Bionuclear waste leaves no room for error with high specification, mass concrete pours. NITROcreteTM delivered loads cooled in the 40°F/10°C range when an unexpected September heat wave threatened to ruin the customer’s high-spec job.

Project

• 40° F / 10° C
• Biomedical, bionuclear waste vault for large Denver hospital
• 4-foot thick waste vault walls
• Customer: Major International Ready Mix Producer

Challenge

• High specification, mass concrete required for 4-foot thick vault walls
• Stringent specifications to prevent thermal microcracking
• Biomedical, bionuclear waste leaves no room for error
• Unexpected heat wave hit Denver and threatened project completion
• Uncooled loads batching in the 90°F/32°C range when 50°F/10°C were required

Summary

In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, a ready mix producer faced a mountainous challenge of their own in supporting the construction of a biomedical and bio-nuclear waste vault for a large hospital in west Denver. The job required pouring concrete for 4-foot thick walls.

As if the mass concrete wasn’t challenging enough, the bio-nuclear waste vault also demanded adherence to stringent specifications for density to prevent thermal microcracking. When it comes to biomedical and bio-nuclear waste, not one wants to screw up. No leaks. No botched batches. Add to this the unseasonably warm temperatures radiating through Denver in early September, and the project could have faced a real problem. Uncooled loads were batching in the mid to upper 90s, when they needed to batch in the 50s.

With NITROcrete, the producer delivered loads that registered temperatures in the 40s, without affecting any other concrete performance parameters. The test pour alone exceeded the efficiency of all previously tested cooling methods in the sweltering Denver heat. NITROcrete allowed the producer to deliver on their customer needs, while ensuring safe containment of biomedical and bio-nuclear waste near a population-dense area.

NITROCRETE™ ADVANTAGES

Met and exceeded cooling requirements, even on the test pour, wasting no time for cooling. By meeting the stringent specifications in unpredictable weather, the customer helped prevent thermal cracking in biomedical, bionuclear waste vault.