Mining & Industrial Projects

Iron Ore Processing Facility

Client - PWR

Complete Fire Design was engaged by PWR to provide Fire Protection Engineering services for an Iron Ore processing facility at a major producers’ mine site in Western Australia in accordance with FM Global Requirements.

Based on an FM Global assessment and our site inspection, it was determined that the conveyor belts had not been provided with automatic fire sprinkler / deluge protection as required by the FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets for Conveyors. A partially completed sprinkler system had previously been installed for the conveyors located inside tunnels. However, a sprinkler alarm valve or deluge valve wasn’t installed and as such the system was not compliant with the FM Global Requirements.

As part of its scope of works, Complete Fire Design was engaged to undertake a detailed design to convert these partially installed systems into a compliant deluge system design. We prepared fabrication sheets and assisted with procurement of the fire water equipment, construction administration activities and commissioning of the system.

Complete Fire Design was initially engaged by CBH to undertake a review of their existing fire hydrant system protecting the company’s Kwinana Grain Terminal and associated Wharf. Based on our initial review we noted several opportunities for improvement in relation to water supplies and working pressures around the site. Based on this assessment Complete Fire Design was engaged to design a hydrant system upgrade for the site.

Due to the size of the facility and areas interconnected with conveyor belts, any hydrant system works would have required extensive onsite water storage. Through onsite meetings with the Private Building Surveyor a strategy was presented and adopted to provide a performance based hydrant system design based on the expected worst-case fire scenarios. As part of the performance based design the following modifications are being investigated to achieve a functional and cost effective design:

• Reduced fire water tank sizes.
•  Provision of one set of pumps and tanks for the two sites utilising two pressure zones
• Full capacity pumps with dual feeds for redundancy to enable the fire brigade to use the same set of pumps in lieu of providing an additional  fire brigade booster pump,
• Provision of a single main to the wharf in lieu of a ring main.
• Hydrants being spaced at locations which allowed savings in pipework and in particular risers in the working house.

Complete Fire Design provided full tender documentation and tender support services to CBH including answering Contractor RFI’s, evaluating tender submissions, requesting tender clarifications, and providing recommendations on value for money.