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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 9:32:02 GMT -5
I see CPL is going to replace the concrete tower with a steel one. From what I see, a contractor is going to cut the tower off at it's base, and move it clear of the shaft...
I assume this is so it can be demolished without chucks going down the shaft and causing serious damage.
I know, I know, I should have posted the links to the animated tower moving...I'll see if I can locate the videos later today.
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 10:25:39 GMT -5
Here's one of the videos.
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Post by Wheldale on Feb 21, 2013 10:55:51 GMT -5
Harworth did both like that. How come the tower is being replaced? I wonder if sea salt is affecting the concrete?
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 11:18:48 GMT -5
Harworth did both like that. How come the tower is being replaced? I wonder if sea salt is affecting the concrete?
My guess is the concrete is cracking through aging. When I worked there, there was a lot of movement when the skips discharged, used to make me nervous.... |
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Post by Wheldale on Feb 21, 2013 11:25:57 GMT -5
One of the shafts at harworth had the old head gear slid out from under the new one. The second shaft the new headgear was built at the side and then slid over the shaft I believe.
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 11:32:01 GMT -5
One of the shafts at harworth had the old head gear slid out from under the new one. The second shaft the new headgear was built at the side and then slid over the shaft I believe.
I wonder if thats when they have plans for doing shaft relining repairs through the marl layer near the bottom of the shafts.. |
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Post by Wheldale on Feb 21, 2013 14:00:35 GMT -5
Yeah a few years later the smaller shaft was done. But the new tower was built next to the old head gear. Old one was slid out, new one was slid into place. Great piece of engineering.
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Post by Wheldale on Feb 21, 2013 14:03:10 GMT -5
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 14:45:37 GMT -5
The photo's I have go back to the NCB modernization of Harworth, it shows the new tower being cast in situ around the old headstocks wheldale, like an inverted "U". A huge concrete structure. As soon as Photobucket clears up it's problem I'll upload the photos and post them here.
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 14:50:53 GMT -5
Here you go, thanks to Shane Phillips.
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 14:56:01 GMT -5
Here's another angle, you can see one of the other shaft headstocks to the right and the two huge skips waiting to be installed.
I'll check my other files, I know I have more photos Shane sent me.
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Post by Wheldale on Feb 21, 2013 15:22:50 GMT -5
I believe the skips were 22 or 27 tonnes capacity. I know they were big!.
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Post by John on Feb 21, 2013 18:20:24 GMT -5
I've been looking for the other files I have the photos in, cannot locate them yet, but one shows the towers about half completed and another shows a close up of the skips being lifted by a crane.
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Post by John on May 24, 2013 16:22:16 GMT -5
Found this info on the replacement of No1 shaft tower to be completed during the shutdown this summer... The article can be found at .....www.waagner-biro.com/en/company/news-press/news/headgear-renewal-at-boulby-potash-mine-in-clevelandThe Headgear and associated equipment will be constructed by Qualter Hall on site adjacent to the existing tower during 2012, with the final installation taking place during the mine holiday shutdown in August/September 2013, so as not to interrupt production. Qualter Hall will be using a highly specialised procedure, involving jacking and then sliding out the existing 2700 tonne concrete headgear on polished stainless steel slide paths to an area 50m from the shaft, where it will then be demolished. Then the new 650 tonne steel Headgear, which will have been prebuilt on slide paths about 20 m from the shaft, will be slid into final position over the shaft for completion and putting into operation, all within the holiday shutdown period. Finally a new concrete outer tower will be built over the new steel Headgear. The scope of Qualter Hall’s turnkey works is extensive and will involve the design, build and installation of the new 50 m high Headgear structure along with four 6.2 m diameter Headgear pullies, two 23 tonne capacity skips, skip operating gear, receiving hopper, load out conveyor, gantry, shaft cover, safety systems and all associated electrical equipment inclusive of shaft communications and interlocks. Qualter Hall are also responsible for the civil works and foundations, concrete outer tower, airlock arrangement and demolition of the existing 55 m high concrete Headgear structure. The new design will include for future uprating of the system, to allow the two 23 tonne capacity skips to be increased to two 30 tonne capacity skips. Cleveland Potash Limited currently supplies around 55% of the UK’s potash consumption from its Boulby mine, which has been operating since 1973 and which is currently the UK’s only potash mine. It is located in the stunning landscape of the North Yorkshire Moors on the northeast coast of England. Workings extend down to 1500m below ground level and as far as 7km out underneath the North Sea. The mine harvests over a million tons of potash and more than half a million tons of salt each year, from beneath the Moors and under the North Sea. Potash is used for fertiliser production, as well as for glass making and applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The mine also produces salt as part of the potash mining process, which is used for a variety of needs, from road deicing in winter to sugar beet cultivation and as an ingredient in animal feeds. BACK TO NEWS
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Post by John on May 29, 2013 7:19:46 GMT -5
Here are three photos of the new headstocks to replace the No1 shaft tower in the next few weeks, photos sent to me by GarryO.. Thanks Garry!!  
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Post by John on May 29, 2013 15:55:55 GMT -5
I was just playing around with the third photo, enlarging it many times in a photo editing software, and noticed a "collar" around the tower just above where the entrance to the tower would be.
I wonder if the concrete would have deteriorated so much had they designed them with tower mounted winders.
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Post by John on Jul 1, 2013 10:20:26 GMT -5
Many thanks to Neil Rowley of CPL and many thanks to the Managment of Cleveland Potash Ltd for giving me permission to post this photo taken today of the No1 shaft new tower.
This photo is copyright owned by Cleveland Potash Ltd and is the sole owner, any copying of this photo must be approved by CPL themselves.
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Post by Wheldale on Jul 1, 2013 12:03:18 GMT -5
Will they be placing bricks around the new tower or just leaving it as it is?? I wonder what the actual cost of the tower is, ie steel and fabrication of it?
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Post by John on Jul 1, 2013 12:09:01 GMT -5
They will be casting a reinforced concrete tower around it complete with air locks, new skips, 23 tonnes capacity, new discharge chute and conveyor. The plan is at a later date to install 30 tonne capacity skips. Costs are in the millions, the price is mentioned in a paper on the project.
What you see there with a fore leg wasn't there when I worked at Boulby, there is also a collar around the tower, so it must have some serious cracks.
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Post by John on Jul 1, 2013 13:05:25 GMT -5
One report, lists the cost as 16 million....
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Post by tygwyn on Aug 5, 2013 18:40:56 GMT -5
Well the old tower has gone now,
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Post by John on Aug 6, 2013 15:02:42 GMT -5
I like the way the person who posted that, called it a chimney...LOL
Another part of my past gone in a few seconds, spent many a happy hour at and above tipping level in that tower....I had to get the shift super to call out the shaft men one afternoon shift, door on the south side skip had jammed. There was a girder about 8 inches wide on the discharge side of the skip, shaftmen came out arrived at tipping level all kitted out with safety harnesses and each had a pull lift over his shoulder, they lifted the safety fence out, stepped onto the girder and walked out to the skip as if there was no deep hole below them, nothing stopping them falling!!
I had to look away for a couple of minutes.
They each hooked a pull lift up on either side of the skip discharge door, then told me to operate the door from the relays. Soon had it freed!!
There's also some photos posted on Facebook by an emergency winder driver of the base of the tower showing how it was raised, supported and moved out the way, bit "blown out" suspect he used a cellphone to take them...Pity he hadn't a good camera.
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Post by John on Aug 6, 2013 15:05:17 GMT -5
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Post by John on Aug 6, 2013 15:13:26 GMT -5
I wonder how they cut the concrete, it's so smooth along the cut lines, "high pressure water"
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Post by Wheldale on Aug 6, 2013 16:15:06 GMT -5
Maybe they used a diamond saw?
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Post by John on Aug 6, 2013 16:42:13 GMT -5
Maybe they used a diamond saw?
I left a message with Gary, he will enlighten us to what method was used. |
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Post by John on Aug 6, 2013 17:27:26 GMT -5
Gary say's he didn't see any high pressure water cutting gear, but lots of drills and Stihl saws, I presume he means the rotary type disc saws, so it sounds like a combination of drilling a line of holes, then whipping around between them with the rotary saws and finally creating the break with the large hydraulic jacks...Does that sound about right?
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Post by Wheldale on Aug 9, 2013 14:13:45 GMT -5
John, the cages used at Boulby, are they the same as used in UK coal mines? Ie can you pass through the cage or push a tub straight through or are they like the South African ones where they have a back to them and you have to physicaly pull the tubs out of the cage??
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Post by John on Aug 9, 2013 15:06:26 GMT -5
John, the cages used at Boulby, are they the same as used in UK coal mines? Ie can you pass through the cage or push a tub straight through or are they like the South African ones where they have a back to them and you have to physicaly pull the tubs out of the cage??
The north side cage was only a narrow one, about ten to twelve men, not sure now, but I think towards my last few months the large cage was a double decker, like I say 30 plus years dims the memory!! |
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Post by Wheldale on Aug 9, 2013 15:15:17 GMT -5
Cheers John, In South Africa on the gold mines, some shafts had a Marry Ann cage, don't know why it was called that, but it was a smaller cage for mine officials to travel in while material/supplies were being moved in the larger cages. I was just wondering today if Boulby adopted the UK mines styles of cages or the South African cages, sounds like a little of both!
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