Case Study

Dust controlled during rapid gravity filter tank repairs at a Water Treatment Works plant

Infrastructure

Water & Sewage Treatment

Afton Water Treatment Works is located near Cumnock, East Ayrshire. The plant treats raw water sourced from the nearby Afton Reservoir and supplies drinking water to a large part of Ayrshire.

8 rapid gravity filter (RGF) tanks were in need of defect repairs due to rust and corrosion, and George Leslie Limited were the contractors appointed to carry out these repairs.

Challenge

Repair work involved shot blasting inside the tanks before applying steel plates to form a new lining.

Although shot blasting maintained the integrity of works, it would also create high volumes of hazardous, airborne dust which, if inhaled, could cause long-term respiratory risks as well as practical challenges for operatives including visibility and ultimately, productivity. These risks were compounded by works taking place in a tank, meaning dust was contained in the work area whilst the work area itself had limited airflow.

Solution

George Leslie Limited approached RVT Group to recommend engineering controls that would be powerful enough to extract dust from shot
blasting activities whilst navigating the limited space around the tanks. RVT Group supplied a DUSTEX® D4 extraction unit which was installed outside of the tanks with intake ducting capturing dust as close to the shot blasting source as possible.

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