commissioning and industrialisation of the mulwala ... · at the end of commissioning, we had a...

COMMISSIONING AND INDUSTRIALISATION OF THE

MULWALA PROPELLANT FACILITY

TRANSITION FROM PROJECT TO PRODUCTION - SAFELY

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COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

Mulwala Facility Background Propellant manufacturing plant & infrastructure constructed 1942/43 Facility has been in continuous operation since construction. Only remaining Australian manufacturing source of military propellant, explosives & rocket motors

29 March 2007 – Federal Parliament approves Project

2016 – Transition from Commissioning to Industrialisation commences.

400 Employees (approx)

300 Buildings (approx); Site Area 1030 Hectare

Customers & Products Key Product Streams Propellants – Military & Commercial High Explosives (RDX/TNT 60/40, TNT,

RDX Desensitised, PE4) IM – PBX mixing & filling Calcium Nitrate Dilute Nitric Acid (40 – 60%) Others (hexamine tablets, ether)

Consolidated Quality Management System certified to ISO9001:2008

Laboratory is NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) registered to ISO17025

Environmental Management System, certified to ISO 14001:2004

cAEO (commercial Authorised Engineering Organisation)

MHF (Major Hazard Facility) licence 2010-001

Facility Accreditation

What features make the plant safer

GUIDING PRINCIPLE

Expose the smallest amount of people, to the smallest amount of energetics, for the smallest amount of time

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Safety by design.

What feature make the plant safer• Expose the smallest amount of people, to the smallest amount of energetics, for the

smallest amount of time• Safety features by design:

Water slurry – transport of NC safely.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people from the process.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people from the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people from the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.1.3 HD Fire walls.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellants

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated SystemsAutomatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellantsFire flash screens.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Distributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellantsFire flash screens.Ultra high speed deluge systems.

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Camera’sDistributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellantsFire flash screens.Ultra high speed deluge systems.Automation. (BLDG 258 packing)

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Camera’sDistributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellantsFire flash screens.Ultra high speed deluge systems.Automation. (258 packing)Camera’s

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Safety by design.



Water slurry – transport of NC safely.Remote operations – remove people form the process.Camera’sDistributive Control System and Safety Integrated Systems. Automatic transfer of buggy’s between buildings.Blast walls.LEL monitoring of hazardous vapours.Compliant guarding and interlocking.Water Vey of propellantsFire flash screens.Ultra high speed deluge systems.Automation. (258 packing)Camera’sNitrogen Blanketing

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Safety by design.

What feature make the plant environmentally compliant

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Environmental Compliance.

Group 6 compliance for Nox emissions.MEF emissions levels – 2000 mg/m3MMF emission levels – 350 mg/m3

Group 6 compliance for Vox emissions.MEF emissions levels – NO LIMIT MMF emission levels – 40 mg/m3

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The Process PFD.

The primary intent was to close the old plant, as rapid as possible’ , through industrialisation of the new plant. At the end of commissioning, we had a plant that had made a product that looked and

behaved like propellant – a couple of times.

The challenge in developing final product conformance, and exercising the plant under full consistent operational load means you need an outlet for product produced.

Initial industrialisation phase meant we could pressure the plant, and find a home for it’s manufactured product, by blending back into commercial volumes. Industrialisation was intended to load the

plant to identify plant issue not experienced during the limited commissioning runs, and to replicate and cannibalise volumes from the old plant by blending. Initially by small percentage until we could consume the volume from the old process to the new, and constantly address any safety

issues to ensure the process remained stable and robust.

This phase is nearing completion, and whilst production efficiency remains an ongoing challenge, the new plant is at ‘Initial Operating Capability.’

So, some examples of how we industrialised and safely resolve issues we experienced.

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Mixing Extrusion/Cutting Solvent RecoveryWater Dry Deterrent Coating Drying Glazing /Sieving

Water Vey(Solvent) Water VeyWater Vey

Sample A1Sample A2Sample B3

Sample A3Sample B4Sample C2

Sample A4Sample B5Sample C3Sample D2

Extrusion/Cutting Solvent RecoveryWater Dry Deterrent Coating Drying Glazing /Sieving

Sample B1 Sample B2 Sample C1 Sample D1 Sample E1

1. Test effect of water vey 3. Test Drying 4. Test Glazing2. Test DeterrentCoating

Colloid (MRP formulation)

Base Grain

Wet Deterred

Base Grain

Dried Deterred

Base Grain

1.5 tonne 1.5 tonne 0.75 tonne 0.75 tonne 0.60 tonne

1.5 tonne 1.;0 tonne 1.0 tonne 0.75-1.0 tonne

Lab Water Jet Simulation

How we tested the plant capabilities.

Existing Facility Process

Modernised Process

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Mixing Extrusion DF Cutting

Solvent RecoveryWater Dry

Deterrent Coating Drying Glazing

Sieving


Extrusion M&T Cutting



Sieving

Industrialisation

Packing

Blending Packing

Alcoholisation

Nitration

MixingAlcoholisation

Nitration

Industrialisation.Industrialisation.

Modernised Process


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MixingExtrusion DF Cutting



Sieving





Sieving

Industrialisation.

Packing

Blending

Alcoholisation

Nitration


Nitration

Alcoholised NC.Final Grain blended at 50%.Target Grain at 100%

Modernised Process


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Sieving





Sieving

Industrialisation.

Packing

Blending

Alcoholisation

Nitration


Nitration


Modernised Process

Broken Stirrer shaft

Broken Steam Eductor

Steam Hammer

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Sieving


Modernised Process




Deterrent Coating Drying

Industrialisation

PackingBlendingAlcoholisation

Nitration


Nitration


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Sieving


Modernised Process




Deterrent Coating Drying

Industrialisation


Nitration


Nitration


Product carryover –glaze & Sieve

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Sieving




Industrialisation


Nitration

Mixed Colloid.Final Grain blended at 50%.Target Grain at 100%

Mixing

Modernised Process


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Sieving




Industrialisation


Nitration

Mixed Colloid.Final Grain blended at 50%.Target Grain at 100%

Mixing

Modernised Process


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MixingExtrusion M&TCutting



Sieving

Modified Water Vey

Water VeyWater Vey

Industrialisation


Nitration

Mixed Colloid.Target Grain at 100%

Modified Pre Solvent Recovery

process

Modernised Process

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MixingExtrusion M&TCutting



Sieving

Modified Water Vey

Water VeyWater Vey

Industrialisation


Nitration

Mixed Colloid.Target Grain at 100%

Modified Pre Solvent Recovery

process

Modernised Process

burn rate testing (the modified UN series test for 4.1)

Bdg 210 -Solvent

manufacture and

reclamation

604E – Admin and Control

Room

253 –Propellant

press and cut

252 – Mixing NC with

solvents, etc.

134 – Removing water from NC, adding ethanol

131 –Cellulose shredding

132 – Nitration. (Adding

cellulose to Nitric/sulfuric

acids)

133 – NC stabilisation

258 – Propellant packing

257 – Propellant glazing and

sieving

254A&B –Propellant

solvent removal256A&B –Propellant

drying


SummaryThe ongoing success of industrialisation could not have been achieved without a collaborative approach with the various elements of DoD working to a common goal.

Get the right people, get the right experience, get the right relationships. Once we got the partnership right, we really started getting an industrialised plant.

The plant is new – treat it with great respect – historic safety approaches are not necessarily the same.

To Date:More than a 1000 tonne of NC.140 tonne propellant processed through the Propellant Finishing process. (SR/WD and beyond50 tonne of 100% single pass – entirely manufactured on the new facility.660 tonne through glazing / packing

Safely.

For 2018, the plan is to optimise and attain efficient production rates, and to continue to evolve the safety management of the facility.

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QUESTIONS

commissioning and industrialisation of the mulwala ... · at the end of commissioning, we had a...

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