Emerson Process Management has won a $3.1 million contract for digital automation and control of minerals processing at the BHP Billiton nickel/cobalt mine and treatment facility under construction in Ravensthorpe, Australia. The new open-pit mine and minerals processing plant is part of a $1.1 billion project that will annually produce up to 50,000 tons of nickel and 1,400 tons of cobalt, BHP reports.Emerson will install PlantWeb digital architecture with Foundation fieldbus technology to deliver process and equipment information. The DeltaV digital automation system with AMS Suite predictive maintenance software are at the core of the digital approach that will include more than 2,000 smart digital field devices, reportedly making it the largest fieldbus installation in Australia, and the largest use for mineral processing in the world.
