Consultants for the Minerals Industries
PEC Consulting, a PENTA Engineering Corporation company, specializes in the preparation of comprehensive up-front studies for the Minerals Industries as well as other consulting services related to operations and financing. An expertly prepared study is essential for making sound technical, economical, and financial decisions whether it is a capital investment for a new project, for the expansion of an existing facility, or for the acquisition of an enterprise.
Our Consultants also conduct valuations, process efficiency studies, analyze environmental and social impacts, and financial due diligence work.
Featured Article
Pitfalls in Project Development for an Industrial Minerals Processing Plant
Development of a minerals processing facility is complex and requires extensive planning and due diligence. The focus generally goes into the technology to be utilized and the engineering for the project. However, it is important to fully understand the physical and chemical properties of the mineral resource to be utilized and how it relates to […]
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2018
- Two of PEC Consulting’s members attended the VDZ Conference in September 2018: Frank Benavides, Principal Consultant, and Mohammed Dimah, Process Consultant…Read More
- PEC Consulting has been hired to provide Commissioning and operations planning for a lime plant in Peru.
- PEC Consulting is performing a due diligence study on an operating coke calcining plant.
- PEC Consulting developed the concepts and preliminary CapEx for a small capacity lime production facility in the US.
- PEC Consulting is currently developing the concepts for a cement grinding plant in the Americas, including conceptual level CapEx, OpEx and Economic Analysis.
- Waste Heat Recovery based power generation projects (WHR) in cement and lime plants are designed to capture the heat from the pyroprocess off-gases to drive a thermodynamic cycle that operates a turbine and a generator. The thermodynamic cycle can utilize steam (Steam Rankine Cycle) or an organic fluid (Organic Rankine Cycle) as the operating medium.
- PEC Consulting is assisting in developing a quicklime manufacturing plant for a metal mine in Alaska. As a first step, the analysis of a representative raw material sample was done to ensure yield of quality quicklime. Under the guidance of PEC Consulting, the laboratory carried out the chemical analysis and reactivity tests on the limestone samples. The results were encouraging, and the first steps of a feasibility study are underway.
- PEC Consulting was awarded a project to perform the structural design review for a new concrete chimney in Pakistan. The chimney is 103 meters tall and its diameter varies from 7.5 to 5 meters. PEC Consulting based its review on ACI 307-08 and used the Load & Strength Design method. Our client supplied a SAP2000 design model to PEC Consulting for the analysis. The goal of the review was to confirm that the design is in accordance with the applicable codes and to investigate possible areas for cost savings.
- PEC Consulting Group was hired to carry out a study of certain modifications to the scrubber system of a metal processing facility. PEC Consulting based the proposed modifications on the flow diagram of the scrubber/fan/stack arrangement, equipment and capacities, and composition of the gases at the scrubber inlet and fan inlet, duct dimensions, etc. A study provided conclusions and recommendations regarding the mist eliminator, recirculation liquid inlet, static pressure drop, corrosion, and ventilation of the system ductwork. This project is currently in construction under the supervision of PENTA Industrial.
- PEC Consulting provided assistance to an aluminum processing facility in Colorado that was experiencing operational problems with its delacquering kiln system. Some of the reported problems were system instability and pressurization which resulted in issues with environmental compliance. PEC Consulting is analyzing the system, identifying the source of the problems and recommending mitigation measures.
- In view of Hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico, PEC Consulting was hired to carry out a structural assessment of damages to several buildings owned by a pharmaceutical company. A Senior Structural Consultant visited the facility and, based on his assessment, PEC Consulting presented a report with findings focusing primarily on the structural safety and recommending repairs to counteract the damages to the buildings.
- A supplier of proppants to the petroleum industry in Missouri retained PEC Consulting to carry out a study to install a drying and screening plant along with a 50,000-ton wet sand storage adjacent to the Mississippi River. The wet sand is trucked from another facility where sand is crushed and washed. PEC Consulting provided a layout of the facility incorporating the sand drying system, screening, storages and dispatch, and made a preliminary recommendation of the type of dryer to be used and the system to meet the loading rate. Also included were budgetary costs of major equipment and estimated sales and revenue.
- A company specializing in Frac Sand manufacturing planning to mine a 250-acre tract of land in Missouri hired PEC Consulting to assist them in the preparation of a Storm Water Protection Plan Permit application (SWPPP).
- A Frac sand processing facility in Texas hired PEC Consulting to perform a broad technical evaluation of its existing equipment and the potential for upgrades with the purpose of producing 40×70 mesh and 70×140 mesh frac sand. The upgrade of this facility considered the installation of a dryer and adding a second density separator. PEC Consulting Group carried out an initial review of the facility and an overall assessment of the operations and concepts developed by its client for the short-term upgrade with a provision for further future upgrades.
- PEC Consulting was commissioned by a lime producer in Peru to look into the quality of refractory products and customer service provided by a refractory vendor in the USA. Our client in Peru is constructing a 1,000 tpd preheater rotary lime kiln and had selected the vendor to supply the refractory for the preheater, kiln and contact cooler. For this study, PEC Consulting surveyed top lime producers in the United States that had used the selected vendor for refractory supply. Our client in Peru also asked PEC Consulting to further analyze the conversion of vertical clinker kilns to manufacture lime. A complete study was prepared and delivered including options and recommendations.