Connell Hatch – Dalrymple Bay Outloading Conveyor System

We performed the onshore works for the outloading conveyor system in the second phase of the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal 7X project. This expansion saw the terminal increase its capacity by around 50% to 85+Mtpa, making it the third largest terminal in the world. As the terminal operates 24×7 all work was completed in a live operating environment. It was essential to minimise disruption of operations and ensure the site remained safe and accessible for staff to continue operations in a business-as-usual manner.

Walz Group supplied all equipment and materials for the onshore construction of the new outloading system. These works delivered a third reclaiming stream and associated conveyor systems for the transfer of coal from the stockyard to a new surge bin and sample plant facility. Our scope included all mechanical, structural, civil and electrical work, as well as commissioning of new systems. The works included:

Modifications to existing conveyors including addition of new chutework
Installation of 3 x new conveyors
Installation of a new surge bin
Installation of a new sample plant
Installation of new belt feeders

Curragh – ROM Upgrade

Formerly owned by Wesfarmers Resources, the Curragh Coal Mine (now operated by Coronado Curragh Pty Ltd) is located in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, 30km north of Blackwater. The main product from the mine is metallurgical (coking) coal for export.

Wesfarmers identified a need to refurbish the run of mine (ROM) coal handling facility at Curragh, in order to accommodate increased production and potential future expansion requirements. They subsequently embarked upon a major upgrade of this essential infrastructure, to enable increased reliability and capacity, and extend the life of the facility.

Walz Group was engaged to supply and install structural, mechanical, piping and electrical works, including the onsite civil package and multiple tie-ins to existing plant. We provided an end-to-end solution, performing procurement, demolition and decommissioning of redundant infrastructure before delivering construction and erection/installation services for the material handling facility and associated infrastructure works. Our scope also included verification, and pre-commissioning as well as commissioning support. The works included:

Structural steel supply and installation – 650t (Structural steel, guards, pulley frames)s
Mechanical supply and installation – 200t (idlers, pulleys, drives, scrapers, belts)
Piping supply and installation – 2,000m (25NB-150NB (carbon steel / galvanised / HDPE))
Platework supply and installation – 160t (Chutes, liners)
Electrical and instrumentation (supply and installation) — managed by Walz, performed by subcontractors
Civil (support and installation) — managed by Walz, performed by subcontractors
Tie-ins to existing plant

Curragh – CPP1 Tailings Retreat Circuit

After working together successfully on previous projects, Wesfarmers Curragh Pty Ltd (WCPL) engaged Walz Group to support the installation of a new tailings retreat circuit to the Coal Preparation Plant 1 (CPP1) at its Blackwater mine in Queensland. We’ve worked at Curragh before and have gained a solid understanding of the mine’s operational requirements. For this upgrade project, we performed all structural, mechanical and piping, and electrical installation components. We outsourced the electrical works component to a trusted subcontractor. Our fabrication workshop in Gladstone produced the custom pipework, handrails, and platework for the project. Blasting and painting was also performed by Walz in our purpose built facility.

After commissioning, the upgrade increased the plant’s yield by around two percent, delivering approximately 30 tonnes per hour of additional secondary product.

The works incorporated three main areas of the tailings retreat circuit — the Eastern building, the Western building and the secondary product conveyor. A new clarified water pump was also installed to supply the additional demand from the new circuit.

Connecting to the eastern side of CPP1, the Eastern building houses the tailings cyclones, sieve bends, spirals feed sump, and the relocated spirals feed pump.

The Western building connects to a previously existing structure and incorporates the spiral banks, spirals product sump and pump, spirals product cyclone cluster, fine coal centrifuge, and the reject sump and pump.

The secondary product conveyor is fed by the centrifuge, running from the new Western building to transfer product onto the existing steaming coal conveyor.

Cement Australia – Heat Exchanger Duct Replacement

Cement Australia’s operations in Gladstone incorporate Australia’s largest cement kiln, capable of producing more than 1.6Mtpa of cement.

Early in 2017, it was identified that the heat exchanger duct between the clinker cooler and the inlet to heat exchanger no.1 (HE1) had reached the end of its life, and was significantly impacting on plant production. Cement Australia engaged Walz Group to replace the equipment to return the kiln performance to full capacity. The project required us to remove and replace the failing heat exchanger, ductwork, inlet chamber, associated supports, and specified tubes during a time critical shutdown.

We utilised our dedicated fabrication facility to manufacture all the ductwork, inlet chamber, and the associated supports and components. We also applied protective coating as required. Prior to the shutdown for the replacement works, we reinforced the plant foundation and structure to ensure it could accommodate additional loads.

Our comprehensive plant and equipment fleet was invaluable for this project, which required craneage and scaffolding to remove and replace the existing structure.

BMA Broadmeadow – MG10 & MG11 Conveyors

As BMA’s Broadmeadow longwall mine operations advanced, a need was identified to install new conveyer infrastructure to replace shuttle cars and diesel ram cars to transport coal from the face.

Walz Group was engaged by BMA to complete the structural, mechanical and pipework installation of two new conveyers — Maingate 10 (MG10) and Maingate 11 (MG11). The project was completed in two stages — one for each conveyor — to accommodate operational constraints. We undertook all installation and construction work required to complete both conveyors.

Works were conducted in a live operating environment to maximise operational efficiency. This required careful planning and sequencing to ensure the mine could continue to operate as usual, safely and with minimal impact on production.

Specifically, the works incorporated:

Coffin seals
Drive frames
Drive modules
Belt maintenance equipment
Substation shed and related interface structures
Grouting to all structures including drive areas and transfer foundations
Hand rails
Transfer towers
Gantries and trestles and their associated mechanical components

Leighton – APLNG Curtis Island Workers Camp

Forming part of the six LNG trains on Curtis Island, the Australia Pacific LNG plant is Australia’s largest producer of coal seam gas (CSG). It not only supplies Queensland’s domestic gas market, but also processes CSG into liquefied natural gas to meet the demand of customers around Australia and globally. The development of the plant took some five years, shipping its first cargo in 2016.

To support the construction of the plant, Walz Group was engaged by Leighton Contractors (now known as CPB Contractors) late in 2011 to build the works accommodation camp. Our scope incorporated:

Civil Works including
- Preparation of site
- Road construction
- Building platforms
- Drainage
- Concrete works
Building installation
- 2,600 residential units
- Full commercial kitchen and dining hall to accommodate preparation of three meals a day for 2600 camp residents.
- Miscellaneous buildings including offices, gymnasiums, laundry/toilet/washroom blocks, medical facilities, lunch cribs, security huts, etc
- BBQ shelters, pavilions, walkways

John Holland – Abbot Point X50 Expansion

We worked with John Holland Group to deliver the X50 Expansion at Abbot Point Coal Terminal. This work increased the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation’s annual export capacity to 50 megatonnes. The facility services the export requirements of a number of mine operators, including Newlands, Collinsville, and Sonoma mines.

Our scope incorporated a range of marine works associated with the extension of the transfer tower and construction of the additional operation berth, east of the existing Berth 1. The works included installation of piles, headstocks, and rail girders, as well as steelwork modifications, installation of new equipment, and modification of existing equipment to accommodate the expansion. Walz provided all associated marine equipment and qualified operators.

BMA Hay Point – Trestle Deconstruction

Based on our successful track record on multiple projects at Hay Point terminal, we were engaged by BMA to deconstruct and remove the original trestle and the 17BP conveyor installed when the facility opened in 1971. The ageing 1.8km structure transported coal from the terminal to waiting bulk carriers for more than 40 years and was decommissioned late in 2016.

Working from jack-up barges, our crews are dismantling the trestle and conveyor in sections, and transferring approximately 6,500 tonnes of steel to Half Tide Harbour by barge. Our work at Hay Point is ensuring that aging infrastructure is safely and carefully removed in order to best protect the local environment. In March 2019, Walz Group achieved two years recordable injury free on the project.

In conjunction with the main work of dismantling the trestle, Walz Group is undertaking additional separable portions of work under the same contract. Each separable portion of work is outlined below.

Disposal of Waste Material

Once on-shore, the trestle sections are separated into steel, concrete and timber components and prepared for transport to recycling facilities.

Dewatering and Processing of Pile Water

If the water located in the piles is not inert or has the potential to cause visual pollution, Walz is responsible for processing and filtering the water prior to release off-site.

TT8 Top Deck Removal

We are removing and disposing of the existing TT8 top deck, and installing the new structure and supporting componentry.

Berth 1 to MD2 Footbridge Installation

We have been contracted to install a new footbridge (Footbridge 2), with associated structural support and access walkways. The new structure will connect Berth 1 to MD2 after the deconstruction of 17BP conveyor and roadway.

Berth 2 Shutdown Works

The current shiploader infrastructure requires upgrading and refurbishment, as well as installation of new elements. We have completed:

Fender maintenance and chain replacements
Installation of a new davit crane
Upgrading the ship access gangway and supporting structures
Removal of redundant fenders
Other miscellaneous works as required

Berth 1 Shutdown Works

This refurbishment work is similar in nature to that outline for Berth 2 above and incorporates:

Fabrication and installation of a new tripper
Installation of new transfer chute and upgraded pulleys
Repair and surface protection to conveyor structure and rail girders
Supply and installation of new tripper rail
Installation of new walkways between berthing dolphins
Installation of new top Davit Crane
Fender chain replacements

Ausenco – Carborough Downs Overland Conveyor

Vale’s Carborough Downs underground mine is located in Central Queensland’s Bowen Basin, 180 kilometres southwest of Mackay. Walz Group was engaged to perform the structural, mechanical, piping, and electrical installation of the 5km overland conveyor and upgrade of the coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP). This formed part of a broader brownfields expansion. In total, we constructed almost 6km of conveyor systems (drift, stockpile, reclaim, reflect, overland and surge bin conveyors) and associated componentry.

Our works included:

Structural steel installation — trestles, conveyor gantries, transfer stations
Mechanical installation — belt weighers, scrapers, drive motors, pullies, external gravity take-up
Installation of victaulic and screwed pipework
All electrical installation

BMA Hay Point – Stacker Reclaimer SR1 & SR2 Refurbishment

When the existing stacker-reclaimer stockyard machines (SR1 and SR2) at the Hay Point coal terminal started to approach the end of their life, BMA commenced the process of replacing them. With an anticipated lead time of two years for the new equipment to be manufactured and shipped to Australia, the machines needed work to be kept operational until the replacements arrived.

Walz Group was contracted to dismantle both stacker-reclaimers down to the fixed cone to undertake structural integrity repairs. This would extend the life of both machines for the interim lead time of their replacements. The works involved removal of mast, pendants, bucket wheel boom, counterweight arm, counterweight box and slew cone.

The machines were then rebuilt with new slew cone, new counterweight assembly and refurbished bucket wheel boom. Both machines were jacked up to clear the rails to remove all bogies, which had to be refurbished and machined to suit the new rail profile.

Our fabrication workshop and protective coatings workshops Gladstone were instrumental in the repair and refurbishment of existing componentry.