Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited employed Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] to deliver a broad acre irrigation system at their Gibson Creek sugarcane farm. Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited is Australia's largest raw sugar producer and one of the top 10 producers in the world.

The Gibson Creek sugarcane farm has a total area of 2,000ha, with works completed by Dowdens to date delivering irrigation to over 750ha of sugarcane - this project is still ongoing with the aim to irrigate the full 2,000ha upon completion. The broad acre irrigation system was designed, sourced, installed and commissioned by the Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment Agricultural Sales Team, which has over 125 years combined agriculture irrigation experience.

The system is required to pump water stored in Wilmar's onsite dam (which when completed will hold a total of 2,000ML) to various irrigation devices watering 2,000ha of sugarcane.

To date the project has seen the team at Dowdens construct, install and commission six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators, with spans ranging from 520m down to 410m, and three hard hose poly line traveling irrigators.

Water for the irrigation system (sourced from Wilmar's 2,000ML onsite dam) required Dowdens to lay an extensive network of poly and PVC mains pipework ranging from 500mm to 150mm in diameter. In total over 12kms of mains pipe has been laid so far.

The entire system is gravity fed from the large onsite dam with a 6-cylinder John Deere diesel engine centrifugal pump feeding the six pivots, and three IVECO-Caprari multistage diesel booster pumps [pictured below] kicking in to raise mains pressure when water is required at the three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators.

The entire project was overseen and managed by Glenn Agnew from the Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment [Mackay] Agricultural Sales Team.

Key Project Features:

• Six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators installed with spans ranging from 520m to 410m
• The Valley Center Pivots were fitted with auto-start generator sets - eliminating the need for farmers to travel to each individual Center Pivot to activate once feed pumps are on
• To date over 12kms of mains poly and PVC pipe has been trenched, welded and commissioned
• Dowdens sourced, delivered and commissioned three hard hose poly line traveling irrigators [2x Idrofoglia & 1x Trailco]
• 1x 6-cylinder John Deere diesel engine centrifugal pump feeds the six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators
• 3x IVECO-Caprari multistage diesel booster pumps transfer water to the three hard hose poly line traveling irrigators when required

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)

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Rockhampton branch were engaged by the Queensland State Government's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to deliver an efficient solar pumping system at the disused Mount Chalmers Gold Mine (located 15km North-East of Rockhampton, QLD).

As part of this sites ongoing rehabilitation process the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection needed an efficient solar pumping system to recirculate contaminated mine water collected from a sump, back into the main pit, thereby eliminating any contaminated mine water runoff from site. The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has been managing the key environmental issues at the Mount Chalmers Gold mine since the former operators Affinis Pty Ltd was placed into liquidation in December 2014. EHP is also supported by other government agencies including the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) who are providing scientific advice on technical aspects of site management. The primary ongoing focus is to prevent any discharge of contaminated water from the site.

With limited mains power available to the site the use of solar power was a perfect fit for this pumping application. Solar powered pump solutions are always improving, none more so than Grundfos Solar Water Solutions. During initial site inspections the pumps required operating duty was calculated to be 13L/sec @ 18.5m Total Head. To meet these high flow requirements a Grundfos Solar Inverter (RSI) was selected to power the Grundfos R Series Submersible Pump [SP46-3 5.5kw 415V] that the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection already had onsite. The Grundfos R Series SP46-3 is a Stainless Steel pump capable of handling the low pH, slightly acidic mine water (measuring between 2 & 3 pH) needing to be pumped.

Utilising a combination of Grundfos Solar Water Solution products (inverter / pump / solar panels) appealed to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection as it meant Dowdens could supply a system that not only costs less to install and maintain, but importantly can pump a larger volume of water under solar power. Put quite simply the ability to run large 415V pumps capable of greater pump duties is making the decision to 'go green' and install solar powered systems more attractive in the current climate, for miners and farmers alike.

Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton initially visited site to establish location of the solar arrays and calculate pump duty. Once known the following components were sourced and prepared for installation: 36 x 270 Watt Grundfos Solar Modules, 2 x 18 SolarTerrace Module Fixed Array Frames, 7.5 kW Grundfos RSI Inverter & Sine Wave Filter and 200m of 110mm PN10 Poly Pipe. The Grundfos SP46-3 5.5kw Pump was attached to a specialised float that sits on the surface of the sump (pictured below). Pump starts & stops via a level float switch mounted on 4m pole that can be swivelled over to the sump's bank should any maintenance be required.

Local contractors were then engaged to complete the site earthworks and trenching needed for all electrical conduits. Once the solar array support posts were cemented in place, Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton assembled the SolarTerrace Array Frames and mounted the 36 modules (2 x 18 Modules) ready for the electrical components to be installed.

Electrical contractors RILEC Electrical (accredited electrical/solar contractors) completed the electrical fit-out. As part of these works Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton delivered the Grundfos Solar Inverter Sinewave Filter & String Connection Box (pictured below) to the RILEC workshop so it could be mounted in a powdered coated, lockable enclosure with sufficient ventilation to ensure the inverter remains cool during the day. RILEC then brought the control box to site, mounted it and completed all wiring to meet electrical standards and the site specifications. All commissioning of this system was undertaken by Dowdens Pumping - Rockhampton.

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

Mount Chalmers Gold Mine ~ Solar Pumping System - Key Components:

• 36 x 270 Grundfos Watt Solar Modules
• Grundfos R Series Submersible Pump [SP46-3 5.5kw 415V]
• 7.5 kW Grundfos RSI Inverter & Sine Wave Filter

• 2 x 18 SolarTerrace Module Fixed Array Frames
• Specialised Float to suspend the Grundfos Submersible Pump on the sump's surface
• 200m of 110mm PN10 Poly Pipe

As an Australian owned company that began life in 1973 selling and servicing agricultural pumps, 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. 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 solar pumping and water treatment systems!

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment have successfully designed, installed and commissioned a specialised Ultraviolet filtration system for the Queensland Health Mackay Renal Unit.

Project Requirements: The original system operated by pumping town water to individual filtering stations where the water would pass through a 5 micron, 1 micron and carbon filter on its way to the dialysis machine (which has an internal reverse osmosis filter).

The issue Dowdens faced was the original system filters were only lasting between 5 - 15 hours, and by this stage they were black and needed to be replaced!

After reviewing detailed water test results, Dowdens designed a compact, reliable system where the existing pump was upgraded, a water softening unit was added to remove iron, calcium and manganese. Large cartridge filters were also installed to pre-filter the water before it entered a dedicated UV steriliser.

Using the above system the Mackay Renal Unit now only needs to replace the systems filters every 7 to 10 days - saving thousands of dollars in ongoing system maintenance costs!

Key Plant Features:

• Due to limited space the system design had to be compact and robust
• Complex pipework was needed to reticulate above and around existing equipment
• All water treatment system components needed the ability to be isolated to enable easy service and system part replacements
• PURION water softening unit to remove iron, calcium and manganese
• All plumbing and pipe fixtures installed by Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment
• Grundfos pump supplied on request from Queensland Health

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's Mackay Branch has completed commissioning of the Moranbah 'whole-of-town' Automated Irrigation System. This Dowdens designed irrigation system was delivered to improve the control and ongoing maintenance of township irrigation within Moranbah, QLD.

Isaac Regional Council (IRC) specified a number of key criteria during the tendering process that the system was to deliver. These system criteria included, but were not limited to: provide the ability for night time automatic irrigation to numerous local Athletics Fields that have previously been irrigated manually (using static sprinklers and travelling irrigators) during the day; to replace an aging irrigation system located on Mills Ave. and achieve an overall reduction in labour relating to ongoing maintenance.

Dowdens Mackay successful tender was centred on an innovative Central Control System that enabled remote monitoring and maintenance of the 52 irrigation sites throughout Moranbah. The Dowdens designed controller is based in the Goonyella Road Council Depot. Dowdens Central Control System comprises of a desktop computer, irrigation software, an online weather station and localised communication/data collection infrastructure (routers, modem and radio transmitters/receivers).

This irrigation system is the first time Central Control System architecture has been utilised anywhere in the Isaac Regional Council shire. The system transmits all data collected / collated via several forms of communication i.e. radio frequencies, internet connection (Wi-Fi / 3G) and direct wired connections.

The Dowdens designed Central Control System has the ability to communicate to all Toro Sentinel Controllers via either radio frequency or internet connection. The operator has the ability to program and monitor all controllers via the Central Controller. The operator can set independent watering days, start times and run times for each and every station (valve) connected to Sentinel Controllers. Each day a detailed activity report is sent to all operators notifying them of all system activities, such as no. of actual stations operated, how long for, if any stations recorded abnormal flow (high or low), system communication success or failures, abnormal solenoid coil current (high or low) and the status of all soil moisture sensors. Reports can easily be generated to show the history of all/specific system activities such as those listed above.

A wireless Weather Station and remote Soil Moisture Sensors were installed and connected to the Central Controller to efficiently monitor the regions weather conditions in real-time, and then adjust the systems parameters accordingly. The Weather Station and remote Soil Moisture Sensors are used primarily to prevent irrigation occurring during and after localised rain events and to calculate Evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation running times. For example the Central Control System is programmed to turn all irrigation off for 3 days (adjustable timeframe) when more than 10mm of rain is received on any 1 day (adjustable timeframe). Weather Station calculates the daily ET and automatically adjusts irrigation duration accordingly (lower ET = lower run time).

This systems has provided IRC control and monitoring capabilities of 52 irrigation sites throughout Moranbah from one central site. Delivering vastly improved energy and water use efficiencies this Dowdens designed irrigation systems features automatic shutdown of all irrigation during rain events; automatic adjustment of irrigation run times based on ET; daily automatic reporting of all irrigation sites activity; automatic irrigation for 75% of median strips located on Mills Avenue; addition of quick coupler valves to flush lateral lines thereby minimising blockages; automatic irrigation of Little Athletics / AFL Sporting fields resulting in reduced labour required for manual setup of irrigators; reduction of effluent contact with public via system only watering at night; filters on effluent mainline have minimised blockages to irrigation valve and sprinklers, thereby reducing labour required to clear blockages.

Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment's design philosophy for this project was: Cost Effectiveness - Current Best Practice - Ease of Installation - Simple & Effective System Operation - System Reliability & Delivering Greatly Reduced Ongoing Maintenance Requirements.

Moranbah Township Irrigation ~ Key System FEATURES & Components:

CENTRAL CONTROL ROOM Components

TORO Sentinel Water Management System software - EATON Computer with Printer, Router, UPS - DAVIS Vantage Pro2Plus Weather Station Console (Inside Temperature, Humidity, Barometric Pressure Sensors) - DAVIS Vantage Pro2Plus Integrated Sensor Suite (Anemometer, Tipping Rain Collector, UV Sensor, Solar Radiation Sensor, Outside Temperature Sensor, Outside Humidity Sensor) - WEATHERLINK Software - TORO NSN Support Systems (24/7 Phone Support for IRC operators)

FIELD CONTROLLERS Overview

Field (or Satellite) Controllers were installed at 52 sites throughout Moranbah. These units control the irrigation at their respective sites by direct wire connection to solenoid valves. The field controllers act as stand alone units, operating independently from the central controller. However all of the Controller's programming information comes via the Central Controller. This allows Field Controllers to operate even if the Central Controller is not operational for any reason (loss of power, phone network outages etc.). The Central Controller and Field Controllers automatically communicate at the end of each day to tabulate current programming changes, and again each morning to receive detailed system activity reports. The Field Controllers can be powered by AC if available on site, or DC via by 12V batteries trickle charged by solar panels.

Controllers were either mounted on existing structures or on Dowdens fabricated galvanised steel posts, hinged to allow access from ground level. Each of the 4 irrigated Sports Field sites have a wireless soil moisture sensor attached. The Field Controllers can be set to prevent watering when the soil moisture is above 50% of capacity (all are adjustable). A Mobile Soil Moisture Sensor was also supplied to allow IRC operators to manually test and record soil moisture levels at any location. All Field Controllers have a built in radio for communication to a 'Base' or 'Node' Controller. Base Controllers also have a 3G modem to communicate with the Central Controller.

MILLS AVENUE - MEDIANS IRRIGATION Overview

This portion of the project involved the design, supply and installation of 17 irrigation systems for all median strips on Mills Avenue, Moranbah (running from Goonyella Road to Clements Street). The existing systems were old, had unreliable battery powered controllers and required high levels of IRC operator maintenance. Most of the medians were generally turf with established large trees, approximately 10 metres wide, ranging anywhere from 10 - 230 metres long.

Each median irrigation system that Dowdens supplied consisted of: DC Sentinel Controller with radio, battery, panel, antenna, hinged pole, connection to existing Effluent mainline, flow sensors, isolation ball valves, solenoid valves / valve boxes, Toro T5 pop-up sprinklers with flexible risers and quick coupler valves placed at the end of the lines for flushing purposes.

LITTLE ATHLETICS / AFL FIELD IRRIGATION Overview

This portion of the project involved the design, supply and installation of an irrigation system for the Moranbah Little Athletics Field. The existing system consisted of a large travelling irrigator, which involved the IRC operator setting up the machine, manually turning it on and off and moving it to each position on the field. This produces uneven watering and often resulted in irrigation needing to undertaken during the day which goes against the applicable effluent re-use guidelines.

The irrigation system that Dowdens supplied incorporated: AC Sentinel Controller with radio & antenna (also incorporating AFL coverage), connection to existing Effluent mainline, 80 mm semi-automatic filter, flow sensors, isolation ball valves, solenoid valves / valve boxes, Toro 640 pop-up sprinklers with articulated risers and a wireless soil moisture sensor was installed on the AFL field to monitor soil moisture content.

MAINLINE FILTERS Overview

This portion of the project involved the design, supply and installation of semi-automatic filters at various locations along the effluent mainline. A 200 mm filter was installed in the mainline behind Moranbah High School, a 100 mm filter at Tallon Street and an 80 mm filter at the Athletics / AFL Field. Each of these filters included galvanised steel pipework to allow filters to be mounted above ground, isolation valves, filter, concrete pad and a Dowdens fabricated lockable enclosure. The filters are easily cleaned by opening a valve / turning a handle to allow the suction scanners to clean the entire filter without needing the removal of the element - a huge time saver for the IRC operators.

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