Ranger Uranium mine in Northern Territory
recently installed a new 12 metre diameter leech feed thickener (tank). The
thickener was designed as part of the laterite project on site.
Normally a
thickener would be built, lined and commissioned on site, however FLSmidth
Minerals (formally Dorr-Oliver Eimco) had another idea: why not build the 12
metre steel thickener in Darwin
and deliver it on site in one piece? FLSmidth Minerals’ chief engineer, Simon
Tuner, engineering manager, David Broadhurst, and project manager, Adam
Jennians, were up to the challenge.
The
thickener was constructed by EC&E Pty Ltd at Berrimah, near Port Darwin.
A natural
rubber lining was installed whilst in the factory by Linatex. “Being able to
work in a controlled environment – out of the sun, the dust and in a constant
temperature – meant that the quality of the rubber lining would be assured,”
said Adam Jennians. “Also the coast of construction in a factory was much
cheaper than construction on site.”
Delivery
to the mine has a Herculean feat in itself and involved a crane, a semi trailer
and a 230Km drive down the Arnhem
Highway with a 12 metre wide load.
“The
physical effort was one thing, but the maze of red tape and overlapping
government jurisdictions and approvals was a logistical nightmare,” said Adam.
“We had to knock-down and rebuild traffic lights and road signs along the way,
but getting a collection of government
departments to agree with each other was the big challenge but determination
and perseverance prevailed.”
After an
eight hour drive the thickener was delivered and installed on-site in less than
four hours. The rubber lined mechanicals, bridge and drive were bolted in place
ready for connection to the processing plant.
The
thickener was fully operational within two weeks.
“The main
advantage of building the tank off-site was the lack of disruption to the
mine’s normal operation,” adds Adam. “Just another impossible task delivered on
time and budget by FLSmidth Minerals. We can laugh about it now, but it really
was a difficult job accomplished by a great team effort. And, most importantly,
the client’s happy.”