Helping to get a new renewable energy facility up and running on schedule
With a high standard of fire protection needing to be installed during bad winter weather to keep the construction of a new energy from waste facility on track, Promat had the ideal solution.
The new Ardley Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) provides a critical step in the sustainable reuse of waste materials, generating power from renewable sources for up to 38,000 homes. A key part of the construction project was to ensure high quality fire protection, especially in areas of the plant built with thin, light cold-rolled steel sections which needed additional protection.
Furthermore, in order to keep to schedule installation of fire protection products would need to be undertaken during the winter months. This would mean exposure to the cold, damp weather, which ruled out the use of intumescent paint to protect the steelwork. ERF needed to find a solution that could not only provide the right protection for the relatively thin steel sections of the building, but that could also be installed without them having to worry about the weather.
Keeping the project on track
Promat was IPCL’s first choice to meet the demanding performance specification and allow installation during the winter months. Steve McAllister explains:
“This project called for high specification protection and so Promat VERMICULUX® was an obvious choice. Promat was the only manufacturer that was comfortable with us using their board to protect the cold-rolled steel sections which feature in some parts of the plant. These are thinner and lighter than hot-rolled sections and so require more fire protection, but Promat advised that Promat VERMICULUX® was more than equal to the job.”
Critically, Promat VERMICULUX® boards are also resistant to moisture. “This meant that we could install them in cold and damp weather and so continue working on the project during the winter months without having to slow down. This wouldn’t have been possible if we’d chosen to use intumescent paint to protect the steelwork,” adds Steve.
A lightweight but high-performance solution
Some 4,000m2 of Promat VERMICULUX® board in various thicknesses were used on the project. Promat VERMICULUX® is a lightweight, non-combustible calcium silicate board specially designed to provide fire protection to structural steelwork, and can deliver up to 240 minutes fire resistance depending on the thickness of material used and the dimensions of the beam or column being protected.
It is resistant to moisture, will not disintegrate, warp or swell. This allows it to be installed at any time during the building programme, even before external walls have been completed and the building has been made watertight. It is easy to work and install, and is supplied with two rebated edges to allow cross joints to be made without the need for noggins, cover strips or adhesives.
“There is growing interest in using our passive fire protection products for this type of ERF project,” says Promat's Area Sales Manager, Thomas Sheridan. “Given the nature of the processes which are used, a plant such as this needs high specification protection and we can provide a very wide range of products that are perfectly suited to this task.”
Steve McAllister concludes “We regularly use Promat products and have always found their fire protection solutions to be reliable and effective.”
The new plant is operated by leading UK recycling, renewable energy and waste management company, Viridor. It is expected to process around 300,000 tonnes of non-hazardous, post-recycling, residual waste per year.
