Project Description
Floating walkway solutions for Albian Sands Energy in Canada for tailing dams dredging operations
Our industrial walkways are recognized for their resistance to extreme environmental conditions, such as the cold of Fort McMurray and the Athabasca area, but in addition to weather conditions, walkways must withstand the demanding conditions required in large mining operations such as Albian Sands Energy Inc.
We will show you the reasons why Albian Sands Energy has selected us to provide our high quality, resistant, and functional modular industrial walkways.
Our client, Albian Sands Energy Inc. and the mining operation at Athabasca Oil Sands
Albian Sands Energy Inc. is the operator of the tar sands mining project for oil extraction in Canada at the Muskeg River mine, located 75 kilometers north of Fort McMurray and is also the operator of the Jack pine mine, located 70 kilometers north and east of the Athabasca River; these two mines are located in the area known as the Athabasca oil sands (Athabasca tar sands)
This is the third-largest mining operation of its kind in the world, and the company Albian Sands Energy Inc. is made up of 3 of the most recognized companies in oil exploitation, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), Shell and Chevron.
In the oil sands mining operation, the company can produce more than 300,000 barrels per day of raw bitumen, the extraction process is carried out using surface mining techniques (open pit mining) and this process includes the operation of tailing dams, tailings storage facilities (TSF) or large mature fine tailings (MFT), in which the heavier tailings are separated by the gravity.
Our walkway solution for the Albian Sands requirements at the Muskeg river and Jack pine mines
The tailings dams in mining processes require a dredging process through pumping stations, and our floating walkways become the perfect solution that adapts to the needs of the project thanks to the design and quality of our floating structures.
It is noteworthy that for the mining operation carried out in the Athabasca Oil Sands, the technical properties that the walkways must have are very important, because the strong weather conditions, such as those experienced in the cold season in Fort McMurray with 7 months of snow and where for 3 months, between November and February, temperatures fluctuate between -20 °C (-4 °F) and -11 °C (12.2 °F), even though lower temperatures can also be experienced.
Walkways made to respect the environment and comply with the laws of Canada
An outstanding characteristic of our solutions and especially of our walkways, is they are respectful with the environment, which is essential in the selection requirements of Albion Sands for their suppliers; Canadian environmental protection law requirements stipulate that walkways must be unsinkable, and our walkways meet Canadian standards and laws.
It is also noteworthy that at Xrosswater we use HDPE (High density polyethylene) for environmental reasons in the manufacture of components, contrary to the use of polyethylene foam among other components that other manufacturers use and that are not biodegradable or recyclable.
Thanks to our component-based design, our industrial walkways are fully recyclable and environmentally friendly.
More than 1000 meters of walkways
More than 1100 meters (0.68 miles) of walkways, in addition to other products, we have supplied for Albian Sands
600 meters of walkways installed at the Jack Pine oil mine
For the Jack Pine mine, we delivered a shipment of 600 meters (0.37 miles) of our unsinkable pivoting floating walkways.
These walkways were installed very easily and quickly by the team at Albian Sands Energy in cold conditions of -20 °F (-28.89 °C), and thanks to our walkways being designed by naval architects and marine engineers to withstand crosswinds at 55 KPH and to be used safely even in extremely cold conditions (-40 °F or -40 °C), they became the perfect solution for use at the Albian Sands Jackpine mine.
We are manufacturers of high quality floating structure solutions for the most demanding conditions.
For this project we have manufactured and supplied:
- Floating PIVOT walkways with cable trays
- Additional buoyancy chamber for stability and weight control
- Deicers (by pushing the hot water up, creating an opening at the water’s surface)
- Telescoping light poles
Shipping and installation
The delivery of the walkways and products was established with our client to be carried out in 3 months, which was delivered on time.
The 600 meters of walkways were delivered fully assembled to be quickly installed in the tailings, given the cold conditions of the Alberta area (-28 °C) for the season, the installation processes and in the rapid incorporation of these in the tailings deposits became necessary.
40×53ft (16.15 meters) flatbed trucks were used for shipping
60 meters of floating walkways for the pumping and dredging operation
A new order for the shipment of our solutions was made, in this shipment, 60 meters of floating walkways were supplied with cable trays, lights and buoyancy chambers.
500 meters of walkway for the dredging operation, with temperatures of -25 °F (-31.67 °C)
From Albian Sands they once again required our industrial floating solutions, this time, they required 500 meters of walkways, to be installed in a tailing dam.
For this project, we have manufactured and supplied:
- 500 meters of floating walkways with cable trays
- Additional flotation chambers for stability and weight control
- Deicers
- Telescoping light poles
Shipping and installation
The walkways were delivered fully assembled for quick installation as the temperature at Fort McMurray was -25 °F
The modular design of our walkways and the excellent resistance and functionality characteristics have allowed us to become a supplier for mining operations around the world, even in areas with the most difficult conditions, where our products stand out for their functionality, characteristics, and quality.
Do you need a walkway solution for a tailings dam?, at Xrosswater we are suppliers, and we can offer you high quality industrial floating solutions and structures at an unbeatable price, delivering anywhere in the world
