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Refurbishment and modernisation
Metall-Technik GmbH has specialised not only in the construction of new cremation facilities but also in refurbishment and modernisation. Conversion work frequently becomes necessary as a result of amended or new environment regulations. Similarly, many crematorium operators are coming up against their capacity limits, entailing an extension of the furnace lines and/or filter system. Please find below the modernisation report for the crematorium in the city of Mainz (Germany). The modernisation was made by the company Metall-Technik GmbH.
Modernisation report for the crematorium in the city of Mainz
Last year, Manfred Zagar presented the history of Mainz Crematorium. Today, he reports about the unusual technical modernisation of the facility. Although initially it looked as if the construction of a new crematorium was inevitable, eventually it was possible to convert the historical building into a modern cremation facility. In June 1991, TÜV-Rheinland proceeded with the first comprehensive emissions measurement in Mainz Crematorium. The results were devastating!
The west furnace without any filter system was closed down
on 1 September 1991, and the Trade Supervisory Office announced that the "Ruppmann" furnace would also be closed down. Following the emissions declaration, a limited exception ruling was granted for the necessary modification work.
The feasibility study carried out by a firm of engineers examined whether it would be possible to retrofit a filter system to the crematorium using known technology. The results: "Only by adding further buildings or using the chapel as filter room".
In view of the fact that it was not possible to use the old crematorium with currently known filter systems because the building was under a preservation order, at the same time the administration started several investigations to find a site for building a new crematorium. In contrast to other local authorities, in Mainz there was general agreement that only a cemetery could be used for this purpose and the costs estimated at 10 mio. DM.
As of 23 February 1994, crematoriums became subject to planning permission. The planning permission was granted on condition that the necessary retrofitting work was to be completed within 12 months. On 27 October 1994, after the Cemeteries Department in the Parks and Recreation Office had become established in its own right, the Works Committee wanted to issue the engineering contract for the construction of a new cemetery. But fate intervened in a positive sense.
On 5 October 1994, Mr. Kaiser from Metall-Technik GmbH asked for an appointment because for the first time in Germany, his company wanted to start activities for retrofitting crematoriums with a new filter technology and flatbed furnaces. After inspecting the crematorium, Mr. Kaiser presented a solution for continued use of the existing building, which was submitted in the form of a technical bid on 12 October.
Already on 21 October this was followed by the planning, and a bid for replacing the furnace and filter system and for renovation work. The concept proposed by Metall-Technik GmbH entailed installing three flatbed furnaces with wet scrubbing and downstream catalyser as filter system. Only flatbed furnaces offered a feasible solution for installation within the listed building, so that furnace manufacturers operating on the German market were asked to submit their bids.
None could fulfil the following conditions which had been submitted as a flat-rate quotation amounting to 3.2 mio. DM:
• Installation of flatbed furnaces for 3000 cremations per year
• Installation of a filter system in the existing building
• Demolition and disposal of the old system
• Inner and outer renovation of the building
• Delivery and installation of a new cooling system
• Delivery of an ash mill
• Delivery and installation of a new coffin lowering system
Following several meetings with all involved parties (manufacturer, approval authority, monument preservation authority), on 25 October 1994 the Works Committee recommended that the order be placed. The City Council approved of the concept in its meeting on 15 March 1995.
On 28 April 1995, the Works Committee agreed to award the order to Metall-Technik GmbH. Work then began on the procedure to obtain approval under the emissions control regulations.
The application was submitted on 21 August 1995. Already on 21 October 1995, provisional permission was granted to start work, followed by approval under the emissions control regulations on 21 December 1995. Later, on 4 February 1996, the time had come: the building site was set up, demolition of the first furnace began and at the same time, scaffolding was set up to renovate the outer façade using a special cleaning procedure.
The work was carried out swiftly and without any further complications, so that it was possible to continue with cremations through until the second furnace was demolished in early June.
In the mean time, the necessary gas pipe had been fitted together with a new electric power connection. After demolition of the second furnace, all technical parts for the flue gas purification system were lowered through the opening in the floor down into the basement, because this would not be possible later on.
After renovating the outside of the building, work began to renovate the outside, with the focus on the chapel, particularly because of its Wilhelminian style and on account of the preservation order. A restorer examined all previous coats of paint because the aim was to keep the paintwork as close as possible to the original colour used on completion of the building in 1903. To the great surprise of everyone involved, floor tiles dating back to 1903 emerged from under the adhered carpet, which certainly wanted to be preserved and made visible. A scissor-joint coffin lift platform with horizontal fastener replaced the old canopied coffin platform.
After installation of the filter system, consisting of quench, scrubber pan, droplet separator, heat exchanger, fan, residue removal and catalyser, the furnaces were delivered and installed between 15 and 28 May. A real achievement, given the weight of nine tons and length of more than five metres. To offer altogether more working space, the old cold room was modified and equipped with a new refrigerating system. The whole procedure (coffin delivery, placing the coffin in the cold cells and feeding the coffin into the furnace) works on a system of rollers.
The new ash mill crushes the bone remnants not only very fast and finely but also works without producing any dust thanks to an industrial extractor. It also separates magnetic and nonmagnetic residues. A manual magnet removes coarse metal particles from the bone remnants before passing into the mill: this stage does entail dust turbulence so that a stainless steel dust extraction system had to be installed here.
Official acceptance by the approval authorities took place already on 11 July 1996, granting permission on the spot to proceed with cremations - all the renovation work had also been completed, giving the crematorium a completely new lease of life.
As the final stage, on 26 June 1997 a disabled lift was installed at the crematorium entrance. Throughout the country, experts had been watching the "Mainz Experiment" with great interest, keen to see whether it would succeed, because filter systems of this kind were hitherto unknown in German crematoriums.
Many local authorities responsible for running crematoriums took the opportunity to inspect the experiment on site and gain an impression of the new, small-scale systems involved, for possible use in their own facilities. Conclusion of the TÜV measurements in January 1997 banished all doubts: the results were way below the requirements of the 17th BlmSchV and the 27th BImSchV. |
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Source:
This report was published in the magazine "Friedhofskultur", issue 2/1998 entitled "Successful new technology in historical crematorium" and was distributed as
an off-print for Metall-Technik GmbH.
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