In Situ Tank Decommissioning & Void Filling

Alternate solutions to tank removal

In situ decommissioning is the answer when a tank can’t be removed.

The preferred option is always to remove decommissioned underground storage tanks (UST) and remediate the surrounding land as relevant regulatory bodies require. However, there are occasions when removing a tank could risk the integrity of a nearby building or increase the risk of failure of other tanks in an underground tank farm.

In these situations, we decommission and abandon these tanks in situ. The process involves filling the tank with a non-toxic polyurethane foam that displaces any remaining hydrocarbons and creates an inert body for later removal. You can be assured that all legal requirements will be met and industry best practices followed.

We are proud to use an Australian-made product that contains no ozone-depleting chemicals or toxic formaldehyde. Many countries, including EU countries and the USA, have banned the use of formaldehyde-based products historically used for these activities.

You hear of filling tanks with water or concrete slurry. Neither of these practices is recommended. Using water can encourage ongoing hydrocarbon leaks, and concrete infill creates a larger and certainly heavier problem if the tanks ever need to be removed.

Void Filling using Foam

In difficult access situations, filling voids using polyurethane foam is the answer. The application is fast, and the foam formulation can be adjusted to provide differing levels of compressive strength to suit the application.

Void filling foam is ideal in other applications requiring stable buoyancy, such as sand dredging pontoons, refuelling pontoons and even swimming platforms.