The production of new air heater modules for a power plant in eastern New York State is a good illustration of how Welding Works combines design and fabrication skills. Sixteen all carbon steel modules needed to be fabricated to fit into an old asbestos-insulated heater shell.

To prepare the shell, the customer cut out the bottom of the old heater and the nonoperational mechanisms were removed. The only materials provided to Welding Works for the project were the dimensions of the air-heater modules and the metal tubes that were to be installed in the modules. Welding Works was responsible for designing the support structure for the tubes, as well as the shipping skids for the modules.

The sixteen 4-foot x 7-foot x 19-foot modules, each weighing over 14 tons, were fully fabricated at Welding Works. Each module was transported on its own flatbed truck, ready to install upon arrival. (It should be noted that all of the asbestos in the shell was properly sealed and contained.)

Welding Works had the opportunity to provide a quote for a very challenging project: the fabrication of over 500,000 pounds of large ductwork, to be completed by the end of December. We came in with a very competitive quote, and this longtime customer, an OEM supplier to the utility industries, called us in for a pre-award meeting. We discussed whether this amount of work, which had not even been engineered yet, could be finished within the time frame specified. After the meeting, the customer thought that Welding Works offered the best chance of delivering on time, and we were issued a purchase order at the end of September.

The project called for 25 large sections of ductwork, ranging in weight from 10,000 to 47,500 pounds. The ducts would measure up to 16 feet wide, 51 feet long and 11 feet, 10 inches high. Associated platforms, grating and support steel were also required. The short time frame made it necessary that many things be done concurrently. The customer was still working on arrangement drawings as we worked out shop details and began building duct. All welding was performed by welders certified to AWS D1.1.

Shortly after we received the purchase order, the customer asked that we complete the first 2 duct sections and ship them as soon as possible. We were able to fabricate this work, which weighed approximately 35,000 pounds, within 3 weeks. This was accomplished even as the customer continued working on the last of the detailed project drawings. The October 26th delivery in Michigan enabled the customer to completely install the first ducts by Thanksgiving.

Welding Works began shipping the remainder of the job on December 19th. Shipment of the 21 truckloads was complicated by the fact that many of them were overwidth. Since this was a holiday period, we were restricted by some states as to the days the trucks could travel. It turned out that there were only 5 days during which we could ship, and there was bad weather on several of them. Despite the obstacles, delivery was completed by the end of January. The customer was satisfied since they knew that their original timeframe was not realistic. They said that everything fit together fine, and no back charges or extra work were necessary.

Here at Welding Works, we take pride in our ability to do extensive work in a short time frame. We would be happy to quote on your next fast-paced project.