Complex waterworks job highlights D-Drill’s scanning and cutting expertise
Engineers at a South Wales diamond drilling and concrete sawing firm have completed a major project at a key water management site in Carmarthenshire – from scanning to cutting.
Skilled operatives from the Bridgend office of D-Drill removed three large concrete plinths from the Nantgaredig Intake Works to allow for three brand new water pumps to be installed.
The firm used specialist 3D scanning equipment to scope out the job before undertaking the removal of the concrete. Special harness equipment had to worn during the scanning process due to the limited access.
D-Drill, working with main contractor IPP Contracting, Welsh Water and Celtic Process Control, then removed each of the 4.6m x 2.2m x 500mm plinths over the course of four days.
Due to the size of the plinths and the tight working conditions, the plinths were cut into smaller 1.1m x 400mm x 430mm blocks to allow for the removal.
And, because of the ‘blue water’ environment, the firm had to take additional precautions against any contamination of the water or the surrounding machinery.
Having initially carried out the scanning of the plinths to find out where was best to cut the concrete, the team then used breakers and a three phase track saw to cut and remove the blocks.
Alan Burnell, of D-Drill’s Bridgend office, said: “It was one of those jobs that really got the grey matter working!
“The actual cutting of the concrete wasn’t particularly complicated but the fact that we were working in a very confined area and also the fact that we had to be extremely careful with regards to contamination added to the complexity.
“We had everything scanned beforehand and that produced 3D images of exactly what was beneath the concrete so we knew what we were working with.
“We then devised the idea of cutting the plinths into blocks and worked solidly for four days in making the cuts and then removing the blocks accordingly.
“It wasn’t just D-Drill, there were several parties involved and we all worked very closely together to ensure that we got the job done to allow for the new pumps to be delivered and installed.
“The previous pumps had been there since the 1960s and so had the plinths so the new plinths needed to be created to meet the specification of the new pumps being installed.
“The project went extremely well from our point of view and it’s always great to see a complex plan formulated and then executed so well.”
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