Solutions
Ironclad Environmental Solutions Overcomes Obstacles To Deliver Emergency Containment Solutions: Communication Is Everything In Providing Effective Solutions To Meet Post-Emergency Needs
Background
In March of 2019, Ironclad Environmental Solutions provided a large number of different types of equipment to our client in relation to an explosion and subsequent fire in their tank terminal at its Deer Park facility. We provided storage tanks to help with the overflow materials from fire-damaged tanks, as well as to store firefighting water.
As fire cleanup continued throughout 2019, we received a call late in the day on October 14 from our client with a request for four vacuum boxes, one frac tank, and berms to be used for pygas, benzene, and toluene wastewater streams. The request was for next-day delivery on October 15.
Meeting the Challenges
Thanks to proactive communication from the Ironclad Environmental Solutions Operations team, it was determined that before delivery, the four vacuum boxes would need to be fitted properly with Viton gaskets to adequately accommodate the wastewater stream. In the interest of time, Ironclad Environmental Solutions outsourced the gasket fittings to the third-party company.
After discussing the gasket recommendation with the customer, it was agreed all equipment would need the Viton gaskets, and everything was approved for a 1 PM delivery on October 15. However, due to the late approval, delivery was changed to October 16 to buy time to receive the Viton materials, change out the gaskets, and hydrotest the boxes.
What operations teams didn’t anticipate was how difficult it would be to fit the gaskets. As soon as we realized the delivery deadline was in jeopardy, we immediately and effectively started a proactive conversation with the customer, updating them on where we were in the process and subsequent issues. The delivery time continued to get pushed out, as the boxes failed the hydrotests.
In spite of these setbacks, we successfully delivered one box by the end of the day on October 16. Our shop techs and vendor worked tirelessly until 3 AM to ensure that the remaining boxes were fully ready for the customer and would be successfully delivered by the next morning.
The Outcome
The customer was very pleased and thankful that we took the time to get it absolutely right, instead of rushing to simply meet a deadline, and appreciated our proactive, constant communication to keep them as up to date as possible.
Project Requirements:
- Project Partners: A leading biotech and wastewater troubleshooting company
- Tank Use: Containment of pygas (pyrolysis gasoline), benzene, and toluene wastewater streams