OJI Green Liquor Tank Foundation

Bishops were commissioned to construct a chemical storage tank foundation for OJI as part of a wider project to replace a tank at OJI’s Kinleath pulp and paper mill in Tokoroa.

We were engaged by Culham Engineering for the project and we worked closely with them to execute the work. This included demolition of an existing foundation, ground preparation and foundation construction. The worksite was confined, and the timeframe constrained as it was part of an operating plant so Bishops provided a methodology that would meet deadlines at the same time providing a safe work environment. The solution was to build the steel reinforcing cage away from the worksite while work on demolition, groundworks and formwork could be carried out simultaneously. This provided a 2-3 week time saving and enabled the project to be completed ahead of schedule.  Once the formwork was complete the reinforcing cage was craned into place in one piece. The cage weighed in at over 20T and required an engineered lift to ensure everything was carried out safely. This enabled the foundation to be poured within 2 days the of the cage being placed.

Due to the thickness of the concrete at over 1500mm, curing was a critical element to prevent over heating and cracking. Prior to pouring a series of thermocouples were arranged inside the foundation to monitor the internal temperature to ensure adequate cooling was applied. Monitoring was carried out remotely via a cellular connection over a 2-week period, during this time the core temperature reached 60degC.

Once the foundation was complete and the tank placed the tank hold down bolts were epoxy grouted into place.

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