By: Rob Burckley, Induron Technical Sales and Service Manager
Recently, Induron partnered with G&L Sandblasting and Painting and Dixon Engineering to complete this 770,000-gallon tank for the City of Brighton, Michigan.
The project
The City of Brighton, Michigan hired G&L Sandblasting and Painting and Dixon Engineering to handle all aspects of engineering and inspection for this project. This 770,000-gallon ground storage tank required a full interior and exterior renovation package and extensive repairs. Dixon Engineering turned to Induron Protective Coatings for a coating solution.
The coatings solution
The coating system specified would not only provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior finish with the longest color and gloss retention available in the industry but also long-term corrosion protection for both the interior and exterior of the ground storage tank.
Interior system:
- Full SSPC SP-10 Blast
- Primer: Indurazinc MC67 applied at 2.5-3.5 DFT
- Stripe coat: PE-70 Epoxy applied at 2.0-3.0 DFT
- Finish coat: PE-70 Epoxy applied at 4.0-6.0 DFT
Exterior system:
- Full SSPC SP-6 Commercial Blast
- Primer: Indurazinc MC67 applied at 2.5-3.5 DFT
- Stripe coat: PE-70 Epoxy applied at 3.0-5.0 DFT
- Intermediate coat: Indurathane 6600 applied at 2.0-3.0
- Finish coat: PermaGloss applied at 2.0-3.0
The challenges
With a project this large, proper surface preparation is paramount. Plus, completing this project in under 45 days, restoring extensive repairs, and during Michigan’s ever changing summer weather added even more ambient challenges.
During the first week of operations, we focused the majority of our efforts on the extensive list of repairs needed to the tank. Repairs included:
- Installation of sidewall manway
- Replacing the sidewall manway gasket
- Installation of gasket on the wet interior roof hatch
- Enlarge the opening from the access pilaster into the cupola
- Replace the grated opening in the cupola with a hinged hatch
- Installation of a hatch in the side of a pilaster
- Installation of handholds on the exterior of the cupola
- Installation of deflector bars on the fill/draw pipe
- Overflow discharge modification.
- Replace the fall prevention device on the dry interior ladder
- Installation of rungs inside the pilaster from the ladder to the cupola
- Installation rungs on the outside of the cupola from the hatch to the tank roof
- Installation of a pressure vacuum vent
- Seal the cupola openings
- Installation of cathodic clips and pressure fitting
- Installation of a roof handrail between two pilaster
- Weld a patch plate on the access pilaster wall
Once repairs were completed, blast and paint operations began. G&L Sandblasting and Painting were able to complete this project in a timely manner and this full interior and exterior coating system will provide many years of protection on this vital piece of infrastructure.