CEE Seminar: Robert Bachus, ASCE Geo Institute 2019-2020 Cross USA Speaker
Title: "You Be the Judge… Ash Cell Failure at TVA Kingston Fossil Plant."
Robert Bachus is a senior principal engineer based in Georgia with more than 30 years of professional experience focused on geotechnical engineering, geoenvironmental engineering, waste by-product characterization, and the permitting and design of waste containment facilities.
Abstract
Late in the night of December 22, 2008, a major slope failure occurred in a nearly 65-ft high ash disposal cell at the Kingston Fossil Plant located in Harriman, Tennessee. This incident had a significant impact on the coal-powered energy generation community. In that the most common coal ash disposal practices in the southeastern U.S. are now no longer permitted and former ash disposal facilities have been ordered to close… at considerable expense and utilization of resources. Coal ash (also referenced as coal ash residuals or CCRs) at the Kingston facility were managed in a dredge cell that was constructed using upstream construction practices, a construction practice commonly used for the disposal of mine tailings. Unfortunately, several mine tailings dams constructed using this technique have experienced recent failures. Forensic investigations related to the Kingston incident, as well as the recent failures at mine tailings facilities, provide valuable lessons for the geotechnical engineering and mining communities. One of these lessons/observations is that different engineers looking at the same data may reach different conclusions and these conclusions have significant consequences. This presentation will discuss the role of the geotechnical engineer performing forensic investigations.
Bio
Bachus is nationally recognized for his expertise in geotechnical site characterization, in situ and laboratory testing, settlement and slope stability analysis, and performance monitoring of geotechnical and earthen structure systems. He has worked extensively on the design and rehabilitation of earth dams, levee structures, and earth retaining systems, with extensive experience on soil and rock strength characterization and slope stability assessment. Bachus applied his expertise to not only resolve construction difficulties related to a 250-ft high gold mine tailings dam, but also design issues associated with permanent access roads on levees and dredged material containment dikes. He is a leading authority in the characterization, assessment, and construction of engineered structures in areas underlain by karst geologic features.
While a professor on the geotechnical engineering faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology, Bachus focused his research on the beneficial re-use of coal combustion by-product materials and engineering applications for geosynthetic materials. He continues to work in these areas, and recently served as the lead author of a design guidance document related to drainage geocomposites used in civil engineering applications. He served as co-chair of the ASCE G.E.O-Institute's GeoCongress 2006, a national conference emphasizing "geotechnical engineering in the information age." His applied research in geotechnical engineering and solid waste management has yielded significant advancements in performance monitoring instrumentation used for assessing settlement beneath embankments and other earthen structures. In addition to his ongoing research, Bachus has authored or co-authored more than 100 technical publications. These include several technical design guidance documents on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration regarding geotechnical engineering design. Learn more about Bachus.
Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 3:40pm to 5:00pm
John D. Tickle Engineering Building, 405
851 Neyland Dr, Knoxville, TN 37996
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