Responsible

LNG Storage
Technology
Preload and BergerABAM have project
experience in over 30 countries around
the world, giving us broad experience
in worldwide procurement procedures,
import/export regulations, foreign
exchange/practice, and labor and
market conditions.
About Us
Preload is one of the largest prestressed concrete tank
designers/constructors in the United States and is based
Preload in Boston, Massachusetts, where it is affiliated with the Jay
Cashman (JCI) group of companies. Preload has designed
Cryogenics and constructed more than 3,600 prestressed concrete tanks
worldwide in its 85-year history. Preload has successfully
designed, constructed, and stored liquefied natural gas (LNG)
and other cryogenic liquids (i.e. LOX, LPG, etc.) in single-,
double-, and full-containment precast, prestressed concrete
tanks (and membrane tanks), many of which are still in service
today. Preload first developed the technology/methodology
and is the only company to have successfully designed and
constructed prestressed concrete tanks for use as primary
containment (i.e., LNG, LPG, etc. in direct contact with the
prestressed concrete).

Founded in 1951, BergerABAM gained worldwide recognition

for pioneering work in prestressed concrete design. In 1988,
BergerABAM BergerABAM formed an affiliation with the Berger Group
Holdings, Inc. (BGH) affiliated companies, establishing one of
the largest consulting groups in the world. As a member of BGH,
BergerABAM became part of a global team of resources located
throughout the United States and over 50 foreign countries.

Preload and BergerABAM formed an alliance for the

commercialization of all-concrete cryogenic storage tanks
in 2014 and, since then, have successfully collaborated
on several commercialization initiatives and design and
construction projects. This alliance can offer services that range
from engineering design and/or studies to full engineering,
procurement, and construction (EPC) and can provide a one-
source response for your cryogenic storage needs.

Conceptual studies and analyses

• Research and development
• Environmental studies and permitting support
• Design and engineering
• EPC
• Testing and commissioning
 3
Why Choose C T?
A Robust, Full-Containment Storage Solution for
Refrigerated Gases
The composite concrete cryogenic tank (C3T) provides
full-containment storage for refrigerated and cryogenic liquids,
such as LNG, LOX, LPG, ethylene, ammonia, etc..

Robust Concrete Walls Provide Price Stability over

Conventional Nickel Tanks
The C3T is constructed of prefabricated wall modules that are
integrated to build strong liquid and gas-tight monolithic primary
and secondary containment walls.
The walls are designed to maximize the use of conventional
construction materials, such as concrete, post-tensioning strand/wire,
and carbon steel, to minimize the use of the costly and volatile
9 percent nickel steel (9% Ni).

Modular Construction to Reduce On-Site Construction

Cost and Risk
The modular construction of the C3T utilizes wall elements that
are prefabricated off site, significantly reducing on-site labor and
increasing the quality of the wall construction.
Modular construction also reduces the on-site construction schedule,
reduces the environmental impact during construction, enhances
construction safety, and opens construction to a wider labor market.
Proven Concrete Technology for Safe and
Reliable LNG Storage
All-precast concrete tanks for the storage of LNG
were designed and constructed by Preload dating
back to the 1960s, and several tanks have been
in continuous service for more than 40 years,
demonstrating the durability and longevity of
such tanks. The C3T design takes advantage of the

01
experience from concrete LNG tanks built before
1980 that are still in service today. Furthermore,
the design follows the newest applicable codes by
American Concrete Institute (ACI) and American
Petroleum Institute to meet National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) 59A.
Over the past 10 years, under the leadership of
BergerABAM, a joint-industry project with partners
from major energy companies and contractors
further developed the all-precast concrete tank
technology to be fully compliant with modern
codes and applicable for a wide range of storage
volumes from 10,000 to 300,000 cubic meters.
The tank design was subjected to a rigorous

02
technology qualification program and received a
“Technology Certificate” from GL-DNV. All-precast
concrete tanks are a proven technology for safe
and reliable LNG storage.

Clear Pathway through Regulatory Filing

and Review
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
and the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety
Administration (PHMSA) are familiar with the C3T
design and together, Preload and BergerABAM
established a clear pathway to get a tank through
regulatory filing without delay. Following a three-
month review of a typical tank design and a code

03
comparison study, PHMSA issued a letter stating
that it “…has no objection to the use of precast
all-concrete storage tanks, provided that they are
designed, fabricated, and constructed according to
the ACI 376 standard.”
01 Two 143,000-m3 full-containment LNG tanks for Distrigas in Staten Island, New York. Successfully
hydrotested; never placed in service.
02 Two 95,000-m3 double-containment LNG tanks for Philadelphia Gas Works built in 1974 and still
in service today.
03 An 80,000-m3 LNG tank for ENAGAS in Barcelona, Spain, and still in service today.
Precast, Prestressed Concrete Tank Installations for Cryogenic Liquid Storage:
Year
Location Original Owner Size m3 Product Storage Type
Built
Nantes, France 1965 Gas de France 2,000 LNG MEMBRANE

Barcelona, Spain 1968 Esso Research (ENAGAS) 2 x 40,000 LNG SINGLE

South Yarmouth,
1973 Buzzard’s Bay Gas Co. 8,700 LNG MEMBRANE
MA, USA
Philadelphia, PA, USA 1974 Philadelphia Gas Works 2 x 94,000 LNG DOUBLE

Staten Island, NY, USA 1974 Distrigas 2 x 143,000 LNG FULL

Winnipeg, Manitoba,
1975 Greater Winnipeg Gas 40,000 LPG SINGLE
Canada
Cumberland, RI, USA 1975 Valley Gas Co. 4,000 LNG MEMBRANE

Barcelona, Spain 1980 ENAGAS 80,000 LNG FULL

How Does It Work?

Efficient High-Performance
with Sliding Concrete Walls
and Integrated Liner
The C3T walls are constructed
of prestressed concrete panels
that are vertically prestressed
and circumferentially wrapped
with prestress wires encased
in shotcrete. A non-structural
carbon steel liner, whose sole
function is to provide a liquid
and vapor barrier, lies between
precast, prestressed panels and
shotcrete layer. The liner is under
biaxial compression and not
in direct contact with the LNG,
which makes it less susceptible
to thermal shock.
Wall/Slab Connection Detail Robust Concrete Roof Dome
The robust concrete wall of the primary The precast wall connects to the roof via a cast-
containment tank can take out-of-plane bending in-place ring beam. The roof consists of a robust
loads and is not susceptible to buckling, such as concrete dome with a carbon steel liner and a
elephant-foot buckling, that steel inner tanks face. suspended ceiling for the roof insulation. Roof
Once the wall panels are fully integrated by wire detailing is similar to conventional tanks.
wrapping, the concrete wall can sustain the full
wind load without bracing. No resilient blanket is Established Technologies for Insulation and
needed to protect the concrete wall from buckling Mechanical Equipment
under the pressure of the settling perlite insulation The insulation, equipment support structures,
in the annular space. and mechanical equipment are the same as for a
The bottom of the walls can move radially and, conventional 9% Ni tank with a long track record
thus, avoid building up constraining forces at of reliable performance. Tank commissioning,
the wall/foundation joint. This is in contrast to such as hydrostatic testing, pressure and vacuum
conventional cast-in-place secondary tank walls testing, purging and drying, and cooldown, follows
that are monolithically connected with the base well-defined procedures similar to conventional
slab and need to be designed for large constraining 9% Ni tanks.
loads during a spill. As a result, conventional
monolithic wall connections need a thermal corner
protection (TCP) to control cracking in this area.
A precast concrete wall with sliding support does
not need a thermal corner protection. Resistance to
circumferential shear and wall uplift is provided by
a combination of shear lugs and restraining cables
that allow the wall to slide radially but constrain it
in vertical and circumferential direction.
The shotcrete layer on the tank exterior provides a
durable concrete surface. The outer shotcrete layer
may be reinforced with fibers or provided with an
additional insulation layer to improve the wall’s
resistance to external fire and missile impact.
Contacts
Eric Reaman
Vice President - Operations
Preload Cryogenics
549 South Street
Quincy, MA 02169
781/738-0653
ereaman@preloadinternational.com
Offices
Preload Cryogenics
Boston, Massachusetts
Long Island, New York
Amsterdam, Netherlands
www.preloadinternational.com
www.abam.com
Markus Wernli
Senior Project Manager
BergerABAM
33301 Ninth Avenue South, Suite 300
Federal Way, WA 98003
206/431-2262
markus.wernli@abam.com
BergerABAM
Federal Way, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
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Houston, Texas