Converter Catalyst Change-Out Under Pressure

LOCATION

Western Australia

INDUSTRY

Nickel Processing

APMS plant and chiller equipment established around the client's sulphuric acid plant converter

The Challenge

Our client needed its sulphuric acid plant converter opened, screened and reloaded across four beds during a tightly scheduled shutdown window — with converter access, cooling, structural integrity and catalyst chemistry all needing to be managed simultaneously to protect the plant’s restart date.

Scope of Work

Mobilised a specialist APMS catalyst crew from across Australia, fully inducted and site-ready before arrival.
Installed chillers and ducting to safely cool all four converter beds for entry.
Screened and reloaded catalyst, quartz and ceramic saddles across Beds 1, 2 and 4, and inspected Bed 3.
Coordinated cranes, scaffolding and conveyor systems to keep screening and reloading moving in parallel.

0

Lost Time Injuries

28

Personnel Across Two Shifts

4

Converter Beds Serviced

320m³+

Catalyst & Quartz Screened / Reloaded

Turning a Setback into a Safety and Schedule Win

On opening Bed 1, the team found the extent of the problem was far greater than scoped: sections of the bed’s support peddles had structurally failed and collapsed into the underpass. Rather than treat this as a delay to be absorbed, APMS re-planned on the spot — barricading the collapse zone, completing a full inspection with the client’s structural representative, and building weld repairs into the live schedule without compromising the shutdown timeline or safety standards.

Sandblasted and inspected all affected peddles before authorising weld repairs.
Installed new peddles and mesh, then re-marked bed heights before reloading.
Absorbed 13 separate delay events — weather, logistics, crane and structural approvals — without a single recordable safety incident.

Collapsed peddles discovered beneath Bed 1

New mesh installed after structural repair and re-decking

Safety Delivered

Every shift began with a documented toolbox talk, every crew member locked onto the SD-07 lockout box, and continuous gas monitoring covered every confined-space entry. When fatigue-management monitoring flagged one crew member showing early signs of fatigue, they were proactively rotated back to camp to rest — exactly as the system is designed to work.

0

Near Misses

0

Lost Time Injuries

0

Lost Time Injuries

457

Bulker Bags Handled

The Results

All four beds were inspected, and Beds 1, 2 and 4 fully screened and reloaded to specification, with final sign-off from the client’s site representative on 8 December 2023 — 25 days after the first APMS crew mobilised. The converter was handed back ready for restart, with a structural issue found, fixed and closed out within the same outage window, and an incident-free safety record across the full campaign.