We were contracted to provide a concept design of the underground electrical reticulation including substations, compressed air and primary pumping stations from which a construction budget of the new underground mine could be developed.
Through our experience with the development and installation of underground infrastructure we were able to develop installation plans and projected costs quickly and efficiently. This provided our client with the detail needed for the feasibility study and further develop the business detail required to ensure that sufficient funding was available to move forward with the project.
We conducted the electrical installation for two grain storage silos for a large farm. This standalone system was designed and integrated together to behave as if the system was connected to the power grid, while pulling power from a generator. The system’s automation features help save on man hours, allowing the farmer to spend their time more efficiently.
When augers, fans and motors were required to run, the system was built to automatically start and run the generator without any additional manual input from the operator. When the operator switches the motor off the generator automatically cools down and shuts down.
We’ve applied our experience to create a prototype automated drafting system for livestock. We can design and build these to work with your existing livestock handling systems such as a cattle crush. They can be programmed to draft via remote control, weight or RFID tags, giving the farmer the information that they need at the time of drafting, without the need for sifting through files and records to see how their livestock is performing.
As part of this we were asked to build a draft system to complement a Cattle Crush. This was built and installed on a property handling up to 1,000 head a per day. Our system interfaces with the customer’s weigh indicator to provide the benefits of automation with the Crush. This removes human error during the drafting process and ensures the animals go where they are meant to. We’re now working on building more of these units for other customers.
Automatic Livestock Drafting System Video
We were contracted to rebuild and upgrade an old mono pump starter. The old pump had seen a large amount of wear and tear, which required both physical refurbishments to the unit itself as well as electrical upgrades to get it running up to speed.
Refurbishment and Upgrade Details
Structural and IP integrity:
- Sand blasted
- Prime coat with a high build zinc rich metal primer to improve longevity of the board versus powder coating and top coated with a 2-part industrial “Harbour Blue” finish
- Rust holes cut out and new steel welded in and stainless steel gland plates installed
- New frame hot dip galvanised was fabricated for the pump starter and integrating a remote I/O rack for pump station monitoring
Electrically:
- Upgraded from dual 75kW to dual 90kW this included
- Replacement of main contactors
- Replacement of 1000V cabling
- Review and audit compliance to AS 4871
- Design and construction of auxiliary cubicle for feedback to underground PLC and monitoring via site SCADA
- “As built” of;
- Drawings
- I/O list
- Equipment list
- Commissioning and documentation
We were engaged to carry out a complete electrical upgrade of a major pumping station as a turnkey solution. This provided the customer with an automated pumping station that was designed to meet Australian and legislative standards as well as being able to withstand the harsh corrosive operating environment. This system was designed, constructed and installed onsite by MBI Engineering.
Some of the key components:
- Drafting and design of a custom built 316 stainless steel MCC supplying two 110kW mono pumps.
- Offsite construction and programming of the MCC and control system.
- Onsite installation and commissioning of the MCC and upgrade of the field control devices.
The switchboard was designed to provide segregation between the low voltage and extra low voltage components to provide additional safety where tradesmen could effectively fault find on the system without being exposed to any hazardous voltages. The addition of the variable speed drive provides reduced power draw on start-up and decreased wear and tear on the mechanical components of the pumping system. This all worked toward helping reduce overall maintenance and running costs of the system.
For this project, the scope of work was to upgrade 4 existing ring main units (RMUs), from design through to completion.
As the existing RMUs had been purchased and installed in the early 1980s, they had reached the end of their service life. The original equipment manufacturer had released a notification that the equipment was not safe to be switched whilst energised.
We configured new ABB SafeRing RMUs to minimise site execution works and allow for the installation of remote operation in the future. This allowed us to carry out the necessary upgrades to the switchgear while managing the initial capital expense within the allocated budget.
We coordinated the installation to proceed during scheduled downtime with several generator installations to maintain power to essential services whilst the work was being carried out.
We were engaged to project manage and execute the design and installation of a number of electrical upgrades, part of the works involved the upgrade and installation of a number of underground substations. The substations were an essential piece of infrastructure for the continual development of the mine to maintain power at the production face for the equipment, pumping and ventilation.
By delivering these completed substations on time we were able to ensure production and advance rates were not affected by power availability. From the concrete slab through to the time current grading and protection settings, we completed the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of the substations.
This project
involved secondary injection testing of 185 relays across six substations along
with the load testing of the protection system battery banks of the two primary
substations as well as the auxiliary power station. With the combination of electronic and
electromechanical relays, we covered a range of protection functions including:
- Overcurrent
- Earth fault
- Reverse power
- Differential protection
- Frequency out of step protection for synchronous motors
- Thermal overload
- Voltage protection
We completed the electrical design and installation of a grain handling facility for an established agricultural client who grows corn, wheat, barley and lucerne crops. The facility allowed the client to grow and harvest corn all year round, helping them become a more efficient producer.
We completed the full electrical design, constructed a Motor Control Centre, programmed the system and installed and commissioned the electricals. We are also providing ongoing maintenance and support.
This facility is helping the client process their grain in large volumes at a fraction of the time.
We designed a control panel operating a set of valves in a pastefill system underground. The panel required a full uninterruptible power supply to ensure that the valves could still be operated in the event of a power failure, preventing potential damage to millions of dollars of infrastructure.
We came up with an extra low voltage (ELV) design system that could be hooked into the mine’s 1000V underground power reticulation. The ELV system provides two benefits;
- The operator safety operating at ELV significantly decreases the hazards of electric shock
- We were able to design the system so that the UPS storage component was manufactured using 12V car batteries, as these were going to a remote mine there would be parts readily available in the event of equipment failure.