Background

In 2018, project developer T-Ports appointed Ahrens, a premier Australian-owned engineering and construction firm with over 120 years of experience, to manage the 358-hectare Lucky Bay port site.

As the lead construction company for the shallow harbor grain terminal, Ahrens was tasked with delivering Stage 1 of this landmark $115 million project in time for the 2018/201919 harvest. To ensure the facility met world-class environmental and safety standards, Ahrens collaborated with Mideco to provide specialized dust management solutions for the road intake and conveyor systems.

Problem

With construction beginning in mid-July 2018 and a tight deadline for the December harvest, Ahrens required a dust control partner that could deliver reliable solutions capable of handling high grain volumes. The terminal, handling grain at a density of 0.75t/m³, faced several critical challenges:

• Extreme Dust Concentrations: Pick-up points expected grain dust ranging from 10 to 50 microns, with concentrations soaring up to 46 grams per cubic meter.
• Zero-Waste: To maximize efficiency, all captured dust had to be returned directly to the product stream rather than discarded.
• Harsh Coastal Conditions: The system must have filters of weather-tight construction to operate at ambient air conditions in a coastal port environment.
• Operational Simplicity: Given the scale of the facility, the design had to prioritize ease of maintenance, allowing even non-specialized personnel to perform routine tasks safely.

Solution

Mideco engineered a dual-layer system that managed dust from the moment a truck unloads at the intake building until the grain reached the reclaim conveyors.

1. Burnley® Baffles (Dust Suppression)

At the road intake building, Mideco installed Model 1 Burnley Baffles across the two primary receiving pits.

• How it Works: By gravity-closing the hopper top, the baffles encapsulate the air displaced during high-velocity unloading. This prevents 80% of dust from escaping into the atmosphere.
• Energy Efficiency: Since the baffles are gravity-operated and require no power, they significantly reduced the energy load on the dust collector. With ECP dust collectors specifically installed to vent the receiving pits from beneath the baffles, 100% dust reduction was achieved.

2. Economy Jet Pulse (ECP) Dust Collectors

For comprehensive dust management, several units of ECP 16, 28, and 60 dust collectors were also installed across the conveyor network.

• Versatile Mounting: The units were designed to utilize the building’s existing structural steel for support, minimizing the footprint on the truck delivery road.
• Safety-First Maintenance: The jet-pulse system allows for individual components to be serviced without disturbing the entire unit. To meet OHS requirements, Mideco integrated a safety ball valve that automatically bleeds compressed air when the system is isolated.
• Closed-Loop Recovery: The ECP units are designed to capture dust from the receiving pits and conveyors, returning every gram of captured grain directly back into the main product stream.

Result

By partnering with Mideco, Ahrens successfully set a new benchmark for clean grain handling, occupational health and environmental protection in South Australia. The system not only protected the surrounding environment of the Eyre Peninsula but also ensured that T-Ports could operate a high-capacity, zero-waste terminal.

Today, the Lucky Bay site remains a testament to durable engineering, featuring 24,000 tons of silo storage and dust management systems built to last through decades of coastal operation.

Is your facility meeting the highest OHS standards for grain dust management? Contact us for solutions.