This area of the Great White North has a large climate variant from south to north. Winters are long and harsh, extremes are common and in the winter it is not uncommon for daytime temperatures to reach -40°C (-40°F) in the south and -50°C (-58°F) in the north. As you might imagine, this poses various challenges for concrete and below-grade oil containment systems.

Albarrie was tasked to provide a comprehensive cost-effective solution to accommodate the snowy conditions, permafrost and extreme temperatures present in this area of North America. Other considerations were that the solution had to be a sustainable option given its remote location and environmental sensitivity. All these variables pointed to one highly reliable solution an above ground free-draining containment system using a combination of SorbWeb Plus membranes and Fiberglass Composolite Perimeter Walls.

During normal conditions the SorbWeb Plus with Sam Oil Containment System will allow water to flow through the membrane composite. In the event of an equipment failure, membranes will adsorb the spilt oil and form a permanent seal preventing any oil loss.

THE CHALLENGES

A concrete containment was too costly and presented significant maintenance challenges for our client. The existing complex infrastructure coupled with permafrost, and bedrock, prevented us from building a cost-effective standard SorbWeb Plus secondary containment below grade. 

THE SOLUTION

The option to use composolite fiberglass walls in combination with our oil reactive membranes was selected providing our client with a maintenance-free secondary oil containment that was reliable, easy to implement, and cost-effective.

Fiberglass containment panels are lightweight, yet very strong, and are more affordable to install versus traditional poured-in concrete systems.

By using SorbWeb Plus membranes, Albarrie was able to deliver a cost-effective containment with ultra low maintenance capable of withstanding the harsh weather conditions.

KEY ADVANTAGES:

• It's easy to deploy
• Quick to install
• No mechanical or moving parts
• Resistant to corrosion
• Easy to transport/ship
• Low conductivity
• Maintenance-free containment

SCOPE OF WORK

The composolite wall was placed around two transformers and had to accommodate the existing infrastructure. The largest transformer had approximately 2000 gallons of oil.         

Oilmat was placed on the floor of the containment and connected to an impervious layer.

The next layer, SAM (Super Absorbent Material), was placed on top of the Oilmat. SAM has the ability to manage small chronic leaks over the containment's lifetime. 

Last step: fill in the containment with fire-quenching stone which limits and prevents the spread of fire. 

SUMMARY

Due to the isolated location of the project, this provided a cost-effective solution from a deployment, installation, and maintenance standpoint. It was relatively quick considering the extreme weather and soil conditions; completion time from start to finish was just under two weeks under severe winter weather conditions. 

Last but not least, this ideal combination between SorbWeb Plus and fiberglass composolite walls offers our customers yet another option for a maintenance-free secondary containment; that is both easy to install and extremely reliable.

For More Information Contact
Albarrie GeoComposites
www.albarrie.com/secondary-containment/