To successfully minimise static and I other fire risks in copper solvent extraction plants, mineral proponents will need to adopt new designs and operating practices more common in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. Furthermore, miners must change their collective attitude towards how they view fire risk in SX operations. During the conference Mai Jansen of the Sydney-based International Project Development Services said the fires at WMC Resources Ltd's Olympic Dam in South Australia (1999 and 2001) -- as well as two smaller incidents in Arizona (2003) and Mexico (2004) -- provided a "wake up call" for copper producers and demonstrated the need for a serious and immediate review of current SX design policies for fire control. Causes of the accidents included static electricity, inadequate piping design (thus allowing the formation of flammable vapours and mists inside organic drain lines) as well as human error during maintenance.
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