The client engaged Carnac to undertake a preliminary engineering assessment of required upgrades to achieve an increase in refinery throughput, which included both production generating upgrades, such as those that would increase alumina precipitation yield and liquor flows, and production enabling upgrades.

Carnac was engaged to provide a process and controls engineering team to reduce process variability and controller input to the remote operations of the client's assets, using new data and the OSI PI toolset.

The Alumina Refinery was set to decommission their Cogeneration facility, which would reduce the supply capacity for low pressure and medium pressure steam for use in various facilities across the refinery. Carnac developed a hydraulic model for each of the low pressure and medium pressure steam systems using Piping Systems Fluid Flow and the hydraulic review of the system identified which nodes did not meet the required supply criteria.

As the life of mine has developed, some pits have progressed to below water table operations. Carnac was engaged by the client to undertake a study to assess the preliminary engineering study performed internally by the client and identify further work to progress design with regards to plans for dewatering.

The client aims to expand production rates from 24Mtpa of iron ore to 28Mtpa by 2015. The ore is processed on site before being loaded onto rail. Carnac was commissioned to provide advice and recommendations regarding options to realise sustained production with lower operating costs, with works expected to be implemented between 2015 and 2017.