3 Tank Expansion Project

Description: 3-Tank Expansion Project

Type: API 650 Column-Supported Roof Tank

Duration: 10 Months
Time Lapse:

Project details

TIW designed, fabricated, supplied and constructed three (3) 42-metre (137 feet) diameter, API 650 column-supported roof tanks for Inter Pipeline’s $60 million Kerrobert facility. Located in the heart of west-central Saskatchewan, it is now the company’s largest crude oil storage location. The tanks hold a combined total of 400,000 barrels of oil, and each is topped with a sandborn aluminum roof to control vapors and emissions.

We completed the project within 10 months

– ahead of schedule despite a few challenges.

This expansion was planned months in advance to ensure we had a comprehensive strategy in place to successfully execute the project while maintaining high standards for quality, workmanship and safety. Working on an accelerated timeline, we completed the project within 10 months – ahead of schedule despite a few challenges.

Once again, TIW’s safety record was unblemished. Nobody got hurt!

Challenges and lessons learned

We learned a number of valuable lessons throughout the planning and construction phases of this project.

Working long days in the harsh cold, unforgiving Saskatchewan climate meant we often dealt with sub-zero temperatures and winds. When combined with a fast-tracked timeline and tight deadlines, this meant that top-notch safety practices, project pre-planning and management, and seamless communication among all parties were even more integral to everyone’s success.

A team of professional contractors and sub-contractors spent 170,000 man hours working collaboratively to complete the project ahead of deadline and on budget. Due to time constraints, sub-contractors across many trades were onsite simultaneously completing electrical, foundation, piling, coating and other important activities – especially rare as these are not normally undertaken until the late phases of a project. Special recognition goes to the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 555 for their exemplary work.

The architectural design of the tanks (which were 15 metres tall) was also a concern, as they sat on a higher grade than usual, with the foundation three metres above ground. They were also accessed differently than most other similar facilities.