Wind tunnel testing of the widened jetty at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal

Abstract

The DBCT 7X Project is a major expansion currently under way at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal near Mackay, Queensland. Part of that project includes construction of a third out-loading conveyor system, which requires a widening of the existing 3.8 km long jetty. The existing jetty structure was designed and constructed as part of the terminal’s original de-velopment in the early 1980s to carry two out-loading conveyors and a single lane roadway. A number of concepts for supporting the third out-loading system conveyor between the shore and the offshore berths were developed. The preferred option relied heavily upon the existing struc-ture for support of lateral loading and crosswind actions calculated by traditional methods which showed the viability of the concept to be questionable. Wind tunnel testing was used not only to refine the understanding of crosswind response, but also to quantify the complex issue of longi-tudinal loading along the structure. This paper discusses the process and results of the physical testing, and how those results were used for the benefit of the project including validating the preferred concept.