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Plant automation at Blair Athol
Bateman Kinhill has been engineering and project managing the automation
of the fixed plant and the two 4,000 t/hr bucket wheel stacker /
reclaimers on the Blair Athol Coal Project. The objective is to reduce
the manning requirements at the plant and improve equipment availability
and information gathering.
Blair Athol Coal, the largest coal mine in Australia, is located near
Clermont in Central Queensland and produces approximately 11M t/yr of coal. The bulk is exported to joint venture partners in Japan. The
Blair Athol Coal Project is a joint venture between Queensland Coal
Pty Limited, a subsidiary of RioTinto, (57 %); Arco Coal Australia Inc.,
Delaware, U.S.A., (18 %); Arco Resources Limited, Australia, (14 %);
E.P.D.C. Pty Limited, Japan, (8 %); and J.C.D. Australia Pty Limited,
Japan, (3 %).
Bateman Kinhill's part in the project involves the replacement of a
mimic panel and obsolete PLC (programmable logic controller) programs
with a full S.C.A.D.A. (supervisory control and data acquisition system)
/ PLC operator interface system and modifications to the stacker / reclaimers
to enable unmanned operation. The installation had to be done with limited
production loss. The technology includes fibre optic communications
through cable reelers, including PLC control and closed circuit TV data.
The new automation system has enabled the PLC program to operate the
stacker / reclaimer within its design limits. Thus operator error has
been eliminated, productivity has been improved and maintenance costs
reduced.
On the basis of this experience, the improvement in productivity on
its own would fully warrant the automation of any stacking and reclaiming
facility.
The work on the automation system commenced about two years ago and
is now being completed with a brief shutdown of the plant to implement
the reclaimer software modifications. The total capital cost of the
project, including the on-line coal quality management system, is approximately
Aus$ 6M.
For further details, please contact Eric Fletcher on +27-11-201-2300
or email coal@batemanengineering.com.
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