Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery Unit #6 Chimney Refractory Repair
Martinez, CA
Contractor: JT Thorp & Son
Project Scope
The customer required internal access to the 350-ft tall chimney for safety inspection, demolition of existing refractory block in the work zone, surface preparation, coating and re-lining of the chimney wall.
Challenges
- The chimney needed to be accessed initially from the top and cleared for safety concerns.
- The first platform required for access to the interior surface required minimal deck space to avoid overloading during the demolition phase of the project.
- A second platform, a large area float with an opening in its center to allow materials to be hoisted up while elevated, was needed. This float required maximum deck space and extra capacity to allow for storage of the materials.
- Material hoisting to the float was required.
- Emergency egress from the chimney was a necessary safety precaution.
Solution
Spider’s Systems Group worked closely with the contractor and Tesoro to develop a complete access solution to meet the challenging demands of this jobsite. A 15-ft diameter Spider modular platform powered by four SC1500 hoists and equipped with passive wire winders and a custom rigging star enabled maximum access for surface work on the chimney’s interior with minimal deck space. Initial installation of the platform was performed by a high capacity helicopter that raised the rigging star, stage, and rigging materials to the top of the stack and then lowered it inside the 15 ft stack opening.
Spider engineers developed a custom 18-ft diameter float platform powered by four SC1500 hoists that were equipped with two part wire ropes to provide maximum deck space and 12,000 lb capacity. A 4-ft square opening in the float’s center allowed materials to be hoisted from ground level to the workers onboard the platform via a Beta Max Leo VRS material hoist.
Additionally, a Spider ST-17 work basket was added to the work platform in case emergency egress was required during the project.
All work was completed safely, on time, and on budget.
