Mammoet says it has supported Ledcor with the development of BHP’s new Jansen potash mine, in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is deliberate to start manufacturing in 2027.
Jansen is predicted to change into one of many largest potash mines on the earth and is estimated to supply roughly 8.5 Mt/y when absolutely operational.
A mine’s headframe is positioned above the shaft, delivering folks, gear and supplies beneath and above floor. The important thing scope for Mammoet was to take away the decrease part of an current headframe unit and substitute it with a bigger one, to extend mining capability.
Individually, it additionally supported with the lifting of a staircase tower module from contained in the constructing the place it was to be put in.
With Jansen’s distant location, modular development methods enabled the items to be prefabricated, delivered, assembled on website and put in effectively.
This method – enabled by Mammoet’s heavy lifting and transport experience – restricted the quantity of development gear and operators on website and allowed components of each elements to be inbuilt parallel, shortening the mission schedule relative to different strategies, Mammoet mentioned.
The mission had been in planning for a few years. Mammoet’s introduction to it first began in 2013, when the unique headframe unit was constructed.
The modules for the brand new headframe have been prefabricated at specialist amenities within the metropolis of Edmonton and different locations within the province of Alberta. The modules for the staircase tower have been additionally inbuilt Edmonton.
The components have been transported to website on platform trailers fitted with transport beams. This section wasn’t with out its challenges, as Mike de Wilde, Challenge Supervisor at Mammoet, explains: “Jansen is especially farmland, so you’ll typically see agricultural gear and equipment being transported on its roads, however transport these giant modules offered points when staging our vehicles in a single day.
“We couldn’t simply pull into a traditional layby as a result of the vehicles would fill the whole space. The schedule needed to be rigorously deliberate and managed.”
Throughout this planning section, the bottom situation on website was additionally an necessary consideration. In the course of the spring, the bottom turns into comfortable and moist, so the crew carried out a ground-loading check between the laydown space and the mine shaft.
SPMTs carrying counterweights examined the route in order that areas of potential sinking may very well be recognized. In consequence, greater than 400 crane mats have been mobilised as a result of the bottom was deemed too comfortable.
A piece of floor by the shaft opening additionally wanted to be strengthened to take the load of the brand new headframe module. A shoring system, constructed of 21 m towers, was constructed at a basement degree to offer stability.
Because of the measurement of Mammoet’s international fleet, additional metal helps may very well be mobilised from its Dubai and UK yards, decreasing general threat ranges, regardless of the powerful circumstances.
With the modules on website, the crew started eradicating the prevailing headframe and ready for the set up of the brand new one.
A 22 axle line and 20 axle line SPMT mixture, each fitted with metal helps, have been pushed beneath the 796 t headframe module. The helps have been obligatory as utilizing crane mats would have exceeded the ground-bearing stress limits.
The SPMTs lifted the headframe utilizing their onboard stroke, permitting Ledcor and BHP groups to take away the short-term metal helps, then the unit was pushed to a laydown space.
Earlier than the brand new headframe may very well be put in, Mammoet supported with the connection of a 60 t staircase tower inside it.
A LR1300 crawler crane lifted in strand jacks and different gear by way of a gap on the high of the constructing. The crew then assembled the intricate winch system to elevate the staircase tower.
The system comprised strand jacks and likewise spools to safe the 200 ft (61 m) of cable wanted to drag the staircase tower module from the underside to the highest of the constructing.
The removing of the unique headframe unit left a big opening on the base of the constructing – sufficient house to maneuver the staircase module in vary of the strand jacks utilizing and LR1500 crawler crane.
As soon as the unit was contained in the constructing, its place was manually adjusted utilizing pullies and chain hoists so it may very well be secured and lifted.
The final section of the mission was the set up of the brand new headframe, which weighed 2,090 t (an virtually 1,300 t improve from the earlier headframe).
A configuration of two double SPMT trains, with a mixed 80 axle strains, have been used for the motion. Discovering the very best configuration proved the most important problem, explains de Wilde.
“We needed to discover a trailer configuration the place we might carry the extra weight, be below the permissible ground-bearing stress, plus be brief sufficient to not conflict with the prevailing construction,” he mentioned.
Making this set up much more troublesome was the truth that a bit of the brand new headframe needed to dock contained in the staircase tower constructing.
“We have been just about stroked out with the SPMTs, so it was a really tight match,” de Wilde added.
“We needed to align the top body exactly with bolt positions specified within the engineering plans. Ledcor organized for steering lasers to be arrange on the finish of the platform, and our SPMTs needed to align with them completely.
As a result of each deviation might trigger critical issues when it got here to setting the module down, it was a really exact manoeuvre, in accordance with de Wilde.
This mission demonstrates Mammoet’s talent with regards to modular development and environment friendly fabrication-to-foundation options, it says.
