Evides water | Shell Rotterdam

Description

Evides Industriewater is the leading water partner for the industry in the Benelux. Evides Industriewater provides tailor-made solutions, with a focus on the chemical industry, petrochemicals and the food industry: Instead of simply supplying installations, Evides Industriewater provides complete customised water services. For example, Evides runs a number of demineralised water tanks on the Shell Rotterdam site that are used in Shell’s production processes.

Challenge

The tanks consist of bolted metal elements on a concrete foundation. They are retrofitted with a separate, watertight plastic liner. Due to the presence of bolts, these ‘bags’ would often leak. As a result the tanks had to be regularly emptied to apply a new bag. Evides wanted a lasting solution, however. An additional challenge here is that the metal has different expansion properties than the concrete, which could result in a cutting effect on that surface.

Solution

A perfect solution was found by applying a final liner based on Prokol Polyurea Hotspray. The tank was fitted with a temporary roof and special scaffolding was installed.

Prokol developed a special expansion detail for the transition from floor to wall so that these could continue to expand independently of each other.

Next, the base was blasted to free it from dust, after which a solvent-free, anticorrosive primer was applied. The bolts were treated with a special filling paste so that a sealed surface was formed. A primer was then applied on the treated bolts. Finally, a liner based on Prokol Hotspray Polyurea was applied.

Intermediate layer thickness measurements were carried out for control purposes, as well as a so-called pore test to be absolutely sure that the liner would be watertight. All of the pipes were then put back in place so that the tank could be filled again.

Final result

Commissioning of the tank has been fully satisfactory. The choice for Prokol Hotspray Liner means that, to date, it has not been necessary to empty the tank because of a leak.