Esseco had recently had a new steel framed building designed within which they were planning to install 3 large new hoppers, each measuring 5.0m high with a 3.0m diameter and weighing up to 26.2 tonnes along with all the ancillary plant, mechanical and electrical items. Projex Solutions were the mechanical, electrical and process engineers leading the project. They brought in JME Consultants to act as the structural engineers to design the new steel support frame.
JME Consultants designed and detailed the support frame measuring 22.15m x 5.6m x 15.4m(height). A 3D Revit model was produced and carefully co-ordinated in a BIM Level 2 environment with all the electrical, mechanical and process equipment included. Very careful checks and clash detection exercises were undertaken to ensure that all the equipment had support in the correct places and access was possible to all parts of the structure. The connections design and details were also designed as part of the JME Consultants with careful consideration given to the future proofing of the structure. Lifting beams, cantilevering 3.18m from the structure were carefully analysed to ensure the new process equipment could be lifted into place. The forces which the baseplate loads would apply to the piled reinforced concrete raft below were assessed with this information passed over to the designer of this aspect of the structure.
