Air Products Hydrogen Plant - Leveraging Collaboration and Expertise to Offer Time and Cost-Savings
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In 2016, Lafarge worked with Air Products & Chemicals Ltd. to develop a world-scale hydrogen production plant with consumer, commercial, and industrial applications for the Canadian market.
For this project, Lafarge supplied 9,000m3 of Agilia® and leveraged its industry expertise to help the client achieve 25% time savings on the project timeline and benefit from the resulting lower costs.
THE CHALLENGE
The plant would create oxygen for the steel industry, nitrogen for solar panels, and hydrogen as a clean fuel for refining, benefiting several sectors. Thus, it was critical to pay close attention to all the challenges and plan accordingly.
The core challenge for this project was the geotechnical conditions in Air Product’s existing Heartland hydrogen pipeline system, which required a durable foundation utilizing pilings to support the plant. The project also had tight timelines, which required the rapid construction of the support system.
THE SOLUTION
Lafarge's project team adopted a two-tiered solution to meet this challenge.
CFA Piling Method
Lafarge collaborated with Keller Foundations, who used the continuous flight auger (CFA) piling technique to build the needed piles. This method was relatively new to Alberta. A specialized auger drills the pile hole and can pump concrete down the shaft.
Concrete can flow freely down the auger’s hollow stem. As the auger retracts from the hole, the soil is extracted while concrete fills its place. The CFA auger requires an easily workable concrete mix; hence, it was critical to choose the right product.
Choosing Agilia® as the Product
Lafarge developed a unique Agilia® mix design that was both highly flowable and offered extended workability. This allowed for a controlled yet rapid construction of the piles. Lafarge had a quality control representative on-site during the entire project to respond to any issues that might have arisen.
THE RESULT
The piling project took eight weeks to complete, two weeks faster than traditional piling techniques. The CFA pilings cost 30% less than a bell pile design. The use of Agilia® saved Air Products time and money while providing a foundation that could support a high-performing production plant for many years.
In collaboration, Lafarge and Keller Foundations pushed the boundaries of how foundations for large facilities are built in Alberta.
