Gravity circuit upgrade

Our team in Kalgoorlie recently wrapped up a major upgrade project in Laverton, successfully delivering improvements to the site's gravity circuit.  

Coordinated by Project Engineer Ronak Das, the team took on a challenging scope of work that required careful coordination and execution. 

The gravity circuit upgrade focused on upgrading the feed arrangement of the existing gravity circuit. The purpose of this project is to improve the gravity circuit throughput, reliability, and availability. 

The project, which spanned from early contractor engagement through to commissioning assistance, involved detailed design, fabrication, site installation, and civil and craneage work.  

"We did a gravity circuit upgrade project last year," Ronak explained. 

“The upgrade was designed to improve the gravity circuit's throughput, reliability, and availability.” 

A team of around 12–15 personnel, including subcontractors, tackled the job over four swings of a 2/1 roster.  

One of the key challenges was planning tie-ins and isolations within the mill.  

"Coordinating with the client team, Monos' crew, craneage, and civil subcontractors made it interesting but also very satisfying when everything fell into place," Ronak said. 

The upgrade aimed to improve circuit throughput, reliability, and availability by installing new gravity feed distributor boxes, pumps, pipework, and structural steel, while also removing redundant piping and equipment.  

The team took pride in seeing these improvements come to life.  

"Being involved in early contractor engagement, scheduling, and project execution was enjoyable. Seeing plans turn into reality is the most enjoyable part of being an engineer," Ronak shared. 

No project is successful without a strong team, and Ronak quickly acknowledged the effort behind the scenes.  

Special mention went to fabrication team members David Watson, Damien Knight, and James Trott for their work in delivering the fabrication package, senior site supervisor Luke Provost for maintaining client relations and overseeing multiple crews. Engineering support from engineer Alex Reynolds also proved to be pivotal in delivering the SMP package. 

Support from management, estimators, and the cost admin team also played a crucial role in delivering the project smoothly.