Car dumper 1 at Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert operations is
undergoing a life extension project and repairs were
required to the car dumper vault and tunnel.
Details
Duratec was engaged to complete the concrete repairs, including the application of protective coatings to halt further degradation of the car dumper structure. The scope included:
- Concrete breakout.
- Abrasive blast of reinforcement.
- Application of zinc rich primer.
- Complete reinforcement augmentation where >10% loss in cross-sectional area.
- Concrete repair by form and pour or gunite spray.
- Application of epoxy coating system.
Highlights
- Gaining safe and ergonomic access to the shaft into the car dumper chamber was challenging and it was determined that using standard scaffold would inflate our client’s budget. To circumvent this, work positioning platforms were rigged into place to enable rope access personnel to undertake the repairs without becoming rapidly fatigued whilst performing the extensive overhead concrete breakout. To capture the concrete breakout material and mitigate dropped objects, a netting system was also installed.
- Maintaining the fixed assets of mines sites is essential in maximising the operational life of equipment and structures but retention of optimal productivity and avoiding unscheduled shutdowns is also paramount. The works conducted by Duratec on this shutdown was a
direct reflection of this ethos.
Capabilities
- Concrete Repair
- High Performance Coatings
- Shutdowns
