AdvanSix Cumene and Phenol Deck Rehabilitation

About

AdvanSix is a chemical manufacturer that uses cumene to produce phenol and acetone. Their Frankford plant along the Delaware River is one of North America’s largest producers of phenol, which is shipped to customers around the world. GTA is providing construction observation (COT) and testing services during the reconstruction of AdvanSix’s existing 12,384-SF dock, which facilitates the transfer of highly flammable chemicals to and from barges. The dock repairs, performed while product transfers remain active, include installation of a new steel sheet pile wall consisting of 131 sheet piles, with a combi-wall consisting of four 66” diameter pipe piles at the vapor recovery tank, and 83 battered H-piles spanning the entire dock length, as well as underpinning all active pipe racks, and the Phenol and Cumene manifolds. In addition, GTA is providing COT services during construction of several new structures including a 224-SF dock house (6 piles), 160-SF motor control center building (6 piles), 271-SF boiler building (6 piles), 1,020-SF slop tank foundation (4 piles), 2,490-SF Phenol High Deck (69 piles), 30 piles for the new Cumene dock fenders, 8 repair piles for the Cumene dock, 2 piles for the existing breasting dolphin, and 2 auxiliary piles. GTA’s on-site personnel are TWIC and OSHA certified, undergo annual drug testing, and annual site-specific safety training.

Some of the challenges encountered during construction of this project include:

• Underpinning Existing Structures: Existing pipe racks and manifolds had to be suspended from temporary “false work” during underpinning. The owner required zero movement beyond ¼ inch in any direction. To achieve this, threaded rods were adhesive-set into drilled holes in the existing foundations and bolted to the false work. GTA performed load testing on portions of these rods for each foundation.
• Tidal Conditions: The dock sits at elevation +10, making it one of the lowest on the Delaware River. Fluctuating tides and “blow-in tides” reaching +11–12 posed significant challenges, given the existing seawall elevation of +10.
• Elevation Constraints: The first floor of the three new buildings is at elevation +15, while the top of each pile cap is at +9.
• As-Built Discrepancies: The existing pier did not completely match the plans, requiring multiple redesigns/RFI’s during construction.