Written by Kory Cooper | Pulp and Paper Mills
Recently, SVI BREMCO completed an exterior inspection of a bleached pulp vessel at a pulp and paper plant in Minnesota and completed repairs on the bottom portion of the vessel.
What Did the Vessel Exterior Inspection Find?
The SVI BREMCO team performed an external physical and visual inspection of the bleached pulp vessel from the floor. An internal inspection wasn’t completed at this time.
The wall lining condition of the vessel was good, with the 8”x16” block being hard and well bonded, with the exception of the bottom two courses of zone 1. The blocks in zone 1 sounded hollow and were cracked and spalled. Additionally, throughout the south side of zone 3, miscellaneous spalled blocks were identified.
The concrete foundation condition of the vessel seemed to be in good condition, except for minor signs of wear with miscellaneous cracks.
The vessel’s concrete cover was also worn and had miscellaneous cracks.
What Vessel Exterior Solutions Were Offered?
SVI BREMCO took two courses of action for the paper plant at this time. First, they removed and replaced exterior bricks on the bottom two courses of zone 1. They then performed pumping throughout the leaks of the exterior.
The inspection team recommended that the paper mill have the spalled brick in zone 3 plastered and edges sealed in the future and to schedule a follow-up inspection of the bleached pulp vessel during the next planned outage.
Do you need help like this at your pulp and paper plant? If so, SVI BREMCO can perform an in-person inspection and determine which solutions are right for your facility. Contact us today to schedule your inspection.