Transport engineering and heavy lift specialist Mammoet has achieved a record-breaking dragline relocation using SPMTs, having moved a 3,100-tonne dragline 27 km from one end of an Australian coal mine to another in 10 days.
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) tasked Mammoet with relocating a 3,100-tonne Marion 8050 dragline from one end of the Peak Downs coal mine in Queensland, Australia, to another – 27 km apart. These massive, electric mining machines are unable to efficiently travel long distances under their own steam, so require a lot of ancillary transmission and generation equipment to move between dig sites.
Mammoet set up eight JS500 towers below the dragline for the jacking operation, where they were elevated to 2.5 m and a configuration of 5 x 28 SPMT axle lines were positioned underneath the load to move it. Given the dragline’s age, details about it were limited, so Mammoet’s engineers used existing knowledge of machines of a similar age.
The dragline’s weight was evenly distributed across 560 tires, resulting in a ground bearing pressure of less than 9 tonnes per sq m.
“In the past, dragline jacking in Australia has been performed using climbing jacks, which require manual handling of timber stacks to gradually lift the load,” commented Jack Whittaker, project manager at Mammoet. “The JS500 system requires fewer jacking towers and uses cassettes, which are inserted at its base. This saved a lot of time, resulted in less equipment and removed the need for manual handling.”
BMA constructed a new route for the dragline to take, with steel mats used to prevent the SPMTs from digging in and getting stuck in areas with soft soil. Mammoet’s team had 72 hours to work with, whereby a temporary ramp over a railway track was constructed given the line’s closure.
“The Aurizon rail crossing is a critical line – transporting coal from different mines in the region to the coast for exporting,” added Laura Ewen, branch manager at Mammoet. “Peak Downs had competing projects in the area at the time, and the shutdown crossing window wouldn’t align again for another three months. The dragline was required for coal extraction in the southern pits for production.”
Whilst ensuring a safe and timely delivery, using SPMTs also reduced wear and tear on the dragline and its mechanical parts.
Earlier this month, Mammoet shared details of its two-year role in Shell’s Holland Hydrogen 1, Europe’s first large-scale green hydrogen plant.
