Cape Flattery Silica infrastructure
- Project: Cape Flattery Silica port materials handling, processing infrastructure
- Client: Cape Flattery Silica Mines / Mitsubishi
- Sector: Ports & bulk export / mining & resources
Fraser Osborn, now Fraser-Lever supported Cape Flattery Silica across port, materials handling, processing and slurry transport infrastructure, including wharf engineering, berthing facilities, a silica processing plant and a 2 Mtpa slurry pipeline and pumping system.
Project overview
Cape Flattery Silica Mines exported approximately 2 Mtpa of high-quality silica through an integrated materials handling system comprising a bucket-wheel reclaimer, approximately 5 km of overland conveyor, wharf and ship loader.
The conveyor system had a capacity of approximately 2,000 tph and comprised five conveyors feeding a slinger at the telescopic end of the ship-loader boom.
Fraser-Lever subsequently supported additional processing and slurry-transport infrastructure at the site.
Fraser-Lever’s role
The recorded scope included:
- Review of wharf construction methodology
- Review of piling methodology
- Structural audit
- Review of preventive maintenance procedures
- Design and specification of berthing dolphins
- Design of a land-backed sheet-pile wharf for service vessels up to 2,000 tonnes
- Design changes to meet Australian Standards and access requirements
- Design of a new 800 tph silica processing plant
- Design of a 2 Mtpa raw silica slurry transport pipeline
- Slurry mixing and storage
- Primary and secondary slurry pumping stations
- Approximately 6 km slurry pipeline
- Return-water pipeline and pumping system
The engineering challenge
The infrastructure combined marine, bulk materials handling, processing and slurry-transport requirements within an operating silica mine and export facility. The challenge was integrating existing wharf, conveying and ship-loading infrastructure with new processing, pumping and pipeline systems while maintaining a practical, coordinated approach across the operation.
Engineering in practice
The original export system moved silica through reclaim, overland conveying and ship-loading infrastructure.
For the later slurry transport project, Fraser-Lever developed an integrated system covering slurry mixing and storage, primary and secondary pumping, a 6 km slurry pipeline and return-water infrastructure.
Project outcomes
The engineering supported an export operation handling approximately 2 Mtpa of silica and subsequent development of additional processing and slurry-transport infrastructure.
The land-backed wharf designed by Fraser-Lever was later used to supply materials and equipment for the new processing plant.
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