Karara Iron Ore

The Karara Iron Ore Project developed export solutions for the Karara deposit that has a current magnetite JORC resource of 1.43 billion tonnes at 36.3% Fe and initial reserve of 497 million tonnes, supporting a 40 – 50 year mine life at a production rate of 8 million tonnes per annum.

Karara Iron Ore Project Details:

The Karara Iron Ore Project consists of the development of Port, Rail and Mine Site Facilities for the export of magnetite and hematite products mined from the iron ore deposits located at the Karara mine site, approximately 320 kilometres north-north-east of Perth, Western Australia.

DBM Vircon’s Scope of Work:

DBM Vircon’s scope included Shop Detailing drawings and machine data for the structural and mechanical construction of the Karara Mine Site. This included platework, framework, duct-work and supports, pie supports, modelling of vendor equipment and piping. Scope also included detection of clashes and interference in the design model.

Karara Iron Ore Project Highlights & Challenges:

• DBM Vircon reviewed the removal of agitator blades which had previously not been considered. The resulting design of the modified platforms, allowed the removal of the shaft and blades as a single unit.
• The original design criteria provided was for operating densities only. DBM Vircon highlighted the issue of upset conditions causing settlement and decantation resulting in higher densities; revised design densities were subsequently provided to DBM Vircon.
• The stringent deflection constraints on agitator platforms required deep, stiff structures to address the potential of harmonic vibration.
• Bobcat clean-out doors were greater than allowed by API 650. Finite element analysis was used to provide a simple economical solution to the problem of such a large discontinuity in the plate. Nozzle loads imposed by the design criteria also resulted in the need of finite element analysis of the majority of nozzle compensation plates.