Storage tank refurbishment

The challenge

A tank storage terminal rebuilt two 20,000 m³ tanks for a new chemical product, replacing the lower shell courses and the roof plates. The inside needed a chemical-resistant lining and the outside a system that lasts in a port atmosphere. Doing both on site, inside a tank, means scaffolding, forced ventilation and weeks of weather risk.

Our approach

The fabricator rolled the plates and sent them to Lokeren on transport frames that kept their curvature. We blasted both sides, lined the inside with two coats of novolac epoxy and gave the outside a three-coat system. Weld zones were masked 50 mm wide so the site welders could join the plates cleanly. Every lined plate was spark-tested for pinholes before it left the hall.

The result

Site work came down to welding and coating the seams. Both tanks were back in service three weeks earlier than the original plan with coating on site.