As part of a larger capital program, an active refinery sought to expand its footprint to accommodate 14 tanks and four pump pads. Before construction could start on the new structures, ENTACT performed subsurface soil treatment of soft saturated soils to minimize future tank foundations and pump pads settlement.

The ground improvement treatment consisted of installing a series of 8-foot diameter soil-cement columns on an 11-foot by 11-foot grid underneath the planned footprint of each tank foundation. A series of overlapping 8-foot diameter columns were constructed along the footprint of each future tank foundation ring. ENTACT utilized two in-situ vertical auger mixing rigs and grout batch plants concurrently to accomplish the soil mixing work.

Our in-house treatability laboratory conducted a series of treatability studies to determine the optimum reagent and delivery program required to meet project objectives and performance criteria. Reagents included Type I-II Portland cement to treat 205,000 cubic yards.