Repair and Strengthening of Tanks with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)

Carbon FRP offers an ideal solution for repair and strengthening of tanks and silos that are damaged by corrosion. In many cases, leakage of these tanks can be stopped by means of carbon or glass FRP. Moreover, by applying carbon or glass FRP, repair and strengthening of the tank or silo can be achieved to levels that exceed original design strength. This is particularly interesting since such strengthening or repair with FRP will allow additional loads to be imposed on the FRP-retrofitted tank.

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is an economical and efficient material for repairing and preventing corrosion and/or leakage problems in metallic, reinforced concrete and fiber glass tanks and silos. Among the advantages of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) for repair and strengthening of tanks and silos are:

• FRP provides a continuously bonded liner on the tank's inner and/or outer surfaces that forms an air-tight seal that effectively prevents corrosion and leakage and strengthens the tank or silo.
• FRP increases the flexural and shear strength of rectangular tanks.
• FRP increases the longitudinal and hoop strength of circular and cylindrical tanks and silos.
• FRP provides electrical insulation for tanks used as electrolytic cells in the mining industry.
• FRP resists high temperatures of contained substances when bonded with heat-cured resins.
• FRP resists highly corrosive substances when coated with high chemical resistant toppings.
• When installed on the inner surfaces, technicians can access through openings (manholes) and no excavation of underground tanks is required.

QuakeWrap has developed a special patent-pending procedure for repair and strengthening of electrolytic tanks in the mining industries with carbon and glass FRP. Among unique features of this FRP system is a special fabric that is resistant to damage due to falling electrode plates.

The installation procedure of QuakeWrap FRP to repair and strengthen tanks and silos is simple and involves basically cleaning and patching of tank surfaces, application of a resin tack coat (QuakeBond J201-TC) that allows for the QuakeWrap fabric to adhere on vertical and overhead surfaces, saturation of the fabric with the proper saturating resin and application over the tack coat.

Case Study

A sample project where QuakeWrap FRP products where used to repair and strengthen electrolytic tank cells is given below:

• Tyrone Mines, Tyrone New Mexico.