AIS Vanguard has delivered a turnkey project to upgrade an oxygen production plant for leading industrial gases specialist, Air Products. Taking full CDM responsibility, the AIS Vanguard team was responsible for removal of all redundant equipment, modifications to pipework and installation of new machinery, within a fast track six-week programme to meet the client’s mission-critical deadline.

Effective Project Planning

The Air Products plant is located on a manufacturing site in Stirling, operated by Superglass, an insulation manufacturer. The plant provides oxygen for Superglass’s furnaces, allowing them to operate at the correct temperature to ‘melt’ glass for the production of glass wool insulation.

AIS Vanguard’s Glasgow team worked with both Air Products and Superglass to ensure the insulation manufacturer’s operational efficiency was protected from any disruption. The upgrade and extension of the oxygen plant involved switching off the facility and bringing oxygen to site in tankers in order to maintain Superglass’s production.

Due to the expense and lead times involved for the supply of third-party oxygen, completion of the oxygen plant upgrade and extension within the six-week programme was mission critical. The AIS Vanguard team planned and risk assessed the requirements prior to beginning work on site, including devising detailed plans for all equipment lifts. This ensured that the work was carried out quickly and safely with multiple milestone deadlines in place to keep the project on track.

Decommissioning

AIS Vanguard was responsible for removal of the roof and strengthening of the gable to ensure the structural integrity of the remaining structure. The AIS Vanguard team disconnected and dismantled all interconnecting pipework, electrical and air services, before implementing a schedule of lifts planned in advance to remove equipment from the building. These assets were then loaded to AIS Vanguard vehicles and transported for disposal to SEPA registered waste sites.

The AIS Vanguard team also removed the absorber from the vessels within the oxygen plant, before cleaning, testing and removing redundant assets for disposal to SEPA approved sites.

Upgrade

During the same six-week period, the AIS Vanguard team lifted all new plant and pipework into the building, lining and levelling it to datum point, and carrying out field welds and electrical connections to complete the installation.

The team also supplied and fitted all the small-bore pipework required for the project and carried out all necessary electrical, handrail and motor modifications.

Finally, the AIS Vanguard team reinstated the roof, ready for the client to commission the upgraded plant and begin on-site oxygen production once more.

On Time Project Delivery

Any over-run of this project would have been costly to Air Products and potentially disruptive to Superglass, but the AIS Vanguard team carried out all work successfully within the required timescale and in budget, adhering to the highest standards of health and safety and working around the operational requirements of the site.