Overview
Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine, located in Western Australia, operates a large-scale open-cut mining process to extract and refine nickel laterite ore. The facility relies on multiple electrical substations to power systems such as steam turbines, leaching circuits, and high-pressure processing units.
A key risk identified across the site was the lack of fire-rated protection on legacy cable systems in these substations. To mitigate operational and safety risks, fire-rated coating was applied across several substations to achieve 90-minute protection, following IEC60331-21 standards.
Project Details
- Site: Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine
- Industry: Mining and Processing
- Risk Identified: Non-fire-rated cables in multi-substation electrical system
- Solution Applied: Intumescent cable fire protection coating
- Fire Rating Achieved: 90 Minutes (IEC 60331-21)
- Standards Met:
- IEC60331-11
- IEC60331-21
- IEC60332-3
- Environment: Cellulosic and hydrocarbon risk zones
- Installation Partner: Tasman Power
- Status: Ongoing (Started January 2021)
Problem Context
Electrical substations serve as critical nodes in Ravensthorpe’s operations. A fire in any substation could result in:
- Full or partial site shutdown
- Delayed processing timelines
- Production losses
- Increased risk to worker safety
These substations contained grouped and bundled cables that lacked proper fire containment capability. In the event of fire, flame spread through cable trays would risk cascading failure across multiple systems.
Objectives of the Intervention
The fireproofing initiative had the following priorities:
- Delay Flame Spread
Ensure cable trays would not propagate fire across substations. - Maintain Circuit Integrity
Achieve 90-minute functional survival of power and control cables under fire conditions (IEC60331-21). - Enable Emergency Shutdown Timeframes
Allow adequate time for operational intervention or evacuation. - Reduce Long-Term Operational Risk
Improve compliance with mining and industrial fire protection standards.
Applied Technology
The cable protection system selected for this project was CharCoat CC, a water-based latex intumescent coating developed for high-risk environments. Key features of the applied material:
- Designed for vertical and horizontal grouped cable trays
- Provides both thermal insulation and flame spread resistance
- Tested and approved for exterior use (QUV weathering performance)
- Hydrophobic characteristics suitable for humid mine environments
- Installed on-site without dismantling existing cable infrastructure
Results & Observations
Verified Outcomes
- All fire rating tests passed under IEC fire safety standards
- No production downtime during application
- Thermal insulation during testing achieved 90-minute fire resistance
- Intumescent performance maintained across varying cable types (power, instrumentation, control)
Risk Mitigation Achieved
- Fire contained to point of origin in simulation
- Substations now operate with enhanced circuit survivability
- Improved insurance compliance for electrical safety rating
- No degradation observed post-installation in external substation zones
Why It Matters
Nickel processing facilities like Ravensthorpe operate with high energy demands and complex control systems. With new ore bodies like Shoemaker-Levy extending mine life by 20 years, ensuring long-term cable integrity is critical.
Upgrading legacy infrastructure with code-compliant fire protection is now standard practice in similar projects, particularly for operations involving:
- Petrochemical units
- Mineral refining
- Thermal recovery systems
- Large-scale power distribution
Technical Takeaways
| Factor | Impact |
| Fire Rating Achieved | 90 minutes circuit survival |
| Application Environment | Outdoor, humid, high voltage |
| Compliance | IEC60331-21 |
| Downtime | Zero during retrofit |
| Method | Surface-applied intumescent coating |
| Functional Advantage | Prevents flame travel along cable trays |
The Ravensthorpe case illustrates how retrofitting non-fire-rated cable infrastructure with compliant passive fire protection can significantly reduce operational risk. By focusing on standards-based protection, non-intrusive application, and environmental durability, the project met both safety and operational continuity goals.
For mines and processing plants relying on critical electrical systems, upgrading cable infrastructure for fire resilience should be considered an integral part of asset lifecycle planning.
