The giant cranes are visible from a few miles away. And if you were looking at the right time recently, it was easy to see some massive equipment being lifted into place at the Toledo Refining Co.
Two giant pieces – a reactor and a third stage separator – were lifted and positioned for installation using large industrial craines. The two pieces are part of a more than $120 million upgrade for the plant on Woodville Road.
The components, which stand about 30 feet tall and weigh 999,000 pounds and 570,000 pounds respectively, will be installed by members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 85. Members of the Piping Industry of Northwest Ohio will be heavily involved with all the piping and related components needed for the installation.
The pieces were delivered to the refinery in late August. It took about a month for the equipment to get there. After being fabricated in Oklahoma, they were loaded on a barge that traveled up the Arkansas River and then to the Mississippi River. The pieces eventually crossed the Great Lakes, followed by a short trip along the Maumee River to the Port of Toledo. The voyage ended with a five-mile drive to East Toledo.
