Opal Group Inc.
Retort Demolition
Unocal
Parachute, CO
Oil shale operations at this facility, located in the mountains of western Colorado, included mining, crushing, gaseous extraction, and petroleum processing and refining. The retort facility was constructed in the early 1980s at a capital cost of $1 billion and continuously operated for several years until economic factors forced the cessation of operations. The design capacity of the facility was 10,000 barrels of product per day. The retort process involved circulation of heated gases around crushed shale in order to extract the petroleum contained within the rock matrix. The inert spent shale was deposited off the side of the mountain.
The decommissioning plan developed with the owner identified major components or processes that could be sold intact as complete operating units. Some of the equipment, including pumps, conveyors, electric motors, transformers, and copper wiring, had already been removed by others. The demolition work conducted during this phase focused on the sulfur recovery, oil shale transfer and retort areas.
Opal's personnel managed the demolition/decommissioning of the facility. Specifically the following work was performed:
- Conduct of an inspection and hazard assessment of the facility
- Preparation and implemented a site specific health and safety plan for the demolition work
- Completed an equipment inventory, including photographs and electronic database
- Marketed equipment to potential domestic and international buyers
- Demolished structures and piping to enable access to process equipment
- Removed and salvage various buildings
- Staged certain equipment for sale
- Employing hydraulic shears and blasting, demolish existing retort and process facilities
Type of Construction: Demolition
Size:
Services: Demolition, Environmental Remediation
Related Projects:Abandoned Station Demolition, Tank Demolition, Plant Demolition, Asphalt Plant Demolition, Building Demolition
