Glass Flake Lined Storage Tank Repair
The two vessels which were glass flaked lined were spark tested using our Elcometer 266 certified holiday detector. Defects found were spot grit blasted, followed by an application of glass flake epoxy. The spot blasted area was then sanded and blended with the original glass flake. We then applied a final coat of glass flake to seal the works. The previous installation of the glass flake lining was in 2004. This was in very good condition with only 5 defects found on the base.
A visual assessment showed extensive corrosion on the Lime slurry tank. The entire internals of the storage tank was grit blasted to SA 2.5. Unfortunately, this resulted in creating approximately 50 holes on the walls. Also the blasting opened up a further 50 on the floor. The result was a storage tank requiring a serious amount of repairs.
The original specification was to line the tank using only glass flake epoxy. We instead applied GRP (resin & chopped strand matting) to the whole base. Epoxy Resin and chopped strand matting patched the holes in the walls. These were then cured with our indirect fired heater. The patches were then sanded to open up the GRP before application of Akzo Nobel glass flake. The chosen application method for this being our 70:1 air powered sprayer.
The first coat was then left to dry for 24 hours. Following this, we carried out a DFT check. This ensured the 2nd coat met the minimum DFT supplied by the paint manufacturer. The second coat was then applied and left for 48 hours, thus allowing the coating to be hard dry. Operatives then carried out a spark test, marked defects, and applied touch-ups to the area where they detected pinholes. Difficult Access Storage Tank Repair
The final two tanks were the most difficult as they had coned bottoms meaning access was difficult. The customers budget meant obtaining fixed scaffolding was not an option. We cut a letterbox large enough to get a Mi tower framer through into the Vessel. Using angle iron, we welded a frame capable of holding scaffold boards. This gave us a flat area for our mobile tower to sit.
The top half of the vessel before the cone was grit blasted to SA 2.5 and our 1.5mm GRP Lining System installed. Any further holes found on the top section of the tank had further layers of CSM applied. The top half was then checked using our holiday detector and all defects repaired. The tower was then dismantled and removed via the letterbox. We then welded the panel we cut out of the conical back onto the vessel and cut the frame out. The boards and angle iron were then removed via the bottom manway. We ground back any weld splat and blasted the conical to SA2.5. An extra layer of 900gram woven roving was then installed on the GRP liner. These added more strength to the heavily perforated conical. A difficult job with access and it was somewhat challenging! But the site team thoroughly enjoyed working for the client. On this occasion an SLS storage tank repair saved the client considerable costs. For all your storage tank repairs please get in contact with us for free advice and quotations.
