NEPSI

The Most Trusted Name in Power Factor Correction and Harmonic Filtering

NEPSI Provides Filter Equipment to Minera Mexico's ESDE III Upgrade


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Tuesday Oct. 29, 2013

NEPSI completed design and assembly of 2 large filter systems to support Minera Mexico's (a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico SA de CV) ESDE III upgrade. The upgrade is a Solvent Extraction (SX) and Electrowinning (EW) process requiring high power rectifiers and harmonic filters. The project and technology was engineered and supplied by Outotec. ICA/Fluor was the EPCM for the rectifier and harmonic filters.



The ESDE III upgrade is located in the city of Cananea, in the North of Sonora, Mexico. After the start-up scheduled in the early 2014, the new plant will have an annual production capacity of 113,000 tons of cathode copper and it will be the largest SX plant of the world, when measured by its design feed flow capacity.

NEPSI's scope of supply included a harmonic analysis and filter design study, filter design, and fabrication. The filter system needed to correct the plants power factor to near unity while attenuating voltage and current distortion to within IEEE 519 limits as described in IEEE Recommended practices and Requirements for Harmonic Control in Electric power Systems.

NEPSI's equipment included two outdoor metal-enclosed harmonic filters to be connected to Minera Mexico's main 34.5kV bus. The filters are equipped with main incoming-air disconnect switches, main incoming ground switch, and five multi-tuned filter branches, some equipped with high-pass damping resistors, that are automatically switched on and off based on the plants power factor, voltage, and harmonic distortion. The filter system is equipped a fully integrated protection and control systems, designed by NEPSI and shipped fully assembled, tested, and ready for interconnection from NEPSI's plant located in Queensbury, NY.

"The design of the filter system required significant analysis, and the use of multi-tuned notch and high-pass (damped) filters to meet Ninera Mexico's power system operating constraints as the harmonic source consisted of 50 MVA of DC ratification," said Paul Steciuk, president of NEPSI.

NEPSI also provided filter systems to support Southern Copper Corporation's (also a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico SA de CV) Electrowinning Process, located in Tia Maria, Peru in June of 2010.

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