In October of 2018, the third most intense Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States struck the Florida Panhandle—Hurricane Michael. It was the strongest storm since Hurricane Andrew in 1922, and the strongest ever recorded in the Florida Panhandle. It reached a wind speed of 155 mph right before landing near Mexico Beach, FL, on October 10.
The intensity of this storm put an entire paper mill out of commission—but thanks to tireless efforts and dedication by Southern Field – EEC and others, the plant is back to production less than 6 months later. In this catastrophic event, two (2) 220’ tall stacks and precipitator outlet plenums were ripped off by the wind.
The Rebuild
Southern Field was awarded the turnkey critical path reconstruction in a competitive bid and planned to reconstruct the precipitators in record time. Supporting plenums and guide towers were redesigned and engineered for modern wind load. Dead load was also increased as the stack material was changed from FRP to 2205 duplex.
For increased corrosion resistance, the plenum material was also changed to 2205 duplex. Southern Field was able to use ProcessBarron and put the fabrication in-house for an exceptional turnaround time. The initial rebuild contract was signed on November 9, 2018, and the project was completed March 1, 2019.
This project was really a highlight of Southern Field’s multifaceted capabilities. Engineering, Project Management, Fabrication, Safety, QC, and Construction were all called upon to push this rush project through with exceptional quality and on-time delivery.
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