Case Study 01: Exhaust Fan Overhaul

Early Morning Start With Eagle Crane

Arriving on site in the early morning, Eagle Crane set up their Liebherr 120 ton all terrain boomtruck and led a safety meeting all while keeping on schedule. With the fans already prepped for picking, the lift went according to plan. Each fan assembly was trucked out to Karice Enterprises where we further broke down the components.

Fan Assembly Breakdown

Each fan component was broken down, and cataloged. Heavy corrosion damage was due to poor factory surface preparation, clogged drains and pooling water from fans not being operated. Both motors were pulled off and replaced with newer, heavier duty, corrosion resistant versions.

Drain Transition (2)

Upon investigating the drain transition, we noticed water leaking from rusted out areas and seams. Breaking this down and removing the baffling to access the water logged insulation, we were able to discard all fiberglass insulation prior sending this out for surface preparation.

Internal Water Damage

Within the internal drain transition dome was a lot of pooled water. This had nowhere to drain and remained inside with saturated fiberglass insulation.

Surface Preparation and Powder Coating

With all the components broken down, they were sent for surface preparation treatment. Heavily damaged components were repaired and made stronger than before!

• All Items are cleaned from oil, grease and organic matter using solvents.
• Items are pickled to remove rust.
• Items are washed and air dried after each pre-treatment and before chemical stripping/blasting so not to contaminate chemical immersion or blast booth.
• Items are immersed in a 22% caustic soda solution at a temperature of 180-220 degrees Celsius for 1-3 days.
• Items are then washed and dried.
• Items are then blasted with red garnet.
• Items are then washed and dried.
• Items are then immersed in hydrochloric acid (HCL) then washed and dried. *Washing is a critical step as this inhibits the chemical process*
• After each step is complete and passes quality inspection, each item is ready to be sent for powder coating.

Assembly

Fabricated and repaired, all parts were reassembled and ready for operation.

Installation

The final step was to place the fans back, button up the bolts, connect the motor disconnect and balance. Take a look at the custom built fan cover and motor mount.

Thank you to Karice, Eagle Crane, Vibes Corp and Over-Site Consulting for your hard work!