Canadian Concrete Pumpers 2022

CANADIAN CONCRETE

PUMPERS

PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40934510

2022 EDITION

Pompage Industriel pours concrete for Club Med’s first North American mountain resort Building the sustainable world of tomorrow Project C02MENT rolls on in spite of 2020’s challenges

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When the world stopped, you kept going. Adapting. Giving a master class in resilience and being an essential worker. Now, celebrate how far you’ve come and discover the innovation helping our community evolve, endure, and thrive.

Part knowledge, part equipment, part connections—World of Concrete is 100% of what you need to keep grinding it out through disruptions to the supply chain, safety and beyond. Get your hands on advanced technology, machinery, and tools, access the newest training and techniques in concrete and masonry, and build momentum for another unstoppable year.

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EXHIBITS: JANUARY 18-20, 2022 EDUCATION: JANUARY 17-20

LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER

2022

CANADIAN concrete pumpers

Message from the editor, Shayna Wiwierski

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Resort franchise to open its first North American mountain resort

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Project CO2MENT rolls on in spite of 2020’s challenges

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A sustainable approach to fertilizer production facilities

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Building the sustainable world of tomorrow

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Concrete future: Our path to net-zero concrete and the sustainable world of tomorrow

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Gaps identified in concrete pump operator manuals

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Cold-weather concreting and the importance of temperature differential analysis

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Automated pumping system pours 50,000 cubic metres non-stop in 35 days

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Index to advertisers

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Published by: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, MB R3L 0G5 Toll Free: 1.866.831.4744 President & CEO DAVID LANGSTAFF Editor SHAYNA WIWIERSKI shayna@delcommunications.com Advertising Sales Manager DAYNA OULION dayna@delcommunications.com Advertising Sales ROSS JAMES ANTHONY ROMEO GARY SEAMANS Contributing Writer ALEXANDRA SKINNER Production services provided by: S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Creative Director / Design KATHLEEN CABLE Cover photo courtesy of DANIEL THIBAULT, DANIEL T. PHOTO

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Shayna Wiwierski

W

hat a wild ride of a year we all had.

Also in this issue, we take a look at cold-weather concreting

Just when we thought the pandemic was behind us,

and how Giatec is using some of their innovative products to ad-

the last few weeks of 2021 came in hot and heavy and

dress these challenges. And finally, of course this wouldn’t be

it seemed like everyone and their mom got hit by the

an edition of the Canadian Concrete Pumpers magazine without

big C word.

some profiles on major projects across the country. On page 8

In some positive news though, the construction industry is still

we take a look at Club Med’s first resort here in our great nation,

going strong, and with it, the need for concrete. Concrete is an

and on page 12, we explore a new farmer-owned fertilizer blend-

essential part of our lives and is used twice as much as any other

ing, storage, and distribution hub in the Prairies.

building material. With that being said, the cement needed to

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Canadian Concrete Pumpers­­­

make concrete is responsible for approximately seven per cent

magazine and as always, we invite any feedback or story ideas

of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is why there is a need

you may have.

to make a change in the industry.

On page 18, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) explains their initiative to decarbonize the industry by

Enjoy!

Shayna Wiwierski shayna@delcommunications.com

2050 in a program called Concrete Future, which is a roadmap for net-zero concrete. From now until 2030, they hope to achieve a 25 per cent reduction per cubic metres of concrete, which will prove to be essential in achieving the goal of net zero by 2050.

DEL Communications Inc. and you,

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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Club Med Charlevoix consists of three buildings at the base of a ski hill. All photos by Daniel Thibault, Daniel T Photo.

Resort franchise to open its first North American mountain resort

C

lub Med Charlevoix will be the all-inclusive resort franchise’s first North American mountain resort – located in Petite-Rivières St-François in Québec, Canada. The Charlevoix location represents a change to Club Med’s typical business model. Sandy beaches are exchanged for mountains and snow. The 318-room resort rests at the base of a ski hill and boasts incredible winter wonderland views for its guests.

Pompage Industriel worked with L’intendant to complete the project, which broke ground in March of 2019. The resort, an 18,000-cubic-metre and C$120

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

million venture, represented a flagship project for Pompage Industriel.

A beautiful site The resort group was focused on building sustainably within a small environmental footprint. Construction included utilizing locally sourced materials, and the structures of the resort were built in an open area that limited removal of forestry.

The architecture uses its surroundings as a muse – following the natural curve of the mountainside and offering landscape views from every room.

“The construction site had some of the

most beautiful views I have ever worked with,” said Kaven Bégin, an operator for Pompage Industriel. “It was breathtaking to see the sun rising in the morning and going down behind the mountains at the end of those long days!”

No time for downtime Pompage Industriel faced long days and long commutes to work on the Club Med project. With the site location two hours away from their shop, coordinating numerous pump sizes and pairing proper personnel was critical to job site success.

“We needed good pumps and good operators for this job because it was risky being far away from the garage,” said Marc Leclerc, vice-president for Pompage Industriel. “We didn’t have a backup close to the site.”

They used numerous models of Putzmeister placing equipment, including their 28-, 31-, 32-, 38-, 42-, 47-, 56-, and 61-metre truck-mounted boom pumps.

Smaller models were used for slab work,

The 56-metre’s small footprint was a great benefit for the terrain of the jobsite.

while the 56 and 61-metre were used for the rooftops of the buildings.

Concrete was batched on site with a portable plant. The mix design was 4,351 psi with 20 mm aggregate, but the sand was not always as fine as is preferred which created pumpability issues.

“We mostly used Putzmeister equipment because of the harsh mix,” said Leclerc. “The s-tubes in the Putzmeister boom pumps handled the mix design smoothly and efficiently.”

Pour me a cold one Due to the aggressive timeline of the project, Pompage Industriel worked in the most challenging of winter conditions where temperatures reached as low as -18 degrees Celsius.

“This area of Quebec is known to get roughly two-metres of snow each year,” said Leclerc. “This side of the St. Lawrence river also has incredibly high winds, so we had to be extra careful with our booms.”

Workers enjoyed breathtaking foliage views before the harsh winter set in.

The first notable phase of concrete placement on the project came after excavating for the footing and foundation walls. Pompage had three concrete pours over 500 cubic metres each to pour a seismic base in order to properly protect the building from potential earthquakes since the area has a history of seismic activity.

The second phase of the project, which occurred in January 2020, involved pouring the steel deck on a three-floor struc-

Limited setup allowances required strategic planning with Putzmeister pumps on different phases of the job.

Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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ture. Pompage insulated the pipes on the boom pumps so that the concrete didn’t freeze when they stopped pumping, and the contractor installed heating under the steel deck so the concrete could level and cure properly without freezing.

Pumps fit for the job Pompage was on site for 115 pours during the project, clocking more than 1,500 hours of pumping and more than 2,400 kilometres for the commute. Employees worked long hours, leaving the garage at roughly 4:30 a.m. for a 7 a.m. pour start.

Set-up of the pump on the site was very limited and tight. Putzmeister concrete pumps, with their one-sided support (OSS) functionalities, were used on the job to achieve the smallest available footprint.

“The small footprint of the Putzmeister pumps was needed with the 56- and 61-metre booms, specifically the butterfly outrigger on the 61,” said Leclerc. “We used the OSS setup on the big booms to help with space allowance which were needed for the buildings going up to six storeys high.”

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

“When we started the project and I was using the 5-section 47-metre Putzmeister boom pump, I thought it was the best boom out there,” said Bégin. “But when I received the 56-metre Putzmeister pump that December I think that is now the best pump to do that type of job on the mountainside. With the small outrigger spread, it’s the best pump in the industry.

I am in love!”

A key challenge of the jobsite was

the terrain of the resort location and the levels of pours the project required. The hotel is built on the “flan de montagne” located at the bottom of a steep five-kilometre hill. The resort project consisted of three block buildings, two with six storeys and another with eight.

Pompage Industriel’s concrete work wrapped up on the Club Med Charlevoix location in February of 2020. The resort opened in December of 2021. n

Specifications • Owner/Developer: Group Le Massif – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • Architect: Lemay Michaud Architecture – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • General Contractor: L’intedant – Quebec City, Canada • Concrete Placement Contractor: Pompage Industriel – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • Concrete Pumping Contractor: Pompage Industriel – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada • Ready Mixed Supplier: Beton Provincial – Baie St-Paul, Quebec, Canada • Equipment: Putzmeister 31-, 32-, 38-, 42-, 47-, 52-, 56-, and 61-metre truck-mounted boom pumps

Project CO2MENT rolls on in spite of 2020’s challenges

The Svante capture unit, a carbon capture technology designed to trap C02 produced from industrial processes, is now installed at the Richmond Cement Plant.

Lafarge Canada, Svante, and Total keep carbon capture and reutilization a priority with the completion of Phase 2

L

afarge Canada Inc. (Lafarge), Svante Inc. (Svante), and Total S.A. (Total) have reached a major milestone of Project CO2MENT, a first of its kind partnership to capture industrial levels of CO2 emissions from a cement plant. The multiphase project celebrates the completion of Phase 2 construction to have the technology to capture and filter the CO2 from the flue gas. This is a crucial component to achieve the next stage of capturing CO2 flow at the Lafarge Richmond Cement facility in British Columbia.

“This has been a turbulent year for business and people due to the COVID-19 pandemic with many large-scale projects being put on hold, but the perseverance that the people working at the Richmond Cement plant continue to show is evident in the success of Project CO2MENT,” said Brad Kohl, president and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada. “To continue leading change in the building materials industry means we are always looking to partner with like-minded thought leaders such as Svante and Total. This partnership is showcasing our drive towards a net-zero future, and we are seeing this vision become a reality right now with the completion of this phase.”

The Svante capture unit, a carbon capture technology designed to trap CO2 produced from industrial processes, is now installed at the Richmond Cement Plant. The completion of this phase allows the cement facility to capture the CO2 contained in its cement flue gas and to reuse it for CO2-cured concrete,

thus storing it permanently. Coupling this equipment with the alternative fuels used at the plant creates the world’s first full-cycle solution to capture and reuse CO2 from a cement plant. The carbon-efficient examples achieved here are leading the way to a near-zero emissions cement facility.

Phase 3, scheduled for work over the next three years, will include the installation of a liquefaction unit and the development of an expansion project to further reduce emissions, as well as a business case review for further expansion across the Lafarge network. The technology and implementation of Project CO2MENT are transformative and have not been used in a cement plant before in the world. The results and success of Phase 3 will contribute to a fundamental shift in the manufacturing of sustainable building materials both in Canada and around the world.

“When we think about the fight against climate change, we know there has been work on energy efficiencies, renewables, but no major developments on capturing and cost-effectively using CO2 emissions from industrial sources, until now,” said Claude Letourneau, president & CEO of Svante. “The last piece of this problem is essential because it is the part that allows us to transition to a carbon-neutral marketplace. Our partnership with Lafarge is building a new net-zero economy, and that is a very positive message we are sending to the world – it can be done.” n Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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Left: While GG&F LP didn’t have any defined sustainability goals, with regards to concrete, Drabiuk met with Inland Concrete to learn and embrace the use of EcoCemPLUS in the concrete mixture prior to project go-ahead.

Inland Concrete uses EcoCem®PLUS in mixtures as the mix outperforms traditional high-sulfate cement in resisting sulphate attack, a common concern found throughout the prairies.

A sustainable approach to fertilizer production facilities

T

he Prairie provinces of Western Canada– an area that includes Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba – is an agricultural mecca for the region. Unfortunately, what it lacks is adequate local access to fertilizer to support quality crop production.

In response, the Genesis Grain & Fertilizers Operating Limited Partnership (GG&F LP) and Genesis Fertilizers (Genesis) are developing a farmer-owned fertilizer blending, storage, and distribution hub. With about 640 farmers already invested in the venture, Genesis envisions seven fertilizer facilities, better known as SuperCenters, that will span Western Canada.

The Belle Plaine facility in Belle Plaine, Saskatoon is the first.

It will have the capacity to store 52,000 tonnes of fertilizer and separate six products. It’s also on track to be the first of its kind in the region constructed of more sustainable concrete.

A blended alternative The 65,000-square-foot concrete Belle Plaine SuperCenter will serve as a major fertilizer distribution hub for Northern Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia. The modern structure will include a HIM blender, touted as the fastest, most accurate fertilizer blending system on the market today, a storage facility, automated and fast truck loading (800 tonnes/hour) capabilities and rail connections.

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

“We even have a covered drive shed so that trucks come inside to load, all in under eight minutes, and drivers never have to leave the trucks,” said Terry Drabiuk, vice-president and chief business development officer for GG&F LP. “[The] alley way has a heated floor so fertilizer doesn’t get mushy.”

Building the primary structure, which began in June 2021, will require 2,800 cubic metres of concrete.

While GG&F LP didn’t have any defined sustainability goals, with regards to concrete, Drabiuk met with Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan-based Inland Concrete, a Lehigh Hanson affiliated company, to learn the EcoCem®PLUS product prior to project go-ahead. He passed along the information to Willmar, Minnesota-based Marcus Construction, the general contractor for the project and commercial and agriculture construction specialist.

On advice from Marcus, the Belle Plaine SuperCenter specifications called for the use of a blended cement with a higher limestone called EcoCem®PLUS. Developed by Lehigh Cement to assist the construction industry with more sustainable products, EcoCem®PLUS is produced at the company’s Edmonton cement plant in Alberta, Canada. EcoCem®PLUS is an innovative blended portland limestone cement (PLC) available in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba that is strong and durable while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of concrete that incorporates it.

The 65,000-square-foot concrete Belle Plaine SuperCenter will serve as a major fertilizer distribution hub for Northern Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia.

This more sustainable cement product is produced by inter-grinding clinker, fly ash, limestone, and gypsum. Combining materials at the Edmonton cement plant provides the highest level of quality control and assures our customers, engineers, and end-users consistent proportions. EcoCem®PLUS outperforms traditional high-sulfate cement in resisting sulphate attack, a common concern found throughout the prairies. Studies show that EcoCem®PLUS can lower the carbon footprint by more than 22 per cent (-184kg CO2-eq) as compared to Lehigh’s general use (GU) cement and 32 per cent (-308.5kg CO2-eq) compared to the current industry average general use cement when comparing EPDs. Inland Concrete produced the EcoCem®PLUS concrete for Manitoba-based Thorpe Construction Ltd., the project’s concrete contractor, and Saskatchewan’s Rob’s Concrete Pumping Ltd., the project’s concrete pumper.

Deep pours and high production With thick walls, thick foundations, and tall columns, the Belle Plaine SuperCenter structure has required some significant pours to maintain schedules, despite common weather events in this part of the country.

Rob’s Concrete Pumping Ltd. relied on boom pumpers from Alliance Concrete Pumps to support the project. Specifically, the project required 50-metre booms to pour the project’s massive slabs, and 32-metre and 40-metre booms for the columns and other elements.

Rob Herbert, president of Rob’s Concrete Pumping Ltd., not-

Building the primary structure, which began in June 2021, will require 2,800 cubic metres of concrete.

ed, “Beyond the large slabs, 50-foot columns is not something we do every day. That said, the difference between pumping the EcoCem®PLUS versus general-use concrete was not noticeable.

In fact, I didn’t know there was a difference in the concrete until I talked to the owner.”

Thorpe Construction Ltd.’s Glen Brake, supervisor on the project, said, “I have not noticed a difference in the concrete performance one way or the other. I didn’t hear anything about breaks and the tests all passed for air and slump. That’s all good news from my perspective.”

Handshake Services Pat Smith, project superintendent for Marcus on the Belle Plaine SuperCenter, noted, “Since we started this project, we’ve had some very big pours – upwards of 500 cubic metres in a day for the foundation – and the temperature changes from morning to night can be great. The concrete has performed very well throughout.”

Smith specifically remarked about the EcoCem®PLUS Concrete mixture consistency, adding, “my seven-day breaks and the 56-day breaks are consistently strong. I can average 20 MPa breaks over the last 20 reports. On the 56-day, I’m getting mid 30MPas – I’m loving that.”

Construction began on the first phase in June 2021 and substantial completion is April 2022.

Drabiuk concluded, “Next year will be a soft year, because most of our farmers will already have their fertilizer. But we will ramp up in 2023. The entire team has done a thorough job on this project. It’s a very nice looking building.” n

Thorpe Construction Ltd.’s Glen Brake, supervisor on the project, said, “I have not noticed a difference in the concrete performance one way or the other. I didn’t hear anything about breaks and the tests all passed for air and slump. That’s all good news from my perspective.”

Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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BUILDING THE SUSTAINABLE WORLD OF TOMORROW

C

oncrete is an indispensable building material. In fact, twice as much concrete is used each year than all other building materials combined – only water is used in greater volume!

From our homes, schools, and hospitals to our dams, wastewater treatment facilities, highways, bridges, and transit ways, concrete is an essential part of our daily lives.

The sheer demand for concrete isn’t without its challenges. It is estimated that cement needed to make concrete is responsible for approximately seven per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and about one-and-a-half per cent of Canada’s annual GHG emissions. At the same time, climate change could drive increased demand for concrete as an essential material in building resilience and helping our communities adapt to our changing climate.

Acutely aware of its responsibilities in the fight against climate change, the cement and concrete sector are coalescing around the net-zero carbon imperative and charting a collaborative science-based roadmap to get there.

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The global roadmap to net-zero concrete In October 2021, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) launched its roadmap to net-zero concrete. This represents a decisive moment for our industry and the world. It demonstrates that with the collaboration of decision makers in government and across the construction value chain, a zero-carbon pathway for the world’s most important building material is both achievable and, in fact, essential.

While as the GCCA Roadmap makes clear that there are no “silver bullet” solutions, there is a well understood menu of technologies, processes, and market policies that can work synergistically across the construction value chain to make net-zero possible.

Our commitment The Cement Association of Canada is a proud affiliate of the GCCA and has in fact a long history of climate leadership. Canada’s cement and concrete industry has consistently supported strong action on climate change, including critical policies like carbon pricing, and seeks to be a proactive partner in achiev-

ing the Government of Canada’s ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emissions 40 to 45 per cent by 2030, and net-zero by 2050.

Last May, the Cement Association of Canada announced a partnership with Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in Canada to advance global leadership in low-carbon concrete production. This partnership, along with its upcoming roadmap, will position Canada’s cement and concrete industry to become a global leader in low-carbon cement and concrete production and related clean technologies. The partnership will help guide the Canadian industry on technologies, tools, policies, and funding needed to reach net-zero carbon concrete by 2050 by: • Identifying and investing in R&D and “lighthouse” decarbonization projects • Promoting migration toward performance-based low-carbon procurement policies and specifications • Supporting domestic and global market development for low-carbon cement and concrete solutions • Driving innovation through a modernized Codes and Standards processes Through its partnership with ISED, the cement industry is aiming to avoid 15 megatonnes of CO2 by 2030, a permanent reduction of up to 40 per cent on the road to net-zero by 2050.

Canada’s roadmap to net-zero concrete Set to be released in early 2022, Canada’s cement and concrete industry roadmap to net-zero will be unique to the country’s economy and policy environment – while aligning with its international peers. It will position the industry as a global leader in the fight against climate change and the development / deployment of low carbon technologies.

This is no small commitment. It will take concerted collaboration and innovation to reach the industry’s net-zero goal by

2050. Over the past 30 years, the industry has decreased concrete’s carbon footprint by 20 per cent in Canada. Today we are making further progress through innovation in alternative low-carbon fuels, novel-low carbon cements, and working across the construction value chain to support innovations in design and material efficiency. For example, Portland limestone cement (PLC) is a lower-carbon cement that reduces CO2 emissions by 10 per cent compared to traditional cement. If PLC were to replace all cement consumed in Canada, it alone would save almost a million tonnes of GHG emissions per year!

Innovation and investment do not happen in a vacuum. The industry understands the importance of enabling regulatory and market-based policies to foster low-carbon leadership. A cornerstone of its roadmap to net-zero concrete will be to deepen its work with all levels of government to remove barriers and open opportunities to low-carbon innovation. This will include supporting strong market-based signals, such as carbon pricing and investment. Other critical policy reforms needed will include modernising permit processes, procurement policies, and performance-based codes and standards to remove barriers to market adoption of existing and emerging low-carbon solutions.

As the makers of the most-consumed material on the planet after water, the industry shares a responsibility to find solutions to the challenges of climate change, sustainable construction, and a circular economy. Canada’s cement and concrete industry roadmap to net-zero concrete will set out a positive vision for how our industry will play a major role in building the sustainable world of tomorrow.

It represents a decisive moment for our industry and for Canada. n

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CONCRETE FUTURE Our path to net-zero concrete and the sustainable world of tomorrow

By Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association

T

he decades to come will be exciting, yet challenging for the global construction industry. The global population is expected to rise 9.8 billion and will be over two-thirds urbanised by 2050 according to the UN, meaning a huge investment in infrastructure – from homes to roads, offices and bridges – will be required. With two thirds of the infrastructure that will be needed by 2050 yet to be built, concrete will remain essential to the modern world and meeting the challenges of the future.

Concrete’s inherent properties, such as its strength, versatility, durability, resilience, and thermal mass mean that it is suitable for almost any type of construction, ranging from bridges and tunnels to houses and hydropower installations to flood defences. However, we know that the production of cement, which is the key ingredient in concrete, accounts for around seven per cent of global CO2 emissions, most of which are released during cement production, due to the chemical reaction that occurs in its making as the raw ingredients are heated in kilns.

This is where our key challenge lies. Not only must this infrastructure be delivered using concrete, it must also be done in a sustainable way if we are to have any chance of limiting global warming to 1.5oC. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently told our members about the green infrastructure challenge, “Without credible action now, future generations will have no liveable planet to build upon.”

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) was created to represent the world’s leading cement and concrete manufacturers and ensure that concrete can continue to be the key material in sustainable construction. Our vision is to support economic, social, and environmental development by supplying the world’s demand for a building material that is able to support modern, resilient, and sustainable communities. We have 40 member companies from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia, representing 80 per cent of total production outside

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China, as well as key Chinese manufacturers. Our membership includes global leaders like CEMEX, Holcim, HeidelbergCement, CRH, and China National Building Materials (CNBM).

Taking climate action In 2021, the GCCA became the first global ‘heavy’ industry to become an accelerator for the UN’s global Race to Zero. Following this up in October 2021, we launched Concrete Future – the GCCA 2050 Cement and Concrete Industry Roadmap for Net Zero Concrete, which outlines the key levers, actions, and milestones that will be needed to fully decarbonise the industry by 2050, and cut emissions by a quarter by 2030 on the way to net zero.

Our Concrete Future Roadmap was developed in collaboration between our member and affiliate companies, identifying seven key points around which to achieve ambitious yet realistic actions. These seven points include CO2 reduction in clinker production, as well as cement and binders. Decarbonisation of electricity – such as increasing the use of alternative fuels – will play a part in reduction, while recarbonation – an inherent property of concrete – will help reabsorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Efficiency in the production of concrete and efficiency in the design and use of the material will be key, as well as accelerating innovation and breakthrough technologies such as carbon capture utilisation and storage, which already has several successful live projects underway around the world.

The industry itself is committed to 10 industrial-scale carbon capture plants by 2030.

From now until 2030 is a key decade for our industry and will see the acceleration of measures to achieve a 25 per cent reduction per cubic metres of concrete. Between 2030 to 2050, clinker substitution, use of alternative fuels and alternatives to Portland clinker cements will continue, while CCUS will be deployed at scale.

The net zero roadmap to 2050 has been set for the cement and concrete industry. It’s a reachable goal and the GCCA and its members are committed to creating making our industry more sustainable.

Innovation will help us achieve net zero Innovation will play a key part in achieving net zero by 2050.

Innovandi is the GGCA’s innovation arm and runs two key programs to encourage the development of new research and technologies to help us achieve our net zero goals. The Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network brings together academia and industry to collaborate on essential pre-competitive research in areas such as energy efficiency, more efficient clinker production, and concrete recycling. Innovandi Open Challenge is a unique industry accelerator which brings together exciting start-ups from around the world and partnering them with our member companies to develop new technologies which will be crucial on the journey to decarbonising our industry.

Working with others Reaching net zero for our industry is a huge undertaking and requires working with others. Key to achieving our goal will be collaboration with stakeholders and policymakers to set the conditions and create market demand for low carbon products in construction and public procurement. Here, policy reforms and the promotion of low-carbon products can make a big difference as public infrastructure accounts for almost 60 per cent of all global cement and concrete demand.

We are asking for policymakers to support carbon removal technologies, such as carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). This technology, which has already been shown to work in the many projects that exist around the world, now needs to mature by the end of the decade. While the technology is advancing, the economies remain challenging. It is critical that the industry has government support to expand the successful pilots across the world towards commercial-scale deployment.

We also need the wider construction industry to work with us toward the ambition of net-zero concrete. Construction professionals, working with us and policymakers, will be key to developing the design and regulatory framework that will drive efficient use of resources and products, use of reprocessed and recycled material and the re-use of elements, as well as other technology to reduce materials and extend the lifetime of whole projects.

The net zero roadmap to 2050 has been set for the cement and concrete industry. It’s a reachable goal and the GCCA and its members are committed to creating making our industry more sustainable. But we need a joint effort, with not just the industry coming together, but with policymakers and regulators too to foster a better environment for innovation and sustainability. Through collaboration, we can create a sustainable world of tomorrow. n

Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

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Gaps identified in concrete pump operator manuals

In January 2021, new regulations in B.C. came into effect – requiring annual concrete pump truck inspections to confirm a comprehensive review of the structural, mechanical, and control system components of the pump and placing boom.

WorkSafeBC launching province-wide inspection initiative of concrete pump trucks

By Alexandra Skinner

I

n March 2021, two people were tragically killed when a boom on a concrete pump truck broke and landed on them at a construction site on Gabriola Island, near Nanaimo, B.C. While the investigation into the Gabriola Island incident is still underway, British Columbia’s provincial safety regulator, WorkSafeBC, continues to conduct inspections with concrete pump truck suppliers and employers around the province to assess compliance with occupational health and safety regulations.

Inadequate operator manuals pose risks Findings of the inspections have revealed that the manufacturer’s operator manuals supplied to truck owners are lacking important information, revealing a problem that extends beyond B.C.’s borders.

“There is a gap in the information provided by pump truck manufacturers and suppliers to employers and operators – specifically around inspection and maintenance protocols for major components,” says Doug Younger, manager, prevention field services at WorkSafeBC.

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Pump owners, operators, and maintenance personnel all must be aware that the design of the machines often conceals critical pieces of machinery, and as a result, those major components are being overlooked when it comes time to inspect the equipment. For example, structural components of the king post or ring gear that rotate the boom turning column (horse head) can be hidden, and in turn not inspected, maintained, or repaired as needed; this has the potential to cause catastrophic equipment failure, Younger points out.

One of WorkSafeBC’s priorities following targeted inspections was to work with suppliers on engaging with the equipment manufacturers in Germany and South Korea to update their operator’s manuals and/or supply supplementary instruction(s) on major component inspection and maintenance to ensure compliance with the OHS Regulation.

Fortunately, B.C. is home to four of the five concrete pumper truck suppliers in Canada, which facilitated the process.

“This is not just an issue in B.C., this will be an issue across Canada,” says Younger.

“Concrete pump truck employers in all

provinces have been supplied with the same operator’s manuals that are lacking important inspection, maintenance, and repair information. The work we are doing here in B.C. will benefit other jurisdictions.”

WorkSafeBC is inspecting all concrete pumps in the province After an initial concrete pump truck owner inspection and maintenance inspection initiative in 2021, WorkSafeBC found varying levels of compliance with health and safety regulations. This has prompted WorkSafeBC to expand its inspectional initiative to include all concrete pump truck employers in B.C. – to ensure they understand the regulatory requirements and are meeting compliance.

Specifically, officers will be looking at the following: • Maintaining machine logbooks (for example, records of inspections, testing, maintenance, and repair).

• Ensuring preventative maintenance on critical machine components is being conducted.

• Ensuring annual inspections and certi-

fications are being conducted in accordance with section 20.47 of the OHS Regulation.

• Ensuring structural, mechanical, and control inspections are being conducted in accordance with the OHS Regulation, CSA Z151-09 standard and manufactures recommendations.

Concrete pump truck employers who are not in compliance will face orders, including stop use orders, and potential further enforcement action, such as an administrative penalty.

WorkSafeBC continues to work with partners – including Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) and Concrete BC – to ensure the complex interrelated requirements for these machines are understood by manufacturers, suppliers, owners, engineering firms, and inspection personnel.

About B.C.’s regulatory changes In January 2021, new regulations in B.C. came into effect – requiring annual concrete pump truck inspections to con-

018203_Putz ACPA Parts and Service_7x4.8125.indd 1

firm a comprehensive review of the structural, mechanical, and control system components of the pump and placing boom. The new regulation also requires inspections to meet the full criteria of all three of the following: B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation; The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) requirements; and the manufacturers’ requirements.

WorkSafeBC worked with stakeholders leading up to the regulatory change to ensure they were informed of the new requirements.

“We know employers want to get it right,” says Younger. “It’s critically important that everyone who works with these machines be aware of the new requirements and get to 100 per cent compliance as quickly as possible.”

Section 20.47 of B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation requires a concrete pump and placing boom to be annually inspected in accordance with good engineering practice to ensure that the equipment meets the manufacturer’s

specifications, the requirements of the CSA Z151-09 standard, the requirements of regulation, and be certified safe for use by a professional engineer. The amendments to the regulation require that the annual inspection must include an inspection of the structural, mechanical, and control system components of the concrete pump and placing boom.

In 2020, the EGBC published the Annual Equipment Inspection and Certification in British Columbia, a professional practice guideline that outlines the requirements engineers must follow. WorkSafeBC, EGBC, and industry associations informed employers and professional engineers of the guideline through publications, webinar presentations, phone conversations, and inspection reports.

“While our regulations have changed in B.C., all employers and operators can benefit from implementing this comprehensive approach to machinery inspections – whether required by their jurisdiction or not. The most important thing is keeping workers safe,” Younger says. n

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Cold-weather concreting and the importance of temperature differential analysis What is cold-weather concreting?

Challenges of cold-weather concreting

In ACI 306: Guide to Cold Weather Concreting, it is defined as “a period when for more than three successive days the average daily air temperature drops below 40°F (5°C) and stays below 50°F (10°C) for more than one-half of any 24-hour period.”

In addition to slowing down the curing process, cold weather also causes the water in concrete to freeze and expand, cracking and weakening the concrete. However, it can still be successfully poured and placed in winter if the right precautions are taken to properly heat it.

The two main constituents used in the production of concrete are cement and water. The amount of heat generated when water is mixed with cement is called the process of Heat of Hydration. This is a chemical reaction that is affected by factors such as chemical composition, curing temperature, w/c ratio, and cement fineness. This hydration process plays a significant role in impacting concrete during its strength development.

During cold-weather conditions, the temperature can be extremely low, which affects the hydration process and results in slowing down the hydration reaction, affecting the strength growth. As per CSA A 23.1, concrete of compressive strength of 1015.26 psi (7.0 MPa) is considered safe for exposure to freezing temperatures.

Why is temperature differential crucial to cold-weather concreting?

Example of temperature differential between core and surface over time.

Example of mass concrete temperature at core and surface over time.

Comparing the concrete temperature at its core and its surface for a typical pour.

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Defined simply, the concrete temperature differential (also known as the temperature gradient) is the variation of the temperature found between the temperature in the core (highest temperature) and the temperature in the surface concrete (lowest temperature). A concrete pour will typically generate an appreciable amount of heat due to the exothermic nature of concrete hydration, which will raise the temperature of the element. That heat gets trapped inside the core and takes a longer amount of time to dissipate. However, problems arise when the exterior of the concrete is exposed to an environment with cold weather, like freezing temperatures. This results in the surface of the element being cooled down, while the centre remains at its higher temperature. Since this leads to very high temperature differentials, it becomes crucial to have the right insolation or heating system in place.

Making sure your temperature differential is maintained under specific limits, your maximum temperature doesn’t achieve maximal limits, and your concrete gains strength properly are important in any concrete application for cold weather. Concrete should be kept warm (around 50°F (10°C)) in order to cure properly, so it is important to warm fresh concrete until it has the

SmartRock sensor attaches to rebar and is fully embedded in concrete.

Construction worker pouring concrete in the cold weather.

proper compressive strength measurement. In mass elements, the heat generated by the concrete will help in keeping the concrete warm. It is then also vital to keep the temperature differential under its limit, typically set to 35F (20C). During cold or freezing temperatures, protective measures such as a layer of blanket heating system are used to ensure the surface doesn’t vary too vastly in temperature from the core. However, adjusting or removing this layer of protection for any reason can immediately raise your temperature differential. Measuring the temperature and temperature differential in cold weather will allow you to optimize your curing strategies along with how many blankets and what sequence/speed you need to remove them.

Measuring the concrete temperature differential in cold weather Using traditional tools to collect data and analyzing the data on a computer is taxing and time-consuming. The data loggers that are attached to the ends of thermocouples may also expe-

rience malfunctioning at very low temperatures. Moreover, the manual installation process for these types of sensors becomes more complicated in cold weather conditions. More specifically, when heat blankets are used it is a challenge to lift them and find the end of the temperature cables to collect data. There is also the fact that in the newer system, the nodes need to be placed outside the concrete and this can be challenging or more prone to failure than the embedded system because the blankets typically cover the concrete surface.

Fortunately, contractors and engineers can take advantage of advanced technology that uses the maturity method to monitor internal concrete temperatures. One such technology is SmartRock®. This widely trusted wireless sensor operates within the concrete and is fully embedded on the rebar before a concrete pour. The SmartRock technology enables users to determine: • Maximum temperature in the core of the concrete • Minimum temperature in the surface concrete • Differentials at any specific time after the pour • Concrete strength at the surface of the concrete (lowest, most conservative strength measure) using the maturity method Wireless temperature sensors, like SmartRock, are designed to address these cold-weather concreting challenges. One of the benefits of fully embedded sensors during cold-weather concrete temperature monitoring is the elimination of a physical connection to data loggers, which are required when using wired systems. This allows sensors to remain protected in the concrete while eliminating the hassle of locating the sensors and the potential of malfunctioning from cold temperatures and exposed wires. n Canadian Concrete Pumper 2021 2022

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A continuous pour of 50,000 cubic metres was performed by Schwing concrete pumps over 35 days at sea.

Automated pumping system pours 50,000 cubic metres non-stop in 35 days

I

n 2017, Pumpcrete in Toronto pumped a concrete gravity base structure (GBS) that provided the foundation for an oil well platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

Pumpcrete’s expertise on engineered projects made them a natural choice for this project.

“We were specifically requested by one of the contractors who had worked with us in the past,” said Dave Moriarty, Pumpcrete’s pump manager.

The GBS required massive amounts of pumped concrete with distribution choreographed by an automated system designed by Pumpcrete.

“When you take on projects like these you want to have reliable equipment,” said Ken Williams Jr., Pumpcrete’s president.

Located in the Atlantic coastal area of Newfoundland and Labrador, the initial fabrication site is adjacent to a manmade earthen barrier that was removed to flood the construction site and float the

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Canadian Concrete Pumper 2022

gigantic structure into deep water.

Pumpcrete designed an innovative pumping and placing system around Schwing equipment that kept the project on schedule with very little maintenance. The 130-metre diameter base was constructed in May 2013 using two Schwing S 61 SX concrete pumps and two Schwing free-standing 35-metre separate placing booms fed by four SP 4800 stationary concrete pumps. Because the four Schwing SP 4800 stationary concrete pumps were located under the onsite batch plant 150-metres from the GBS, four 125-mm lines connected the stationary pumps to the placing equipment.

The separate placing booms and stationary pumps provided an important connection to the slip forming of the central shaft and seven cells that made up the GBS. The structure was towed to a deep water site where concrete batching and pumping continued from barges.

As the forms rise, the four-section booms

accommodated the movement. Flexible hoses on the end of the booms plugged into the pipeline that fed seven hoppers located on the three-tiered slip-form system. In 2017, Pumpcrete finished a 50,000-cubic-metre continuous pour that occurred over 35 days.

The GBS was designed to reach a height of 120-metres, with the next phase of the slipforming taking place in deep water. The final concrete tally once the GBS was completed, with a slipformed shaft to support the topside structure, was 132,000 cubic metres. The topside structure with offices, drilling equipment, and accommodations for 200 workers is 158 by 64 metres and weighs 65,000 tons. When the GBS was completed, the topside structure was attached and the entire assembly was towed to the Grand Banks, which is 350 kilometres from shore where it was sunk in 93 metres of water.

Oil extraction was scheduled to begin in 2017. n

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