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| Loders Croklaan’s existing tank farm. Photo courtesy of same |
Palm oil plays a major role in feeding the world: it is today the most widely produced edible oil. Loders Croklaan has a similarly important role in the palm-oil industry, running Europe’s largest palm oil refinery and fractionation plant on a man-made peninsula in the Port of Rotterdam. The plant, which processes 2,500-3,000 tons of palm oil daily (enough to fill more than 500 Olympic pools each year), is supported by a large storage tank farm right at the company dock.
When planning the farm in 2003, both the palm oil company and Dutch tank fabricator Siemerink looked for alternatives to the conventional storage tank material for edible oils, austenitic stainless steel 1.4301 (ASTM 304). With local assistance from Outokumpu, both were convinced that Outokumpu’s proprietary duplex grade LDX 2101®, newly introduced to the market at that time, would bring them considerable competitive advantage. The farm comprising 17 tanks was completed in 2004, with the tank walls and roofs built out of LDX 2101® – a total of 716 tons of the material.
Like all duplex grades, LDX 2101® features close to twice the mechanical strength compared to austenitic grades, allowing for use of thinner materials. Duplex enables weight savings of up 50 percent in some sections of storage tanks, while the usual saving is 20-30 percent. Siemerink achieved an average weight saving of 30 percent.
Owing to its very low nickel content (1.5%), LDX 2101® is highly competitive to austenitic grades – and even to carbon steel when life cycle cost is taken into account. The grade also features somewhat better overall corrosion resistance than 1.4301.
Pleased with the performance of their LDX 2101® storage tanks, Loders Croklaan will again be using that grade exclusively in an upcoming major expansion of the tank farm, comprising 41 tanks and consuming 1,300 tons of LDX 2101®. The company made the material choice despite the fact that the tanks will be built using thinner material, restricting possibilities to benefit from the grade’s mechanical strength.
The new contract will be split between two tank fabricators, Siemerink and Oostwouder. The latter, specializing in on-site construction of welded tanks, will be in charge of larger units. Siemerink, fabricating at the company plant, will be using 2-meter-wide duplex coil, a product only available from Outokumpu, and reap additional advantage as there will be less welding compared to conventional, narrower coil widths.
Project
An expansion of a palm-oil storage tank farm in the Port of Rotterdam, with 41 news tanks
Project owner
Loders Croklaan of the Netherlands, an IOI Group company
Project completion
Late 2008 to early 2009
Storage tank fabricators
Oostwouder Tank- & Silobouw B.V. of the Netherlands
Siemerink B.V. of the Netherlands
Tank wall and roof material
Outokumpu’s duplex LDX 2101® coil, 1500mm and 2000mm wide, 4-5mm thick
Total 1,300 tons
Tank dimensions height / diameter
Oostwouder (using 650 tons of duplex LDX 2101®)
5 tanks: 17m / 16.5m
6 tanks: 17m / 13m
Siemerink (using 650 tons of duplex LDX 2101®)
4 tanks: 10m / 4m
11 tanks: 17m / 9.5m
15 tanks: 17m / 7m
Older tanks
(fabricated in 2004 by Siemerink out of duplex LDX 2101® coil)
17 tanks: 15m / 7-9m
Total 716 tons of LDX 2101®
For more information, contact:
Tom Kuylaars
Product Specialist
Outokumpu B.V., Netherlands
Tel. +31 115474600
Email: tom.kuylaars(at)outokumpu.com