BOWEN BASIN, QUEENSLAND
Dredging coal fines from a tailings dam
Hall dredged 120,000m3 of coal fines on behalf of Xstrata from the Oaky Creek Coal Mine in Central Queensland.
The project involved assembling and launching cutter suction dredge Warraber from a purpose-made ramp to pump the fines from a tailings pond. The dredge pumped the tailings a distance of 1,800 metres without a booster pump being required due to favourable hydraulic conditions on site.
The Hall team also installed a high-density polyethylene pipeline adjacent to and under a major operational truck and scraper haul road without disrupting operations.
The pipeline route included an elevation of approximately 15 metres and a steep decline into an unutilised pit for long-term storage. An air release valve was implemented at the peak of the pipeline to reduce vacuum forces on the pipe and maintain unrestricted flow.
The project was successfully completed within the allotted timeframe, while remaining below budget and without incident or variations.
