www.bulkhandlingreview.com
VOLUME 23, ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
Directory of leading firms: Our annual showcase of engineering expertise in materials handling
New BWE barracudaÂŽ cutting bucket wheel excavator Enhancing mining operations
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
Published by:
50
11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au
15
22
6 T ake-or-pay deals could cost GrainCorp
17 G reater demand for smooth flow liner materials from Cut to Size
8 Dates announced for bulk materials conference
18 Enerpac Academy gets down to the nuts and bolts of hydraulic tool safety
10 Australian grains industry faces ‘capital shift’: Rabobank 12 Fortescue’s relocatable conveyor begins operation
Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au
22 PROK launches new heavyduty roller
14 Dynamic binning to benefit Viterra growers
Editor Paula Wallace E: paula.wallace@primecreative.com.au
15 Port of Newcastle commits to developing container terminal
Business Development Manager Zelda Tupicoff E: zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au
16 New research on landslides can also assist industry
Client Success Manager Natsha Shekar E: natasha.shekar@primecreative.com.au Art Director Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au
20 New tipping and dumping equipment from Flexicon
24 C ounterfeit bearings pose serious safety risks: Schaeffler 48 Smart technology from ContiTech minimises production disruption 50 Kockums on how to choose the right open-mouth bagger
62
52 Steve Davis from Rio Tinto shares insights from 30 years in bulk materials handling 57 Kinder’s skirting solution eliminates barriers to ‘confined spaces’ 58 SA quarry’s success with rugged impact beds from Flexco 60 Output doubled using Flexicon rotary batch mixer 62 Fenner Dunlop’s holistic approach paying off 64 ‘Going with the flow’ cheaper than you think: Enmin
ENGINEERING SERVICES 28 G rant Wellwood from Jenike & Johanson answers the question: What is the best way to source bulk solids handling expertise?
Design Blake Storey, Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty
33 TUNRA Bulk Solids’ innovative Cut & Gouge Tester
Subscriptions Gordon Watson T:03 9690 8766 E: gordon.watson@primecreative.com.au
37 Award for engineering of Rio Tinto’s Amrun export facility 38 2018/19 Directory of bulk handling engineering firms ABHR’s listing will help operators at mines, mills, ports and plants of all types pinpoint exactly the right engineer for their job
www.bulkhandlingreview.com The Publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article or advertisement submitted and requires indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. © Copyright – No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Making complex easy recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.
COVER STORY A step change in hard material mining
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www.bulkhandlingreview.com
VOLUME 23, ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
Directory of leading firms: Our annual showcase of engineering expertise in materials handling
Want to know more? Melbourne (Head Office) Sydney I Brisbane Mackay I Townsville Perth I Adelaide
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during transport and at the construction site. • Consistent quality casting: The design of the feeders and the use of heat sinks combined with the relatively short segments guarantee a seamless casting quality. • Reduced Vibrations: High accuracy and quality of segmented girth gears – better than AGMA 8. • Reduced Transportation and Installation Cost: Girth gear segments are compact, smaller and lighter than traditional solutions. • Simple exchange and repair: If a segment is damaged, it can be exchanged without dismantling the whole ring. • Longer service life: Precision-machined segmented girth gears, manufactured from Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI), are virtually wear free.
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New BWE barracuda® cutting bucket wheel excavator Enhancing mining operations
To make the mining of hard materials more efficient thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has developed the barracuda, a new compact bucket wheel excavator which allows continuous operation both in hard and soft materials. Compared with conventional designs the cutting bucket wheel of the barracuda is equipped with an increased number of buckets. In correlation with a larger amount of teeth per bucket the contact pattern from tooth to material is very dense, with a small area being extracted by each single tooth. By applying this new design, harder materials can be excavated in a cutting operation, for example potash, limestone or frozen materials. For the full story, see page 26.
15/08/2018 11:12 AM
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 3
INLINE MASS FLOW WEIGHING & SAMPLING
EDITORIAL
Sourcing experts Every year, the September/October edition of Australian Bulk Handling Review devotes itself to celebrating the engineering expertise in bulk materials handling. And this year is no exception. We’re excited to include in this edition of the magazine, a comprehensive directory of bulk handling engineering firms. There are many within the industry who will find the directory invaluable and we hope you will keep it on hand to reference throughout the year – whether you’re wanting to undertake a bulk handling project or looking for an engineering firm with specific expertise or experience. The list includes those firms offering design and consulting engineering services, as well as some related activities such as EPCM. Please contact us if you have any feedback or believe your firm should be listed in the future. You will also find in this edition some examples of Australian engineering excellence in action. TUNRA Bulk Solids Handling shares the story of how it developed its innovative Cut and Gouge Tester (page 33) after it was approached by one of the world’s largest mining corporations to perform comparative testing on conveyor belt samples. In our regular section “Ask an Engineer”, Grant Wellwood from Jenike & Johanson delves into the question of how to best source bulk solids handling expertise. He outlines a methodology for decision making that will ensure that your bulk solid flow decisions are independently informed by science. You can find this story on page 28. Another highlight can be found on page 52: Steve Davis from Rio Tinto shares his key insights into the engineering and operation of conveyor systems, taken from more than 30 years in the industry. There are also plenty of new product releases and interviews with some of the major players in bulk materials handling. In the next edition, the final one for this year, we’ll be featuring stories on dust control. Please get in touch if you would like to be involved.
10 Peekarra Street, Regency Park, SA 5010 Phone: +61 8 8118 6466 Email: sales@ flowforce.com.au www.flowforce.com.au
Christine Clancy Publisher - ABHR
ogether Piecing Solutions T
For More Information Visit
www.kockumsbulk.com.au Call 03 9457 8200 to speak to your local representative
NEWS
Take-or-pay deals could cost GrainCorp A small crop outlook will mean existing take-or-pay rail contracts will challenge GrainCorp over the next 12 months, the company said. THE GRAIN TRANSPORT AND STORAGE FIRM, which reports on a 12-month cycle ending September 30 each year, raised its earnings guidance for FY18 thanks to strong figures for its malt business. GrainCorp on September 6 raised underlying net profit guidance to $60-$75 million, up from prior guidance of $50-$70 million. It raised underlying EBITDA guidance from $240$265 million, to $255-270 million. But the company warned it anticipates volumes will plummet over the next 12 months in eastern Australia as drought grips key growing regions. “We expect a considerable decline in grain production in eastern Australia in FY19 with production again skewed to Victoria and southern New South Wales,” chief executive Mark Palmquist said.
“We continue to respond to the deteriorating outlook by adapting the network to better match the size and location of the crop and keeping a strong focus on operating cost control, asset utilisation and disciplined capex allocation. “It is an extremely challenging time for our grower customers. Many of our own people live and farm in these communities and we keenly feel the difficulties they are going through.” GrainCorp said lower anticipated volumes would mean take-or-pay rail contracts will present “a significant challenge”. Current rail commitments expire at the end of FY19, and GrainCorp says the new contracts – which come into effect from FY20 – will provide “greater flexibility to manage transportation costs through the crop cycle.”
ABOVE: GrainCorp warns that volumes are likely to plummet over the next 12 months in eastern Australia due to drought.
Weir Minerals announces its IIoT platform Complementing Weir Minerals’ existing portfolio of mining equipment, the Synertrex® platform is now available globally. DELIVERING AN ADVANCED LEVEL OF understanding, the industrial platform allows operators to monitor every aspect of their equipment’s operation, prevent problems and increase throughput. “We believe our Synertrex platform will have a significant impact on the mining industry, transforming customer operations through improved productivity and safety,” said Ricardo Garib, minerals division president at Weir Minerals. “Working with technology market leaders Microsoft and Dell has enabled us to develop sophisticated predictive software and hardware which is robust enough to operate in extreme conditions across the globe,” he said. Utilising cloud computing, it involves placing smart sensors on an array of Weir Minerals’ products which gather critical operating data for advanced analysis. The data is transformed into powerful insights which are relayed to the customer through a digital interface. It can identify problems before they occur, reducing downtime, and optimise equipment performance across an entire circuit.
6 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
At this stage, the platform can be paired with Warman pumps, Cavex hydrocyclones, GEHO PD pumps, Enduron HPGR, Enduron screens and Enduron crushers; however there are plans to expand the range of compatible products. Customers with existing Weir Minerals’ products who wish to enable Synertrex® will be able to retrofit sensors to equipment. For more information visit: www.synertrex.weir
ABOVE: The Synertrex platform analyses data from equipment in the field.
Do you want 10% more uptime? That’s how we make the big difference, the Metso Way. The Metso MX™ cone crusher is based on the patented Multi-Action crushing technology, which combines the piston and rotating bowl into a single crusher. The new crusher provides a giant leap in profitability, cutting operational costs by 10% and enabling 10% more uptime compared to traditional cone crushers. Find out more at www.metso.com/mx #TheMetsoWay
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 7
NEWS
Dates announced for bulk materials conference Organisers of the 13th International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage, Handling and Transportation have announced that the event will be held at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast from 9-11 July, 2019. THE MAJOR EVENT OF THE YEAR FOR THE Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling (ASBSH), the conference will focus on advances in research, development, application and implementation of the technologies associated with various aspects of bulk solids handling. The conference, sponsored by ContiTech Australia, will provide a forum to review the state-of-the-art with respect to research and development and promote the exchange of ideas and experiences between researchers and practitioners. “We are interested in contributions from all sectors of industry, from smaller scale process plants through to the mining and minerals industries,” said a spokesperson for ASBSH. The conference will be of particular interest to those working in mining and mineral production and processing; power generation; chemical and petrochemical process industries; agriculture and biomass production and processing; energy and
environment; and the food industry. The call for papers is now open on a variety of subjects covering the general areas of storage and handling; transportation; and energy resources and environment. Intending authors are invited to submit the title and a brief synopsis of their intended paper (not more than 250 words), by the end of November, to Danielle Harris at Danielle.Harris@newcastle.edu.au
New appointments at thyssenkrupp Thyssenkrupp has made two key appointments to its Australian operation in the areas of sales and project delivery. WITH MORE THAN 350 PEOPLE WORKING for the business across Australia, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Australia is an important part the international group. The company has a long heritage within the Australian mining industry and has played a part in advancing the resources boom, having supplied excavation and processing equipment for the nation’s mining sector for many years. The company is also heavily involved in the supply of process technologies to industries, such as refineries, chemical plants and plastics manufacturing. thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) recently announced the appointment of Ben Suda and Humberto Valladares. Mr Suda is the new Head of Sales in Australia and he brings a wealth of sales management experience along with an extensive knowledge and deep understanding of the markets in which the company operates. “We are confident that Ben will be a valuable addition to the company,” said a spokesperson for thyssenkrupp.
8 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
ABOVE: Humberto Valladares.
ABOVE: Ben Suda.
Mr Valladares is the company’s new Chief Operations Officer. He recently arrived in Australia from Brazil and brings with him a distinguished background in both project management and delivery from around the world. “We are certain that Humberto will be a great asset to thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia), and will further our gains in performance across project delivery to our clients,” said the spokesperson.
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NEWS
Australian grains industry faces ‘capital shift’: report Grain-sector players in Australia are increasingly investing in options outside the bulk-handling delivery network in pursuit of global competitiveness, a recently-released industry report from Rabobank has found.
RIGHT: Cheryl Kalisch Gordon.
“The rise of on-farm storage will provide increased capacity for grain farmers to bypass bulk networks.”
THE REPORT, “AUSTRALIAN GRAINS – De-bulking in the pursuit of global competitiveness” by the agribusiness banking specialist, says this shift from a traditional bulk grain handling network to a more disaggregated and flexible delivery system, is taking place on the farm. With increased on-farm storage and also at port, with direct loading, containerised grain exports and newer bulk terminal export capacity. Describing it as ‘de-bulking’, Rabobank senior grains and oilseeds analyst Cheryl Kalisch Gordon says the shift to investing in storage and handling alternatives is already well underway, with the process accelerated by rationalisation in the bulk grainhandling network. While this rationalisation – including closure of up-country receival sites, replacement of multiple smaller or dated silos with single larger silos, and the upgrade and expansion of centralised sites – delivers efficiency gains with greater capacity utilisation, Dr Kalisch Gordon says it can reduce the ability of the bulk-handling system to segregate grain. “In a global market where the end-users’ requirements for grain functionality provenance are increasingly important, more rather than fewer
10 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
opportunities for segregation are presented,” she says, “and this is at odds with a trend towards rationalisation of bulk supply chains”. This is seeing grain-farming businesses faced with a decision, she says, particularly those affected by increased grain delivery costs from closure of receival sites. “On the one hand, there is the option for farm businesses to ‘avoid bulk’ by investing in on-farm storage to respond to higher-value end markets,” she says, “or, they can invest in efficiency gains to deliver into the high-volume, low-margin international grains market via the bulk-handling network.” Either way, both of these alternatives require on-farm investment, she says. “But there is real opportunity for grain marketers and bulk handlers to work with grain farmers and be part of the new innovative solutions.”
More on-farm storage The report says structural changes on-farm and at export ports are also resulting in the movement of some grain supply out of bulk-handling networks. “On-farm capacity, in sealed storage, is currently sitting around 17 to 18 million tonnes, or the equivalent to 37 per cent of the total Australian winter and summer crop,” Dr Kalisch Gordon says. “With more farmers anticipated to engage in their own, longer marketing programs, the blending of grain, and with the interest in pulses and speciality crops continuing to grow, we forecast as much as 20 million tonnes of on-farm storage will be in use by 2025.” Dr Kalisch Gordon says the drought on the east coast is also highlighting the mitigation strategy of storing grain, with the recently announced Federal Government drought policy providing immediate tax deductibility on the cost of fodder storage assets such as silos and hay sheds.
Down at port Options at the port are also growing, the report says, with a range of port developments reflecting an increasingly diverse capital structure in the industry.
“There is growing investment in port-terminal capacity by non-traditional players,” Dr Kalisch Gordon says. “Lucky Bay in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is one such example, with the port – currently under construction – receiving initial capital injections from private equity and ultimately farmers, and expected to deliver supply-chain cost savings of around A$15/tonne from the closer port-delivery option for farmers in the region. “These fixed-capital structure approaches to additional export capacity have also been joined by direct truck-to-bulk vessel handling,” she says. “At a lower fixed cost of export capacity, these elevators allow the movement of grain from up country, including from farm storage, direct to ship.” Already tried and tested in Western Australia, Victoria and more recently South Australia, these elevators are expected to be used more widely, Dr Kalisch Gordon says, now the method has been proven to deliver additional, potentially lower-cost export capacity that can be redeployed throughout the year, to different uses and locations.
Box trade growing too Dr Kalisch Gordon says the ‘containerisation’ of grain for exports – using container vessels for transport rather than dry bulk cargo ships – had also increased and was providing another dynamic in the movement of capital investment in the Australian grains industry. “To date, growth has been largely in the eastern states,” she says, “with segregation opportunities for high-protein wheat in northern New SouthWales and Queensland, and a relatively more mature pulse-boxing supply chain in Victoria.” Dr Kalisch Gordon says, the rise of on-farm storage will provide increased capacity for grain farmers to bypass bulk networks. “The more rationalisation we see of bulk networks, the more we will see Australian grainsector players work outside of the bulk-handling network, particularly if the subsequent efficiencies of rationalisation are not sufficiently shared with grain framers through lower costs, higher prices, or other benefits such as rebates,” she says. “The extent to which these disaggregation and capital shifts occur will also depend on the development of new and innovative storage and supply chain relationships between growers, marketers and bulk handlers.” The report cites the Canadian grain-handling system as an example, where all grain is held on farm and moved to port as required. “This is an example of bulk handlers leveraging on the coordinated network of on-farm storage and a delivery to port as a required system,” Dr Kalisch Gordon said.
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FIG 1
Fortescue’s relocatable conveyor begins operation Fortescue Metals Group continues to successfully implement its innovation projects with a relocatable conveyor at Cloudbreak coming online, writes Paula Wallace. A KEY PRODUCTIVITY INITIATIVE, THE FIVE kilometre conveyor includes a semi-mobile primary crushing station and feeds directly into the Cloudbreak ore processing facility. The relocatable conveyor and semi-mobile crushing facilities can be positioned approximate to pits and relocated once mined. By providing greater flexibility and increased accessibility to remote mine pits, the relocatable conveyor will reduce haulage costs, offsetting rising strip ratios and delivering sustained efficiency improvements across the business. “The long and shallow nature of the ore body at our Chichester Hub operations has presented unique challenges, Fortescue’s chief operating officer Greg Lilleyman told ABHR. “In order to maintain our focus on productivity and efficiency, the team investigated the potential of adapting relocatable conveyor technology frequently used in the development of long wall coal mining to respond to the requirements of our mine plan with greater flexibility.” The Chichester Hub in the Chichester Ranges, comprising the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek mines, has an annual production capacity of 100mtpa from three ore processing facilities (OPFs). Consistent and sustained output delivered from the OPFs has allowed Fortescue to continue
12 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
optimisation of its product strategy through enhanced blending and beneficiation, increasing iron upgrades and reducing impurities. This has resulted in lower mining cut-off grades, further optimising ore bodies and sustainably reducing strip ratios. Fortescue awarded RCR Tomlinson a $33 million contract to design, manufacture and construct the relocatable conveyor system last November, which according to the company could replace the work of 12 trucks. The conveyor design is modular and can be easily relocated and varied in length. Combined with semi-mobile crushers, it is possible to relocate the complete facility within weeks from one mining pit to another. The design requires minimal civil works, allowing for preparation work to be quickly completed and for the capital cost of the installation to be amortised across multiple pits. “The semi-mobile primary crushing stations allow for multiple feed points along the conveyor length, allowing ore to be supplied from a number of different pits simultaneously,” said Mr Lilleyman. They can be quickly moved to different points on the conveyor to ensure they are located at an optimal haul distance to the active mining pits. The relocatable nature of the conveyor, combined with the low cost of civil preparations,
ABOVE: Fortescue’s Greg Lilleyman.
FIG 1: The five kilometre conveyor includes a semi-mobile primary crushing station and feeds directly into the Cloudbreak ore processing facility. FIG 2: The relocatable nature of the conveyor, combined with the low cost of civil preparations, provides the team with greater flexibility to access remote mining pits.
provides the team with greater flexibility to access remote mining pits. “The Fortescue team will continue to look to implement new ideas and solutions to deliver the most from our bodies, which includes investigating the suitability of the relocatable conveyor for other operational sites,” said Mr Lilleyman. The conveyor ramped up to full production within seven days of its commissioning in June and has since been performing above the company’s expectations. “Since Fortescue first began operation with strip miners at the Chichester Hub, we have consistently brought new ideas and solutions to deliver the most from our ore bodies,” said Mr Lilleyman.
“Our team continues to look at technology and innovation to drive productivity and efficiency across our business, including investment in autonomous drills and various projects utilising drones and remote-controlled vehicles.” The introduction of the autonomous haulage system technology at Solomon resulted in a 30 per cent improvement in productivity. Building on this success, the first autonomous trucks began operation at Christmas Creek during the year. “The conversion of approximately 100 haul trucks at the Chichester Hub will see Fortescue become the first iron ore operation in the world to have a fully autonomous fleet,” said Mr Lilleyman.
FIG 2
Split Bearings/ Split Costs Schaeffler’s new Split Spherical Roller Bearings are purpose-engineered to minimise downtime of machinery vital to industries seeking to minimise production shutdowns and process interruptions. Split SRBs are designed to radically simplify the process of bearing inspection and replacement, reducing maintenance downtime by 50 per cent or more – while also reducing costs by eliminating complicated bearing replacement procedures in machinery and plant. So if maintenance is getting expensive, split the cost with Schaeffler Australia’s Split Spherical Roller Bearings. Discover more: www.schaeffler.com.au info.au@schaeffler.com
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 13
GRAIN HANDLING
Dynamic binning to benefit Viterra growers South Australian grain storage and handling firm Viterra says growers will have more opportunity to have their wheat upgraded thanks to the introduction of dynamic binning for the 2018/19 harvest, writes Paula Wallace. “This service supports growers by giving them a potential upgrade while always ensuring enduse customer requirements will be met.”
VITERRA SAYS DYNAMIC BINNING PROVIDES growers with more flexibility to potentially access a higher grade for loads that are just outside of the receival standards. The company operates a storage and handling network spanning key growing regions in South Australia and western Victoria with a total storage capacity of over 10 million tonnes. A spokesperson for Viterra told ABHR, “Viterra’s dynamic binning service gives growers the potential to achieve a higher grade for their wheat, if the load presented at classification falls just outside the regular GTA (Grain Trade Australia) standard. “If their load’s protein, screenings or test weight falls within a pre-set tolerance zone (and meets other criteria), they will be able to achieve the higher grade.” The higher grade will be provided to growers instantly at classification and will be immediately available to transact. “A significant investment in our grain IT systems has allowed us to introduce dynamic binning and provide more value to growers, while continuing to meet customers’ outturn requirements,” said the spokesperson. “Our new IT system, which has been under development for a number of years, monitors the
LEFT: Viterra says dynamic binning provides growers with more flexibility. RIGHT: The higher grade will be provided to growers instantly at classification and will be immediately available to transact.
14 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
quality of stacks in real time. If the rolling stack average falls below the GTA receival standards for protein, screenings or test weight, the IT system will not allow a dynamic binning load to be accepted into that stack.” Viterra’s dynamic binning would be available in the 2018/19 harvest for wheat grades of ASW1, APW1, H2 and H1. “The higher grade will be given if all other quality requirements are met, including variety, contaminants and Maximum Residue Limits, and the average quality of the individual stack at the site continues to meet the receival standards,” said the spokesperson. Viterra’s dynamic binning upgrade is determined instantly at classification and will be printed on the grower’s ticket. “If growers wish to know more about the tolerance zones and criteria, they can visit the Viterra website,” said the spokesperson. “We have received positive feedback from growers and industry about the introduction of our dynamic binning service and will review the success of the service next year. “This service supports growers by giving them a potential upgrade while always ensuring end-use customer requirements will be met,” said Viterra.
PORTS
New CEO commits port to developing container terminal The new CEO of the Port of Newcastle, Craig Carmody, has committed the Port of Newcastle to developing a world-class container terminal. THE PORT BELIEVES A CONTAINER TERMINAL at its site at Mayfield will boost jobs and business opportunities in the Hunter region and dramatically reduce the number of trucks on Sydney’s roads through expanded use of Newcastle’s rail connectivity. “The potential for a container terminal in Newcastle to diversify and grow the NSW economy is far bigger than the NSW government seems to realise,” said Mr Carmody. “We are already exploring a range of options based on global best practice and I am looking forward to discussing our plans with the State government and port
developers who have expressed an interest in this exciting project.” The port has already received interest from domestic and global players who want to develop a state-of-the-art terminal. “However, we cannot proceed while the NSW government imposes an artificial restriction on port competition,” said Mr Carmody. Economic modelling by Deloitte Access Economics shows that a container terminal in Newcastle will deliver greater freight efficiency and competitive advantages for Australian businesses. “As a global gateway for regional Australia, the Port is
ready to go. We have cost effective landside connectivity, interested shippers and a deep channel port that is operating at less than half its capacity,” said Mr Carmody. “Newcastle is proud to be the world’s largest coal port, but we are also realistic about coals declining prospects in decades to come. “That is why we are committed at the Port of Newcastle to playing a major part in the Hunter region’s growth and diversification strategy through the development of a container terminal,” he said.
ABOVE: Concept illustration of the proposed Newcastle Container Terminal at Mayfield.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 15
TECHNOLOGY
New research on landslides can also assist industry A software tool developed by University of Melbourne researchers that can predict the boundary of where a landslide will occur can also be applied to stockpiles. By Paula Wallace. THE TEAM, LED BY PROFESSOR ANTOINETTE
BELOW: There are always warning signs in the lead up to a collapse or ‘failure’.
Tordesillas from the School of Mathematics and Statistics said there are always warning signs in the lead up to a collapse or ‘failure’, the tricky part is identifying what they are. “These warnings can be subtle. Identifying them requires fundamental knowledge of failure at the microstructure level – the movement of individual grains of earth,” Professor Tordesillas told ABHR. “Our code for prediction of slope failure is data-driven. It works on data on motion from any bulk solids and particulates, whether bonded or unbonded.” The code can accommodate additional information such as known triggers of failure like rainfall which is blamed for the recent landslide in Cebu province, The Philippines. The code combines knowledge of the physics of particulate failure, the patterns they make, and AI (artificial intelligence) techniques.
“Of course, we cannot possibly see the movement of individual grains in a landslide or earthquake that stretches for kilometres, but if we can identify the properties that characterise failure in the small-scale, we can shed light on how failure evolves in time, no matter the size of the area we are observing,” said Professor Tordesillas. These early clues include patterns of motion that change over time and become synchronised. “In the beginning, the movement is highly disordered,” said Professor Tordesillas. “But as we get closer to the point of failure, the collapse of a sand castle, crack in the pavement or slip in an open pit mine, motion becomes ordered as different locations suddenly move in similar ways.” Basically interesting patterns emerge when many grains are clumped or packed together like in a sand pile. “The grains begin talk to each other through forces,” said Professor Tordesillas. “It turns out this chatter has a pattern that tells us which clump of grains will end up collapsing, well before the sand pile shows any signs of collapsing.” The new software focuses on turning algorithms and big data into risk assessment and management actions. “We’ve examined many types of materials at different scales,” said Professor Tordesillas. “The tool itself is not aware of where the dataset comes from, it doesn’t matter what you’re applying it to, if it’s a pile of rocks, rice grains, cereal or possibly a concrete wall. “It’s down to whether you can get data on motion,” said Professor Tordesillas. “If industry is sufficiently worried about failure in terms of bulk materials falling under gravity, then they’ll deploy the necessary resources to measure movement, collect the data”. Professor Tordesillas said the examples they have studied derived data from radar and are looking for further datasets in order to test the software tool further.
For more information contact: atordesi@unimelb.edu.au
16 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
LINER MATERIALS LEFT: As miners drill and blast further afield to capitalise on higher coal prices, some face challenges getting wet, rocky and sticky material to flow through their production and transport systems.
Greater demand for smooth flow liner materials Engineering plastics specialists Cut To Size has formulated new answers to issues raised by wet, rocky and sticky coal. AS MINERS DRILL AND BLAST deeper and further afield to take advantage of demand for coal, wear problems are arising from rocky and wet material recovered from new, extended and reopened mines. Sometimes even high-grade material is mixed with higher levels of mud, overburden and rock that wears through steel chutes, clogs materials handling systems and causes loads to hang-up in the trays of trucks offloading the material. “As coal prices have risen, and mines have reopened sometimes after being mothballed for years, we are getting more and more inquiries for smooth flow liner materials,” says engineering plastics specialist Cut To Size. “Operations and production staff are seeking materials that can help assist product flow and avoid blockages and the OH&S risks and downtime that go with them. Delays of hours or days can cost big bucks,” says Laurie Green, managing director of Cut To Size Plastics. Working with miners, Cut To Size is custom engineering tough plastics formulated specifically for the mining industry and the minerals and challenges it faces. The new plastics are
based on the globally proven Wearex UHMWPE for the toughest wear prevention and flow jobs, complemented where suitable with high-density polyethylene, HDPE. HDPE is often used as geotextile protective liners that promote flow while stopping clogging and waste dropping to the ground. Both plastics are finding applications in static and mobile plants, including as liners in trucks, bins and chutes where wear and energy consumption are issues, and where companies wish to eliminate OH&S hazards involved in clearing dense and heavy potential blockages. “Often the combined use of Wearex and HDPE provides the best combination of wear-resistance and cost-efficiency,” says Mr Green, but Cut To Size is putting special effort into advanced UHMWPE formulations for the most intractable loads. “It is certainly not one size fits all. The process of engineering plastic selection and formulation is a scientifically demanding business in which we rely on our own expertise supported by some of the world’s leading suppliers of product, including Licharz, Gehr and Beck WefaPress.”
New high capacity screen classifying cutter Munson has released a new Magnum 72-AR Screen Classifying Cutter with 1830 mm infeed and 457 mm overall diameter rotor. THE ULTRA-HEAVY-DUTY UNIT features a progressively stacked array of 72 interconnected, abrasionresistant cutter tip holders, each of which holds four 25 mm-wide carbide cutter tips that continuously shear oversize materials against twin, stationary bed knives. Operating at speeds set from 30 to 3600 RPM with a 30+ kW motor, the cutter can process up to 20.4 m3/h, depending on application, with little or no fines and virtually no heat generation. Bed screen perforations range from 102 mm to 3.2 mm in diameter, allowing the reduction of materials into uniform particles in sizes down to 6 mesh. Measuring 1830 x 572 mm, the infeed throat accommodates a variety
of large, semi-hard, fibrous or friable materials to be recycled or otherwise reduced in size for processing. Material is fed through the top of the intake chute, which is doublebaffled to prevent flash back and dusting, or directly into the front of the cutter through a hinged door. An independently powered, variable speed pinch roller is offered for horizontal feeding of material. Discharge is via gravity, pneumatic collection or independently powered belt or screw conveyor. The cutter tips, which are secured with one retaining socket-head screw for rapid replacement, are supplied as standard in tungsten carbide and available in various grades of tool steel and hardened stainless steel.
ABOVE: The new machine reduces fibreglass, gypsum, metal scrap and other large abrasive materials at high rates.
The unit is offered in lengths down to 610 mm and configured with multiple V-belt drives as standard, or optional direct-coupled gear-reduced drives. All SCC Screen Classifying Cutter models are offered in carbon steel, abrasion-resistant steel and stainless steel.
For more information visit: www.ibulk.com.au
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 17
TRAINING
The academy where zero is the perfect score Enerpac Academy gets down to the nuts and bolts of hydraulic tool safety, service and maintenance. BELOW: Enerpac product engineer Sanjesh Balgovind (front, in yellow) showing the inner workings of an Enerpac valve to three Cooper Fluid Systems fitters – from left, Neil Carrie, Max Perkins and Shannon Cox.
GLOBAL HYDRAULICS COMPANY ENERPAC is introducing its ‘Enerpac Academy’ training program to Australia and New Zealand to optimise hydraulic tool safety, service and maintenance. Enerpac has been in this market for more than 50 years, with a wide range of its tools in use throughout the region – for heavy lifting, shifting, positioning, bolting, workholding, cutting and fabrication.
18 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
“Every major industry in Australia and New Zealand uses hydraulic tools, so correct service and maintenance is important to extend uptime, prevent breakdowns, remove workplace hazards and prevent workplace injuries,” says Enerpac product engineer Sanjesh Balgovind, who regularly runs Enerpac Academy training sessions. Enerpac’s Goal Zero Safety initiatives draw on its extensive hands-on local and global workplace experience to promote the goal of zero harm to employees, customers and end users of both Enerpac and other-brand hydraulic machinery. “The primary goal of the training sessions is to educate users on the safe and efficient use of hydraulic machinery, including Enerpac’s 10,000 PSI (700 bar) hydraulic tools. “If users don’t respect hydraulic tool pressures, incorrect use can be deadly. Conversely, correct use and correct maintenance can be a huge asset to safety, precision and labour-saving efficiency,” says Mr Balgovind. Another component of the Enerpac Academy training program is the testing and fault diagnosis of tools, to minimise down-time on-site or in the workshop, he says. In addition to the academy training programs that run every second month at Enerpac’s Australian headquarters in Regents Park, NSW, Enerpac also performs on-site training throughout Australia and New Zealand. “A lot of hands-on workshop personnel attend these training sessions and they particularly like that we pull the products apart so that they understand all the inner workings and design methodologies,” says Mr Balgovind. “Another role our Academy plays is ensuring that all authorised Enerpac service centres are comprehensively equipped and trained for servicing of our tools, including having adequate stock and storage space for all components and spare parts.”
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www.tsglobal.net.au Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 19
NEW PRODUCTS
New tipping and dumping equipment The new TIP-TITE Pail Tipper and Drum Dumping System from Flexicon offer different ways for operators to convey bulk materials into downstream processing or storage. A NEW TIP-TITE PAIL TIPPER FROM FLEXICON dumps pails containing high density bulk solid materials into downstream processing or storage vessels dust-free. The unit accommodates pails of up to 19 litres measuring up to 380 mm in height, and weighing up to 340 kg. Intended for powder metals, chemicals, pigments, minerals or other heavy, dense bulk solids, the unit features dual hydraulic cylinders that work in tandem to raise and seat the pail rim against a speciallyconfigured, elongated discharge cone, and then tip the pail to an angle of 45, 60 or 90 degrees with a
motion-dampening feature. At full rotation, the discharge cone seals against the inlet of the receiving vessel, creating a dusttight connection and allowing controlled, dust-free discharge through a pneumatically-actuated slide gate valve. An optional pneumatically-actuated vibrator on the discharge cone promotes complete evacuation of non-free-flowing materials. The pail tipper is constructed of carbon steel with durable industrial finishes, with material contact surfaces of stainless steel. Other models are available in all-stainless steel finished to food, dairy, pharmaceutical or industrial standards.
Automated bulk solids drum dump
TOP: Flexicon’s TIP-TITE Pail Tipper handles pails containing up to 340 kg of high-density bulk materials. BOTTOM: TIP-TITE Dumping System for drums containing bulk solids allows safe, high-capacity transfer of materials.
A new TIP-TITE Drum Dumping System from Flexicon automatically rolls drums containing bulk material into position, dumps the material into downstream equipment and rolls empty drums out of the dumping station, allowing safe, high-capacity transfer from drums of all popular sizes weighing up to 340 kg. Once full drums are rolled onto the dumping station platform, a hydraulic cylinder raises and seats the drum rim against a discharge hood. A second hydraulic cylinder then tips the drum to an angle of 45, 60 or 90 degrees with a motion-dampening feature. At full rotation, the slide gate opens to allow controlled discharge of material into downstream process equipment. After the empty container is returned to its upright position, the rolling motion is reversed, and the container is halted in front of a pneumaticallyactuated pusher, which transfers the empty drum to the return conveyor for removal. Meanwhile, another full drum rolls into position on the dumping platform. Photoelectric sensors located along the powered roller conveyor relay the position of empty and full drums to the system controller, which actuates the conveyor to advance full and empty drums upon completion of each dumping cycle. The system is also offered in high-lift configurations for dumping into elevated receiving equipment, and in open-chute and dust-free TIPTITE designs for dumping of boxes, bins, pails and other containers.
For more information visit: www.flexicon.com.au
20 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
WHICH OF THE TOP 4 ELBOW PROBLEMS DO YOU NEED TO SOLVE IN YOUR PNEUMATIC CONVEYING SYSTEM?
PROBLEM
1
Wear and failure when conveying abrasives
such as sand, glass, alumina or mineral filled plastic pellets incur never-ending costs of replacement elbows, labour and downtime.
CAUSE
Abrasives hit the outside radius of conventional impact elbows at high speed, continually wearing through the elbow wall.
2
3
4
when conveying pelletised resins and compounds causes downstream quality problems.
such as pet food, coffee beans or grains, decrease product quality, consistency and salability while increasing waste.
when conveying sugar, rubber pellets, hot melt adhesives, clay and other pressureand heat-sensitive materials prone to build-up.
Pellets skidding and/or bouncing against the outside radius of sweep elbows create friction and heat, melting pellet surfaces, forming streamers.
Friable materials hit the outside radius of conventional impact elbows at high speed, degrading the material and generating fines.
Materials skidding against the outside radius of conventional elbows create friction and heat, causing product build-up.
Formation of streamers, angel hair and snake skins
Breakage and dusting of fragile materials
Plugging and build-up
SOLUTION Smart Elbow® Deflection Elbow
from HammerTek® ends problems by eliminating impact and frictional heat Unlike conventional “impact” elbows and “plugged-tee” elbows that rely on material impact to change direction, HammerTek’s Smart Elbow® design employs a spherical chamber that protrudes partially beyond the desired 90º or 45º pathway, causing a ball of material suspended in air to rotate. Since the ball of material rotates in the same direction as the airstream that powers it, incoming material is cushioned by the ball’s rotation, and is gently deflected around the bend. By preventing impact with the elbow wall, HammerTek’s Smart Elbow® deflection elbow virtually eliminates costly elbow wear, material degradation, melting and plugging.
Free, No-Risk Trial Offer See how Smart Elbow® deflection elbows eliminate conventional and plugged-tee impact elbow problems—at no cost or obligation. FF-0820
+61 (7) 3360 8580 • sales@HammerTek.com.au www.HammerTek.com.au
45° and 90° elbows available in cast iron, carbon steel, aluminium, stainless steel and specialised alloys with flanges and socket-weld ends in tube, schedule 10 pipe and schedule 80 pipe sizes in diameters from 32 mm (1.25 inches) to 457 mm (18 inches). Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 21
ROLLERS
How PROKOMPOSITE achieves its performance The secret to the performance of the PROKOMPOSITE roller is in the materials. PROK’s structural components feature fibre mats and rovings arranged to its specific requirements to achieve the necessary stiffness, strength and fatigue performance, while using resins that provide exceptional abrasion resistance. Many rollers that use tube materials such as PVC or HDPE are simply not suitable for medium and heavy-duty applications. This is because they bend excessively under load, or need a shell so thick that any weight advantage is negated. The PROKOMPOSITE tube material overcomes this issue. The resin materials used in PROK’s composite roller tube are build-up and abrasion resistant. This means the PROKOMPOSITE roller will provide consistent noise performance, as it is not affected by the surface buildup that typically affects low noise rollers. Balance and run-out are the keys to minimising roller and conveyor noise. PROK has optimised its tube manufacturing processes to achieve straightness, wall thickness consistency and roundness to the standards required for a low noise conveyor roller. To maximise bearing and roller life it is essential that the end caps have parallel and circular bores, to the required tolerances, and they hold their shape over time and under load. By making the PROKOMPOSITE end caps from a composite, PROK has overcome this common problem with Injection Moulded End Caps.
PROK launches new heavy-duty roller PROK is bringing to market one of the most advanced high-performance conveyor rollers that has been specifically designed for iron ore and other heavy mining applications. THE PROKOMPOSITE RANGE, satisfies the need for a light weight, non-metallic roller, but without the compromises associated with “composite” rollers seen in the market previously, according to the manufacturer. The new roller, is designed and manufactured by PROK Conveyor Components Nepean Conveyors, and delivers more value than competing steel rollers; from lower cost to corrosion resistance in wet and high-salt environments. The company says they are safer,
22 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
quieter and more economical, generating 50 per cent less noise than traditional steel rollers. The PROKOMPOSITE is also up to 55 per cent lighter than traditional steel rollers, and can achieve cost savings of up to 20 per cent due to easier maintenance and lower energy demands. According to PROK, the new roller is durable in demanding medium-to-heavy duty conveying applications despite its light weight. In addition, the PROKOMPOSITE™ features a new seal package that adds a
LEFT: The secret to the performance of the PROKOMPOSITE roller is in the materials.
“According to PROK, the new roller is durable in demanding medium-toheavy duty conveying applications despite its light weight.”
fixed end cover for high pressure water and rock-jam protection, and greatly improved drag performance, while still featuring the lip seal and long path labyrinth from the current seal design. Suitable for high speeds and large tonnages, the rollers are available in 152 mm and 178 mm diameters, with bearing sizes from 6306 up to 6310.
Making the PROKOMPOSITE The PROKOMPOSITE project had some lofty goals – to develop a light weight, low noise, low drag roller with a structure that eliminated the risk of belt damage in the event of a bearing failure. This was all while having a shell structure that was rigid enough to ensure bearing life was maximised, and a shell that was a ‘no compromise’ alternative to steel shells when it came to durability and service life. Working with a leading European university in the composites field, PROK developed composite structures for the tube and end cap assembly, including the seal package. This lead to the production of prototype material
samples and allowed the theoretical design work to be validated with test rig trials of shell structures, as well as traditional laboratory testing to verify strength, fatigue and stiffness performance of the materials. With the material design completed, the PROK team then moved to develop manufacturing processes that achieve the dimensional tolerances required for conveyor rollers. In its PROK’s experience, no supplier, except for its partners, can provide the tube and end-cap materials required for a roller like the PROKOMPOSITE. In parallel, PROK ran extensive drag and fatigue testing at its Bayswater R&D laboratory, supplemented with third-party noise and seal performance testing. Satisfied with the quality of materials and performance of the rollers in the laboratory environment, earlier this year the team embarked on its final step before release – the commencement of field trials on live conveyors. The makers are pleased to report that, to date, the PROKOMPOSITE roller has not had a single failure in the field.
MADE FOR IRON ORE YOU CAN COUNT ON PROK CONVEYOR COMPONENTS Today’s mass mining operations create unprecedented demands for conveying bulk materials. You need to move more tonnes – safer, faster and at less cost than ever before. We’ve engineered a solution to help keep your conveyors moving 365 days a year. PROKOMPOSITE Roller, our latest generation all-composite roller, is safer, quieter and more economical than traditional steel rollers. The new roller is up to 55 percent lighter and generates 50 percent less noise than competing steel rollers. They also cost up to 20 percent less to own due to easier maintenance and lower energy demands. Learn more about how to keep your ore moving at prokcc.com.
Quality Conveyor Components prokcc.com | +61 8 9347 8500 | 1800 PROKCC
Follow Us:Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 23
BEARINGS
Counterfeit bearings pose serious safety risks Counterfeit bearings can put valuable machinery and plants at risk because unlike Schaeffler genuine products, they aren’t put through rigorous quality testing to ensure compliance with all safety standards. GLOBAL BEARINGS COMPANY SCHAEFFLER says counterfeit products are placing vital machinery, plants and operations at risk in Australia and New Zealand, as they do not have the same quality assurance and back-up in the field as the genuine Schaeffler branded products. Schaeffler genuine bearings – which are crucial to machinery and plants with rotating or moving parts in industries such as bulk handling – comply with all relevant safety and quality standards and are comprehensively backed in the field by Schaeffler’s own staff and network of distributors. “The best way for buyers to protect themselves and their customers from counterfeit bearings is purchasing only from a reliable source such as direct from the manufacturer or through a certified distributor,” says Martin Grosvenor, industrial projects and services manager, Schaeffler Australia.
FIG 1: Genuine Schaeffler bearings such as these, are designed and engineered for optimum reliability and performance. FIG 2: Schaeffler’s OriginCheck provides clarification on the authenticity of bearings.
“Globally, product counterfeiting is on the increase. Not just in consumer goods such as music, film, home electronics and designer clothing, but also in industrial, safety-critical products such as bearings and seals,”he said. Counterfeit products are a frequent cause of personal injury and material damage to vehicles and industrial plants. According to a study published by the International Chamber of Commerce, the annual economic and social costs resulting from this amounts to A$2.25 billion worldwide. “The Internet has opened up more opportunities (and risks) for purchasers to buy bearings manufactured in India, the Far East and Africa but sold through non-certified traders across the world, including a growing number of European outlets,” said Mr Grosvenor. So how do purchasers of bearings know that the products they are buying are genuine and will perform as the product datasheet states? “Most don’t have to worry because they purchase these products either direct from the bearings manufacturer or via a certified distributor. This method guarantees that any technical problems with the product can be resolved quickly and efficiently,” said Mr Grosvenor. Although the price of counterfeit bearings may
24 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
FIG 1
initially look attractive, buyers should consider what the potential hidden costs are in terms of product liability and credibility with their customers if the equipment doesn’t perform. “These could, for example, be critical bearings on high value machinery in a manufacturing plant. The buyer therefore needs to take into account the cost of any production downtime if the bearing fails early,” said Mr Grosvenor. In 2013, Schaeffler destroyed 26 tonnes of counterfeit bearings with a value of more than A$1.5 million. Schaeffler Australia performed a similar operation in Sydney in 2012, where it destroyed more than 9.5 tonnes of counterfeit INA and FAG branded product it had confiscated throughout the year. Schaeffler increasingly works with customs authorities to fight product piracy. Customs officials typically review incoming shipments to ensure they fulfil legal requirements and review whether any trademark infringements have occurred. “In China, for example, both imported and exported goods are inspected. This cooperation is important in order to effectively prevent counterfeit goods from reaching the international market,” said Mr Grosvenor. In 2016, a total of 182 seizures worldwide were made due to trademark violations suffered by the
SOLIDS INVENTORY
Schaeffler Group - 5,675,812 counterfeit parts were confiscated during these raids. More recently, in March 2017, an importer in Turkey was imprisoned and counterfeit rolling bearings with a nominal value of around A$400,000 were destroyed after customs officials at the port of Mersin began to suspect that the FAG-branded bearings may not be genuine and sent photographs to Schaeffler’s Brand Protection Team, who then took over and handled all subsequent measures.
Enhanced counterfeit protection In order to help buyers check the authenticity of their products, manufacturers of bearings have introduced a variety of measures. Schaeffler has introduced the OriginCheck app, which provides end customers, distributors and authorities with an easy method of clarification when suspicion about a bearing arises. If one of these checks leads the user to suspect that a product may be counterfeit, he or she can use the OriginCheck app to take additional measures to obtain proper clarification. The checks are carried out based on the traceable data matrix codes (DMC) that are placed on the Schaeffler packaging. These two-dimensional codes contain various types of information in a machine-readable form and allow the relevant product to be identified worldwide. Ninety per cent of products that are supplied by Schaeffler today already feature a DMC on the packaging. The user scans this DMC with the OriginCheck app and immediately
receives notification of whether the code has been found in the database that is maintained by Schaeffler. If one of these Schaeffler codes is authentic but has already been scanned multiple times, the user then receives a warning based on a defined set of criteria. If this is the case, or if the code’s authenticity is clearly not confirmed, the app can be used to create suitable photographic documentation of the product being checked. Photos of the product, its packaging and markings play a decisive role in helping to clarify with certainty whether a product is an original or a counterfeit. The OriginCheck app gives the user a step-bystep explanation of which photographs are relevant, illustrated using examples. The finished photographic documentation can be emailed directly from the app to the Schaeffler’s department responsible for combating product and brand piracy. “Since 2004, the team has handled several thousand cases, and is continuously developing additional measures to protect against product piracy and trademark infringements,” said Mr Grosvenor. To remain as safe as possible from counterfeit rolling bearings, Schaeffler recommends only purchasing goods from its own network of certified distributors. These certified distributors have direct access to original INA and FAG products and also offer expert advice and the full range of relevant services.
TONS BETTER + Silos
Non-contact 3D & radar sensors with data to desktop or phone
+ Stockpiles
Volume & tonnage from iphone or drone images
The OriginCheck app is available free of charge for iOS and Android operating systems: www.schaeffler.de/apps
Your Sensor Superhero
FIG 2
www.binmaster.com 800-278-4241 ©2018 BinMaster, Lincoln, NE 68507 USA
COVER STORY
A step change in hard material mining To make the mining of hard materials more efficient thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has developed the barracuda®, a new compact bucket wheel excavator which allows continuous operation both in hard and soft materials. WITHIN THE MINING MARKET, the pressure on production costs is extremely high. Mining companies are searching for solutions to optimise operating costs and to streamline productions and procedures. Since the launch of the barracuda technology in early 2016, the market has reacted positively with an increasing number of projects. At the end of 2016 thyssenkrupp signed the first contract with the China Huaneng Group. Another order for a continuous mining system including two barracuda bucket wheel excavators was received just recently from Italian-Thai Development PLC (ITD), Thailand’s leading construction firm. It is due to go into operation in Spring 2020. Excavator enhances mining operations Compared with conventional designs, the cutting bucket wheel of the barracuda is equipped with an increased number of buckets. In correlation with a larger amount of teeth per bucket the contact pattern from tooth to material is very dense, with a small area being extracted by each single tooth. By applying this new design, harder materials can be excavated in a cutting operation, for example potash, limestone or frozen materials. The implementation of a cutting operation also enables the complete elimination of drilling and blasting and all associated work. This
26 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
not only simplifies the mining process extensively but increases mine safety as well. For the proper selection, each application of a new barracuda from thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions includes field testing of the relevant material layers with in-house developed testing procedures, for example testing with a measuring fork. This measuring fork can be applied to a conventional construction shovel and provides information for cutting forces as well as wear requirements. The results of such testing are the basis for the selection and tailored design of the tooth shape and bucket configuration. In addition to the machine’s hardware, the barracuda can be equipped with certain automation features. These include assistance systems for anti-collision, volumetric material measurements as well as systems for transfer point controls.
Four versions of the barracuda The mining market is requesting greater flexibility and an extended operating range for bucket wheel excavator applications. To meet these needs thyssenkrupp provides the barracuda in four different versions depending on the material transportation requirements after the excavation process. The different setups range from barracuda Compact, a machine mainly consisting of the
BELOW: Figure 1: New bucket wheel excavator barracuda: A step change in hard material mining.
LEFT: Figure 2: Barracuda is available in four different versions depending on the requirements concerning material transport after excavation.
BARRACUDA
® Compact
• Basic version • Tough Handling
BARRACUDA
® Flexo
• Direct Truck Loading • Intermediate Bunker
characteristic end-to-end conveyor for the basic extraction process and replacing mostly drill and blast, to the barracuda C, which is a full-line compact bucket wheel excavator equipped with a discharge boom operating in a complete continuous mining system together with a conveyor system.
BARRACUDA
® System
• Fully Continuous Operation • Bench Conveyor
BARRACUDA
®C
• Multiple Terrace Cut • High Capacities
Possible fields of application include harder coal seams, limestone extraction, potash mining as well as corresponding overburden removal operations. Especially for the mining of pay materials, the barracuda’s cutting buckets produce product particle sizes of directly conveyable shape that are ready to be fed to the secondary processing stage. Thus, the barracuda would be capable of replacing the drill and blast stage as well as the primary crushing stage. Along with its application in certain continuous mining setups, this means the new technology can be a great upgrade to mines, reducing the required vehicles and thus improving the mining process as well as safety for workers.
Point of no return
In between, two more setups for the end-to-end conveyor type are available – the barracuda Flexo and the barracuda System. Both work with the basic barracuda Compact machine equipped with a short discharge boom that allows direct truck loading (Flexo setup; see Figure 2) or combined with a conveyor system (System setup). All setups are capable of operating to full capacity in material with up to 50 MPa unconfined compressive strength, which opens up opportunities for the use of bucket wheel excavators far beyond the previously limits of excavator technology.
thyssenkrupp’s innovations in the field of bucket wheel cutting technology are a step change in the mining of harder materials. The newly developed solution not only covers the technical features for extraction at the mine face, but also pushes the effects of electrification to reduce CO2 emissions and the effects of increased mine safety due to sophisticated automation solutions. The question for cutting bucket wheel excavation is no longer whether, but to what extent it will change mining operations in the future.
For more information visit: http://www.thyssenkrupp-industrialsolutions-australia.com/ or contact: sales-is-australia@thyssenkrupp.com
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 27
ASK AN ENGINEER
ENGINEERING SERVICES
What is the best way to source bulk solids handling expertise? For many organisations, it makes good business sense to ensure their bulk solid flow decisions are independently informed by science but there is evidence that a co-sourcing strategy may offer the best value. MAINTAINING A FULL-TIME EXPERT IN-HOUSE is often the obvious option but there are alternatives. From our organisation’s global consulting perspective, we have observed that a co-sourcing strategy, like the ones used for other specialised professional services (finance, tax, legal, IP, IT), often offers the best overall value. However, each organisational situation is unique, and the way expert input is accessed matters, so the method used needs to be objective and dependable. Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is a technique well suited to making this choice [1], and the tools developed in support can help you get the right decision for your organisation. Using a worked example featuring nominal criterion, weightings and scores drawn from our experience, the application of MCDA to this critical access decision is illustrated. Before looking at the decision-making process, it is important to justify the case for expert support.
The case for science-informed decisions Despite their industry-orientated titles, many mining operations are essential exercises in bulk solids handling. In value chains featuring bulk solids, revenue is directly proportional to effective throughput hence they are only as productive as their weakest link. In many instances, this weakness involves a flow issue, and the prize for permanently solving it can be substantial. In a recently published case study [2], an iron ore operation was destroying around one million Australian dollars in value per day due to flow problems it had normalised. Nearly all flow problems and the financial and productivity impacts stemming from them can be traced back to a poor-quality design (flow) decisions. Whether it is designing the flowsheet, selecting the flow elements or operating and optimising them after installation; understanding the behaviour of bulk solids provide meaningful and lasting rewards.
28 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
In all these situations, the best practice is to have flow decisions independently informed by science. While supplier-based expertise can be valuable once the primary decision has been made, in the formative period, it is vital that the expert advice is independent of specific solutions, and there are many options available.
Options Where there is a strong business case for informed decisions in support of value chain flow, the next question is how is it best achieved? In many instances, the flow problem concerned is ‘wicked’ (the problem itself is ill-structured and involves an evolving set of interlocking issues and constraints with solution options that are not right or wrong, but simply “better,” “worse,” “good enough,” or “not good enough.”) [3]. In this wicked context where “the solution” does not exist, the business goal is to implement a flow improvement with a high-value proposition (long-term solution benefit: cost) in the shortest time. In terms of accessing the bulk solids expertise to achieve this, there are four broad brush options: • Insourcing: Employing the expert as a full-time staffer who then provides the service from within the organisation to its internal clients. The expert reports and is managed by the client organisation. • Outsourcing: The expert is employed by a third-party organisation and is made available (engaged) on a per-assignment basis according to the terms of a service specific contract. The emerging phenomenon of accessing professional service via the “gig economy” (as part-time, temporary and freelance jobs) has also been included under this banner. Superficially, supplier expertise also falls under this heading, but as we are looking for independence, this variation has not been considered. • Crowdsourcing: In this model, the flow solution (conceptual at least) is obtained by soliciting
ABOVE: In this regular column, experts from specialist bulk materials engineering firm Jenike & Johanson answer readers’ queries around problems at their sites. In this edition, the firm’s general manager Grant Wellwood is the author. He is passionate about applying the science of bulk solids handling to help people and organisations succeed. As a process engineer specialising in technology development, he experienced the pain of inconsiderate design (his own) early in his career which led to development of his own razor: “It’s always the peripherals that trip you up!” The flow behaviour of bulk solids is deceptively complex and often treated with contempt so there are plenty of opportunities for improvement in almost every industry and Grant enjoys linking problems with science informed solutions. He can be contacted at gwellwood @jenike.com.
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contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community. Those involved may or may not be special matter experts, and the output usually at concept level (thought bubbles) as opposed to developed and deeply considered application specific solutions. • Co-sourcing: A more advanced version of outsourcing characterised by its long-term relationship built on the values of trust, excellent service and quality. While still a third-party employee, the expert in this model is usually assigned to specific clients which leads to the mutual trust and understanding that differentiates it from the next available resource contracting arrangement. In this partnering posture, there is usually a degree of shared success and responsibility in terms of attaining the flow goal(s).
Options analysis When there are many genuine (not already preferred) options to choose from and many different criteria to consider, MCDA is a powerful technique, especially where it is crucial to demonstrate objectivity and transparency. The method is built around scoring options against weighted decision criteria important for your business context; a relatively quick and straightforward process that is conducive to a spreadsheet.
Decision criteria Within the generally accepted themes of most business decisions (timeliness, quality and value), some common criteria/considerations relating to the engagement of bulk solids handling expertise are presented below as thought starters. Each possible criterion is accompanied by probing questions to help you decide whether it applies to your situation and if so its relative importance or weight.
RIGHT: Figure 1: MCDA worked example.
30 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
•T imeliness - Time is of the essence when it comes to flow solutions, especially when they apply to existing value chains where the value is getting destroyed by the minute. - Engagement lead time: How long does it take to access the solution provider and provide the briefing? Does the engagement need to be competitively tested via procurement that often involves lengthy discussions about intellectual property? - Availability: Will the expert be ready when you need them? Are they servicing other clients? How scalable is their ability to respond to short notice and high demand? Is the access mechanism sustainable during an economic downturn (ironically when the expert input is most valuable)? - Execution time: How long will they take to solve your issues? Can the problem be parallel processed by a team for example? What proportion of the expert’s total time is available for technical issues? Can you get their undivided attention, so that they can focus? - Iterations: Can the solution be framed and executed in a single cycle? (Awareness of prominent as well as unwritten practical constraints can be relevant here) - History: When it comes to flow problems, history often does repeat so recall can be a big timesaver. Does the expert have access to what worked and didn’t in the past to avoid reinventing the wheel? • Solution Quality (science and practical experience) - Currency: Is the expert actively plugged into the latest science and engineering developments or is the expertise permanently frozen in time? - Innovation (defined as the conversion of knowledge into profit): Is the knowledge available comprehensive and expansive (international-
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multi-sector?) or limited to one industry or perhaps one operation? Are they familiar/ comfortable with ambiguity and knock-on effects (when it comes to bulk solids flow in a value chain, everything so connected)? Readiness Level: Will the solution be a thought bubble or a fully considered, engineered and costed solution that is ready to go? Objectivity: Can the expert operate without personal biases, emotions, and false beliefs? Will the expert be able to“call it”without political influence, career impacts, or commissions? Connectivity: Is the resource connected to solution providers (OEMs) and fabricators for a seamless transition into the delivery phase? Depth: What will be the residual risk/uncertainty? Will the solution consider uncertainty and incorporate sensitivity analysis? Will the solution be delivered in a manner that can be directly utilised by others in the organisation? Will the features be converted into benefits and communicating in a relevant, realistic and easily understood manner? Completeness: Degree to which learnings associated with the decision (what was considered, rejected and accepted and on what basis) are
captured and incorporated into corporate memory? This is a critical feedback loop that is an investment in the future. - Breadth: What is the ability to work across business unit silos to get input data and buy-in by transferring knowledge? - Accountability: Do they stand by delivering what was promised? Do they have any skin in the game? Is the role in the process deliverable to which they will be held accountable clear? •V alue Proposition (defined as the cost of getting an expert solution or recommendation) - Absolute cost of getting to a workable solution (i.e. includes the access costs associated with the multi-iteration/trial-and-error iterations which are often the hallmark of best endeavours based “experts”). Note the hourly rate for internal experts is not zero and in fact, the real rate can be significantly higher than externals, especially when realistic overheads and time fragmentation allowances are included). If the internal experts move on, the costs of onboarding them and training replacements in the ways of your organisation need to be included. - Rework: This is the process disruption and capital
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cost of failed solutions arising from multiple iterations in the case of the trial-and-error approach. - Replication/Re-Use: If the solution provides a competitive advantage to your organisation, how secure is your investment? What are the chances of it being reprised by your competitor? - Flexibility: What will be the utilisation of your expert’s time? How easy is it to maximise utilisation given the often-bumpy nature of demand for expert input? Having a full-time expert available for the occasional problem can be costly, and in practice, it is challenging to get this balance right. Reviewing these possibilities, including any of your own, creates a list a list of essential criteria for your decision matrix. However, some criterion are more important than others, so we now need to assign weightings.
Criterion Weighting For each nominated criterion in the matrix, we need to assign a decision impact weighting. The worked example uses a simple 0-5 final decision impact scale, where 0 = no impact to 5 = highly positive impact. For illustrative purposes, weights in the worked example are based on our aggregated global experience taken across sectors, countries, cultures (Figure 1).
Impact Scoring With each criterion weighted, we need to score its impact in the context of each option according to the same convention of the more significant the positive result, the higher the score (from 0-5).
Analysis With the MCDA criterion weights and scores assigned, it’s time to determine the overall (weighted) score for each option, which is merely the summation of each weight x score combination. The option with the highest weighted score is possibly the best one for your situation. There is some subjectivity in the assignation of both criterion weights and individual scores, so it is worth undertaking some sensitivity analysis to see how robust the result is, especially if it is a close finish. If the MCDA has been conducted in a spreadsheet, create a copy of the worksheet to preserve the original and for each criterion (row) on the worksheet copy pose the following questions: • Is the current weighting value appropriate in absolute numerical terms (according to the 0-5 definitions- think about examples in the real world in your organisational context)? • Is the current weighting value appropriate in relative terms to the other criterion? If not, make a change to the assigned criterion weighting, then move across to the option scores
32 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
and apply a similar process viz: • Is the current criterion impact score appropriate in absolute terms (according to the 0-5 definitions)? • Is the current criterion impact score appropriate in relative terms to the other options? This step, where individual options are considered and then ranked together against a single criterion, often results in the most change. Repeat the process for the remaining criterion (rows) in your matrix. Once all the criterion weights and scores have all been reconsidered, you may have a new set of weighted scores for your set of options. Is the top prospect from the initial pass the highest scorer again? If so you have probably identified the best option (and created proof to show others if required). If not, you will need to review the weights and scores in greater detail before you have something sound upon which to base your business case/justification.
Outcome In the worked example, co-sourcing scored the highest, consistent with our best practice field observations across a wide range of industry sectors globally. Co-sourcing differs from outsourcing in that the expert is more a partner who has skin in the game, can build a history, and understand the culture and preferences of the operation while still offering the scalable and high currency resources to generate the best all-around solution. Such a relationship also shortens the engagement process, which is another highly weighted criterion, with assignments taking the form of work schedules to a pre-negotiated master service agreement. The main detractor(s) from the insource option relates to the matter of true independence and the percentage of time an in-house expert retained within a company can spend on technical issues. In many consultancies, over 80% of the available hours are available for billable activities, whereas the administrative and compliance obligations within an operation can reduce the time available to work of solution to less than 50%. While crowdsourcing has the promise of quick and inexpensive access to fresh eyes and possibly special matter experts with vast experience, its endpoint is a long way from an implementable solution; hence its contribution to the goal is minor.
Conclusion Flow is essential to many operations and having decisions informed by science provided by an independent expert routinely pays handsome dividends. While the model for accessing such expertise is contextual, in many situations a Cosource is the best value option.
REFERENCES: [1] Decision Matrix Analysis - DecisionMaking Skills from MindTools.com. 2018. Decision Matrix Analysis - DecisionMaking Skills from MindTools.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www. mindtools.com/ pages/article/ newTED_03.htm. [Accessed 28 August 2018]. [2] Wellwood, G. A., 2017. One perfect (production) day – A bulk solids handling perspective, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 443-452, (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne). [3] Jeff Conklin. 2018. Wicked Problems. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www. cognexus.org/id42. htm. [Accessed 30 August 2018]. Note: The advice here is of a general nature. Specific solutions are very sensitive to their circumstances; therefore, you should consult with a specialist in the area before proceeding.
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Development of a new cut and gouge test When TUNRA Bulk Solids was approached by one of the world’s largest mining corporations to perform comparative testing on conveyor belt samples, it resulted in the development of an innovative Cut & Gouge Tester. TUNRA BULK SOLIDS WAS APPROACHED BY one of the world’s largest mining corporations to perform comparative testing on conveyor belt samples from a range of belt suppliers for a global tender. The strategic nature of this project required testing to the highest quality and a solid understanding of relevant belt characteristics and their assessment.
There are a range of standardised test methods available, including breaking strength, tensile strength and elongation of cover rubber, erosion and abrasion resistance, hardness and tear resistance tests. During the planning phase a range of these tests were selected for the global tender. A need for testing capability for cut and gouge testing was identified. The cut and gouge
“The cut and gouge test is meant to simulate the impact of sharp objects such as jagged rocks or pieces of metal debris from upstream processes onto a conveyor belt.”
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 33
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LEFT: Cut and Gouge tester. RIGHT: Schematic of Cut and Gouge tester.
FIG 1
FIG 2
test is meant to simulate the impact of sharp objects such as jagged rocks or pieces of metal debris from upstream processes onto a conveyor belt. Currently there is no standardised test method available for cut and gouge testing and at the start of the testing campaign, globally there were only two known test rigs available to test cut and gouge resistance. TUNRA Bulk Solids developed a custom cut and gouge test rig tailored to the client’s needs. The following will introduce the TUNRA Cut and Gouge Tester.
shape of the cutting tool (ref. Figure 3) and the elastic and plastic properties of the belt sample. For each cut and gouge test, the resulting depth of the cut and the penetration of the cutting tool past the face of the belt sample were recorded. The depth of the cut was determined by slicing the sample open in the plane of the cut and measuring the depth at the centre of the cut with callipers, as shown in Figure 4. The cutting tool position throughout the test was determined via optical tracking of markers on the swing arm. The cutting depth and the penetration are not to be confused. A cutting tip penetration of 15 mm into the rubber may only produce a cut of a few millimetres in depth (or no cut at all), because of the elasticity of the rubber. A high-speed camera, recording at 1,000 frames per second was used to achieve sufficient resolution in the tracking of the cutting tool. A tracking algorithm was developed in order to analyse the video and compute the cutting tool position in a coordinate system based on the origin of the pendulum. Figure 5 is a plot of the video frame at the time of impact with the rubber sample. Overlayed into this image is the tracker position at all other frames of the complete video of the test. A minimum of three tests were conducted for each rubber sample. The average cutting depth and the average tool penetration, as well as the difference in cutting depth and tool penetration were reported.
The concept
BELOW: Cutting Tool.
FIG 3
From an engineering perspective the requirements for the test could be condensed to: • Adjustable and repeatable impact energy • Reproducible cutting tool (defined in shape and hardness) • Reproducible sample conditions (thickness, structure) • Measurement of cutting depth as a function of impact energy • Sufficient granularity to distinguish all supplied samples at one nominated impact energy Additional requirements were identified to enable further development towards a standardised test in the long term and to add value to the results for the client in the present suite of testing: • Measurement of the cutting tool position throughout the test • Determination of the difference in cutting tool penetration to the cutting depth as a measure of the sample’s capability to dissipate energy As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the impact energy is transferred via pendulum motion, where it is the result of the excitation of the pendulum and the impact mass. The stress induced into the rubber samples is a function governed by the
34 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
Repeatability and selection of impact energy The impact energy can be set by manipulating the amount of weight added to the swing arm or by changing the starting height of the swing arm. Eight swing arm heights may be set using the positioning beam.
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Powder Handling FIG 4 ABOVE: Cut belt sample after testing.
An analysis of the effect of changing the impact energy was performed on selected samples, an excerpt of the results is plotted in Figure 6. It becomes clear, that tool penetration and depth of cut are related but there is a minimum impact energy required to introduce a cut, which is characteristic of the belt material. Similarly, the repeatability was investigated on selected samples and found to be satisfactory. Characteristic results for one sample’s cut and gouge resistance as a function of impact energy are plotted in Figure 7. With a standard deviation of 0.4, the coefficient of variation for the tests shown in Figure 7 is 2.8 per cent, indicating good test repeatability. Following the verification of the tester’s performance and the sensitivity analysis regarding input parameters, the impact energy was set to about 50 J with a pendulum height Δh of 250 mm and a pendulum weight of 20 Kg.
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FIG 5
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LEFT: Figure 6: Effect of impact energy on penetration depth and depth of cut. RIGHT: Figure 7: Repeatability of the Cut and Gouge tester.
FIG 6
FIG 7
Results The results of the comparative testing for samples A to W are shown in Figure 8. TUNRA Bulk Solids was able to rank the supplied belt samples regarding their cut and gouge resistance with high granularity, providing solid parameters for the
client’s commercial decisions. Throughout the course of this project, TUNRA added a custom belt characterisation technique to the range of available conveyor belt tests and expanded the use and knowledge in optical image processing.
20
LEFT: Figure 8: Test results.
Cut
18
Penetration - Cut
16
Depth [mm]
14 12 10 8 6 4 2
36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
Sample W
Sample V
Sample U
Sample T
Sample S
Sample R
Sample Q
Sample P
Sample O
Sample N
Sample M
Sample L
Sample K
Sample J
Sample I
Sample H
Sample G
Sample F
Sample E
Sample D
Sample C
Sample B
FIG 8
Sample A
0
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Rio Tinto Amrun export facility wins award The design team for Rio Tinto’s Amrun Chith export facility - McConnell Dowell, Bechtel and Jacobs - has won a Queensland Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) Earth Award. AWARDED FOR EXCELLENCE IN CIVIL construction, the CCF accolade in the $75 million and over category, was in recognition of the innovations in this project. Collectively, these innovations saw a reduction in high risk over-water and working-atheight activities and shortened the overall build time by 12 months. Located near Weipa in Far North Queensland, the marine export facility includes a new 650-metre long access jetty and a 350-metre long loading wharf. The facility is part of Rio Tinto’s Amrun Project, which includes the construction of a world-class bauxite mine, processing plant, and port facilities. The project was designed by Jacobs and constructed by McConnell Dowell, with constructability oversight by Rio Tinto’s EPCM, Bechtel.
ABOVE: Located near Weipa in Far North Queensland, the marine export facility includes a new 650-metre long access jetty and a 350-metre long loading wharf.
Rio Tinto said, “Our approach was to bring together all partners involved in the project and develop a method for building the wharf that would provide maximum safety for our people, have minimum impact on the environment,
and leave a lasting legacy for our host communities. “It reduced the time our people had to spend working at height and over water by 300,000 hours.” Jacobs’ design concept saw a move away from traditional stick-built to a modularised approach, with the wharf split into seven ‘jackets’ incorporating dolphins and topside modules. This innovative jacket design reduced the number of permanent piles required to be installed from 100 to 28, minimising the environmental impact to marine life in the area. The jetty was constructed using McConnell Dowell’s cantilevering traveller frame with hydraulic piling gates. These temporary works were fabricated with efficiency and repeatability in mind, and productivity peaked at an impressive three days per bent. Access was incorporated into the traveller design, creating a safe work environment with no requirement for scaffold. Rio Tinto plans to commence first production and shipping before the end of the year.
Designing, manufacturing and installing bulk solids storage and handling solutions world wide.
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Kotzur Bulk Solids Handling Pty Ltd formerly Downfields Engineering Pty Ltd
19-29 Enterprise Street, Wilsonton Industrial Estate. Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 37 Toowoomba QLD 4350 Ph (07) 4634 4622 www.kotzur.com
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2018/19 Directory of bulk handling engineering firms ABHR’s directory of bulk handling engineering firms is aimed at those companies planning a bulk handling project. This could be the design of a new stockyard or terminal, installation of an overland conveyor at a mine, or the upgrading of chutes and transfers at a process plant. It could also take in a nest of new silos at a grain handling facility, bulk handling systems at a sugar or cement plant, or a pneumatic system at a plant handling plastics or food powder. The list includes those firms offering design and consulting engineering services, as well as some related activities such as EPCM. Please contact us if you have any feedback or believe your firm should be listed in the future. ASPEC ENGINEERING CONTACT: Richard Morgan EMAIL: rmorgan@aspec.com.au WEB: www.aspec.com.au PHONE: (07) 3193 0400 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Material handling machines: design audits of stackers, reclaimers and ship loaders for mining companies and ports; compliance design checking of existing machines; upgrade feasibility; retrofit detailed design. Configuration of stockyard and shiploaders for new or expanding terminals. Structural integrity: ongoing asset audits of ports and mines; specialist investigations for life extension of structures and mechanical components involving finite element analysis, strain gauging, fracture mechanics and engineering design, risk studies and functional safety. Engineering projects: ROM and rail dump stations; bins, bunkers and silos; conveyor systems; reclaim tunnels; crane and machine runways; supports for vibrating machinery; marine structures; mooring systems. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Richard Morgan, Director | Frank Gatto, Director | Robert Gibson | Jeff Brook | Mark Biggs | Adam Mayers | Chris Hadenham MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Hay Point Shiploader SL1 and 2 life extension | EPCM services assessment for continued use of reclaimers, stackers and shiploaders for Port Kembla Coal Terminal | Design audits of Amrun stacker, reclaimer and shiploader | Hay Point stacker reclaimers (SR1 & SR2) replacement project.
AURECON CONTACT: John Leech EMAIL: john.leech@aurecongroup.com WEB: www.aurecongroup.com PHONE: (07) 3173 8016 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Planning and feasibility investigations, integrated detailed designs across all disciplines, construction and project management services and ongoing operations support for green and brownfield projects in the mining, minerals processing, agricultural and food processing
38 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
industries. Especially for coal, metal ores and concentrates, gas and liquid fuels, cement, fertilisers, timber products, sugar, grain, sands and aggregates. Specialist services include digital process modelling for supply chain optimization, 3-D data-centric plant modelling, discrete element modelling (DEM) for bulk flows, finite element modelling (FEM), machine design audits, plant safety compliance and condition audits, maintenance audits, spillage and dust control audits, failure investigations. Equipment specialisations include high capacity overland belt conveyors, shiploaders and shipping berths, transhipment facilities, train and truck loading/unloading systems, stacking and reclaiming systems, storage sheds, bins and silos, dust control systems and sampling systems. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Mackay: Steve Cutting | Gladstone: Peter Smith | Brisbane: John Leech | Sydney and Newcastle: David Baigent | Melbourne: Jennifer Smith | Adelaide: David Chin | Perth: Mark Kenny, Paul Muscat | Darwin: Alan Thomas | Jakarta: Rifki Feriandi, Irwan Sakti Siregari | Singapore: Yang San Go | South Africa: Eduard Vorster | Wellington: Stephen Jenk MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Yard machine replacements at Richards Bay Coal Terminal, South Africa | Shishen to Saldanha Ore Line Expansion, South Africa | Nacala Coal Export Facility, Vale, Mozambique | Tiebaghi Nickel Ore Export Facilities, SLN New Caledonia | Cannington Metal Concentrates Export Facility, Townsville Port | Fisherman’s Landing Plant Expansion, Cement Australia | Rolleston Coal Mine, Glencore | Master Plans for coal port developments at Hay Point and Abbot Point | NCIG Kooragang Island Coal Export Terminal | Hay Point Coal Terminal, Stage 3 Expansion | Dalrymple Bay coal terminal, Stages 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7X | Abbot Point Coal Terminal, Stage 1, X25, X50 Expansions | WICET Wiggins Island Coal Terminal | Port Waratah Coal Terminal, T4 Expansion Feasibility Study | Port of Fujairah Aggregates Terminal UAE.
BMT WBM CONTACT: Rob Angus EMAIL: rob.angus@bmtwbm.com.au WEB: www.bmtwbm.com.au PHONE: (07) 3831 6744 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: From planning and feasibility investigations to detailed design for both mines and
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ENGINEERING SERVICES ports. Specialising in materials handling systems and machinery (auditing and design of systems, conveyors, stockpile plant, rail and container handling equipment); large machines (audit, inspection and life extension of bucket wheel excavators, stackers, reclaimers, shiploaders, shovels, draglines, grinding mills, centrifugal fans, vibrating screens, cooling towers); conveyors (design and analysis of large overland, horizontal, vertical, cable, underground); In pit crushing and conveying (investigations and advice); electrical consulting (HV, LV, SCADA); analysis (stress/ fatigue, fluid, particle modelling, FEA, DEM, CFD); test and measurement; troubleshooting and root cause investigation, design rectifications; vibration, stress, rotating machinery. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Rob Angus, Machinery Group Operations Director | Steve Saflekos, Melbourne, steve.saflekos@ bmtwbm.com.au, (03) 86206117 | Richard Douchkov, Newcastle, richard.douchcov@bmtwbm.com.au, (02) 4940 8882 | Francois Coetsee, Perth, francois.coetsee@bmtwbm.com.au (08) 9328 2029 MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Samalaju Port Development, Malaysia | Adani – Abbot Point TO Expansion detailed design | Kemi, Finland – material handling plant concept design – iron concentrate port facility | Loy Yang Mine – internal overburden conveyor L705 detailed design, conveyor L410 detailed design and conveyor L801 tripper detailed design | Jembayan Port Project, Indonesia – detailed conveyor design | Port Waratah – shiploader engineering audit | Esperance Ports – Berth 3 shiploader audit and machine independent annual inspections Whyalla shiploader modification and upgrade | Geelong Port, woodchip conveying and shiploading project, concept and engineering audit | BMT Wagon Vibrator | China Light & Power, Castle Peak Power Station – conveyor Audit, conveyor upgrade, grab unloader audit, stacker reclaimer refurbishment, electrical system upgrade.
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RMP – several reservoir re-roof and refurbishment projects | 3D model, fabricate and install new structural steel roof for steel reservoirs, diameters up to 69m | Sydney Trains – train wash facility upgrade.
BULK MATERIALS ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA (BMEA) CONTACT: Andrew Grima EMAIL: agrima@uow.edu.au SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Bulk materials handling: flow properties and dynamic testing, bins, hoppers, feeders, conveyor transfers, chutes, segregation, dust control and suppression, bin wall and feeder loads, pneumatic conveying, dust explosion hazard minimisation. Testing, troubleshooting, engineering design, retrofit experts, audits, training courses, calibrated DEM computer simulation modelling/design (in excess of 20,000 tph). KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Andrew Grima, Chief Operating Officer and Principal Design Engineer | Peter Wypych, General Manager | David Hastie, Expert Adviser and Design Engineer | Ian Frew, Infrastructure Manager | Peter Arnold, Expert Adviser MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: New rail wagon design for efficient and reliable discharge of iron ore | High-angle belt conveying for alumina | Coal handling plant design and washery upgrades | Gold mine modifications to avoid blockages and flooding problems | Improved bauxite handling and loading operations | Reduced dust emissions at mine sites, ports and power stations | Safe handling and conveying of highly explosive powders | Improved live capacity of bottom-reclaim stockpiles | Improved ship loading and unloading operations, including new dust suppression technology.
CORTEX ENGINEERING
CONTACT: Darren Kramer EMAIL: sales@brolton.com.au WEB: www.brolton.com.au SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Multi-
CONTACT: Joe Scerri WEB: www.cortex.com.au PHONE: (03) 9597 0699 or 0429 874 599 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Engineering
disciplinary engineering company providing integrated solutions for bulk materials handling, electrical, mechanical, civil and construction. Design and construct turnkey projects for multiple industries including: food and beverage, cement, mining and quarrying, and materials handling. Engineering and design services, from consultation and concept design through to systems development and process design, detailed design and ‘for manufacture’ drawings. PLC, SCADA automation/software development, safety risk assessments, machinery safety guarding, vision inspection and testing. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Ben Lynch (Managing Director) | Darren Kramer (Director) | Javier Juchnewicz (Commercial Manager) | Steve Collum (Engineering and Projects Manager) | Nathan Cherry (Operations Manager) MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Hanson – design and construct a compete quarry at Bass Point | Morgan Cement International - turnkey D&C of a 30tph slag drying system and bulk storage silo | Sydney Water - design and construct for two sludge handling and storage plants | Cotton Seed Distributors – design and construct of new seed delinting and treating facilities, bulk storage, dust handling plant, off- grade processing plant | Morgan Cement International – D&C of a 150t bulk additives conveying system | Adelaide Brighton Cement – turnkey D&C of a 60tph slag drying system and bulk storage silo | Sydney Water/
design, procurement and construction management services. Expertise in bulk materials handling of construction materials such as cement, lime, flyash, ground slag, washed sand, quarry sand, crushed rock and liquid admixtures as produced in quarries and used in concrete batching and mixing plants; agricultural products bulk handling including wheat, barley, canola, pulses, fertilisers; mining bulk material handling applications including mineral sands rutile, zircon and leucozene; ore materials including iron ore, copper and gold ore, coal. Material receival, storage, reclaiming, transfer and/or loading into road trucks, rail wagons and ships. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Joe Scerri BE (Civil), MIE Aust CPEng, General Manager MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Hanson Hobart Quarry belt conveyor system | Newmont Gold Tanami mine, cement bulk storage and metering system for paste back-fill plant | Straits Resources, cement bulk storage and metering system for paste back-fill plant | FMG Cloudbreak mine overburden conveyor system | Northport NZ woodchip shiploading | ABA Globex grain export terminal at Appleton dock, Port of Melbourne | NAT 60,00 tonne capacity grain export terminal conceptual designs for terminal development at Port of Newcastle | Iluka Minerals Port of Portland storage shed, wharf conveyors and mobile shiploader | NT Tanami expansion gold mine project | Prominent Hill Gold mine project, cement bulk storage and equipment for the paste back-fill plant | Forrestania mine project, WA, cement bulk storage
40 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
and equipment for the paste back-fill plant | Feasibility study and market analysis for dry bulk goods in the Ciwandan Port of Banten, Indonesia | Emerald Grain mobile grain stacker and drive over receival grid.
COVA CONTACT: Jason Bodnar EMAIL: Jason.bodnar@covathinking.com WEB: covathinking.com PHONE: 1300 357 363 | (03) 8545 0400 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Specialising in the design of complete materials handling processes and applications, including transportation, stock piling, storage, reclaiming and loading. Design of all types of ship loaders, stackers, mobile machinery, road, rail and ship loading/unloading stations, large bulk storage buildings with integrated in-load and out-load systems. Multi-disciplinary engineering capability of all aspects of materials handling projects, including concept, preliminary and detailed designs, condition auditing, feasibility studies, project management, procurement management, site construction management and commissioning. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Melbourne: Jason Bodnar (National Delivery Manager) | Rodney Mawson (Senior Project Manager) | Chris Tattersall (Principal Structural Engineer) | Hobart: David Oudman (Project Manager) | Chris Tummon (Principal Structural Engineer) | Simon Turner (Senior Electrical Engineer) | Sydney: Ben Collins (Senior Electrical Engineer) | Ray Sassine (Principal Mechanical Engineer) | Magdalena Geraldo (Principal Process Engineer). MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Patricks Port Botany redevelopment | Maules Creek Stacker (coal) | Kestrel Coal Stacker, Rio Tinto (coal) | Corio Quay ship loader and conveyors | Port of Geelong (woodchips) | Koolan Island ship loader and conveyor | Mount Gibson Iron (iron ore) | Port of Darwin ship loader, conveyors and truck dump (manganese, iron ore) | Port of Esperance ship loader and conveyors (iron ore) | Queensland Bulk Handling, Brisbane stacker (coal) | Mesa A stacker, Pilbara, HWE (iron ore) | Lake Vermont radial stacker, Sedgeman (coal) | Sonoma radial stacker, Sedgeman (coal) | Telfer Gold Mine stackers, Newcrest Mining (gold ore) | South East Fibre Exports, Eden, stockpile and reclaim system (woodchips) | Condong/Broadwater, NSW fuel handling systems for co-generation plant (bagasse) | Australian Wheat Board, numerous up-country grain terminals | GrainCorp significant upgrade projects including grain terminals, grain storage and handling | Laminex Industries, Ballarat, major plant upgrade (woodchips and particle board).
EMTEK CONTACT: Josh Proud, Technical Director WEB: www.emtek.com.au EMAIL: info@emtek.com.au PHONE: 1300 135 466 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Multidiscipline industrial engineering technology provider offering high value, low cost customised solutions that optimise bulk material handling and mineral processing plants. High quality multi-disciplinary engineering solutions, project services and specialised services for the bulk material, mineral processing and resource sectors. Greenfield services from concept through to project implementation. Brownfield services include plant de-bottlenecking, plant upgrades and expansions. Specialised services include overland conveyor analysis/design, machine and mechanical component design, Discrete Element Modelling (DEM), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Advanced Process Control Optimisation, integrated 3D design systems, in-house shop detailing services, laser scanning and 3D printing. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Melbourne: Josh Proud, josh. proud@ emtek.com.au | Joel Herron, joel.herron@emtek.com.au | Gary James, gary.james@emtek.com.au | Colin Preston, colin. preston@emtek.com.au | David Bradbury, david.bradbury@emtek. com.au MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Detailed design works at Rio Tinto’s Silvergrass Mine, design of overland and primary discharge conveyors and transfer station | Rio Tinto Iron Ore – Hope Downs 1/West Angelas/Yandi/Paraburdoo | OZ Minerals – Prominent Hill/Carrapateena | BHPB – Yandi 1 | FMG – Solomon, Firetail and Kings Valley/Cloudbreak/Christmas Creek | MMG – Roseberry/Sepon | Newmarket – Fosterville | Westerns Areas – Forrestania | McConnell Dowell – Roy Hill Port Facilities | Metals X – Nifty Copper Mine | Roy Hill – Mine and Port. Prior to the formation of EMtek, the team has had previous experience working on: Solomon Front End Crushing Hub (FMG) | Hammersley Iron Channar, 10km OLC system | Marradong (Worsley Alumina) | Western Turner Brockman (RTIO) | Oakajee Port and Rail Study | Hope Downs 4 (RTIO) | Mesa A (RTIO) | Kwinana Bulk Terminals | Port Waratah Coal Service, MMG (Century) | Pt Kaltim Prima Coal (Indonesia).
GHD CONTACT: Mal Peattie EMAIL: Mal.Peattie@ghd.com WEB: http://www.ghd.com
ARE YOU A DESIGNER / MANUFACTURER / RESEARCHER / OPERATOR OF BULK SOLIDS HANDLING SYSTEMS / EQUIPMENT / STORAGE?
... If so, you can now expand your capabilities by joining the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling. The Society has a mission to enhance the discipline of bulk solids handling through research, education and sound engineering practice. Further information on the Society’s activities, its Constitution and registration procedures are available from the: Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling The University of Newcastle University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308 Phone: (02) 4033 9039 | Fax: (02) 4033 9044 Email: Danielle.Harris@newcastle.edu.au
Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling
MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN TO ALL PRACTITIONERS IN BULK SOLIDS HANDLING AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES.
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/Australian-Society-Bulk-Solids-Handling
ENGINEERING SERVICES http://www.ghd.com/global/services/materials-handling/ PHONE: (02) 4979 9084 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Bulk materials handling from concept to operation: Multi-discipline engineering, concept, pre-feasibility, feasibility, definition studies, detailing, brownfield upgrades and construction management, of materials handling systems. Individual components to complete exploration to export for the mining industry; conveyors, stacker/reclaimers, rail/ship loading and unloading, stockyards, crushing and screening; automation and control; commissioning and audits. The industries for which GHD has provided materials handling services include mining (soft and hard rock), mining (open cut and underground), power, food, industry, rail, ports. Materials covered include: coal (black and brown), iron ore, magnetite, wood chips, sugar, bauxite, grain, bulk fuels, drums, gravel, gold, copper and heavy metal concentrates. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Newcastle: Warwick Biggs, warwick. biggs@ghd.com | Brisbane: Shane Coles, shane.coles@ghd.com | Perth: John Hill, john.hill@ghd.com | Hobart: Hayden Thorp, hayden.thorp@ghd.com | Melbourne & Morwell: Chris Johnston, chris.johnston@ghd.com | Orange: David Buchanan, David. Buchanan@ghd.com | Sydney: Malcolm Peattie, Mal.Peattie@ ghd.com | Manila: Manuel Ancheta, Manuel.Ancheta@ghd.com | Chile: Javier Gomez, Javier. Gomez@ghd.com | USA & Canada: Jake Alexander, Jake.Alexander@ghd.com MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: BHP, Mount Arthur Coal 32 expansion | Queensland Sugar Corporation terminal expansion | Port Waratah Coal Services stage 2 | Lekir Bulk Terminal and LBT upgrade | Albany Hematite processing and port facilities | BMA Broadmeadow trunk conveyor | Hawsons Iron Project | BHP Mount Arthur Coal export circuit upgrade | BlueScope Steel sinter screening project | Southern Port Authority shed to ship study | Yenikoy Kemerkoy Elektrik in pit sizing and conveying | Crinum North underground conveyors | ArcelorMittal Western Ranges Iron Ore Liberia DFS | African Minerals Sierra Leone dump station upgrade | Rio Tinto Tom Price 25AM belt feeder upgrade | Alcoa Bunbury Port rail loop and bulk material unloading and stacking design | Energy Australia Mt Piper – ash handling system | Rio Tinto Nammuldi feed boot and belt feeder upgrade.
HATCH CONTACT: Dr. Brian Moore – Bulk Materials Handling Lead/ Australia-Asia Region EMAIL: brian.moore@hatch.com WEB: www.hatch.com/en/About-Us/Office-Locations/Australia HEAD OFFICE ADDRESS: 61 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane City, QLD 4000 PHONE: (07) 3166 7777 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Global EPCM services provider; bulk materials handling equipment selection and design; mining engineering (surface and underground); capacity simulation modelling (logistics); debottlenecking studies and BMH plant audits to achieve nameplate capacity; conveyor dynamic transient analysis; discrete element modelling (guided flow chutes); machine audits & upgrades (stackers, reclaimers, shiploaders). Hatch supplies engineering, project and construction management services, process and business consulting and operational services to the mining & metals, energy and infrastructure sectors. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Brisbane: Chris Beardmore | Perth: Lee Shoesmith | Mackay: Andrew Catto | Wollongong: Dr. Brian Moore | Newcastle: Russell Hart | South Africa: Stephen Stacey, Hendrik Visser | North America: Colin Barbeau, Noel Wallace, Jean42 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
Francois Marchand, Predaq Jokovic, Tom Maus, Jerry Westermann | South America: Bhaskar Karanth, Gustavo Gilberti
JENIKE & JOHANSON CONTACT: Grant Wellwood (General Manager) EMAIL: gwellwood@jenike.com, info-australia@jenike.com ADDRESS: 12 Fisher Street, Belmont, Western Australia 6104 WEB: www.jenike.com PHONE: 1300 BULK SOLIDS SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Jenike & Johanson is an employee-owned science based consultancy that exists to help those in the material resources sector remain focused on their core business (value creation) by solving their most complex bulk solids handling problems. As the world leader in the application of bulk material science, we provide peace of mind solutions (handling, processing, storage) for systems featuring any bulk materials including iron ore, bauxite, rock, coal, grains, foodstuffs and powders. A customer first organisation with an uncompromising approach to quality specialising in wet and sticky material, transfer chutes, storage bins, fines agglomeration and proactive design support for owners’ project study teams and their preferred EPCM/EPC organisations. Materials flow properties testing: wall friction (hopper angles for mass flow), cohesive strength (rathole and arching dimensions), bulk density, permeability, segregation, TML, dust extinction moisture, belt surcharge angle, abrasive wear, pneumatic conveying and open three-body accelerated wear testing. Engineering: on-site assessments (reviews), design and study team participation (options analysis), functional design of silos, stockpiles, hoppers, chutes and feeders, Discrete Element Method (DEM) analysis, structural engineering and detailed design. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: David Craig, Ph.D - Vice President/ Director of Engineering | Terry Tan, Ph.D - Senior Engineer | Corin Holmes, MSc, Chris Muller, BE Mech (Hons) & Dewi Octavia, BE Chem (Hons) – Project Engineers. MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Debottlenecking various pit to port material handling systems, bauxite agglomeration, transfer chute design for fine and/or wet and sticky ore, stockpile withdrawal, live capacity calculations for various coal, bauxite and mineral concentrates, independent peer reviews, accelerated wear testing, event investigation.
KERMAN CONTRACTING CONTACT: James Rowdon EMAIL: james.rowdon@kerman.com.au WEB: www.kerman.com.au SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION:
Bulk storage and materials handling facilities, industrial processing plants, structural, mechanical and piping, complete design and construction of mine site non-process infrastructure, accommodation villages and large industrial warehouses, factory and workshop buildings. Activities include: design and construct of civil, structural, mechanical and piping and electrical; civil and concrete construction; equipment procurement; inspection and quality control; fabrication, surface treatment and field erection of: structural steelwork; platework; storage tank construction; mechanical plant installation; pipe spooling and field installation; insulation; electrical services and plant commissioning all associated to construction. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Project managers: Jim Walker | Klaus Hartmann | Peter Hendrie | Michael Gray | Project engineer: Jon Butler
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Port of Newcastle ship unloader | Quattro Grain Export Terminal (Berth 103) Port Kembla | Sino Iron Project – lines 3 to 6 SMP and electrical works | CBH/ Blue Lake Milling Oat Milling Plant | Storage cells with cross conveyors for CBH, Chadwick | ACFS Container Park, North Fremantle | CSBP Fertiliser Blending Plant, Kwinana | Tianqi Lithium Production Buildings, Kwinana | SMP for the crushing facility at Talison Lithium, Greenbushes | Iron ore export shed, reclaim and shiploader facilities at the Whyalla Port Expansion project in SA for Arrium Mining (OneSteel) | Explosive storage and handling facility at Marandoo, WA for Hamerlsey Iron | Enclosed conveyor modules for BHP Billiton at Finucane Island, Port Hedland | Non-process infrastructure facilities at Jimblebar Hub, WA for BHP Billiton Iron Ore | Resource recovery plant and all material handling systems for BioVision/SITA in Neerabup | Iron ore storage and material handling systems for the Esperance Port Authority and OneSteel at Whyalla | Grain storage and material handling systems for AWB in NSW, Victoria and QLD and for the CBH Group in WA. KOCKUMS BULK SYSTEMS CONTACT: Jason Groves (Sales Manager) | Francois Steyn (Managing Director) EMAIL: j.groves@kockumsbulk.com.au | f.steyn@kockunsbulk.com.au WEB: www.kockumsbulk.com.au PHONE: (03) 9457 8200
SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Engineering
design and supply of equipment for handling bulk materials in process industry. Dust management and reliable flow promotion, especially where abrasives, combustible dust or gasses, toxic or high temperatures are present. Equipment range covers: sack filling and emptying, bulk bag filling, emptying and conditioning, IBC systems, container unloading, pneumatic and mechanical conveying, batch weighing and feed systems, blenders, sifters, breakers, specialist valves, flow aids, dust filters, automatic bagging and baling machines, vacuum lifting systems, palletisers, wrappers and hooding machines. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Jason Groves (Sales Manager Powders), j.groves@kockumsbulk.com.au | Steve Miles (Senior Application Engineer, Food Industry), s.miles@kockumsbulk.com.au | Tim Drew (Project Manager), t.drew@kockumsbulk.com.au MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Design and supply of a total compounds batching plant for Knauf Plasterboard Australia at Altona, Victoria | Design, supply, install and commission a major upgrade of the Cereform (Mauri ANZ) cake and pastry Ingredient Batch Processing Plant NSW | Design, supply, install and commission of a three stage system upgrade of a three-line garden products automated bagging, palletising and hooding plant at Martins Fertilizers NSW | Design, supply and commissioning of a substantial upgrade to the Dry Compounds Plant of Winstone Wallboards (GIB) in Auckland NZ | Design and supply of 160 tonne/hr suck and blow system for supplying cement from barges to shore in the building of Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong | Design and supply of a dry disposal dense phase system for PFA flyash at Bayswater Power Station in the Hunter Valley for 300 tonne per hour collection and transfer off site, a total distance of 1.6 km.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
LAING O’ROURKE CONTACT: (East): Soren Goldsmith, sgoldsmith@ laingorourke.com.au (West): Dale Ewart, dewart@laingorourke.com.au WEB: www.laingorourke.com.au
SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: As an
engineering lead construction company, Laing O’Rourke provides innovative services and solutions to clients from concept/feasibility level phases through to early contractor involvement, construction and commissioning. The extensive bulk materials handling experience via the former Barclay Mowlem heritage covers the full pit to port bulk materials handling including iron ore, coal, hard rock and bauxite. The in-house multi-disciplinary engineering team covers all project disciplines providing capability to drive value solutions for clients incorporating modularisation/ pre-assembly, design for constructability and maintainability. Specialisation includes long distance overland conveying through the exclusive partnership with Conveyor Dynamics Inc. The capability of the proprietary dynamic analysis software ‘Beltflex’ and Super Low Rolling Resistance (SLRR) rheology enables long distance (>20km) belt conveyors to be realised as demonstrated on the Curragh North OLC project. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Brad White (Principal Structural), BradleyWhite@laingorourke.com.au | Davor Jambrek (Principal Electrical), djambrek@laingorourke.com.au | Soren Goldsmith, sgoldsmith@laingorourke.com.au | Downie, jdownie@laingorourke.com.au MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Rio Tinto Cape Lambert | FMG Solomon Mine Stockyard conveyors and train loading | BHPB Yandi RGP5 crushing and overland conveying | Centennial Airly Mine | Centennial Cooranbong surface upgrade | Overland Conveyors including Wesfarmers Curragh North and Indokodeco in Indonesia | North Parkes Lift 2 underground crushing and drift conveyors | Argyle Diamonds Underground and Overland conveyors | BMA Blackwater.
LOGAN ENGINEERING CONSULTING PTY LTD (LEC) CONTACT: Dr Logan Loganathan, Principal Consultant and Managing Director EMAIL: logan@loganeng.com WEB: www.loganeng.com PHONE: (07) 3279 6270 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: LEC is a team of experienced engineers and technicians specialising in third-party independent design review/owner’s engineer role, service life extension and structural failure investigation for the brownfield mining, heavy industry and port assets. Our core engineering services are: Third-party independent design review of new and existing stackers, reclaimers, stacker reclaimers (bucket wheel and scraper), shiploaders, ship unloaders (grab and continuous) and rotary tipplers, in Australia and overseas, in accordance with the relevant Standards (AS 4324.1, ISO 5049-1, FEM Section II). Service life extension and structural remediation design for existing assets: mobile bulk materials handling machines, tipplers, storage bins, silos, tanks, process vessels, stacks, large diameter ducts, drum scrubbers, ore rail wagons, heavy haul rail bridges and calciners.
44 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
Advanced numerical modelling and analysis using finite element methods for complex structures/equipment in view of strength, buckling, fatigue and dynamics. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Dr Logan Loganathan | Greg Gabb | Otto Chan | Dr Travis Langbecker | Riandy Bhaskara | Dr Thanh Nguyen | Jason Zhang | Gerard Ward MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Detailed third-party independent structural design review of a new tippler and the associated gripper and positioner structures for Transnet Port Terminal in Saldanha, South Africa | Rebalancing of a bucket wheel stacker reclaimer for PT Paiton Energy in Indonesia | Independent structural design review of a new 3,500 tonne sugar bin at Wilmar Sugar, QLD and a drum conditioner at Talison Lithium, WA | Prior to the establishment of LEC in 2016, the team had previous experience working together on the design review and service life extension of over 50 rail mounted mobile bulk materials handling machines, over 30 tanks/bins/silos/ducts, and a number of structural remediation designs to extend the service life of existing ore rail wagons.
PITT&SHERRY WEB: www.pittsh.com.au PHONE: 1300 748 874 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Infrastructure consultancy across multiple specialisations, including industrial, mining, energy, food & beverage, transport and community sectors. Specialist engineering services throughout life cycle of plant and machinery assets. Design, verification and asset management of hazardous plant and machinery. Lifting and access design solutions across multiple sectors. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Nick Bailey, Clinton Ford, Doug Ford MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Cyolite Recovery conveyor design – Bell Bay Aluminium, Tasmania | ALC plant upgrade project, Bell Bay Aluminium, Tasmania | Lime dosing facility – Tas Alkaloids | Atomiser 1 expansion project - Bahrain Atomisers International | Phase 1 and 2 process and bulk handling plant project, Ecka Granules of America LLC, South Carolina | Mobile woodchip conveyors design – Tas Ports, Bell Bay Terminal.
SEDGMAN CONTACT: David Proud EMAIL: David.Proud@sedgman.com WEB: www.sedgman.com PHONE: (07) 3514 1000 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Minerals processing and associated infrastructure solutions for the global resources industry, with process engineering and materials handling solutions for the coal, minerals and iron ore sectors. Sedgman also provides contract operations, maintenance, operations support and consultancy services for process and materials handling plants and infrastructure. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Australia: Ewan Juillerat (Principal Materials Handling Engineer) | Paul Dent, Andrew Poplawski (Principal Mechanical and Material Handling Engineers) | Simon Stockwell | Ken Boulton | Damian Stevens | Canada: Mark Wilkin | Asia: Cecilia Darragh
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Woodlawn, Zinc Copper project – Heron Resources | Aurora Gold Project for Guyana Goldfields in Guyana | Solomon Iron Ore Mine Project for Fortescue Metals | Mungari Gold Project for La Mancha Resources | Caval Ridge Coal Processing Plant for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance | Boggabri Coal Project | Ukhaa Khudag Coal Project for Mongolian Mining Corporation in the South Gobi Desert | Boseto Copper Project for Discovery Metals Limited in Botswana | Daunia Coal Project for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance | Maules Creek Coal Project for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance | Moatize Coal Project for Vale in Mozambique | Bocamina Power Station Project for Endesa | Benga Coal Project for Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique. SOTO CONSULTING ENGINEERS CONTACT: Jim Allan EMAIL: jim.allan@sotogroup.com.au WEB: www.sotogroup.com.au PHONE: (02) 4298 8888/0429 165 578 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: SOTO is a bespoke industrial design consultancy and maintains a sizeable team of engineers in disciplines including mechanical, structural, civil and bulk materials handling. Focusing on long-term service to mining, quarry, cement industries and agribusinesses, providing bespoke design solutions using SOTO unique capabilities in advanced analysis methods comprising finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics and discrete element modelling. These tools enable our consultancy
World Leaders in Bulk Materials Handling with over 40 years of experience in Research and Consulting We are experienced and offer assistance in everything that is BULK SOLIDS, including: • Testing of Bulk Materials and Bulk Materials Handling Equipment • Consulting Services for Storage, Flow and Handling • Conceptual Design of storage and Handling Systems
3-Day Short Course Storage, Flow, Transfer and Belt Conveying Course The Mercure Perth, WA 13-15 November 2018
For more information, visit www.bulksolids.com.au or call +61 2 4033 9055
to provide a tailored design solution to minimise the design risk to your business; other services comprise; professional witness and forensic engineering; risk and lifecycle studies; UAV aerial inspection, structural audits and condition reports. Certification and design validation to Australian Standards of imported plant and equipment is another unique and specialised service. SOTO is a mid-tier consultancy without the overheads of the larger tier-one consultancies thus permitting a competitive cost advantage while providing best practice via ISO 9001-2016 quality assurance for engineering and design. MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Cement kiln analysis for BORAL | structural design validation and clinker storage shed for Cement Australia | Coonamble Grain Terminal for GrainCorp NSW | Hanson’s - Bass Point Quarry conveyors, transfer chutes, hoppers, bins and structural steel tower designs | Cotton seed plant at Wee Waa, for CSD NSW | SOTO clients include Australian operations of global companies as well as privately owned and operated companies that cover infrastructure, manufacturing, construction materials, mining, alumina, steel and agriculture.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY ENGINEERING CONTACT: Doug Hawkes (Managing Director) EMAIL: dhawkes@siepl.com.au WEB: www.siepl.com.au PHONE: (08) 9316 9400/(07) 3256 8333 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: SIE is an Australian owned, specialised structural engineering
ENGINEERING SERVICES
consulting company, providing services to the mining and heavy industries, including port facilities. Investigation and compliance services – investigation and expert witness services relating to structural issues, incidents and failures. Independent design and compliance auditing (Australia and offshore) of fixed plant, new and existing, plus AS 4324.1 assessments of stackers, reclaimers and shiploaders, new and existing. Structural design services–upgrade and optimisation assessments and rectification design. Mining and minerals processing plant and marine facilities structural design services, including advanced finite element analysis capabilities, structural assessments and prescription of remedial measures. On-site services–structural inspections and risk assessment. Shutdown technical supervision of remedial and temporary support works. Rapid response and crisis recovery. Training–mining and minerals processing plant structural integrity training including structural design principles, fabrication and welding QA/QC requirements. Corporate governance document and specification writing and reviews. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Brisbane - Doug Hawkes (Principal Structural Engineer) dhawkes@siepl.com.au | Perth - Peter de San Miguel (Principal Structural Engineer) pdesanmiguel@siepl.com.au | Brisbane - Dr Matthew Humphreys (Principal Structural Engineer, Advanced Analysis) mhumphreys@siepl.com.au | Perth - Scott Marlow (WA Operations Manager, Senior Structural Engineer) smarlow@ siepl.com.au | Perth - Simon Edgar (Senior Structural Engineer) sedgar@siepl.com.au MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: 125 machine inspections and over 30 machine design audits in the last 10 years | BHP Billiton Iron Ore expansion projects RGP3, RGP4 and RGP5 stackers (9), reclaimers (6) and ship loaders (7) design audits | Citic Pacific Mining Sino Iron machine audits (3) | Various failure investigations | Inco Goro Project stacker design audit | Rio Tinto Brockman 4 stacker and reclaimer design audits | Various offshore workshop fabrication reviews and audits | Advice/expert witness to State Solicitors Office.
THYSSENKRUPP INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD CONTACT: Ben Suda(Head of Sales) | Lee Corbett (Head of Services) EMAIL: sales-is-australia@thyssenkrupp.com | service-isaustralia@thyssenkrupp.com WEB: www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions-australia.com PHONE: (08) 9200 0000 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION:
thyssenkrupp is a global materials and technologies company with 158,000 employees. The Industrial Solutions business area of thyssenkrupp is a leading partner for the engineering, construction and service of industrial plants and systems. Around 21,000 employees at over 100 locations form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees maximum productivity and cost-efficiency. With around 360 people in Australia, the company delivers resource projects in mining, cement and oil and gas, with local engineering and project management across all disciplines and all aspects of project delivery. Thyssenkrupp has a substantial installed base across its technologies in materials handling, crushing and grinding. It says its combination of owned technologies – in Australia and globally – and local engineering and project management
46 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
offers customers attractive contracting models and certainty of outcome. Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has a dedicated Services Business Unit which employs approx. 145 personnel across Australia providing after sales solutions and spare parts to its clients. The service team can provide clients significant benefits in the area of R&D, product support, improvements and optimization, site based training via its network of regional support centres. Coupled with in house fabrication, machining and refurbishment services, thyssenkrupp can provide a one stop shop solution. PROJECT AREAS: Mine process infrastructure, comminution and conveying, minerals processing, stockyards/materials handling, shiploaders, oil refining, oil and gas processing, petrochemicals, chemicals, alternative fuels and clean coal sectors, sugar cogeneration. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Gustav de Wet (Chief Technology Officer) | Humberto Valladares (Head of NOE) | Jeff Lofaro (Head of Engineering) MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Equipment at Yandi, Jimblebar, Finucane Island, Nelson Point, Anderson Point, Solomon, Christmas Creek, Port Kembla Coal Terminal & East Intercourse Island, Cadia and Cape Preston.
TUNRA BULK SOLIDS HANDLING RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE CONTACT: Dr Tim Donohue EMAIL: enquiries@bulksolids.com.au WEB: www.bulksolids.com.au PHONE: (02) 4033 9055 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Flow properties, wear characterisation, idler testing, transfer chute designs, computational modelling (DEM, CFD and FEA), DEM calibration services, belt conveyor testing, dust minimisation, abrasion minimization strategies, bin and hopper functional designs, stockpile draw-down optimisation, belt conveying systems, wall loads, pneumatic conveying systems and testing, hydraulic conveying test work, general material handling audits, site visits and professional development courses. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Professor Mark Jones (Director) | Prof Alan Roberts (Founding Director) | A/Prof Craig Wheeler (Associate Director) | Dr Tim Donohue (Manager) MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Australian coal terminal reclaimer belt wear optimisation | Partner in AMIRA and ACARP research teams investigating transportable moisture limits for iron ores and coals | Iron ore head chute wear optimisation | Gold ore crusher pocket redesign in Central America | Belt abrasion investigation for iron ore feeder in the Pilbara | Audit of entire biomass transfer and handling system | Investigation into rolling stock discharge | Conveyor Indentation Rolling Resistance Test Facility | Comprehensive idler testing; ISO 9001 accreditation.
WORLEYPARSONS CONTACT: Jon Clements EMAIL: jonathon.clements@worleyparsons.com WEB: www.worleyparsons.com PHONE: +61 400 926 808 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: WorleyParsons delivers projects, provides expertise in engineering, procurement and construction and offers a wide
range of consulting and advisory services. It covers the full project lifecycle, from creating new assets to sustaining and enhancing operating assets, in the hydrocarbons, minerals, metals, chemicals and infrastructure sectors. In materials handling, optimising materials handling processes by implementing value added solutions. Materials handling services include: conveying systems and slurry pipelines, stockyards and stockpile management, car dumpers, stackers and reclaimers, shiploaders and unloaders, train and truck loading and unloading, crushing, sizing and screening, supply chain optimisation (dynamic simulation). KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Jon Clements, Development Manager, Minerals & Metals MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: 30mtpa Koodaideri Iron Ore Project – Rio Tinto, Australia | 45mtpa Pilbara Iron Ore and Infrastructure project - Fortescue Metals Group, Australia | 155mtpa expansion Pilbara Iron Ore and Infrastructure project - Fortescue Metals Group, Australia | 90mtpa S11D Iron Ore Project - Vale, Brazil | Impala Shaft 17 (1900 metre depth) – Impala Platinum, South Africa | Wafi-Golpu Exploration Project – Newcrest Mining and Harmony, Papua New Guinea | Shondoni Coal Mine EPCM – Sasol Mining, South Africa | EMAL Aluminium Smelter Project for Emirates Aluminium, UAE | Ma’aden-Phosphate Development-Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Saudi Arabia.
WSP CONTACTS: Brad Allsopp | John Prest EMAIL: Brad.Allsopp@wsp.com | John.Prest@wsp.com PHONE: (02) 9272 5353/0402 302 574 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Multidisciplinary engineering team delivers projects and performance optimization for mines, ports, power stations, and for sand, cement and aggregate plants. Specialisations include: audits, benchmarking, investigations, studies, design, EPCM and PMC implementation of materials handling facilities, including slurry pipelines, conveyors, feed and transfer equipment, sampling systems, storage facilities, bins, stockpiles, truck, train and ship loading and unloading facilities. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Brad Allsopp, materials handling executive | John Prest, principal materials handling engineer (Perth) MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Northparkes E26L1N block cave mine Underground materials handling system FS | Roy Hill PMC | Glencore Rolleston CHF expansion - 1,250 t/h ROM feeder, sizers, roller screen, conveyors, fixed stacker | Adelaide Brighton Cement mill upgrades, storage silos, automated stacking and reclaiming facilities, raw materials handling and storage | KEPCO Bylong FS: 1,000 t/h open cut coal and 400 t/h reject handling | Ok Tedi copper Mine PFSROM pads, in-pit crushers, conveyors, coarse ore stockpiles | Territory Iron East Arm Port Stockpile conveyors, transfer stations, chutes and stacker | Tampakan Copper Mine FS10,000 t/h ore crushing and conveying system | Iluka Jacinth Ambrosia mineral sands EPCM-HMC transport and logistics, storage, reclaim, conveying and shiploading.
EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS & SERVICES ARCHIMEDES ENGINEERING CONTACT: Jay Baker EMAIL: sales@archimedes.net.au WEB: www.archimedes.net.au PHONE: (07) 3818 6966 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Materials handling solutions including design and drafting, fabrication, site installation and commissioning. Mechanical maintenance services. Design, specification/sizing, manufacture of screw conveyors, bucket elevators, slat conveyors, bins, chutes, silos, tanks and mixers. Servicing a range of industries including mining/mineral processing, food/meat processing, sugar, cement, grain, etc. Division of the Wulguru Group. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Wayne Landrigan (Director) | Jay Baker (Manager) MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS: Orica Mining, design and fabricate sealed tube screw conveyor for reject cyanide | Wagners, design, fabricate and install bucket elevator and platforms | Cristal Mining, design and fabricate 11 bucket elevators | Kilcoy Pastoral Company, design, fabricate and install cooker discharge screw conveyor | Australian Country Choice, design, fabricate, install and commission 12 screw conveyors | QLD Racing, design, fabricate, install and commission horse manure storage and truck loading facility | Pacific Aluminium, design and fabricate transfer dust collector screw conveyors | Cement Australia, design, fabricate and install flyash outloading tube screw | Nui Phao Mining Co Ltd, design and fabricate tungsten carbide screw classifier | JBS Australia, Macarthur River Mine expansion including structural, mechanical and piping installation | Teys Australia, fabricate cake bins, feed screw conveyors and access platforms.
RUD AUSTRALIA CONTACT: Ian Cattell (Mechanical Project Engineer) Brisbane EMAIL: ian.cattell@rud.com.au WEB: www.rud.com.au PHONE: (07) 3809 1300 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Chain based conveyor and lifting solutions including bulk material handling, safe lifting solutions, engineered lifting devices, conveyors, conveyor conversion kits, engineering site reports, optimisation of existing systems, tyre protection and traction solutions and portable heavy vehicle hoists. RUD Australia specialises in chain bucket elevators, belt bucket elevators, apron conveyors, en masse chain conveyors, forky drag conveyors, biomass conveyors, systems for energy and power generation, conveyors for gasification and combustion. Our in-house engineering and manufacturing facility designs and manufactures lifting beams, overhead lifting and hoisting solutions, transmission of large components, safe calibrated drive solutions, FEM analysis of existing systems and system optimisation, mechanical systems for maintenance platforms, traversing systems and trolleys. KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Matt Pauli (Engineering Manager) | Ian Cattell (Mechanical Project Engineer and National Product Manager - Conveyor and Drive Systems) | Amandeep Gill (Senior Mechanical Engineer) | Peter Lehfeldt (Application Engineer) | Drew Robb (Application Engineer)
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 47
MONITORING
CONTI PROTECT Belt Protection Systems
Smart technology minimises production disruption Belt monitoring systems like those provided by ContiTech Australia are assisting mining operators to detect early belt rips and preventing further significant damage. IN ADDITION TO MANUFACTURING of steel cord and fabric conveyor belts, ContiTech Australia also offers value adding services such as belt monitoring systems. ContiTech CONTI PROTECT and CONTI INSPECT belt monitoring systems support conveyor belt operators by maximising the safety and the lifetime of their belts and ensure system reliability and availability. One of the belt condition monitoring systems installed on a major Pilbara iron ore stockyard conveyor has successfully detected an early belt rip, automatically shutting down a vital conveyor for repair before causing further, significant damage. According to Chris Ams, conveyor
superintendent at Fortescue’s Anderson Point, Port Hedland, this is a good example of why keeping up to date with latest technology can really pay off. “Fourteen stockyard belts we operate at Anderson Point are fitted with these latest ‘smart data’ condition monitoring systems. “This enables us to reduce unplanned maintenance due to belt ripping or significant belt carcass damage. These yard belts are the lifeblood for our ore being carried from the stockyards to the ships at Herb Elliot Port so it is important they operate safely and efficiently,” he said. Edsel Lemus, Manager belt condition monitoring, conveyor belt group for Continental, described how the belt
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The CONTI PROTECT Series is designed, manufactured and tested according to automotive standards. Therefore CONTI PROTECT Belt Rip Detection and CONTI PROTECT Splice Elongation Measurement achieve a high quality level, providing outstanding safety for conveyor belts. Both systems of the CONTI PROTECT family will stop the conveyor belt in emergencies. Using a user-friendly 15-inch touch screen, easy interaction with the systems is provided. If needed, the CONTI PROTECT series can also be maintained worldwide via remote control by ContiTech’s experienced German engineers. Key benefits of CONTI PROTECT Belt Rip Detection: • Stops the belt in emergencies • Detects longitudinal belt rips early • All kinds of sensor loops are detected • As many points of surveillance as desired are possible • Can be maintained worldwide via remote control • Installation by ContiTech engineers available
LEFT: FMG iron ore stockyards Anderson Point, Port Hedland, Western Australia. RIGHT: Monitoring is visible on demand by multiple users at the same time from any nominated device.
condition monitoring installed at Fortescue’s Anderson Point works. “CONTI MultiProtect monitors the belt continuously as a permanent installation, analysing the magnetic characteristics of the conveyer belt and alarming when it detects a longitudinal rip (with the use of magnetic rip inserts), cord damage and deviations in the splice. “All this is visible on demand by multiple users at the same time from your nominated desktop, laptop or through alerts issued to site operational systems, email or SMS.
“It’s basically an automated 24/7 monitoring of conveyor belts for cord integrity, splice condition, and detection of longitudinal rips, to maximise operational safety, increase uptime and lower maintenance and unscheduled stoppages,” he said. This latest model combines the features of the traditional CONTI RipProtect and CONTI CordProtect into one multifunctional system for increased features and connectivity. “With more than 100 units already installed worldwide, our CONTI MultiProtect system has taken belt condition monitoring to the next level,” he added.
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1300 657 771 sales.dbau@dana.com www.brevini.com.au Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 49
BAGGING
ABOVE: Your budget influences the type of bagger you choose and its level of automation.
Choosing the right open-mouth bagger Choosing the right open-mouth bagger can be a challenge when you’re confronted by the many options available on the market. Kockums Bulk Systems suggests its top six tips for selecting the right equipment for the job. 1. Budget
4. Type of bags
Your budget influences the type of bagger you choose and its level of automation. Small budget? Consider a manual bagger. A bigger budget gives you access to a greater range of technology, including robotic baggers. Keep in mind that a more expensive bagger can increase return on investment faster than a more modest model can, and also may be accompanied by a greater degree of technical support. The most important step in choosing an open-mouth bagger – or any other equipment – is to select the right supplier, It will help you make the right equipment decisions and partner with you in reaching your goals.
Paper bags, plastic bags: the shape and composition of the bags you use influence the type of bagger you need. Some bags are very simple to use, others require more complex handling, while still others are comparatively fragile. By understanding your material and the bags you’re handling, you’ll be able to make a smart decision about the bagger you need. Some baggers are designed to handle a specific kind of bag – baggers that incorporate fault-detection technology for porous bags, for example – while other baggers are versatile enough to handle different types. There are different types of bag holders, as well.
2. Footprint
5. Type of product
Choose a bagger that delivers the performance you need within the smallest possible footprint. The smaller the footprint, the easier it is to install and integrate equipment with your existing packaging line.
What do you bag? Knowing the characteristics of the material you’re packaging will help you choose the perfect bagger. You also need to understand how the packaging process itself affects your material. Does the material need to be de-aerated? Is it free flowing or powdery? There are different types of bagging technology for different materials, such as bottom-up fillers for extremely volatile materials. Among open-mouth baggers, some more versatile and some that are more specifically suited to a particular material. Also keep in mind that there are engineering options that can be incorporated in your
3. Production rate Do you need to run four bags per minute or 36? Desired output is one of the most important factors to consider in choosing a bagger. And if you plan to expand production capacity in the future, be sure to choose a bagger capable of handling more output than you currently produce.
50 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
bagger to optimise the handling of your specific material.
6. Automation objective What’s the next step for your business? Are you planning to automate your packaging line? It’s an important question that needs to be answered. Depending on your answer, there are many options, from a manual bagging line to a fully automatic line with robotics and additional technology. You can choose from a range of options that accommodate different bag sizes and different materials, from manual adjustment for different bags to fully automatic adjustment. Then there are communication systems, networks, remote access for customer support, data transfer to your actual process controls, and more. What is your ultimate goal? If your goal is to automate in the future, consider these options proactively. Planning ahead to reach your goals in phases may include upgrading your packaging line in multiple steps, but you need to have this in mind from the beginning in order to select the equipment that’s best suited to help you implement your vision.
The best bagger for your needs As you consider the many choices in baggers, remember: there is a bagging solution for every material and every desired output. Consider the six factors above as you navigate these choices, and work with a dependable, knowledgeable partner to help you make the wisest decision.
BELOW: If your goal is to automate in the future, consider these options proactively.
Phone: 02 4928 5600 Email: sales@reliable.com.au
Reliable is the Maxi-Lift distributor for Elevator buckets and accessories in Australia. Reliable has access to over 700 different bucket sizes, shapes and materials designed to give clients longer life, better reliability and a lower total cost of ownership.
Reliable has dedicated staff experienced in troubleshooting many problems faced by clients with existing elevators, including upgrading capacity for new demands and verifying existing elevator setups.
CONVEYORS
talk
Thirty years in bulk materials handling
I designed my first materials handling system for a greenfield project in Southern Africa in the mid-1980s. Since then, I have been involved in different aspects of many materials handling projects around the world. Here, I share with you some of my key insights into the engineering and operation of conveyor systems. STEVE DAVIS In his regular BULKtalk column, Steve Davis* of Rio Tinto considers the basics of bulk handling that sites often struggle with. In July/August 18 he shared his observations of grain handling in South America. *Steve Davis is the principal advisor – bulk materials process at Rio Tinto, based in Perth. Steve has worked in bulk handling for 30 years, for both resource companies and professional engineering firms, in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Canada. His experience encompasses such commodities as iron ore, coal, potash, phosphates, petcoke, sulphur, sands and grain.
CONVEYORS ARE COMPLEX, MULTIdisciplinary engineered machines and systems. Silos between disciplines and lack of communication often result in machines and systems that could be improved, particularly in the operation and maintenance (O&M) aspects. Focus on cost and schedule, rather than nameplate and lifecycle cost does not help this situation. Arrangements chosen do not always consider health, safety and environment (HSE) and O&M. Is a “conventional� conveyor with five pullies and a pendant take up a good solution? A two pulley arrangement with a tail take up pulley (combined with a drive), and an active winch removes three difficult to access pullies and the associated HSE issues in isolating the take up weight to de-tension of the belt, and gives a cheaper and safer solution. Ask whether fewer pulleys give a more efficient design, lower cost and less to maintain. Avoid head end snub pulleys that are inaccessible. Mechanical design includes starting of the conveyor, generally through a torque value or a variable start ramp profile. Often the electrical and control engineers do not receive the design philosophy. This results in conveyors that are capable of starting under all conditions but fail to do so because start ramp, zero speed delay, current trip, or other interlock is incorrectly set. This problem applies to all types of speed control. Usually we can modify the control system on site after discussion, but one operation insisted on an expensive drive upgrade for two conveyors through not accepting that a change in start ramp would solve the trip out problem on a full load start. I have seen conveyors where the start
52 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
has been changed to almost direct on line starts to overcome the loaded start problem. The resulting tension spike caused the take up to move more than allowed and contacted structure. Fill level and oil in fluid couplings changed from design to get a conveyor away, when limited by control settings. Mechanical design considers conveyor
braking. This rarely extends to consideration of what is an appropriate stop time, and whether different stopping profiles, e.g e-stop, normal stop or coast are appropriate to reduce stress on components from tension spikes. Consider whether an immediate stop is required for elevated temperature, pressure, first stage belt drift and so on, or whether an initial alarm is a better option. Stopping the system unnecessarily runs the risk of not being able to restart immediately. The electrical and control system includes any deceleration available through drives, and brake control where a smart brake system is used. Even simple brakes may require a time delay before actuation. Safety and other interlocks should cause the correct response in the control circuit. One belt fire occurred where monitored
ABOVE: Figure 1: Typical starting curves. Control set up must allow the conveyor to start.
SOLVE YOUR MATERIAL FLOW PROBLEMS pulley slip did not trip the drive. On another, a blocked chute registered as an alarm only. Another conveyor system tripped on an unrelated cooler fault through a DCS program fault. For conveyors that have long stopping times there has to be somewhere for the discharged ore to go, so the receiving chute or bin must be large enough, above the blocked chute trigger, or have a spillway. Overflowing chutes are a safety hazard. Structural engineers receive the ultimate belt tension as a design basis and then add factors for other conditions into the structure. Will the conveyor be operating under the worst tension conditions, with a flooded belt, flooded walkways and a snow load and in a seismic event? Belt tracking frames installed on a per metre basis. A well-aligned conveyor in good condition does not need them. Is the correcting force available, even from the better units, sufficient to correct drift from operating issues such as off centre loading, seized rolls, skirt drag, belt and splice, and so on? Would we be better off with captive side rolls? Return belt ploughs are often missed other than for the tail pulley. Install ploughs for any pulley that could entrap spillage. Consider the plough discharge, and the resulting damage from a buried belt. Always install suitable duty safety chains.
Maintenance provision Every mechanical and electrical component on a bulk handling system will fail. If the design does not consider how to replace these components safely, there is an HSE, time and labour cost component added to each for the life of the machine. For example: • Four days to dismantle structure, or cutting the belt to access a pulley for change outs a pulley is not acceptable. The design should make provision to remove pulleys easily. • Idlers must be safe and easy to change; provide access, methodology, and specialised equipment. • Belt cleaners require regular maintenance; provide safe access and methodology. • Where sensible, drives to be at ground level with direct access for lifting. • Provide sensible access and facilities for belt splice and change out, including belt layout area if flaked, reel locations turning idlers, power and ideally an environment control enclosure. • Guarding design has improved significantly, but there is often no consideration of storage when removed. Guard standards require a tool for removal; one bolt is sufficient to meet this. • Bolts take significant time to remove and replace. Components such as chute flanges, chute panels and guards require only locating facilities and sufficient bolts for holding or compliance.
CALL THE EXPERTS IN VIBRATION We sell solutions, not just products Phone (03) 9800 6777 or visit enmin.com.au | 53
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
CONVEYORS
Chutes Discrete element modeling (DEM) has become the “norm” for chute design. It is a valuable tool when used correctly. Why then do the resulting installed chutes not represent the DEM design? • DEM considers a smooth surface, yet the actual chute surface is a meeting of planes and has a liner system that has bolt recesses, gaps and angels between plates, and many other differences.
Operators should also weigh gravity take-ups to confirm belt tensions. This should be mandatory, as 50 per cent variation on design is not unusual. Mark take ups with the weight.
Maintenance and upgrades Gravity take-ups with added weight from buildup are common. The result is idler roll and pulley damage, belt drift and reduced safety factors on suspension ropes and belting. Maintenance of belt cleaners, skirts and chute liners is inadequate. The result is spillage, poor chute flow and belt loading, belt drift, belt damage and wear. Conveying system upgrades are common in the resource industry. Upgrades can be completed without full consideration of the circumstances. Legacy issues including higher component failure, spillage, wear and chute blockage are common.
Dust management, suppression and collection
ABOVE: Figure 3 Slipstream effect of large water droplets on dust suppression. RIGHT: Figure 2: Typical chute design does not facilitate maintenance.
• Some DEM shapes are not possible using conventional fabrication and liner technology. • DEM dimensions become “adjusted” during detail design and fabrication, for preference or practicality. • Chutes not installed as designed; adjustable components not adjusted during commissioning. • Chute design includes belt cleaner selection; a different cleaner is purchased. The result is site change and cleaners not installed to supplier directions. Cleaner type receives blame for poor performance. Cleaners can’t be maintained, and have compromised safety protection. • Chute access doors are located where they have no function. Doors do not have safety mesh. • Chutes design and installation does not consider wear liner maintenance. Chute liner technology has improved, and materials that are more appropriate, and with better fixing systems, are available. • Installation of blocked chute detectors is not in context with material flow and build up.
Installation Many installations solely consider ease of construction. This often makes maintenance difficult. Poor conveyor component alignment and poor splices lead to belt drift, so why is control of both still lax in many installations? It is because instruments and sensors mounted on flexible structures, or suspended from the cable will not work well. Like light fittings, instruments and sensors need maintenance facilities.
54 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
It is rare to see a dust collection system that has designed ducting, rather than just hung from the nearest structure. Correct velocity and balanced airflow is fundamental in good design. Include water drainage points, inspection access and rodding points. The basic principles of dust suppression are ignored when massive water sprays are utilised. Dust particles coalesce with water droplets that are similar in size. Water spray droplets are massive in comparison to dust particles. Uncontrolled water addition wastes water, and has unexpected consequences in materials flow, corrosion and even process impact.
Lubrication, bearings, gears and failure We have become used to specifying life on an L10 basis; the term is widely misunderstood. Materials handling systems rarely operate in a steady speed, steady load, vibration free, perfectly lubricated and clean environment. Idlers specified as L10 of 100,000 hours often fail at 10 to 100 times this rate. Is it time to focus more on the detail that extends life in the circumstances in which components operate?
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CONVEYORS
Selection and replenishment of lubricants should consider far more than screwing on local cartridges of LGEP-2 grease. Load, speed, temperature, bearing size and replenishment rate all go into the selection of the grease’s oil viscosity and consistency. Similar considerations dictate gear lubricant selection. Many components fail early due to incorrect lubrication use. Tribology has given us the ability to determine the root cause of most bearing and gear failures. Some basic forensic evaluation of failed components, provided they are not destroyed in the process of removal, will provide the basis for selection of longer life. Reduced maintenance and higher productivity is possible.
Stockpile capacity and use The final observations relate to stockpile capacity and misunderstandings related to this: Live capacity of a stockpile is the total volume that is recoverable using the selected reclaim method.
56 | Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
- Most mechanically reclaimed stockpiles are close to 100 per cent live. - The live volume of gravity reclaim stockpiles is a combination of many variables; materials handling properties (rill angle, ratholing, compressibility and variation), stockpile feed and discharge offsets, configuration of the reclaim slot(s). Poorly assessed conical gravity reclaim stockpiles generally result in overstated live volumes. Overstatement by 300 per cent or more is common. Operating capacity for stockpiles is an assessment of how much of its live capacity is used, taking into account the upstream and downstream process: - Batch stockpiles can generally be filled to capacity and then emptied. - Surge stockpiles, where there is varying feed in and out generally will have an operating capacity between 30 per cent and 70 per cent of the total live capacity. It is determined by process priority. Required total live capacity is calculated from the operating capacity.
BELOW: Figure 4: Conical gravity stockpile capacity.
CONVEYOR SKIRTING
Skirting solution eliminates barriers to ‘confined spaces’ The advantages of flexibility in changing out skirting seals from the outside in a matter of minutes, reduces production downtime and improves safety outcomes, writes Paula Wallace. ON-SITE SAFETY SIGNS ARE DESIGNED TO
“Adjustments to the assembly can be quickly and easily made from the outside, without being completely disassembled.”
alert maintenance workers to potential hazards before entering and performing maintenance work in dangerous and unsafe materials handling environments such as inside chutes, silos and hoppers. Often the necessary maintenance work may require permits and adherence to safety precautions before entering these confined areas. Kinder Australia’s latest innovation in skirting maintenance, the K-Conlock Clamp System removes all the maintenance issues and safety risks associated with working in confined spaces. The supplier and manufacturer of conveyor and bulk materials handling equipment tells ABHR that the K-Conlock is a reliable clamp system that is free of complications and doesn’t rely on the need for special tools to maintain correct seal pressure. Sean Kinder says, “Belt skirting is used particularly at the transfer site, to contain dust, spillage and to keep the product on the conveyor belt.
“The K-Conlock offers the ability to adjust the internal hard skirt (containment seal) from the outside of the chute, with access holes at the hold on bolts. Without removing skirting clamps.” Skirting seals such as Kinder’s K-Containment Seal can easily be clamped between the chute wall and K-Conlock’s locking plate. Adjustments to the assembly can be quickly and easily made from the outside, without being completely disassembled. This effectively saves operational maintenance time and resources. Various types of soft skirting can be interchanged and retained using this clamp system, further helping to reduce maintenance costs. The K-Conlock is just one of several innovations that Kinder plans to bring to market this year. “The market that we operate in is very strong,” said Mr Kinder, confirming that the company will keep its focus on the mining, quarry, grain handling, recycling and woodchip sectors.
Key benefits of the K-Conlock Clamp System • Improved safety and OHS hazards eliminated • Improved efficiency • Minimised production down time • Reduced maintenance costs and resources
For more information visit: www.kinder.com.au
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 57
IMPACT BEDS
SA quarry’s success with rugged impact beds A custom solution, designed and manufactured in Australia by Flexco, has dramatically improved the productivity of a quarry which previously had 24 hours downtime a month.
QUARRYING HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF South Australia’s history. The Mount Lofty Ranges have been quarried since 1837. For over 180 years the east coast of South Australia has been providing the nation with rich aggregate materials to build and support the growing need for infrastructure in Australia. The demands for aggregate materials have changed vastly over the past 180 years, differing largely from the small quarries which supplied stone to build houses for colonial settlers. The quarries, which now provide building materials for a much larger and ever-growing population, introduce a higher demand for output tonnages. This demand drives the need to increase efficiency and productivity on sites throughout the region.
Load zone damage A large quarry in South Australia had difficulty equipping its belt conveyor system with the products necessary to handle such tonnages. The quarry was experiencing severe belt wear and spillage around the load zone, with damage to the structure from the impact of the large rocks being conveyed. The conveyor presenting the most difficult challenge was a critical conveyor, which feeds the secondary crusher, so achieving optimum efficiency was a matter of great importance for the site’s operational managers. The average rock size that fell onto this conveyor was around 500 mm x 500 mm, falling from a height of four metres onto a 19 mm thick and 1200 mm wide belt running at three metres per second. This particular belt saw 1,500 tonnes of quarry rock per day. That’s 1,500 tonnes of material hitting the same spot every single day from a height of four metres.
58 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
The impact bed that was originally installed was not strong enough to support the extreme tonnages the load point saw day in and day out. As a result, the idler frames would break every few weeks and the belt quickly became severely damaged – to the point of needing replacement. The idler frames would also have to be replaced every four to six weeks, with shutdowns occurring at the same rate, to replace the frames and repair or replace the belt. The belt itself was even replaced and upgraded multiple times to try and combat this issue. This constant cycle of maintenance and repair amounted to a total of 24 hours of downtime per month. Not only did the shutdowns occur to replace broken belt conveyor system components, but also to clean up the mass amount of spillage that was occurring – from the overflow of material which could not be contained by the impact bed.
ABOVE: Quarries can experience severe belt wear and spillage around the load zone, with damage to the structure from the impact of large rocks. RIGHT: Example of a damaged impact bed.
Saving the load zone Operational managers turned to Flexco specialists to source or create a solution to these problems, which were affecting both productivity, and also profitability of the quarry. Traditionally, Flexco DRX Impact Beds are available in four different sizes, dependent on impact energy (200, 750, 1500 and 3000). However, for this application, the impact energy was far greater than the acceptable and safe standard of the largest, DRX 3000 bed, so a custom solution was made with extra support in the impact bars and isolation mounts. The custom solution offered the same benefits of the rest of the DRX line of beds, and was designed and manufactured in Australia. DRX models feature velocity reduction technology, which ensure a level of protection like no other,
“The biggest and most impressive difference in operation was that the belt could now run 24/7.”
resulting in less belt wear and damage, less rebounding and material degradation and two levels of impact-absorbing force reduction. The DRX bed also separates in the middle, allowing the two sides to slide apart, providing access to all the bars and bolts for quick, easy, and safe maintenance. After the custom DRX 4500 bed was installed, the site saw an outstanding amount of change. The biggest and most impressive difference in operation was that the belt could now run 24/7. Since the product was installed, the site has only performed planned maintenance and scheduled shutdowns. This results in not only higher output tonnages, but less need for maintenance, allowing maintenance crews to focus their time and knowledge on other areas of the site instead of reacting to the same issue repeatedly. Due to the fact that the new impact bed is more than adequately supporting the tonnages seen by the belt – there is no need to replace the idler frames, impact bed support bars, or the belt. Not only does this save time for the quarry, but also a huge amount of money that can be allocated towards funding upgrades for other areas of the site.
info@bbcp.com.au (02) 9618 9400 www.bbcp.com.au
Vee Ploughs
For more information visit: www.flexco.com
Skirting Systems
Want more products? Want drawings? Want engineering data? Visit
www.bbcp.com.au Tracking Solutions
Conveyor Structure
Belt Cleaners
Walkways
Pulleys
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 59
Rollers
Engineering Services
MIXING EQUIPMENT
Output doubled using rotary batch mixer ABOVE: With a batch capacity of four cubic metres (4,000L), the Rotary Batch Mixer at NuTech Biosciences has doubled output of nutritional feed supplements.
A US manufacturer of nutritional supplements for animal feed explains why a rotary batch mixer was the best choice for its operation and how the equipment has performed. NUTECH BIOSCIENCES, FOUNDED IN 2010, produces mostly chelated minerals such as iron and copper. This involves a process whereby organic materials such as amino acids react with minerals to produce compounds that make the minerals more easily absorbed by the animals. Other products provide different nutrients, individually or in combination, for specific uses, such as supporting nutrition in pregnant dairy cows during the last weeks before calving. The NuTech product line includes direct-toconsumer supplements that farmers can add to livestock feed, as well as compounds prepared especially for commercial feed manufacturers. Improving its mixing operation enabled the company to double production. “We purchased a Rotary Batch Mixer from Munson in 2014 to increase production capacity,” explains company president and founder PV Reddy. “Although the mixer has a three-tonne capacity, we typically mix about 1.8 tonnes at a time. Daily
60 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
throughput is about 13.6 tonnes, and 272 to 363 tonnes per month, depending on demand for product,” Dr. Reddy said. A previous one-tonne drum mixer processed about nine tonnes per day and 181 tonnes per month. Dr. Reddy says it is still in use for mixing smaller batches of product.
Concentrated ingredients blended The company specified a model 700-TH-140-MS which has a useable batch capacity of four cubic metres (4,000 L). Dr. Reddy said, “We manufacture concentrated products. Once we produce the concentrated product, we blend it down to the percentages we want in the Munson mixer”. Most often, the concentrated product is mixed with a carrier, such as bran. The product concentrate typically makes up 60 per cent to 80 per cent by volume of the product-carrier mixture, he explains. NuTech produces diverse combinations, from
a single component mixed with bran to blends of multiple product components. Mixtures may be wet or dry. Ingredients are processed elsewhere in the plant and loaded manually into the mixer from bags through a stationary inlet as the mixing vessel rotates. Uniformity can be achieved in two to three minutes, but the mixer runs up to 10 minutes per batch for added insurance of uniform distribution of the concentrated ingredients. The operator unloads the blended product into a 2.7 tonne capacity bin that discharges into 25 kg bags. A digital scale tracks the weight of each bag. When the bag reaches the desired weight, it drops down to a stitching machine for closure.
Frequent product changeovers The nature of the product line means NuTech makes frequent product changeovers, says Dr. Reddy. Cross-contamination is generally not a concern, due to the small amount of material remaining in the mixer after emptying and the fact that a very small amount of one product would not affect the performance of another. The only exception is not a performance or safety issue, but a cosmetic one: when changing from a coloured product mix to a white one, for example. Most of the blends are mixed with a bran carrier, which is tan or brown in colour. Before mixing a whitecoloured blend after a bran mixture, the mixer must be
thoroughly cleaned to prevent tan specks appearing in the white product. How extensive the cleaning process depends on the product. Some powdery minerals cling to the mixer’s walls. The cleaning process starts with loosening product from the walls of the mixer through the drum’s two clean-out doors, and takes about an hour, he says. The mixer is cleaned weekly, or as needed when changing from a coloured product blend to a white one.
Matching a mixer to the process NuTech also considered agitated mixers with stationary vessels, and another type of drum mixer, but decided on the Rotary Batch Mixer for its tumble-turncut-fold mixing action, its blend quality of uniform particle distribution, and its cleanability. Dr. Reddy also wanted relatively quiet operation and variable speed control. “When mixing dry material, the mixer can operate at lower speed. When adding oil to the mix, a higher speed is required,” he explains. He says, “An advantage of the rotary mixer is that you can prepare the batch in the mixer today and can bag it tomorrow. This is not possible with a stationary mixer, which would lack the power to re-start when full of product. If you have two hours left in the day, you can make the batch, even if there’s not enough time to both mix the batch and package it”.
BELOW: NuTech Biosciences manufactures and markets nutritional feed supplements to livestock producers and commercial manufacturers of animal feed.
For more information visit: www.iBulk.com.au
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 61
CONVEYORS
Fenner Dunlop’s holistic approach paying off With more than 600 conveyor technicians in the field, Fenner Dunlop is picking up major contracts around the country using a unique approach, writes Paula Wallace. THE COMPANY HAS BEEN ON A 15-YEAR
ABOVE: Steve Abbott, COO at Fenner Dunlop. BELOW: The team at the opening of Fenner Dunlop’s new branch in Karratha last month.
journey to perfect its offering to customers, one that addresses the overall performance of their conveyor systems. The company’s chief operating office, Steve Abbott, told ABHR, “Our key focus is to continue to drive towards total conveyor performance, our business model continues to evolve away from component supply and towards an engineering and reliability focus. “That means having access to engineering inhouse and having the ability to install and service all components,” he said. The history of conveyors is different from other kinds of equipment in that customers have been required to buy components from different manufacturers and them put them together to form a conveyor system. As Mr Abbott explains, there are several disadvantages to this approach. “No one is responsible for the performance of the conveyor. We are
62 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
getting more success with customers with the total engineering and supply model as the accountability is with one party”. The mining industry accounts for around 80 per cent of Fenner Dunlop’s business in Australia, split almost evenly between three groups: iron ore, coal and other commodities. “It’s part of our strategy not to have all our eggs in one basket,” said Mr Abbott, adding that the business is spread across the country from the Pilbara region in Western Australia, to Whyalla in South Australia, to Gladstone in Queensland. The company recently announced a permanent contract with Rio Tinto to provide conveyor maintenance services at the Cape Lambert and Dampier Ports in Western Australia. The long-term agreement is expected to create more than 40 full-time jobs. It will see Fenner Dunlop service all of the conveyors at the Pilbara ports. Rio Tinto’s port facilities include four independent shipping terminals at Cape Lambert and Dampier,
which are managed by a single system. The terminals have a combined 360 million tonne-per-year capacity. Fenner Dunlop opened a new branch in Karratha last month, to form stronger business ties with the region. “We’d expect to have 13-14 permanent employees there in addition to the permanent people on site [at Rio Tinto],” said Mr Abbott. “With the view that over a three year period this would build up to around 60 locally-based people”. While Fenner Dunlop aims to source more work in the region, it has also opened the office in order to have a locally-based workforce. “Like most other operators we rely on FIFO workers but successful, long-term businesses generally require a more sustainable employee base.” The contract with Rio Tinto, which commenced on 1 September will require more personnel during scheduled shut down periods. “We’d work on a number of fronts at the same time working on conveyor belt replacement or repair, condition monitoring, cleaner adjustment, replacement of idlers as required, generally everything required to maintain ongoing operation of those conveyors,” said Mr Abbott. There were a number of factors that gave Fenner Dunlop the edge in securing the Rio Tinto contract, according to Mr Abbott. “We offered a total conveyor performance model which looked at how we would help improve overall conveyor life, minimising shutdowns. “We had a strong leadership offer around our safety performance and a well established training program,” he said.
Fenner Dunlop has been a registered training organisation for the past 13 years and has a dedicated team of people providing training programs that are recognised at a federal government level. “We have around 40 new entrants to the business each year that go through that practical training facility,” said Mr Abbott. “We fly people in from whatever business they work in, fly them into Kwinana they spend a total of 12 weeks in that program.”
ABOVE: Fenner Dunlop was also able to provide a holistic approach in restoring a conveyor system at Liberty OneSteel in Whyalla in just 38 days, following a devastating fire.
Full service in action Fenner Dunlop was also able to provide a holistic approach in restoring a conveyor system at Liberty OneSteel in Whyalla in just 38 days, following a devastating fire. The conveyor spans over a length of approximately 340 meters from feed to discharge end. It was critical to get it operational again as the company was incurring additional costs from having to use trucks to move the product. The project involved the manufacture and delivery of equipment to the site including 120 trough idler frames, 400 trough idlers, 50 return idlers, 100 return idler brackets, nine return tracking frames and nine trough tracking frames. Furthermore, five pulleys were removed and completely overhauled which included new lagging, bearings and housings. With the new conveyor structure in place, 672m of Duracon conveyor belt (1200mm wide) was installed. The work was completed ahead of schedule with no incidents, and the product line was fully operational the day after the conveyor recovery was completed.
“The terminals have a combined 360 million tonneper-year capacity.”
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 63
VIBRATORY EQUIPMENT
‘Going with the flow’ is cheaper than you think When it comes to tasks such as getting sugar out of hoppers on demand, industrial vibrators can provide a more efficient and effective solution than applying extra manpower. EXTENDING ON THIS EXAMPLE, DEPENDING on how long sugar has sat idle, it can be easy or difficult to extract from a hopper. And companies generally don’t have the resources to allow a worker to tap hoppers with a rubber mallet to loosen the flow. The simple solution is an industrial vibrator and it’s a cheaper solution than many may think. Prices for industrial vibrators range from $250 to $2,500 depending on the size and application. “In some workplaces noise is an issue so we have low noise vibrators. For applications where noise is not an issue we have others that offer a big punch but high noise,” said Anthony Gallaher, general manager of Enmin Vibratory Equipment. Enmin has a full range of air and ball vibrators that come with quick release air fittings and mufflers that most others don’t. “Then we have some with low air consumption or some with a higher consumption and these items are all price dependent,” Mr Gallaher tells ABHR. Flow problems are not generic as every hopper is different. Given this, Enmin offers custom solutions to suit hoppers of all shapes and sizes, and materials being stored. Fitting an Enmin vibrator requires only minimal changes to a hopper as it is attached via a mounting plate to the outside. If there is a gate or door the vibrator can be automatically activated when that gate or door is opened. This means there is no more stopping to free materials. “It’s quite inexpensive to fit our industrial vibrators as there’s no internal modification to the structure, everything is external” said Mr Gallaher. “To fit one takes about two hours”. “We offer the complete package, not only the vibrator but also the mounting plate and the pneumatic control system, the pipes and the fittings - a one-stop solution. “If the plant is in a remote location we can supply technical drawings if we can get a drawing of the hopper. Or if we get the dimensions we can re-draw
64 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018
it to show the exact positioning of the vibrator.” Enmin industrial vibrators provide anywhere from five to 25 years of service depending on the environment they are in. “If the maintenance schedule is adhered to then it will last for many, many years,” said Mr Gallaher. “Making sure that the air that is going to it is clean, regulated and lubricated is the most important thing. “Then once every 12 months remove the vibrator and pull it apart and clean it, which is very easy to do. There are minimal moving parts – just a piston. If you do preventive maintenance it will run efficiently for up to 25 years,” he said. As well as the design and manufacture of vibratory and product handling equipment, Enmin also has Australia’s largest range of truck and industrial vibrators. For more information visit: www.enmin.com.au
ABOVE: Enmin has a full range of air and ball vibrators that come with quick release air fittings and mufflers.
“It’s quite inexpensive to fit our industrial vibrators as there’s no internal modification to the structure, everything is external”
Be featured in Australian Bulk Handling Review.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2018 І 65
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