Thickener Tank Cleaning – Goldfields WA

During the February Processing Plant shutdown, maintenance tasks were carried out simultaneously on Nickel and Copper Thickeners.

Tool time requirement was 96 hours, and all four thickeners were required to be emptied and cleaned within a 12-hour shift. Our client cannot achieve this in-house; therefore, historically, they only attempted to maintain 1 or 2 thickeners per shutdown, increasing their risk of failure and decreasing the mean time between failures, neither of which are desirable outcomes.

NPE was engaged in cleaning four thickeners tanks and removing the volume of water/slurry from the work fronts to the tailings dam to ensure a safe working environment for the maintenance staff.

Equipment used to complete this project:

• Diesel pump (pressure pump)
• Water cannons
• Hydraulic submersible pump
• Hydraulic power unit
• Weco high-pressure hose
• 4 x NPE personnel

The project was completed safely and in time, allowing our client to complete the tool time required during this critical part of their shutdown.

“NPE has gone above and beyond with helping us successfully maintain our thickeners this shutdown. They arrived at the site early to supervise the installation of the hydro-mining cannons onto scaffold towers. They tested the water pump ready for cleaning and set up the over-pumping facilities to de-water the area. The four guys on the ground worked well as a team; they were knowledgeable and had a strong focus on safety.

Personnel was organized, cleaning quicker than we could dispose of the product and thorough. Highly recommend getting this team back in for the next shut.” NPE Client.