Delivering a relocatable switchroom to support the operation of a submersible borehole pump at Centennial Coal’s Springvale site.
Background:
We were contracted to develop a relocatable switchroom that would power a 700kW submersible borehole pump at Centennial Coal’s Springvale location.
The site has traditionally experienced major, widespread underground water issues. As a result, our solution needed to be relocatable to provide power for water pumping at various locations.
Solution:
We designed, manufactured, assembled and tested a relocatable switchroom that can power a 4kV variable frequency 700kW submersible borehole pump at a depth of 390m, with an output flow rate of 100 litres per second. We also commissioned high voltage switchgear and a Toshiba VVVF Drive System. The completed solution was delivered to Newnes Plateau ready to support operations.
Outcome:
We celebrated a number of achievements throughout this project:
As an expert in hazardous area design, we developed the switchroom with the borehole in mind, which extended through the mine coal seam. For this reason, the borehole was considered a Group I Hazardous Area.
Explosion protection was a design requirement for the borehole and pumping operations. The protection technique is based on Ex p (pressurised) and involved air purging and continuous monitoring.
Monitoring equipment to achieve Ex p reached a rating of SIL 2 high demand monitoring of the hazardous zone.
This relocatable switchroom is also the first in a series of switchroom designs for this site. Additional units are due to be designed and delivered to the customer in the coming year.
