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terminal or to a different terminal. Tank relocations occur for
various reasons, such as returning leased land back to the owner,
making room for facility expansions, moving tanks closer to the
pumping and loading facility, or moving tanks onto a new site.
Tank relocations may involve one or more of the following
methods: The hovercraft technology, the Watson Air Bag
technology, standard trucks and semitrailers, railway tracks and
railway bogies, load skates and steel I beams, truck crawler
units powered by hydraulics, helicopters,12 barges, floating
tanks in water like a ship,13 and dismantling the tank for
reconstruction at the new location. Ultimately, the amount of
time required to perform a tank relocation depends on the method
chosen and the conditions at the site.
1. The Hovercraft Technology
The hovercraft technology, or “air lift method”, relocates
fully assembled storage tanks. A crew of seven people can
perform the relocation using this method. First, the tank must
be cleaned and disconnected from any gauges and piping, and
anchoring devices must be welded to the tank. Second, the site
route is prepared to assure that it is level. Next, the crew
12Due to a 20-ton weight limit, helicopters can move only
small tanks.
13A large tank will float in water between 18 and 24 inches
deep. This relocation method is limited to short distances, for
example, across harbors.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011