www.bulkhandlingreview.com
VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
In this issue: Engineering services directory 45 years of TUNRA Bulk Solids The evolution of conveyor guarding
Delivering some of the world’s biggest rail-mounted machines
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
24
14
28
40
7 Industry News
26 Vortex Global’s support to help weather the storm
13 Women in Industry winners
68 Tightening the belt on conveyor costs
28 TS Global mergers grow product development
62 Transfer chute analysis with discrete element and continuum modelling
30 No stopping Altra Motion
66 Member Profile: Shane Evans
16 HDPE conveyor guards built for a sunburnt country
32 C oncetti keeps upgrade on track through lockdown
42 Engineering Services Guide
18 Shaking things up
34 Evolution of a silo manufacturer
50 Practical problems push engineering forward
20 The evolution of guarding
36 Resin compounder prevents blowouts with pneumatic deflection elbows
52 Engineering the seed of success
14 Delivering some of the world’s largest railmounted machines
24 Fenner Dunlop wins head to tail overland conveyor contract
www.bulkhandlingreview.com
38 Predicting the future
Engineering
54 45 years of bulk solids handling research and education
DELIVERING SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST RAIL-MOUNTED MACHINES
VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
In this issue: Engineering services directory 45 years of TUNRA Bulk Solids The evolution of conveyor guarding
BHP’s South Flank project is expected to produce 80 million tonnes of iron ore per year, making it one of the largest iron ore operations in the world. Billions of dollars have been spent on the project, which will involve the construction of a new crushing and screening plant, stockyard and train loading facility, a new mining fleet, substantial mine development and an overland conveyor. To help deliver this sizable project, BHP engaged thysseknrupp Industrial Solutions Australia to design, construct and commission three new generation stock yard machines, some of the largest rail mounted machines ever built. ABHR speaks to the team at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) to learn more.
Delivering some of the world’s biggest rail-mounted machines
For the full story, see page 10.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 3
AUSTRALIA
EDITORIAL
Published by:
AUSTRALIA
REVIEW
REVIEW
Technology for the new normal 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Editor William Arnott E: william.arnott@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Rob O’Bryan E: rob.obryan@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey Design Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Subscriptions T: 03 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au
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, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.
‘The New Normal’ is a term that has been thrown around a fair bit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for good reason. The disease has forced business around the world to adapt or fall behind as the old ways of doing things quickly became impossible. Those that can work from home, must work from home, which has forced a fundamental shift in the way business is done. Gone are the tedious commutes to and from the office, replaced with a leisurely stroll from bed to the study. Face-to-face meetings have a whole new meaning, with programs like Zoom and Microsoft Teams ensuring those present can see each other. This has had flow on effects with many businesses in the bulk handling sector, as industries move to significantly reduce the number of people in offices and worksites. In some operations, there has been an increase in automated technology and other Industry 4.0 developments, while others have started to perform entirely remote site visits through wifi-enabled webcams and phones. Concetti is one such company that has invested significantly into digital monitoring before COVID-19 and is now seeing the results. The Italian company was able to oversee the commissioning of two packaging lines without having its staff on-site to help with the process. Instead, it worked with its customer, Adelaide Brighton Cement, using a video surveillance system. This meant the Concetti technicians could see what was happening, how the plant was performing and tweak the system remotely if there were any issues. Other companies, such as Schaeffler, have also been incorporating similar technology into processes for years. Sensors placed strategically throughout a plant can be used to detect with things are about to go wrong – potentially weeks before human inspections could find them. To learn more, read page 38. It’s difficult to say exactly how much of a lasting impact that COVID-19 will have on daily life and the bulk handling industry, but it has certainly highlighted the benefits of early technology adoption.
William Arnott Editor - ABHR
4 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Dust and buildup on the antenna? No problem! The future is 80 GHz: a new generation of radar level sensors
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NEWS
Engineer feedback sought for registration scheme ENGINEERS ARE BEING CALLED upon to give feedback on the Victorian Professional Engineers Registration Scheme to help its implementation. The scheme will commence on 1 July, 2021 and aims to ensure services are provided by professional engineers who have a minimum level of qualification, experience and professional development. The Victorian Government is seeking feedback on a code of conduct that sets out a range of obligations for registered professional engineers to act fairly, honestly, and in the best interests of their clients. In addition, feedback is being sought
on proposed regulations that set the schedule for phasing in registration to the five prescribed areas of engineering, guidance materials for the Act, including the definition of a ‘professional engineering service’, and options for setting fees for the registration and endorsement of professional engineers. The materials have been developed in consultation with engineers and peak engineering organisations. A second round of public consultation will be held later this year and will focus more on the proposed registration fees. Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Melissa Horne encourages engineers and
those with an interest in the profession to have their say when consultation begins on 26 August. “The new registration scheme for engineers will enable clients to engage and use engineering services with greater confidence and will increase accountability within the profession,” Horne says. “I invite all Victorians with an interest in the engineering profession to provide feedback on the proposed materials.” Consultation on the materials will be available from 26 August to 7 October 2020. For more information, visit engage. vic.gov.au/engineers-registration.
Fenner Dunlop to expand Kwinana facility with $23.5M upgrade FENNER DUNLOP HAS PARTNERED with Siempelkamp for a $23.5 million plant expansion at its manufacturing facility in Kwinana, Western Australia. In 2013 an additional $20 million was invested to install a second press line at the company’s manufacturing facility to double the plant’s production capacity and increase the Kwinana workforce by 30 per cent. The third press line will increase the plant’s capacity by a further 50 per cent, and additional investment will support the efficient manufacture of fabric and steel cord conveyor belts for Western Australian customers. Fenner Dunlop Chief Operating Officer Steve Abbott says while other companies are contracting and moving their manufacturing operations offshore, Fenner Dunlop continues to support the local economy and is proud to be the largest conveyor belt supplier in Australia and the only company to manufacture the complete range of conveyor belts for all mining applications locally.
The upgrade will increase the plant’s capacity by a further 50 per cent.
“Kwinana is close to its main customers, allowing us to provide a quality product with reduced lead times while keeping the investment in WA. Our customers have the convenience of dealing with a global business, supported by a state-of-the-art conveyor belt manufacturing facility in their backyard and the assurance of technical support that understands the local operational environment,” he says. “The plant expansion is part of our longer-term strategy, following the plant
opening in 2009 and the initial expansion in 2013. While the expansion is a reflection of our success, it allows us to maintain our responsiveness in quoting, production and delivery to meet the constantly changing requirements of our customers.” The manufacturing plant also incorporates a testing and R&D laboratory to ensure that all work is done to the highest quality and safety standards. Site work is scheduled to start in March 2021 with the commissioning in December 2021.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 7
NEWS
Port Spencer grain export facility approved THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN Government has approved the $230 million Port Spencer Deep Water Port grain export facility project, which is set to create a surge of economic activity in the Eyre Peninsula. Around 150 jobs will be created during the construction works along with an operational workforce of up to 30 people. Before construction can begin, Peninsula Ports will be required to provide final plans for all structures, along with the associated management and financial arrangements necessary to minimise impacts on the coastal and marine environment, and upgrade of the access road to the site from the Lincoln Highway. Planning and Local Government Minister Vickie Chapman says the State Government was keen to start moving on these types of infrastructure projects as quickly as possible, given the economic benefits it will create.
Around 150 jobs will be created during the construction works.
“Peninsula Ports’ modified proposal has been through the rigorous major development assessment process to amend and update the original Public Environmental Report, and I’m pleased this is one of the first major developments I have been able to tick off as the new Minister,” Chapman says. “When completed, Port Spencer will enable large Panamax-sized vessels to be loaded and provide commercial benefits to the local grain industry through reduced transport costs, less double-handling of
grain and increased market competition that could lead to improved prices offered to growers. “The development approval that has been issued is subject to a comprehensive set of conditions to ensure construction and operation of the port facility proceeds in an orderly fashion and in a manner which minimises impacts.” The development approval of the infrastructure project allows on site works to commence within two years and completion within five years.
Australia’s exports boom despite COVID-19 AUSTRALIA HAS RECORDED its largest financial year trade surplus in 2019-20, off the back of booming goods exports despite the COVID-19 pandemic according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data found that despite the severe global economic shocks from COVID-19, Australia posted a record financial year trade surplus of $77.4 billion in 2019-20 with Australian goods exports growing by $9.29 billion or 2.5 per cent. The country also recorded its 30th consecutive monthly trade surplus in June 2020, with $8.2 billion, the second
highest monthly trade surplus. Federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the COVID-19 pandemic was testing all Australian producers and businesses, but the data highlighted the incredible strength and resilience of our export sector. “Despite the ongoing domestic and international challenges, Australian exporters across a range of sectors like resources, agriculture and advanced manufacturing continue to withstand global economic shocks and remain highly sought after in our key markets,” Birmingham says. “It is a credit to our hard-working exporters that even in these incredibly
8 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
challenging economic times, their highquality, safe and reliable product remains in demand around the world. “Notwithstanding factors such as rising export costs and disruptions to supply-chains, our exporters continue to show incredible resilience and ability to navigate through these significant global economic headwinds. Birmingham says the continuing strength of Australia’s exporting sectors reinforces the importance for the country to keep trading channels open and accessible expanding market access through even more trade agreements and continuing to support a global, rulesbased trading system.
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NEWS
Less dust and more lung checks for Queensland resources workers The move aims to protect the health and safety of the Queensland’s resources workers.
SLASHED MINE DUST LIMITS AND free, mandatory lung health checks are now in place to protect Queensland’s mine and quarry workers. The move extends the mandatory health checks already in place for coal mine workers to the state’s other 15,000 metalliferous mine and quarry workers. The allowable limit for respirable coal dust has also been cut to 1.5 milligrams per cubic metre from 2.5 and from 1 to 0.05 milligrams per cubic metre for silica dust. This follows a nationwide review by Safework Australia. Queensland Mines Minister Anthony Lynham says the protections were the latest in a suite of reforms to protect the health and safety of the state’s resources workers. “Every Queensland worker has the right to a healthy career and life free of occupational disease,” Lynham says.
“And the most important resource to come off a mine site every day is a worker. “Queensland now has the toughest mine safety and health laws in the world – including the offence of industrial manslaughter.” Every metalliferous mine and quarry worker will have a chest X-ray that is read by at least two qualified radiologists as well as a lung function test. This will happen when they start in the industry and at least once every five years during their career in the industry. When they leave the industry, the workers can continue to have free respiratory health checks for life, if they want to. The measures provide mineral mine and quarry workers with the same health checks as their 37,000 coal mining counterparts who already have free
mandatory respiratory health screening. The changes complement a suite of sweeping mine safety and health reforms which include: • Introducing the offence of industrial manslaughter • better detection and prevention of black lung, and other mine dust lung diseases, and an improved safety net for affected workers • $35 million to deliver reforms to improve worker safety and health a • increased maximum penalties for offences to $4 million and powers for the regulator to issue fines without going to court • statewide safety reset sessions for mine and quarry workers to refocus on health and safety • powers to suspend or cancel statutory certificates of competency • extra mines inspectors.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 11
AWARDS
Women in Industry winners The winners of the 2020 Women in Industry Awards have been announced, celebrating the outstanding success and industry work that women in traditionally male-dominated industrials markets 2020 HAS BEEN A TUMULTUOUS year at the best of times, but this has not stopped this year’s Women in Industry Awards from showcasing the best and brightest across a range of industries. The Women in Industry Awards recognise and reward the achievements of women working across the mining, engineering, manufacturing, road transport, logistics, infrastructure, rail, bulk handling and waste industries. It aims to raise the profile of women within the industry and encourage excellence. This year the winners were picked by a panel of judges without the gala dinner, following the national COVID-19 restrictions. A record number of nominees across all 10 award categories were submitted for this year’s awards. Below are the finalists and winners for the 2020 Awards:
Social Leader of the Year Finalists Winner: Jackie Lewis-Gray – BAE Systems Australia
Sarah Withell – Whitehaven Coal Limited
Rising Star of the Year Finalists Sponsored by Atlas Copco Winner: Alicia Heskett – Shell Australia (QGC)
Business Development Success of the Year Finalists Winner: Rachael Ashfield – ifm efector
Industry Advocacy Award Finalists Winner: Rose Read – National Waste & Recycling Industry Council
Safety Advocacy Award Finalists Sponsored by BOC Ltd Winner: Nadine Yousef – Sydney Trains Noelani Reardon – Transport for NSW Terese Withington – Weir Minerals Australia Ltd Tracey MacDonald – BAE Systems Australia
Mentor of the Year Finalists Winner: Dayle Stevens – AGL Energy
Excellence in Manufacturing Finalists Winner: Rochelle Avinu – Leica Nadine Yousef – Sydney Trains
Biosystems
Rachael Ashfield – ifm efector
Excellence in Mining Finalists Winner: Sarah Withell – Whitehaven Coal Limited
Excellence in Engineering Finalists Sponsored by BAE Systems Australia Winner: Elizabeth Taylor – RedR International
Excellence in Transport Finalists Winner: Melissa Strong – Lindsay Australia Limited
Judging panel Kelly Godeau, Director Corporate Affairs – Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Kylie Fahey, Chief Executive Officer – Institute of Quarrying Australia Christine Gibbs-Stewart, Chief Executive Officer – Austmine Melissa Donald, Board Director – National Association of Women in Operations Angela Gaylard, Head of Operations – Tradeswomen Australia Foundation Hayley Rohrlach, Chair – National Committee for Women in Engineering Denis Robertson, Founder – Roadmaster Haulage
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 13
COVER STORY
Modularisation was an important consideration in order to design machines of this size.
Delivering some of the world’s largest rail-mounted machines ABHR speaks to the team at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Australia to learn how the company supplied some of the world’s largest stackers and reclaimers for BHP’s US$3.6 billion South Flank project. BHP’S SOUTH FLANK PROJECT is expected to produce 80 million tonnes of iron ore per year, making it one of the largest iron ore operations in the world. Billions of dollars have been spent on the project, which will involve the construction of a new crushing and screening plant, stockyard and train loading facility, a new mining fleet, substantial mine development and an overland conveyor. To help deliver this sizable project, BHP engaged thysseknrupp Industrial Solutions Australia to design, construct and commission three new generation stock yard machines, some of the largest rail mounted machines ever built. Danny George, Project Engineering Manager at thyssenkrupp, said the company had a long history of successfully delivering balanced machines and designing bespoke equipment. “Our installed base of the highest capacity iron ore machines in the Pilbara gave us the ability to deliver the machines,” George says.
“We have been reclaiming minerals up to a rate of 33,000 cubic metres with our giant bucketwheel excavators working in Germany.” The scope of supply includes two rail mounted stackers and one bucket wheel reclaimer. Process plants tend to operate on a 24-hour schedule, with all product fed into a stacker via a conveyor belt and stored in a longitudinal stockpile. When trains arrive at the mine facility to transport the commodities to the port, the bucket wheel reclaimer recovers the ore from the stockpile to feed the train. The two stackers and bucket wheel reclaimer that thyssenkrupp supplied the South Flank project are capable of stacking and reclaiming at a nominal throughput of 20,000 tonnes per hour and can travel along the length of the stockyard, which is approximately 1700 metres long, at a maximum speed of 0.75 metres per second. Each stacker weighs about 2000 tonnes with the reclaimer weighing in at around 3000 tonnes. The machines
14 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
can slew and luff, and a combination of three movements allows them to feed and reclaim product into and from all allocated and available space within the stockyard bunds area. Modularisation was an important consideration in order to design machines of this size. The large physical dimensions needed to fit within strict transport envelopes and weights to maintain optimal logistical expenditure. Anthony Squire, thyssenkrupp Project Site Manager, says the machine modules were designed to maximise structural, mechanical and piping and electrical and instrumentation preassembly at the Australian Marine Complex. “Due to the machine module size, careful consideration must be given to the constructability and transportation of modules,” Squire says. “Transport limitations around the Perth metro area and the subsequent weight and physical dimensional limitations during sea and road transport to the mine site, along with the final erection and module interface
connections were also key factors that needed to be kept in mind.” Multiple manufacturing facilities were engaged in a collaborative effort to deliver the machines, including Western Australian businesses Civmec, AGC and Doina – creating around 540 local jobs. The facilities were selected based on individual capabilities and transport restrictions to the Australian Marine Complex, where the modules were leadout on vessels for sea transport. Onsite installation of the modules also brought with it a unique set of challenges to be overcome. Due to the overall size and weight of the modules, very detailed construction methodologies and erection sequences were engineered based on minimising risk. Stability factors, especially during cyclone season, were important when building the machines. As a result, large fabricated modular support structures were designed and used during the construction phase of the project. Once the machines are fully erected and balanced, only then could these construction aids be removed. Due to the weight of the modules, these construction aids are specifically designed taking worst case scenarios into account to ensure stability of machines and safety of all personnel on site. All machines included within the scope of supply were designed with hydraulic drives in lieu of the thyssenkrupp will supply the required OEM spare parts and provide specialist field service technicians.
Each stacker weighs about 2000 tonnes with the reclaimer weighing in at around 3000 tonnes.
traditional electro-mechanical drives where possible. Uwe Zulehner – Head of Business Excellence and Sales, says this was done to increase reliability and efficiency of operation. “In high power demand operating regimes, such as that seen with reclaimer digging, hydraulic systems have proven to offer more efficiency and reliability than conventional electro-mechanical systems,” Zulehner says. “In addition to the introduction of hydraulic drives, all prime movers on the machine whether electrical or hydraulic are fitted with condition monitoring
instruments, such as accelerometers, to predict premature failure of equipment.” A number of safety features were also included in the design, such as an anti-collision system to prevent the machine from colliding with surrounding infrastructure like yard conveyors and stockpiles during operation. Other features include automation systems to prevent the machines from stacking over the yard conveyor and speed control limitations for all machine movements. As part of the contract, thyssenkrupp will supply the required OEM spare parts and provide specialist field service technicians to work closely with BHP throughout the life of the assets. Zulehner says the two companies have a longstanding, strong relationship when it comes to maintaining thyssenkrupp branded machines to the best optimal performance and reliability. “Only thyssenkrupp has the technical experience and expertise to ensure these machines are well maintained and operate at their best to produce the required output for our clients,” he says. “Further to this we have highly trained technical specialists who will carry out the offsite repairs and refurbishment of critical machine parts and components. “Going forward, automation and digitalisation will play an important role to underpin our strong position in serving our customers.”
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 15
CONVEYOR GUARDING
HDPE conveyor guards built for a sunburnt country Diacon Australia’s HDPE conveyor guards are lightweight, safe and designed for the harsh Australian conditions. ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF Meteorology, Australia has one of the highest levels of ultraviolet light (UV) exposure in the world. Just like skin, these harmful rays of light can cause materials to crack and degrade. When plastic materials are used to build safety guarding for conveyor belts, this UV can drastically affect the lifespan of the products. Brendan Refalo, Managing Director at Diacon Australia, one of the nation’s leading conveyor guarding specialists, says this is why it is critical to use products designed and manufactured in Australia, for Australia. “Internationally, there are some companies that say their materials will last for 10 years, but these are designed to last in places like Europe, where the UV levels are much lower,” he says.
“Often, when these get put into operation, the Australian sun will quickly degrade them, reducing their lifespan by years. Diacon Australia is a manufacturer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conveyor guards, designed specifically for Australian conditions. The products were the result of two years of research and development in 2010, after the company saw a need for significant improvements in conveyor productivity, machinery guarding, work area demarcation, and fall protection. At the time, existing steel guards were cumbersome and had a short life due to the amount of corrosion in workplace environments. To limit corrosion, steel guards must be maintained and kept painted, or replaced prematurely which is costly.
Diacon guards come with a hook and hang system that makes removing the guards easy and avoids creating tripping hazards.
16 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Diacon’s HDPE conveyor guards take advantage of the fact they are made of plastic, meaning they are up to 40 per cent lighter, never have to be painted and can be easily recycled at the end of their useful life. In addition, Diacon guards have UV stabilisers and guarantee a 15year lifespan in Australian conditions, unlike any other supplier. Refalo says Diacon was one of the first companies to design and manufacture a plastic conveyor guarding system in Australia, with a high level of user friendliness in mind. “The system can be removed by loosening two bolts instead of removing and storing fasteners. The bolts are also captive in the guards, so they can’t be dropped or lost, a major benefit when working up high,” he says. “The hook and hang system
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FLOW MEASUREMENT FOR DRY BULK SOLIDS • Powder • Dust • Granules User friendliness is incorporated into the design of the guards.
means it is quick and easy to remove the guards without them becoming a tripping hazard – something particularly important when removing multiple guards. “Conveyor maintenance can often mean 10 or 12 guards need to be removed, which can be a long process when moving them down to a safe area, or an expensive one if a crane is used. Removing Diacon guards takes mere minutes as they can be stored on the nearby handrail.” The Diacon system is made up of three components – hungry boards, mounting brackets and guards. Installation only requires three steps: attaching the mounting bracket to the troughing frame, connecting the hungry board to the bracket with the locking wedge, and hanging and locking the safety guard panel to the bracket. During onsite installation no steps require hot work, removing a key potential hazard from the process. All of Diacon’s guards are specifically engineered to meet the requirements of AS4024.3610-2015 for general conveyors and AS4024.3611-2015 for belt conveyors for bulk materials handling. In particular, the system focuses on the suitability of material for purpose, aperture size considerations relative to reach distance, deflection criteria when the guard is under load, correct signage, and the ability to unlock through the use of a tool. Refalo says Diacon designs and tests its guarding systems and products rigorously, using best practice manufacturing techniques and software. “We use laser scanning equipment at a site to measure the conveyor system before designing the guarding on top of a 3D model that includes all of the potential interferences and obstacles,” he says. “Then we can manufacturer the guards and provide a full installation that meets and exceeds Australian Standards in a full, turnkey package.” The company continues to grow and plans to move into a new larger factory by the end of the year. The move will provide Diacon Australia with more space to design and test the guards, along with improved production capacities.
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VIBRATORS
Shaking things up When silos, hoppers and bins stop flowing, productivity drops along with it. Using a hammer to break up bridging may seem like a good short-term solution, but it comes with significant safety risks. Oli Vibrators however, offer an alternative fix. A TELL-TALE SIGN THAT SOMETHING isn’t right with a processes’ flow are hammer marks and chipped paint on a silo, bin or hopper. Poor flow can be caused by a number of reasons, whether it is moisture ingress into the product or silo design leading to ratholing and bridging. Whatever the case may be, the flow-on effects can bring significant productivity penalties and safety hazards. Sean Brewer, Sales Executive at Oli Vibrators, says it can be common for companies to attempt to manually restart the flow. “Occupational health and safety hazards abound when doing this. Not only is it bad for your bones to be swinging around a large hammer constantly, but it’s also not good for your hearing, we aim to preserve the structure and person.” he says. “On top of this, a lot of hoppers are elevated, with only small ladders leading up to them. That means you’ll have someone in a precarious position, high above the ground, swinging heavy objects. It’s a recipe for disaster.” Dents in expensive equipment can further aggravate bad flow, as the engineered metal is bent and warped out of shape through sustained abuse. It’s also a poor use of labour resources. Not only are employees wasting energy and time on heavy manual labour, but customers and transport workers will be waiting for the load to finish – adding to costs incurred. Industries involved in bulk solids handling also tend to be ones that can’t afford to have their supply chains held up – concrete needs to be laid and food needs to be distributed. Part of Brewer’s job is visiting sites that are struggling with flow issues in their vessels and finding a long term, effective solution. “It starts with a phone call,” he says.
The company stocks industrial vibrators, electric vibrators, frequency converters and aerators.
“We head out onto site and find out what would help improve productivity at the site in the best way possible.” “We service pretty much any industry you can think of – our products can be found in industrial estates, farms and factories all around the country.” Oli Vibrators specialise in industrial vibration technology, providing highquality, European-built industrial vibrators, electric vibrators, frequency converters and aerators. The company has operated in Australia for more than two decades and has built up expertise in providing the right tools for the job. Specialists will find the right vibrator or aerator for a site, using the supplied dimensions and weights involved. Oli’s experts will collaborate with the site’s staff to find the most effective and economical product from their extensive range each to correct and maximise flow. Brewer says the company is proficient in the knowledge of its products and how to properly apply them. “Our staff have worked with silos and
18 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
materials handling for years and we have enough case studies under our belt where we can use previous experiences to find new solutions,” he says. Oli Vibrators’ competitive advantage, according to Brewer, is the high-quality materials and precision engineering that goes into making each of the vibrators. The company is based in Italy and imports its products from overseas where they must meet rigorous Australian and International quality assurance standards. With agents in every state of Australia and across New Zealand, the company has managed to continue operating throughout the COVID-19 restrictions with minimal disruption. Its mission statement, ‘when you need it, where you need it’ has helped form its strategy to keep all 20 of its global trading subsidiaries well-stocked. In addition, the company’s manufacturing plants in Italy and Europe have managed to continue production without needing to pause, further bolstering the supply chain.
Using hammers to manually restart flow can lead to dents and damage.
Brewer says the local branch prides itself on its stock holding, which helps set it apart from other international brands. “A lot of our customers use imported equipment, and one of the main bugbears they have is shipping delays if something does go wrong,” he says. “They may need to wait for a shipping container to be sent over or pay expensive fees for air freight to ensure
they can continue operating. At Oli, if we need to supply a replacement, there’s a very high chance we will already have a backup on hand.” As a result of Oli’s high standards for quality, its products often last for more than a decade. Each component is tested at the company’s manufacturing plant before it goes to the customers to ensure every installation is as reliable as possible. Going forward, the company aims to
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Chipped paint on a hopper can be a sign a site could benefit from a flow aid.
continue offering its services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has adopted a number of digital solutions to remain safe while providing its services. “During these unprecedented times, and being a supplier to the essential manufacturers, producers and supply chain, Oli has remained open and will remain open,” Brewer says. “We’ve stocked up heavily and are ready to supply our products throughout the country.”
CONVEYOR GUARDING
talk
The evolution of guarding STEVE DAVIS In his regular BULKtalk column, Steve Davis considers the basics of bulk handling that sites often struggle with. 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.
Conveyor guard standards have evolved over time to reflect higher safety expectations. Steve Davis, Senior Bulk Handling Expert at Advisian, explains how the technology has developed and what is available now. MY FIRST UP CLOSE INVOLVEMENT WITH machines that could cause injury was as a machine hand at a small fabrication shop in the UK. We had every kind of pre- computer numerical control metal fabrication machine in use, and not too much thought in guarding. I managed to survive with only a few cuts and scrapes and an allergy to cutting fluid and some regard for my own safety. Everyone else in the shop had lost at least one finger. Many had scars and disfiguration from various entanglements. These were
ESS modular guard system.
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almost badges of honour. After graduating, I moved into an automated fabrication facility, initially using cam timers, and then early cassette-controlled programmable logic controllers (PLC). We even had a robot. Guarding was taken seriously here, and automated systems were fully enclosed with Castell interlocks to prevent any possible contact. We soon learned that the tape in a cassette stretches and confuses the PLC with consequential random machine operation. Guards were designed to surround the total locus of movement, so it would be
DIACON Australia HDPE modular guard systems.
virtually impossible to get hurt. Small machines and easily managed. In South Africa where I started my materials handling career as a maintenance engineer at a gold mine, guards were random steel and mesh barriers and a total contrast to previous experience. Safety was an arbitrary concept and guards were poorly conceived with little thought. Many were heavy, difficult to remove, even more difficult to replace, fragile and rusty. In reality these were only a small part of a non-existent mine safety culture. Over the years and movement into the design field, I saw guards and health, safety and environmental standards gradually improve, but not much further than identifying the region that needed guards on a design arrangement drawing for the fabricator to develop. The outcome was predictable, random attempts to provide guards that were easy to fabricate and install and did not consider operation and maintenance. The gaps between, under and over would not come close to current Australian Standards. There was never any pushback from end users and only a vague safety culture. A recent visit to an older plant in South Africa was a stark reminder of some of the issues. On to Australia, a few years after AS1755 was first published, and set a good standard for guarding for the first time. Sadly, it was still common to identify the areas requiring guarding on the drawings, but now the note would say “Guards to AS1755”. The assumption being that the fabricator would know what this meant, have read the Standard, and diligently applied it. Over the last 20 years, I have seen
Safety was an arbitrary concept and guards were poorly conceived with little thought. Many were heavy, difficult to remove, even more difficult to replace, fragile and rusty. In reality these were only a small part of a nonexistent mine safety culture. many well-meaning failures in providing guards that meet the standard. Being yellow, looking like guards and in the way of contact does not mean that they comply. I am intrigued by the lack of pushback by end users when the safety focus today is a primary concern. We are improving but not always as good as we should be. AS1755 has improved and now is part of the AS4024 series. These are good standards, but the end results do not just happen because of a note on a drawing. Compliant guards must be designed to meet the key reasons of limiting access to moving parts, nip points and so on, and gaps and limitations are clearly defined. Guards must also resist the loads defined in the Standard. What is not defined in the Standard are the other aspects that should be considered in design. Guards are an impediment to operation and maintenance, and many often
need to be maintained frequently themselves. Guards are often an ergonomic nightmare for removal and replacement, as this aspect has not been considered in design. Guards should be designed to be easily removed and replaced using the obligatory tool, should be lightweight, should be corrosion resistant, should consider where they will be stored when removed and meet all the safety aspects. Guards that are fastened with more than two tool removable fixings are too complex. Fortunately, the supplier industry in Australia and other countries observed the shortfall in guard performance in recent years, and we now are able to choose from well thought out, and well-defined guard systems. These guard systems comply with gap and distance, strength and are operation and maintenance friendly. I favour Australian sourced and supported products for Australian use. ESS have an excellent modular guard system in steel or aluminium and supply other conveyor safety accessories. There are two suppliers of modular guard systems that have taken practicality to new levels. Both DIACON Australia and DYNA Engineering supply excellent conveyor guard systems that are specifically designed for Australian conditions and to the Australian Standard. Both guard systems use HDPE as the main guard component, and both are fully modular custom fit for application. Expected life is more than 15 years and the self-coloured guards are fully recyclable at end of life. Key issues are: • Guards are made to measure for every installation • Significantly lighter weight than steel, most are easy single operator lifts, weight is permanently marked
Enduride guarding system.
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INTERNATIONAL
DYNA Engineering HDPE modular guard systems.
• Simple, consistent fixing methods that facilitate removal and reinstallation • No corrosion, no sharp edges, no mesh to snag • Shape is retained, so no force fits back into place • 100 per cent Australian made There are many differences between the two systems, but both have considered the operation and maintenance aspects in detail. In my view both systems also look great when installed and should stay this way for many years. Another guard system that has impressed me is from a Canadian company, soon to establish in Australia. Enduride supply a curtain guard system
Belt conveyor guarding modular system.
The system is novel in that the curtains are suspended between upper and lower steel cables and have a latch system that, when released with an Allen key, allows the curtains to slide back to provide access. Quick access, no lifting, storage in situ and easy reinstallation. Corrosion-resistant materials and they offer a completely different solution to safety.
which has application in confined spaces, and wider application elsewhere. The system complies with North American and European Standards and has been tested to meet Australian Standards. The system is novel in that the curtains are suspended between upper and lower steel cables and have a latch system that, when released with an Allen key, allows the curtains to slide back to provide access. Quick access, no lifting, storage in situ and easy reinstallation. Corrosion-resistant materials and they offer a completely different solution to safety. There are two suppliers in the USA and one in Canada that provide well thought out modular systems for conveyor guards and for many guard and other safety accessories, being Martin
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Engineering, Asgco and Belt Conveyor Guarding. The systems favour metal guard systems with flat panels and modular supports. These systems are specifically suited to North American Regulations but are functionally able to meet Australian needs. While we are discussing guards, we should not forget those other tricky components such as chute doors, guards for belt cleaner, drive components, idlers and the like, all of which are available from specialist suppliers, including those already mentioned and from others such as BendTech in Australia. There really is no excuse for having noncompliant conveyor guarding on new installations, with several excellent choices, and I doubt there is any difference in cost over “traditional” methods. For older installations direct fit made to measure guard systems are readily available. I am certain there are similar suppliers that I am not yet aware of. Excellent guarding makes a safer environment. Lightweight low maintenance easy to remove guards reduce hazards, reduce maintenance time, and save operating cost.
CONVEYORS
The company’s ACE team in Mackay has expanded significantly over the past seven years.
Fenner Dunlop wins head to tail overland conveyor contract Fenner Dunlop ACE has been contracted to deliver an overland conveyor system for Anglo American’s Aquila project. ABHR speaks to Brendon Harms, Regional Manager of ACE Queensland to find out more. THE BOWEN BASIN COALFIELDS is home to one of the largest coal reserves in Australia, producing almost 100 per cent of Queensland’s coking coal and 60 per cent of its thermal coal. The region is home to dozens of coal projects, including Anglo American’s Aquila – an underground hard coking coal mine near Middlemount. As part of this project, Anglo American selected Fenner Dunlop ACE to design, supply and install the ACV002 Overland Conveyor. The conveyor measures 2.6-kilometres long and includes four drives, a transformer, loop take-up, elevated gantry sections, overland structure and belting. Included within the scope of works are the
Alan Esau (workshop manager) and Dean Bazley (senior projects coordinator)
mechanical and electrical installation, belt installation and commissioning. Brendon Harms, Regional Manager of Australian Conveyor Engineering (ACE) Queensland, says the conveyor is a key piece of infrastructure for the mine, as it will be the sole source of product transportation from the underground works to the stockpile. “Fenner Dunlop ACE will be responsible for the complete install and commissioning of the overland conveyor, providing even further responsibility and ownership for the project,” he says. “We’re very excited to be working on this project, as we believe we have created a culture of delivering on our promises. Completing the design, supply and installation give us a great opportunity to ensure effective conveyor operation for our client.” The overland conveyor will run from the underground to the surface and then move up to the stockpile. Often, the product will be put onto a stockpile outside the mine, but because the project will make use of an existing stockpile and wash plant, the conveyor will help connect the infrastructure together. Included within the design are a number of custom components, such as
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a horizontal curve in the conveyor and an elevated stacker to load onto the stockpile. Fenner Dunlop ACE will provide support from the beginning of the design phase to commissioning and throughout operation. Harms says this is part of the company’s head to tail approach which can significantly simplify communications and increases the accountability of a project. “Accountability is a key part of Fenner Dunlop ACE,” he says. “We take pride in building something right the first time, every time.” “If something does go wrong, it means that there are no arguments between multiple suppliers, we simply provide the most effective support possible to solve any problems as early as possible.” Ongoing maintenance will be offered by teams in Mackay and Emerald, providing belt works and servicing over the life of the project. The company’s ACE team in Mackay has expanded significantly over the past seven years to ensure it can handle large projects such as this. The Overland Conveyor project is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2021.
Nelson Silos Suppliers to Australian Industry Nationwide
If you need a better way to store dry bulk solids, Nelson can deliver it. Nelson are totally committed to innovative design and product development, and are now engineering silos with a proven 4-leg base design mounted on load cells. This unique Nelson design development ensures accurate weight measurement. For grain, legumes and plastic granules, Nelson 4-leg design silos are available in pre-painted steel. For flour, sugar, PVC and industrial powder, Nelson are building fully welded stainless steel silos, also with the proven 4-leg design, mounted on load cells. With the Nelson CAD programme, we have the capacity to develop a cost-effective design package to meet the needs of the industry. We then engineer your order in our own complex - with a fixed price that will save you up to 50% of the cost of on-site construction. And Nelson can deliver, install and commission purpose-built silos, with an absolute minimum lead time.
For all your bulk storage problems, please call Nelson Silos, Rochester Victoria Toll Free on:
1800 801 966 Head Office T: 03 5484 1577 F: 03 5484 1593 New South Wales Email
T: 02 6862 3688
Website
www.nelsonsilos.com.au
info@nelsonsilos.com.au
We have technical consultants based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland (NZ)
Australia’s largest manufacturer of transportable silos.
SUPPORT
Vortex Global’s support to help weather the storm Installation and maintenance support are core to how Vortex Global does business. Adam Schrage, Vortex Global’s Engineering manager for Loading Solutions, explains how it will continue offering these services throughout COVID-19. THERE IS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF unforeseeable factors involved in any project that involves installing new equipment, whether it is an upgrade to an existing system or a brand-new facility.
Transportation of equipment could lead to potential damage before a component reaches the site, human error could see it installed suboptimally or incorrectly, or so-called black swan events – the unknown unknowns – Vortex engineers are often on site during installation.
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could potentially see a project stall. Often, delays are not acceptable as sites work to meet specific production deadlines. On larger plants in particular, a small delay can stall a multi-milliondollar operation. Adam Schrage, Engineering Manager of Loading Solutions for Vortex Global, says this is why the company invests heavily in aftersales support. “A lot of the time, depending on the project’s size, we will offer to send out one of our people to be on site during startup for a nominal fee,” he says. “This means that if something goes wrong, we will be able to quickly identify the issue and fix it there and then. Any issues can be identified more quickly at startup than if a site visit is scheduled later on.” One example of this process was when a new cylinder installed in an air line had some debris in it, which stopped it from opening and closing properly. Vortex engineers were quick on hand, equipped with a number of spare parts, to troubleshoot the wiring and find where the issue had occurred and fixed it immediately. According to Schrage, this not only helps Vortex’s customers start production on time, it protects Vortex’s reputation as a provider of high-quality loading solution equipment. Vortex Global is a manufacturer and supplier of bulk solids handling equipment. It focuses on equipment that improve solids process efficiency, ensure dust-free environments, and establish long-term reliability. This includes products such as slide gates, diverter valves, shut off and control valves, and loading solutions for ports, silos, stockpiles and more. Most Vortex products also come with a one-year
warranty period. Based in Kansas in the United States, Vortex Global has sales representatives and offices around the world, including the Brolton Group in Australia. Schrage says that these representatives, in conjunction with Vortex’s own sales and engineering teams, allow the company to provide the best service possible as fast as possible. “Our representatives are our eyes and ears to find out what needs to be done and how it can be fixed. They obtain the pictures and data as our first line of communication into the plant,” he says. “If at all possible, we try to eliminate the need for service trips to help save our customers as much time and money as possible. For example, we will look at the cost of replacement parts compared to the cost of a potential overseas trip. If it makes more economic sense and is easier for the customer, we can simply send an entire replacement product instead of just the components.” COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns and travel restrictions have
affected how the company provides support for its customers. It’s much more difficult, if not impossible, for field service employees to get onto a site to help fix issues. In response, the company has embraced remote maintenance services, using a combination of digital technology such as Zoom, Facetime and GoToMeetings, with traditional phone calls and emails to determine the root cause of a problem both visually and audibly. “We encourage our customers to send us videos or photos of their equipment if it’s not working to their expectations. We provide step by step instructions for our customers’ maintenance teams, guiding them through how to best solve any problems should they arise,” Schrage says. “Supporting our equipment and customers is vital for us as a business, as it helps us grow. We will be continuing to offer support to all of our customers, no matter where they are located, to ensure they get the best results.”
Vortex Global’s sales engineers have more than 150 years of combined experiencing dry bulk solids. Over the past 39 years, the company has handled a number of dry bulk materials, including: • activated carbon • aggregate • alumina • animal feed • barley • bark • bauxite • beans • bicarbonated soda • blasting media • boric acid • cake mix • calcium • carbon • cement • coffee beans
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
copper crushed glass fertiliser flour hot adhesive pellets iron oxide lead milk powder nuts oats phosphate resin sugar vitamins wheat yeast zinc
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CONVEYOR ACCESSORIES
TS Global mergers grow product development Australian conveyor accessory manufacturer TS Global has undergone significant expansions over the past 12 to 18 months. The company’s General Manager, Graham Holford, details how it has grown and plans for the future. IN 2018, CONVEYOR ACCESSORY manufacturer TS Global acquired APM Engineering. APM Engineering is a manufacturer of custom polyurethane products that focuses on supplying its clients with customised solutions, which aligns well TS Global’s business model. In addition, APM’s manufacturing facility at Tomago delivers increased capacity to undertake the manufacture of TS Global components, making this a perfect fit for TS Global. Graham Holford, General Manager at TS Global, says the companies have now been fully integrated into single trading entity increasing manufacturing volume and product range. “This increase will provide our clients with an improved purchasing experience and more responsive service,” he says. As APM was the distributor of RKM rollers in NSW, this acquisition also allowed TS Global to take on a larger responsibility with the RKM product and is now the original equipment manufacturer’s representative on the East Coast of Australia. RKM has a reputation as a quality designer and manufacturer of conveyor
idlers and mine infrastructure. This The developments include new partnership also gives TS Global access technology which will provide real time to RKM’s advanced testing laboratory, data to service personnel and greatly in-house custom design calculation reduce risk associated with clamping or programs and third-party independent raising a belt for repairs. The technology testing for ongoing research and has now been registered globally and is development. The addition of RKM into patent pending. the TS Global business allows them TS Global is also taking this to provide the market with a more opportunity to expand and invest into comprehensive product range. conveyor pulley manufacture and pulley In other developments, in September lifting equipment. TS Global has been Versatile, modular, easy to interlink 2019, TS Global was appointed as the manufacturing andand maintaining pulleys exclusive stockist and distributor for Tru for the last five years, however, the Trac Belt Trackers. output during this time was specialised. It “The partnership is based on a shared focused on providing quick turnarounds The ProLink multi-channel condition monitoring system m desire to add value to our client’s sites in breakdowns and shutdowns, where equipment by means of vibration measurement. and offer expertise to ensure products the pulleys needed to be manufactured or It is opti plex systems such as those are installed correctly and operate to repaired in under twofound weeks.in the paper and ceme the ProLink condition monitoring system is ideal for use i maximum efficiency,” Holford says. “We’re spreading out wider to provide In addition to the RKM and Tru full design, manufacture and service Trac products, TS Global have been capabilities at scale,” Holford says. Product advantages heavily involved in the development Looking ahead, TS Global is of new conveyor accessories to assist investing in equipment to scale up its • Simplemanufacturing initial operation thanks to theaautomatic monito maintenance providers. process, including new configuration for standard units such as motors, fans, “After our bid for a Federal facility in Tomago, NSW. The facility is and pumps Government innovation grant was the company’s new central headquarters • Configuration, trend displays, andtoinitial accepted, we partnered with the for the business, located next the analyses take directly on the device using the integrated web server a University of Newcastle to develop a existing TS Global workshop and new range of belt clamps and belt lifting warehouse. The new building is close to standard web browser devices,” he says. transport corridors and will provide variety of options for integration into the custo • A greatmajor around 50using per cent moreinterfaces floorspace. (e. g. OPC/UA) a infrastructure digital
ProLink CMS: Systematic Cond
Holford the expansion aims tohighest poss modular field bussays module; this allows the improve efficiencies, cutting down travel of transparency by providing all measured information a timescondition, between TS sites and machines’ e.Global’s g. for the customer’s own plant creates a business hub. “We wereand veryquality assura tion, maintenance planning system,
grateful to have found such a convenient and suitable site to allow us to come Potential applications and fields of operation together as a business,” he says. “Our new headquarters will help us continue • Paper industry to grow and develop in order to service • Metal production and processing our clients in the best possible way.”
• Cement industry The company plans to launch some TS Global’s new building is close to major transport corridors and will provide around 50 per cent more floorspace.
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of their new products at the opening ceremony of its new facility later this year.
ProLink Multi-Channel Condition Monitoring System The ProLink multi-channel condition monitoring system monitors the condition of machines and equipment by means of vibration measurement. It is optimally suited to machine monitoring in complex systems such as those found in the paper and cement industries. Thanks to separate sensors, the ProLink condition monitoring system is ideal for use in harsh environmental conditions.
Advantages of the ProLink condition monitoring system
ndition Monitoring
• Templates for monitoring rolling bearings, motors, gearboxes, fans, and pumps that make further configuration easier; information about the machine geometry (such as the installed bearing type or the number of fan blades) is all that is required • The learning mode monitors the condition of machines andallows individual adjustments to alarm thresholds in order to optimize monitoring • machine Customers can optionally imally suited to monitoring in com- use the ConditionAnalyzer via the integrated cloud interface ent industries.•Thanks to separate sensors, Added Value Through Digitalization and Digital Services in harsh environmental conditions. • Enhance availability and increase productivity Schaeffler offers a standardized hardware and software infrastructure – from components equipped with sensors through to digital services. One component is the ProLink condition monitoring system. This offers the perfect setup in combination with the ConditionAnalyzer – the automatic vibration diagnosis system.
oring
e place and a Paper industry
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG Georg-Schäfer-Straße 30 97421 Schweinfurt www.schaeffler.de industrial-services@schaeffler.com
omer’s and a sible level about the visualizaance Metal production and processing
Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication. However, no liability can be assumed for any errors or omissions. We reserve the right to make technical changes. © Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG Issued: 2020, July This publication or parts thereof may not be reproduced without our permission. Cement industry
Schaeffler Australia Pty Ltd Suite 3, 13B Narabang Way Belrose NSW 2085 (02) 8977 1010 www.schaeffler.com.au sales.au@schaeffler.com
SERVICE
No stopping Altra Motion ABHR speaks to Rex Sinclair, National Sales Manager for Altra Motion Australia, about the service division team maintaining Altra products across the country.
Altra Motion Australia’s service division can overhaul Altra products to as new condition.
ALTRA MOTION AUSTRALIA, the local subsidiary of global company Altra Industrial Motion, has been active in the bulk handling space for more than 85 years. It specialises in mechanical, hydraulic, electromechanical, and pneumatic power transmission and motion control components and systems. Altra Motion Australia’s service division offers on-site and workshop
The company offers on-site and workshop capabilities across Australia.
capabilities across Australia and the Oceanic region. “Our service division maintains the products in the field that we sell,” Rex Sinclair, Altra Motion Australia’s National Sales Manager says. “We specialise in the installation, commissioning, regular servicing, site audits, troubleshooting, and overhauling for Australia’s bulk handling industry.” Sinclair says Altra doesn’t only sell products, it supports them from the cradle to the grave by offering regular maintenance through its service division. “When we sell a product, we will support it for its whole life. Our customers want to know that when they buy a product, they’ll be able to depend on us,” he says. “This leads to greater uptime, as our staff assists during scheduled shutdown periods. Keeping everything in working order avoids potential unwanted delays and downtime.” “Our service team is factorytrained, which means we send them to various factories over the globe to see the manufacturing process in person.
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They are trained in both technical and practical programs by qualified professionals.” In Australia, the service division works closely with various bulk handling customers to overhaul Altra products within various applications to as new condition, using original equipment manufacturer parts and offering a factory warranty on completion. Sinclair says Altra are already recognising the benefits of having a service division through recognition from key mining customers, thanking the staff for making their lives easier. An excellent example of Altra’s capabilities is servicing Svendborg brakes regularly on critical pieces of customer equipment to increase uptime. COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the service team from going out to different sites, though staff has changed how they operate to ensure they align with each site’s specific safety requirements. The company is experiencing significant growth as more of its products are used. Altra Motion Australia is building up its service division on the east coast for Australia, putting on more technicians to assist customers.
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BAGGING SYSTEMS
The packaging line is fully automated, improving safety and efficiency.
Concetti keeps upgrade on track through lockdown Halfway through a major plant upgrade at Adelaide Brighton Cement (an Adbri Ltd company), Australia’s borders shut down most international travel. Tara Gracie, National Packaged Products, tells ABHR how the company kept on track. LIKE MANY CEMENT PRODUCERS, Adelaide Brighton Cement used valve paper bags for its preblended dry mix products. One of the issues with this type of material is that it could potentially allow water into the bag, which needs to remain dry. The paper material also needed to be kept away from sharp objects like nails in pallets or forklift blades, which could tear and begin spilling the product. Tara Gracie, National Packaged Products Manager at Adbri, says the company decided to introduce a new type of packaging into its product range to solve these issues, provide many added benefits to both retailers and end users and gain a competitive advantage in the market. “Overseas and more recently in
Australia, there has been a market trend for dry mix products in form filled and sealed bags, to take advantage of the benefits plastic polyethylene (PE) packaging provides” she says. “We previously saw success and wide market uptake in Western Australia, when Adbri company, Cockburn Cement introduced the innovative packaging in 2015. Both retailers and end users have since recognised the advantages of the rain proof packaging as it provides flexible storage options, less product wastage, longer shelf life and reduced dust.” “Stores that once might have been limited to indoor storage space can now keep the rainproof drymix products outside, which can greatly benefit their product range throughout the store. End users can also experience cost
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savings by less product wastage due to moisture ingress”. In order to begin using the new packing material, Adbri needed to
To further support Australian customers, Concetti has also launched a partnership with Victorian-based company Automaint Solutions. Automaint has almost 50 years of experience in automation and technical assistance of highly mechanised systems. The companies work together to provide remote assistance managed directly by specialised Concetti technicians in Italy, and field interventions within a few hours, by Automaint engineers.
upgrade its bagging system. The company purchased two Concetti Continua Form, Fill and Seal turnkey packaging lines, each with an integrated net weighing scale and screw feeding system. Adbri had worked with Concetti previously and was familiar with the performance and after sales support available to them. During the tender process, Concetti demonstrated a good understanding of what the company required from its new equipment. In particular, Adbri was looking to automate the machine as much as possible to remove human intervention and improve safety. The previous plant required a significant amount of interaction with the equipment such as manually positioning valve bags, for filling onto the manual bagging machine. The process was labour intensive and meant workers were frequently close to moving parts. The Concetti packaging lines are fully automated – the mixture recipe and process parameters are set, and material is automatically fed into the machine, where it is packed and placed onto a pallet for storage and transport. The integrated weighing system is significantly more accurate, which helps
avoid overpacking and reduces product wastage. The packing system has been configured such that it connects back securely to Concetti’s headquarters in
“...the company worked with us jointly through a video surveillance system. They could see what was happening and how it was performing and could tweak the system remotely if we were having issues.” Italy, which Gracie says has been critical for the commissioning process during COVID-19. The global pandemic hit just as Adbri’s old packaging line had been removed, the new installation just completed and commissioning about to commence. “To meet market demand, we needed to continue on with the commissioning, but Concetti weren’t able to send their specialists due to locked down borders,” Gracie says. “Instead, the company worked with us jointly through a video surveillance
system. They could see what was happening and how it was performing and could tweak the system remotely if we were having issues.” Concetti’s turnkey approach to the installation greatly simplified communications across the globe. The equipment testing in the Concetti factory is second to none with the entire line assembled and repeatedly tested with products, bags and pallets. This helps with the re-assembly on site and subsequent commissioning, made achievable with clear communication and video resources over WhatsApp. Embracing digital communications meant the business could resume production within a tight deadline, even with the additional challenges presented by COVID-19. Gracie says she couldn’t imagine what the process would have looked like if multiple suppliers had been involved. “Concetti’s time-efficient assembly allowed us to build the packaging line on site much faster than if we had to wait to receive a lot of parts and information from multiple sources,” she says. “Both teams deserve huge credit for their continued dedication to the project to complete commissioning.”
Material is automatically fed into the machine, where it is packed and placed onto a pallet for storage and transport.
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SILOS Each project Nelson Silos undertakes takes into account the different site conditions.
Evolution of a silo manufacturer Nelson Silos has undergone a number of gradual changes to adapt to emerging market needs and provide reliable, custom products. ERIC NELSON, DIRECTOR OF SILO manufacturer Nelson Silos, says to build a product that is fit for purpose, it must be built to the customers’ needs from the ground up, not just adapted from existing stock. “We start with an indicative proposal and basic drawing of what might be required and then send it through to [the customer]. After this, we will often visit the site to determine what kind of design and equipment is required,” he says. “We use consulting engineers that have a broad knowledge of all the different industries and the various techniques and designs for silos to safely store and unload the material from the silos.” Different conditions at sites are to be expected, and each project takes this into
account. For example, the installation of a silo in a built-up urban area may require the installation team to work in a more compact area. A site’s soil test may indicate the foundations can be built with piling or may need a floating foundation over a deep concrete slab. Infrastructure at a site is also something that must be taken into account. At industrial facilities, there is often established infrastructure that must be straddled or incorporated. The material itself also plays a major role in the design of the silos. Nelson says the company has extensive experience in handling notoriously difficult to store materials, such as mill runs – a waste product from the flour milling process. “Mill run bridges and seals up right across the diameter of the vessel,”
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he says. “To solve that, we used a combination of vibrating cones and compressed air. This design is also popular in the tea industry to create blends.” “Many of these solutions can be found in other industries, meaning our designers can look to what has worked elsewhere to find a solution to almost any problem.” Materials can also present safety risks for storage, particularly if a silo will be used to products like flour or ammonium nitrate. In these situations, Nelson Silos ensures the proper vents, sacrificial plates and spark-proof materials are used. Following the design of a silo, the engineers work in conjunction with the manufacturing team at one of the company’s three production facilities. For larger silos, they are built in sections
Nelson Silos began in 1962 to help distribute one of the first transportable grain silos.
to minimise on site erection, reducing installation cost where possible. Nelson says transport plays a large part in the business, with a number of people working full time delivering silos around Australia.
“We’ve delivered silos to Darwin, Port Headland and Kalgoorlie ourselves,” he says. “We don’t use contractors because it gives us more control over the customer experience. Our delivery team can also do the installation side
of things, with staff in the pilot cars for heavy transport vehicles able to get out and build them.” Nelson Silos began in 1962, founded by Lindsay Nelson to distribute one of his inventions, one of the first transportable grain silos. The product proved so popular that Nelson was gradually forced to develop a multi-million-dollar engineering company to keep up with the demand. The company has evolved significantly to provide a full range of silos capable of storing anything from grain, to plastics or chemicals for the mining industry. And while COVID-19 has limited the amount of site visits, the company has adapted by offering its services via Zoom meetings. “Technology has also become a vital part of the monitoring and manufacturing side of things,” Nelson says. “Our equipment is now PLC controlled and laser cut to provide the precise, reliable equipment we need.”
PNEUMATIC CONVEYING
Resin compounder prevents blowouts with pneumatic deflection elbows Without proper engineering, abrasive materials can cause havoc in pneumatic conveying systems. HammerTek has engineered a solution to this problem that reduces labour, downtime and material degradation. Rhe Tech installed 140 90º deflection Smart Elbows, preventing blowouts and pellet degradation.
36 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
MOVING GLASS-FIBRE-REINFORCED resin pellets through dilute-phase pneumatic conveying lines can be a challenging process. Plant engineers must not only design conveying systems that minimise pellet damage, which affects product quality, but also reduce damage to the lines themselves from the reinforced polymer. Assuring line integrity is especially critical at bends, where material impacts elbow walls when changing direction, often causing blowouts and related downtime. RheTech Inc., a supplier of proprietary thermoplastic polyolefin alloys and compounds, has found a way to pre-empt such damage. The company’s production facilities at Whitmore Lake and Fowlerville in Michigan, United States, run 24 hours per day, five days a week. Its pneumatic lines, which transport pellets from extruders to storage silos to trucks, were previously blowing out conventional stainless-steel long-sweep elbows at a rate of once a month per elbow. Steve Mosher, Maintenance Manager at the RheTech Whitmore Lake plant, says polypropylene pellets with glass reinforcement impacted sweep elbows at high speed. They wore through elbow walls as if they were sand blasted. The impact also created dust and frictional heat that caused pellets to melt as they skidded along hot elbow walls, forming streamers. It took one hour to replace each elbow, at a cost of $169 to $212 per elbow, and $39 per hour for labour – plus interruption of production, Mosher adds. To address these issues, RheTech began specifying 90º deflection elbows,
which prevent the pellets from impacting the elbow wall. It has since installed 140 of them at both plants, preventing blowouts and associated costs of parts, labour, downtime and pellet degradation. Manufactured by HammerTek, the Smart Elbow design features a spherical vortex chamber protruding from the elbow. When material transitions into the elbow, part of the flow is automatically diverted into the vortex chamber, where it forms a loosely packed mass that rotates slowly in the direction of flow, gently deflecting incoming pellets around the bend. The phenomenon prevents abrasion, degradation, frictional heat and streamers, while causing pellets to exit evenly across the elbow outflow in a laminar state, maintaining the dilutephase distribution of particles required to maximise conveying efficiency. RheTech installed around 100 deflection elbows on 11-centimetre diameter pneumatic lines from the
Rhe Tech has only replaced six elbows since installing the original 140 units years ago.
extruders to 70 silos and truck stations at the Whitmore Lake plant. It also installed 40 elbows on 13-centimetre diameter lines running to 30 silos and truck stations in Fowlerville. “We’ve replaced only six elbows since installing the original units years ago,” Mosher says. “We are more likely to
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replace the straight sections of pneumatic lines than we are the HammerTek elbows. Blowouts and replacements haven’t been an issue for years.” He adds that the elbows, along with adjustments to flow, pressure, and heat throughout the conveying system, have also eliminated streamers.
GRAIN HANDLING AND STORAGE SOLUTIONS www.alliedgrainsystems.com.au
CONDITION MONITORING Proactive maintenance can save money and time.
Predicting the future Harnessing the power of digitalisation has allowed Schaeffler to make precise forecasts about proactive maintenance. PLANT MAINTENANCE PROCESSES are designed to keep everything running as smoothly as possible, but they are not always adhered to. Mark Ciechanowicz, Schaeffler’s Industrial Services Manager, says this can happen when companies focus limited resources into other streams. “When processes are not adhered to is when things start to go wrong. Incorrectly selected lubrication and dosage rates, contamination, structural looseness, imbalance and misalignment are where most plants come undone,” he says. “Maintenance can be labour intensive, so it is important to develop practices that centre reliability and criticality to get the most value for money.” Traditionally, maintenance and condition monitoring has been done manually through visual inspections or running equipment to failure and then replacing components when necessary.
This method can lead to unexpected downtime from undetected faults, cutting into a bulk handling plant’s profits. Digitalisation has facilitated and enabled site personnel to approach maintenance in a proactive manner. For example, instead of detecting a problem with an asset and overhauling the entire process, sensors can detect the remaining useful life of assets to better control the exact nature of the problem, inventory and timing of maintenance work required. Ciechanowicz says proactivity helps prolong the life of components, as they can be run to their full life instead of being replaced prematurely. “Even if the digital condition monitoring system detects a fault in a component, it can do so earlier than human inspection could, allowing more time to prepare replacement parts. It also helps from an inventory point of view, Schaeffler treats each application as bespoke.
38 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
as less stock needs to be kept on hand thanks to better predictions,” he says. Schaeffler offers turn-key solutions for specific bulk handling applications which use a combination of wireless and cabled systems depending on the speed variability, surface temperature and rotations per minute. The company treats each application as bespoke, as every site has different requirements. A cement plant in Victoria will have different needs compared with one in Queensland, depending on regulation, cement type or applications. Ciechanowicz says each of Schaeffler’s customers have different resources available to them, so the company’s specialists work closely to identify priorities. “Our customers may not have the manpower or knowledge to carry out the installations, commissioning or analysis, so we will work with them to take that headache away,” he says. “We not only provide the equipment, but also offer engineering services such as site testing and online monitoring if they don’t have access to that expertise. “It’s part of our strategy to form partnerships with our clients instead of selling something and moving on. Long term support builds a reputation of trust, which allows us to use the strengths of everyone involved. Customers know more about their own operations and we can help them become more reliable.” Different markets also have different needs. For example, the agricultural industry has a competitive price point that required systems that can work
in arduous conditions, with high temperatures, high levels of potential contamination and moisture. Agriculture also features a lot of mobile plant, meaning wireless technology that incorporates 3G or 4G is critical. In contrast, Tony Dintino, Schaeffler’s Regional Manager, says the mining industry faces a number of different conditions. “Most sites are located in remote areas of Queensland and Western
Australia, where contamination of dust can cause major problems for bearings and components. Not only that, but the industry has a high rate of turn over, meaning there is a lot of need for training and installation expertise,” he says. “There is also the sheer size and weight of the equipment – the mining industry has some of the largest equipment in the world. We provide a number of bearings and components to fit the different requirements for our customers.” Automation and advanced algorithms are incorporated into proactive condition monitoring to remove the need for human operators to perform labour intensive maintenance and to improve reliability. The company has a range of sensors, including accelerometers, temperature sensors, grease and oil lubrication sensors, acoustic emission sensors, proximity sensors, and load sensors that can be combined with its analysis tool, ConditionAnalyzer. ConditionAnalyzer enables automatic diagnosis of vibration using
algorithms developed by Schaeffler to help plant operators spot potential problems early. It is designed to help plants that may not have their own analysis teams access accurate and transparent data about their operation. Ciechanowicz says Schaeffler can provide technical and commercial support in the Australian region with its Field Service Engineers and Sales and Services Engineers. “The company has been involved in condition monitoring for more than 25 years. Globally, more than 95,000 people are employed by Schaeffler and our technology is used on a wide variety of international projects,” he says. “Our Australian team provides local support, in their time zone, and can draw on the expertise of our team to equip customers with technology for troublesome areas. “The future will see more sensorised bearings, mechatronics and digital systems, and we will continue to engineer products that help bulk handlers selfdiagnose their machinery.”
• materials handling • asset life extension • infrastructure ASPEC Engineering provides high quality technical engineering support to mines and ports
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ENGINEERING SERVICES
2020/2021 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 at a process plant. This list includes those firms that offer design and consulting engineering services, as well as related activities such as procurement and construction management. 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.
AZANO CONTACT: Frank Oddi / Nathan Hamley EMAIL: frank.oddi@azano.com.au / nhamley@azano.com.au WEB: www.azano.com.au PHONE: 1800 006 901 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Solution’s based Australian engineering company,
42 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
specialising in multidiscipline engineering, design and manufacture of turnkey automated and semi-automated packaging and filling systems, bulk bag filling and unloading systems, food processing equipment, water treatment and chemical metering packages, contamination inspection systems (metal detection, x-ray, check weigh, magnets), automation, robotics and process control, as well as specialised dry material batching & liquid chemical batching equipment. We have developed a wide range of material handling applications that eliminate today’s barriers to cost saving efficiency and performance by delivering fast, reliable systems manufactured to Australian standards, while adhering to strict machine safety standards and Quality Management Systems. With over 25 years’ experience our capabilities support many industry and manufacturing processes. Importantly, our customer’s investments are protected by AZANO’S strong relationship with its strategic partners that extend support options for trouble free operation under any conditions.
KEY ENGINEERING STAFF:
Frank Oddi (Materials Handling), Nick Giannatselis (Mechanical), Poomin Opaswatana (E&I Engineer), Ray Hamley (Project Engineer),
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
(QLD) Cheetham Salt – 2 x Semi-automated 25kg ‘SALT’ bagging lines, Metal Detection; (QLD) Wagner Cement – Dual spout 25kg ‘CEMENT’ Valve bagging system, FUJI Robotic Palletiser, OMS Hood Wrapper, Check Weigh, Dust Extraction; (WA) Albemarle Lithium – Turnkey Bulk Bagging filling systems for Dangerous and Corrosive Goods; (WA) Lupin Foods Australia – Fully Automated (Form, Fill and Seal) 25kg bagging system ABB Robotic Palletiser, Metal Detection, Check Weigh.
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; Peter Wypych, General Manager; Jon Roberts, Consultant; David Hastie, Consultant; Ian Frew, Laboratory Manager;
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
New rail wagon design for efficient and reliable discharge of iron ore | 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 | Mine and port debottlenecking and optimisation | Improved live capacity of bottomreclaim stockpiles | Improved ship loading and unloading operations, including new dust suppression technology.
CORTEX ENGINEERING PTY. LTD. CONTACT: Joe Scerri WEB: www.cortex.com.au
PHONE: (03) 9597 0699 mobile 042 9874599 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Engineering 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 14 degree decline downhill belt conveyors system to convey primary crushed 200 mm minus crushed rock over 1.5 km; Newmont Gold Tanami mine 600 tonne cement bulk storage and metering system for paste back-fill plant; Straits Resources Tritton 500 tonne mine cement bulk storage and metering system for paste back-fill plant; FMG Cloudbreak mine overburden conveyor system handling > 8000 tph of 250mm minus from open pit via mobile high angle conveyor system.
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ENGINEERING SERVICES COVA CONTACT: Chris Tummon EMAIL: Chris.Tummon@covathinking.com WEB: covathinking.com PHONE: 1300 357 363 / +61 3 62124400 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Specialising in the design and construction of integrated materials handling processes and applications, including transportation, stock piling, storage, reclaiming, loading and unloading. Design of all types of ship loaders/ unloaders, stackers, mobile machinery, road and rail loading/unloading stations, large bulk storage buildings with integrated in-load and out-load systems and crushing and screening plants. Multi-disciplinary engineering capability for all aspects of materials handling projects. Project lifecycle experience, including concept, preliminary and detailed designs, condition auditing, feasibility studies, upgrades, project management, procurement management, site construction management and commissioning. Delivery of design and construct contracts incorporating all stages of planning, design, procurement, fabrication, erection, commissioning, ‘as built’ documentation, manuals and operator training. Ongoing support for the management and supply of spares is also provided on all of our design and construct projects.
KEY ENGINEERING STAFF:
Chris Tummon (Team Leader, Principal Structural Engineer), Roger Hatfield (Design Manager, Principal Structural Engineer), Bob Dunbabin (Principal Structural Engineer), Ricky Scott (Senior Mechanical Engineer), Simon Turner (Senior Electrical Engineer), Dion Furfaro (Senior Project Manager), Rodney Mawson (Senior Project Manager), Chris Tattersall (Principal Structural Engineer), Geoff Gynn (Commercial Manager).
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Lascelles Import Facility, Geelong Ports. Dandenong Waste Facility, SACYR. Port Botany redevelopment, Patricks. Maules Creek Stacker, Sedgman. Kestrel Coal Stacker, Rio Tinto. Corio Quay Ship loader and conveyors, Port of Geelong. Koolan Island ship loader and conveyor; Mount Gibson Iron Ore. Port of Darwin ship loader, conveyors and truck dump, Darwin Ports. Port of Esperance ship loader and conveyors. Queensland Bulk Handling, Brisbane stacker. Mesa A stacker, Pilbara, HWE. Lake Vermont radial stacker, Sedgman. Sonoma radial stacker, Sedgman. Telfer Gold Mine stackers, Newcrest Mining. Eden, stockpile and reclaim system, South East Fibre Exports. Condong/Broadwater, NSW fuel handling systems for co-generation plant. 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).
HATCH CONTACT: Andrew Catto – Bulk Materials Handling Lead,
44 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Australia-Asia Region EMAIL: andrew.catto@hatch.com WEB: www.hatch.com/
AUSTRALIAN 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 and 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: Andrew Catto | Perth: Lee Shoesmith | Wollongong: Dr. Brian Moore | Newcastle: Wylie Pearson | South Africa: Johannesburg: Stephen Stacey, Hendrik Visser | North America: Colin Barbeau, Noel Wallace, Jean-Francois Marchand, Predaq Jokovic, Daniel Tillie, Jerry Westermann | South America: Bhaskar Karanth, Gustavo Gilberti.
JENIKE & JOHANSON CONTACT: Corin Holmes (Operations Manager) EMAIL: info-australia@jenike.com ADDRESS: 12 Fisher Street, Belmont, Western Australia 6104 WEB: www.jenike.com PHONE: 08 9277 3303 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Jenike & Johanson is a science-based engineering consultancy that’s goal is to help those in the material resources sector keep 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 solutions for handling, processing, and storage for systems featuring any bulk materials including iron ore, bauxite, rock, coal, grains, foodstuffs and fine 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. 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) model calibration and analysis, structural engineering and detailed design. Material flow properties testing including: wall friction (hopper angles for mass flow), cohesive strength (rathole and arching dimensions), bulk density, chute friction, permeability, segregation, transportable moisture limit, dust extinction moisture, belt surcharge angle, maximum
belt inclination angle, and abrasive wear (using an open three-body accelerated test unit).
KEY ENGINEERING STAFF:
Corin Holmes, MSc-Operations Manager; Johan Meintjes, BE Mech, 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 and live capacity calculations for various grain, coal, bauxite and mineral concentrates, independent peer reviews, flow risk assessments, accelerated wear testing, dust hazard analysis, 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 & piping, complete design and construction of mine site Nonprocess 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: Klaus Hartmann | Peter Hendrie | Michael Gray | Andrew Gerrard | Ray Laity | David Jackson. Project engineers: Jon Butler | Adrian Ooi | Nigel Dowd
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Construction of Talison Lithium’s Spodumene Storage Facility at Bunbury Port, WA; Talison Lithium Chemical Grade Plant 2 – construction of crushing, screening, HPGR and deagglomerator buildings and all associated materials handling systems at Greenbushes, WA; Design & Construction of the replacement Port of Newcastle Shipunloader, NSW; Design and construction of the new Quattro Grain Export Terminal (Berth 103) at Port Kembla, NSW; Sino Iron Project – lines 3 to 6 SMP and electrical works as well as provision of civil and concrete works at Cape Preston, WA; Design & construction of the CBH/ Blue Lake Milling Oat Milling Plant, Forrestfield, WA; Design and construction of 4x20,000 tonne storage cells
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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
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/Australian-Society-Bulk-Solids-Handling
MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN TO ALL PRACTITIONERS IN BULK SOLIDS HANDLING AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES.
ENGINEERING SERVICES
with cross conveyors for CBH, Chadwick, WA; Design and construction of the ACFS Container Park, North Fremantle, WA; Construction of the CSBP Fertiliser Blending Plant, Kwinana, WA.
LOGAN ENGINEERING CONSULTING PTY. LTD. (LEC) CONTACT: Dr. Logan Loganathan I 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 (bucketwheel and scraper), shiploaders, shipunloaders (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 · 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 I Greg Gabb I Otto Chan I Dr. Travis Langbecker I Riandy Bhaskara I Dr. Thanh Nguyen I Gerard Ward I
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Technical assistance for the monitoring and replacement of bearings for heavy haul rail bridges in Western Australia. Owner’s engineer carrying out 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 bucketwheel stacker reclaimer for PT Paiton Energy in Indonesia. Independent structural design review of a new 3500 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 has had previous experience in the past 20 years 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 (iron ore and coal).
QCC RESOURCES CONTACT: Craig Sorensen EMAIL: info@qccresources.com
46 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
WEB: www.qccresources.com KEY ENGINEERING STAFF: Brisbane principal mechanical engineers – Darryll Atkins and John Coupe; Newcastle principal mechanical engineers – Paul Allardice and David Leighton
SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION:
Bulk materials handling – Bins, feeders, conveyors, stockpiling and reclaiming, screening, sizing and transfer stations. Multi-discipline engineering to deliver everything from studies through to detail design and commissioning. New plants, upgrades to and remediation of existing plants. Major or Marquee Projects: Major new handling plant designs include the coal handling plants at Mangoola, Ravensworth and Moolarben. Significant upgrades include screening upgrades at Ulan, Maules Creek and Moolarben and an overland conveyor and radial stacker at Kestrel.
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: Paul Dent (Manager - Materials Handling); John Minnaar (Principal Mechanical Engineer); Simon Stockwell (GM Engineering), James Lear (WA), David Proud (Qld); Canada: Mark Wilkin. Asia: Cecilia Darragh.
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Byerwen Coal project (EPC of two 4 mt/a coal handling and processing plants), Olive Downs coal project (EPC of 6 mt/a coal handling and processing plant), New Century Resources - (Refurbishment and re-design of Zinc concentrator and 5 year operations), Nevada Copper project, USA - (EPC of 3 mt/a Copper concentrator), Woodlawn, Zinc Copper project – Heron Resources (EPC of a 1.5 Mt/a processing plant), Aurora Gold Project for Guyana Goldfields in Guyana (EPC of a 1.75 Mt/a processing plant and power station); Solomon Iron Ore Mine Project for Fortescue Metals in Western Australia (D&C of 7.5 Mt/a ROM Feed modular iron ore processing plant); Mungari Gold Project for La Mancha Resources in Western Australia (EPC of new processing plant); Caval Ridge Coal Processing Plant for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance in Queensland (detailed design and commissioning of 2400 t/h coking coal processing plant); Boggabri Coal Project for Boggabri Coal in New South Wales (EPC for 6.9 Mt/a coal handling and processing plant); Daunia Coal Project for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance in Queensland (EPC of 5 Mt/a coal
handling and preparation plant); Maules Creek Coal Project in New South Wales for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance in Queensland (detailed design of initial coal handling and preparation plant including equipment supply for an ultimate 13 Mt/a resource)
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 an engineering design consultancy supplying services to the resources, heavy industry and manufacturing sectors. Soto Structural, Mechanical, Piping, and Refractory engineering capability is complemented by in-house Bulk Materials Handling (BMH) design services. Focused on long-term service to mining, quarry, cement and agribusinesses, the bespoke design solutions applied through Soto capabilities in advanced analysis methods comprise of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) facilitating tailored design solutions and minimising design risk to your business. Soto services encompass; Professional Witness and Forensic Engineering; Risk and Life-cycle studies; UAV
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aerial inspection, structural audits and condition reports. Validation of Design to Australian Standards for imported plant and equipment is another unique Soto service. As a mid-tier consultancy without the overheads of large tier-one consultancies, Soto has distinct cost advantages while providing ISO 9001-2016 quality assurance for engineering and design.
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Cement Australia Clinker Milling, Pt Kembla; Graincorp - Coonamble Grain NSW; Hanson Quarry Bass Point conveyors, transfer chutes, hoppers, bins and structural steel tower designs. CSD Cotton Seed plant, Wee Waa NSW. Quattro Grain Facility, Pt Kembla structural design for Kotzur. BlueScope Steel, Coke Ship-loader and wharf conveyor. Southern Cross Cement Terminal Silo Storage, Pt Brisbane.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY ENGINEERING PTY LTD 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 specialised structural engineering consulting company. We are celebrating 20 years of providing expert design, assessment and advisory services to the mining, minerals processing, ports, and heavy
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industries. Our global clients receive superior technical and business-orientated outcomes from our experienced teams in Perth, Brisbane, and Newcastle. Our services include: · structural criteria definition, design and documentation · s tructural condition diagnosis, measurement, risk assessment and rectification design · design review and audit engineering · advanced analysis and engineering · f ailure investigation, including expert witness services and forensic engineering.
KEY ENGINEERING STAFF:
Brisbane: Doug Hawkes (Managing Director, Principal Structural Engineer) dhawkes@siepl.com.au, Dr Matthew Humphreys (Principal Structural Engineer, Advanced Analysis) mhumphreys@siepl.com.au Perth: Scott Marlow (WA Manager, Senior Structural Engineer) smarlow@siepl.com.au Newcastle: Simon Edgar (NSW Manager, Senior Structural Engineer) sedgar@siepl.com.au
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
·K ey advisory services on structural risk management of design, condition and life extension for major mining and industrial clients ·B HP Iron Ore projects South Flank, RGP3, RGP4 and RGP5 stackers, reclaimers, and ship loaders design audits · Rio Tinto Brockman 4 stacker and reclaimer design audits · Citic Pacific Mining Sino Iron machine audits (3) · Inco Goro Project stacker design audit ·S tructural integrity management program independent reviews for major global coal company and two Queensland coal port terminals ·H undreds of machine inspections and more than 50 machine design and upgrade audits in the last 20 years
THYSSENKRUPP INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD CONTACTS: Luke Bennett (National Sales Manager), Ian Austin (Manager Service Centre) EMAIL: sales-is-australia@thyssenkrupp.com, service-isaustralia@thyssenkrupp.com WEB: www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions-australia.com PHONE: +61 8 9200 0000 SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION:
The Industrial Solutions business area of thyssenkrupp is a leading partner for the engineering, construction and service of industrial plants and systems. Based on more than 200 years of experience we supply tailored, turnkey plants and components for customers in the chemical, fertiliser, cement, mining and steel industries. As a system partner to the automotive sector we develop highly specialised solutions to meet the individual requirements of our customers. Around 16,000 employees worldwide form a global network with a technology portfolio that guarantees productivity and cost-efficiency to the highest extent possible. The Mining Technologies business unit supplies a full range of machinery, systems, equipment and services for
48 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
the extraction, processing, storage and transportation of raw materials. In collaboration with our customers in the mining and minerals sectors throughout the world we develop custom, forward-looking solutions that enhance productivity and allow natural resources to be used responsibly and efficiently. thyssenkrupp have a substantial installed base across the materials handling, crushing and grinding sectors, and a dedicated Services Business Unit which employs approx. 170 personnel across Australia. Our services business unit provides after sales solutions, spare parts, R&D, product support, improvements and optimisation and site-based training via its network of regional support centres to its clients. Couple that with our in-house fabrication, machining and refurbishment services, thyssenkrupp really is your one stop shop.
KEY ENGINEERING STAFF:
Gustav de Wet (Head of Engineering)
MAJOR OR MARQUEE PROJECTS:
Equipment at BHP’s South Flank, RTIO East Intercourse Island (EII), Newmont Boddington Gold Mine, Oz Minerals, Northparkes Mines, Newcrest Cadia, Karara, BHP Yandi, BHP Jimblebar, BHP Finucane Island, BHP Nelson Point, FMG Anderson Point, FMG Solomon, FMG Christmas Creek, Iron Bridge, Port Kembla Coal Terminal, and Cape Preston.
TUNRA BULK SOLIDS HANDLING RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE CONTACT: Daniel Ausling PHONE: 02 4033 9055 EMAIL: enquiries@bulksolids.com.au WEB: www.bulksolids.com.au SERVICES AND AREAS OF SPECIALISATION: Flow properties, wear characterisation, idler testing, transfer chute designs, computational modelling (DEM, CFD & FEA), DEM calibration services, belt conveyor testing, dust minimisation, abrasion minimisation 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 (General Manager) Daniel Ausling (Operations 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.
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ENGINEERING
Practical problems push engineering forward Kinder Australia is harnessing the power of engineering to solve its customers problems with new inventions and devices. ENGINEERS IN THE BUSINESS of solving problems through the building of tools and infrastructure. When a horse and cart just wouldn’t do, engineers helped develop the automobile. When a harbour or river divides a city, engineers are called on to find a way over or under it. In the early days, engineers helped solve the inefficiencies in mining with machines that could shift hundreds of tonnes of ore out of the ground. Charles Pratt, Operations Manager at Kinder Australia, says problems are the driving force behind the company’s engineering team. “Our engineers make sure to get out there and find the problems our customers are facing,” he says. “These problems are what help our engineers innovate. You can’t just force innovation for its own sake, it needs to be creating a solution.
“Some of the best engineers out there are the ones that go out and get hands-on experience, solving problems by pulling something a part and rebuilding it.” The company’s engineering capabilities have grown significantly since it was first founded in 1985. Around 27 per cent of its staff are trained engineers, featuring a mixture of mechanical, chemical, electrical and aeronautical specialists. In addition, the company has a greater focus on developing its own custom solutions that can target specific problems more effectively. As a family-owned company, Pratt says this focus on innovation and engineering has become more important than ever to stand out in the market. “We’re not the biggest, but we want to be the best. To do that, we need to be constantly innovating or risk falling behind,” he says. “While others have the benefit of
Kinder makes use of engineering and design software, including Helix, SolidWorks and AutoCAD.
50 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Charles Pratt, Operations Manager at Kinder Australia.
scale on their side, we focus on quality and custom solutions that provide longlasting, effective solutions.” Cameron Portelli, Senior Mechanical Engineer and head of Kinder Australia’s engineering team, says this is why the company’s engineers attempt to get out
onto its customer’s sites as much as possible. “Our customers have direct access to our engineers and field application specialists, which helps build good relationships and collaboration,” he says. “This enables us to develop products with a deep technical understanding of exactly what challenges are facing the industry.” When Kinder’s engineering team isn’t liaising with clients and getting industry feedback, they’re working to develop new custom-made parts. These are made through a combination of laboratory testing and real-world data collection and trials. By using a mixture of the theoretical science and data captured from current applications, Pratt says the overall developments create safer, efficient and more targeted outcomes. Some of the main engineering challenges Kinder Australia is trying to solve are problems arising from transfer points. Transfer points are critical locations within a bulk handling system where material is moved from one conveyor to another. As a result, spillage, wear, dust emissions and damage to the belt or surrounding infrastructure can occur. Pratt says that there is no silver bullet fix yet that can completely solve these problems. However, that hasn’t stopped his team from building new inventions to help. One example is the K-Dynamic Impact Idler. A finalist for the Innovative Technology award at the 2019 Australian Bulk Handling Awards, the dynamic impact idler is suspended above antivibration spring element mounts to provide cushioning and absorb the impacts of conveyed materials. This helps to reduce unplanned maintenance and extend the life of the belt, rollers and frames in heavy-duty applications such as the hard rock and iron ore industries. “The dynamic idler was an international first,” Pratt says. “It addresses a major issue that high-speed conveyors were facing that couldn’t be fixed with standard components.” Engineering software and equipment is also used to assist the development
of new products. This includes conveyor engineering and design software Helix, SolidWorks and AutoCAD to create 2D layout drawings and 3D models, a 3D printer and a unique in-house transfer point analyser. The latter is a new tool, currently still in development, designed to gather data about what exactly is occurring at a transfer point. It can assess the temperature, wear, and material impact. While COVID-19 restrictions have meant the number of site visits has
slowed, Kinder Australia has shifted to digital platforms to ensure it can still collaborate with its customers. “There have been plenty of new opportunities to meet with customers virtually,” Portelli says. “People are keen to embrace new software and keep moving forward.” “The future is bright, with our team set to grow and take on highly technical custom projects, as well as the potential to design and install complete conveyor systems for our diverse customer base.” Cameron Portelli, Senior Mechanical Engineer and head of Kinder Australia’s engineering team.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 51
ENGINEERING COMVEX partnered with AGI to upgrade a terminal at the Port of Constanta in Romania.
Engineering the seed of success ABHR speaks to engineers Francesco Selva and Andrea Fumian about how Ag Growth International (AGI) designed and built one of the largest grain terminals on the Black Sea. UNLIKE STATIC STRUCTURES SUCH as buildings, silos often have a number of different conditions placed upon them, including seismic, wind and material factor, which can change depending on what is being stored and how it is being handled. Francesco Selva, Engineering Manager for Grain Storage at AGI says designing efficient silos is an engineering challenge, and one which is underrepresented in the field. “When we need to assess something that requires a custom solution, there is a lack of literature to rely on,” he says. “For example, if a bin needs to be unloaded in an unconventional way due to site limitations, there are few books or theories that will be able to help.” This is why engineering is core to the business at AGI. The company, a global agricultural infrastructure firm, designs, manufactures and supplies bulk handling systems to facilitate the storage, blending, mixing, conveying, conditioning, processing and protection of agricultural products around the world.
company’s engineers are the ones that provides the design solutions and equipment required to build its infrastructure. “Engineers are involved from first contact, usually helping the sales team to communicate the technical aspects of what is required to the customers,” Fumian says. The project design was modelled entirely in 3D.
Andrea Fumian, Senior System Integration Engineer at AGI, says the
52 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
“When the project begins, the conversation goes deeper as more calculations and designs are written up in partnership with the customer. “A big part of how AGI works is gaining a firm understanding of what the customer wants. Every customer and every project is different, so our approach is to find out what is needed.”
Bulk in the Black Sea COMVEX, one of the largest bulk solids handling terminal in the Black Sea, partnered with AGI to upgrade a terminal at the Port of Constanta in Romania. The port is one of the only terminals that can cater for Cape size vessels of up to 220,000 tonnes deadweight. Due to its location, it can provide customers, such as major mining companies from Australia, Brazil, India, Africa, United States and Canada, the ability to make deliveries to industrial plants in Romania, Hungary, Austria, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Serbia. COMVEX wanted to increase the breadth of materials that flowed through the terminal to include grain, providing the local grain exporters with a more efficient way of moving their product. Fumian says COMVEX intends the project to be a flagship, and as a result, wanted the fastest pump in the port. “They want to load and unload at high speeds and are aiming to be the fastest in Romania and the Black Sea,” he says. “The scale of this meant we needed to build a system that could handle a river of grain, up to 1500 tonnes per hour across a number of massive silos. When we were awarded the project, it was clear we had to optimise everything in order to perform at the peak.” “As a result, we designed every connection and support. [We] ensured all equipment could handle working at such a high capacity, and most importantly, that everything was as reliable and resilient as possible.” A consulting company had drafted a design, which AGI then updated to configure the plant to provide the best outcome possible. The project design was then modelled entirely in 3D. This not only helped with communication between the client and the engineers but provided additional information for integration of other systems and technology. One of the main challenges facing AGI was price. The project required supporting infrastructure, such as catwalks, and high capacity equipment that could handle the loads being processed. Selva says AGI’s engineers needed to figure out how to support the system so that the load and construction of the structure would be efficient in terms of behaviour. “All of the structures were custom designed to ensure the customer would get the best value for money,” Selva says. “There is a limited amount of money that is available to be spent on carrying the load and keeping the operations working perfectly, with no unbalanced loads.” Communication was the most important part of the process, with AGI’s engineers and project management team providing as much transparent information as possible to COMVEX through a cloud-based platform. As a result, both companies could react quickly to any problems and solve them effectively. It also allowed the terminal to integrate electrical automation into the infrastructure itself. At the moment, COMVEX is completing the commissioning phase of the infrastructure project and are in the last phase. “We remain in constant contact with them,” Fumian says. “If something comes up, or if equipment needs to be adjusted, we can help straight away.”
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ENGINEERING
45 years of bulk solids handling research and education TUNRA Bulk Solids will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2020. ABHR looks back at the work the organisation has done for the bulk solids handling industry around the world since it began. WHEN ALAN ROBERTS MOVED TO the University of Newcastle (UoN) in 1974, he was elected to the Board of the university’s research company, TUNRA. In the following year, following his research and industrial consulting interests, he established the research and consulting group TUNRA Bulk Solids Handling Research Associates (TBS). This organisation would go on to provide a service to the industry, becoming internationally recognised for its contribution to research and its industrial interactions. TBS’s main focus is to establish fundamental design concepts with specific recommendations made for the detailed design of new and ongoing projects. TBS has successfully completed in excess of 5000 projects for more than 1000 companies in over 40 countries worldwide. In parallel with commercial contract research and consulting activities, TBS provides a mechanism for technology transfer by research output and ensuring the expertise gained is widely disseminated and utilised by industry. TBS has comprehensive laboratory test facilities established to aid the research and consulting activities
TBSA launch with academics and senior management of Wits and UoN including Prof. Mark Jones and Prof. Craig Wheeler (UoN) and Prof. John Sheer and August Lamos (Wits), 2012, South Africa.
encompassing storage, flow and handling, instrumentation and control, belt conveying, mechanical handling and industrial fluid mechanics including pneumatic and hydraulic transport. Along with its parent university company, TUNRA, TBS is a self-funding, not-for-profit company – its income is used to employ professional, research and support staff, post graduate students and visiting scholars. TBS has a continuing role in supporting final year undergraduate students in their honours project assignments and has also provided undergraduate scholarships for students studying mechanical engineering.
Industry Research Interaction
Alan Roberts and Industrial Partner in Conveyor Research during TBS’ early days.
In 1995, The Australian Research Council (ARC) awarded the Key Centre for Teaching and Research in Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies. Established under the name Centre for Bulk Solids & Particulate Technologies (CBSPT), this was a joint Centre of
54 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
the Universities of Newcastle and Wollongong with Alan (Newcastle Node) as Director and Peter Arnold (Wollongong Node) as Associate Director. With the aim of continuing the role of the Centre beyond the ARC 6-year funding period and its interactive role with TBS, Professor Mark Jones was appointed Director of CBSPT and TBS. Advancing the discipline Along with its research, consulting and knowledge dissemination objectives centred in Australia, TUNRA Bulk Solids aims to advance the bulk solids discipline globally” through research, problem solving and education. TBS staff participate in international conferences and interact with colleagues in many universities, research institutions and industries throughout the world. The organisation’s interaction model of industry consulting, education and problem solving to guide the ongoing research, has led TBS to establish similar
“Many research academics and engineers have been instrumental in the development of TBS, but none more so than Alex Harrison, who established Belt Conveying Research and Technology as a major subject area within the University and TBS. ” operations in some selected countries. Specific examples of collaborations formed by TUNRA are illustrated below:
TBS South Africa The links with South Africa and the University of the Witswatersrand (Wits) began in 1981 when Alan was formally invited by Roelof Vogel on behalf of the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineers (SA IMechE) to present a key-note paper at the inaugural “BELTCON” conference in Johannesburg. This marked the beginning of
Ian Brooker training TBSA technician during the set-up of TBSA, 2012, South Africa
the international, biennial BELTCON conference series, which has had the continued support of TBS through research paper presentations by Alan and
TUNRA staff. During his trips to South Africa, Roberts presented short courses to industry and interacted with South African engineers who were involved in
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ENGINEERING
TUNRA USA Inc Many research academics and engineers have been instrumental in the development of TBS, but none more so than Alex Harrison, who established Belt Conveying Research and Technology as a major subject area within the University and TBS.
with the aid of the Australian Consulates Office in Turkey to explore opportunities for collaboration for developing bulk solids technology with major industries in Turkey. This gave rise to a collaborative arrangement between TUNRA Bulk Solids and Istanbul Technical University (ITU). In collaboration with ITU, Alan presented the first bulk solids handling course to industry for Senior Engineers and Managers, visiting again in 1993 to run a second course to industry. Throughout the years, Post Graduate
“During its six years of existence, TBS completed a number of successful projects in Turkey and neighbouring countries, presented training seminars and was an exhibitor at the International Mineral Processing Symposium. ”
materials handling. As part of this collaboration, the Master of Engineering Practice Bulk Solids Handling Degree was established at the Universities of Newcastle and Wollongong. While this course was primarily offered in Australia it was also offered in South Africa. A major milestone occurred in 1999 when the first group of graduates included five South African Engineers. Following the foundation work of Professor Alan Roberts, Professor Mark Jones, Director TUNRA Bulk Solids and Professor Craig Wheeler, Associate Director TUNRA Bulk Solids carried on the collaboration with South Africa and Wits University, this in turn saw the established of a bulk solids research, consulting and testing laboratory at Wits University in Johannesburg. The TBSA lab was officially opened in 2012, with a ceremony involving academics from Wits and UoN. While the flow properties test work was conducted at the TBSA lab, the analysis and reporting thereof was conducted by TUNRA Bulk Solids staff, an arrangement which still stands today.
Alex completed his PhD in 1984 while he was a Research Scientist with the Division of Applied Physics of the CSIRO based in Lindfield. His involvement with the University of Newcastle led his professorial appointment in 1989. He moved to the United States and established a consulting company, based in Denver, focusing on belt conveying design, analysis and belt monitoring. To continue supporting research links, course and workshop presentations in the United States, Alex established TUNRA USA Inc. A flow property testing facility was set up, and for 10 years, the company ran short courses and provided local and overseas industry with a new knowledge base to improve testing and bulk handling designs. TUNRA USA Inc was a member of the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce in Denver. Following his return to Australia, Alex, in his role as Conjoint Professor, has continued his association with the University of Newcastle and TBS.
TBS Turkey During the early 1990s Alan visited Turkey on behalf of the UoN. It was here that he took the initiative
56 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Students from ITU have been visitors to Centre for Bulk Solids and TBS at the University of Newcastle to further their studies and to engage in work experience. It was through this collaboration that in 2012, Kerim Turkdogan relocated from Turkey to Australia complete part of his master’s degree at the Centre for Bulk Solids & Particulate Technologies. The foundations for collaboration with ITU have been firmly established which ultimately led to the establishment of TBS Turkey, under the leadership of Kerim Turkdogan as a Business Development Officer. During its six years of existence, TBS completed a number of successful projects in Turkey and neighbouring countries, presented training seminars and was an exhibitor at the International Mineral Processing Symposium. TUNRA introduced concepts of bulk materials handling to the Turkish mining industry with its academic and researchbased approach, and in spite of not having a dedicated person on the ground at present, TBS continues to serve the local market.
TBS Brazil The expansion of TBS into Brazil began in 2014 with the appointment of Priscilla Freire as Business Development Officer-Brazil, Priscilla was a graduate engineer who attended a Bulk Solids short course in Perth the
previous year. Priscilla engaged in the research and marketing of potential clients in the mining, steelmaking and mineral processing areas, in addition to conducting site visits to mines and ports to assess material handling issues. The role also entailed initiating collaboration with TUNRA Bulk Solids and Brazilian Universities, research institutions and industries involved in bulk solids handling. TBS participated and exhibited in several conferences and expos and hosted the first Brazilian Workshop of Materials Handling, which was organised and promoted by TBS Brazil, in association with the University of São Paulo (USP). Bulk solids handling courses soon began at USP as part of its master’s program.
Kerim Turkdogan, International Mineral Processing Symposium, 2016, Turkey.
The future The organisation aims to continue advancing the field of bulk solids handling through industry and academic collaboration, education
and outreach which are the hallmarks its success. The achievements of TBS are a result of the ongoing work, dedication and loyalty of the staff and
students, past and present. Alan to this day remains active in research and consulting at TUNRA Bulk Solids as the Founding Director.
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BELTS
Tightening the belt on conveyor costs Lengthening the service life of a conveyor belt by choosing the most suitable belt material can provide enormous potential savings. DYNA Engineering’s General Manager, Thomas Greaves, explains the various types of conveyor belts, along with their applications and benefits. WHEN IT COMES TO TEXTILE rubber conveyor belts, also known as fabric belts, there are many different types, specifications, thicknesses, layers and strengths available. Taking the most appropriate characteristics into account when considering which to use will dramatically increase a conveyor belt’s service life and reduce replacement/repair intervals.
Conveyor belt covers Covers vary in thickness to accommodate differing wear rates caused by factors such as material loads, material movement against the belt surface and material impact at the loading points. The top cover is exposed to the material and is generally the thicker cover because it will be consistently worn away from the contact with the conveyed material. The bottom cover is in contact with the pulleys and rollers, so this side
is generally thinner as it wears much more slowly. The greater the load, movement or impact, the higher the rate of wear that occurs for the top cover. Increasing or decreasing the top cover thickness is a trade-off between cost versus life. The aim is to provide a suitable wear life of the belt, without excessive cost, before it needs to be replaced. The thickness of the covers adds or subtracts from the belt mass. The belt mass has an impact on a range of factors which need to be considered in relation to the structural design of the conveyor. For example, frame, idlers and pulleys will need to be adjusted to accommodate the differences in forces a heavier belt will inflict.
Conveyor belt cover grades Under the Australian Standard for Conveyor Belting-Textile Reinforced, AS
DYNA Engineering rubber conveyor belts are available in a complete range of fabric and steel cord construction to meet virtually any material handling application.
58 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
1332-2000, each belt will be classified into one of the following grades: A Abrasion Resistant E Static Electricity Conducting F Fire Resistant M General Purpose N General Purpose S Static Electricity Conducting and Fire Resistant Z Special Properties Each grade has a minimum standard which must be met to qualify for the grade. More than one grade can be used on a single rubber conveyor belt. For example, Grade MA rubber is both general purpose and abrasion resistant. Abrasion-resistant rubber is used when the conveyed material is very rough and abrasive and causes the rubber to wear from the belt too quickly. Grade A rubber is used when the wear of the conveyor belt would occur too quickly when using general purpose grades. An
example of when you would use Grade A rubber belt would be on an iron ore conveyor. Iron ore is very coarse and wears standard rubber quickly. Even though Grade A rubber is more costly, the cost of removing and installing replacement belts frequently may make it more cost effective to go with a higher-wear rubber. Static electricity conducting rubber conveyor belting conducts static electricity produced during the transport and conveying process and discharges the electric charge – usually into a grounding path. Minimising sparks from static electricity is a necessity when in the presence of potentially explosive materials such gases, liquids, powder and dust because the risk of explosion can be deadly. A common use of Grade E rubber belting is at an aluminium refinery. Aluminium can commonly discharge excess electrons which can cause a static electricity build-up. Static electricity conducting belts are used to absorb the excess electrons and discharge them safely. Fire-resistant belting is usually used when transporting heated materials. Rubber has natural properties which can be ignited and burn. Grade F rubber belting has added properties, which
Some of the most common design considerations are minimum pulley diameters, idlers, belt width and troughability.
increase the ignition temperature and increases resistance to fire. An example of the use of Grade F rubber belts are at underground mines, coal mines and power stations. If a rubber conveyor belt were to catch fire underground, the smoke and air hazards could be potentially fatal. Therefore, fire-resistant belts are used to mitigate the risk. Work at coal mines and power stations involve heat processes. Fire-resistant belts help to reduce the risk of the heated process causing the conveyor belt to ignite. Grade M general-purpose rubber is the most common type of rubber conveyor belt and is used when special properties are not needed to suit an application. Grade N rubber is lower quality compared to Grade M. Grade M rubber has greater hardness, is more abrasion-resistant and is superior in strength when compared to Grade N. The only difference between Grade M and
Grade N General Purpose is the quality of the rubber. Grade S rubber conveyor belts are both static electricity conducting and fire-resistant. The reason it exists is because this combination is the most commonly used in the E and F applications described. Grade Z rubber belting is a specially designed conveyor belt to suit a particular purpose. This grade is used when the rubber properties do not fit in any of the other categories.
Belt fabric/cord (Belt Carcass) The belt carcass is located in the middle of the conveyor belt, between the top and bottom covers. The carcass is what dictates the strength and elongation of the conveyor belt. Textile belts, as the name suggests, have fabric layers, which make up the carcass of the conveyor belt. Each of the different materials
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 59
BELTS
the most common design considerations include minimum pulley diameters, idlers, belt width and troughability. A common example is the pulley diameters. If the diameters are on the smaller side, the belt flexibility needs to be higher to wrap around the pulley effectively. Too many layers of fabric may cause excessive stress on the conveyor belt which can lead to faster failure rates.
Tensile strength
There are many different belt types, specifications, thicknesses, layers and strengths available.
offer advantages and disadvantages, depending on conveyor application and specifications. The most common fabric types are: Fabric/Cord Code Cotton C Nylon (Polyamide) N Polyester P Glass G Aramid (Polyaramide) A Vinylon V Rayon R These fabric types are not mutually exclusive. For example, a commonly used conveyor belt is a PN belt. PN is a combination of polyester and nylon, which have been blended to achieve greater properties than one on its own.
achieve the desired properties. Adding more layers to the conveyor belt will increase its strength, but it will also affect flexibility.
Design considerations The specifications of any nominated conveyor belt need to take into account the design aspects of the conveying system where it will be installed. Some of
Number of fabric layers Another factor to consider, which is important to the strength and elongation of the conveyor belt, is the number of layers of fabric within the belt carcass. Let’s compare it to a real-life example. If you stretch a single bed sheet, it doesn’t put up much resistance. Now fold the bed sheet twice. You now have four layers. If you try and stretch the bed sheet with four layers, it is significantly harder. It’s a similar outcome for textile belts. A number of fabric layers are typically combined to
60 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
Tensile strength is the reading of the expected strength of the conveyor belt. This is usually measured in kilo newtons per metre of width (kN/m) in the longitudinal direction (along the belt). Under AS1332-2000, the belt is given a designation to allow engineers to easily identify the specification of the belt. The designation is marked on the belt during manufacture and thus can be easily read to identify the basic specifications and other features of the belt. For example, a belt designation of PN 1000/3 M 8 3 DYNA 19 would mean it is a Polyester Nylon fabric belt, tensile strength of 1000 kN/m, has three layers of fabric and the covers are made of M grade rubber. The belt has eight millimetres of thick top cover and a three-millimetre thick bottom cover. The manufacturer is DYNA Engineering and the year of manufacture is 2019.
NO
Grade A rubber is used when the wear of the conveyor belt would occur too quickly when using general purpose grades.
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Transfer chute analysis with discrete element and continuum modelling Aspec Engineering’s Paul Munzenberger explains how to make the most of discrete element modelling and lumped mass continuum modelling when designing transfer chutes. TRANSFER CHUTES ARE USED IN the minerals industry to move bulk material between conveyors, storage systems and treatment processes. As with any other part of a handling or processing system, transfer chutes can create bottlenecks. Chute should be designed properly and modelled under a variety of operating conditions to ensure that they will be free of flow problems. An example of a chute is shown in Figure 1 (a), the chute is a diverter chute with a surge capacity nearing 15,000 tonnes per hour; and an example of the
bulk material flow, that is modelled with discrete element or continuum modelling to predict chute performance, is shown in Figure 1 (b). The most common chute design tool currently used is discrete element modelling (DEM). The other, older, design tool is lumped mass continuum modelling. Both tools can be used to complement each other to enable the efficient design of transfer chutes.
Discrete element modelling DEM has become a viable chute design tool over the last 15 to 20 years with
Examples of (a) a chute and (b) bulk material flow that is modelled with continuum modelling and DEM Modelling.
62 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
the introduction of increasingly powerful computers. At its most simple, DEM models a bulk material as a series of spheres which are given appropriate properties such as density, inter-particle and particleto-wall frictions and adhesion among others. At each time step of the simulation’s progression, the position, linear and rotational velocities and accelerations of each particle is calculated, and their collisions are analysed to determine where they will be at the next time step where the calculations are repeated.
Figure 1 (a)
DEM software is available from many vendors, is generally easy to use, has a range of visual outputs in the form of images and video footage can be used to analyse the statistics of each particle if desired. Conversely, the simulation process is computationally expensive and can take from a few hours, for overly simplistic models, to a few days for detailed models. While the simulations will run without user input – overnight for example – the length of the simulation time will lead to a slow iteration process if no other design tools are used. Even more problematic is the often-rushed DEM material modelling process, where assumptions are made due to the lack of material property testing.
Continuum modelling Continuum modelling maps the flow of the bulk material with dynamic and differential equations. The upper and lower surfaces of the flow are mapped from the discharge conveyor to the receiving conveyor, as they pass through air, impact the chute walls,
and flow along curved or straight chute sections. At each impact point, the material’s flow conditions after the impact are calculated. Traditional dynamics equations are used to calculate trajectories through air and a numerical analysis is conducted for each section of the chute that the flow slides along. At regular stages throughout the predicted material path the velocity and flow area are calculated and checked against the chute design’s cross section to ensure there is adequate room for the flow. Continuum modelling is usually conducted in two dimensions with spread sheets that following the path of the flow’s centreline. Continuum modelling analysis speeds are relatively quick when using spread sheets, but the true speed of the method can only be achieved with dedicated software that is not commercially available. The method’s primary disadvantage is that it requires a strong knowledge of mathematics to implement, especially if the continuum analysis is to be extended to three dimensions.
Figure 2 (b)
Comparison Traditionally, a continuum analysis is a manual process where the conditions of each section of the flow is calculated individually. Companies heavily involved in designing chutes will have automated the continuum modelling process and be able to produce numerous models and iterations in a short time. As such, production of contoured material path plots like the one shown in Figure 2 are relatively easy. Unfortunately, companies wishing to have a fast continuum modelling capability need to develop their own software. On the other hand, DEM software is easy to use and can be purchased from numerous software providers. Aside from the actual assessment of the simulation results – a skill also required for continuum modelling – the main area requiring materials handling experience when conducting a DEM analysis is the calibration of the material properties. In continuum modelling, material properties can be directly entered into the simulation from results that would have already been collected for the design of silos, hoppers and feeders. Whereas DEM model parameters can only be determined through the replication of physical tests that were carried out on the bulk material, which are additional to the typical shear cell tests. The DEM material calibration process is itself time consuming – more so if a new round of material testing is required – with advanced DEM software having many variables that need to be determined. Speed is the main advantage that continuum modelling offers over DEM. With appropriate software, many continuum model simulations can be completed, covering a range of possible chute designs, before the calibration of the DEM material model would be complete. The trade-off is that the range of result options available with DEM software is superior to continuum modelling. The output of continuum modelling can be extensive, but results are only available if the time is spent developing spread sheets or scripts that can calculate them.
Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020 І 63
CHUTES
Chute design with combined continuum and DEM analyses A modern scope of work will likely specify the compulsory inclusion of DEM in the design process. However, this doesn’t, and shouldn’t, preclude the use of continuum modelling in the project. In one sense, just as it is expected that finite element modelling results are backed by corroborating hand calculations, it should also be expected that any DEM chute analysis is presented alongside corroborating continuum modelling calculations. The usefulness of continuum modelling goes beyond verifying the DEM results, as it can also be used to inform the chute design before any DEM simulations are started. When a chute project is awarded, there will usually be material properties available or in the process of being measured. These results will be directly applicable to the continuum model but are often not useful for DEM simulations. This means the DEM chute simulations will be delayed by months, while DEM material properties are measured, unless approximations are made to move the chute design forward. While waiting for DEM specific material properties, it is possible to use the already available material to design the chute with a continuum model and carry out a limited number of compulsory DEM simulations at the
end of the project. This has the dual benefit of an efficient design process and a timely completion of the project. Even if the appropriate material properties are available at the outset, it is still beneficial to conduct the project in the described manner. If the designer’s preference is to conduct the bulk of the chute design with DEM simulations then, as a minimum, a continuum model should be consulted to determine the chute’s minimum slope or cut-off angle. The continuum model requires much less design work to be completed and can provide chute cut-off angles for several chute design options in a relatively short time. The early availability of a chute cut-off angle will save considerable redesign time. This is especially the case when angle changes are required for a mature chute design that corrects problems with surfaces found to be overly shallow at a late stage in analysis progression. The continuum model is also better suited for quick
calculation of impact angles and impact velocities that are sometimes required as a project result. Transfer chute design can be completed from start to finish with either DEM or continuum modelling. The confidence gained from comparing results from different material property sets used in different simulation procedures is invaluable, especially given the high cost of designing, manufacturing and installing a new chute. It is easy to get enamoured by the DEM modelling process and to forget how much time is spent making simulation corrections and design changes. It is also easy to dismiss the comparatively boring and difficult numbers world of continuum modelling. However, combining DEM and continuum modelling allows the disadvantages of each process to be offset by the other to produce a viable result with all the required details and confidence in a timely manner.
A ship loader chute (a), and the corresponding lumped mass continuum model (b). The coloured contours represent the flow speed.
64 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
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MEMBER PROFILE:
Shane Evans In each issue, ABHR profiles a member of the Australian Society for Bulk Solids Handling (ASBSH). We speak to Shane Evans, a Mechanical Engineer at engineering services company Worley.
I have been a member of ASBSH since… 2017.
I am a member of ASBSH because… membership provides me with updates to projects, emerging technologies, valuable software and informative articles on equipment and effective maintenance.
I got into bulk handling... at my very first job out of high school. I worked at a sugar mill in far north Queensland where I was exposed to a wide range of bulk handling equipment and their importance in efficient design. Now as a Mechanical Engineer, the bulk handling discipline is so interesting as it requires a core understanding of flow properties and solid mechanics.
I love my current work because.... it allows me to produce innovative designs that meet our clients’ requirements. The main goal of engineering is to optimise reliability and efficiency with respect to economy. The equipment should provide maximum results while making life easier for the operators and maintenance teams. The bulk handling industry is also a fascinating one to me as its forever changing – this requires engineers to remain adept in the field.
In my role it’s important to...
material being so unique, extensive testing was required to identify the flowability and material properties. This led to a lot of discussions on the hopper and screw conveyor interface including opening ratio and angle, geometries and auger layout to name a few.
My career highlight is... taking the opportunity to work in Papua New Guinea and being introduced to another culture. It’s an absolute beautiful part of the world and a real engineering challenge. It’s hard to keep to a schedule when it rains for weeks on end.
I am inspired by ... my parents – they have led by example in their work ethic which has played a huge part in shaping my own career. Also, my work colleagues. They have a lot of bulk handling experience and I’m continually on the lookout to absorb some of their knowledge.
The most valuable lesson I have learned is … it’s important to hold yourself accountable so if you make a mistake – own it. Communication is also an important art of engineering. If you don’t understand something or if anything is unclear, ask. This will save a lot of assumptions and rework later on down the track.
never assume anything. Bulk solids can be greatly influenced by its particle properties and state of consolidation. You must therefore evaluate what properties and states may be present, these effects on the equipment and making sure the worst-cases have been considered.
My plan for the future is…
The project I am most proud of is...
When I am not working you will probably find me...
being part of the engineering, procurement, construction and management of Australia’s first molybdenum process plant. With the
66 І Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2020
to become a subject matter expert in the bulk handling field. Also, if the opportunity arises, to issue a research paper that experimentally verifies the analytical models I use for designing equipment.
rock climbing at Kangaroo Point. When it comes to the weekend, I am mostly hiking, camping or at the beach.
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