Radial Stacker

Radial Stacker Project Scope

DWW Engineering was engaged by a client we had previously worked with, to fabricate a radial stacker boom for a coal mine located in Central Queensland.

A substantial and critical piece of equipment for the mine, a radial stacker can bring efficiency and flexibility to a mine site. The longer the stacker, the higher the aggregate stockpiling process, which can reduce material handling costs by keeping all the mined coal in one location.

For this project, we constructed the stacker on site at the mine. At 70m in length, transportation options were limited, and offsite construction and delivery would be in excess of the project budget. Another advantage for our DWW team being on site was they were able to view similar equipment currently being used at the mine.

The design phase was incredibly important, given the scale of this project and to reduce the likelihood of any errors. With a projected 30-year life span for a radial stacker, this significant investment for the mining company needed to remain within budget, while providing a quality piece of equipment.

Challenges and Approach

While the quality of fabrication was very good, and our client was extremely happy with the final outcome, we did meet a considerable number of challenges, including external time constraints. Our approach remained consistent with how we conduct all DWW Engineering projects.

As a result, and before commencing construction, our team was able to identify several potential constructability issues. We then worked with the client to provide alternate design ideas to make site construction safer and easier to conduct. This critical step allowed us to invest the appropriate time required to ensure the on-site construction process was as seamless as possible

Outcome

The client was very pleased with the final result. With factors out of our control affecting the timeline, the work the team put in to address potential issues was very effective. Projects of this scale are not everyday jobs and we as a business are all very proud of what we achieved.

Having the ability to fabricate and manage a project like this highlights the skillset of our team and provides us with opportunities to continue to support the mining industry here in Queensland and across Australia.