FP McCann’s Precast Concrete StormTank™ Installed at RAF Lossiemouth

Project: RAF Lossiemouth; New Synthetic Training Centre (Pilot Training)

Client: Ministry of Defence/ BAE Systems

Civil Engineering Contractor: Careys

Principal Contractor: Galliford Try

Products Supplied: StormStore™ StormTank™ ‘Multi-Purpose Panel Tank System’ for storm water attenuation

FP McCann has recently supplied one of its trademarked StormStore™ StromTank™ the Ministry of Defence giving them a net stormwater storage volume of 307m³. Civil engineering contractor Careys has installed this ‘Multi-Purpose Panel System’ tank on behalf of principal contractor Galliford Try, the MOD and its main defence and aerospace partner BAE Systems, at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.

Galliford Try was awarded the two year £20million package of work in 2020 by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to provide a range of facilities at Lossiemouth for the RAF’s newest Typhoon squadron.

The StormTank™ forms part of a new build synthetic training centre for pilots training to fly the Typhoon combat aircraft. Designed to alleviate flood risks on site, the online attenuation tank will manage storm events by capturing excess surface rainwater. The water can then be released back into the online drainage system at a controlled rate thereby relieving the pressure on the main drainage network and reducing the risk of site and downstream flooding.

The tank measuring 26.1m long x 6.725m wide (average width) x 2.2m high has been installed within a cofferdam structure 29.0m metres long by 9.625metres wide. The cofferdam was required as multiple live services sit on all four sides of the tank. It also has enabled the construction of the StormTank™ to sit within a shallower depth to achieve the required storage volume.

In order to avoid the precast concrete walling units clashing with the top waler beams, chain lengths were extended to allow slinging of the walls beneath the beams within the permitted lifting angle. The loads were then released and chains refitted for the final re-slinging and placement of the units.

This StormTank™, designed to water class tightness 1 as standard, weighs 188 tonnes and has been constructed using 49 individual steel reinforced precast concrete wall and cover slab sections consisting of external (250mm thick) and internal (275mm thick) wall units and solid roof slabs (120mm thick). The tank is divided internally by six special roof support walls with openings cast into them to allow water to flow freely between sections. Two access opening points have been cast into designated roof sections to allow personnel entry for maintenance purposes. Due to a 1.3m overburden, access shafts have been constructed over the openings by Careys using precast chamber rings. Water inlet and outlet points have been cast into two wall sections to allow for the installation of an 825mm id pipe (inlet) and 150mm id pipe (outlet).

The StormTank™ panel sections manufactured at FP McCann’s state-of-the art precast facility in Byley, Cheshire were delivered to site over a period of 3 weeks. Whilst walls were placed and levelled on 100mm thick C20 concrete blinding, FP McCann’s StormTank™ allows for a more economic 50mm blinding depth across the larger tank floor area; this laid prior to pouring the 250mm thick C40 reinforced concrete floor slab, that ties in the walls.

In conjunction with Careys and their consulting engineers, FP McCann value engineered the precast concrete panel tank into the designated footprint by demonstrating increased performance and long-life efficiency over such alternative attenuation systems.

Commenting on the StormTank™ design and build, Cathal McManus, Project Manager for Careys said: “We had to take into consideration a number of factors on tank design, notably working within the designated footprint area and depth. Ease of construction, robustness and long-life, low maintenance performance were also key to our choice of attenuation tank. FP McCann’s StormTank™ fitted both the design and performance criteria. On future projects, we will certainly consider FP McCann’s multi-purpose panel precast concrete StormTank™ system.”

FP McCann’s 100-year design life StormTank™ can be installed up to 6 metres high with no footprint size limitation and are designed for pedestrian loading through to LM1 highway loading. Internal design features can be added such as weir and baffle walls and penstocks or flap-valves can be pre-installed. It is a multipurpose panel system with a variety of uses, including:

For Sales and technical enquires, contact Igor Skoro on 07860 204893 or email iskoro@fpmcann.co.uk

FP McCann precast concrete storm tank RAF Lossiemouth gallery image 2
FP McCann precast concrete stormtank RAF Lossiemouth gallery image 3
FP McCann precast concrete Stormtank Raf Lossiemouth gallery image 4