Foxboro automation system selected for uranium mine

Uranium producer Cameco Corp. has chosen Invensys Process Systems to implement a Foxboro automation system at its Cigar Lake Mine in Saskatchewan, Canada.

By Control Engineering Staff August 3, 2005

Uranium producer Cameco Corp . has chosen Invensys Process Systems to implement a Foxboro automation system at its Cigar Lake Mine in Saskatchewan, Canada. The system will monitor and control all key mining production operations at the undeveloped high-grade uranium deposit. Implementation includes I/A Series V8.0 hardware and software, engineering services, training, field services, and Foxboro Hart-based field instrumentation for processes bid to date.

I/A Series family field-mounted control processors are being installed at various stages of the uranium mining processes, starting with the shaft concrete plant and freeze systems (ore body stabilization) plant, to be followed by underground ore handling, grinding operations, slurry load-out, and wastewater treatment. A variety of field I/O platforms are being deployed, integrating HART-combined analog and digital signals with Ethernet and serial connections to third-party devices. The system also will interface with Schneider Electric Modicon PLC systems using Foxboro’s field device system integrator I/O modules.

The automation project will roll out in two stages. The shaft concrete plant and freeze system are being implemented now and are scheduled for completion this fall. Automation of the balance of the operations is expected to be completed in 2007.

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com