DISMANTLING OF V204 A+B HYDROGEN AND CO2 REACTOR

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Location:  Hydrocracker Complex, Petroineos Grangemouth Refinery

To carefully dismantle and remove the V204 A + B low temperature hydrogen + CO2 reactor from within the live operational Hydrocracker plant.

Asset Details:

Height – 29m 

Diameter – 3.4m

Weight – 134 Tonnes

The reactor was located within the operational Hydrocracker complex within an existing live oil refinery.  Within the immediate area was live operational plant and vibration sensitive equipment which had to remain in service throughout the duration of the dismantling project.  The 29m structure comprised of 2 separate reactors integrated within a common shell supported by a brickwork supporting structure.

Our engineers held initial meetings with the client’s project team to understand the project scope, specific site risks and operational restraints of the project.  We then developed a sectional dismantling sequence which eliminated the requirement to lift over the existing live process plant.

The structural design dictated that an independent structural scaffold would be required to provide access to all workfaces and provide protection to the existing live plant in the immediate operational vicinity.  All dismantling works were coordinated daily through the client's plant Permit to Work system.

The twin reactor structure was dismantled in sections taking recognition of the location of internal filter trays and the weight of the reactor shells.  The individual sections were then cut to size and lifted to grade utilising a mobile telescopic crane.  The scaffold structure was dismantled in a parallel sequence with the main dismantling lift plan.

All sectional arisings were loaded directly onto suitable transport and removed from the operational area for further processing off site. 

• Structural assessment
• Temporary works design & installation
• Use of scaffold protection, access and control
• LOLER design including cut points and individual weight assessments
• Rigging and slinging
• Hot cutting techniques
• Waste management

The works were closely coordinated by GCM and the clients operational/project team. The initial overall program was accelerated from 8 to 6 weeks at the clients request to ensure that the replacement vessel was installed to minimise the impact on the production of the operational plant.  On completion of works all necessary temporary protection and equipment were removed and the site left to the satisfaction of the client’s engineering team.