Mipac recently welcomed five engineers from Chinese firm Yunnan Chihong Zn & Ge Co and their interpreter to Brisbane for four weeks’ training on operating and maintaining a Distributed Control System (DCS).
The engineers will be working on the Huize lead smelter project in China’s Yunnan province for which Xstrata Technology is providing a lead smelting technology licence, and engineering, equipment and commissioning services.
Mipac has been working closely with Xstrata Technology to complete the EI&C design and DCS configuration for the lead ISASMELT™ and will assist with the commissioning of the plant next year.
“The aim of the Australia-based training is to familiarise the engineers with the control system and ISASMELT™ instrumentation design so that the site engineers have the necessary skills and experience to maintain the ISASMELT™ installation post commissioning,” Mipac Project Manager Brian Forrester says.
“The course is a mix of structured tutorials and hands-on configuration work where the trainees contribute to the implementation of the actual project software.
“On completion, we expect the trainees to be familiar and comfortable with the software and to have a sound grasp of ISASMELT™ automation design.”
The course also provides a forum to plan control system commissioning activities.
“While the training is essential so the client team is competent and comfortable with the new technology, it also provides an opportunity for Yunnan Chihong Zn & Ge Co and Mipac engineers to form a solid working relationship,” Mipac Managing Director Eddie DeRivera says.
“This will be especially important when the ISASMELT™ is in the commissioning stage; our teams will work as one.”
The Chinese engineers have a demanding schedule but are enjoying the intellectually rigorous training, as well as the opportunity to explore Brisbane and its surrounds on weekends.
“By doing this course we hope to have a thorough knowledge of ISASMELT™ technology, to know how to design control logic, and to have a deep understanding of the software,” Yang Aiqing says.
“We are also very much enjoying our time here. Brisbane is a beautiful city and we really love seeing Australian animals, such as koalas.”
