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The Shell Company of Australia Ltd
Bitumen Tank 30 Earthworks & Foundations

The Shell Company of Australia is one of the largest oil refining companies in Australia . To keep up with demand it was necessary for Shell to increase the number of tanks in their Tank Farm at Pinkenba.  This was partly achieved through the construction of Bitumen Storage Facility - Tank 30. The Project Works consisted of earthworks, roadworks, piling, reinforced concrete & asphalt/sand mix topping

As part of the bulk earthworks McIlwain Civil had to relocate approximately 80m of protective earthen bund walls and construct gravel access roads in and around the enclosure.  Due to the weight of the tank (≈15,000tonnes) and the poor ground conditions it was necessary to install 74 pre-cast reinforced concrete piles to a depth of 31m.  The piles were then capped off with a 700mm deep fully reinforced concrete pile cap.  On top of the pile cap (and beneath the steel tank shell) a 50mm Asphalt/Sand mix was laid to meet the strict tolerance requirements of Shell; +/-3mm in any 10m.  This was achieved on both the concrete and the asphalt/sand layer finishing surfaces.

The nature of the works and the proximity to flammable gases/liquids made the working area an extremely hazardous environment.  As such it was imperative to maintain high levels of Safety and Environmental control. 

Methodical project planning and continual interaction between site and office ensured this project finished well ahead of schedule.

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31-07 Shell Tank 30 (523 KB)