Tanks and Settling Tank Repair

Concrete, steel or fiberglass tanks are extensively used in various industries to contain water, sewage, oil, and chemicals. The adverse service environment result in fast corrosion and deterioration of tanks. In concrete tanks, cracks in concrete allow passage of moisture and chemicals which expedites corrosion of the reinforcing steel. In steel tanks, the coating on the tank lasts only a few years and the bare metal begins to corrode rapidly. All these cases can be addressed using FRP products.

Fabrics of carbon or glass FRP saturated with epoxy resin can be applied to the interior or exterior surface of the tank to strengthen the tank. QuakeWrap engineers will calculate the required number of layers and orientation of the fabric for each project and will submit sealed engineering design drawings to the owner. In most cases, when a tank is tall, more layers of FRP are needed near the base and the number of layers is gradually decreased towards the top of the tank. When applied inside the tank, the FRP will also serve as a moisture-barrier that will protect the steel from chemicals and will significantly lower the corrosion rate for the tank.

Features & Benefits

Advantages of repair of tanks with FRP include:

• Repairs can be done internally or externally
• Minimal increase in wall thickness (typically ¼ inch (5mm))
• Changing the number of FRP layers along the height reduced repair cost
• Repairs are fast with minimal downtime
• Connecting pipes and fittings can often remain in place during repair
• Ideal for spot repair of only damaged areas
• FRP will serve as a moisture barrier to protect the tank against future corrosion

Projects

PROJECT PROFILE: Tyrone Mines FRP Repair of Concrete Tanks in Mining Facility, Tyrone, NM (PDF)

PROJECT PROFILE: Buckeye Paper Mill FRP Retrofit Of Circular Tank, Memphis, TN (PDF)