Case Study Overview

Site Gas processing plant
Location Saudi Arabia
Repair Type Floor repair
Defect Gaps between rubber sheeting leaving concrete tank floor exposed

Repair Products

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty

Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

The plant collected gasses produced during the extraction of crude oil – such as propane, butane, methane and ethane – and converted them into a number of different chemicals exported worldwide for industrial and agricultural use.

Seawater was extracted from the Persian Gulf and stored in vast metal tanks for use in cooling and other processes on site. The interior of each tank was concrete coated and then lined with rubber matting for protection against corrosion.

Problems with one tank led to it being drained for inspection. This revealed sections of the rubber matting on the floor of the tank had become loosened, lifted and completely broken apart in some places, leaving the concrete lining exposed.

There was a risk that this exposure could lead to seawater finding a way through the concrete and coming into contact with the metal frame beneath. This would put the tank in danger of serious and irreparable damaged caused by corrosion. All gaps in the rubber sheeting therefore had to be sealed before the tank could go back into service.

The engineering team carrying out the seawater tank repair decided to use Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty for the application. AB Original is ceramic-filled, making it stronger and harder wearing than other epoxy putties. It is fully waterproof, adheres to wet surfaces and its high chemical and corrosion resistance mean it is often used as a sacrificial layer.

AB Original was mixed by hand. Whilst soft enough to shape and manipulate, it was forced into the gaps and cracks between the rubber sheeting and smoothed off with water and a hand tool.

The two-hour work time of AB Original allowed large amounts of putty to be mixed and applied without the threat of premature curing. Once hardened, the putty permanently filled every gap with a waterproof material, protecting the concrete lining from seawater exposure.

After the application of AB Original, fibreglass sheets were layered over the rubber matting and coated with an epoxy resin. This created a new reinforced floor surface over the damaged rubber, offering yet another layer between seawater and the metal frame of the tank.

The plant could then put the tank back into operation safe in the knowledge that the metalwork was now far better protected by a combination of concrete, AB Original, rubber matting and an epoxy composite repair.

Products Used

AB Original Epoxy Putty Stick
Waterproof, hard-wearing epoxy putty with excellent corrosion and chemical resistance

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