Owens Corning

    Impounding basins at LNG facility

    FOAMGLAS® insulation used for protection against cryogenic spillage for six LNG impounding basins at one of the largest liquefied natural gas terminals in France

    Some years ago, when 3 LNG storage tanks were built at an LNG terminal in the North of France, FOAMGLAS® insulation was used as the material to insulate the tank bases.

    The superior performance was the driver to make use of FOAMGLAS® insulations’s material properties again for the insulation of a total of six impounding basins that were being added to the LNG terminal.

    In case of LNG leaks in the piping networks, the LNG is transported to these underground concrete impounding basins where it can be collected and safely confined and controlled. The impounding basins needed to be insulated as a fire safety measure so that the vaporization rate is reduced and heat gain can be minimized.

    LNG storage tank in the process of having Foamglas insulation installed, buckets of adhesive in foreground

    In order to avoid possible cold spillage of the concrete and to prevent any effects on the iron reinforced concrete structure which could lead to the basins collapsing, it was decided to protect the walls and the bottom of the impounding basins with a FOAMGLAS® insulation system. An incombustible, impermeable and dimensionally stable insulation material like FOAMGLAS® insulation was just right for the job.

    FOAMGLAS® insulation was used to insulate 2 circular and 4 rectangular impounding basins. The system used for the walls consisted of a layer of a protective epoxy membrane (in accordance with French norms) covered with a first layer of FOAMGLAS® insulation HLB 800 blocks with a thickness of 50 mm (1.96”), fully bonded with Pittsburgh Corning’s PC® 56 adhesive and finished with F-anchor mechanical fixings. This first layer was covered with a second layer of FOAMGLAS® HLB 800 ready blocks, thickness 60 mm (2.36”) and covered with a mineral bitumen membrane.

    Interior of an impounding basin with Foamglas insulation on the walls.

    The system used for the bottom of the impounding basins consisted of a layer of the protective epoxy membrane with a double layer system of FOAMGLAS® insulation HLB 800 blocks, thickness 50 mm (1.96”).

    The FOAMGLAS® insulation blocks where all fully bonded with PC® 56 adhesive, covered with a hot bitumen bore coating and finished with a torched mineral bitumen membrane.

    The delivered amounts of material consisted of, over 2500 m² (27.000 ft²) of FOAMGLAS® HLB 800 insulation, over 1200 m² (13.000 ft²) HLB 800 Ready Blocks, more than 350 pails of PC®56 adhesive and almost 3000 F-anchor mechanical fixings.

    Interior of an impounding basin floor
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