CLIENT: Canada Fluorspar Inc.
PROJECT: Geodesic Dome Project

PROJECT TYPE: Brownfield
LOCATION: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
COMMODITY: Fluorspar
SERVICE SCOPE: Design

THE CHALLENGE

CFI’s fine ore stockpile was exposed to the elements (rain, snow and wind) and the client wanted to cover the stockpile with a geodesic dome to keep ore from additional moisture and protected from the high winds common in this area of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The challenge of this project was to build the concrete foundations for the dome without damaging the existing underground tunnel, all the while permitting operations to continue.

THE SOLUTION

To allow for a non-uniform foundation, extra-heavy concrete beams were designed to be built in the 2 areas directly above the tunnel.  These beams, which were approximately 9 m long, carried the load above the existing tunnel, therefore, not having to rely on the tunnel to carry any load.

ACHIEVEMENTS/HIGHLIGHTS

The design was successfully implemented and achieved the following:

• Reduced material losses caused by wind (approximately 5% of total ore).
• Eliminated freezing of the pile during the winter months. This helped reduce operations downtime by approximately 10%.
• Mitigated dust in the area.