The company is managed by Rio Tinto Aluminium and is located in Central Queensland, Australia, about 30 kilometres south of Gladstone.
Industrial Control & Electrical was contracted to investigate the cause of several unexplained electric shock incidents that had occurred over a period of 5 years.
The electric shocks occurred in Reduction Line areas during the normal course of tending Reduction Cells. The complex nature of the electrically isolated cell line, line currents exceeding 300,000 Amps and high magnetic fields lead to an analysis of leakage currents from cell line equipment to external earth. The less than pure cell line DC potential and arrangement of overhead gantry crane insulation monitoring equipment was found to be the cause of the shocks. The cause of the shocks was permanently present.
The findings initiated a project to rearrange equipment to alleviate the condition. Following remedial works repeat testing was conducted and confirmed the success of the works.
The system is now in use and permanently present conditions that could give rise to electric shocks have been removed.