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Edward Lowton
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Giant blast room
12 December 2013
A self-contained blast-room with an internal volume approaching 2000m³ and a high-capacity media recycling system has been completed by Hodge Clemco for the Jack Tighe Group in Scunthorpe, UK, enabling it to considerably increase the size and weight of structures and components that can be processed there.
The room measures 30m long x 8m wide x 8m high and can accept loads to 40t. Double doors at one end provide a 7m x 7m opening. Walls and roof are constructed from prefabricated mild steel panels covered with full-height rubber curtains. The concrete floor is protected with steel plate to retain a smooth, safe surface. Two personnel doors have been fitted and all doors are interlocked with the blasting system to prevent it being used if one is open.
Abrasive is recovered by means of a sweep-in hopper, a bucket elevator and a cleaner/separator that delivers clean graded material to a 10t-capacity hopper designed to feed up to four blast machines and allow about 10h of blasting. The cleaner/separator removes fines, dust and over-size contaminants, which are then delivered automatically to bins for disposal. The equipment can be adjusted to ensure only suitable abrasive is re-used.
The use of a sweep-in hopper has avoided the cost and disruption of civil engineering work. Hodge Clemco also reduced costs by designing the room to integrate with the customer’s own dust extraction, air supply and dust collection equipment.
