Chimneys

Traditional top-down removal of tall chimneys, windscreens and steel stacks put workers at risk and the schedule at the mercy of weather conditions for extended periods. The height of the structure, and its potential reach should an unplanned collapse occur, put facilities to remain at risk, as well.

CDI has removed over a thousand chimneys, windscreens and steel stacks, internationally. Our experience is second to none in the industry, and helps ensure that every project is precisely executed according to plan.

CDI’s controlled, remote felling process guarantees worker safety by eliminating the need to work in high places. Our methods are designed for speed and efficiency, so that exposure of personnel and facilities to remain is reduced to a brief, pre-planned window of time selected to minimize impact on adjacent operations.

The safety of our approach is even more critical when damaged structures increase risk to workers and the surrounding site or community. Whether a structure is 100 or more than 1000 feet tall, made of brick, concrete or steel, CDI can safely bring it to grade in a matter of seconds with just a few days of preparation.

Watch below for more CDI Chimney implosions:

Project: Harllee Branch Generating Plant Windscreen & Free-Standing Internal Steel Flues
Date: 10.15.2016
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Record Setting Implosion

Because the weight of the two (2) internal steel flues, measuring 23’ and 29’ in diameter respectively, were carried at grade, the 1,000’ tall reinforced concrete column at the Southern Company's Harllee Branch Plant was technically a windscreen. The free-standing internal flues rose 7’ above the top of that column to make the overall height of the structure 1,007’ (307 meters).

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Project: Dairyland Steam Power Station Chimney
Date: 10.01.2018
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Laid Out Flat

Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, USA (acting as Explosives Subcontractor to Main Demolition Contractor, American Demolition & Nuclear Decommissioning (DND), Inc of Grand Island, New York) performs the preparation for and successful explosives felling of one (1), 700’ tall reinforced concrete windscreen and free standing internal brick liner in Alma, Wisconsin on Monday, October 1, 2018. The thin wall construction of the windscreen and reinforcing did not provide adequate “constrained” concrete to provide an acceptable hinge area for CDI to absolutely control the accuracy of fall between railroad main lines and critical electric grid infrastructure. CDI’s team designed and installed new hinges to carry the structure through initial rotation, guiding the structure precisely along the designed center of fall.

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Project: ASARCO Chimney
Date: 01.17.1993

571' Tall Radial Brick Chimney

The total debris pile consisted of about 2.5 million bricks, 28 tons of mortar and over 5,300 yards of concrete. Eight seconds of spectacle took months to prepared for.

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