Mining and Heavy Industries

TAKRAF stacker ready for duty at key bulk terminal

TAKRAF Australia has designed, fabricated, supplied, and erected a unique stacker to the Dalrymple Bay Terminal. ABHR speaks with Gavin Smith, project manager, to learn more.

One of the existing stackers at the Dalrymple Bay Terminal (DBT), on Queensland’s Central Coast, needed replacing.

Originally installed as part of the initial development of the terminal in the early 1980s, the stacker was reaching the end of its life.

Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Management (DBIM) signed a contract for the design, fabrication, supply, installation and commissioning of the new machine with balance machine specialist, TAKRAF after a comprehensive tender process. 

Gavin Smith, the project manager at TAKRAF, said the project was complex and involved many local stakeholders.

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“The client wanted to ensure the stacker was fabricated in Mackay, so that it would support local businesses and be ‘close to home’,” he said.

“The DBT is located next to the ocean, in an environment with high humidity, so they wanted to make sure everything was manufactured to their specifications.”

The stacker’s structures were built to a stage where it was feasible to transport them by road, minimising the time spent on site to dress the structure out before installation.

Scheduling of the site erection of the machine needed to take into account North-East Queensland’s challenging climatic conditions, with the possibility of cyclones and heavy rains in the wet season.

To help deliver the project, TAKRAF, DBIM and other stakeholders formed an integrated management team. This team helped solve any issues that arose and was designed to foster collaboration across  he project.

Smith said one of the unique aspects of the machine is its curved boom geometry.

“The machine is designed for some of the highest volumetric stacking rates ever realised by TAKRAF” he said.

“The 62m long boom features a curved and continuously welded front section, allowing the boom to get as close to the bottom of the pile as possible – reducing the potential for dust emissions.”

The stacker also boasts an initial peak stacking capacity of 6560 tonnes per hour. It was designed to accommodate a peak volumetric rate of up to 10,700 cubic metres an hour – or about 9600 tonnes per hour – for a proposed future upgrade.

Commissioning and installation of the machine are complete, with the first train being successfully stacked during April and handover to Operations achieved in May this year.

Smith said TAKRAF will continue to support DBIM with after sales service and backup.

“We always provide technical support following a project and can help modify and upgrade the machinery if needed,” he said.

“The TAKRAF Australia team, led by Frank Hahn, deserves to be commended on the quality and performance of the finished machine, despite the project being executed throughout the global pandemic and encountering several challenges along the way.

“The commitment and extensive collective experience in the materials handling team has undoubtedly played a large part in meeting the client’s rigorous specifications and inspection routine. We look forward to the machine delivering on its design promise.” 

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