Blast protection for contractor personnel
Whiting Clean Energy
BP
525-MW, gas-fired, 2 × 1 combined-cycle cogeneration facility located in Whiting, Ind
Plant manager: Richard Maroney
Key project participants: Full team effort
Challenge.
Standard wood- or metal-frame portable buildings onsite were aging, providing limited blast protection and an uncomfortable work space for contract employees.
Solution.
Plant staff decided to replace old modular buildings with new steel-reinforced, blast-resistant modules (BRM) that are designed to withstand blasts of up to 10 psi at 125 psi/msec.
Results.
The new BRMs provide a safe and comfortable working area for the site’s contract employees (Figs 108 and 109). They serve as an office and meeting area for the craft workers. An added benefit of the BRMs was the ability to stack them vertically. This allowed for a smaller footprint while still providing the same amount of usable office space.
