From the depths oF the earth: bringing up 10,000 tons in less than Four weeks.the aurora mine, alberta, Canada

Discover more on www.mammoet.com

week 1

week 4

surge bin being moved Job Completed suCCessFully and saFely

how a unique JaCking system saved at least $5,000,000.

week 4

spF on 168 axle lines oF spmtweek 3

tailor-made JaCking system

a Z

The Aurora mine is one of the

largest combined oil sands

mining and refinery facilities in

the world. Mammoet was asked

to relocate two of its process

trains, which meant moving the

complete trains from the bottom

of an open mine to their new

location at the top. The operation

involved transporting loads in

excess of 3,000 tons over two and

a half kilometers up a 6.4% grade

hill. Through the application of a

range of tailor-made equipment

and techniques, Mammoet

completed the dangerous

relocation without incident and

five days ahead of schedule.

From the moment the power to the

process train was turned off, the

mine’s output dropped and the

clock began to tick. There were

three active process trains in the

mine, which meant Mammoet had

to work amid the constant traffic of

heavy haulers feeding raw oil sand

into the other two trains.

The heaviest component was the

Slurry Prep Facility (SPF), estimated

to weigh in at around 3,300 tons.

In total, Mammoet had to move

approximately 20,000 tons of

equipment up to the top of the mine

via a steep and treacherous road in

two phases of less than four weeks

each.

As the mine was built on moving oil

sand deposits, Mammoet tested

ground compaction along the entire

way before transporting any

modules. Besides terrain stability,

one of the main challenges was

how to safely jack the SPF and

support it while the SPMTs were

rolled under it. The concerns were

not so much about weight as about

structural integrity. Mammoet

designed a unique jacking system

that allowed the incremental jacking

and support of the construction

whilst maintaining a balanced

weight distribution during each

stage of the lift. The system jacked

the 3,300-ton building four feet in

the air and supported it for two

days while 168 axle lines of SPMT

were positioned underneath.

Each process train was moved in

approximately four weeks without a

single incident. Thanks to the

success of the SPF jacking system

and by moving multiple loads

simultaneously, Mammoet short-

ened the overall schedule by five

days. These time savings allowed

re-commissioning works at the new

location to start earlier than

expected. The client estimated that

each workday eliminated from the

schedule represented a per day

savings of 1 million to 1.5 million

dollars.

ResouRces

cRanes 2 crawler cranes7 hydraulic cranes

TRanspoRT 202 axle lines of SPMT32 axle lines of conventional trailers3 prime movers

special equipmenT 10,000Te Hydraulic Jacking System

cRew 62 Mammoet professionals