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Pentek
Lead Abatement System Employed at Consolidated Edison
When
Consolidated Edison Company of New York released job specifications
for contractor bidding on the lead removal from their 125 foot-high
steam dispersion stacks at the 1551 megawatt Astoria Power Generating
Station, it was pointedly clear no lead would be released into the
air during the project. If abrasive blasting were chosen for surface
preparation, state-of-the-art full containment would have to be used,
complete with air-tight seals, ventilation systems, entrance and exit
air locks, and impermeable containment material to ensure minimal
discharge on the power generating plant below the stack. The contractor
would also be required to meet all OSHA requirements, such as medical
surveillance, hygiene facilities, separate eating areas, and personal
protective equipment if lead levels exceeded 30 micrograms per cubic
meter.
To
reduce the additional costs of erecting and maintaining full containment
without jeopardizing health and safety criteria, Con Ed incorporated
a practical solution to remove their aging lead-based paint. Nelson
Maintenance Services, Inc. of Yonkers, NY bid the project incorporating
Pentek's integrated lead abatement system. Pentek's system consists
of the VAC-PAC
high performance, self-drumming HEPA filtration system for central
operations, which can support up to ten individual operators with
RotoPeen Scalers and CORNER-CUTTER
needleguns. The RotoPeens
are excellent for flat areas, removing coatings at 45 square feet
per hour, while the CORNER-CUTTERS are ideal for corners, edges,
rivets, and bolts.
Nelson
Maintenance assured Con Ed airborne exposures would approach zero,
in compliance with all federal and state lead exposure regulations.
Upon review of the bids, Nelson Maintenance was awarded the contract
for lead removal on stack 50. Ramon Luis, Nelson Maintenance's project
manager estimated the stack had approximately 7,500 square feet
of steel.
"Even
with the (New York) city's labor costs, the Pentek system provides
a real competitive advantage," claimed Umberto Louis, executive
vice-president of Nelson Maintenance. "If I were to incorporate
abrasive blasting with full containment, my bids would be two to
three times higher. Pentek's system reduces the high costs of worker
and environmental protection associated with abrasive blasting by
capturing the lead at the point of generation. With no escaped lead,
my costs for compliance are negligible--I pass those savings on
to the owner."
At
the Astoria Power Generating Plant, Nelson Maintenance's crew positioned
the VAC-PAC on the roof of the power generating building. Compressed
air was supplied from an airline hose connected to the compressor
50 feet down at street level. The vacuum hoses extended as far as
200 feet away, eliminating the need for workers to transport individual,
conventional HEPA vacuums to support the shrouded power tools. One
retractable, elevated platform was incorporated to provide access
to the 18-foot diameter of the stack's exterior and no containment
structure was erected. As Nelson Maintenance's crew of four removed
the lead-based paint, they immediately followed along with new protective
coatings. The new paint system specified by Con Ed called for a
Rust Barrier 55 VOC Compliant primer and a Polyon II 3900 Series
Topcoat supplied by Con-Lux.
The
contract allowed for 35 days to complete the project: Nelson Maintenance
completed all work within 21 days, including mobilization, removal,
painting, and demobilization. During abatement, an independent testing
lab reviewed the project for worker and environmental safety. All
airborne monitoring results were well below OSHA's
action level of 30 micrograms per cubic meter on an 8-hour TWA,
and ground lead samples near the site did not show any increase
above background levels.
The
benefits of this lead abatement system, which continue to accrue
to Con Ed and the New York public it serves, are due in large measure
to the foresight of Con Ed's own R&D Department. In the late
1980s, technology development and demonstration work for the VAC-PAC
and CORNER-CUTTERS used on this project were jointly funded by Con
Ed, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Pentek. The
research effort was aimed at finding cleaner, safer, and more effective
methods to remove radiologically contaminated protective coatings
at the company's Indian Point Station, a 975 MW nuclear power plant
located in Westchester County. Pentek technology is now routinely
employed at Indian Point as part of its ongoing coatings maintenance
program, as well as on various public housing, subway, airport,
and highway rehabilitation projects located throughout New York
City and the metropolitan area. |