While checking out the conveyor belt from a nearby access road the automatic sensor gate starting flashing and began to open. Shortly we saw a car way off in the distance with its headlights on heading our way. We took off like rabbits thinking we were in trouble but the mine vehicle soon turned up and crossed through the gates after which it began to close.
We came out from the tree we were hiding behind sighing with relief and then had a good, long giggle about it. It was at this point we decided to place a cache in memory of our experience.
Welcome to the Overland Bauxite Conveyor. It is a cable hauled conveyor system (cable belt). Over a decade ago the glideseal idler roller was developed to address problems experienced by conveyor operators relating to the premature failure of rollers in harsh environments.
Additional benefits of the roller design are lower vibration and noise emissions and safer handling.
All vehicles travelling along the conveyor use the wash-down facility at the refinery to prevent the introduction of potentially infected soil to dieback free areas and to prevent jarrah dieback spreading through the adjacent forest.
Bauxite is transported from the Boddington bauxite mine (Saddleback ore body) via 2 cable conveyors (in series). They also have a newer mine with its own conveyor at Marradong which conveys the ore to the stockpiles at Saddleback for transfer to the refinery.
Bauxite ore crushed at the mine is discharged onto a conveyor 9.4km long equipped with a 915mm wide belt running at 6.5m/sec with a drive station at Arundel.
At this point the ore is transferred to a second conveyor 8.8km long equipped with a 915mm wide belt running at 5.5m/sec with drive stations at Arundel and Bancell. This second conveyor delivers ore to the bauxite stockpiles at the Worsley refinery. The OBC is used by Worsley and BHP.
