Boyne Smelter Qld Welcomes a ASC Alumina M8 Sweeper
Brickyards & Aluminium Smelters
Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) operation is located at Boyne Island in Central Queensland. It is Australia’s second-largest aluminium smelter.
The company manufactures carbon anodes in the carbon plant, aluminium production (smelting) in its reduction lines, and casting of molten metal into aluminium.
The Problem
Boyne Smelter is a massive facility. They have three pot rooms and expanded concrete aprons that need to be swept on an hourly basis. The management of Boyne Smelter was looking for a replacement for their sweeper in the market. They contacted ASC as they are an approved Rio Tinto supplier.
They requested demonstrations of both the ASC Dulevo 3000 street sweeper and the new ASC purpose-built M8 alumina sweeper. Both units were brought to their site for demonstration, where they were thoroughly tested. While both units performed very well, the operators preferred the new ASC M8 sweeper as it had numerous features that the larger ASC Dulevo 3000 did not.
They included a 2-meter sweeping path which enabled them to access corners much easier due to its 3-wheel footprint and shorter length, which ensured it could sweep closer to the pots. The operators also liked both the cabin layout, ease of use, and general comfort of the ASC M8.
Electrical interference is a major issue in all smelters & Boyne Smelter was keen to address this issue given the amount of time it would sweep in pot rooms as it can play havoc on all vehicles running in the pot rooms. (Forklifts, tow vehicles, trucks &Utesetc).
Thankfully, the ASC M8 is built with few electrical components and is totally hydraulically driven. During the demonstration, there was ZERO electrical interference on the ASC M8 when it ran along the pot rooms proving a major win for the smelter as it eliminated problematic breakdowns.
Following the demonstration, the operators informed management that the M8 was what they wanted on their site.
The Solution
A new ASC Eureka’s M8 was delivered to the site with a fully enclosed cabin and air-conditioning system. A special Breathe Safe breather system was added to the cabin to ensure only clean air entered the cabin while working.
ASC’s Rafael Rodrigues liaised with the Boyne Smelter Management team to deliver a successful result for the smelter.