Washing, Blending And Transporting Coal
Washing and Blending the Coal
During the coal preparation process, operators monitor conditions such as froth flotation to ensure that Illawarra Coal product meets customer specifications.
Illawarra Coal washes and blends its coal at coal preparation plants at West Cliff and the Dendrobium Washery at Port Kembla.
Washery yields of up to 90 per cent are achieved for coking coal.
Energy coal yields up to 20 per cent. The washeries at West Cliff Colliery and Dendrobium use a combination of drums, jigs, cyclones, and flotation to produce clean coal.
The West Cliff colliery washery has a capacity of 1050 tonnes per hour and also has storage areas for clean and raw coal. The Dendrobium washery has a capacity of 535 tonnes per hour, as well as large storage areas for clean and raw coals.
Transporting the Coal
Coal loaded train
Raw coal is transported to processing facilities where it is washed, stockpiled and blended for consumption by BlueScope Steel, export and domestic customers.
A combination of trucks, conveyor and rail is used to move coal from the mines to the various processing facilities, and the Port Kembla Coal Terminal (details below).
Coal road-hauled to the Terminal is serviced by surge bins that provide for continuous discharge, while trains are unloaded elsewhere.
Coal can, if required, be transported directly from rail or road to the ship loader. Stacking area at the port consists of two yards, each 50 metres wide and 1000 metres long with the capacity to hold 850,000 tonnes.
Stacking is done by four rail-mounted luffing stackers, each with a nominal capacity of 3,700 tonnes per hour.
The coal is reclaimed by two rail-mounted bucket reclaimers each with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes.
Port Kembla Coal Terminal Details
| Draft at Low Water | |
|---|---|
| Entrance Channel | 15.25m |
| Approach Channel | 15.25m |
| Berth | 16.25m |
| Vessel Limits | |
| Length | 315m |
| Beam | 50m |
| Maximum Vessel Size | 150 000 tonnes deadweight |
| Loading Capacity | |
| Loaders x tonnes/hour | 2 x 5000 |
| Stockpile capacity | 850 000 |
| Annual capacity | 15-17 million tonnes per year |
