Darwin Shiploader 

Fast Facts

• SEMF designed a high-performing shiploader for transporting manganese and iron ore deposits to the Port of Darwin
• The shiploader boasts a loading capacity of 2000 tonnes an hour and includes features such as a cyclone anchorage mechanism
• SEMF also made major improvements to operational safety by incorporating an innovative anti-collision system 

The Darwin Port Corporation oversees all operations for the  busy Port of Darwin – the Northern Territory’s primary marine transport hub. Although the Corporation mainly serves the livestock export, container and general cargo and offshore oil and gas rig markets it also administers facilities for non-trading vessels.

The Darwin Port Corporation contracted SEMF to design a Panamax-sized ship loading facility for transporting deposits of manganese and iron ore, delivered by truck. In response, SEMF designed and realised an inventive, long-travelling luffing shiploader, in line with the requirements of a wide-span wharf rail gauge. We also constructed and installed a truck dump station and conveyor as well as a tripper conveyor for the wharf gallery – contributions that made for a more seamless supply chain.

The shiploader boasts a loading capacity of 2000 tonnes an hour and includes innovative features such as high and low voltage switching stations, rail brakes that increase stability during microburst wind gusts and a tilting idler frame to maintain a precise belt radius at negative luff angles. It also implements a cyclone anchorage mechanism and a state-of-the-art anti-collision system.

Along with the turnkey design and construction work, SEMF provided detailed mechanical, structural, electrical and automation design, procured the programmable logistics controller and related components, commissioned the truck dump and shiploader systems and facilitated  ongoing software support.

King Island Scheelite Mine 

Fast Facts 

• The King Island Scheelite Mine is home one of the world’s largest scheelite deposits
• SEMF prepared all approval documentation for the mine redevopment 
• The total project value was $110 million 

Located near the township of Grassy on King Island’s south-east coast, the King Island Scheelite Mine lays claim to one of the world’s largest deposits of scheelite – the mineral commonly mined for tungsten. Although poor tungsten prices caused the mine to shut down in 1990, the stakeholders recently announced plans to restore the site to its original operation. The $110 million redevelopment would see the existing open-cut mine deepen and extended as well as the construction of a new processing plant and infrastructure such tailing dams, a cut-off wall and a sea wall.

SEMF was commissioned to secure and prepare all the approval documentation for the mine, in line with state, local and Federal government legislation. We also managed the lengthy community consultation process, oversaw the recruitment and training of sub-consultants and provided support for mining infrastructure.

Since the end of the approval process, SEMF has worked to produce material with view to obtain specific permits including the development  of long-term baseline surveys for dust, noise and water. We have also prepared environmental management plans and procedures for noise, dust and seabirds as well as fauna, weeds and marine life. We continue to play an active role in the site’s community consultative committee.

Onslow Salt Stacker 

Fast Facts

• Western Australia’s Onslow Salt field produces 2.5 million tonnes of salt per annum 
• SEMF partnered with Onslow Salt to construct a travelling salt stacker incorporating two fixed booms
• The new stacker travels at a rate of 2 metres a minute 

Onslaw Salt engaged SEMF to design and fabricate a high-performing salt stacker to comply with the salt field's heavy production demands. We addressed this by constructing a traveling stacker with two fixed booms, each 45 metres-wide long and 25 metres high. The stacker draws on leading edge technology and was engineered to travel 500 metres at a rate of 2 metres a minute - a significant technical achievement.

SEMF also successfully tackled logistical and geographic barriers to design and construct a hydraulic, slewing boom shiploader on a fixed platform, 1.3 km from shore. The shiploader lays claim to an impressive production capacity, processing 2,000 tonnes of salt per hour.

QBH Coal Stacker

Fast Facts

• QBH operates four stockpile areas with a total storage capacity of 397,000 tonnes.
• SEMF designed a new conveyor for QBH incorporating features such as park towers, an anchorage mechanism and an anti-collision detection system.
• The conveyor lays claim to a stockpiling capacity of 2750 tonnes an hour.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland Bulk Handling (QBH) provides bulk handling services to the states coal industry. QBH operates four expansive stockpile areas with a total storage capacity of 397,000 tonnes.

QBH partnered with SEMF to expand its storage capacity and refine its approach to stockpiling. SEMF addressed this by designing, constructing and installing a highly sophisticated tripper feed conveyor. The new conveyor works by depositing coal into a long-travelling stacker with a dual boom. This stacker then transfers the coal to a stockpile on the other side of the machine.

The conveyor incorporates several innovative features such as park towers, an anchorage mechanism for protection from high winds, adjustable deflector shields and an anti-collision detection system. It also boasts a coal stockpiling capacity of 2750 tonnes an hour.

SEMF provided detailed mechanical, structural and electrical design for the tripped conveyor and stacker, along with procurement and expediting support.

Santa Fe Jack-up Barge

Fast Facts

• The Santa Fe Jack-up barge lays claim to the largest payload and jacking capacity in the Southern Hemisphere
• SEMF navigated deep waters and payload weights in excess of 35,000 tonnes to complete the project
• The new system incorporates automated closed loop fine dosing control and remote SCADA monitoring and control

Operated by engineering and construction firm McConnell Dowell, the Santa Fe jack-up barge lays claim to the largest payload and jacking capacity in the Southern Hemisphere. McConnell Dowell enlisted the help of SEMF to design and construct the hydraulically-operated four-leg vessel, which is designed to serve as a construction platform at sea.  

SEMF navigated a series of technical and operational challenges including deep waters, payload weights in excess of 35000 tonnes, mobility issues and highly specific automation requirements, to construct the barge.

SEMF addressed these complexities by designing a simple programmable logical controller featuring remote input/output racks and hydraulic power packs, located on each leg. The team also incorporated a linear displacement transducer on the working catch of each leg, to measure the position of the jacking cylinders and protect the jacking teeth from damage.

Although most barges are limited by outdated screw-thread jacking mechanisms, SEMF’s innovative jacking system allows for higher operational speeds and a significantly heavier lifting capacity – a feature that makes it easy to carry out heavy-duty ocean work.

SEMF also incorporated a linear displacement transducer on the working catch of each leg, to measure the position of the jacking cylinders and protect the jacking teeth from damage.

The Sante Fe barge was rebuilt at the McConnell Dowell Construction Yard in Batam Indonesia with final fitout and commissioning performed at Cape Lambert in Western Australia.

Southern Water Fluoridation Upgrade

Fast Facts

• The Bryn Estyn Water Treatment Plant is the heart of Hobart’s drinking water supply  
• SEMF improved the plant’s process and operational controls by upgrading the existing fluoride dosing equipment and overhauling the control system 
• The new system incorporates leading edge PLC and HMI technology 

Operated by Southern Water, the Tasmanian government’s water authority, the Bryn Estyn water treatment plant is the source of the majority of Hobart’s drinking water. The plant is located on the banks of the Derwent River and is significantly affected by the river’s water quality levels.

Southern Water enlisted SEMF’s help to improve process and operation controls – a project that entailed a relocation and upgrade of existing fluoride dosing equipment and wide-scale improvements to the control system.

In response to this brief, SEMF designed an innovative tank bud and enclosure for the plant and overhauled the electrical system by providing a new power supply, drives and fluoride control panels. We also delivered end-to-end mechanical design across the site by installing new process components and revising the piping layout and redeveloped the supervisory control and data acquisition, programmable logistics controller and human machine interface technology to accommodate system changes.

SEMF’s new system is based on innovative, resource-saving processes such as automatic line flushing following pump shutdowns, fluoridation system controls and faster  pump changeover, achieved through the installation of a standby variable speed drive. We also made a series of safety improvements to the plant by adding local E-stops and introducing bund level sensing and automatic dosing level estimation across the site.

Scamander Water Treatment Plant 

Fast Facts

• SEMF designed and constructed the Scamander Water Treatment Plant, the primary water supply for the township of Scamander 
• We also installed an innovative system for the treatment of domestic wastewater
• The plant produces up to one megalitre of water a day 

Located on the banks of the Scamander River, the Scamander water treatment plant serves as the township’s primary water supply and produces one megalitre of water a day.

Local water provider Ben Lomond Water engaged SEMF to design and document site works for the plant – a project  carried out in tandem with an application for building and plumbing permits as well as a major tender process for the plant’s construction. SEMF was responsible for the plant’s design, a contribution which encompassed the geotechnical, civil, structural and electrical aspects of the site.

In the initial phases of the project, SEMF conducted site investigations to assess subsoil conditions and performed feasibility studies to prepare for the plant’s proposed domestic wastewater management system. We also conducted detailed design and documentation for the plant’s electrical systems, including the main switchboard and the connection between the site and the adjacent transformer.

SEMF spearheaded and delivered the civil and structural design process – an effort which saw us design and document the foundations, concrete floor slabs, trenches and pipework for the plant as well as its tanks, buildings and associated fittings. In addition to this, we designed and documented the plant’s sludge drying lagoons along with a new system for the treatment of domestic wastewater.

Each aspect of SEMF’s building design contribution complies with the Building Act 2000, a set of requirements imposed by Standards Australia.

Sugarloaf Pipeline

Fast Facts

• The Sugarloaf Pipeline boosts Melbourne’s water supply by an additional 75 billion litres a year while ensuring sufficient water supply levels for farmers in Victoria’s arid north-east.
• The project saw SEMF program 19 touch screens distributed along the pipeline and interface the control system with a third-party plant and equipment.

The Sugarloaf Pipeline is a central part of Melbourne Water’s efforts to secure Melbourne’s water reserves and improve the city’s ailing water supply. The 70 km pipeline transfers water from the Goulburn River to the Sugarloaf Reservoir, near Yarra Glen on the city’s fringe.

SEMF was awarded the contract to supply, deliver and commission the control system and associated software for the $625 million pipeline project.

SEMF responded to this challenging brief by designing and installing a highly sophisticated control system,  which incorporated 16 Programmable Logistics Controllers (PLCs), 19 touch screens and 26 electrical panels. The new technology also draws on 5000 database tags as well as a wide range of communications equipment.

The pipeline begins at the Goulburn River Pump station, where water is pumped to a second station at She Oaks, near Geelong. The water is then transferred to a control storage tank in the Great Dividing Range and released to an outlet control valve on the banks of the Sugarloaf Reservoir. The valve serves as the discharge point for the water into the reservoir. The pipeline also features a miniature hydro-electrical system which generates power from the water flow – an element that offsets levels of energy consumption across the two stations.

SEMF’s Melbourne-based automation group was responsible for writing the software that controls the pipeline operation. This entailed programming the PLCs that control pumps, valves and tanks involved in transferring water from the Goulburn River to the Sugarloaf Reservoir.

The turnaround (what was the turnaround time on this projec?) time on the automation was a major feat given the complexity of the project and the quantity of hardware and software required for successful implementation.

Van Dieman Mines  

Fast Facts 

• Operated by Van Dieman Mines, the Scotia Mine holds approximately 14,243 tonnes of tin oxide 
• SEMF produced and managed approval documentation for the mining development
• We also co-ordinated and recruited all the sub-contractors associated with the project 

Van Dieman Mines is a mining company engaged in exploratory tin and sapphire mining across Tasmania’s Ringarooma and Great Northern Plains regions. It  owns and operates major mining stakes including the Scotia Mine, a site in north east Tasmania with a tin mining history dating back to the 1880s.

In 2005, Van Dieman Mines was granted approval to restart mining operations at the Scotia Mine as well as nearby resource deposits. It is predicted that nearly 14, 243 tonnes of tin oxide and substantial repositories of sapphire and gold remain within the mine.  Scotia mainly employs open-cut mining with pit conveyors transporting extra loads behind the ore face. The ore is processed on-site before being transported to Gladstone for additional processing.

SEMF was engaged to develop and administer all the development approval documentation for the state and local government and to oversee community and stakeholder relations. We also played a pivotal role in implementing the results of ecological surveys for the approval documentation and providing engineering advice in relation to Scotia’s water balance and processing circuit.  Additionally, SEMF was charged with co-ordinating sub-consultants and contractors, assessing specialist reports and regularly presenting project overviews to government bodies.

SEMF’s success during the approvals process ensured that all operational permits were secured to schedule, setting the stage for our involvement in the client’s next development, the Endurance Mine.