SCHWARZE PUMPE SETTLING TANK
Task: Empty and dismantle a 10,000 m³ settling tank
Time frame: September 1997 to September 1998
Substances: 3,500 m³ tar oil mixture; 3,000 m³ phenolic wastewater
Schwarze Pumpe settling tank
Corrosion and structural weakness demanded the emptying, cleaning, and dismantling of settling tank "2.112" at the Schwarze Pumpe site. Volatilisation of the lighter constituents existed; pyrophorous substances could activate and self-ignite. This fact made it impossible to simply cut the tank into sections for dismantling.
Information
At the start of the project, the tank contained a mixture of phenolic waste water and tar oil so-lids. The phenolic water was drained off through outlet pipes near the top before the mixture was heated. A combination pump/heat-exchanger apparatus then heated the tank contents. Materials were removed from the tank through outlet pipes at the base. This procedure sub-stantially reduced the inherent danger of the operation.
Coordinating closely with the local mining authorities, a 500-ton crane was used to lift the top from the tank. Excavators removed the remaining contents of the tank. Cleaning and disas-sembly of the structure prepared it for scrap.
