The Cerro Los Gatos mine, Esther deposit, and Amapola deposit are three silver lead zinc mining areas that are part of the fourteen ore belts in the Los Gatos area, which is the center of the Mexican silver ore belt.

The Cerro Los Gatos mine is the first commercially successful mine in the region. They sell concentrated materials to Japanese foundries in Mexico or sell them to other places through intermediaries. The annual production of this mine is approximately 9.2 million ounces of silver, equivalent to annual inventory. The Cerro Los Gatos mine is one of the best examples of total maintenance costs (AISC) in the silver mining industry.

The mining industry needs to ensure 24/7 operation, and this mine includes several vertical shafts that are connected to each other, forming a network of horizontal tunnels below the surface of the basin, and the water in the basin naturally forms a large underground reservoir. To maintain mining and production at the Cerro Los Gatos mine, groundwater needs to be pumped out.

Due to the depth of accumulated water exceeding 400 meters, the Cerro Los Gatos mine has decided to designate the use of two air-cooled VACONs ®  1000 independent 128 A/4160 V medium voltage frequency converter.

VACON ®  1000 is a universal frequency converter suitable for various medium voltage applications. It can be easily integrated into the main control system and quickly adapt to the specific needs of each situation. The medium voltage frequency converter has high environmental resistance and can operate in harsh environments such as high temperature, dust, and humidity in the electrical room.

VACON ®  The 1000 frequency converter meets the customer's requirements, such as compact structure, low harmonic radiation, high energy efficiency, and motor dU/dt requirements. Other related features have also received praise from customers, including comprehensive connection options, simple installation requirements, and intuitive and secure operation. Providing local technical support is also an important requirement for customers.

The new generation of frequency converters is installed in Mexico, and the mine is the first in the country to adopt such a solution to pump water from a depth of 400 meters.

Installing an effective pumping system has become a multi-stage project. Firstly, diagnosis is carried out after on-site investigation, and then evaluation and selection of solutions begin. Finally, the solution was installed and debugged. At various stages, Danfoss collaborates with solution integrators and business partners Autronic. Their comprehensive talents have formed a multidisciplinary technical and business team, initiating a process of continuous communication with users to analyze the implementation of solutions at various stages.

14 weeks of manufacturing time

Due to this collaborative approach, the manufacturing time was only 14 weeks, setting a record for projects of this scale. The knowledge and experience of Mexican technicians have made significant contributions to achieving this goal. Due to its flexibility, availability, and collaboration with the end user team, the project was able to be completed quickly.