Client name: Arafura Rare Earths Ltd

Location: Northern Territory, Australia

Services provided:

• Full EPCM works
• Detailed structural and civil engineering design.
• 3D modelling
• Piping hydraulic calculations, pipeline sizing and material take-offs
• Electrical & Instrumentation design and modelling
• Field I/O testing
• HAZOP
• Vendor selection and pricing
• Installation and connection management

Nolans Rare Earths Project – Solvent Extraction EPCM Services

Arafura Rare Earths is developing the Nolans Rare Earths Project, 135km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Nolans will produce the ‘magnet feed’ rare earths neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) as a high purity oxide product, for supply to leading global manufacturers in the electric vehicle and renewable energy technology sectors.

Arafura has contracted Tetra Tech Proteus to undertake the basic and detailed engineering design of its solvent extraction (SX) package composed of SEG/HRE-SX, NdPr-SX and Ce-SX plants. The SX plants play a vital role in separating target rare earth elements and producing a high purity solution that meets the specification of the NdPr oxide and SEG/HRE oxide product markets.

Scope of Works

Tetra Tech Proteus will deliver a full suite of Engineering, Procurement support and Construction Management (EPCM) services for the Nolans SX package, based on client-supplied engineering completed during front end engineering and design. The scope of work includes:

• Equipment sizing and specification of the balance of the SX plants (i.e., reagents, utilities supply and distribution).
• Management of vendor / subcontractor engineering for major equipment within the three SX plants
• Equipment procurement package which includes of Scope of Supply and datasheets, specifications, drawings, models and material take-offs.
• Electrical and Instrumentation load lists, single line diagrams, cable ladder, lighting and complete specification of instrumentation item list.
• Mechanical and piping design of an emergency dump system to emergency dump pond.
• Delivering a HAZOP and Risk Assessment workshop.
• Procurement support of major equipment within the three plants and other free-issue equipment by the Client.
• Technical support throughout construction and commissioning phases of the project.
• Management and delivery of the overall SX package basic and detailed engineering to the client-appointed constructor.

Our deliverables will be used as the basis for constructability and technical reviews, and generation of material take-offs for installation cost estimation to inform electrical, structural and civil loads and utility demands for the SX package.

Tetra Tech Proteus will be working to overcome a number of project challenges including:

• The Nolans deposit contains several rare earth elements and impurities that are co-extracted in the upstream process. The target rare earth elements (NdPr and SEG/HRE) must be extracted separately and selectively from residual impurities to refine the SEG/HRE NdPr oxide product.
• Interface management of the SX package to the overall Nolans flowsheet (delivered by others), major equipment procurement (by Arafura) and integration of the individual vendor packages (sub-contractors) within the SX package.

Key outcomes

• Delivery of a detailed engineering fora complete SX package which includes the three SX plants and associated auxiliaries for project execution.
• Design of a modular system requiring minimal on-site assembly.
• Plant-related project management, vendor selection and procurement support including the integration of all specialist vendor packages into the overall SX package design.