Yabulu Nickel Refinery is located approximately 30 km from of the City of Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. In 2005, Bundaberg Walkers won the contract to fabricate and supply the Calciner Discharge Rotary Cooler for the Yabulu Extension Project (YEP). The YEP planned to produce nickel and cobalt from a new feedstock supply and the No. 2 Rotary Cooler was an integral component of this project.

The water jacketed Rotary Cooler is designed to receive and cool product from the Calciner (calcine). The calcine enters the rotary cooler at a temperature of 1,100ºC to 1,200ºC and as it passes through at a feed rate of 8.2 tonne per hour, it is cooled to a discharge temperature of <100ºC.

The scope of works included fabrication and supply of the rotary cooler including the jacketed shell, piping components, discharge hood and chute, drive assembly, riding roller assembly and various structural steel and associated components.

Considering the design conditions of the unit, the product and the required service, the shell and jacket was manufactured in accordance with the Australian Pressure Vessel Standard AS1210 Class 1 and Class 3 and Pressure Piping AS4041 Class 3. Welding of structural components was carried out in accordance with AS1554 Structural Steel Welding – Weld Category SP.

Strict compliance with all statutory regulations and customer specifications was required. Accordingly, a high level of inspection and testing was undertaken and supported by a comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) program. QA documentation included the provision of material certificates, heat treatment records, welder qualifications, welding procedures, inspection and test plans, ‘as-built’ drawings, installation and operating manuals for associated equipment, Manufacturer’s Data Report (MDR) and any other documentation required by AS1210, AS4041 and AS1554.

Fabrication, assembly and surface treatment were carried out at the Bundaberg Walkers Gavin Street works. Prior to acceptance and dispatch, the water jacket was hydrostatically tested to a pressure of 600kPag.

The complete assembly was transported to site by road under special escort. Finally the unit was successfully installed and commissioned by the owner in 2006.

Throughout this project Bundaberg Walkers worked closely with the end user and the independent third party inspection authority to ensure the timely and successful completion of this high quality product. For more information on this project and other examples of projects and services available, contact Bundaberg Walkers directly.