Permanent cathode technology was developed by Mount Isa Mines (MIM) and first implemented at Copper Refineries Pty Ltd (CRL) in Townsville, Australia in 1978. The technology was marketed as the ISA PROCESS™ and gained extensive acceptance in the copper industry.

The KIDD PROCESS was subsequently developed by Falconbridge for their Kidd Creek refinery in Timmins, Canada in 1985. In 1992, after many requests from producers around the world, Falconbridge started marketing the KIDD PROCESS.

Both the ISA PROCESS™ and KIDD PROCESS have undergone continuous improvement and today are regarded as the benchmark technologies for high intensity refining and electrowinning operations. These two technologies account for over 95% of the permanent cathode copper tankhouses in the world.

Xstrata plc purchased MIM in 2002, and Falconbridge in 2006 and the Xstrata Technology Business Unit now combines the strengths of the ISA PROCESS™ and the KIDD PROCESS and offers technology and equipment packages to the market worldwide.

ISA PROCESS™

The ISA PROCESS™ Technology (IPT) is a permanent cathode technology implemented around the world in both electro-refining and electrowinning copper operations. It has been the chosen technology solution in many operations for the following reasons:

• Successful operation at the world class 300,000tpa refinery at Copper Refineries in Australia for 30 years.
• Permanent cathodes produce a consistently high quality copper cathode product.
• Utilises a premier permanent cathode plate design with proven performance and life.
• Employed with minimal cathode handling machine complexity and capital intensity.
• Provides technical support with extensive expertise and knowledge of the industry.

KIDD PROCESS

The KIDD PROCESS was developed by Falconbridge for their Kidd Creek refinery in 1985.

The significant milestones of the Kidd Creek Refinery are:

1982 – Refinery commences with starter sheets, at 59,000tpa production.
1983 – Anode preparation process and machinery installed.
1986 – Conversion to KIDD PROCESS permanent cathodes.
1992 – KIDD PROCESS technology commercialised.
1993 – Additional cells increase capacity to 117,000tpa.
1998 – Current density increased to 280Apsm, further improving capacity.
1999 – Current density increased to 310Apsm delivering 146,000tpa.
2006 – Falconbridge Purchased by Xstrata plc.