BHP Billiton Rolling Stock Replacement Project

Project Highlights:

• Reduction of 30% in total cost of ownership to BHP Billiton
• Engineering and equipment supply under one roof with reduced interface and thus saving in time.
• Total fabrication tonnage 500 tons
• Fabrication of 49 nos. pressure vessels was completed in a record time of 8 months
• Evaluation of several design and fabrication options
• Detailed Engineering design in Australia to ensure compliance with AS1210 standards and Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Code 7
• Approval of WorkSafe and Department of Mines & Petroleum (DMP)
• Fabrication at our facilities located in Baroda, India
• Inspection by Lloyds and Bureau Veritas
• Manufacturing documentation (MDR) in compliance with AS1210 and AS3990
• Sea-transportation of 49 huge vessels to Australia which was a great logistics challenge
• Vessels ready to go for operation after arrival in Australia

Project Description:

The fleet of 75 acid rail wagons is used for transporting Sulphuric Acid from Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter to Coogee acid loading facility in Kwinana. A rail wagon consists of a registered pressure vessel clamped onto the top of a flatbed rail wagon. The vessels were nearly at the end of their service life and did not qualify the inspection by Australian Dangerous Goods (ADG) Inspectors. BHP Billiton ordered 49 off vessels to Access Petrotec and Mining Solutions to replace the vessels in existing fleet under a very challenging project schedule. 

Project Deliverables:

1 Detailed Engineering Design

Access Petrotec carried out detailed engineering design in compliance with the latest AS1210 standards as the codes and standards have changed considerably over the last 25 years. A third-party verification was carried out to check Access Petrotec design calculations and then the design was registered with WorkSafe, Australia.

2 Fabrication and Supply of Equipment

Access Petrotec carried out 500 tons of steel procurement and fabrication at their facilities in Baroda, India under strict inspection and testing regime deployed by BHP, Lloyds Register and Bureau Veritas.

3 Documentation

Manufacturing Data Records (MDR) for 49 vessels were prepared in compliance with AS1210 and AS3990 for registration with Department of Mine & Petroleum (DMP) and obtaining license to operate from ADG inspectors.