BOHOGS will be hosting a Technical Meeting in Moranbah on Tuesday the 22nd October 2024. Dr John Eckersley will be presenting two sessions on “Geotechnical Issues In Coking Coal Stockpiles” aimed at Geotechnical Engineers, CHPP Superintendents, Stockpile Supervisors & Coal Metallurgists.
Please forward this event on within your company to CHPP Superintendents, stockpile supervisors, CHPP operators and coal metallurgists, or whoever you’d think would benefit from this event!
Event Outline:
This will be a 2-session event presented by John Eckersley, a retired geotechnical engineer, and author of the ACARP Report on coal stockpiles (C4057 – “Moisture changes & stability problems in coking coal stockpiles”, June 2000). It will mostly relate to coking coal stockpiles (but not exclusively, since there is now evidence that washed thermal coal with sufficient fines can suffer similar problems).
Coal stockpile slips presenting serious risks were first observed at Hay Point in the early 1970s and continued to occur at port stockpiles until at least 1991. Since the early 1980s, they have become an issue at Coal Preparation Plant (CPP) product stockpiles with a fatality in NSW in 1987, and significant Bowen Basin slips as recently as 2018.
Date:
Tuesday 22nd October, 2024
Time: 12:00 to 3:00pm with social drinks/dinner after
Location:
Western Heritage Motor Inn – 1 Mills Ave, Moranbah QLD 4744.
Agenda:
- 12:00 – 12:30pm: Registration and welcome
- 12:30 – 1:15pm: SESSION 1: CPP Superintendents, Stockpile Supervisors, Coal Metallurgists and Geotechnical Engineers
- 1:15 – 1:30pm: Questions & discussion, refreshments
- 1:30 – 2:15pm: SESSION 2: Geotechnical Engineers
- 2:15 – 2:30pm: Questions & discussion, refreshments
- 2:30pm onwards: social drinks/dinner (be confirmed once finalised)
Session 1: CHPP Superintendents, Stockpile Supervisors, Coal Metallurgists and Geotechnical Engineers
Session 1 will provide a general description of coal stockpile stability issues and their consequences, and especially sudden large rapidly moving flowslides. It will outline important factors in their formation, how to identify where they are likely, and potential risk reduction measures. It is designed for CPP Superintendents, Stockpile Supervisors, Coal Metallurgists and Geotechnical Engineers.
Session 2: Geotechnical Engineers
Session 2 will build on the information introduced in the first, with more technical description of factors that contribute to stockpile instability. It will discuss the data needed for meaningful analyses of moisture movements and stockpile slope stability, what is currently known, and aspects that require more investigation. It is primarily designed for Geotechnical Engineers, although others may also benefit.
RSVP:
To RSVP for the event, please email Dan Payne (dan.payne@bhp.com) before Friday 18th of October 2024. You can directly email Dan or use the buttons below.
Please also confirm:
- Will you be attending the event in person or online
- Will you be attending social drinks/dinner
Online Meeting:
The Technical Meeting will be available online. An online meeting link will be send to all BOHOGS members and RSVP recipients the day before the event.
The Presenter:
John Eckersley spent the first 3½ years of his career as geotechnical engineer at Goonyella Mine, returning to James Cook University in late 1980 to complete PhD study. He then spent 17 years lecturing in civil and geotechnical engineering while also researching coal stockpile stability and moisture issues. John left JCU in early 1998 and spent the remainder of his career in geotechnical consulting, working for Coffey (1998 – 2017) and then AECOM (2017 – April 2019). Since retiring he has attempted to tidy up some unfinished business in our ability to conduct meaningful seepage and stability analyses of coal stockpiles. This work was published in three papers in Australian Geomechanics in 2022 and 2023.
