Broad Acre Irrigation Project
Customer: Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited
Location: Gibson Creek, QLD
Case Study ID: CS-13
Date: July 2015
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Overview
Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited employed Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment Mackay to deliver a broad acre irrigation system at their Gibson Creek sugarcane farm. Wilmar Sugar Australia Limited is Australia’s largest raw sugar producer and one of the top 10 producers in the world.
The Gibson Creek sugarcane farm has an area of 2,000ha, with works completed by Dowdens to date delivering irrigation to over 750ha of sugarcane. This project is still ongoing and aims to irrigate the total 2,000ha upon completion.
The broadacre irrigation system was designed, sourced, installed and commissioned by the Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment Agricultural Sales Team, which has over 125 years of combined agriculture irrigation experience.
The Problem
The system is required to pump water stored in Wilmar’s onsite dam (which, when completed, will hold a total of 2,000ML) to various irrigation devices watering 2,000ha of sugarcane.
Our Solution
To date, the project has seen the team at Dowdens construct, install and commission six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators, with spans ranging from 520m down to 410m, and three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators.
Water for the irrigation system (sourced from Wilmar’s 2,000ML onsite dam) required Dowdens to lay an extensive network of poly and PVC mains pipework ranging from 500mm to 150mm in diameter. In total, over 12kms of mains pipe laid so far.
The entire system is gravity fed from the large onsite dam with a 6-cylinder John Deere diesel engine centrifugal pump delivering water to the six pivots and three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators. Three IVECO-Caprari multistage diesel booster pumps help raise pressure when required for the three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators.
The entire project was overseen and managed by the Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment Mackay Agricultural Team.
Key Components
- Six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators installed with spans ranging from 520m to 410m.
- The Valley Center Pivots were fitted with auto-start generator sets – eliminating the need for farmers to travel to each Center Pivot to activate once feed pumps are on.
- Over 12kms of mains poly and PVC pipe have been supplied, trenched, welded, and commissioned to date.
- Dowdens sourced, delivered and commissioned three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators [2x Idrofoglia & 1x Trailco].
- 1x 6-cylinder John Deere diesel engine centrifugal pump feeds the six Valley Center Pivot Irrigators.
- 3 x IVECO-Caprari multistage diesel booster pumps transfer water to the three hard hose poly line travelling irrigators when required.
Project Design Philosophy
Dowdens Pumping & Water Treatment design philosophy for this project was:
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Innovation
- Ease of Installation
- Simple and Effective Pumping Operations
- System Reliability and Reduced Ongoing Maintenance Costs
Brands used in this project
