Reasons for water seepage at the bottom of the storage tank foundation
Thread Content
Long-term seepage of water occurs at the vents of the storage tank foundations in the tank farm, along with surface rust. I’d like to ask experts: What causes this? How many factors can cause this phenomenon?
The oil tank foundation consists of foundation piles, cushion layers, cap slabs, and ring walls. By using a rebar structure and concrete pouring, yellow sand is added layer by layer inside the ring wall and compacted; when nearly reaching the surface of the ring wall, asphalt-sand of the designed thickness is used for compaction. Then, tanks are built on this foundation; the moisture may be groundwater absorbed by the yellow sand, and over time, water seeps out through the ventilation holes
Our company’s oil tanks are in a similar situation as well；
It’s possible that the local groundwater level is quite high; when the sand in the foundation contains water, it will seep out due to capillary action.
The newly built oil tanks are fine, but the old ones built in the 90s have such problems; they are caused by groundwater infiltration. The only solutions are regular maintenance to slow down the rate of corrosion
We apply another layer of anti-corrosion material here, and the result is quite good; there’s no issue like what you mentioned. However, it needs to be reapplied regularly as some areas wear out over time.