Silo Dismantling & Decommissioning
Metals and Plant Ltd was contracted to dismantle and remove a redundant wood chipping silo / storage vessel which fed a biomass boiler. The feed to remove the wood chippings from inside the silo had ceased to work rendering the silo almost completely full of wood chippings. Due to the silo being positioned down a tight access road and boxed in by numerous operational pieces of equipment on two sides, specialised hot cutting techniques were needed to process the silo into sections which could be safely lifted under controlled contract crane lift conditions. Due to the silos contents this posed considerable fire risks and was a major concern for the client. Due to the site being a live 24/7 operational place of work, minimising disruption and avoiding delays to their production line were also major concerns.
Firstly, the silo had to be emptied / cleaned and decommissioned to allow hot works to be utilised safely in the next phase of works. Obvious confined space hazards were present for operatives and had to be expertly managed and controlled throughout the cleaning process by Metals and Plant engineers. Once safe to do so the silo was then methodically dismantled in sequence in a top down manner via specialised hot cutting techniques, loaded into waiting skips and removed from site.
All works were completed safely and exceeded the client’s expectations.
