PROJECT BACKGROUND

In October 2011, Waiward was awarded by Krupp Canada the fabrication of 2 crushing plants for the MLMR Project.

The crushing plants are part of the overall MLMR OPP facilities, which provide Syncrude with 2 additional mining trains and position Syncrude for decades of continued production. The new mine incorporated Syncrude’s wet crushing technology, which is expected to improve bitumen recovery and reduce maintenance requirements.

Waiward was awarded the construction of the 2 crusher discharge conveyors, the 4 train surge bin and the 2 slurry preparation plants.

STRATEGY

Our off-site fabrication work included detailing, fabrication and trial assembly of the crushers. Drafting was executed using Tekla Structures and was completed in both our Langley, BC office and our Edmonton, AB  office. The crusher fabrication included complex platework pieces that field bolt together to create a large bin that the mining trucks dump their ore into. These plants use an apron feeder and double crusher rolls to transfer material to the crusher discharge conveyor.

Our construction scope of work included majority of the construction above anchor bolts, with the exception of electrical and instrumentation. This included structural, mechanical, pumps, cladding, concrete, grouting, piping, scaffolding and other secondary services.

A project of this complex nature and size presented many challenges. The surge bin was manufactured in Korea, the slurry preparation plant steel was manufactured in the UK and the mechanical equipment was sourced globally. The steel structures were designed to withstand the dynamic loading.

Our strategy to execute the crusher portion of this project was to utilize one of our over dimensional fabrication shops to fabricate and trial assemble the crusher off-site. Once fit-up was confirmed, we disassembled the pieces and shipped them to site. For the site work, this scope was executed by one of our teams that is experienced with constructing these facilities. We have dedicated site teams that build and maintain these plants regularly, allowing them to apply their lessons learned and optimize the construction program.

RESULTS & VALUE

This project employed personnel from drafting, fabrication and our construction departments. Off-site drafting and fabrication work expended approximately 85,000 hours and 850,000 construction manhours were completed at the project site.  The project team was able to execute a very complex and large scale construction project over a 2 year period, while managing project risks. Waiward’s experience with OPP Facilities was critical to the program’s success.

 The MLMR mine positions Syncrude for long-term production, with best-in-class technology. Their studies concluded that the wet crushing improves bitumen recovery by a significant margin and Waiward was grateful to be a partner on this project.