Wesfarmers Resources, a significant Australian producer of metallurgical coal engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Industrial Workshop [Mackay branch] to deliver fast-turnaround servicing to a large selection of DAVEY Water Products Vertical Multistage In-Line Pumps [pictured below] that are used onsite at their Curragh Coal Mine, located 30km north of Blackwater in Central Queensland. This servicing project presented a number of challenges for the Dowdens Mackay Industrial Workshop, none more important than the tight timelines in which these repairs needed to be completed.

These DAVEY Vertical Multistage In-Line Pumps play a crucial role in the operation of the mine as they are used in various dewatering applications and also to boost supply of water to all of Curragh Coal Mine's various processing areas - including the vitally important Coal Handling & Preparation Plant (CHPP). Wesfarmers are supremely confident in having their pumps serviced by Dowdens Pumping, because after many years of working together they know Dowdens always aim to provide the sale / service of suitable pumps that maximise service life and minimise power usage and downtime. Improving levels of equipment utilisation whilst reducing planned / unplanned maintenance downtime increases the overall productivity of a coal mine.

Wesfarmers Curragh Coal Mine is an open-cut coal mine that provides metallurgical coal for export markets and supplies steaming coal to the Queensland Government's Stanwell Corporation under a long-term contract. Stanwell operate two major electricity generation assets, the Stanwell Power Station located in Central Queensland and the Tarong Power Station, located in the South Burnett, Southern Queensland. Wesfarmers Curragh Coal Mine has a well-established and geographically diverse customer portfolio with a number of long-standing relationships with world-leading steel-makers.

Like with any pump that arrives to Dowdens Pumping - Mackay's Industrial or Domestic Workshop, these Davey VM Vertical Multistage In-Line Pumps were serviced using Dowdens established workshop repair procedures. It was these established procedures and highly regarded workmanship that prompted Wesfarmers Resources to award Dowdens this important servicing contract. Dowdens Pumping - Mackay are so confident in our Workshop Servicing Capabilities we offer a "12 MONTH WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEE" for any service completed in-house - this is by-far the best guarantee available in or around Mackay, QLD. All pumps were successfully serviced and returned to site within Wesfarmers specified deadlines, meaning less downtime for Curragh Mine's related water infrastructure.

A very brief synopsis of this projects Key SERVICING Procedures are listed below:

• Set up pump on work bench & preform suite of electrical tests on motor
• Remove motor from the pump wet end
• Once seperated, run the pump motor independently of pump wet end to establish & gauge motors efficiency
• Submit detailed quote to customer clearly illustrating what is required to repair motor/pump
• Once quote has been accepted immediately begin to repair motor/pump components

• Dismantle motor and replace worn bearings
• Dismantle wet end of pump - clean, strip & asses all components
• Repair and reassemble both motor and pump wet end
• Connect unit to the Dowdens 'Pump Test Bench' & check all pump curves/electrical operation is 100%
• Undertake final inspection before preparing pump for transportation back to Curragh Coal Mine

Since opening in Mackay back in 1973, Dowdens has grown to employ over 160 staff situated across 4 branches in Mackay, Proserpine, Rockhampton and Brisbane permitting us to confidently service customers throughout Queensland, nationally and internationally. Dowdens services now cover all aspects of water engineering and fluid handling resource management for the residential, commercial / industrial, agricultural and mining sectors. From project inception through to final commissioning - the team at Dowdens has the ability to deliver complete specialised long-term engineered solutions that are practical and innovative, ensuring our clients benefit from greater productivity and reduced downtime.

With dedicated departments of industry trained engineers, draftsmen, project managers, sales staff and tradespeople including fitters, mechanics, polywelders, machinists, plumbers, electricians and boiler makers - Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment offer an unmatched range of world-class engineering solutions for any type of water management project. We truly are Queensland's premier one-stop-shop for pumping and water treatment systems! CLICK HERE TO LODGE AN ONLINE PUMP SERVICE REQUEST, OR REQUEST AN OBLIGATION FREE QUOTE.

Anglo American's Australian Coal division engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] to deliver 8 specialised underground pumping PODs used for various dewatering applications at their Grosvenor Coal Mine, located 190km southwest of Mackay in Moranbah, Central Queensland.

The Grosvenor mine is a developing underground longwall operation that makes up part of Anglo American's plan to triple hard coking coal production at their Moranbah mine sites. Located next to their existing Moranbah North coal mine, Grosvenor is set to produce up to 5 million tonnes of hard coking coal per annum for export. The Grosvenor mine utilises a 10km overland conveyor to transport high-quality metallurgical coal to the Moranbah North Coal Handling & Preparation Plant.

Construction on Anglo American's $1.95 billion Grosvenor longwall project began back in January 2013, with the development celebrating a number of industry firsts including being the first underground coal mine in Queensland to use a tunnel boring machine to develop the drifts, or access tunnels, in coal mine development. Anglo American aimed to have the Grosvenor mine raise the bar for onsite system and production efficiency - making the supply of unique underground POD pumping systems a perfect match for Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's experienced Engineering Department.

Dowdens Engineering Department's comprehensive abilities have been on the radar of many Central Queensland/Bowen Basin mines for some time through direct contact and working with industry leading consulting engineering firms. Dowdens ability to expertly design/manufacture/install and commission unique equipment built to specific client needs, together with a history of successful installations over the past 15 years in the Bowen Basin has positioned the business as Queensland's premier pumping & water treatment organisation.

Underground Pumping PODs are used in mines as part of the site water management process. Mine water is collected from sumps and wet areas by Wilden air operated diaphragm pumps and delivered to PODs where water level sensors then activate the pump and transfer the collected mine water to a mains pump station, underground storage dam or directly out of the mine portal. Mine water is typically dirty with coal fine, rocks and dirt; therefore slurry pumps are needed to handle such water. PODs can be located in hazardous areas and can be fitted with Flame proof motors and motor controllers with PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).

The Grosvenor mine site requirements meant each POD needed to have a 200kW power rating. With the site's physical constraints (i.e. the underground mined roof height and width, as well as the site lifting equipment for transporting) meant careful consideration was required for the overhung load whilst transporting this equipment. Capacity of a standard Dowdens POD is 4m3 with a 110kW motor, however with the larger flow rate required to and from the POD meant a 6m3 capacity working volume was needed. Bigger capacity and higher duty equated to a larger size motor and pump, more robust steel framework and additional accessibility for scheduled servicing.

Dowdens standard POD design incorporates a dirty water receiving area. This area, integral to the main hopper (container for collection of bulk material such as rock or soil), ensures particles that are too large for the pump to digest and transport are separated and manually removed periodically ensuring trouble free pumping.

Pumps selected by Dowdens for this harsh duty were Stalker 400SHD model with mechanical seals, seal lubrication and cooling. Motors selected were WEG brand Flameproof mine spec motors. The control for the pumps is a flameproof 200kW model with PLC and HMI (Human Machine Interface) screens. The controller starts and stops the pump, whilst also monitoring for faults and relaying important information to the mine surface via SCADA. Dowdens PODs built for the Grosvenor mine have the ability of easily interchanging the motors/pumps for differing duties. These will be identified as 200kW and 132kW cassettes. To accommodate this change the Main Control Unit (MCU) has the capacity to operate at either 200kW or 132kW with only slight changes to load controls.

The larger size and the flexibility to change the duty, together with Dowdens strategic POD site placement advice has enabled Anglo American less manoeuvring of the POD through development, saving costly underground labour and downtime. Without reliable pumping the mine's production slows/halts causing delays and safety issues which cost the mine many thousands of dollars each day. It was imperative the system worked and was extremely reliable. This project was delivered on time and within budget. Key project system components are listed below:

Unique features specific to the 8x Underground Dewatering Grosvenor PODs included:

• Fold out access platforms for operators to access the instruments and simplify servicing
• Direct fill points to prevent foaming of the mine water
• Overflow points for PODs operation on a steep slope
• Forklift access to both the pump and motor cassette

Key Project Features:

• PODs for this mine have the ability of interchangeable motors/pumps for differing duties
• PODs larger size, flexibility to change their duty together with Dowdens strategic POD placement advice enabled Anglo American to save on costly underground labour & pump downtime
• Safety & Design workshop hosted by Dowdens Mackay enabled project stakeholders to table all development & maintenance requirements ensuring seamless system delivery
• Project was delivered on time and within budget

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch were engaged by local beef cattle graziers Lance and Colleen Sypher (located in Alpha, QLD) to deliver a unique surface mounted Solar Array and Pump Float to supply onsite dam water to both their residence and the property's many cattle watering troughs.

Lance and Colleen Sypher approached Dowdens Rockhampton seeking a design for a solar pumping system with the ability to float on their dam, eliminating the need for any power cables or pump modules to be placed on the bank as is the case with traditional dam solar pumping systems. Having the unit completely isolated (floating) on the surface of the dam would remove the potential for the pumping unit sustaining damage from cattle walking along the edge of the dam. Cattle are known to cause damage to solar pump modules (in particular the associated power cables) that are situated on the edge of dams.

The innovative solar pumping unit design that Dowdens developed needed to meet a required flow rate (during the summer months on average the pumps required duty is 25,000 L/day @ 10m total head). Part of this new design incorporated the solar arrays being installed level with the dams surface, the main advantage of this design feature means the pumps power supply is not affected if the floating pontoon swings or floats across the dam. Having the solar arrays set at an angle, as is found on most traditional solar pumping units, would mean the pontoon would need be to be anchored to the floor of the dam (to avoid any rotation away from direct sun), thereby substantially increasing the overall cost of this project. Angled arrays would have also increased the potential for the arrays to catch any high winds, potentially flipping the unit over into the dam.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of innovative customised Solar Pumping systems for the commercial, agriculture and mining sectors of Central Queensland and the greater Capricorn Coast regions.

The final design incorporated a Mono Pumps 600 Watt SUN-RAY SRX Solar Pump due to it's highly efficient, self-priming helical rotor pump. The pontoon has been designed in a way that it can accommodate a wide range of solar pumping units, making it customisable for whatever site requirements are presented. Dowdens believe this is the first time any pump shop has mounted both the solar arrays and pump unit on a float for this application. Having the solar pump operating independently saves the customer spending time and money travelling to and from the dam each day to switch on the pump.

The entire solar pump float system was designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned on time and within budget. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branches design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Innovation - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective Pump Operation - System Reliability & Reduced Ongoing Maintenance.

Dowdens Pumping Rockhampton's Unique Solar Pump Float - Key Components:

• Mono Pumps 600 Watt SUN-RAY SRX Solar Pump
• 2x solar arrays horizontally mounted to customised pump float

• Custom in-house design undertaken by Dowdens Project Engineering Department
• Custom in-house fabrication undertaken by Dowdens Pumping Industrial Workshops

Dowdens Pumping and Water Treatment have successfully designed, manufactured and commissioned a self-contained Solar Emergency Eye Wash and Safety Shower. The safety station incorporates both safety shower and eye wash facilities, which are supplied from a water tank via a solar powered Grundfos pump.

This unit was designed and manufactured to comply with Australian Standards AS4775-2007.

Dowdens supplied the portable Solar Eye Wash and Safety Shower station to Downer EDI Mining Blasting Services for use at the Rio Tinto Coal Mount Thorley open cut coal mines (located 15km South West of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of NSW).

Project's Supply Scope:

• Water Tank is insulated with drain valves and fill points
• 1x 190W Solar Panel
• Heavy duty battery pack
• Voltage regulator and power inverter control panel
• Grundfos pressure water pump
• Stainless steel base frame with 'grab rails'
• Eye wash basin and foot-lever action shower head
• Green LED safety light (viewable from 360)

• The station uses the suns energy to charge 6V batteries via 1x 190W solar panel
• This energy is then stored and converted to 240V power which in-turn drives the electric Grundfos pump
• The Power Inverter Control Panel contains the solar charger module and the power inverter module
• The self-contained Solar Eye Wash and Safety Shower station was designed and manufactured to comply with Australian Standards AS4775-2007

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch working closely with Dowdens Pumping - Mackay's Industrial & Fabrication Workshops have successfully designed, manufactured and commissioned a Customised Dewatering Pump System for YANCOAL Australia. YANCOAL own and operate the YARRABEE Coal Mine & Boonal Joint Venture Coal Load Out Facility that is located 40 kilometres north-east of the township of Blackwater, QLD in Central Queensland's Bowen Basin. The Boonal Joint Venture is a coal load out facility located on the Capricorn Highway in Central Queensland, Australia. Coal from both the Yarrabee Coal Mine and Jellinbah Coal Mine are transported via rail link to the Port of Gladstone from the Boonal coal load out facility.

After initial site visits Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton were able to measure the height and distance required for the dewatering pump system, as well as clearly establish pipe sizes and required flow rates to adequately meet the clients onsite dewatering requirements. This led to the in-house design of the unit by Dowdens Pumping - Mackay's Engineering Department. Once the proposal had been accepted by the client CAD drawings were immediately created and passed onto the Dowdens Industrial Fabrication Workshop.

Boonal Joint Venture's Customised Dewatering Pump System Supply Scope:

• The Yanmar diesel engine recommended by Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton ensured long term problem free operation
• All fabrication, assembly and performance testing was conducted by Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment in-house & onsite guaranteeing product quality

As Dowdens Pumping are an authorised FLOWSERVE Pumps Distributor, we were able to quickly and easily size and source a FLOWSERVE Hydro Titan Pump. The Hydro Titan 100x65-250 Pump has a capable duty of 14 l/sec (@ 50m total head) and perfectly matched the clients site requirements. From here Dowdens Industrial Fabrication Workshop welded the skid base together which was then bunded and fully hot dip galvanised. This innovative system utilised a universal coupling, installed between the pump and motor to reduce the chance of miss alignment occurring between the pump and engine.

Dowdens Industrial Fabrication Workshop then proceeded to assemble and mount the 125l diesel fuel tank, Yanmar 3TNV84TEPP-PE 3-Cylinder Diesel Engine, Hydro Titan 100x65-250 Pump and install the universal coupling. Dowdens Electricians then connected the battery and solar array charger module to the canopy [pictured below], whilst mounting the Yanmar 'Engine Protection Unit'. The engine was then taken outside and tested. Once all this was completed it was transported to site where final commissioning was successfully completed.

The complete Boonal Joint Venture's Customised Dewatering Pump System was designed, installed and commissioned by Dowdens Pumping on time and within budget. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branches design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Innovation - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective Pump Operation - Engine Longevity - System Reliability & Reduced Ongoing Maintenance.

Boonal Joint Venture's Customised Dewatering Pump System - Key Components:

• Hydro Titan 100x65-250 Pump with Universal Coupling
• Yanmar 3TNV84TEPP-PE 3-Cylinder Diesel Engine
• Mine Site Specification Compliance achieved

• Custom hot dipped galvanized pump base fitted with bunding to house diesel fuel tank
• Custom in-house design undertaken by Dowdens Project Engineering Department
• Custom in-house fabrication undertaken by Dowdens Pumping Industrial Workshops

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Proserpine branch provide a range of products and services to island resorts throughout the Whitsundays and Northern Queensland; supplying and servicing everything from pool pumps to major sewage treatment / pumping stations and irrigation systems. We pride ourselves on being able to provide a large range of products across all facets of resort infrastructure.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Proserpine branch regularly service customers across local off shore resorts, as well as working extensively with mainland tourist attractions and resorts for both sales and servicing. With extensive knowledge and experience in this area we are confident that our team of experts can provide solutions to clients problems. Dowdens Pumping carries a large range of spare parts and our service team are proud to provide comprehensive and professional after-sales service.

Recently Dowdens Proserpine were engaged by Fullshare Holdings (owner / operators of the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas) to upgrade 5 existing onsite pump stations that had reached the end of their service life. At the projects inception Dowdens Proserpine conducted a thorough audit of the onsite pumping systems - the subsequent detailed report submitted to Fullshare Holdings resulted in Dowdens being awarded the contract to replace the ageing sewage pump stations. Dowdens Proserpine then set about designing a more efficient and reliable sewerage pump system that was to include smaller and more energy efficient Grundfos pumps, resulting in a reduction in the required maintenance and considerably lower overall energy use onsite. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment are Authorised Grundfos Dealers throughout the Whitsundays / Mackay / Rockhampton regions.

Once the design was accepted Dowdens began works that would see 10 new Grundfos sewerage pumps being installed in 5 existing pump stations. The projects scope included supplying and fitting all rails, brackets, lifting chains, concrete pump station lids and non-return valves. Together with the design and installation of Grundfos electronic control panels (Grundfos CU362 Waste Water Controllers) & remote monitoring systems (Grundfos Remote Management [GRM]) which allows for SMS & Email to be sent to relevant site operators alerting them to any faults. The GRM system also allows for system alarms to be reset and pump duties to be modified remotely via any smart-phone or PC. Full product and system descriptions can be viewed below.

The aim of this project was to provide a modern and efficient sewerage pumping system that was energy efficient, reliable, had improved remote monitoring capability and increased level of safety for Dowdens Servicing and onsite technicians. The Dowdens Infield Service Crew began by removing the existing 30-year-old pumps, rails, brackets, lifting chains, heavy concrete lids and control panels. These were replaced with more efficient and reliable Grundfos pumping and monitoring equipment. During installation and commissioning Dowdens had to schedule works to meet the resorts strict operation requirements, ensuring the project proceeded with little to no impact on the resort guests.

The existing concrete lids were damaged and unsafe and needed to be replaced. Dowdens provided 'light lift' aluminium lids with integrated safety grates (pictured below) to minimise the risk of falling into the wet well whilst servicing the pumps. 3 out of the 5 existing control panels were deemed unsafe by Dowdens Electricians and required replacement with new stainless steel panels incorporating the Grundfos CU362 Pump Controllers and Grundfos Variable Frequency Drives on the 2 main pump stations. Dowdens also provided Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas with scheduled servicing of the Grundfos SEV & SE1 pumps; Grundfos CU362 Waste Water Controllers; Grundfos Remote Management [GRM] Systems; Dowdens custom built aluminium lids with safety grates; Stainless steel pump rails; 800kg rated lifting chains & the Backflow protection on wash down taps. The entire project was delivered on time and within budget.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Current Best Practice - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective Plant Operation - Pump Station Reliability - Advanced Remote Management Capabilities - Reduced Ongoing Maintenance.

Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort (Port Douglas) - Sewage Pump Stations Key Components:

• Grundfos SEV & SE1 Pumps - Dowdens are Authorised GRUNDFOS Dealers
• Grundfos CU362 Waste Water Controllers
• Grundfos Remote Management (GRM) Systems

• Custom fabricated 'light lift' aluminium lids with integrated safety grates (pictured below)
• Stainless Steel Pump Rails & 800kg Rated Lifting Chains
• Backflow Prevention Devices on Wash Down Taps