PROJECT DETAILS

/ CONTEXT Delsan AIM entered into an Asset Sales Agreement with Shell Products Canada Inc. in 2012 to undertake the complete decommissioning and demolition of the aboveground equipment located in the former process area of the Shell Montreal East Refinery (MER) in Montreal, Quebec. As the aboveground demolition work was completed, Shell followed with the below-grade demolition, soil remediation and sewer abandonment work.

The refinery operated at 161,000 barrels per day at peak capacity and ceased operations in 2010. Shell continued to operate a terminal on the same property, which was located immediately east of the former process area. There were live ground-level and underground product lines along with live high tension power lines that passed through parts of the project site. Demolition operations had to be carefully planned around these infrastructures to ensure that no damage occurred and that minimum approach distances were maintained in accordance with applicable regulations.

/ DECOMMISSIONING In general, Delsan AIM decommissioned the process area by removing and disposing of the remaining hazardous materials that had been identified in the specifications including asbestos-containing materials. Delsan AIM also confirmed that all mechanical and electrical services to the equipment and buildings to be demolished had been physically disconnected.

/ DEMOLITION  Upon completion of the decommissioning activities, Delsan AIM either salvaged any equipment or structures that had been sold using cranes, or demolished and removed them using excavators equipped with specialized demolition and material handling attachments.

/ SCRAP RECYCLING  Delsan AIM shipped the scrap metals as oversized material directly to the AIM Montreal Recycling Facility, which is located near the project site. By employing this strategy, Delsan AIM was able to expedite the demolition of the process area in an efficient manner and minimize on-site stockpiling, sorting and scrap preparation work. The scrap was properly categorized and sorted by type and grade at this off-site facility and further processed using a state-of-the-art shredder that processes heavy gauge metals without torch-cutting.

/ CHALLENGE During the project, Delsan AIM completed the sale and salvage of an entire diesel hydro-treating processing unit, which was dismantled, packaged, and shipped overseas. The major components, such as towers, heat exchangers, reactors, etc., were dismantled in accordance with engineered lifting procedures using cranes. The components were transported by means of Self-Propelled Mobile Trailers (SPMTs) on public roadways to the Port of Montreal in preparation for overseas shipment.

/ KEY NUMBERS The dismantling work involved approximately 3500 man-hours of lifting operations using cranes ranging in capacity from 45 to 700 tons.