When coatings manufacturer, PPG Industries’ original bulk solvent storage facility had come to the end of its economic life, the company elected to install a new $8m facility that is both efficient and fully compliant with numerous safety, environmental and good design principles on its Clayton, Victoria site
Established in the 1950s, the bulk solvent storage facility receives a diverse range of bulk solvents and monomers, sourced from petrochemical producers in particular and delivered to the site by bulk road tanker.
PPG Industries Project Manager, Tom Van Loon, said he went in search of a stainless steel fabrication contractor with both the experience and capacity to undertake the major components on a qualitative and timely basis.
“Projects of this nature are normally awarded to a contractor on a turn key basis, but we elected to engage a competent team of designers and supervisors, outsource most services and work in close cooperation with our appointed fabricator Furphy Engineering and the suppliers of the process equipment” Mr Van Loon said.
On site at Clayton, the tanks are fully enclosed within a three-compartment concrete ‘vault’. The 400mm thick vault has dimensions of about 28 metres by 22 metres with a depth of 5.5 metres.
The tanks have been backfilled with washed silica sand to maintain low ambient product temperature and provide additional fire protection. As an additional safety protection each solvent tank is nitrogen blanketed.
Furphy Engineering purchased the majority of the stainless steel for the project from ASSDA member, Midway Metals.
“The tanks for the UST project required a total of 70 tonnes of 6mm thick, grade 304 stainless steel which were fabricated at the Furphy Engineering workshops in Shepparton, Victoria.
“The welding of each tank was subject to non-destructive testing by radiography during fabrication, followed by hydrostatic testing of each tank prior to delivery” said Darren Leeder, Furphy Engineering’s Sales and Marketing Manager.
Located above the underground storage is the process control system, extensive delivery pumping and pipework and three tanker unloading bays.
Furphy’s also fabricated all the stainless steel pipe spool work, comprising over 1,500 individual spool pieces amounting to more than 4,500 metres of stainless steel pipe work to deliver the solvent raw materials to the manufacturing centres on the site.
All fabrication was undertaken to various standards including AS 1692-1989: Tanks for flammable and combustible liquids and other best practice standards for the environment, plant safety and related quality aspects.
As Project Manager for PPG Industries, Tom Van Loon says that the project was completed on time and to budget.
“The project outcome has been particularly pleasing as the storage facility has scope to handle PPG’s anticipated growth in the future.”
This article featured in Australian Stainless magazine - Issue 33, Spring 2005.
