Shutdown Inspections Townsville, QLD

Sun Metals Zinc Refinery is 15km south of Townsville in North Queensland, Australia. The refinery produces a Special high-grade Zinc metal. Sulphuric acid, Low-grade zinc concentrate, and copper cake are made and sold to the international and domestic markets, meaning production uptime and high-quality inspections and maintenance are required.

Vertech’s Tank testing team and inspection teams in Queensland were engaged to complete a range of shutdown inspection services on piping, pipelines, and storage tanks within the client’s Sulphuric Acid plant.

Working within the plant requires wearing an acid-proof suit, full-face respirator, rubber gloves and boots. Average daytime temperatures in winter are about 30C, so heat stress management, fatigue management, and detailed planning are required to ensure the safety of all personnel and that an optimised inspection and testing plan is achieved within the allocated timeframes.

The scope was delivered on time, on budget, and with a perfect safety record, and positive feedback was received from the client focal points.