Written by Kory Cooper | Project Brief

SVI Industrial performed an inspection and repair of a tower in a bleach plant located in GA. SVI repaired multiple brick windows, cleaned the steel, and applied primer and membrane. SVI also Installed new acid brick using vinyl ester mortar.

What Did the Tower Inspection Find?

SVI Industrial’s team performed a visual and physical inspection of the vessel’s interior from the floor and a basket climber.

During the exercise, the inspector discovered the wall lining’s acid brick condition to be hard and well bonded. However, the face and surface of the brick were in very worn condition.

The vinyl ester joints were hard and recessed 1/4″ to 1/2″ deep, with a significant amount of rust coming through the joints in the last 10 courses.

During the lining inspection, SVI found the acid brick overall was hard and well bonded except for two spalled bricks on the floor.

The biggest concern was the floor was full of water at the time of inspection. While inspecting the cone in the floor, SVI found the acid brick was hard and well bonded, but the cap was missing at the cone’s top.

The surface of the brick was in good condition. The vinyl ester joints were hard and recessed 1/4″ to 1/2″ deep. The joints throughout the cone were hard and recessed 1/8” deep with various areas that needed to be pointed.

The inspector discovered the concrete foundation in good condition.

During the inspection, the FRP cover was covered in stock.

What Chest Repair Solutions Were Offered?

After the inspection, SVI offered the bleach plant multiple repairs. SVI removed a 4’ x 10’ brick window and a 3’ x 3’ brick window at the tower’s bottom section. The steel was repaired by someone other than SVI.

SVI cleaned the steel and applied primer and membrane. SVI also Installed new acid brick using vinyl ester mortar.

SVI recommended the client perform spot pointing from the floor to as high as can be reached throughout the lower 6’ of the walls. Approximately 30% of the joints need to be pointed soon. The tower must be dry to perform the spot pointing. SVI recommended spot pointing throughout the cone on the floor and to schedule a re-inspection of this vessel during the 2021 outage.

When was the last time a professional inspected one of your Towers or Chests? Contact SVI Industrial today, and we will come to your plant, perform a custom inspection, and offer you repairs to ensure your plant’s structural integrity.