Student Journal - Melbourne Student Chapter - Civil Engineering and Law Students Vacation Work
Over the 2024-25 summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work at Orica’s Kooragang Island chemical manufacturing plant in their Maintenance Engineering team. As a civil/structural engineering student, I thought – what would a chemical plant possibly have in store for me? A lot, it turns out!
My first couple of weeks were spent familiarising myself with the site. The plant is divided into its ammonia, ammonium nitrate and nitric acid production facilities, as well as its load and despatch facilities. The products are primarily used for agricultural fertiliser and explosives in the mining and quarrying industry. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pipes, pumps and valves are visible at every turn of your head. Pipes lead to more pipes, which connect to looming truss structures supporting vessels over 80m high. Apart from the many red safety signs, the sights, sounds and smells alert you to the hazards and risks associated with responsibly operating and working here. Heat radiating from the pipes, and steam from bubbling effluent in some of the pits are just the tip of the iceberg. From afar, you can hear the operations, which have been humming along since its commissioning in 1969. It’s a magnificent sight, and each day I arrive at work, I’m amazed.
From a structural point of view, it was a very unique environment to work in. The production of ammonium nitrate results in a highly corrosive environment for steel and concrete. Structures must be regularly inspected and maintained – which is no easy feat when the plant is over 50 years old with countless accessways, platforms and towers! The presence of ammonium nitrate also means that decontamination of work areas must be undertaken prior to any construction that involves hot-work, as a spark or high temperature could lead to an unintended reaction. Upholding the structural integrity of the plant involves, amongst many things, proactively identifying defects, evaluating its associated risks, problem-solving to diagnose the cause, then working together as a team to generate a solution. What I’ve learned is that despite the common perception that engineering is a black-and-white field of study, the practice of engineering is often a grey area. Judgment calls based on sound engineering principles and years of collective experience must be made to balance the need for a practical solution that is underpinned by safety.
Figure 1: Instalment of a Process Air Compressor at the Nitric Acid Plant
In addition to my internship at the Kooragang Island plant, I also had the opportunity to tag along with Orica’s technical services team at one of our customer’s quarry sites. I assisted in surveying the drilled boreholes, stemming the boreholes which were loaded with bulk explosive, and connecting the holes with detonating cord for the blast. It was tough work but well worth it to see the blast go off!
Figure 2: Surveying the drilled holes to get hole deviation data
I am sure I have only scratched the surface in my 3 months here at Orica’s Kooragang Island plant, but it has been eye-opening and invaluable. I have enjoyed learning from engineers and operators alike, many of whom have been working at the manufacturing plant for years, if not decades, and know it like the back of their hands.