Durable protection for Europe's largest liquefied gas tanks

• Name

  LPG tanks in Antwerp

• Country

  Belgium, 2023

• Categories

  Waterproofing
  Surface Protection
  Concrete Repair

• Products

  MC-Proof eco
  MC-Color Flex pro
  Zentrifix F 92
  Nafufill KM 130
  Nafufill KM 250

Between 2018 and 2019, two new concrete liquefied gas storage tanks, each with a height of 30 m and a diameter of 84 m, were commissioned on the site of Oiltanking Antwerp Gas Terminal N.V. located west of the Antwerp port facilities. The operating company ADVARIO sent out a tender for both tanks requiring 5,500 m² of roof surface, 9,000 m² of wall surface and a 740 m² floor slab to be refurbished and durably protected. Ghent-based technical surveillance inspectorate Ganicor drew up a tight schedule envisaging implementation from May to the end of October 2022. The contract was awarded to the company De Medts of Wijnegem, whose bid – following thorough consultation with MC-Belgium during the tendering phase – was based entirely on the application of MC products.

Safe and secure concrete upgrade with Nafufill products

The surface refurbishment of the concrete LPG tank surfaces was performed with products from the Nafufill range, such as the concrete replacement products Nafufill KM 130 and 250, both of which offer proven high-quality, having already been used over many years for both structural and non-structural repair applications. They offer very good workability and excellent durability and impermeability performance values. The fine filler Nafufill KM 103 was then used for levelling and smoothing the repaired surfaces to provide the ideal substrate for subsequent surface protection with MC-Color Flex pro.

Smart MC solutions for surface protection and waterproofing

The roof areas were then coated with the highly flexible and bitumen-free reactive sealant MC-Proof eco as the surface protection. This high-performance product is quick-drying and offers high UV and ageing resistance as well as an excellent crack-bridging capability. It also protects the concrete by inhibiting carbonation. MC-Color Flex pro, a product from MC's modular MC-Color surface coating range, was used for the tank walls. As a pigmented, particularly flexible coating for outdoor surfaces exposed to the elements, it combines optimal application properties with very good technical performance characteristics in relation to concrete surface protection, colour design and crack-bridging. For the protection of the floor slab, the choice finally fell on Zentrifix F 92, a crack-bridging polymer-cement mixture that is chloride-proof, open to water vapour diffusion, retards carbonation and requires no curing treatment.

 

Thanks to the sound advice provided by MC, augmented by regular, constructive exchange between all parties involved, the project was completed as scheduled in October 2022, despite all the significant challenges encountered.