Covanta Lancaster – CASE STUDY
COVANTA LANCASTER
Turn-Key Service
Fabrication, Installation of Refractory Lined Hopper Panels
About the Company
Covanta Lancaster is a 3 boiler, 1200 tons per day Waste-to-Energy Facility located in Banbridge, PA.
Executive Summary
Convection Hoppers were in need of replacement. This required new fabricated shells, a new refractory lining, and removal and installation. While these were 3 separate RFP’s, Helfrich was able to supply all 3 services under one turn-key contract.
Shop Work
The hopper shells needed to be engineered and designed in sec-tions to accommodate a pre-cast refractory lining. 12 panels per hopper were fabricated in our 95,000 sf shop in Lawrence, MA.
Refractory was cast into the panels using Surcast FSP RT from Vesuvius, a fused silica based with FAST FIRE capabilities.
Refractory panels were cured and dried, prior to shipment to the field.
Field Work
Once in the field, the existing lagging, insulation and refractory needed to be removed from the hopper. The hopper steel then needed to be cut out in sections and removed.
Once all the new panels were rigged & welded into place, the seams were gunned and the hopper was put into operation.


The Results
Pre-fabricated refractory lined panels were shipped to the field. The old hoppers were removed, and new panels installed to the boiler. The hoppers were then reinsulated and supplied with new lagging off HBBW provided scaffolding.
By having one contractor take on this whole project, from fabrication, refractory lining, demolition, installation, insulation and scaffolding, the project was completed on-time with no additional charges for delays by others.
“Covanta Management was very happy with the project management, project execution, safety, and overall impression of Helfrich Brothers.”
