Design work is the major activity of Gipronickel Institute. Its specialists are skilled in all spheres of mining and metallurgic industry, from exploration stage through metallurgical systems and plants.

    Integrated computer network and modern computer-aided designing techniques, including 3D programming, modern equipment and software ensure high-quality and fast performance of any type of design work.

§ 4.1. Mining

    In the field of mining, Gipronickel Institute conducts development of geological, technological, mine construction, and mechanical sections of mining projects at various stages of design work. Due to the projects of the Institute' Mining Department, over 150 underground open-pit mines have been built and commissioned, and raw material basis of nickel-cobalt, tin, aluminium and other branches of Russian metallurgic industry has been created. The Mining Department has a 70-year experience in designing mining operations of various capacity and situated in diverse mining, geological and climatic conditions. Specialists of Mining Department have developed a number of brand new mining technologies and flowsheets. Thus, cut-and-fill technique with solid stowing has been worked out for development of rich ore Talnakh-Oktiabrsky deposit (Norilsk Mining & Metallurgic Combine). Schemes of stripping, drying and mining of ore occurring at low depth have been specially developed for complicated hydrogeological conditions characteristic to Severo-Uralsk bauxite mine. Problems of combining open-pit and underground mining at Tyrnyauz tungsten-molybdenum deposit have been solved. As to the recent developments carried out for most complicated mining and geological conditions, diamond mine projects developed on the order of joint-stock company Alrosa -Sakha Diamonds company (Yakutia-Sokha Republic) should be mentioned. While working at this project, our specialists came across a complete set of unfavourable factors, including such as heavy water blockage, presence of explosive gases and appearance of oil. Projects developed by Gipronickel Institute cover the whole spectrum of mining and geological conditions occurring in practice:
   • depth of mining - up to 2,000 m;
   • thickness of ore bodies - from tenth to hundreds of meters;
   • ores and enclosing strata with the rigidity of rock within the range of 1 to 20 according to Protodiakonov Scale;
   • water production level - from several m³/hr to 10,000 m³/hr;
   • mines capacity - 50,000 - 10,000,000 tpy of market ore.

§ 4.2. Metallurgy

    The main trends in the Institute' Metallurgy Department activity are conducting of pre-design and design works, as well as mechanical and technical developments for metallurgical, beneficiation and other operations. Tens of major metallurgic enterprises have been built due to the projects carried out by Gipronickel Institute, such as Nadezhdinsk Metallurgic Plant of Norilsk Mining & Metallurgic Combine, Severonickel, Pechenganickel and Yuzhuralnickel Combines, Pobuzhsk Nickel Plant, Novosibirsk Tin Plant, Nikitovsk Mercury Combine, Fuming Plant in Bolivia, Ferronickel Plant in Yugoslavia, Nickel Plant in Cuba.
    The Institute' specialists have rich experience in research and development. Due to their designs the following types of equipment and systems have been created: system for autogenous smelting of copper-nickel sulphide ore; equipment for poor nickel oxide ore processing into ferronickel; equipment for nickel carbonyl production unit; equipment for autoclave production unit at Nadezhdinsk Metallurgic Plant of Norilsk Mining & Metallurgic Combine; fuming furnace operating at several tin-producing enterprises.

§ 4.3. Environmental control

    Gipronickel Institute has always paid an utmost attention to ecology aspects, and developments in evaluation of environmental effects have been of particular concern. During 1993-2002, over 30 evaluation studies have been performed for Norilsk Miming & Metallurgic Combine, Solnechny Mining & Beneficiation Combine, Sevuralboksitruda Industrial Amalgamation, Pechenganickel and Severonickel Combines, AO 'PO Glinozyom' and AO 'Aluminium of Kazakhstan'. In recent years the Institute' activity in the field of environmental control has been substantially extended, and at present environmental control developments are also being performed to meet the municipal needs.
    Among the latest developments, the following ones should be mentioned: waste water treatment plants for Kronshtadt Marine Works, GAS JS (Nizhny Novgorod) and some other enterprises; sewer tunnel project in Zlatoust city; pilot system for processing, recycling and disposal of industrial wastes in Ryazan and Ryazan Area; a number of plants for galvanic sludge treatment; developments in construction of incinerating plant in Leningrad Area; system for treatment of open-pit water and waste water at Barsuchy Log deposit; industrial and domestic waste water treatment plant at Ryazantsvetmet JS; ion-exchange plant for treatment of common sink at Severonickel Combine; tailing dumps at several mining and metallurgical operations; evaporator unit for treatment of galvanic and other solutions; etc.

§ 4.4. Economics

    Gipronickel Institute' specialists carefully consider such economical issues as mining & metallurgical operation economy, analysis of economic efficiency of industrial objects, performance of feasibility studies and assessments, drawing of business-plans, working out of enterprises' strategy development concept, substantiation of mineral raw materials standards. Based on thorough feasibility analysis of various non-ferrous metallurgical operations carried out by Gipronickel Institute' specialists, economic forecasts have been made for various production scenarios of mining and metallurgic enterprises, and ways of economy management have been worked out for various market conditions. This type of studies have been fulfilled for Ufalei Nickel Combine, Nirilsk Nickel RJS' operations, Riaztsvetmet Plant, Severouralsk bauxite mines, Solnechny Mining & Beneficiaton Combine, ALROSA Join-Stock Company, Buruktal nickel deposit, Kazakhstan Aluminum JS, Punta Gorda and Las Camarioakas Plants (Cuba), Philnico company, as well as for deposits in New Caledonia (Nakety project), Papua New Guinea (Ramu project), and Australia (Honeymoon deposit).
    Every year Gipronickel Institute performs several new mining and metallurgical projects, including the ones due to the orders of overseas customers.

§ 4.5. Exploration

    For the period of Metallurgic Department' activity, great amount of integrated engineering surveys have been performed, the following operations being among the major ones: Severonickel and Pechenganickel Combines, Severouralsl bauxite mines and Buruktal deposit, Yfalei Combine' Serovsk mine and Tyrnyauz tungsten-molybdenum Combine, Sarndzhask Mining & Beneficiation Combine, etc. Field supervision in the course of construction work have been performed at Nicaro, Punta Gorda and Las Camariocas Plants (Cuba Republic).
    Among the recent surveys, the following ones have been performed in electronic version (1:1500 scale): engineering topographic plans based on underground pipeline survey at Picalevo, Leningrad Region (280 hectares area) and at Nickel settlement, Murmansk Region (260 hectares area); integrated surveys at the Western air pit industrial site of Pechenganickel' Severny Gluboky mine. Also, integrated surveys have been fulfilled to be used as a ground for reconstruction project of Solid waste landfill in Saint-Petersburg, as well as engineering hydrological surveys in terms of studies of sewage flow system and surface water flow in town of Zapoliarny and Nickel settlement (Murmansk Region).

§ 4.6. Automated Control Systems for Design and Management

    The Institute' activity in the field of Automated Control Systems for Design and Management includes working-out, reconstruction, re-equipping and expansion of computer-aided, production control and communication systems for metallurgical and mining operations, concentrators and power units using "turn-key" and integrated aporoach; introduction of integrated technical information and communication due to Customer' order; expert evaluation of documents accompanying these products.
    Projects for over 50 enterprises have been worked out and implemented, including overseas plants constructed due to the Institute' projects (Cuba, Bolivia, Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Guinea). ASTER System - automated system for operating and production control management in saving, accounting and analysis of an enterprise' power supply. This System has been implemented at Kovdorsky Mining & Beneficiation Combine in Kovdor (Murmansk Region), Industrial Unit Glinozem JS in Pikalevo (Leningrad Region), Severonickel Combine JS. Apart from working in the principal sphere, Gipronickel Institute performs Process Automated Control Systems for a number of other industries and technological processes, in accordance with existing licenses. These are such operations as water and power supply enterprises (thermoelectric power stations, boiler-houses, pumping plants, etc.), chemical operations (sulphuric acid plants, etc), ventilation systems, gas cleaning and water treatment systems, industrial wastes processing plants, and so on.

§ 4.7. Construction and Power Engineering

    Gipronickel Institute performs integrated developments in the field of structural design, power supply and power facilities for metallurgical and mining industrial sites.
    A lot of major non-ferrous metallurgical operations, both in Russia and overseas, have been built due to Gipronickel Institute' projects, such as Norilsk Combine, Severonickel Combine, Pechenganickel Combine, etc. The recent examples are designing of surface facilities for Mir and Aikhal mines in Yakutia (headframes, lifting system structures, compressor stations, administration and amenity buildings, substations, etc.).

• top of the page •