NAME : HAZIQAH AISYAH BINTI AMINUDDIN

GROUP : AP2244D

NO MATRIC: 2017488472

WEEK 3

Discuss the most suitable technique for the following scenario: 1) Abandoned cooling tower in a
remote area. 2) Residential 20-storey Flat that physically deteriorated located in urban area. You may
provide any figure/sketches to aid your explanation.

1) Abandoned cooling tower in a remote area.

A cooling tower is a heat rejection device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through
the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the
evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb
air temperature or, in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers, rely solely on air to cool
the working fluid to near the dry-bulb air temperature.

For an abandoned cooling tower in a remote area, explosives are the most suitable method
used to demolished and have been practicing for many years especially in demolishing
cooling tower. As we know that the characteristics of cooling tower are usually located far
away from city and citizens. For example , Athlone Cooling Towers.

The tower usually would be demolished by means of implosion, using blasting. Its generally
happen very fast, taking only few seconds to bring down the structure, collapsing onto its
own footprint. However, by using explosives, high safety precautions need to considered and
require adequate attention to the technical preparation for demolition.

In the controlled demolition industry, building implosion is the strategic placing of

explosive material and timing of its detonation so that a structure collapses on itself
in a matter of seconds, minimizing the physical damage to its immediate
surroundings. Despite its terminology, building implosion also includes the controlled
demolition of other structures, such as bridges, smokestacks, towers, and tunnels.
 Figure 1 the explosives method use for demolishing cooling tower

Figure 2 Newton Cooling Tower also used explosion method

Step for explosives demolition method for cooling tower

1. Up to 3,000 holes would have been drilled in two areas of the towers - a section of
the legs at the base of the tower - and in horizontal rows higher up. These would be
filled with explosives.

2. the charges would be detonated in two stages - probably within a second of each
other. The first detonation would provide an initial "jolt" and the cooling tower would
tilt downwards; the second would destroy the integrity of the structure, causing it to
break up and collapse.

3. As the concrete legs are blown, the tower hits the base, and the slots which have
been blown
4. The tower three times stronger than those built to current standards, contractor
would simply drill longer holes and use correspondingly more explosive.It is strong
but once it buckles, it falls.

5. The demolition crews would consider the possibility that fragments of the towers
could be projected hundreds of metres when the explosion takes place.

Figure 3Wire mesh is used to help prevent the projection of concrete fragments

2) Residential 20-storey Flat that physically deteriorated located in urban area.

There are many old and tall building in the world. However, as talls building usually built and
located in dense urban areas, blowing up with explosives or using wrecking ball are usually not
an option. So most contractor would use a building demolition technique that involves using
hydraulic jack to demolished building from the top down, one level at a time.

Top down demolition is essentially a method of demolition generally used for high rise
buildings. The process involves the deconstruction of the property, floor by floor, from
the top down to the bottom. This method is the safest method in which to undertake
the demolition of high and medium rise properties, it provides a strong level of control in
terms of the structure of the building protecting those working in and around the
demolition site.

The method of top down demolition involves a scaffold being erected around the
building and then machinery being hoisted to the working level. The process is
technically challenging and requires a good knowledge of the construction of a building
and the engineering controls that need to be put into place.