Shell Tank 64

Year

1999

Project

Tank 64

Client

Shell

Nature

Repairs and painting

Value (approx)

$200k

Gallery (click on images to enlarge)

McElligott Partners have had a long and successful relationship with the Shell Oil Refinery in Geelong, working on its tank and pipe maintenance programs and plant shut downs.

Tank 64 is an example of its involvement, with the project being to remove external puff insulation and abrasive blast and paint the tank to contract specification with no lost time injuries and to meet the Shell internal quality standards.

Tank 64 was used as a crude storage tank with a shell and roof area of 1450 sq.m. covered in 50mm of puff insulation. Due to under insulation, corrosion, or well known in Shell as” cocky corrosion” where the birds peck away at it for there nests, the holes that are left fill up with water and rust the tanks away. McElligotts were contracted to provide solutions and remedy the problem.

 

Job preparation included removing all external puff insulation by high pressure water blasting at 10,000 psi, the removed material being bagged and taken from site in ten x 40 foot skips. After the tank was fully inspected and all repairs completed the tank was painted with a full coat of interzinc 42 applied to a thickness of 75 micron then an intermediate full coat of interseal 2020 applied at 80micron and a topcoat of interthane 80hs at 100micron.

On completion a full quality assurance report was handed to the client. This process has now been used effectively on a number of tanks and provides a long term solution to what was a serious problem with in the refinery.

This is another example of the innovative and effective solutions provided by McElligott’s.