A+ for tower construction ingenuity

Our Karratha-based projects team was recently engaged by Rio Tinto to upgrade its conveyor gravity take-up (GTU) system at Cape Lambert, as part of its Pilbara-wide safety improvement initiative. The initiative was designed to eliminate risks associated with lowering and raising GTU counterweights during maintenance activities.

To see it all unfold, watch the time-lapse here.

As part of our scope of work, new GTU towers needed to be designed and installed on conveyors 11, 12 and 13. Typically, new GTU towers are constructed in situ during a plant shutdown, however the construction time required for these towers exceeded the normal shutdown duration, which would have significantly affected plant output.

To minimise downtime, the team developed a pre-assembly option, which saw the construction of a slide frames, and enabled the GTU towers to be constructed while the plant was online. Once ready, and during a scheduled shut, the towers were moved into position using winches and custom-designed skates.

Overall the project reduced plant downtime by 110 hours (in which time 438kt of iron ore was moved) and reduced the construction safety risks associated with the scope of work.

Congratulations to our Karratha-based projects team for continuing to be solutions-driven, always looking for ways to improve efficiency and collaborating to find the best outcomes for our customers.