Outage Surveys — Olympic Dam

TL;DR: An outage survey at Olympic Dam is precision measurement delivered inside the locked-out window when part of BHP's integrated copper-uranium complex — the concentrator, flash smelter, refinery or a recovery calciner — is taken offline for a planned turnaround. Because every hour of downtime on a continuous flowsheet 560 kilometres north-west of Adelaide can run into six figures, a shutdown survey Olympic-dam crew must arrive calibrated, radiation-inducted and self-sufficient, and never sit on the critical path. Industrial Spatial Solutions delivers planned outage surveys to sub-millimetre tolerances across the whole Olympic Dam process chain.

Key takeaways

• A shutdown survey Olympic-dam scope is timed to a fixed maintenance window — a smelter campaign change-out, a SAG/ball mill reline, a calciner or anode-wheel overhaul — where the asset earns nothing until it restarts, so methodology, crew size and reporting cadence are all built around the schedule, not the other way round.
• ISS holds ±0.3–1.0 mm on rotating-equipment alignment, ±0.02–0.05 mm coaxiality with a laser tracker, and 2–6 mm at 50 m on as-built scanning, using Leica MS60, TS16, RTC360 and FARO instruments calibrated to ISO/IEC 17025.
• Olympic Dam is the only Australian site combining underground extraction, a concentrator, an integrated copper smelter and an electrorefinery on one lease, so a single shutdown can demand mechanical, structural and as-built survey across four distinct process plants at once.
• Uranium in the product mix means outage work falls under the SA Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021 and ARPANSA codes alongside the SA Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations and ICSM survey standards — crews must be radiation-inducted before they reach the controlled areas.
• ISS mobilises from Adelaide, driving 6–7 hours up the Stuart Highway or flying into the Olympic Dam aerodrome for FIFO rotations, carrying redundant instruments because the nearest replacement is hours away during a window where there is no second chance.

Table of contents

• What an outage survey means at Olympic Dam
• Where outage survey work falls on the Olympic Dam flowsheet
• How ISS runs an outage survey on site
• Methods, equipment and tolerances
• Standards, compliance and cost in South Australia
• Why operators choose ISS for outage surveys here
• Frequently asked questions
• Request a quote

What an outage survey means at Olympic Dam

Olympic Dam is not a single mine but a vertically integrated metals complex sitting alone in the arid Gawler Craton near Roxby Downs, roughly 560 kilometres from Adelaide and reached via the Stuart Highway and Borefield Road. BHP extracts iron-oxide-copper-gold ore underground, mills it in the concentrator, smelts blister copper on site, and refines 99.99 per cent cathode in the tankhouse, recovering uranium oxide, gold and silver from the same flowsheet. The asset produces around 200,000 tonnes of refined copper and roughly 3,500 tonnes of uranium oxide a year (BHP, 2024), and those plants run continuously. That single fact dictates everything about survey here: the bulk of precision mechanical and as-built work cannot be done while the plant is live, so it is concentrated into planned outages when equipment is locked out and the clock is unforgiving.

A shutdown survey Olympic-dam scope solves a problem that is simple to state and expensive to get wrong. When a process line is offline, the maintenance team strips worn components, rebuilds or replaces equipment, and must put everything back within tolerance — and they need independent measurement to prove each step is correct before the next one starts. Without survey support, a smelter anode wheel is shimmed by feeler gauge, a mill trunnion fit-up problem is discovered when the crane is already holding a 60-tonne girth gear, and as-built records are reconstructed from memory after restart. An outage survey establishes a stable control network that survives the whole window, then measures equipment against that reference at every stage — as-found before disassembly, as-set during rebuild, and as-built before recommissioning sign-off.

The remoteness sharpens the stakes. There is no nipping back to a depot for a forgotten reflector, and summer site temperatures across the Gawler Craton routinely exceed 45 degrees, which affects both long sightlines and crew endurance. A slipped turnaround does not just cost the survey — it stalls copper, uranium, gold and silver production simultaneously, because the four metals share one chain of plants.

Key point: An outage survey is not a routine alignment job that happens to fall during a shutdown. The defining constraint is the window. A method that is "more accurate" but two hours slower can cost more than it saves when the plant behind it is losing six figures an hour.

Where outage survey work falls on the Olympic Dam flowsheet

Few sites bring this many process steps onto one lease, and each opens a distinct survey scope when it is taken offline. ISS shapes the outage plan to the specific unit and its place in the schedule rather than offering a generic shutdown package.

The concentrator mill reline is the classic Olympic Dam outage survey: the window inside a shutdown is short and unforgiving, and trunnion and girth-gear geometry must be set and verified before the mill turns again. The smelter's anode casting wheel and the recovery-circuit calciners share the same discipline — a rotating mass that lives or dies on the position of its supports — while the tankhouse crane runways have to be surveyed against AS 1418.18 before cathode handling resumes. A comprehensive laser scan during the outage, even of equipment not being worked on, becomes the design basis for the next turnaround.

$50k–200k / hr           ~3,500
Downtime cost on a        Site workforce
continuous circuit        (BHP, 2024)

How ISS runs an outage survey on site

ISS runs outage surveys to a five-phase protocol refined across power, refining and mineral-processing turnarounds. At Olympic Dam the phases are compressed by remoteness — pre-mobilisation planning carries more weight because there is no second chance to fetch gear once crews are on site.

Scope definition and methodology (4–6 weeks pre-outage). ISS reviews the turnaround work list, isolates every survey-dependent activity, and maps a measurement methodology against the outage schedule. A pre-outage site visit or model review confirms access, hazards, control requirements, line of sight and radiation-zone boundaries, so critical-path survey tasks are resourced rather than discovered mid-window.

Control network establishment (pre-outage). A stable three-dimensional control network is set around each work area with a Leica TS16 or MS60, using semi-permanent reference points positioned to survive scaffolding, crane movements and demolition — and tied to the site coordinate system so the network can be reoccupied next cycle. Establishing control before the area congests is the single biggest time-saver during the window itself.

Pre-outage baseline and in-outage execution. As-found geometry — rotating-equipment centrelines, tyre and roller positions, bearing elevations and removal clearances — is captured immediately after stop. Through the window, ISS measures in sequence with mechanical activity: dimensional verification after removal, alignment setting during rebuild, fit-check and clearance survey before installation, and flatness on cleaned foundations. Reflectorless and tracker measurement keep technicians clear of live lifting, and results are reported on the spot so the next activity is not held up.

Post-outage verification and reporting. A final pass confirms every adjusted component sits in tolerance and captures the as-built condition. A short-form recommissioning compliance summary is issued before restart; the consolidated report, deviation tables, as-built plans and registered scan data follow within 5–10 business days, referenced to the site control so the data drops straight into BHP's engineering workflow.

Methods, equipment and tolerances

Outage equipment has to be accurate, portable, fast to deploy and tolerant of heat, dust and vibration. ISS selects the instrument to the task and the schedule, then verifies calibration on site because thermal effects on long sightlines are real in 45-degree conditions.

• Leica MS60 MultiStation and TS16 robotic total station (±1 mm + 1.5 ppm, 1″ angle) for control, mill and machine alignment, crane rail and underground set-out where GNSS is unavailable. Automatic Target Recognition allows remote operation, keeping surveyors out of exclusion zones around active lifts.
• Leica RTC360 3D laser scanner capturing dense point clouds at 2–6 mm at 50 m with sub-two-minute setups — the fastest route to as-built and fit-check of replacement modules across the smelter, concentrator and tankhouse.
• FARO laser tracker for the tightest work — turbine and drive couplings, large bearing bores, machined seating faces — at ±0.015–0.025 mm at typical working range, for coaxiality and concentricity a total station cannot reach.
• GNSS/RTK for surface control, TSF and stockpile pickup across the open, satellite-friendly Gawler Craton terrain when outage work extends outside the plant.

Key point: Scanning and total-station work are complementary on an outage. The scanner records the whole condition for as-built and fit-check; the total station and tracker deliver the sub-millimetre alignment numbers the mechanical team signs against. Using one where the other belongs either wastes window time or undershoots the tolerance.

Standards, compliance and cost in South Australia

Survey at Olympic Dam sits under a heavier regulatory load than most Australian sites because uranium is part of the product mix. Outage work is governed by the South Australian mining and safety framework and, additionally, by the radiation regime that applies to a uranium-producing operation.

• SA Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations: Mandate monitoring of structures and ground conditions where failure is a risk; survey-based geometry, deformation and as-built checks during an outage support these obligations.
• SA Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021 and ARPANSA codes: Govern work in radiation-controlled areas of the smelter, refinery and recovery plants. ISS crews complete the site's radiation safety inductions and work to BHP's radiation management plan.
• Surveying Act 1992 (SA) and ICSM standards: Set the datum, accuracy and competency framework for survey deliverables, with measurement traceable through ISO/IEC 17025 calibration.
• CASA Part 101 / RPAS rules: Govern any drone work over the site, including airspace considerations around the Olympic Dam aerodrome.

Indicative commercial ranges help operators budget. A limited-scope outage survey — control plus a focused alignment scope across a few machines — typically runs from around AUD $15,000; a comprehensive turnaround program with continuous attendance and full scanning can exceed AUD $60,000. After-hours and night-shift cover for a 24-hour outage adds a shift loading of roughly 25–50 per cent, and remote-site mobilisation, travel and accommodation are scoped separately and transparently. Set against a single hour of lost production at $50,000–200,000, the whole survey program is recovered the moment it prevents one re-lift or one schedule slip.

Key point: ISS outage deliverables meet ICSM accuracy standards, carry explicit measurement uncertainty statements, and are produced by crews inducted to BHP's site, safety and radiation requirements — so the data is accepted into statutory and recommissioning processes without rework.

Why operators choose ISS for outage surveys here

South Australia's resources sector is smaller than Western Australia's or Queensland's but is defined by high-value, technically demanding assets, and Olympic Dam is the most demanding of them all. A generalist cadastral or construction surveyor is not equipped to set mill alignment inside a locked-out concentrator in the morning and fit-check a replacement module in a radiation-controlled smelter aisle in the afternoon, all against a window measured in hours.

ISS treats the outage window as the project constraint and engineers the survey around it. We lock scope 4–6 weeks out, establish control before the area congests, and schedule attendance against the work list so measurement is ready the moment an area is — never before, never after. We are independent of any OEM, so we align and verify equipment from any manufacturer using one consistent, traceable methodology. Our crews arrive self-sufficient, certified and radiation-inducted, carry redundant instrumentation so a single fault never stops the line, and deliver data in the format BHP's engineers and mine planners already use. We also cover the wider Olympic Dam survey scope — mechanical, underground, drone and 3D laser scanning — and service Carrapateena, Prominent Hill and the Whyalla and Port Pirie smelter assets from the same Adelaide coordination base. That blend of integrated-site capability and remote-work discipline is what makes ISS a dependable outage survey partner at Olympic Dam.

Frequently asked questions

How is a shutdown survey Olympic-dam scope kept off the critical path?

By planning. ISS locks scope 4–6 weeks before the outage, establishes the control network before the work area congests, and schedules attendance against the turnaround work list so the surveyor measures when an area is ready and reports before the next activity needs the result. Overruns come from late scope and missing control — both of which planning eliminates. Critical results are reported verbally and in writing on the spot so a lift or coupling decision never waits on a typed report.

What accuracy can ISS achieve during an Olympic Dam outage?

Rotating-equipment alignment is delivered to ±0.3–1.0 mm with total station and MultiStation, coaxiality and concentricity to ±0.02–0.05 mm with a laser tracker, crane rail to around ±1–2 mm over a span, and as-built scanning to 2–6 mm at 50 m. All instruments are ISO/IEC 17025 calibrated, calibration is verified on site in extreme heat before precision work, and uncertainty statements accompany every alignment deliverable.

Is ISS set up for the radiation and safety requirements of a uranium operation?

Yes. Our crews complete the site's general, mine and radiation safety inductions and work to BHP's radiation management plan within controlled areas, consistent with ARPANSA codes and the SA Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021. We hold current mine-site safety certification and confined-space, hot-work and working-at-heights tickets, and we operate within the operator's permit-to-work system.

When should we book an outage survey for an Olympic Dam turnaround?

Four to six weeks before the shutdown date. That allows scope definition, a pre-outage site visit or model review, safety and radiation documentation, and crew scheduling around the remote roster. Late bookings risk unavailable crews, rushed methodology and lost window hours — costly on a continuous circuit where the plant only opens during the locked-out window.

Request a quote

If you operate or contract at Olympic Dam and have a concentrator reline, smelter campaign, refinery outage or recovery-plant turnaround coming up, talk to a surveyor who understands integrated copper-uranium operations and the discipline of a fixed window.

1. Call 0407 057 015 — Discuss your turnaround scope with a surveyor who knows Olympic Dam and the Gawler Craton.
2. Receive a detailed proposal — Methodology mapped to your outage schedule, safety and radiation plan, deliverable cadence, and a fixed-price quotation.
3. Mobilise to site — We coordinate access, inductions, travel and accommodation to land inside your shutdown window.

For ongoing work across Olympic Dam, Carrapateena, Prominent Hill and the wider region, ask about an annual service agreement with priority scheduling and dedicated crews. Contact Industrial Spatial Solutions on 0407 057 015 to request an outage survey quote.

Related reading: Outage surveys, Surveyors Olympic Dam, Kiln alignment — Olympic Dam