Demolition of a pipe bridge at a chemical plant

Last June and July, we contributed to the demolition of a pipe bridge at a chemical plant which produced raw materials for insulation. The pipe bridge could not just be demolished; part of it had to remain intact and was still in use. Partly for this reason, we drew up a lifting plan so we could carefully separate the first sections from the section to be retained.

Task-Risk Analysis and lifting plans

With a pipe bridge, which has not only pipes but also cables running through, it is important to work carefully. You cannot simply start demolishing and pulling things down at random. We made a preliminary, extensive study of how to set about the work. From this study, it appeared that if we lifted the first sections away, we would be able to demolish the remaining section with the demolition crane.

In the end, we set to work with our machines. First, part of the pipe bridge was lifted away. Once the pipe bridge was on the ground, we dismantled it into small sections which were transported to an authorised processor. This step was repeated a number of times until the remaining section of the pipe bridge was free and could be cut up using the demolition crane with scrap shears.

Measuring piles after demolition

The pipe bridge stood on a foundation with piles. We dug them out up to 2 metres below ground level, demolished and removed them. The remaining part of the piles were measured. By measuring this against the NAP [Normal Amsterdam Level, sea water level], we were able to map out exactly where and how deep the cut piles were. Consequently, the piles did not need to be removed in their entirety and the old piles were taken into account in the future construction. Naturally, we filled all the holes with soil that was supplied.

In total, the work took about 4 weeks. Once again, we can confidently say: Your project, carried out efficiently.