Skip to content

Home
Services
REFERENCES
The Company
NEWS

Home
Services
REFERENCES
The Company
NEWS

Contact

Home

Silo cleaning

Explosive cleaning: operation in a confined space

Our case studies present real operations carried out by NT Service GmbH – including specific requirements, challenging hazard situations and professional execution. Each case study demonstrates how we reliably and compliantly manage safety critical specialist operations.

The initial situation

After a defect in the spray tower of a waste incineration plant, massive deposits of slaked lime and combustion residues formed. These accumulated in the wall and cone areas of a silo and threatened continued operation. The operator, GAB – Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft und Abfallbehandlung mbH, commissioned NT Service GmbH as part of an emergency response operation to remove the blockages.

The client

GAB – Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft und Abfallbehandlung mbH, Kummerfeld, Operator of a waste incineration plant with a silo system for the temporary storage of combustion residues.

The assignment

The objective was the safe and complete cleaning of the silo using explosive technology in a confined space. The assignment was carried out by NT Service GmbH in cooperation with “Sprengtechnik Berge”.

The hazard situation

The work took place in confined spaces at a basic temperature of around 40 °C. Highly toxic, carcinogenic residues added to the hazard situation. To minimise the risks, a special rescue concept with a trial exercise was implemented. Based on the measured times, the maximum duration per entry was set at 30 minutes.

The procedure

After a 50-minute inspection drilling, boreholes 60 to 80 cm deep were created. The first four boreholes were used to test the material. Managing Director Matthias Natusch was personally involved on site and actively participated in the work, carrying out drilling himself. In this way, he not only assessed the strain on the team but also directly coordinated the procedures. Under the supervision of a blasting expert with 40 years of experience, the explosive charges were precisely calculated, inserted and detonated. After each blast, the result was checked and the next steps were coordinated.

The result

The blockages were completely removed without causing any damage to the system. By avoiding the need for scaffolding, Mustermann GmbH saved around €100,000.

The operation confirmed the high effectiveness of explosive cleaning under difficult conditions and underlines the expertise of NT Service GmbH in cooperation with “Sprengtechnik Berge”.