Queensland Cooling Tower Remediation Works

Cooling towers are essential in power generation to maintain our modern lifestyles, dissipating heat from the power plant to maintain operational efficiency. By their very nature, cooling towers provide ideal micro-environments for materials degradation, high moisture content, elevated temperatures, thin concrete profiles, and high chloride content in the discharge, which all add to the complex issues associated with maintaining these structures. 

This project required critical works to be undertaken to extend the service life of the asset whist maintaining its operational efficiency. Critical repairs were needed to the rim of a 117-metre-high cooling tower to address concrete deterioration and corrosion of the steel reinforcement, in addition to providing improved strength capacity and long-term durability. The scope of works included remediation to the upper portion of the tower, including concrete repairs, installation of a hybrid corrosion protection system, and external post-tension strengthening. Given the tower's continuous operation, the project also required a custom access system to safely perform the works. 

The successful delivery was made possible by strong collaboration between the client, contractor, consultants, and material suppliers, ensuring long-term durability and minimal disruption to operations. A decision by Stanwell to adopt an innovative procurement model that provided focus on safety performance and technical outcomes was essential in the de-risking of key deliverables and provided opportunities for open dialogue between all parties to foster collaboration and ultimately a project story that all parties are proud to share.