EUROSILO GENT
- Owner
- Eurosilo
- Asset
- Concrete storage silos: silo tower (56 m), silo block with 23 silos and later extensions (44 m)
- Location
- North Sea Port, Ghent, Belgium
- Built
- 1968 and 1972
- Engineering
- SANACON
- Published
- Concrete Solutions 2022, MATEC Web of Conferences 361
Background & Challenge
The Eurosilo site in the port of Ghent has grown organically over decades, with silos from several construction phases. Pieces of concrete had fallen from the walls in the past, a clear sign of reinforcement corrosion and a safety risk for employees.
An unplanned shutdown for urgent repairs would have major consequences for operations. The owner needed an objective view of the condition of each construction phase, clear priorities, and a basis for a renovation budget over the next 10 years.
The Solution by Sanacon
Diagnosis: A file study was followed by a visual inspection, concrete cores and dust drilling on all sides of the silos, cover scans, and laboratory tests on carbonation depth (EN 14630) and chloride content at three depths.
Assessment in DIMCOST: The probability of depassivation by carbonation and by chlorides, and the remaining service life, were calculated per construction phase, with a 30% acceptance criterion for existing structures.
Repair strategies and life-cycle cost: Four strategies were compared, from local repair with sacrificial anodes to full-surface impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP), on maintenance-free period and cost over 50 years. Additional tests (potential mapping, electrical continuity, rebar condition) confirmed technical feasibility.
Key Results & Impact
Clear priorities between phases: The oldest silos (1968) showed a very high probability of chloride-induced corrosion and no remaining service life, so urgent action was needed. The 1972 silos still had more than 100 years of remaining service life and only needed preventive measures.
Repair quantities from data: The probability of depassivation was used to estimate the repair area per phase, giving a realistic basis for the renovation budget.
Well-founded repair choice: Based on the life-cycle cost comparison, full-surface ICCP was selected for the oldest silos, for a maintenance-free period of 30 to 50 years.
DIMCOST showed which silos needed urgent intervention and which could wait, giving the owner and shareholders an objective basis for a 10-year renovation plan.
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One group, from inspection to decision
DIMCOST is developed within the SANACON group. Together with our sister companies, we cover the full chain from data capture on site to a well-founded maintenance strategy.
Plan a demoEngineering and structural advice: concrete durability, service life analysis, repair design and cathodic protection. Ghent University spin-off.
Visit sanacon.be →On-site concrete testing and core drilling: the field data on cover, carbonation and chlorides that feed the DIMCOST models.
Visit betonplus.be →Industrial drone inspections and 3D models, loaded directly into DIMCOST to map defects and track changes over time.
Visit medexon.com →See what DIMCOST can tell you about your own asset
Share your inspection data or describe your structure. We show you how a service life analysis turns it into a maintenance plan you can budget.