Reactor Replacement in hopewell

  • PROJECT Reactor Replacement PROJECT Reactor Replacement

PROJECT STATS

  • Successfully installed new reactor measuring 12 ft tall and 10 ft in diameter
  • Safe and efficient removal of old piping, valves, equipment & large mix tank using a crane and specialized rigging
  • Erected new structural steel and replaced concrete foundations
  • Completed in 4 weeks using round-the-clock shifts

About this PROJECT.

Ashland, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company that makes specially-formulated ingredients for standalone products, and as additives for other products. The applications for these ingredients include food and beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, construction and several other industries.

One of the company’s manufacturing plants is located in Hopewell, VA, just south of Richmond. This facility utilizes chemical reactors to manage the production and processing of several of their main products. Ashland needed to replace one of their reactors in the Natrosol production area. Waco submitted the successful bid and plan for completion of this turn-key project. The reactor was 12 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter and was set in the middle of a building. Specialized rigging and coordination with crane operators was of critical importance in removing piping, valves, equipment and a large mix tank before the reactor could be replaced. Once the old reactor was removed, Waco and their subcontractors erected new structural steel, and replaced concrete foundations for correct support and alignment of the new reactor. In order to meet the critical time frame, Waco pre-fabricated much of the stainless steel and carbon steel piping a month in advance of the outage, and safely stored these new piping assemblies in our local warehouse. All fabrications were based on isometric drawings provided by the design engineers, and Waco personnel verified field measurements.

Using round-the-clock shifts, the project took a total of 4 weeks, and Waco completed the work on time in October, 2015. The project was lead by Project Manager Jon Coon and Superintendent Jimmy Edwards.

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