Concrete Remediation at Orica Yarwun
Project in Numbers
Situation
Orica Yarwun were experiencing an issue with their AM (ammonia nitrate) solution tanks due to damaged concrete. Parts of the concrete were reaching its end-of-life, had concrete cancer, or corrosion to the structural steel. Because this solution eats concrete, any damage to the tanks leads to exposed concrete that can deteriorate quickly. To fix this issue, Orica Yarwun engaged Simmons Civil.
“Through our concrete remediation work, the client was able to increase confidence in their environmental management practices. Upon successfully sorting out their groundwater issue, we were immediately assigned an identical project in another part of their operation.”
Solution
Simmons Civil undertook concrete remediation work for Orica Yarwun. First they identified the damaged areas of concrete before removing and replacing them with specialty grouts and prescription concrete mixes.
Following this, the team ground the entire floor and coated it with industrial protective coatings (in this case, 4 mm thick polyurea) to help the concrete become more resistant to chemical erosion in future.
The project was successfully completed on time, and helped to solve the groundwater issue the client had been having. Following the concrete remediation, the client could be more confident in their environmental management practices — and it quickly led into further concrete remediation projects.
For Simmons Civil, it became one of the business’ formative projects. Simmons had only been in business for 14 months when this project kicked off, and the team quickly grew from two to six people throughout the four month project. At the same time, they invested heavily in equipment to expand their capabilities, including a reactor to spray polyurea, as well as floor preparation equipment (grinders, demo saws, ring saws). Simmons Civil also upskilled their team to understand the applications and adapted techniques to suit the client’s requirements.