When the chimneys at the Hazelwood Power Station needed repairs, the question turned to how workers would be able to access the chimneys safely and efficiently. With a need for a custom solution, Absafe, the Distribution & Service Agents for Sky Climber Australia/New Zealand, and its Sky Climber Swing Stages with an articulating cradle was selected for the job.
The Hazelwood Power Station is a now decommissioned brown coal-fuelled thermal power station located in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria, Australia. Due to the age of the power station, concrete delamination had begun to take effect externally on each of the station’s six chimneys.
The client required an access system that could be used around the entire perimeter of each stack and at varying elevations, which would allow workers to remove the delaminated concrete before applying new concrete through the shotcreting process.
After careful consideration, the client chose Absafe’s Sky Climber Swing Stages and an articulating cradle, including two 6m long double articulation swing-stages, operating with 3/ph Alpha 800 motors, which allowed workers the extended reach to cover a larger portion of the chimney’s circumference in a single drop.
This custom solution gave workers the ability to repair the entire chimney with fewer drops, reducing the time required to reposition each of the main wire ropes when accessing each of the
chimneys.
Alpha 800 hoists were used for this project due to their superior durability and proficiency in operating over long distances. Each of the four Alpha 800 hoists worked flawlessly despite being in contact with a large amount of dust and debris produced by concrete repair works.
This allowed for less downtime associated with malfunctioning equipment, over the course of the project, and gave workers the confidence that the swing stage would be able to quickly descend to ground level in the event of high winds or rain.
This partner content was brought to you by Absafe. For more information, please visit https://absafesafetyservices.com.au/sky-climber/.
