b'FUELINGICT 51and phasing, he adds. It was veryIt was getting to the point where thePreviously, airline personnel who detailed because we made a lot ofinfrastructure was getting old, Stoneregularly visit the facility didnt have a place changes and had to keep the fuel farmexplains, noting the fuel farm was built into complete their paperwork. Now we open. It was a bit of balancing act.1965 and has undergone several minorhave a small conference area for auditors With 3,234 acres of land and serviceupgrades since then.as well as upgraded integration controls from six airlines, ICT is the largest andBefore lining the tanks, crews cleanedfor farm operation, says Stone.busiest airport in Kansas. Last year, theand sandblasted them to remove the three-runway airfield served nearly 1.3existing lining to assess the condition ofPlanning and Coordination million passengers.the steel. Four of the six tanks requiredUpgrading fuel farms is a complex and structural strengthening. tricky process that involves a lot of detailed System Makeover Basically, it was an overall upgrade,planning and coordination, says Mike A main component of the project, designedFossett, president of prime contractor including improvements to tank accessoriesKEAR Civil Corp., by Currier & Company Inc., involved liningsuch as floating suction arms, stainless-the bottom half of the steel tank interiorswhich managed the steel internal ladders, brackets andproject.with a protective epoxy coating to preventsupports, etc. Crews also installed new corrosion. Piping & Equipment Co. inpipes, upgraded the fuel dispensing system,Sometimes the Wichita performed the tank repairs andrehabilitated the systems pumps, addedprojects carry a higher upgrades; Thomas Industrial Coatingsa new control system and constructed arisk and require a fuel handled the epoxy-coating process. 600-square-foot control building to replacesystem shut down, a much smaller and older facility.Fossett remarks. ButMIKE FOSSETTAirportImprovement.comOctober 2022'