Over 5,000m² of FOAMGLAS® has been installed under the Rubis storage tanks in Rotterdam.
Rubis Terminal is a company specialising in bulk-storage and blending in the petrochemical and energy sectors. Its Rotterdam terminal receives, stores and turns around large quantities of hydrocarbons within short periods. The company’s storage tanks are not heated but rely instead on good insulation to ensure that the hydrocarbons are still warm and fluid enough to be pumped out.
In 2008 a total storage capacity of 82,000m³ was completed. Since then the second phase has increased the capacity to 130,000m³.
Reducing energy losses
The Rubis tanks are not heated but are, however, fully insulated and installed with 100mm of FOAMGLAS HLB 1000 as tank-base insulation.
The FOAMGLAS HLB tank base insulation plays a significant role in conditioning tank contents and reducing energy losses. Typical energy savings can be up to 70% or more.
Specification
The FOAMGLAS HLB is bedded onto the concrete foundations with cold-bitumen adhesive. An asphalt-sand layer on the FOAMGLAS acts as a levelling and pressure-distribution layer on which the storage tanks are built.
Strong and stable FOAMGLAS
FOAMGLAS HLB 1000 has an average compressive strength of 100t/m² without deformation. The whole system is tested under the water pressure from 13,000m³ water taken from the harbour, which is pumped from one tank to the next.
FOAMGLAS cellular glass
FOAMGLAS insulation is engineered and proven for extreme temperature applications, from extremely hot temperatures from 480°C to cryogenic cold applications reaching -268°C. FOAMGLAS insulation is a lightweight, rigid material composed of millions of completely sealed glass cells, providing long-lasting performance, little or no maintenance, and a unique blend of physical characteristics.