Design to Build Post OEM Fuel Tank

Innovation in action, solving real world problems for our customers.

Premier recently partnered with a gold mine based in Nevada to help solve a corrosion issue with their aftermarket fuel tank design. The company desired an alternative to the OEM supplied fuel tanks for their haul truck fleet.

When they came to Premier, they had a design for their tanks that met their desired capacity requirements, but the tanks did NOT hold up to the harsh and corrosive environment that they operate in daily. The customer needed help in developing a fuel tank that met requirements and also responded well to the abrasive environment.

The first step to solving the customer’s problem was to perform a FEA on their current aftermarket tanks to find the weak points in the structure. After the test, Premier’s team supplied recommend improvements to strengthen the design with improved mechanical design, reduced stress risers and enhanced weld joints. New materials were also selected to improve the tanks resistance to the corrosion.

The design was a success and the company took Premier’s revised recommendations and put them to action. Currently Premier has built over 40 fuel tanks for the customer’s fleet. The estimated service life improvement for the revised Premier certified tanks is five years longer than the customer’s original aftermarket design, saving the customer maintenance time, and expense.

Meeting EPA Guidelines

Updating plant equipment to meet EPA guidelines.

Premier excavated and drilled concrete piers and footings giving the project a solid foundation, designed and created detailed drawings for structural steel and mechanical components for the project, fabricated all the structural steel for the project (over 600 tons), as well as fabricated the mechanical components (bins, conveyors, chutes, etc.).

Provided industrial coatings for all the components, meeting a rigorous paint specification, installed the structural tower and trusses on-site along with the conveyors, bucket elevators, coke bins, chutes and ductwork. At the completion of the installation Premier also assisted the customer with the commissioning and start-up of the system.

Equipment Rebuild

Rope Shovel Handle

Premier Technology, Inc. was contracted by a gold mine in Nevada to rebuild their 2800 electric rope shovel handle. The handle had suffered catastrophic failure during operation and the customer needed it repaired to meet factory specifications.

Premier was selected for this project by the customer, due to the company’s ability to provide technical measuring, quality documentation abilities, and comprehensive NDE package, and a repair that met or exceeded factory specifications.

During this rebuild, Premier performed dimensional inspection of the handle pre and post repair to ensure it was dimensionally ready to be put back into service. Premier deconstructed the handle as needed to remove broken plates, performed fatigue crack repairs throughout the handle, installed new bulkheads, side plates and raking, provided NDE testing to confirm weld penetration and integrity. This rebuild saved the customer the expense of purchasing shovel handles, and was performed in a timely manner to keep their operation moving.