On-Site Tank Fabrication Under Deadline

When a facility shutdown window is measured in days, not months, every decision matters. Those decisions must be made long before shop or field fabrication begins. That was the reality at the Solvay project in Texas, where the sulfuric acid equipment had begun to fail, and the surrounding infrastructure needed to be demolished and replaced within a 28-day, around-the-clock shutdown window. 

The scope was substantial and required 12 months of design, planning, pre-fabrication, and site fabrication to prepare for the shutdown.  The replacement tank stood 75 feet tall, measured 33 feet in diameter, and weighed more than 600,000 pounds.

The vessel included complex internals, heat exchangers, and a multi-level catalyst shelf structure. Success depended on close coordination between manufacturing and field operations. Adaptive Stainless led project design, construction management, and field fabrication from planning through installation. Paul Mueller Company supported the manufacturing effort through material handling, component pre-processing, shop quality assurance, and on-time delivery.

Together, the teams developed a fabrication strategy that maximized prefabrication and component size while remaining within the project's transportation and constructability constraints. Across both manufacturing and field operations, quality, safety, and schedule performance were equally critical measures of success.

The shop and field quality programs played a critical role in minimizing rework and protecting the schedule. More than 7,000 lineal feet of field welds were inspected using dye penetrant and X-ray testing, with only (2) areas less than 1” requiring repair. Once the vessel was complete, it was transported one-hundred yards with a maximum allowable deflection of less than ¼". 

From early project design through manufacturing support and field fabrication, the collaboration between Adaptive Stainless and Paul Mueller Company turned a demanding shutdown schedule into a successful project.

The old ductwork and tank were demolished during a month-long shutdown period, during which the new tank and ductwork also needed to be installed. To ensure the plant could reopen on schedule, an hour-by-hour all-day and night work schedule was created as part of the project bid.

The welds for this job were thoroughly inspected with a dye pen and X-ray. Out of the 16,000 feet (4,876.8 meters) of welds inspected, only 2 inches (5 cm) needed to be repaired because of the thoroughness of the new welding procedure used by Mueller, called "back purging."

No job is too big a challenge for Mueller. Let us help you plan your next shutdown.  We can work within your schedule to make your next field construction project successful.