Outokumpu, a global supplier of stainless steel, with branches in North and South America, recently delivered one of the largest orders for tank building to the Antwerp harbor in Belgium. The order consisted of 245 tons of Forta LDX 2101 lean duplex stainless steel for the construction of three big oil storage tanks. Each storage tank has a capacity of 4,200 m3 which is the equivalent of 12,600,000 liters of oil transported to the oil terminal by tanker ships.
The tanks are in service from September 2015. Their expected service life is 50 to 60 years which is up to 20 years longer compared to 30 to 40 years in the past. The use of Forta LDX 2101, with inherent qualities of stainless steel, makes the tanks virtually maintenance free and the strength of duplex stainless steel allows for material and fabrication cost savings and offers good corrosion resistance. The construction of the tanks is run by Ivens, which specializes in building and renovation of tanks for the storage of chemicals and fuels.
Forta LDX 2101 lean duplex grade is developed and patented by Outokumpu and has a low nickel content of only 1.5%. It can compete in price with carbon steel tanks when the life cycle cost is taken into account. Forta LDX 2101 is becoming increasingly popular as the material of choice in the construction of storage tanks for pulp, chemicals, biofuels, beverages, grains, and ore slurry.