the product as a precaution. “Anyone who was traveling in the vicinity at the time of the release and is concerned that their vehicle may have come in contact with the product should run their vehicle through an automatic car wash as a precaution to safely dilute and remove any residue. “Our safety team is currently investigating to determine the cause of the release and the equipment involved has been taken out of service until a cause can be determined.” March 23, 2017 - Structural element of the new $174 million acid plant at Teck Trail Operations are expected to start taking shape in a few weeks. Three buildings from the 1960’s and ‘70s have been torn down to make way for the No. 2 acid plant, a carbon copy of the first emissions reducing plant Teck constructed in 2014. “The project is progressing on schedule”, says Community Relations Leader Catherine Adair. “We have completed demolition and the majority of excavation. Foundation work is expected to begin in early April.” HilTech Contracting and CIMS were awarded the contracts for demolition and site prep, the primary equipment supplier is the same company used for the previous build. “The main equipment supplier for the project will be the same supplier as the No. 1 acid plant completed in July 2014”, Adair confirmed. “as the new plant will be a replica of the previously constructed plant”. Teck estimates approximately 650,000 hours of construction labour will be required to complete the build, which equates to about 160 jobs during construction. “Contractor selection for foundation work, mechanical, structural and electrical work is currently underway”, Adair sadi. “And other smaller contracts will be selected throughout the construction. “The No. 2 acid plant is scheduled to become operational in the summer of 2019. Over the last 20 years Teck has made significant investments to improve environmental performance at the Trail smelter, which is one of the largest zinc and lead smelting and refining operations in the world. Notably, the company’s latest air quality summary to the Trail Health and Environment Committee showed that 2016 had the lowest annual average for lead and arsenic ever recorded in community air. “The new acid plant represents an important investment in the ongoing sustainability and long-term future of Trail Operations”, Adair added. “The new acid plant will significantly improve operating reliability and flexibility, reducing downtime and maintenance costs”. SO2 (sulphur dioxide) emissions are projected to reduce a further five percent in addition to the 15 percent reduction in emissions realized from the 2014 installation of the No. 1 acid plant. The acid plants are part of the process that converts sulphur from feed materials into useful products such as fertilizer.
March 20, 2012 October 19, 2009 - A contract employee was burnt with acid from a sulfuric acid drain line during a routine shutdown of the roaster acid area of Teck’s Trail operation on Oct. 19. The contractor was treated for burns and released the same day at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH). “We were in the midst of a planned shutdown of this area that began Oct. 17 and will run until Oct. 29,” said Carol Vanelli-Worosz, public relations for Teck’s Trail operation. “We know he was discharged from the KBRH on the same day, but because he wasn’t our employee I have no further detailed information.” Vanelli-Worosz said the shutdown isn’t anything out of the ordinary for Teck and about 120 contract employees would be coming and going on site during the maintenance. She says an investigation is underway involving Teck, Work safe B.C. and Trail’s Local 480 United Steel-Workers Union. “We are committed to everyone leaving our worksite safely everyday and we take these incidents very seriously,” said Vanelli-Worosz. “There is now an investigation into the route causes of the incident to ensure it does not happen again.” July 30, 2009 - Teck Resources Ltd. said it will resume full production at its Trail, B.C., zinc smelter due to recovering demand for the metal. The company, Canada's largest base metals miner and a top producer of coal used in the steelmaking process, also said it has reached agreement with most of its coal customers on 2009 deliveries at $128 (U.S.) a tonne. This brings its average realized coal price for the 2009 calendar year to between $155 and $160 a tonne, when factoring in coal sold early in the year at higher 2008 prices. Teck slashed output at Trail by 20 per cent last fall as a result of plunging demand. It said it will raise output to 25,000 tonnes a month effective Sept. 1. The smelter had been operating at a rate of 20,000 tonnes a month. Mined zinc production will not be affected. Teck said a strengthening in customer demand over the past several months has depleted refined metal inventories. October 1, 2008 - Teck Cominco Limited (Teck) is pleased to announce the launch of its simplified name and brand, Teck, and the formation of five new strategic business units specializing in copper, metallurgical coal, zinc, gold and energy. “Seven years ago when Teck Cominco was formed, two strong Canadian companies with a tradition of excellence in mining and metal refining were brought together. Since then, we’ve grown stronger through the acquisition and development of a diversified range of commodities,” said Don Lindsay, President and CEO. “Today, under one simplified name and a new strategic business unit structure, Teck is well positioned to build on our strength as a diversified resource leader.” The new structure is designed to improve the company’s competitiveness by increasing Teck’s ability to analyze and act on available opportunities in each commodity segment. Each business unit is led by a senior executive with full responsibility for the unit’s performance including establishing a growth strategy, project identification and development, the safe and sustainable operation of the unit’s assets, delivering quality products to customers, and overall profit and loss accountability.
April 30, 2001 -
The Boards of Directors of Teck Corporation and Cominco Ltd. are pleased to
announce today that the two companies have entered into a merger agreement.
The ongoing company will be named Teck Cominco Limited, preserving the two
most historic names in Canadian mining, with over 180 years of operating
history between them. Under the
merger agreement, implementation of which is subject to regulatory, court
and Cominco shareholder approvals and other customary conditions, Cominco
shareholders will receive 1.8 Class B subordinate voting shares of Teck plus
$6 in cash for each Cominco common share held. This represents a premium to
Cominco shareholders of 21% over the average closing prices of the two
companies in the 20 trading days prior to this announcement.
Dr. Norman B. Keevil, Chairman and CEO of Teck and Chairman of Cominco,
stated: "The merger will result in a substantial, diversified, mining
company with a larger market capitalization and much greater liquidity than
either of the predecessors. The new Teck Cominco will have strong cash flow
from world-class assets. The combined company's exceptional pipeline of
expansion and development projects will fuel its ongoing growth. Chief among
these projects are: the current expansion of capacity at the Red Dog zinc
mine; the nearly-completed Antamina copper, zinc mine; the planned
expansions of the Cajamarquilla zinc refinery and the Elkview coal mine; and
the Pogo gold and San Nicolas copper, zinc projects currently at the
feasibility study stage." Dr.
Keevil pointed to the trend towards consolidation in the mining industry to
create stronger, more competitive companies, with the recently announced
merger of BHP and Billiton being just the latest example.
He said: "With consolidation occurring across country borders around the
world, it is only logical that two related companies based in the same city,
with a number of joint operations and a significant proportion of common
shareholders, join forces to become more competitive in the world mining
industry." |
MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day
STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per
Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption
* Coordinates can be used to
locate plant on Google Earth