When it came time to upgrade a vital piece of BHP infrastructure at Port Hedland, the engineering company responsible decided it would need to think bigger.
They named it “Rubino” in honour of John Rubino, a “larger-than-life” presence who chaired engineering construction firm Monadelphous for more than 30 years. It can lift the equivalent of three Boeing 747s at a radius of 42 m. If it were a building, it would be the third tallest in Western Australia.
With a load capacity of 1600 t and a hook height of 231 m, Rubino is a crane – one that operates at a Godzilla-level scale unfathomable in everyday life.
“This crane provided a significant increase in capacity for Monadelphous,” Jon Mallory, Engineering Manager – Heavy Lift, at Monadelphous, told create. “With a total of 1155 t of counterweight in the right configuration, it has one of the biggest lift capacities currently in Australia.”
The right crane for the right job
Listed under the name CC.88.1600-1 if you’re flipping through manufacturer Tadano’s product catalogue, Rubino isn’t the type of crane a company procures for ordinary work.
For Monadelphous, the decision to add one of the nation’s biggest cranes to its inventory came when the company was engaged to upgrade Car Dumper 3 (CD3), part of BHP’s Nelson Point facility at Port Hedland.
A car dumper looks like a gigantic cotton spool, and it’s used to unload iron ore transported from deep in the Pilbara by kilometres-long trains so that it can be shipped overseas.
An entire rail car, holding an average of 135 t of ore, is inserted into the dumper. The dumper inverts the car, gravity does its work, then the dumper rights the empty car and sends it on its way.
“Rubino was the perfect choice for this project due to its exceptional lifting capacity and agility enabling us to efficiently remove, refurbish and reinstall two car dumper cells at the Nelson Point facility,” Mallory said.
“We knew the CD3 project was planned, and we worked with the team at Tadano to ensure we had the right crane to address the complexities of the project.”
It makes sense to collaborate with the manufacturer when introducing such a specialist piece of equipment, and Tadano’s involvement with Monadelphous’s new crane didn’t end at its arrival 12 months ago.
“Since the delivery of the Rubino crane into Australia, Monadelphous has worked closely with Tadano to carry out essential pre-planning and commissioning activities,” Mallory said. “These included conducting test assemblies and lifts, as well as technical training for our teams and operational testing, which Rubino passed with flying colours.”
Ready to go
Despite the crane’s size, Mallory said, the crane’s agility and ease of handling is remarkable – a quality he attributes to innovative engineering from Tadano.
But Rubino still requires careful logistical consideration when it is put into action, and skilled operators control it directly to ensure precision and safety.
“It’s a 1600 t capacity crane, so every aspect of this crane needs to be comprehensively engineered and planned,” Mallory said. “We also need to ensure all contingencies are covered and we can plan for boom down when there is potential for high winds.”
Transportation, unloading and assembly are all important logistical parts of the process.
“The number of trailers, availability of temporary storage and size of the assembly area need to all be considered during the planning phase to enable a smooth and efficient build.
“Engineers are involved to produce accurate and complete lift studies to ensure safe and well-planned operations using all available information and software – 3D included. The lift supervisor and operators’ team follow these approved plans to ensure safe and reliable operations.”
Greater lift
Over Rubino’s first year in action, Mallory’s team has found ways to improve its operation.
“We have been able to assess Rubino in terms of logistics and operational integration, which has driven us to innovate new methodologies, such as shifting from roll-in roll-out techniques to utilise the crane’s full lifting capacity,” he said.
“Working closely with Tadano, we have identified further opportunities for improvement with the design of an access stair adopted to enhance the safety of the Rubino crane. This addition enables safe access to the operating cab for [the] crane operator, and safe and simple access for visitors.”
Looking to the future, Mallory sees many ways Monadelphous can make use of Rubino’s size, such as in major mining, energy and renewables projects.
“It also increases our capacity for infrastructure work scopes, as well as both onshore and offshore wind projects,” he said. “As wind turbine generator capacity increases, so too does weight and height, which Rubino enables us to manage.”
Rubino, he said, could be combined with self-propelled modular transporters or other special devices to provide bespoke solutions for tailing and installing large columns or vessels.
“The crane market is projected to expand significantly, driven by advancements in crane technology and increasing investments in industrial and infrastructural development. The demand for larger cranes is expected to grow as construction and infrastructure projects become more complex and ambitious.”
