Utilities Case Study – Tank Cleaning and Replacement
The Task
LCM were called to a Scottish utility customer’s site to complete the decommissioning of 2 x 75,000 L fuel tanks and the consecutive replacement with new fuel storage tanks.
Scope of Work
The project began with a site survey to outline the exact timeline and job specifications; once our project managers were happy with the information obtained, and the teams were distributed, the work began.
To minimise site disruption and prevent blackout occurrences, LCM kept the existing site in situ whilst all works (civils, mechanical and electrical) were undertaken – until the new system was ready to use.
Our civils team had to build a new external tank compound in the yard of the site to house a new 65,000L tank (replacing the existing 2 x 75,000L tanks) – to be used as a supply to the 2 x day tanks for the site’s generators. A new tank base was constructed – a 6x4m concrete plinth, which we fenced with ARMCO barriers for crash protection. The pipework for the day service tanks was replaced with a new double-contained pipework system to transfer the fuel from the bulk tank to the day service tanks. Each pipe (2 feed & 2 return) was connected to a leak detection system.
The team supplied excavators and grab wagons to remove the spoil soil (noncontaminated) and to remove and dispose of any waste and waste fuel.
LCM extracted fuel samples and sent them for testing from the existing 75,000L tanks; the results suggested it needed to be filtered, which prompted the team to uplift the fuel and polish it with our state-of-the-art equipment; in the meantime, 5,000L of fuel was supplied to the site to maintain the constant backup supply and prevent a potential blackout if power was lost.
The old 75,000L tanks were completely depleted of fuel, vented accordingly, cleaned out and modified for decommissioning – all lines were capped off and the walls penetrated so that the tanks could never be used again. Our cranes lifted them out and loaded them onto the flatbeds, which took them to our HQ for recycling.
The Outcome
The newly custom-made 65,000L tank was compliantly installed on the concrete slab. Once all was connected and commissioned, we carried out an inspection and test of all new electrical circuits. Manuals and associated drawings were provided for all installed plants for the engineering staff before officially turning the new site live and signing it off to the client as commissioned.
Based on our client’s feedback, LCM is already working on further tenders for near-future tender work in fuel infrastructure projects across the Utilities Sector.
