The Engine Room by Engineers Australia

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MAGAZINE

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THE WONDERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERING 2000-2010

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Driving learning

Protecting scarce resources

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Building Australian defences

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Black Tie Ball 2011 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards

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Presentation Dinner

Friday 16th September 2011

TO REGISTER PLEASE VISIT: WWW.ENGINEERSAUSTRALIA.ORG.AU/SA/EVENTS

OR PHONE EVENTS COORDINATOR SHARRYN FENSOM ON: (08) 8202 7140

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✂ ✂ WELCOME THE ENGINE ROOM ● ● ● ● EDITORIAL Editor Russell Emmerson Writers Meredith Booth, Alexandra Economou, Russell Emmerson, Christopher Russell, Giuseppe Tauriello, Belinda Willis Production Editor Allan Blane Photographs Campbell Brodie, Brenton Edwards, James Elsby, Patrick Gorbunovs, Naomi Jellicoe, Michael Marschall, Nigel Parsons, Jo-Anna Robinson, Matt Turner, Brooke Whatnall

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DISPLAY ADVERTISING Cheryl Bilney, phone 08 8206 2353, email bilneyc@adv.newsltd.com.au

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THE ADVERTISER Editor Melvin Mansell Managing Director Ish Davies Advertising Director David Perrins Business Editor Christopher Russell Published by Advertiser Newspapers Pty Ltd, 31 Waymouth St, Adelaide, SA, 5000 Phone 1300 130 370 Email inance@adv.newsltd.com.au

FTER reading this showcase of South Australian engineering achievement, you will now understand why I am so proud to represent such creative and highly motivated people. Our engineers have been responsible for many of SA’s success stories, using their intelligence and vision to create a more prosperous future for everyone. Each of these projects has been recognised for its engineering excellence. Indeed, they are rep-

resentative of the best projects produced by SA engineers over the last 10 years. Engineers enjoy a welldeserved reputation for provid-

ing solutions that benefit our communities and the people who live in them, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. This publication has featured just a few examples from the large number of great engineering achievements. It is no wonder, then, that being an engineer is an immensely rewarding career. Women and men of all ages, experience and educational levels can contribute to the engineering team. The opportunities are many and widespread, and I encourage

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everyone to consider a career in engineering, and to perhaps contribute to their own ‘‘engineering wonder’’. If you would like to discover more, please visit the Engineers Australia ‘‘Make it so’’ page at www.makeitso.org.au or contact Engineers Australia at sa@engineersaustralia.org.au or your local university or TAFE SA campus, to find out more about the training options. ❏ Dr David Cruickshanks-Boyd is president of the SA Division of Engineers Australia. ❯❯

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Making a lasting contribution

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COVER PHOTO Engineers Australia Women in Engineering chair and hydraulics engineer Niki Robinson at the re-cycled water fountain on North Terrace.

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ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) President Dr David Cruickshanks-Boyd Executive Director Caroline Argent Deputy Director Sarah Carey

Remote rewards: p11

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Produced in conjunction with Engineers Australia, South Australia Division.

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Engineers play crucial role in building a future for South Australia

Alcohol raises project a level

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A message from Premier Mike Rann

OUTH Australia is currently undergoing the biggest infrastructure build in the history of our state.

Among the transformational projects are a desalination plant that will ensure our city never again faces the prospect of running out of water. There is also the reinvigoration of our showpiece Riverbank precinct, which includes an expanded Adelaide Convention Centre and a world-class redevelopment of the internationallyrenowned Adelaide Oval. Work is also under way on the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and, alongside it, the Commonwealth-funded South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute that will be completed next year.

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In addition, we are investing billions of dollars on upgrading and extending our public transport infrastructure and improving our roads network, which includes our state’s biggest-ever road project, the South Road Superway. Furthermore, we have established the Le Fevre Peninsula and our northern suburbs as hubs for the defence industries, with the largest shiplift in the southern hemisphere now being housed at Techport Australia’s Common User Facility at Osborne. Our mining industries also continue to expand, and earlier last month our 17th mine – at Peculiar Knob near Coober Pedy – promised an investment of $250 million in construction. Right now, we have more than $80 billion worth of private and publicfunded infrastructure projects either under way or in the advanced stages of planning. Consequently, there has never been a more important time to acknowledge the crucial role that engineers are playing in the rebuilding of our state. Their expertise in solving sometimes complex problems and delivering these state-of-the-art projects is vital to ensuring Adelaide, and South Australia, continue to grow and prosper.

Project director David Bartlett and, below, the opened Port River Expressway bridges at night. Picture: James Elsby.

Engineering ingenuity and 4000 litres of ethanol ensured the Port River bridges operate without a hangover, writes Russell Emmerson OU know you are working on a key project when it comes with its own liquor licence. Sure, the $178 million Port River Expressway bridges are deemed a key piece of the state’s economic infrastructure, but a project that uses almost 4000 litres of alcohol for ‘‘clever engineering’’ is not your average road project. The twin road and rail bridges are based on a simple-enough principle – a bascule bridge or see-saw – but their need to bear up to 50 tonnes and still open and close smoothly and reliably in only 70 seconds required clever innovation. Project director David Bartlett says the only way to make a tight fit for the shaft and hub was to use a shrink-fit process. ‘‘They heated the girder over an extreme heat with gas burners underneath it and a thermal blanket over to get to about 160C,’’ he says.

In addition, the State Government remains strongly committed through our education and skills training programs to increasing the number of South Australians with formal qualifications in engineering. That’s because, as Albert Einstein so prudently noted: ‘‘Engineers create that which has never been.’’ ❯❯ 4

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THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

‘‘They then put the shaft in four tonnes of dry ice and ethanol – almost 4000 litres of ethanol – to lower the temperature to about -78C and then lowered them into one another. When the temperatures returned to normal, almost instantaneously it fitted perfectly with all 40 bolt holes lining up.’’ Using alcohol was ingenious, he admits, but the success of hard work behind the project shows today in its continuing operations. Expertise for opening bridges is scant in Australia – there has been only one other small opening bridge built in the past 40 years – so that knowledge was found in the US and reviewed by European experts. But moving the bridge from concept to detailed plan required months of consultation. It had to be high enough to let through the river’s vast number of recreational boats without opening, but every metre of height meant rail approaches needed a broader footprint to get fully laden trains over the top.

Port River Expressway ❏ Opening road and rail bridges ❏ Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure ❏ Opened: 2008 ❏ Cost: $178 million ❏ Jobs: 300 jobs onsite, 600 in subcontracting companies

The answer: more research. Many trains used double locomotives to cope with long climbs as far away as Snowtown, so had more power than first thought. Then there was the fact that longer trains – some up to 1.8km long – would have part of their weight over the highest part of the bridge, which wouldn’t have to bear the whole load on the relatively short incline. And trains returning from Port Adelaide would not need as much power as they would be towing empty carriages. Trucks needed specific approaches to ensure efficient deliveries to Outer Harbor. The bridges took three years to construct but are a widely recognised success, even set to appear on a special commemorative coin to be minted this year. Mr Bartlett has now moved to bigger and better things – including constructing the world’s third-largest incremental bridge as part of the Seaford rail extension – but he recognises that the efforts put into the operational planning are still delivering. ‘‘You drive over it and think ‘It’s working for road, rail and marine’,’’ he says. ‘‘There are some infrastructure projects that don’t operate the way they are designed without a few teething problems. But the operation of this one has been great. No one has complained . . . That’s a success.’’ ❯❯

✂ ✂ ENTERTAINMENT THE ENGINE ROOM ● ● ● ●

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Flame burns brightly

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FCT general manager David Petallack, University of Adelaide’s Professor Gus Nathan, FCT managing director Con Manias, and Dr Jordan Parham with the Olympic torches. Picture: Matt Turner.

American games since its 2000 Sydney debut – including the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Singapore Youth Olympics and the Pan Am Games in Mexico City. FCT managing director Con Manias says the development of industrial principles for

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GOYDER PAVILLION, ADELAIDE SHOWGROUND

Science Alive!

Engineers Australia proudly supports Science Alive!

established in developing burners first tested in Adelaide Brighton’s Angaston cement kilns, cut the number of ‘‘flameouts’’ by a factor of 10 and its greenhouse emissions by 70 per cent. Professor Gus Nathan says the project became a labour of love, with more than $1 million of testing and development time contributed for no charge. ‘‘It was very much a team effort where everyone was content to do something much bigger than anything one person could do alone,’’ he says. ‘‘We all wanted to take the technology further than it had been. The level of secrecy surrounding the job added to the excitement and created an air of mystique.’’ ❯❯

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• Spectacular Chemistry Science Shows • Stardome Astronomy Experiences • Robot Demonstrations • Magic Shows and Circus Workshops • Native Animals, Bugs n Slugs • Free Hands-On Fun at 60 Booths • Telescopes and Microscopes • Science Showbags • Children’s Craft, Games & Face-Painting • Forensic & Medical Science • Gene Technology & Engineering • University & TAFESA Info

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entertainment has its own unique challenges. ‘‘It presents some enormous challenges and there were specific solutions developed for each event,’’ he says. ‘‘Then there is the engineering where all this has to work reliably and safely with multiple redundancies. In some cases, there were four ways to light a cauldron. ‘‘But it’s not like industrial work, where you can retest the following day. With billions of people watching opening ceremonies and with flames being the central part of a ceremony, not working is not an option.’’ Every Olympics has a unique torch, designed by the host country but the Sydney torch now has an extensive legacy. The combustion system, using capabilities

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Where do you turn for an innovation that represents courage, determination and the peak of sporting excellence? To the Adelaide suburb of Thebarton, of course

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HE Sydney Olympic torch was carried by 14,000 torch bearers on a 27,000km global relay to bring the Olympic ideals to Australia. It continued to burn bright as it was carried over beaches, under water, through deserts, city streets and towns. When sprinter Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron, amid the worldwide cheers was a collective sigh of relief as the journey ended. Thebarton-based FCT and the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology developed the novel design for the torch after winning the global contract. The company now has a subsidiary that specialises in global events, with its handiwork seen at most Olympic, Asian and Pan

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM DEFENCE

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$5bn subs project builds for the future The next generation of submarines and destroyers won’t just protect Australia’s coastline – they are establishing a vital new industry in South Australia, reports Belinda Willis UILDING six Collins-class submarines in South Australia was the largest and most complex construction project ever undertaken in the nation, according to ASC’s engineering general manager. The $5 billion project led to the state building the world’s largest conventional submarines, made up of half a million parts, 75km of cable, 200,000 on-board connections and 23.5km of hull welding. An entirely new facility was built at Osborne in Adelaide after the contract to build the six submarines was signed on May 31, 1987. The first submarine was launched in August 1993 in front of a crowd of 4500 and was delivered to the navy in 1996. The sixth, HMAS Rankin, was delivered in 2003. ASC general manager, engineering, Jack Atkinson says technologies to build the submarines were sourced from all over the world with any purchases tied to overseas companies having to establish a partner in Australia. This led to new work for local businesses that may have never worked on defence contracts before; 1250 companies Australia-wide were contracted to provide various equipment and components. ‘‘This really lifted the quality standards of many engineering companies,’’ Mr Atkinson says. It was Australia’s coastline that provided the immense challenge to build a submarine that could protect millions of square kilometres of maritime domain. Existing conventional submarines were

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designed to operate for short durations and distances from their coasts, but the Collins is different. ‘‘It’s a blue-ocean boat. It can transit the Pacific Ocean or the Indian if it had to. It could go on a cruise around the world without a big problem,’’ ASC submarine technical authority Stephen Bitmead says. The Collins submarines weigh 3000 tonnes, are 78m long, use 108 systems and carry a crew of 43. It took 2.5 million person hours to assemble each submarine, with an average construction time of 60 months. Mr Atkinson says that after the new submarine construction facility was built, so too was a new workforce created in South Australia. It started with 30 jobs when contracts were signed in 1987 and grew rapidly to peak at 1300 in 1992. Jim Duncan, a former naval electrical engineer, was appointed by the SA government to lead the submarine taskforce working to win the contract to build in SA. He presented a winning case that SA was a ‘‘greenfield’’ site, one free from other outdated technical processes, poor industrial relations constraints and inefficient work practices. The result is one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world and a workforce skilled to attract other projects to the state. ‘‘The Collins were built by local firms teamed up with overseas suppliers. That lifted the whole of manufacturing capability in Australia on the back of this one project,’’ Mr Atkinson says. ❯❯

This really lifted the quality standards of many engineering companies

Warship allies A USTRALIA’S new $8 billion Air Warfare Destroyers are being touted as the most powerful, complex and capable ships ever to serve the Royal Australian Navy. HMAS Hobart, HMAS Sydney and HMAS Brisbane will be built in Adelaide under the AWD Alliance – comprising shipbuilder ASC, electronics expert Raytheon Australia and the Defence Materiel Organisation – and become the core assets for the navy’s surface fleet. ‘‘These ships are, in themselves, wonders . . . The capability of these warships is staggering,’’ ASC principal naval architect Peter Roberts said. The Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs), designed to displace 7000 tonnes, will be equipped with the Aegis Weapon System and give the navy long-range air defence capabilities.

When terrorists destroyed New York’s World Trade Centre buildings on September 11, 2001, the US immediately deployed Aegisequipped ships – off both east and west coasts – to cover all US airspace within a protective Aegis ‘‘bubble’’. Under the AWD Alliance, blocks for the three new ships will be built in Adelaide, Melbourne and Newcastle. All the blocks will then be shipped to Adelaide for the destroyers to be assembled and fitted out at ASC’s Osborne site. When the contract was first mooted, Mr Roberts says, Victoria was ‘‘heir apparent’’ for the construction project after having built six ANZAC frigates for the navy at its Williamstown shipyard. The State Government and ASC started work on developing a strategy to win the work from Victoria in 2000.

ASC Air Warfare Destroyer riggers Mark Renfrey and Nathan Crack at Osborne shipyard 6

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✂ ✂ DEFENCE THE ENGINE ROOM

Keyhole surgery was a life saver and world first HEN a problem was discovered in one of the Collins-class submarine’s 90-tonne electric propulsion motors during maintenance, the expected solution was to cut the hull away and fix the defect. That’s not such a simple task, requiring the motor to be removed to a specialist workshop. ASC engineers, who discovered the defect at the heart of the motor during planned maintenance at the ASC site at Osborne, believed they could find a more efficient way to repair the problem. They set about developing a way to perform key-hole surgery within the cramped confines of HMAS Farncomb without cutting the hull. ASC Submarine technical authority Stephen Bitmead says the low-risk solution – cutting the back off the submarine, removing and repairing the motor and then rejoining the hull – would have added weeks to the maintenance program. ‘‘We had to come up with an innovative

join the action economy, offering defence alongside mining and international education to signal SA’s move away from manufacturing – or perhaps a move towards smarter, more vital manufacturing. Federal Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare opened the Air Warfare Destroyer Systems Centre at Techport Australia last year, saying it marked an important milestone in the project. ‘‘It brings together 300 expert naval architects, project managers and combat systems engineers under one roof to get on with the job of delivering Australia’s new warships,’’ Mr Clare said. He said the project would see an investment of about $2 billion in South Australia. More than 800 people are working on the new destroyers at the Techport precinct. This will rise to more than 1000 next year. ❯❯

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solution to allow us to do the work all insitu,’’ Mr Bitmead says. The team – working with French engineers from the company that designed and built the propulsion motors – found a way to lift the motor and the 30-tonne armature and support it within the submarine, creating enough space for engineers to access the motor and perform repairs. This meant the hull did not need to be cut in half, and pipes and cables did not need to be cut and rejoined. The design, pre-manufacturing and insitu motor repairs were done in less than 20 weeks – well within the original maintenance timeframe. To perform such extensive repairs of this scale inside a submarine was hailed as a world first and the work has won a national engineering award. Greg Tunny, ASC’s managing director at the time, described the SA engineering success as ‘‘a worldwide groundbreaking solution’’ that could be used ‘‘by any other submarine class in the world’’. ❯❯

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ASC principal naval architect Peter Roberts describes the Air Warfare Destroyers’ capability as staggering Picture: James Elsby

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ASC Submarine technical authority Stephen Bitmead came up with a surgical solution

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Australian Engineering Week is a public awareness and education campaign that aims to highlight the role and achievements of the engineering profession in Australia, and to promote engineering as the career of choice.

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Keep an eye out on all the upcoming events and register online by visiting the South Australian Division section of the 2011 AEW website:

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www.engineersaustralia.org.au/aew/divisions/sa

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Proudly sponsored by:

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AEW WEEK2-8

They first looked at the Osborne facility’s capacity to build new ships, including the likely requirements beyond 2030. The work paid off. In 2005, Adelaide was named the winning project bidder for construction and the site also won work in building some of the blocks. Work is now well under way on building the first destroyer. A new shipyard facility has been built at Osborne, with a state-of-the-art shiplift at the nearby Common User Facility believed to be the largest in the southern hemisphere. When ASC won the role of shipbuilder for the destroyers, Premier Mike Rann said SA ‘‘had won what will be the biggest project in the history of the state’’, a project expected to create 3000 direct and indirect jobs. The project has since become the touchstone for diversification of the state’s

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM SMART MANUFACTURING

Pipe repairer ensures odious sights and smells are well avoided PUB: ADV SPECIAL SUPP 2/8/11 U-8

A new pipeline technology helps circumvent open sewer works

HAUN Melville doesn’t talk about his product, especially at dinner parties.

And the more successful it is, the less likely it is people will hear about it. But when you are looking at a $400 million global market, social taboos can be easily discarded. Some of the world’s greatest infrastructure achievements are city-wide sewage and stormwater distribution systems. Yet these systems are now deteriorating, with pipes collapsing, causing havoc as roads flood or are dug up to replace the ageing structures. Which is where trenchless pipe technology comes into play, Sekisui Rib Loc Australia product manager Shaun Melville says.

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‘‘Globally, the problem of deteriorated pipelines is huge – and getting revised upwards all the time as the full extent of the problem becomes better known as people do more inspections of their pipe infrastructure,’’ he says. The Rotaloc is aimed squarely at this problem, relying on finesse rather than force. The machine creates a new pipe within the existing pipe, using a liner that is delivered to the site on spools and locks together to form a new, strong structure. Where previous attempts were defeated by a 90-degree bend – unless a manhole was to be found in the right spot – the Rotaloc can travel down the pipeline as it rehabilitates it. The end result is a new pipe, designed to last 50 years, installed with no trench digging, minimal traffic interruptions and – perhaps its most welcome point – no open sewer works for those operating the system. ‘‘That is what engineering is about,’’ Mr Melville says. ‘‘People see the innovation when exposed to it, and we have won awards, but a big part of what we do is try to limit what people have to see when the work is happening.’’ ❯❯ – Russell Emmerson

Rotaloc ❏ Rotaloc structural pipeline rehabilitation ❏ Sekisui Rib Loc Australia ❏ Completed: 2000 ❏ Cost: About $1 million ❏ Jobs: About four 8

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Former SafetyMed managing director John Riemelmoser (front) with Automation SA director Robert Doley. Picture: James Elsby.

SA expertise to inject solutions It takes one solution to solve millions of problems, writes Meredith Booth UTOMATION SA director Robert Doley knows first hand the depth of engineering expertise available in South Australia to solve difficult problems. With fellow engineer Quentin Roberts, Mr Doley led a team of mechanical, electrical and system integration engineers to build the first automated retractable syringe assembly machine for former medical industry heavyweight SafetyMedical. The company produced a system which assembled 40 million syringes a year by retro-fitting off-the-shelf syringes so that the needle retracts and is locked in a sleeve – preventing needle-stick injuries. The system took about nine months from idea to prototype, Mr Doley said. The SecureTouch system won an Engineering Excellence Award in 2007 and was built by ProControl Systems, a company later

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

bought by SafetyMed. Mr Doley said the company tackled the design because no other firm would take it on. ‘‘The beauty of this was adding some parts that made a huge saving, adding just a few cents to each standard syringe,’’ he said. Safe syringes built from scratch cost around three to four times the SecureTouch syringes,

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Beauty of this was adding some parts that made a huge saving which put the product at the forefront of a market which would prevent needle stick injury, Mr Doley says. Award-winning design points of the SecureTouch system were its mechanical sorting and feeding, vision systems and

ultrasonic welding and testing. The innovation and complexity of the project cemented South Australia’s technical ability, particularly while traditional manufacturing in the state was shrinking. Mr Doley says plans were well underway to export machines to syringe assembly plants worldwide and to produce a second generation SecureTouch system with output closer to 100 million syringes a year. However, financial problems hit the parent company and the project. ProControl became a victim of SafetyMed’s restructure and the 15-strong engineering team disbanded to various other industries both as full-time employees and directors of start-up companies throughout the state. Mr Doley has no doubt that expertise can be reassembled at any time to produce systems of a similar calibre to SecureTouch. ❯❯

✂ ✂ WATER THE ENGINE ROOM

An extended drought should have brought tears of joy to South Australia’s largest water supplier. Russell Emmerson discovers SA Water has instead spent that time building new ways to use scarce water more smartly

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Pipeline provides lifeline to parched parklands DELAIDE’S heritage parklands can trace their history to Colonel William Light. They can now trace their future to a pipe bringing water from Glenelg. The Glenelg-Adelaide pipeline follows the principles of the Mawson Lakes reticulated water system but takes it a step further, SA Water infrastructure delivery manager Peter Selsikas says. ‘‘The key difference with Mawson Lakes was it is built around irrigation rather than reticulation,’’ he says. The heritage nature of the parklands demands they stay green – an overwhelming challenge to one of the country’s driest cities after a period of prolonged drought. But an existing source of waste water was already available at Glenelg. The reuse system was commissioned in the 1970s and was made available to Adelaide Shores and West Beach but now also serves as a lifeline for Adelaide’s parklands. Although this project may have one of the biggest impacts, Mr Selsikas says it is not his proudest achievement. That prize goes to securing water for remote communities. ‘‘We had to provide infrastructure for the Lower Lakes in a short period of time, infrastructure that made a difference,’’ he says. ❯❯

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Purple paves way

HE next challenge for the state’s water reuse schemes lies not with engineering but with economics. The Willunga Basin project at Christies Beach turns out 4GL of water every year out of a total catchment of 9GL and the Bolivar treatment plant supplies the Virginia horticultural area with 18GL every year – from its 50GL capacity. SA Water’s business development manager for Mawson Lakes, Chris Marles, says

the future of stormwater and wastewater reuse won’t rest solely on the shoulders of engineers. ‘‘We are now the leaders in the use of water resources, well over 30 per cent, and we are taking it further by integrating three more stormwater schemes, Adelaide Airport, Lochiel Park and Barker Inlet,’’ he says. ‘‘But everyone expects it to have a lower cost – it is not cheaper; it is on par with the sources so it is on par with price. The

of solids for every litre is the key, he says. ‘‘The main variability is the TSMs (total dissolved solids), the measure of the water’s solids content,’’ he says. ‘‘It is pretty constant with waste water but the water coming from Salisbury can vary a bit depending on which acquifer it comes from and how much TDS was in when it comes from the acquifer.’’ The mix is adjusted automatically, processed as part of a system involving an underground pumping station and 12km of pumping mains. The project, which has since won international praise, delivered its first water in 2005 and serves to cut waste water running into Gulf St Vincent. And the outcome is a worthy one – the system saves 800 million litres of mains water every year. ❯❯

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other challenge is that irrigation schemes are used during the summer and demand stops in winter. We have to figure out how to store winter water for summer use.’’ SA Water infrastructure delivery manager Peter Selsikas says commercial viability is the key. ‘‘There are no impediments to increased efficiency from an engineering perspective because we can treat the water with our current technology,’’ he says. ‘‘The impediment is the cost to do it.’’ ❯❯ THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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While the scheme built on a similar proposal at Rowse Hill in Sydney, Mawson Lakes took it one step further. ‘‘It was the first one we had done in South Australia to the extent of putting dual reticulation into 4000 homes, so getting it right and accurate was the problem,’’ he says. ‘‘But we went beyond Rowse Hill. We stepped it up from waste water to mixing treated waste with stormwater as a source. ‘‘People’s skills adapted to the need in front of them at the time and we have adapted as a community as well.’’ The challenge lay in balancing the two inputs to provide a consistent product while also bringing in mains water as a backup, Mr Marles says. Treated water is brought in from Bolivar and stormwater from Salisbury is added to the mix. But maintaining a target purity of 900mg

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RAND marketing can be seen as a battle for colour identity. Companies spend millions of dollars to identify their brand with a particular colour, fighting to dominate yellow, red and blue. Purple, however, is the stamp for the Mawson Lakes brand. The greenfield development was the first to feature the now-famous purple ‘‘third pipe’’ carrying stormwater and treated waste water for use in gardens, toilets and other nonpotable situations. SA Water’s business development manager for Mawson Lakes, Chris Marles, says plans for the scheme arose after the collapse of the multi-function polis. The concept of reusing water across a greenfields site was developed in 1996 and a firm proposal followed two years later.

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Challenge is for reuse to work on all counts

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM SMART MANUFACTURING

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Mark Pfitzner and James Howarth with the I-Site 8800 3D laser scanning system. Picture: Jo-Anna Robinson

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TAFF at Maptek’s Chile office used their SA-developed I-Site 8800 3D laser scanning system, in conjunction with its Vulcan mine planning software, to create a 3D model of the Chilean mine site which allowed rescuers to pinpoint drill sites for the rescue shaft. The I-Site machine, which sources 70 per cent of its components from South Australian companies, is the only laser survey instrument made in Australia and the only technology on the global market with a built-in 360-degree digital camera. R&D manager James Howarth says the instrument is sought after in mining circles

Few may know of Adelaide mining software company Maptek’s role in the October 2010 rescue of 33 miners trapped in Chile’s San Jose mine, writes Meredith Booth because it is easy for surveyors to use, is compact and accurate and delivers a fast 3D map. The inbuilt camera also appeals to buyers, Mr Howarth says.

The company has sold about 100 units, worth about $250,000 each, since the first instrument hit the market in 2005 – both directly to mining companies as well as surveying contractors and suppliers. Sparked by an idea of capturing a large scene in true 3D, the instrument took four years of research and development to perfect. Sales now account for almost 20 per cent of Maptek’s income – a company success story, says Mr Howarth. Led by opto-engineer Mark Pfitzner, the 36-member I-Site team of electronics, mechanical, optical, firmware and software engineers are constantly working on improving the product.

The latest generation I-Site, with an extra long range of 2000m and greater attention to ergonomic design and portability, was released in 2010 to instant commercial success, the company says. Founded in 1981 by now chairman Dr Bob Johnson, Maptek has a collaborative network of 11 offices and 260 employees around the world. ‘‘The I-Site 8800 epitomised the teamwork that has gone into the product,’’ Mr Pfitzner says. ‘‘We relish feedback from users who are out in the field every day. We can build the most technologically advanced system in the world but we must create products that are useful for our customers to remain in business,’’ he says. ❯❯

Success just ‘gold’ for local business RTISANAL miners in Africa and professional prospectors in Western Australia are among the people that are using Minelab’s GPX 5000 gold detector. Developed by the Adelaidebased mining technology business, part of the Codan Group, the detector is highly regarded because it can detect smaller gold at greater depths across challenging mineralised grounds. Minelab systems development manager Philip Beck was involved in the design and testing of the GPX 5000. He says it has proven

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to be popular here and internationally. ‘‘In Australia it is used by professional prospectors and hobbyists,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s also used, more so internationally, for relic hunting and we sell into Africa for artisanal miners who will use it to earn a living.’’ He says the major benefit of the GPX 5000 is its ability to detect new gold in areas where mineralisation affects the performance of conventional mine detectors. ‘‘It is more optimised for very fine gold, for small gold targets,’’ he says. ‘‘There are not so many of the one ounce pieces (of gold)

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

around. There’s more of the gram pieces available and (this detector) is more accessible to those.’’ Development of the GPX 5000 began in October, 2008, and it was released to the market late last year. Mr Beck says feedback has been good: ‘‘I have had a message from a customer in the US who wants to upgrade to the GPX 5000 because his mate is finding a lot more targets than he is.’’ Minelab describes the detector as ‘‘breakthrough technology’’. General manager Peter Charlesworth says that the com-

pany benefited from the work it was doing in its fight to attract engineers. ‘‘Adelaide may be a little stranded but we get good engineers because of the interesting work we do, and our international focus means we can pay competitive salaries,’’ he says. Between September last year and June this year, 4988 GPX 5000 detectors have been sold globally. This has generated revenue of $9.2 million from Australian sales and $1.1 million from exports. ❯❯ – Alexandra Economou

Minelab general manager Peter Charlesworth

✂ ✂ MINING INFRASTRUCTURE THE ENGINE ROOM ● ●

Remote. Control.

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Remote – really, really remote – a regional reserve, risk. These were the words tumbling through the heads of Iluka Resources managers in 2004 as they weighed up prospects of mineral sands discovery in South Australia’s Far West, writes Christopher Russell

up which took the best person from either company for the various roles. ‘‘The fact that it was such a remote location was an interesting challenge,’’ Mr Umlauff says. ‘‘In the Nullarbor, there was really nothing there.

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● ● Tuesday, August 2nd 2011 – 5.30pm till 7.30pm

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Where: Mawson Centre, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes

ENGINEER THIS! High School Careers Night

Fast cars, submarines and the latest gadgets – engineers helped build them all Are you a school student, teacher, careers advisor or just interested in what exactly engineers do?

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This session provides essential information about the exciting and diverse opportunities a career in engineering can offer.

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Online registration: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/aew/divisions/sa

AEWENGINEER2-8

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

2/8/11 U-11

❏ Jacinth-Ambrosia mineral sands mine ❏ Cost: About $390 million with about 84 per cent spent in SA ❏ First mine in SA in a regional reserve – the Yellabinna and Nullarbor ❏ More than 900,000 hours worked in a harsh, remote desert environment without a single lost-time injury ❏ Capable of supplying about 25 per cent of global zircon supply

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every day held morning meetings using video conferencing between the site and the team in Adelaide,’’ Mr Umlauff says. This infrastructure was the backbone behind the mining engineering work, which also faced unique circumstances. Parsons Brinckerhoff engineer Gary Neave, deputy project manager in the alliance team, says the deposit is an unusual shape for mineral sands. Instead of a long line from an old beachfront, J-A is roughly like a huge footy oval, long and wide. ‘‘The mining unit was quite innovative,’’ he says. Instead of a train of components to be dismantled and reassembled each move, the unit was built on to one chassis. Weighing about a kilotonne, it can pick itself up hydraulically and move from position to position. ‘‘It saves productivity losses of significant percentages,’’ he says. Another key to success was closely watching suppliers to ensure the 100 contracts met schedule, Mr Neave says. ❯❯

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Mineral sands processing

We had to build it from the ground up.’’ Jacinth-Ambrosia is about 200km northwest of Ceduna. At first, workers flew to the port town and then drove three to four hours over some ‘‘pretty basic roads’’ to get to the site straddling the Yellabinna and Nullarbor Regional Reserves. ‘‘It’s the first mine in SA to be built in a regional reserve,’’ Mr Umlauff says. ‘‘The whole permitting exercise was quite complicated for the regulators. It set very high standards of environmental management.’’ A basic airstrip was built for light aircraft and was later expanded to a proper fly-in-fly-out village and a full-size runway as the workforce swelled to 330. A 90km road, now used for trucking mineral sands to Thevenard, was built along with a pipeline to a hypersaline water source 32km away. A diesel power plant was installed plus a small desalination plant for potable water. ‘‘We installed communications facilities and

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OME five years later, the words from Iluka were ‘‘under budget, ahead of schedule and no lost time injuries’’. That remarkable establishment of the Jacinth-Ambrosia mine – understood to have been delivered for about $390 million on a $420 million budget – has led to another word now associated with Iluka – reward. A share price, which traded in the $3.50-$5 range in 2004 now sits above $17 as hundreds of thousands of tonnes of its zircon is shipped to the hungry markets of Asia for use in ceramics. The success of the project hinged on an alliance forged between Iluka and partner Parsons Brinckerhoff. ‘‘It was a different style of contracting,’’ Iluka’s SA head and general manager of project management, Hans Umlauff says. Instead of simply signing up Parsons Brinckerhoff to engineer, procure and construct the mine, an integrated team was set

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✂ THE ENGINE ROOM PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PROJECT MANAGEMENT THE ENGINE ROOM

■ 7893 sq m of carpet ■ 11,388 sq m of timber flooring ■ 9859 chairs ■ 22,834 grandstand seats ■ 2156 sq m of silk lining ■ 23,921 sq m of marqee ■ 8080 sq m of platform ■ 96 toilet blocks, 261 single toilets ■ 338 television sets ■ 1200 truck loads to and from yard More is expected for next year’s event.

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HE Clipsal 500 Adelaide is one of the hottest tickets around town in Adelaide’s Mad March. Hundreds of thousands of spectators pour into the city’s parklands to watch a V8 Supercar race that has been described by motorsport legend Murray Walker as the world’s best touring car event. Yet the street circuit, the safety barriers, every paying customer seat and marquee sit silently in storage until four months before the event, waiting for a 400-strong team to build the infrastructure. KBR project manager Simon Ward is in charge of the 10,000 tonnes of equipment, including the 10,000 chairs and 30,129m of fencing that form part of the project. He is also in charge of the same equipment as it is broken down and shipped off for storage at Kilburn until the next race. The magic of the engineering, he says, lies in the process. The details of how the Clipsal 500 Adelaide appears in Victoria Park each year reside in a very complex Access database that tracks jobs, equipment, contractors and processes. That same database is updated every year with the changes that the event organiser, the South Australian Motor Sport Board, throws into the equation. Some of those changes are small – expanding the media centre with its 35km of electrical cabling to cater for photographers – and some

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are not. In 2009, grandstand facilities were shaded and a new pits building was designed, a $20 million project that was just one of that year’s changes to the established process. ‘‘Change management is the most difficult part. If we have 300 changes requested, every change may affect five different contractors. You may then have 1500 variations to make sure they are carried out,’’ says Mr Ward. ‘‘We have to make sure that we get the detail right in managing that change, otherwise the person paying around $2000 for corporate hospitality is not getting what they paid for.’’ Clipsal organisers have a key focus: establishing as many paying facilities as possible that will provide a good experience, he says. Those changes often come at the last minute as sales warrant, meaning more pressure on KBR, which has run the $12.5 million annual construction project since 1999. The addition of Route 66 brought in a line of historic vehicles in celebration of the famous US highway but KBR had to look past the experience to the details – security, fencing, toilets, walkways, electricity supply and distribution. Some solutions relate to planning, while others demand innovative engineering and design concepts, such as the demountable airconditioning designed for the vast 12,000sq m pit lane building that combined evaporative and refrigerated components.

● ● LEFT: Spectators look down on the starting grid at the Adelaide Clipsal 500 Picture: Brooke Whatnall

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RIGHT: KBR project manager Simon Ward says managing changes is the biggest challenge Mr Ward says it is a year-long process that involves feedback, costings and designs for new ideas, commercial tendering and ongoing review. The first tenders are out in July and fortnightly meetings begin the following month to assess what is new for that year’s event and how the plan needs to change. The parklands begin to take on a distinct shape in December before moving into a major construction phase in January. The final

touches start to appear three weeks before race day when short-term contractors arrive. In the final weeks, there is activity on the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And for a structural engineer who has worked on the upgrading of OneSteel’s Whyalla steelworks as part of Project Magnet, Port Pirie’s lead smelter and a number of projects in Papua New Guinea, there is one factor that makes the Clipsal 500 Adelaide special.

‘‘There is no extension of time; you can’t allow a contractor not to finish,’’ Mr Ward says. Yet three days later, the same crew is beginning the two-month process of deconstructing a major raceway and retracting the footprint from one part of the park to the next. The first public roads are open 24 hours after the race is finished, the last are open 44 hours after that. Attention then moves to putting 1200 truckloads of things away in the

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right order for their Kilburn storage. That is when Mr Ward, who headed up safety and infrastructure elements of the Clipsal project before taking on the overarching position last year, begins to relax. ‘‘I am happier when the last thing has moved off-site because it means there is no safety risk,’’ he says. ‘‘The consequences are so far reaching, so that is my biggest relief.’’ ❯❯

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UPS AND DOWNS OF THE CLIPSAL

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH Race days

APRIL

MAY

First contracts out to tender

KBR begins fortnightly meetings with client where suggestions for event are reviewed Tendering continues

Tendering concludes

Proposed construction budget provided to client

Fortnightly marketing meetings and monthly engineering reports continue

KBR crew of four onsite as critical path items appear

Major contractors and construction starts KBR crew swells to 10

KBR crew grows to 14 three weeks from the event Short term contractors appear on site two weeks before to install signage, plant

Dequettville Tce, Bartels Rd and Hutt St open to public vehicles 24 hours after event inishes Wakeield St opens 44 hours later Event debrief begins to assess effectiveness of changes and ways to improve execution

Depart site

Site cleared

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THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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2/8/11 U-12

A race of blistering speed decided over two days takes five months to re-create every year. That’s the easy part, writes Russell Emmerson

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PUB: ADV SPECIAL

Clipsal’s well oiled machine

Nuts and bolts of the Clipsal 500

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✂ THE ENGINE ROOM PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PROJECT MANAGEMENT THE ENGINE ROOM

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● ● LEFT: Spectators look down on the starting grid at the Adelaide Clipsal 500 Picture: Brooke Whatnall

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UPS AND DOWNS OF THE CLIPSAL

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH Race days

APRIL

MAY

First contracts out to tender

KBR begins fortnightly meetings with client where suggestions for event are reviewed Tendering continues

Tendering concludes

Proposed construction budget provided to client

Fortnightly marketing meetings and monthly engineering reports continue

KBR crew of four onsite as critical path items appear

Major contractors and construction starts KBR crew swells to 10

KBR crew grows to 14 three weeks from the event Short term contractors appear on site two weeks before to install signage, plant

Depart site

Site cleared

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THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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2/8/11 U-12

A race of blistering speed decided over two days takes five months to re-create every year. That’s the easy part, writes Russell Emmerson

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PUB: ADV SPECIAL

Clipsal’s well oiled machine

Nuts and bolts of the Clipsal 500

✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM SIMULATION

Simulators have come a long way over the past decade. Giuseppe Tauriello reports on how Adelaidebased engineers at Sydac are using the technology to improve the safety of our road and rail networks

A train reaction PUB: ADV SPECIAL SUPP 2/8/11 U-14

New driving simulators a valuable tool in saving lives NGINEERS saving lives – that’s what Sydac’s driving simulator for the Monash University Accident Research Centre is all about. Utilising a real Holden Commodore VE donated by Holden, Sydac’s design is used by the university for research into hazard awareness, driver distraction and the influence of drugs and alcohol. Sydac system architect David Lannan says the $750,000 simulator replicates the experience of driving a real car by modelling and interfacing directly into the car’s IT and electrical system. ‘‘They wanted a full vehicle, a complete life-like experience,’’ Mr Lannan says. ‘‘It even has a 7.1 HiFi sound system.’’ Mr Lannan says working with a real car provided both challenges and opportunities. ‘‘There was a lot of work interfacing with the real car features,’’ he says. ‘‘But once we had that data, the existing speedometer and tachometer meant we didn’t have to install it ourselves.’’ The simulator, opened in April 2009, records driver interaction with the car including braking, acceleration and steering. Cameras inside the car analyse driver vision, noise and driver distraction. A 180-degree screen in front of the car displays roads which are designed to mirror typical Victorian conditions. But Mr Lannan says it is the finer details which required the most technical expertise. ‘‘The biggest modification was the rear view mirror where we had to install rear view screens,’’ he says. Mr Lannan has also designed smaller, desktop car simulators for UniSA and the University of Adelaide and is working on an application to create 3D immersive environment training scenarios, currently being used by RailCorp in Sydney. ❯❯

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ESPONDING to disasters is usually something left to police, emergency services and our politicians. But the Waterfall train disaster of 2003 called on unprecedented engineering ingenuity to ensure accidents of the kind never happened again. The Waterfall train derailment, 37km southwest of Sydney, killed seven people including the driver. An official inquiry concluded further training of drivers and guards was needed to improve railway communication. Adelaide-based engineering company Sydac started work on RailCorp’s virtual reality training centre in Petersham near Sydney in 2002, before the disaster, but chief engineer Duncan Ward says what’s transpired at the centre since then has been a result of lessons learnt from the crash. ‘‘A lot of the requirements have come out of the Waterfall train accident,’’ he says. ‘‘The Royal Commission used one of our

simulators to look at scenarios of how the driver would have behaved in the situation. ‘‘To do this, we had to build computer graphics for that section of the network.’’ Sydac developed an integrated network of simulators, giving drivers, guards and other train personnel a whole-of-operation simulation experience. Sydac operations manager Geoff Harvey says its simulator for the Waratah train fleet – which commenced its first passenger run in Sydney in July – shows how the technology is helping to improve the training experience. ‘‘The driver-guard simulation allows the driver to be in one cab and the guard in another and it can then investigate communications and actions between the two,’’ he says. ‘‘They can operate the same vehicle and do the communications training they need to. ‘‘With the virtual passenger model you can see passengers step on and off the train as

well as accidents, and even a scenario like a bag being stuck in doors.’’ The RailCorp training centre allows for tracks and driving conditions to be adjusted, and unusual events like vehicle faults and track obstructions can also be placed into scenarios. ‘‘In the virtual reality theatres, a whole group of people can get an immersive experience by watching those actually using the simulator,’’ Mr Ward says. Mr Ward says the simulator project – one of the first to use computerised graphics – has had its share of challenges over the years, including network capacity issues, but the centre is now a fully integrated simulation environment, improving the safety of the nation’s rail networks. The brains behind the project continue to export their expertise – Mr Harvey helps develop a training system for North American freight railway CSX, and Mr Ward is working on a simulator for the CRH3 in China. ❯❯

Training solution found in the back of a truck Mobile simulator ❏ Mobile driver training simulator for the 4000 Class locomotive ❏ SYDAC ❏ Completed: December 1999 ❏ Cost: $2.4 million ❏ Jobs: About 10

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HEN one of the nation’s largest rail freight haulage businesses, QR National, wanted to efficiently train a dispersed driver workforce on how to use a new range of locomotives, it knew it needed to think outside the square. Step in Sydac, a simulation specialist. The idea? A mobile driving simulator in the back of a semi-trailer. Seems fairly straightforward, but the year was 1998 and simulator technology was a far cry from what it is now. Sydac system engineer Adrian James says

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

it was a challenge as the 38 new 4000-class diesel electric locomotives on which the simulator was based were unfinished. ‘‘It was difficult to design the simulator at the same time they were building the trains,’’ he says. ‘‘The typical train was 3m wide and the truck was only 2.5m, so we couldn’t provide a fullwidth simulator. It also had to be designed to navigate rough roads.’’ The project highlights how far simulator technology has come. ‘‘In those days we mounted a video camera on a train and then

the train went around the network,’’ Mr James says. ‘‘It measured the position of the train with a tachometer and then we had a system that would show the frame in the right vision.’’ The simulator operates across QR’s Queensland and NSW depots and training centres. The user swipes in using an ID card and, based on their level of experience, a training session is made available. A track database comprises approximately 400km of the QR network. ‘‘It’s a fully functional train model,’’ Mr James says. ❯❯

✂ ✂ WATER AND LIFE THE ENGINE ROOM

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NGINEERS and environmentalists applaud the 105 tonnes of sediment and 47kg of phosphorus removed every year from the Patawalonga Catchment as a sign of the success of the Warriparinga Wetlands. Marion residents have a far simpler criterion for that same success: students learn there and people walk and run around the lakes that are working to protect the environment. More than 45,000 cubic metres of earth was moved to create the wetland, sold to the Western Region Waste Management Authority to rehabilitate Garden Island. It was replaced by four ponds with hidden pollutant traps to capture debris and gabion weirs – rock-filled wire cages – to separate four interconnecting clay-lined ponds. The ponds expose the water to sunlight, disinfecting it and offering a home to fish, birds and plants. The water is then diverted from the Sturt River, filtered, then returned to the river to drain into the sea. Tonkin Consulting managing director Ken Schalk says the project was the most rewarding of his career. ‘‘Seeing the wetland take shape during construction and then seeing the way in which the community used and valued the site was really satisfying,’’ he says. ‘‘I have often revisited the wetland since to see the way in which it has developed and to experience the special place that was created.’’ ❯❯

Niko Tsoukalas at the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion in Adelaide Botanic Gardens Picture: Patrick Gorbunovs

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Warriparinga Wetlands ❏ Project design by Tonkin Consulting ❏ Completed: December 1998

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❏ Cost: $1.7 million ❏ Jobs: About 30

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Who is Engineers Australia?

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Engineers Australia is the national forum for the advancement of engineering and the professional development of our members. With more than 90,000 members embracing all disciplines of the engineering team, Engineers Australia is the largest and the most diverse professional body for engineers in Australia. Our chartered engineers are regarded as trusted professionals not only in Australia, but worldwide.

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Visit Engineers Australia via www.engineersaustralia.org.au or www.makeitso.org.au for more information about us and the activities we undertake.

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ENGINEERS2 2-8

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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T IS time for buildings engineers to look at the aesthetics of their projects as well as their functions, Aurecon principal structural engineer and technical director Niko Tsoukalas says. He has developed the country’s first architectural engineering course for the University of Adelaide and he has a passion – integrated design and glass as a building material. And that passion has already been expressed throughout Adelaide. The glass footbridge at the Festival Centre, the spectacular dome at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and the stunning facade about to grace the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute all show what integrated design and glass can do, Mr Tsoukalas says. ‘‘It is stronger than concrete – you have to reinforce concrete but you can use glass without anything in it when you know where and how to use it,’’ he says. Aurecon’s work on the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion at the Adelaide Botanic Garden did away with the conventional aluminium frames, using glass itself as a support. A proper understanding of glass as a building material – well-developed and researched in Europe but rare in Australia today – builds not only a robust structure but a more beautiful one, Mr Tsoukalas says. ‘‘It is not about it being the future (of materials), it is about designing it so you see through it, to improve the experience of actually being in that space. And this just takes that to the next level.’’ ❯❯

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2/8/11 U-15

A rare Amazonian waterlily sits alongside glass columns bearing 21⁄2 tonnes. But don’t worry, it’s not only safe, it’s beautiful

Warriparinga Wetlands a success story for engineers and public

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Glass of its own

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM INFRASTRUCTURE

Reasons for $200m grid connection still just as strong today

Weir here to help

PUB: ADV SPECIAL SUPP 2/8/11 U-16

Planning and constructing a 177km power link between states was more than a good commercial decision RANSENERGIE Australia provided a compelling reason for the $200 million connection of South Australian and Victorian power grids – fewer blackouts during the summer months. The trading of power between the states was always of interest as the national energy market was growing, but it remains relevant today as SA ramps up non-baseload energy in the form of wind power. But while consumers are likely to revel in the airconditioning and heating that the link promises, the project itself generated record levels of energy. Project director Mike Farr said at the time that burying the 220MW interconnector rather than hanging it from power lines would provide added protection for the vital link. ‘‘It will not be susceptible to lightning strikes, bushfires or to impact by foreign objects as afflicts conventional overhead transmission lines at the moment,’’ Mr Farr said. The planning for Murraylink’s burial was not as straight forward. Planning contractor KBR used a geospatial information system to map the corridor the project would use to connect the sites, taking into account the varying terrain – a process that picked up awards for its planning and management. Murraylink passes through a number of residential and farming areas in each state, including horticultural, farming and grazing districts. It also crosses under the River Murray and runs alongside the Murray Sunset National Park and sections of the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve. ‘‘This process gave exact figures for how many trees and shrubs would be affected by alternative proposed routes through several sensitive areas,’’ the company says. ❯❯

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Power to the people ❏ Underground transmission line connecting Victorian and South Australian electricity grids ❏ Planning and assessment undertaken by KBR ❏ Completed: 2003 ❏ Cost: Project value of $200 million ❏ Jobs: 120

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Opening and closing the River Murray locks now takes hours, not weeks

The days of the paddle-steamer are gone. Now it’s time for outdated river infrastructure to be updated S recent experiences attest, Australia truly is a land of drought and flooding rains. And yet its river infrastructure is still mired in a past that only clumsily deals with these conditions. The River Murray’s lock-and-weir system was built in the 1920s and 1930s to allow giant paddle-steamers negotiate the river, holding back water to keep the river navigable during dry spells and managing flows during floods. The same infrastructure is still in place, but for very different purposes. Water is now drawn from the river all year round for irrigation, and tourism has blossomed along the route – provided there is sufficient water in place. By 2001, SA Water, State Water NSW and the Murray Darling Basin Authority recognised there was a need to update structures that had been managing the river for more than 70 years. Boats would move from weir to lock using small pools at the side of the river. Water levels could be dropped to allow the boat to move downstream, or more water let in to allow it to jump up to the next level. While the passes could be removed to allow boats through during floods, URS Australia

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

senior principal engineer Jerome Argue says the process had two flaws – it could take weeks and there was a risk it could take lives. ‘‘A diver had to go into the water to help guide the barriers in or out, and they are working in zero visibility,’’ he says. ‘‘They had fast water sweeping past them, water that could be filled with logs and other debris, they had little visibility and heavy steel barriers being moved over their heads by a crane.’’ No lives were lost, but Mr Argue says the combined authorities recognised there was a need for improvement. URS designed the new system for the

navigable passes, a decade-long project with contractors York Civil and Built Environs. Like their predecessors, the new structures can be lifted out during floods to allow boats to flow freely, but take only hours to change, not weeks. The award-winning engineering work was dependent on weather conditions, assisted by low water levels and, more recently, delayed by heavy floodwaters. While there were challenges of building innovative replacements on top of their 70-year-old counterparts, safety has been the most valuable reward. ❯❯

✂ ✂ DEFENCE THE ENGINE ROOM

Best-selling video

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Full flight

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❏ Operational Support Tactical Common Data Link (OS TCDL) ❏ BAE Systems Australia

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❏ Completed: February 2006, first aircraft modification June 2007, all aircraft completed 2008 ❏ Cost: more than $2 million ❏ Jobs: 39 people in Melbourne and Adelaide

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BAE project manager Trevor Woolley and, left, the AP-3C Orion with video capability

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The best eyes in the Middle East are quick and well-designed, writes Belinda Willis

from our allies’’, reflected ‘‘in the demand for their real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities’’. BAE Systems, in a four-and-a-half month turnaround from project approval to aircraft prototype, installed the first Operational Support Tactical Common Data Link (OS TCDL) and Star Safire High Definition (SSHD) capability for the RAAF AP-3C Orion. A team of about 45 people in Adelaide and Melbourne completed the project.

Since the initial $2 million contract to fit the systems to four AP-3C aircraft, BAE has been awarded work to extend that capability to the full fleet of 18 Orion aircraft. Trevor Woolley, a BAE project manager in the Aerospace Systems Integration Division, said a US-based system was installed to ensure images could be shared with Coalition forces. ‘‘But the design for it going into our aircraft was unique,’’ Mr Woolley said.

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‘‘The system allows real-time imagery to be transmitted from the aircraft to the ground for the use of forces on the ground.’’ Since the introduction of OS TCDL and SSHD, the AP-3C Orion has become the platform of choice, particularly in support of Special Operations Teams in the Middle East. Officer Commanding No 92 Wing, Warren McDonald, said BAE Systems engineering outcomes for OS TCDL ‘‘raised the status and excellence of Australian engineering’’. ❯❯

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Decoy drives missiles around the bend S

last October as part of its 12th successive annual contract. The Nulka decoy is an important element of ship defence used by the Australian, United States and Canadian navies with a total program value of more than $900 million. Peter Steiner, BAE Systems Australia production manger for weapons systems, said a large amount of production work was completed by the decoy manufacturing team at Edinburgh Parks in Adelaide. The Nulka, standing about 2m tall, is to be installed aboard the US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and it is already fitted to more than 130 ships in the US and Australian

The Nulka decoy, an Australian innovation, is a vital element of ship defence.

navies. ‘‘Out in the ocean, a threat might be detected and at that particular time other defence systems would activate,’’ Mr Steiner said. ‘‘If they don’t achieve their objective, the Nulka is deployed.’’ Mr Steiner said the Nulka’s standout hovering rocket technology enabled it to hover long enough to attract a threat away from the ship. In October last year, BAE Systems celebrated the production of the 1000th active missile decoy round. BAE Systems Australia chief executive Jim McDowell said, at the time, the decoy was a collaboration between government and industry

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on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. ‘‘This is a truly impressive piece of engineering – revolutionary when it first appeared on the scene and still unique,’’ he said. Nulka is designed to be used as part of a multi-layer defence system or for stand-alone ship protection. ‘‘I’m an ex-defence force person myself and I get a lot of satisfaction from this work,’’ Mr Steiner said. ‘‘I know what it’s like to be in the defence force and to use this kind of equipment. ‘‘It’s quite motivating. ‘‘I would say that on behalf of most people here, that you are defending and protecting people out there.’’ ❯❯

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– Belinda Willis

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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TANDING on its tail and enticing enemy missiles away from their targets, its creators describe Nulka as the world’s most effective all-weather anti-ship missile decoy. A single Nulka Active Missile Decoy can seduce multiple anti-ship missiles away from their target with an impressive array of hovering rocket, autonomous system and electronic technologies. An Australian innovation, Nulka started its life in the Government Aircraft Factory before shifting to BAE Systems Australia when the US Navy joined the program in the 1980s. Nulka produced its 1000th round

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HEN the RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft used in the Middle East were fitted with the capability to transmit highspeed, full-motion video to Australian and Coalition ground forces, it gave them unprecedented support in searching and reporting on suspicious activity. After its installation, the Minister for Defence was quoted as saying the capability meant RAAF Orion crews had ‘‘won great respect

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM ENVIRONMENT

Green solution going to waste PUB: ADV SPECIAL SUPP 2/8/11 U-18

AECOM sector leader for civil and municipal infrastructure for Australia and New Zealand Philip Verco is delighted with the ‘‘good result for the communities’’ Picture: Brenton Edwards

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Protecting the pristine Port Lincoln coastline propelled plans for an innovative solution, Belinda Willis writes N 2001, AECOM mapped plans with numerous stakeholders to harvest treated effluent from the Port Lincoln Wastewater Treatment Plant and use it to water sporting grounds, ovals and reserves throughout the city. ‘‘We’re in the driest state in the driest continent in the world and to have a sustainable solution like this is a real bonus and a credit to the community,’’ Philip Verco, AECOM sector leader for civil and municipal infrastructure for Australia and New Zealand, says. The first job for AECOM (formerly Maunsell Australia) was to create a scoping study, drawing input from the city of Port Lincoln, the seafood and fishing industry, SA Water, the Environment Protection Authority, the Lincoln Lakes Development Company and the Aboriginal community. A detailed design project was created to

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build tertiary treatment extensions to the Port Lincoln wastewater treatment plant, to produce Class A effluent along with an irrigation distribution network and water storage. A link was also provided within the designs to a proposed new wastewater treatment plant at Port Lincoln Tuna Processors. This has since enabled treated effluent from this factory to be directed to the irrigation scheme. Mr Verco says the treatment plant, pump station and first stage of network construction and supply tanks to Ravendale Oval and the Port Lincoln racecourse were completed in 2003. Extensions to the system were completed in 2006 and 2009. ‘‘The result is the reduction of effluent going straight into the ocean and the adverse impacts of that being removed is a real bonus; and, clearly, it also means parks that

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

wouldn’t have received watering have now – and that’s a good result for the communities,’’ Mr Verco says. It has also reduced the impact of discharging effluent to the sea, such as algal blooms caused by nutrients, the dieback of sea grass and possible threats to aquaculture. There is also a reduced reliance on mains water. Mr Verco says some of the challenges included ensuring sufficient flow to meet demand and managing salinity levels of water used for irrigation along with public health and safety concerns. AECOM associate director Steve Mitchell says the city of Port Lincoln’s commitment to extending the scheme to additional reserves proved the scheme’s viability and has led to further reductions in effluent being discharged into the sea. ❯❯

Water bonanza flow-on bonus to vines, fruit trees, flowers and nut crops A small project has delivered more than a few good bottles of red, writes Belinda Willis CARCE water resources have bred irrigation invention in one of the state’s decorated projects operating in Willunga. The Willunga Basin Water Company kicked off in the 1990s when 15 water users joined forces to tackle resource challenges from a new angle. Their aim was to build a pipeline to the Christies Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant, 10 kilometres north of the Willunga Basin, to reclaim treated water spilling into Gulf St Vincent. Now, the privately funded, owned and operated project has led to the water being used for drip irrigation of vines, fruit trees, nut crops and flowers via 120 kilometres of pipeline in the McLaren Vale region. The reclaimed water, now with more than 150 users, is cheaper than bore water and safe for drip irrigation – but that is just the start, says Willunga Basin Water Company operations manager Glen Templeman. ‘‘We are looking further down the track for urban resources, not just a third pipe solution,’’ he says. ‘‘We’re also looking at roadside and verge recovery to improve the process.’’ Growers irrigate by turning on their tap, with no need for storage, power or pumps on farms. The water is supplied at a pressure that suits most on-farm drip irrigation systems and there is no water ordering system. A user accesses the water supply at a mutually agreed flow rate and each outlet has a flow meter with water usage logged continuously. Around 10,000ML of water is treated at the wastewater treatment plant each year and about 40 per cent is used by the Willunga Basin Water Company. The scheme, which began operating in 1999, now incorporates seven pump stations, three buffering storages and more than 120km of pipeline, and manages a further three major above ground storages. ❯❯

Willunga Basin ❏ Reclaimed water scheme ❏ Completed: May 1999 ❏ Cost: $8 million with no government funding. Total funding for extensions has been extended to $33 million ❏ Customers: 15 initially, now 155 consuming more than 5Gl ❏ Jobs: More than that created by Mobil in the southern region

✂ ✂ WATER THE ENGINE ROOM

Going underground

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But our future involves greater urbanisation, greater centralisation, meaning cities will have less space to hold vital wetlands. The City of Salisbury’s vertical wetlands offer

a system with a footprint 12 times smaller than the traditional wetlands but one that will harvest, treat, store and distribute up to 1300ML every year. City projects director Colin Pitman has long spruiked the council’s water management, a project of 13 sites connected by 120km of pipes that provides industry with nonpotable water that is cheaper than that provided by SA Water – and yet still turns a profit for the council. And there is no doubt he remains proud of the next steps the council is taking.

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‘‘We are returning the water to the land from whence it came. It is really the science of localism,’’ he says. ‘‘We now know the water we are putting into the wetlands is better on average than the water received into Adelaide’s reservoirs. It actually raises the quality.’’ There is yet work to be done on the vertical system, he says, including research into which plants, filters and processes would perform better, but there remains an enduring belief he is helping create the next generation of water security for the community. ❯❯

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EngQuest 2011: g offers a great choice in student projects, including the new ‘Rebuild a community’ project. g features a new lash entry animation and fun IWB interactives, games and quizzes for students. g includes curriculum-linked education support material. g engineer volunteers available to provide support via the online forum and where possible, through special school visits.

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visit the website today

www.engquest.org.au

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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ENGQUEST28-7/3091908

Join the educational fun in maths, science and technology. Each student receives a participation prize and colourful merit certiicate.

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Salisbury Council’s water guru Colin Pitman just won’t give up on his crusade to deliver better water to the community, writes Russell Emmerson

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Colin Pitman in one of the vertical wetlands he designed in Pooraka. Picture: Brooke Whatnall

SYSTEM of 13 interconnected wetlands, purifying stormwater to sell to industry, just wasn’t enough for Salisbury Council. The latest additions to their network at Pooraka and Parafield Airport offers a new approach that processes 10 times the amount of water for one-third of the cost. The $15.4 million concept starts with the basics of wetland processing – diverting stormwater through filters to remove debris and pollutants, then returning it to underground aquifers for storage and reuse.

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM WATER AND ENVIRONMENT

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Leading way on water lifeline Ambitious scheme keeps salt out of our water system

IVING an Engineering Excellence award to the River Murray Salt Interception Scheme is more akin to awarding a lifetime achievement award, or, perhaps more accurately, a lifeline achievement. The problem lies in our intensive use of water from the Murray Darling Basin for irrigation, a practice that before 1990 dumped more than 1200 tonnes of salt into the state’s lifeline each day. The solution lies in a series of saltinterception schemes, which form the world’s largest groundwater pumping scheme. SA Water principal engineer, salt interception, Peter Forward said the first of the schemes was rolled out east of Waikerie in 1990. The entire $170 million scheme now covers 200km of pipes. ‘‘People know the River Murray is a problem but don’t know what we have achieved,’’ he says. ‘‘The drought changed that. We would have had such high salinity if we didn’t have this scheme.’’ Highly saline water is pumped from bores before it enters the river and travels to population centres and is pushed into evaporation basins outside the river valley. The 20-year scheme is nearing the end of its major-project status. The Murtho scheme near Renmark is to be commissioned at the end of this year. The first, $2 million, stage of the Pike scheme between Berri and Renmark has just been completed. Several hundred jobs have been created in construction and 25 people keep the system running. Mr Forward says the challenge now does not lie with engineers. ‘‘We are coming to the end of the major project as it is not economical to do more things. The next challenge is operating the schemes in an economical and efficient manner.’’ ❯❯

SA Water workers laying pipes in the River Murray Salt Interception Scheme

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Waste plant turns sludge to water HE Christies Beach treatment plant upgrade already has a record to hold high. The introduction of new filters – or membrane bioreactors – able to process 22.5ML a day of waste water puts it at the 18th largest such plant in the world, not a bad option when running against plants in the Middle East and China. But it also has a local outcome that will see it readily welcomed by nearby residents. The former sewage treatment process relied on evaporation as a key process for drying solid waste from the treatment process, establishing sludge lagoons on the banks of the Onkaparinga River. The new process, part of a $272 million upgrade, instead uses centrifuges to mechanically dewater the biosolids within an

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HE opening of the $98 million Bolivar High Salinity project in 2004 had one very welcome outcome – the clos u r e of th e Por t A delaide wastewater treatment plant. Chief engineer of KBR’s water engineering division Kevin Yerrell, who managed the design of the project, said the impact of the 80-year-old Port Adelaide sewage treatment plant was significant. ‘‘The problem was that the area is very old and the sewers leak in a lot of saline groundwater,’’ he says. ‘‘But the real plus of the closure is that the treated wastewater discharge was taken out of the Port River and there are no longer red tides (algal blooms).’’

Happy event

enclosed building with full odour scrubbing of ventilation air, while the new filters significantly improve the recycled water, all while boosting its processing power by 50 per cent to 45ML per day. ‘‘The area is so developed there was

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

nowhere to go other than on the existing site,’’ construction company KBR’s chief water engineer Kevin Yerrell said. ‘‘The wow factor is the abandonment of the sludge lagoons, cutting the odours and the damage to the river without alienating residents.’’

✂ ✂ LANDMARKS THE ENGINE ROOM

An almighty achievement

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They may not make headlines, but small-scale engineering projects can bring great satisfaction to engineers and communities. Giuseppe Tauriello explains how consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff helped bring an Adelaide Hills church back to the future

Peter Statton in Adelaide and, inset, the church in Strathalbyn Main picture: Campbell Brodie

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A ‘significant’ project safe every day of the five-year-long project. And for those doubting the significance of the challenge, two million cubic metres of material was excavated including 100,000 cubic metres from each tunnel – a process challenged by geology that changed as the work progressed. Mr Rossi began working on the Swanport Bridge on the Murray River and is now project director of the state’s largest-ever road infrastructure, the $843 million South Rd Superway. But the Adelaide-Crafers project, with its dual tunnels and dramatic ravines that serve as a gateway to Adelaide, remains one of the state’s iconic engineering feats. ‘‘It has definitely been a once in a lifetime opportunity,’’ he said. ❯❯

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Join Parsons Brinckerhoff to create engineering wonders of the future.

● ● INSPIRE the world’s best teams to CREATE innovative solutions for physical assets that ENHANCE our communities for future generations.

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Apply online at www.pbworld.com Contact Lynne Norton to discuss employment opportunities lnorton@pb.com or 08 8405 4382

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THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

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The Adelaide-Crafers Highway did more for South Australia than merely cut travel times

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DELAIDE-CRAFERS Highway project director Luigi Rossi won’t shy away from the significance of the 8.3km road his team completed in 2000. Most people value the 10 minutes it cuts from their journey or the added safety of the six lanes, but Mr Luigi sees the stretch as no less than a testament to South Australia. ‘‘We achieved 8km of very complex roadworks for $150 million in 2000,’’ he says. ‘‘I know we have moved on but you wouldn’t be able to do that anywhere else in Australia for that money, and we definitely punch above our weight. ‘‘Sometimes people don’t appreciate we can deliver projects more efficiently here than anywhere else. It is incredible value.’’ Describing the project as a stretch of road shows the point has been missed. The team hacked and exploded their way through mountains, filled in gullies and ravines up to 30m deep, all while keeping employees and 35,000 passing motorists

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the local district area and gave the community ownership.’’ To replicate the intricate detail of the original spirelets, engineers conducted research on the history of the church in consultation with Heritage SA and state archives. Another major challenge was to minimise disruption to the congregation. The firm maximised off-site work by positioning the spirelets and crosses into a steel frame which could then be secured to the bell tower in one lift. The resulting structure weighed 11.2 tonnes and the base frame was ultimately hidden by the parapet walls. ‘‘We came up with a design solution that had minimal impact and which enabled it to be lifted all in one piece,’’ Mr Statton says. ‘‘It was unique in that sense.’’ During 16 years working with Parsons Brinckerhoff, Mr Statton has been involved in several major transport, water and infrastructure projects and is currently leading the structural design of the Te Mihi geothermal power station in Taupo, on New Zealand’s north island. But he says the St Andrews project remains a highlight of his career. ‘‘While the job was not particularly large, it was satisfying in terms of giving to the community,’’ he says. ❯❯

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OMETIMES it is not the largest or most profitable engineering projects that are the most rewarding. The St Andrews church in Strathalbyn is a local landmark. Completed in its present form in 1869, the church is a focal point for the community and is an important state heritage asset. But in 1956, two spirelets atop the bell tower were lost during a severe winter storm. For 45 years the church was missing a critical piece of its rich history before all four spirelets were finally replaced in 2001. The seven-year effort started in 1994 when a church restoration committee was formed. Then, following years of community fundraising and input, the bell tower was finally returned to its former glory utilising the engineering ingenuity of consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. Principal structural engineer Peter Statton, who lives in the surrounding hills community, has a personal attachment to the church and led the engineering team. ‘‘The church was quite significant to the township and still is,’’ he says. ‘‘We really needed to engage with the restoration committee and understand the knowledge of the local community to get them involved. We engaged contractors from

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✂ ✂ THE ENGINE ROOM REMEDIATION

Kilburn’s Jack Watkins Reserve is no longer the toxic wasteland it once was, Alexandra Economou writes

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Park born out of hell hole HEN Parsons Brinckerhoff began working on the former Australian National railyard site at Islington in 1999, it knew of the risks. The site contained large quantities of friable asbestos, heavy metals, arsenic, solid cyanides and hydrocarbons – and was recognised as one of the state’s largest and most hazardous environmental rehabilitation projects in recent years. Parsons Brinckerhoff major projects executive Geoff Kneebone says the initial brief was to simply clean up the site. ‘‘Anything other than that we achieved was a bonus,’’ he says. ‘‘We turned it from a simple remediation project to a project with significant social benefits.’’ Mr Kneebone says a great deal of preparation was needed for the clean-up. ‘‘You don’t rush in, you analyse every cubic metre before you go and make decisions,’’ he says. ‘‘We had to understand exactly what was there. There was up to 100-year-old ancient railway waste including lagging and

Parsons Brinckerhoff major projects executive Geoff Kneebone was given the task of cleaning a toxic wasteland – and created a refuge. Picture: Nigel Parsons.

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asbestos. The primary (consideration) was safety management through eliminating the likelihood of asbestos emissions.’’ When it came time to remove the asbestos, the site had to be doused with water sprays and mists to ensure the asbestos fibres did not become airborne. Asbestos meters and dust catchers were also placed around the

site’s perimeter. Parsons Brinckerhoff worked in partnership with the Port Adelaide Enfield Council on the development of the 12ha park, and a significant portion of the funding for the project was used to landscape the park. This included automatic irrigation, vegetation, walking trails, carparking, lights, footpaths and a playground.

The former Australian National railyard at Islington

Property values of the nearby Housing Trust residences were also enhanced by the redevelopment, with the park providing a ‘‘buffer’’ between the residential areas and the remaining workshops facility. The remaining portion of the former waste dump area was made suitable for industrial redevelopment. The project is considered a significant engineering achievement because it has benefited the site owner, the local community and the state. Jack Watkins Reserve, in Churchill Rd, was officially opened in 2003. It was named after Jack Watkins who worked in the construction industry and campaigned for years to raise awareness of asbestos dangers. Mr Watkins was a former president of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia and worked with local residents to urge the state and federal governments to clean up the Islington site. The park is a tribute to Mr Watkins, who died in 2007 and workers who have died from asbestos-related diseases. ❯❯

Cementing a clean, green future DELAIDE Brighton Cement has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by more than 250,000 tonnes annually thanks to a materials handling, storage and injection system developed by Parsons Brinckerhoff. In 2005 and 2006, the system was built to burn recycled combustible waste materials from demolition sites in the calciner at ABC’s Birkenhead plant. The aim of the Adelaide Brighton Alternative Fuels Project – Towards Zero Waste – was to replace a propor-

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tion of the natural gas fuel used and ABC now saves 1.2 petajoules of natural gas each year – the equivalent of the annual gas consumption of about 140,000 SA households. SA Zero Waste Authority chief executive Vaughan Levitzke says: ‘‘This innovative project has made a major contribution to South Australia’s zero waste objectives and showcases the triple bottom line benefits of recycling.’’ The use of recycled waste as a supplementary fuel source has

THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011

also enabled ABC to divert 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year. Feed for the plant is supplied by ResourceCo, which established a recycled processing plant near ABC’s Birkenhead site and employs 40 people. ‘‘PB has provided systems and skills to allow ABC to achieve a positive economic benefit and a sig nifica nt co nt rib ut io n to greenhouse gas reduction,’’ says cement and lime projects manager Guy Martin. ❯❯ – Alexandra Economou

Adelaide Brighton Cement factory has significantly reduced its emissions

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UPDATES

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IMAGINE IF WE DIDN’T RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

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THROUGHOUT 2011, WE WILL SHOWCASE HUMANITARIAN ENGINEERING STORIESAND HOPEFULLY WILL INSPIRE MORE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED .

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2/8/11 U-23

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Help Engineers Australia make it so the world is a better place. To learn more and get involved go to www.makeitso.org.au/humanitarian

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Passing the baton - Engineering Australia’s Future

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Passing the baton - Engineering Australia’s Future

11-0772SPFE.

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THE ADVERTISER I ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA (SA) 2011