Project Overview
Omnova Solutions closed its styrene butadiene latex plant in Calhoun, Georgia, which had produced materials for the carpet and paper markets. The company planned to convert the site to a terminal operation, which meant selected process areas had to be removed while other buildings, utilities, and infrastructure remained in place for continued use.
Phoenix Equipment was selected to recover value from the redundant process equipment while carrying out the dismantlement around the portions of the site that would remain. The project required selective removal of shutdown process assets while preserving the buildings, pipe racks, and infrastructure needed for the site’s conversion to terminal operations.
The Challenge
The shutdown process areas were scattered throughout the site and located close to buildings and equipment that would remain. Several major pieces of equipment, including boilers, compressors, and spiral heat exchangers, were located inside buildings that were being retained and converted to storage space.
Sections of the main pipe racks also had to remain. Phoenix therefore had to carefully identify and remove dead lines while preserving the rack structures and infrastructure needed for the continuing terminal operation.
Asset Recovery & Equipment Resale
Phoenix was awarded the project in part because its equipment-recovery strategy offered Omnova value beyond the scrap value of the shutdown machinery. Phoenix safely dismantled and rigged out more than 35 pieces of process equipment for resale at its own expense.
Major assets included:
- 3 × 10,000-gallon stainless-clad reactors
- 2 × 7,000-gallon stainless steel reactors
- Butadiene distillation system, built in 2008
- 2 × 800 HP Cleaver-Brooks boilers, built in 2007
- 2 × 50,000-gallon horizontal pressure tanks
- 10 stainless steel tanks ranging from approximately 3,000 to 20,000 gallons
- Vertical and horizontal stainless steel and carbon steel shell-and-tube heat exchangers
Phoenix also recovered more than 250,000 pounds of non-ferrous material and more than 1,500 tons of carbon steel through recycling.
Selective Dismantlement Within an Operating Site
An eight-person Phoenix crew spent approximately five months completing the dismantlement work. The project was carried out without injury or incident while portions of the site remained active and were being prepared for continued terminal use.
Phoenix used a Komatsu PC400 excavator with shear, a Komatsu PC300 excavator with grapple, cranes ranging from 50 to 250 tons, man-lifts, skid steer dozers, and forklifts. The crew coordinated its work with Omnova personnel so rigging, demolition, and equipment removal could be timed around activity in the areas that remained in use.
The dismantlement scope included equipment rigging, selective plant demolition, dead-line removal from retained pipe racks, and scrap recycling.
Project Highlights
- Client: Omnova Solutions
- Location: Calhoun, Georgia
- Facility: Styrene Butadiene Latex Plant
- Former Markets Served: Carpet and Paper
- Site Conversion: Terminal Operation
- Site Conditions: Selective Dismantlement Within a Continuing Industrial Site
- Phoenix Scope: Asset Recovery, Equipment Rigging, Selective Dismantlement, Dead-Line Removal and Scrap Recycling
- Equipment Recovered: More Than 35 Pieces (See Liquidation)
- Major Equipment: Large Stainless Reactors, Butadiene Distillation System, Boilers, Pressure Tanks and Heat Exchangers
- Non-Ferrous Material Recovered: More Than 250,000 Pounds
- Carbon Steel Recycled: More Than 1,500 Tons
- Project Duration: Approximately 5 Months
- Project Value: Approximately $1.5 Million
- Safety: Completed Without Injury or Incident
- Infrastructure Preserved: Retained Buildings, Pipe Racks and Equipment for Future Terminal Use
- Owner Benefit: Reduced Dismantlement Cost Through Above-Scrap Equipment Recovery
Recovering Value While Preserving the Site’s Next Use
Phoenix recovered value from more than 35 pieces of process equipment while selectively dismantling obsolete areas around buildings, pipe racks, and infrastructure that Omnova planned to retain. The result was a more economical transition from latex production to terminal operations without stripping out assets needed for the site’s next use.