Unique Project Requires Intricate Communication

The complex job of decommissioning and demolishing the Big Rock Point nuclear power plant in Charlevoix required an unusually high degree of coordination. Contractors needed to work very closely together to succeed, forming an intricate level of communication more reminiscent of a “nuclear family” than a project team. Bierlein Companies, Midland, provided demolition services and Consumers Energy surveyed the debris prior to releasing it to GTS Duratek, Columbia, Maryland, for handling and disposal.

Five main structures were included in the demolition: the 8,033-square-foot screen-well pump house; the 32,400-square-foot turbine service building; a 5,654-square-foot administration building; a 240-foot-tall stack; and the 130-foot diameter reactor sphere building. Prior to demolition, the site was meticulously cleaned and concrete surfaces were thoroughly scabbled to reduce contamination, but Bierlein still needed to take additional steps to prevent materials from spreading offsite.

“Bringing down the stack was the biggest challenge,” said Kevin Overly, project manager for Bierlein. “There was potential contamination, so we needed to remove the stack by rigging sections of the stack to the ground to avoid the dust created by knocking it down or imploding it. We jack hammered a six-inch groove all the way around each section and then went in and cut through the re-rod.”

The custom man basket that Bierlein engineered for this application included a catch pan that prevented debris from falling to the ground by conforming to the shape of the stack. A bracket to help support the considerable weight of the jackhammers was also included in the design. Individual segments of the stack, the largest measuring 24-feet tall and weighing 39,000-pounds, were lowered to the ground, where they were sorted along with other materials based on contamination levels, and transported away.