Sarens Australia has performed the heavy lifting operations for the installation of two large filtration units and two engineered covers for a ball mill building on the Cockburn Cement plant’s expansion.
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Deploying its LR1350-1/LN crawler crane after being contracted by SIMPEC, Sarens lifted the 35.1-tonne filters and 20-tonne roof sections into place to drive forward the upgrade that is expected to save around $19 million in its first year by reducing energy, maintenance, and transport costs.
According to Sarens, the crane options were limited due to the available ground bearing capacity at site. By using the LR1350 without SL, Sarens was able to keep the ground bearing pressure under 210kPa and relocate the crane fast so it could install both roof sections in a single day. Maximum wind speed for these lifts was nine metres per second, meaning that the team had to keep a close eye on a suitable weather window.
The expansion of the Cockburn Cement plant in Kwinana aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent through the installation of cement production technologies. This modernisation effort seeks to both enhance environmental sustainability and ensure a continuous supply of high-quality cement products to the Western Australian market through the two new 100 tonne per hour ball mill grinding circuits.
The upgrade of the Kwinana plant eliminates the need for heavy vehicles on local roads by enabling the direct receipt and storage of bulk raw materials via a new raw materials feed conveyor system as well as a fully enclosed 110,000-tonne storage shed from the Fremantle Port Authority’s Kwinana Bulk Terminal.
Currently, Sarens still has 12 cranes of various sizes and configurations on site to support ongoing operations at the plant.