Complex Routing
Boulder Scientific E-Cat Cell 2 Production Space | Longmont, Colorado
Completed as GE Johnson Construction Company
This automated chemical manufacturing space provides five production reactors for large-scale production of chemical compounds. The entire project was constructed within an operating facility and adjacent to the operating Cell 1.
Partners
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Client Boulder Scientific Company
About The Project
The E-Cat Cell 2 project provided the complete demo of an existing cell which included multiple steel mezzanines to support the installation of five reactors along with associated electrical components and process logic controllers. Using an existing 1,790-sq.-ft. empty production cell, the newly constructed manufacturing space includes 11,493 linear feet of process piping, five reactors, five glass-lined receiver vessels, two filter dryers, and nine transmission control unit modules.
With 30-foot ceilings, the room was divided into ground level and mezzanines, with approximately 50% of the floor area left for accessing the reactors and filter dryers. The exterior has concrete containment areas housing solvent storage and distribution vessels, a two-story tall -20°C Paratherm chiller, and a 180°C Paratherm boiler on a platform.
Due to the nature of the chemicals used in this process, multiple safety features were required, including a concrete blast wall, intrinsically safe electrical components, lower explosive limits, a foam fire protection system, and a catalytic oxidizer for emission control.
Complex BIM Coordination
Extensive building information modeling (BIM) coordination allowed for fitting all equipment, vessels, and process piping into this small space. All piping was routed through the BIM process with a top-down philosophy to keep construction moving. Piping and instrumentation diagram design was finalized while reviewing the 3D coordination model to expedite construction and for reviewing pipe routing in real-time.
Fast Facts
- 11,493 Linear feet of process piping was installed, equal to more than two miles of process piping weaving through a 2000-sq.-ft. box.
- The temperature control units can modulate from -20°C to 180°C in a matter of minutes. Special high-density poly ISO foam insulation was used to accommodate these temperature ranges.
- 53 pieces of equipment were installed, including vessels, chillers, a hot oil skid, vacuum pumps, condenser, transmission control units, and pumps. 349 Automation control instruments were also installed.
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