Bins are large structural elements that allow the storage of material to be fed to the comminution equipment. Due to their dimensions, it is difficult to carry out inspections since there is no access and they are usually left with dead load, which implies investing a great amount of time to clean them in order to carry out a safe work, in addition to this, the interference due to work in the vertical prevents inspections, even having problems of sacrificial plate detachment. One of the most complex components to inspect are the inserts, which is a kind of liner that is introduced into the bin discharge.

Identify technological solutions to control and diagnose in a timely manner risk situations due to wear of large bin liners and inserts. The HPGR bins are 20 meters high and 60 meters long.

The proposed solution should consider the following requirements:

• Monitoring without bins cleaning (with dead load).
• It is desirable that wear monitoring be representative of the entire liner or a significant sector within the bin.
• Aimed at eliminating the exposure of personnel to the associated risks during operation and maintenance
• Reliability, availability and accuracy to optimize maintenance planning and act proactively against undesirable events.
• In case of an on-line monitoring system, information such as: portability and location; data storage and transmission capacity; transmission protocols; required temperature and luminosity ranges; resistance to hostile environments (IP67 or similar) should be provided.

The following will not be considered in the background evaluation process:

• Advisories, consultancies or engineering studies.
• Proposals that represent a change in the materiality and/or design of the linings.

The lack of monitoring of the condition of the bin liners does not allow timely identification of the elements that require replacement due to wear.

• Plant stoppages due to the removal of fallen or detached plates.
• Exposure of workers to critical risks for inspection or thickness measurement.

In operation and maintenance

• Campaigns for the installation of stone beds to reduce wear speed.
• Remote visual inspection. Tested technologies Ultra-sound measurement tests have been performed.

Se han realizado pruebas de medición por ultra sonido.