Industrial Rigging Of A Wind Turbine

For those of us who work at R. Baker & Son, industrial rigging and demolition is a way of life. Imagine the surprise when, on a trip a few years ago to visit family, an R. Baker staff member found himself watching the assembly of a giant wind turbine just a stone’s throw from his uncle’s home in upstate New York. Family members had seen several large tractor trailers transporting enormous conical steel tower sections and fiberglass blades through town, so they decided to visit the nearby wind farm under construction at the top of a mountain. There they watched crews rig and place a tower section and spoke with the industrial rigging contractors charged with erecting the wind turbines. 

A 500-ton high-lift crawler crane and a 100-ton hydraulic crane were strategically positioned at the steel-reinforced concrete tower base. Riggers connected each end of tower section to each crane, and the section was lifted from the oversize tractor trailer, which had somehow negotiated its way over winding roads to the mountaintop. The smaller crane steadied the section as the high-lift crane rigged it into a vertical position.  The section was then carefully rigged onto numerous steel bolts the top of the two sections of tower already in place. The industrial rigging company foreman explained that the rigging of the 40-ton nacelle, the housing for the generator and other main components, would follow once the top tower section had been properly secured. The rotor, assembled onsite with its three 120-ft. blades, would then be rigged in one piece and connected to the nacelle.  Once completed, the wind farm would have a generating capacity of over one hundred megawatts.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www/rbaker.com

Demolition Contractors Are Creators

If you are interested in demolition, R. Baker & Son recommends the National Demolition Association’s video “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”. This informative video explores the history of demolition and the demolition contractor’s role in urban renewal, recycling, environmental cleanup, restoration, and disaster response. 

 

Narrator Ed Asner describes demolition contractors not as destroyers but as creators of space for new construction, of ways to reuse recycled building materials, and of jobs. Demolition brings tax dollars into new communities, creates space for new parks, and protects public safety by removing dangerous structures. 
 

The demolition industry is described as constantly evolving to meet new safety regulations and environments restraints. Interior demolition clears old factory space to make way for new equipment, and remove interior walls to create modern office spaces. The video features footage of building implosion, heavy equipment demolishing homes, buildings, bridges, industrial complexes, and oil tanks, giant shears cutting through steel beams, and machinery is shown crushing and grinding concrete.

Asner talks about demolition contractors’ involvement in the removal of hazardous materials like lead, asbestos and PCBs, as well as the recycling of materials like concrete, steel, iron, copper, and wood. Historic preservation is discussed, describing how demolition contractors dismantle building interiors while leaving facades and other architectural features intact. “Demolition is not destruction”, Asner says. “It’s the first step in creation.”

To view the “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/demolitionassoc

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

‪#‎rigging‬ ‪#‎demolition‬ ‪#‎construction‬ ‪#‎environmental‬

Tank Farm Dismantling

New York and New Jersey have a fair amount of tank farms serving pharmaceutical, food and beverage, industrial manufacturing and petrochemical industries. Dismantling a tank farm is not typically a complex undertaking, but requires an experienced dismantling contractor to properly identify safety and environmental hazards as well as asset recovery opportunities. R Baker has been involved in dozens of tank farm dismantling projects over the past several years.

One recent dismantling project in New Jersey required mechanical, electrical, and structural dismantling of several tank farms. Erected in the early 80s, the farms mainly consisted of elevated stainless steel tanks ranging from 500 to 10,000 gallons covered by a steel-framed Butler-style roof system. Most of the piping was stainless steel, with some plastic piping, and there were several sets of pumps for product transfer between tanks and delivery trucks. Connection points to the tanks, pumps, and other accessories were either stainless steel weld or tri-clover clamp. There was an extensive grounding system for all tanks, pumps, and piping, along with several grounding bars for static connection of drums. All of the lighting and power for pumps and outlets for portable pumps were explosion-proof due to a hazardous environment Class I, Division 1, groups C and D classification.

Dismantlement of the tank farm entailed unbolting and cutting of all piping, pumps, tanks, and electrical systems after they were cleaned and identified as safe for lockout tag out. Salvageable pumps and fittings carefully removed for reuse at another facility. After all of the mechanical electrical and structural parts and pieces were removed, R. Baker & Son dismantled the parapet wall that surrounds the tank farms. Concrete floor trench drains and holding tank were removed from the ground. The concrete was tested for any contaminants and carefully cut and removed in square blocks. Clean backfill and stone replaced the concrete floor and trench to make the area reusable again.

R. Baker & Son - Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://rbaker.com/dismantling-contractors.php

BIM on Plant Relocation Projects

Building information modeling, or BIM, is digital modeling technology used in building planning, design, construction, operation, and management. It is widely used in new construction, selective demoltion, and renovation projects, and it is becoming recognized as a highly effective tool for plant relocation projects.

BIM-to-field laser scanning equipment can be used create a 3D model of existing mechanical and structural building components at the new facility. By centralizing information in one coherent, readily-accessible system and allowing building owners, designers, and plant relocation contractors to take a virtual tour of the completed facility in the model. Placement of new and existing equipment in the new facility is simplified and problem areas that might not be apparent on paper are more easily identified and corrected. 

BIM can also be used in plant relocation to pinpoint all electrical utilities, such as electrical substation VFDs, motor control centers, large electrical conduit, and racks. Pipes, ductwork lines can be plotted, as well as maintenance and pull spaces. Design changes entered in the BIM model automatically update all trickle-down details, eliminating relocation problems and errors. R. Baker & Son also relies on building information modeling for rigging, dismantling, selective demolition, and plant decommissioning projects.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Knowing What’s Buried in Concrete an Important Part of Demolition

The history of concrete goes back at least 8,000 years, and it has been used extensively in construction since the Roman Empire. Next to water, it is the second most-consumed material on earth. Consequently, millions of tons of concrete are removed from demolition sites around the world each year. Knowing what’s buried in the concrete is an important part of every demolition project.

Demolition of concrete is not a straightforward, cut-and-dried process. It is not uncommon for contractors to have embedded rebar, conduit, plumbing piping, and, occasionally, duct work in cement during construction, rather than installing them overhead. If blueprints are not available at demolition, as is often the case, demolition contractors must do some detective work to determine what is present within the walls and floors of a concrete structure. This is crucial on selective demolition projects, where damaging or severing an electrical feeder, fiber optic, or plumbing line can be dangerous and potentially catastrophic to operations.

The first step in finding piping and/or ductwork lines in concrete is to identify where they might originate, such as in mechanical rooms, shafts, and basement areas, and determine whether the line is live. If a line is to remain in-use, an MOP (method of procedure) must be developed to identify, mark, and preserve these utilities. Strick lockout/tagout practices must be followed. Paths can often be traced with a capacitive voltage sensor, or tick tester, which sends a signal through the conduit or pipe, and workers use a detector to mark the line in question. Size and depth of a line can be determined by x-raying sections of the concrete.

With over eighty years of experience in demolition, R. Baker & Son is an established expert in concrete removal. We properly identify what’s hiding within clients’ walls and floors before cutting, chopping, or coring concrete, ensuring a safe and successful outcome on every demolition project.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://rbaker.com/selective-demolition.php

Demolition and Building Implosion

In the controlled demolition industry, the commonly-used term “implosion” is a bit of a misnomer. A building implosion is actually a large series of pre-calculated detonations that cut a structure’s supports in an intricately-planned, -timed and -executed sequence of operation. Explosives remove internal supports first, and outer supports are pulled by gravity into the center of the structure. Controlled implosion can be done on a much shorter schedule than traditional demolition, and can greatly reduce project costs. When engineered and executed properly, implosion can safely reduce a large building or structure to a pile of rubble in seconds, rather than months or years.

Safeguarding nearby people and surrounding buildings is most important part of implosion demolition, particularly when performed in an urban setting. Months of preparation and planning go into a project, and the actual implosion usually occurs on a Sunday morning, when there is minimal human activity. Spectators who turn out to see the show are kept outside a safe perimeter. Experiencing a final check and countdown, feeling the percussion of explosives, and watching a building collapse gracefully into a neat pile of rubble in a matter of seconds, and hearing the cheer of the crowd is an impressive and exciting experience for demolition enthusiasts and workers alike.

R. Baker & Son
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Demolition Project: Boiler Removal

Some of R. Baker & Son’s more challenging demolition projects involve removal of huge, old boilers. Baker crews are currently engaged in a demolition project at leading central New Jersey university in which outdated, inefficient boilers are being replaced by multiple smaller high-efficiency boilers. This is a service we’ve performed numerous times for energy-conscious clients as of late. Three or four smaller high-efficiency boilers can be installed within an old boiler’s footprint, and will significantly outperform the old boiler.

Years ago, boiler vessels were usually rigged into place, in one massive piece, early in a construction project, and the structure would be built around it. Oftentimes, have multiple boilers of various sizes to handle the heating load of a building. Most of these inefficient old boilers are located in congested mechanical rooms, surrounded with equipment such as air compressors, pumps, aerators, chillers, water treatment skids, etc., as well as piping, electrical conduit, controls, sprinkler lines, and other systems. All of these items serve to complicate a demolition project.

Many demolition and selective demolition projects require the dismantling and removal of large boilers without disturbing surrounding equipment or disrupting operations, so intensive planning and coordination are required. Everything must be identified and plotted, and a specific safety plan must be compiled with a task hazard analysis. Items like conduit, control wiring, or plumbing may require relocation before the boiler can be cut up and removed. Proper ventilation and smoke control are a must.

Accompanying photos of boiler removal are from a recent R. Baker & Son demolition project at a large pharmaceuticals facility. Many facilities are undertaking similar projects.

R. Baker & Son - All Industial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com