Zinc Autostripping at Falconbridge Limited Kidd Metallurgical Division

Operation of the Kidd electrolytic zinc plant commenced in 1972 with a cellhouse capacity of 105,000 tonnes of zinc cathode. The original cellhouse layout consisted of 42 parallel rows for a total of 588 cells. As leaching capacity increased, the cellhouse was expanded to 630 cells. Zinc cathode was manually stripped from plant start-up until the development of a mobile automated stripping system in 1994. Machine development continued until a second unit was placed in production in 1996, from which point, 60 % of the cellhouse was being stripped with the automated system. The final phase of the project was implemented in 1999 with the commissioning of two more automated strippers. This paper describes the implementation of the automated stripping system and its impact on cellhouse productivity.