Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Mackay branch was engaged by Anglo American - Moranbah North Coal Mine to design, engineer and build a boost pump station to supply raw water to the longwall area. Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment designed and built the longwall boost pump station utilising dual variable speed pumps to enable the station to cater for varying duties as the underground workings progress further away from the station.

Anglo American's Moranbah North coal mine began operation in 1998 as an underground longwall mine and currently supplies 4.5m tonne annually of high fluidity premium hard coking coal mainly for export to iron and steel manufacturers in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

All design, fabrication, installation & commissioning of the longwall boost pump station was undertaken by Dowdens Mackay's in-house Engineering, Fabrication & Workshop Departments and all electrical componentry of the longwall boost pump station was supplied, installed and commissioned by Major Electrical. With a history of successful installations over the past 20 years throughout the Queensland Mining Sector Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the ability to expertly design / manufacture / install and commission specialised pumping and water treatment solutions that are built primarily in-house & onsite to our client's specific unique requirements.

Dowdens dedicated departments of industry trained engineers, draftsmen, project managers, sales staff and tradespeople including fitters, mechanics, polywelders, machinists, plumbers, electricians and boiler makers enable us to 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!

The pump station boosts water pressure to the longwall currently some 6,000m away. Comprehensive 'pre-challenge' testing was completed prior to the station being transported to site, with all parameters being set during this time. Dowdens internal teams of specialised engineers, CAD draftsmen and tradespeople were able to design and build the station on time and to a tight budget, with Anglo American extremely happy with the work undertaken and product supplied.

Key Pump Station Features:

• All wiring / electrical installation & commissioning on these pump stations was undertaken by Major Electrical Pty Ltd
• KROHNE flow meter
• Pump station utilises four pressure transducers to feed real time pumping data to the computer control
• Two vertical stage pumps directly coupled to two 45kW motors
• As the booster pump station was dealing with high pressures all piping and flanges have a 3,000kPa rating
• Pump station fitted with QDS (Quick Detachment System) lift points - allowing the station to be transferable via the underground Line Eimco
• Touch screen interface enables underground miners access to real time amperage, bearing temperature and flow rate data
• The unit operates via a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system meaning it can be remotely operated from the mine control room on the surface, or underground via the unit's electronic controls

Total Water Volume Transfer: 30L/sec @ 80m head (currently)

Following on from the successful construction and commissioning of the Coppabella Water Treatment Plant Aurizon Holdings Limited engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay & Brisbane Branches] to deliver a much needed Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Upgrade at their Coppabella Township, located on the Goonyella Rail Corridor (the world's largest metallurgical coal rail system) - 159 kilometres South West of Mackay, QLD. The Coppabella STP Upgrade project entailed the addition of an Ultra-Filtration (UF) 'Polishing' Plant onto the existing STP. Dowdens new UF 'Polishing' Plant can produce up to 180 kL/day of treated Class A effluent.

The township of Coppabella was primarily designed and built to service the junction of two railway lines (one from Goonyella Coal Mine and one from Saraji Coal Mine) and to provide accommodation to the regions coal mine workers in work depots. The town is wholly owned and operated by Aurizon Holdings Limited and contains: stations, residences, single-quarters, work depots, hotel, a shop, swimming pool, football oval, caravan park, school, ambulance, fire brigade, the recently completed Dowdens whole-of-town Water Treatment Plant and of course the upgraded Sewage Treatment Plant which is now capable of producing 180kL of treated Class A effluent per day for above ground irrigation applications. The local Coppabella Golf Course is one area where this treated effluent is used for irrigation.

After successfully completing various projects for Aurizon Holdings Limited, Dowdens won the tender to provide the process design together with equipment supply, civil construction, installation, commissioning and training for the STP plant operators. The construction phase of the project began with extensive civil works being undertaken to raise the ground level for the new STP components. The pre-existing STP has historically been subject to flooding during heavy rainfall events due to the sites proximity to the local creek. Upon surveying the sites substrate a water table was discovered 1m below ground level.

Working with local Civil Engineers Cardno a substantial foundation was designed / laid to ensure the new buildings, plant components and 4,000 tonne water tank would be stable and remain above the flood plain even during heavy rainfall. Once foundations were laid Dowdens began construction of the 400,000L lined stainless steel water tank, new building to properly house the STP process equipment, an operators office, laboratory facilities and a back-up generator used to power the entire STP in the event of power loss.

After extensive effluent testing and thorough examination of the existing STP process a UF 'Polishing' Plant was designed by Dowdens inhouse Water Treatment Engineering Dept. capable of processing up to 180kL of partially treated sewage effluent per day. The partially treated sewage effluent was rated as Class C and needed to be treated to an acceptable level (Class A) to then be used for above ground irrigation. This treatment process consists of three stages of filtration and sterilisation, including UF. This three-stage process runs as follows:

• Primary treated effluent from the existing STP (Class C quality) is transferred to a 45,000L Glass Media Filtration (GMF) feed tank via duty / stand-by submersible pumps on demand.
• In Stage 1 the clarified effluent from the existing STP process is first dosed with sodium hypochlorite as primary disinfection, to reduce biofouling of the Glass Media. It is then passed through the duty/stand-by Glass Media Filters which reduce particulates, suspended solids and turbidity from the GMF filtrate stream. This ensures no large particles damage the UF membranes in Stage 2.
• In Stage 2 the GMF filtrate is then passed through UF treatment process which incorporates 5% 'cross-flow' to maximise the filtration run-time between back flushes (triggered by high trans-membrane pressure). The systems consists of 8 individual outside-in PVDF membranes which reduce turbidity to less than 1 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) whilst removing any particles greater than 0.0002mm from the permeate stream. The UF feed is again dosed with sodium hypochlorite to assist with cleaning the UF membranes from biological and organic fouling between the backwash and Chemical Enhanced Back Flush (CEBF) cycles.
• In Stage 3 the UF filtrate is passed through duty/stand-by Activated Carbon Filters (ACF) on demand to reduce colour and odour (by removing aromatic compounds) as a final 'polish' before being fed to the treated effluent tank. The ACF filtrate is then dosed with sodium hypochlorite as a final disinfection of the treated effluent prior to it entering the treated effluent storage tank for dispersal via above ground irrigation systems. Dowdens provided a centralised, custom designed / fabricated, packaged chemical dosing system for this UF 'Polishing' Plant which included a 1000L Chemical Storage tank, a splash-proof racking area housing 5 individual Chemical Dosing pumps - complete with an internal bund and double containment dosing line connections.

When the treated effluent arrives in the 400kL stainless steel tank a recirculation system pumps it through a chlorine analyser and back to the treated effluent tank. The chlorine analyser then controls the residual free chlorine level in the treated water and will start / stop a chemical dosing pump as required to maintain the pre-set residual free chlorine level.

Each of the GMF, UF and ACF processes are periodically backwashed and cleaned, with residual waste being fed to a nearby buffer dam where chlorine is allowed to dissipate. Based on the level in the buffer dam and the level in the treated effluent tank, the water may then be returned to the pump station at the front of the STP for reprocessing.

With a history of successful installations over the past 20 years throughout the Queensland Mining Sector Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the ability to expertly design / manufacture / install and commission specialised pumping and water treatment solutions that are built primarily in-house & onsite to client's specific unique requirements. The Coppabella STP Upgrade project is yet another example of Dowdens unparallelled capability to deliver specialised long-term engineered fluid handling solutions from project inception through to final commissioning / handover.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] have delivered a Height Adjustable Hard Hose Boom Irrigator to a local Victoria Plains, QLD Sugarcane Farm. Farmer Ian Stevenson operates a number of sugarcane farms in and around Victoria Plains, QLD. Due to lack of rainfall during the 2015/16 growing season, and a desire to lower his overall irrigation costs Ian decided to purchase a MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator, combined with a RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom to better facilitate irrigation of his cane.

Wanting to purchase his new irrigator from a dependable Australian business Ian contacted Monsoon Irrigators, who in turn engaged the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team - one of the most experienced Ag sales teams in Australia, with over 125 years of combined irrigation system design and operational experience between them. As a company that has built its foundation on the servicing and development of agricultural pumping systems, Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the experience to engineer a solution to suit any agricultural application.

Brett Hayes from the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team had several phone conversations with Ian to begin the investigation and design process for the most appropriate system. Brett then met with Ian in the Dowdens Mackay branch to present the irrigator and irrigation plan that was best suited to Ian's 800 acre property parcel under cane. Ian's experience over many years of irrigation on his property helped both parties recognise the MONSOON Irrigator Dowdens proposed was a perfect match.

Taking into consideration the terrain, the farms location (near the coastline - a high wind region), existing pump capabilities and source water availability (30psi gravity fed via the Eton Water Supply Scheme) and with Dowdens being Authorised Monsoon Irrigator Distributors Brett suggested the MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom.

The Stevenson's farm is located in Victoria Plains near Kinchant Dam, meaning their mains water comes via the Eton Water Supply Scheme. Kinchant Dam, situated near Mt Kinchant, 6kms southeast of Mirani, is the only major storage in the Eton Water Supply Scheme. It was constructed to capture runoff water from the small portion of the catchment of Sandy Creek and water pumped from the Pioneer River. Three water harvesting pump stations are located at Mirani Weir below the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Pioneer River, and divert water into an 8km diversion channel into Kinchant Dam.

As this storage dam is predominately used for the irrigation of sugar cane, water from Kinchant Dam is reticulated through open channels and pipelines to the customers by gravity and relift pumping systems. The channel supply system distributes water from Kinchant Dam through 35kms of open earth channels to the various sections of the scheme including gravity fed channels supplying water to Victoria Plains farmers to the east.

30psi inlet pressure and 20psi pressure at the boom (with an average flow of 12L/sec), meant that when Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team were designing Stevenson Farming's new low pressure irrigation system they did not need to include an electric or diesel booster pump set. This resulted in drastically reduced operating costs for Stevenson Farming as the irrigator can be operated by one man, 24/7 without the need to supply power or fuel to any booster pumps.

The MONSOON Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR Folding Boom is an extremely efficient and reliable low pressure irrigation system that when installed and operated correctly saves farmers water, energy, time and money - whilst increasing overall farm crop yields. Operating off a low pressure gravity fed line of 20psi (at the boom) meant the MONSOON 125mm x 540m Hard Hose Irrigator combined with a RAPTOR 47/55 Folding Boom was perfectly suited for this Victoria Plains farm.

Key MONSOON Hard Hose Irrigator & RAPTOR Folding Boom features listed below:

• Monsoon Hard Hose Irrigators are constructed from High grade Aluminium and Galvanised steel which resists corrosion in the harsh Australian climate, with a unique steering system allows boom tracking to lay of P.E Hose
• Monsoon irrigators low operating costs can be up to 50% more cost efficient than conventional traveling gun irrigators
• Designed to give uniform precipitation at low pressure - making them ideal for use in & around the Victoria Plains region (being a part of the Eton Water Supply Scheme)
• Irrigators are a one person operation and are fully transportable within minutes

• RAPTOR 'open-close' operation is facilitated by the particular foldable structure made of by galvanized steel. Very little time is required & installation is carried out by just one person
• OPEN the RAPTOR boom can be loaded onto irrigator for small movements & CLOSED the boom can be loaded onto irrigator for transportation (pictured below)
• Hydraulic version has the ability to vary the working height from 1 to 3m above the ground
• Each nozzle is mounted on a ball valve for closing as required

...

For well over 40 years Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have been selling & servicing irrigation products throughout Central & Northern Queensland - designing each and every system to improve farming efficiencies, reduce downtime and increase the longevity of pumps / irrigators. CONTACT US today and let us help improve your farms productivity while lowering your overall irrigation operating costs!

BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Brisbane] to design, manufacture, install & commission a 200kL / day Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) which included three pump stations and a specialised central control room at their Saraji Coal Mine, located 60km southeast of Moranbah and 200km southwest of Mackay in the Bowen Basin, Central Queensland.

Saraji Coal Mine has coal reserves amounting to 648 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The mine has an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes, utilising open-cast extraction methods with a total of 11 coal seams.

Saraji Coal Mine required a new STP due to the existing onsite plant failing to meet release limits and becoming unsafe to operate. Dowdens Brisbane designed a new STP that incorporated the innovative MIRACELL™ Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC). RBC technology is a type of sewage treatment process in which disks that are connected to a shaft are rotated at a very low speed (3.7 rpm) by means of a motor which is equipped with a reduction gear. The MIRACELL™ RBCs are designed such that 40% of the disks remain in the wastewater.

As the discs rotate contact with the wastewater causes turbulence and consequently aeration. As a result of this repetitive process, organisms accumulate on the discs. The organisms receive the necessary oxygen from the air during the rotation of the discs and consume the pollutants existing in the wastewater, converting them to carbon dioxide and water in a totally natural way. The treated water discharged from any MIRACELL™ STP is guaranteed to meet the most stringent discharge standards and may be used for dust suppression, irrigation or directly discharged to a waterway subject to Environmental Authority approval.

MIRACELL™ Sewage Treatment Plants are fully automatic, utilising modular designed RBCs specifically designed for sewage treatment applications in capacities ranging from 50 to 20,000 Equivalent People (treatment of between 10m³ up to 4000m³ per day). Representing the ultimate in sewage treatment systems, a MIRACELL™ STP consumes as little as one fifth of the electricity and requires as little as one third of the space of its competitors based on the activated sludge technology.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment are proud to hold Australia-wide exclusive distribution rights for MIRACELL™ STPs - these systems are most preferred by customers who clearly understand the economic value in purchasing an expertly designed and professionally built system. Offering a comprehensive range of innovative MIRACELL™ STPs, Dowdens provide an all-in-one service approach to each project. From project inception through to final commissioning, our team of industry trained engineers, draftsmen, project managers, sales staff and tradespeople including electricians, fitters, polywelders and plumbers will have you covered!

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Brisbane] were successful in the initial tendering process as we could deliver a complete turnkey Sewage Treatment Plant solution within the limited project budget, whilst also meeting all of BMA's specifications.

The standalone Sewage Treatment Plant Dowdens Brisbane supplied BMA provided an expertly-designed system that allowed them to meet their regulatory requirements, whilst providing a reliable, easily operated and maintained system. The new Saraji MIRACELL™ STP needed to accommodate the total mine site workforce of 645 Equivalent Persons (EP). Dowdens have designed the Saraji MIRACELL™ STP to treat up to five times the Average Dry Weather Flow rate of 40 kL/day - meaning the STP has the capacity to easily process and treat up to 200kL/day.

The Saraji MIRACELL™ STP and three fibreglass pump stations have been designed to capture and treat all waste influent (both Sewage & Grey Water) from the entire mine site and deliver it to the STP for processing. The system's design had to not only deliver the desired treated effluent quality but also incorporate strict safety requirements while adhering to the Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection stringent environmental conditions.

The Saraji MIRACELL™ STP includes a pH correction system to allow for pH correction. The pH correction dosing system comprises a pH correction chemical storage tank and a dosing pump. An Electromagnetic flow meter installed on the inlet of the chlorine contact tank automatically adjusts the chemical dosing rate based on the incoming treated effluent volume. This ensures the pH on the outlet of chlorine contact tank is always within the range of pH 6-9.

The Saraji MIRACELL™ STP is also equipped with a remote monitoring feature that enables the Saraji Mine operators to check the status of the STP from anywhere in Australia via portable devices such as smartphones or tablets.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Brisbane] design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Current Best Practice - Ease of Installation - Simple Plant Operation - Plant Reliability & Reduced Maintenance.

Beginning in June, running through to October 2015 the Saraji Mine MIRACELL™ STP was delivered on time and within budget. Extensive onsite works were undertaken by Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment to enable the new system to be properly housed and connected to existing site, power and pipework infrastructure. The STPs construction works involved (but was not limited to) civil, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and structural works utilising Dowdens Infield Service / Installation Crew, Supervisors, Engineers and Project Management.

Key Project Milestones & System Components are listed below:

• Concrete foundations and bund
• 3x Fibreglass Pump Stations Installed (two in ground & one above ground)
• 1x 47kL Equalisation Tank
• 2x 22kL Primary Settling Tanks
• 4x MIRACELL™ Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC)
• 1x MIRACELL™ Lamella Plate Clarifier
• 1x Recycled Activated Sludge System
• 1x Chlorine Contact Tank
• Chlorine Dosing Equipment
• pH Correction Dosing Equipment

• 1x Central Control Room
• 1x Control Panel including Human Machine Interface (HMI) Touch Screen
• Safety Shower & Hazchem Storage Equipment
• Installation of roof over STP
• Construction of onsite car park
• External Lighting
• Security Fencing
• Earth bund around the perimeter of STP
• Manufacture of Platforms & Staircases

Peabody Energy Australia have engaged Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's [Mackay] Engineering Department & Fabrication Workshop to deliver a Specialised Pontoon Pumping System for use at their Moorvale Coal Mine, located 156 kilometres South West of Mackay, QLD. This project presented a number of challenges for the Dowdens Mackay engineering and fabrication staff, including but not limited to an extremely tight delivery timeline of only 8 weeks!

Peabody Energy's Moorvale Mine is an open-cut coal mine that produces low-volatile pulverized coal injection (PCI) coal, coking coal and thermal coal for export markets. The Moorvale Coal Mine is particularly challenging for its operators due to the coal seam being quite narrow with a number of fault lines. This requires excavators often having to work in confined areas. The three piles that make up the Moorvale coal seams are mined independently of each other.

Dowdens Specialised Pontoon Pumping System was needed to provide Peabody Energy more reliable access to good quality Raw Water from an on-site dam. This raw dam water was then to be pumped directly to the onsite Coal Handling & Preparation Plant (CHPP). The existing supply water was limited and of poor quality. Dowdens new pontoon pumping system allowed for an increased volume of water to be pumped from a dam containing higher quality raw water. Subsequently the Specialised Pontoon Pumping System that Dowdens supplied has helped facilitate an improvement in the CHPP's daily operations.

This project required both Dowdens Engineering Dept. & Fabrication Teams to deliver an innovative solution not previously attempted in-house. It was the first time Dowdens had manufactured 12m length gangways or a pontoon with a total weight of over 6 tonne. The total pontoon weight includes all steel work, flooring, pumps, piping etc. and is displaced using HDPE (high density polyethylene) Floats. The longest gangway Dowdens had supplied previously measured 8m in length, with the largest pontoon previously fabricated weighing in at 4.5 tonnes.

The new system meant Dowdens existing in-house designs had to be modified / improved with new floats being selected in order to safely carry the increased platform weight. Additional weight saving measures were implemented by Dowdens Engineers such as the use of light weight / high strength aluminium mesh flooring.

The timeline to design this pontoon pumping solution, manufacture the components and have them delivered to site was extremely tight. Engineering - Concept Design - Drawings & In-House Fabrication of the unique Pontoon Pumping System was completed & delivered to Moorvale Mine within their specified 8 week time frame!

No other pumping / manufacturing / engineering firm in Queensland are able to deliver such an all-encompassing product solution within the above mentioned time-frame.

Dowdens design philosophy for this project was: Fast Turnaround - Cost Effectiveness - Ease of Installation - Simple Plant Operation - Plant Reliability & Reduced Maintenance.

Key Project Features:

• 2 x 12m long gangways - with one being suspended and one floating on the dams surface
• Gangways Design, Fabrication, Fitout & Supply included all necessary concrete mooring blocks, lights, cables & trays
• 6m x 3.3m floating pontoon - weighing over 6 tonnes
• Pontoons Design, Fabrication, Fitout & Supply included lights, suction and discharge pipework, priming system, cables & trays

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] have delivered yet another High Profile Soft Hose Boom Irrigator to a local Ilbilbie Sugarcane Farmer. Longtime Dowdens customer Brian Stevens operates a number of sugarcane farms in and around Ilbilbie, QLD. Due to lack of rainfall during the 2014/15 growing season, and a desire to lower his overall irrigation costs Brian decided to purchase a RAINSPAN SB2000 High Profile Soft Hose Boom Irrigator to better facilitate the irrigation of his cane.

Wanting to purchase his new irrigator from a dependable Queensland business Brian contacted the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team - one of the most experienced Ag sales teams in Australia, with over 125 years of combined irrigation system design and operational experience between them. As a company that has built its foundation on the servicing and development of agricultural pumping systems, Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have the experience to engineer a solution to suit any agricultural application.

Jeff Roberts from the Dowdens Mackay Agricultural Sales Team visited Brian's farm on a number of occasions to investigate, design and then match an irrigator and irrigation plan to best suit the 121ha property. Taking into consideration the terrain, the farms location (near the coastline - a high wind region), existing pump capabilities and source water availability shortages Jeff suggested Brian purchase a RAINSPAN SB2000 93m High Profile Soft Hose Boom Irrigator.

Sugarcane farmer Brian Stevens had for some time wanted to shift away from high pressure irrigation at his Ilbilbie farm, this was due in part to the high coastal winds the property endures year round playing havoc with his irrigation sprinklers. High pressure irrigation was no longer viable for this particular farm as it equated to water was being blown off crop, Brian's associated pumps working hard to deliver high pressure source water to existing soft hose irrigators and excessive mains power being consumed to run said pumps.

Moving from high pressure sprinklers to a low pressure RAINSPAN SB 2000 Dowdens has been able to deliver Brian considerable savings with his overall irrigation costs. The RAINSPAN SB2000 only requires approximately half the pressure to run compared to the previous high pressure irrigators. This has seen between a 30% - 40% decrease in farm irrigation electricity costs.

The low pressure RAINSPAN SB2000 Boom is far less susceptible to high winds, meaning Brian now has the potential to irrigate day or night, regardless of wind conditions. Essentially doubling his irrigation potential each day (the previous high-pressure system needed to be shut down during high winds experienced each night).

The RAINSPAN SB2000 Boom was found to be between 15% - 25% more efficient with its water application uniformity and distribution compared to the previous high pressure sprinkler irrigators. Simply put, Brian can now irrigate his sugarcane in a more cost-effective manner, utilising the limited water available to him more efficiently.

The RAINSPAN SB2000 is an extremely efficient and reliable low pressure irrigator that when installed and operated correctly saves farmers water, energy, time and money whilst increasing overall farm yields.

Key RAINSPAN SB2000 Boom Irrigator features listed below:

• Nelson R3000 Rotator Sprinklers were fitted specially to suit the windy conditions, giving a large wetted footprint & better instantaneous application rate
• Pulls 300m x 4" Snap-Tite Irrigator Hose (Dowdens are the sole authorised Snap-Tite hose dealer in Mackay, Whitsundays & Rockhampton)
• Gearbox for smooth safe operation specifically designed for the Irrigator - the most efficient in the industry
• A 93m boom was fitted to the RAINSPAN SB2000 - to seamlessly fit with farms existing lane spacings
• New Generation Turbines that are the best in the industry
• Hydraulic Boom Slew & Speed Compensator
• Made in Australia

For well over 40 years Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have been selling & servicing irrigation products throughout Central & Northern Queensland - designing each and every system to improve farming efficiencies, reduce downtime and increase the longevity of pumps / irrigators. CONTACT US today and let us help improve your farms productivity while lowering your overall irrigation operating costs!