IN an example of how Australian expertise is being utilised overseas, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) has applied its extensive iron ore experience gained in the Pilbara to Brazil.
SKM, an Australian-headquartered global project delivery, engineering and sciences firm, recently completed a Value Engineering Study for the world’s largest iron ore producer, Vale (formerly CVRD).
The scope of the $500,000 study was to optimise the current basic engineering design of Screening and Crushing facilities of a wet process Iron Ore Beneficiation Plant at Vale’s Carajas Programa 130 Mtpa mine in Brazil.
SKM’s Group Engineering Manager, John Armstrong, said that SKM was hand-picked as a single service provider from a worldwide list of firms.
“SKM was selected to undertake the study due to the firm’s outstanding practice and experience in providing operability, maintainability and reliability of plants in the Pilbara region in Western Australia,” Armstrong said. The Carajas project is an upgrade of Vale’s existing Carajas Mine Operations from 100 Mtpa to 130 Mtpa.
SKM was engaged to undertake the Value Engineering Study on the proposed new secondary and tertiary/quaternary crushing and screening facilities to identify opportunities for reducing capital and operating costs. This involved simplifying the plant by reducing the number of equipment items to decrease total maintenance effort and improve overall system availability.
The study also investigated reducing procurement and construction lead times to fit into the project timeframe. SKM has been working on iron ore projects in the Pilbara for both Rio Tinto, as part of the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Expansion Projects, and for BHP Billiton, as part of the Mine and Port Developments Joint Venture with Fluor, for more than a decade.
For the Vale project, a team from SKM’s Mining and Metals group in Perth was relocated for a month to Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
“The assignment was concluded when a delegation from Vale visited our Perth office in early November 2007, when a Final Review of the Value Engineering Study was concluded,” Armstrong said.
“We anticipate that this initial step will potentially lead to other opportunities for SKM to get involved with Vale, at which time SKM’s extensive network of global offices will be an integral part of a pool of expertise to support and consolidate our work with this valuable client.”
John Armstrong
Group Manager – Engineering
JArmstrong@skm.com.au