Engineering for continuous mining operations
Mining in the Bowen Basin runs around the clock. Conveyor systems move coal from pit to train load-out without pause. Processing plant handles run-of-mine material continuously. Dewatering keeps the pit dry through wet season. When any part of the chain stops unexpectedly, the cost is immediate.
The electrical and automation systems that keep these operations running are complex, have often been in service for decades, and are maintained by site electrical teams who need to be able to work on them quickly and confidently. Our engineering has to fit that reality.
What we do in mining
Our mining work spans the full range of electrical and automation engineering. PLC programming and upgrades on conveyor systems, crushing and screening plant, and processing facilities. SCADA systems for site-wide visibility and control. Electrical design and RPEQ engineering for switchroom upgrades, power system changes, and new equipment installations.
We carry out planned shutdown work - the concentrated electrical and automation engineering that gets done during planned outages when the plant is stopped. Cutovers, new equipment integration, control system upgrades, instrument replacements, and fault investigation on equipment that can only be safely accessed when isolated.
We also respond to unplanned faults. A conveyor that won’t start after a protection trip. A PLC that has dropped to program fault. A SCADA system that has lost communications with field devices. These are the calls that come at 3am, and they are part of the work we do.
Platforms and systems we work on
Rockwell Automation is the dominant control platform across Bowen Basin coal operations - ControlLogix and CompactLogix for the majority of applications, with older PLC-5 and SLC 500 systems still running on some sites and frequently the subject of upgrade projects. We program, commission, and fault-find on these systems regularly.
Siemens S7 systems appear on processing plant, utilities, and older installations. Beckhoff TwinCAT on more recent conveyor and materials handling applications. AVEVA and Ignition for SCADA. We work across all of these platforms without requiring a vendor service call.
Working within mining safety requirements
Electrical engineering on mining sites operates under specific safety requirements - Queensland electrical safety legislation, principal contractor standards, and for some applications, functional safety requirements under IEC 61511 or IEC 62061. Our RPEQ engineering is current with these requirements and our documentation meets the standard expected by mining principal contractors in Central Queensland.