Fortuna Silver Mines, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. IE’s Francisco Silva developed and implemented Geotechnical Safety Programs for two rockfill dams at two mines, one in the Peruvian Andes near Caylloma, Arequipa, Perú for Minera Bateas S.A.C and the other near Oaxaca, Mexico, for Compañía Minera Cuzcatlán. The Geotechnical Safety Programs included Design assessments, Construction Assessments, Instrumentation Plans, and development of Contingency Plans.
Construction Cost: n/a (2010 – 2015)
PTFI Grasberg minerals district. For P.T. Freeport Indonesia, IE’s Francisco Silva performed a Catastrophic Risks Review at PTFI’s mine site in Papua, Indonesia. Dr. Silva assessed catastrophic risks for the Civil Infrastructure, Surface Mining, and Underground Mining sectors, focusing on geotechnical risks. Key facilities included an 80 mile-long access road from the seaport to the Grasberg open pit mine (Elev. ≈ +4,500 m.), the Grasberg Open Pit mine, an excavation with a rim diameter of about 5 km and a depth of about 1 km, and the underground mines with more than 500 km of tunnels and underground chambers. Dr. Silva evaluated the performance of industrial foundations, natural and constructed slopes, and underground facilities, including an underground dam for firefighting water.
Construction Cost: n/a (2014 to 2015)
Wolf Creek Dam Major Rehabilitation. For the Trevi-ICOS / Soletanche Joint Venture, IE’s Francisco Silva served in the Panel of Consultants advising the contractor on this $340MM successful rehabilitation project in Russell County, Kentucky. Wolf Creek Dam impounds the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi River and was built on a karst foundation in Kentucky. The rehabilitation of Wolf Creek Dam included the installation of a concrete cutoff wall.
Construction Cost: $340MM (2008 – 2015)
New Orleans Levees, AECOM. Isaiah Engineering’s Francisco Silva collaborated as a member of the Geo-Institute of ASCE team assembled in the wake of the passage of Hurricane Katrina to study the performance of the regional flood protection systems in the New Orleans area. The first link provides access to the team’s report. Subsequently, Dr. Silva evaluated the performance of levees at the East Bank Industrial Area, New Orleans, during hurricane Katrina. Dr. Silva also provided litigation support and testimony in court. The second link provides details of the Court’s decision in favor of United States and Washington Group International, Inc., now part of AECOM.
(2005 – 2013)
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov//imo/media/doc/Katrina/Preliminary_Report.pdf?attempt=2http://www.geocomp.com/files/newsletters/21172%20Armstrong%20Findings%20of%20Fact%20and%20Conclusions%20of%20Law.pdf
Clearwater Dam Major Rehabilitation. Dr. Silva served on the Panel of Consultants for the successful rehabilitation of this U. S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Piedmont, Missouri. Built on karst terrain on the Black River in the 1940’s, the dam developed a sinkhole in the upstream slope in 2003, the first time the reservoir approached full capacity. The rehabilitation included the installation of a concrete cutoff wall.
Construction Cost: $240MM (2005 – 2013)
Pine Street Canal Superfund Site, Burlington, VT. For EPA, District 1, IE’s Francisco Silva provided engineering support for remedial measures for a submerged cap over NAPL contaminated soils in.
Construction Cost: n/a (2009 – 2011)
Tailings Dams, International Mineral Corporation (IMC),Florida. IE’s Francisco Silva served on a board of consultants for a geotechnical safety program covering over 50 tailing dams for IMC’s Florida phosphate operations.
Construction Cost: n/a (1993 – 2004)
Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Venezuela. IE’s Francisco Silva managed two comprehensive Geotechnical Safety Programs for one of the largest oil producers in the world at the 700,000 bbl/day Amuay Refinery in Paraguaná and the Cantinas Fuel Distribution Plant near Caracas. The geotechnical safety programs have the following nine components: performance criteria, design assessment, field measurement system, construction assessment, surveillance, performance evaluations, safety assessment, remedial measures, and contingency plan. Over a span of 28 years, the safety programs have included the types of projects described below. Among other benefits to the client from this work, the Amuay refinery stores 30 million barrels of refined product at 10% of the cost of storage in traditional steel tanks, and the Cantinas fuel distribution plant avoided a $200 million relocation to a less desirable site. Over the years the Geotechnical Safety Programs included projects related to the following:
- Dams – FORS-1, FORS-2, FORS-3, Siburua, Las Barrancas, Tacarigua.
- Oil Storage Reservoirs – Three oil storage reservoirs with a combined storage capacity of about 30 million barrels of oil. The reservoirs have a compacted clay liner to contain the oil products overlain by a soil-cement layer for erosion protection.
- Landslides – Analyses and design of preventive or remedial measures for numerous landslides along a 14 km. long cliff at a refinery and landslide affecting half a fuel distribution plant.
- Earthquake Engineering – Evaluation of seismic resistance of earth dams for oil storage reservoirs
- Foundations – Foundations for buildings, tanks, bridges, pipelines, and specialized structures, including braced excavations near the shoreline and shallow and deep foundations for a $1.2 billion refinery expansion. Subsidence due to oil extraction in the Bolivar Coastal field.
- Ports and Harbors – Oil-loading piers, submarine oil loading pipeline.
- Environmental – Design, construction modifications, or operation of industrial and hazardous waste facilities for the storage or disposal of petroleum products, coke, contaminated soils, and refinery operations waste. Development and implementation of environmental program for a 50-year-old refinery and a 40-year-old fuel distribution plant.
- Institutional Strengthening– Multi-year training programs for professional and technical personnel included development and implementation of processes and procedures, formal presentations, on-the-job training, exchange programs, and guidance for post-graduate studies (including selection of university and graduate thesis supervision).
Construction Cost: n/a (1975 – 2002)
Foundations in Karst Terrain, Bermuda Properties, Bermuda. For the oldest resort operator in Bermuda, IE’s Francisco Silva helped with the development of hotel and residential projects in karst terrain. The work included evaluation of the environmental impact of the projects on the delicate cave ecosystems, testimony before government commissions, and engineering guidance for the design and construction of foundations in karst.
Construction Cost: n/a (1999 – 2002)
Mine Reclamation, Glencore International and Enirisorse, Italy. For one of the world’s largest commodity traders and the Italian government mining organization, IE’s Francisco Silva led the geotechnical effort to transform an abandoned open-pit, poly-metallic mine underlain by several levels of underground galleries into a state-of-the-art industrial waste repository serving the a lead and zinc smelter complex on the island of Sardinia, Italy.
Construction Cost: n/a (1999 to 2002)
Braced Excavation for Sea Water Intake, Technip Italy. For one of the world’s three largest construction companies, IE’s Francisco Silva helped determine the cause of failure of a braced excavation in sand for a sea water intake in Qatar, redesigned the excavation, and supervised the reconstruction. The contractor completed the structure within the original time schedule, avoiding penalty costs of $1 million per day from unscheduled plant stoppage.
Construction Cost: n/a (1999 – 2000)
Landfill Cap, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). IE’s Francisco Silva performed design and construction assessment for the BFI-Rockingham Superfund site landfill closure, including evaluation of seismic resistance of the completed structure.
Construction Cost: n/a (1993 – 1996)
Hazardous Waste Secure Cells, Browning ‑ Ferris Industries (BFI). IE’s Francisco Silva analyzed the failure of two hazardous waste secure cells in Ohio and Illinois, provided litigation support related to those facilities, and helped design remedial measures to correct deficiencies at the Illinois facility. Dr. Silva also assisted BFI in the design and construction of a hazardous waste secure cell in Puerto Rico.
Construction Cost: n/a (1988 – 1991)
Hazardous, Toxic and Radiological Waste, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District. IE’s Francisco Silva served as program manager and chief engineer for Hazardous, Toxic and Radiological Waste (HTRW) activities. Tasks under this multi-year $15MM contract included remediation of acid mine drainage problems at the Elizabeth Mine in Vermont, one of the oldest copper mines in the country; CERCLA Remedial Investigation and CERCLA NTCRA Removal Action Design of the former Eastland Woolen Mill Site in Corinna, Maine; DNAPL recovery and annual monitoring of contamination at the Nyanza Superfund Site in Massachusetts; investigation of contamination at the former Naval Depot in Hingham, MA; and site investigation at the former Keystone Ordnance Works, Geneva, Pennsylvania.
Construction Cost: n/a (1999 – 2005)