Industry:
Glass
Project:
Replacing a doghouse “on the fly”
And they said it couldn’t be done safely!
A Canadian company requested Allstates Refractory Contractors (ARC) and two other companies to submit a project plan to replace a severely damaged doghouse “on the fly”. The customer required a guarantee that the project would be accomplished within the 10-day Christmas shutdown period and without adversely affecting the furnace, plant or personnel. The two other companies declined to pursue the work because they perceived the work to be too risky to accomplish safely and on time.
Upon award of the project, ARC assembled its team of engineers, field personnel and managers to develop an innovative project plan to ensure safe completion of the project within the required time frame.
Scope of Work
Dimensions
18.5 feet (5.6 m) in length and 52 inches (20.5 cm) tall
Timeframe
10 days during shutdown
Capacity
300 tons of molten glass
Solution
picket fence of water lances to freeze glass
The doghouse was 18.5 feet (5.6 m) in length and 52 inches (20.5 cm) tall. ARC’s plan involved drilling through the main crown and installing a picket fence of 10 to 12 water lances in order to freeze the glass in the back of the furnace and, correspondingly, seal off the doghouse. Additional lances would then be placed in the doghouse to ensure the molten glass would freeze and create a barrier to keep the remaining 300 tons of molten glass from escaping.
How the Bidding Process has Changed