Condenser Swap: New Platform and Two Condensers Set in a Single Lift
Innovative replaced two underperforming condensers and their corroded support platform at an underground storage facility, setting everything in one crane lift and restarting the plant in less than 24 hours.
Replacing a condenser platform is labor-intensive work. The usual approach is to build the new platform beside the existing one to shorten the shutdown. At this facility, there was no room to do that.
The customer's two condensers were struggling to keep up with the engine room. They were mounted to an aging steel platform that had only been primed and was peeling and rusting. The facility's storage operation is entirely underground, and the system rejects heat from an ammonia engine room that exchanges with glycol, which is supplied to evaporators roughly 40 feet below grade. The customer's priority was more condensing capacity, delivered in as short a shutdown as possible.
A New Platform and Larger Condensers
Innovative supplied a new hot-dip galvanized platform and two new stainless steel condenser towers with significantly more capacity than the units they replaced. Together they address the performance problem and the corrosion on the old structure.
One Platform, One Pick
The existing design didn't allow the condensers to be swapped one at a time, and the platform had to be replaced too. With no room to stage a new platform alongside the old one, Innovative designed the work around a single lift.
The new platform and both condensers were built and assembled on the ground in advance, so very little welding remained for the shutdown itself. During the outage, crews stripped the existing towers and platform down to the base anchor bolts, erected new steel, and then set the complete platform-and-condenser assembly in one pick and welded it in place.
The customer allowed a 48-hour window. The plant was back in operation after roughly 23 hours, about half the time allowed.
Engineered to the Customer’s Requirements
The most demanding part of the project wasn't the lift. It was the piping plan. Every line was reviewed in detail by both engineering and field teams, through multiple rounds, well before construction began. The customer also required 100% TIG welding, and the team delivered.
A first tour prepared the site: prepping the platform, installing temporary supports, and installing new stainless steel water piping and pumps. That meant the second tour, the swap itself, could focus on the lift and tie-ins.
Thoughtful engineering, excellent project management, and careful coordination with every part of the construction team made it possible to meet all of the customer’s needs in less than half of the allowed shutdown window.
Project Results
- Replaced two underperforming condensers with larger-capacity stainless steel units
- Replaced a corroded, primed-steel platform with a new hot-dip galvanized platform
- Set the platform and both condensers in a single crane lift
- Restarted the plant in less than 24 hours
Planning a System Upgrade?
Whether you're dealing with aging condensers, a corroded platform, or a site with no room to stage the swap, Innovative can help you build a plan that fits your shutdown window. Contact our team to start the conversation.
