Industrial Cooling Tower Repair

Orica’s NAP1 plant cooling tower, a Marley Class 600 2-cell unit installed in the 1970s, was due for deep maintenance. During the February 2018 shutdown, the tower required a full fill replacement and structural upgrades to maintain performance and safety. The challenge at hand required all maintenance to be completed within 16 days without compromising the operational integrity or the safety of the cooling tower.

Marley Flow Control was engaged to deliver a comprehensive repair and upgrade package to the cooling tower. The scope included:

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• Fill Replacement: Removed existing wood lathe fill bars and FRP grids; installed new polypropylene Marley splash fill bars and grids

• Structural Timber Repairs: Replaced all compromised timber within the wetted zone

• Mechanical Overhaul: Removed and replaced the mechanical support beam; reinstalled motor, driveshaft, gearbox, and fan with laser alignment

• Hardware Replacement: Replaced all bolts in the wetted area and anchor brackets supporting the tower

• Installation Methodology:

  • Fill removed bottom-up for safe access

  • New fill installed top-down using engineered modelling to optimise thermal performance

  • All work supervised and verified against contract specifications

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Marley’s technicians, experienced in wooden field-erected towers, executed the work with precision and safety-first protocols.

The completion of this project is considered an extremely successful project by Marley Flow. The combination of engineering expertise, project management, and trade skills under a stringent timeline resulted in the successful completion of the project. 

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• Full Scope Delivered Within 16 Days

• Zero Reportable Injuries

• On-Time and On-Budget Completion

• Enhanced Thermal Performance: Validated through pre-installation modelling and post-installation testing