Stator Bar Recycling Process
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The Process
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Our process is designed to separate copper strands from an epoxy resin that encapsulates the strands.
This unique process has been designed to enable the reuse of copper found in electric generating equipment that, until now, had been disposed of in landfill or had been manually processed. Below is an outline of the process of acquiring and processing stator bars (bars).
Lakeshore will have on-site, at a pre-determined date and time, box(s) container(s) capable of being lifted by a crane to the turbine deck of the project site. All crane operation will be conducted by the Utility or its designated representative. Once the bars have been removed from the generator they will be placed into the 6-mil poly lined boxes. The boxes will then be loaded onto the truck supplied by Lakeshore and will be under the care, custody and control of Lakeshore from that point. Bars will be covered prior to shipping from your facility to ours. They will be stored out of the weather, indoors, until they are ready for processing. The bars are received in 10 to 20 foot lengths depending on the length of unit and/or if the bars have been cut at the facility prior to being placed into our 20 foot boxes.
At Lakeshore, the bars are cut one at a time and are individually fed into our automated process equipment. The work area in which this entire process is conducted is kept under negative air pressure via a HEPA Negative Air Machine. A minimum of four room air changes and a minimum of -0.02 column inches of water pressure differential, relative to outside pressure, are maintained during all work operations and daily logs are recorded. All work is being conducted with our State of Michigan accredited/licensed workers and under our State of Michigan permit. All workers wear the required appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Our process has allowed us to successfully complete over 60 stator bar recycling projects. Satisfied clients have used Lakeshore multiple times to service their recycling needs. Our client list includes Exelon, International Paper, East Kentucky Power, Rayonier, NRG, Alberta Power, Entergy, to name a few.
Monitoring/Recordkeeping
Air Monitoring is conducted throughout the work process on the workers as well as inside and outside the work area. All air monitoring and analysis will be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations within the State of Michigan. All Air samples are analyzed via NIOSH 7400 method by a lab enrolled into the American Industrial Hygiene Associations, Asbestos Analyst’s Registry (AAR). All records will be maintained for a minimum of 30 years as is required by our permit.
Final Product Sampling
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Samples of the clean product are analyzed for asbestos residue to assure that the product contains less than 1% asbestos. If the batch is found to contain greater than 1% asbestos, it is reprocessed and tested again. The test results for your bars can found in this report which is submitted along with your closure package. Once the batch has been deemed clean, the copper is sent on to be recycled and the asbestos debris is double-bagged and taken to Waste Management’s Westside RDF Landfill in Three Rivers, Michigan for disposal.
Benefits to Recycling Stator Bars
3 Reasons Why Your Company Should Consider Lakeshore’s Recycling Program:
1. Recycling asbestos stator bars will provide your company relief from the custody of asbestos material and the liability associated with traditional disposal.
2. Recycling asbestos stator bars eliminates your disposal costs— possibly realizing your company a savings of $20,000 to $30,000. Stator bars are considered as a “Mixed Waste” since there is both asbestos and copper, a regulated heavy metal. Disposal is based on weight.
3. Recycling asbestos stator bars gives your company a monetary return on the profits of the recycled copper removed from the stator bars.
Lakeshore assumes the liability for the asbestos waste and provides an Indemnification Covenant. We have a waste profile number with Waste Management, who transports and receives the asbestos waste after the asbestos is removed from the bars.
Lakeshore also recycles non-asbestos stator bars at an economical rate, while providing our clients a fair return on the recycled copper. Separating the copper from the “other” insulating material, asbestos or not asbestos, is a difficult process. Our mechanical process eliminates much of the manual labor associated with recycling the bars, thus keeping our costs lower, which allows us to pass the savings to our clients.
