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D-Drill & Sawing was called in to support its customer, Walters Group Demolition, at the Tarmac Granulation Plant within the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot, we show willing to break new ground if it means getting the job done.
One element of the work carried out at the site is turning some of the blast furnace slag into powder that acts as an additive for concrete.
The cooling towers used in that process had, over a period of 30 years, seen a build-up of limestone deposits on the inside walls that would affect their efficiency if not addressed and needed to be removed.
The team at Walters worked with D-Drill’s Lionel Whittemore to devise a plan to be able to take out the limestone without damaging the walls or the structure of the towers.
They had to consider that the roofs of each of the towers would not be able to take much weight, due to degradation so had to find a way removing these to gain access to enable the removal of the limestone without applying undue weight to the roofs.
Walters demolition operatives removed the roofs from the cooling tower to gain access after Lionel and his contacts at Walters decided the best course of action was to suspend a remote controlled breaking machine – the Brokk 90 fitted with a demolition hammer – from a crane and then place an operative in a riding basket suspended form a second crane next to it to control the machine.
The cranes for lifting and supporting the Brokk 90 – and for the operative rider cage – were supplied by Walters and all lifting was carried out under Walters’ lifting plan.
D-Drill operator Dave Smith stepped up to the challenge and, over the course of two weeks, chopped out tonnes of limestone that was several metres thick in places, which was disposed of by the main contractor.
Lionel said: “Dave absolutely loved it! He has worked in the industry for many years and is always up for a new challenge.
“When the client came to us and told us what needed doing, part of what we like doing is helping them to find a solution.
“If it’s not straightforward, some companies won’t touch it but part of what makes doing this job special is all of the different ways of working and taking on challenges.
“We knew we couldn’t suspend from the ceiling because of the fact that it was rotting away, and we couldn’t afford to see such a specialist machine fall from that height which was about 15-20 metres up.
“So, we devised the plan to suspend the remote controlled Brokk 90 from a crane on chains and to have our operator, Dave, up there controlling it.
“The job went really well. It took us a couple of weeks across the two towers but the client was delighted and it means they will be able to be put back into use.
“It just shows that not only will we go the extra mile for our customers and we’re more than happy to break new ground when it comes to ideas for getting the job done!”
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