Star City Digester Penetration Reinforcement
Composite reinforcement around digester penetrations, coordinated with separate tank availability during wastewater facility improvements.
Delta Structural Technology completed a composite reinforcement project associated with the Morgantown wastewater treatment improvements in Star City, West Virginia. The scope addressed penetrations in Digester Nos. 2 and 3. Developed for Ulliman Schutte, it integrated surface preparation, carbon fiber reinforcement and anchorage around the tank openings using the project’s specified externally bonded FRP system.
- Market
- Water & Wastewater
- Services
- FRP reinforcement at tank penetrations
- Location
- Star City, West Virginia
Project challenge
The digester work required reinforcement at planned tank penetrations. Those localized openings had to be coordinated with an existing tank structure and a defined composite detail. The installation schedule also had to respond to separate tank readiness: the planning documents anticipated that the two digesters would become available at different times, rather than providing one continuous shared work area.
Project approach
The proposed reinforcement followed the Star City WRP composite shop drawings and the externally bonded FRP specification identified in the project scope. The selected package comprised Simpson CSS-CUCF22 carbon fiber, CSS-ES epoxy saturant and primer, CSS-EP paste and filler, and CSS-CA carbon fiber anchors. Delta’s scope included hand-grinding the receiving concrete, setting out the reinforcement and installing the composite system at the designated penetrations. Material selection and anchorage were linked to the opening details.
Delivery and coordination
Delta included system submittals and the personnel, materials and equipment necessary for its installation scope. The planning allowance for separate mobilizations reflected the different tank availability dates. Suitable conditions for bonding and curing were also prerequisites to the work. Coordination with Ulliman Schutte centered on making each digester work area ready for the preparation and reinforcement sequence.
Project significance
This project highlights the relationship between an opening-specific reinforcement detail and treatment-plant sequencing. Carbon fiber and anchors formed part of a defined system around digester penetrations, while access to each tank shaped execution planning. The case illustrates how composite installation can be organized as a discrete scope within a wider wastewater improvement project.
