- 13 -
bogies or H-beams and load skates; and (3) once at the new site,
reversing the process and lowering the tank onto its new
foundation. The entire lifting, moving, and lowering process can
be completed in 1 week. For a tank with a diameter of 80 feet, a
crew of four people can perform the initial lifting process in
approximately 8 hours.
When relocating tanks using the Watson Air Bag technology,
significant damage to a tank is unlikely. Tanks are lifted
between 3 and 5 feet above the ground. Although a section of the
tank could fall and hit the ground, any damage from such a fall
is repairable. In some cases, the cost to move the tank intact
is only 30 percent of the cost to cut the tank down and
reconstruct it at the new site.
3. Dismantling and Reconstruction
API Standard 653 provides procedures for dismantling and
reconstructing welded tanks for relocation from their original
site. When dismantling the tank, API Standard 653 recommends
marking the shell, bottom, and roof plates for easy
identification. If properly followed, the specifications of API
Standard 653 will produce a tank with an “acceptable appearance
and structural integrity”.
A crew of 8 to 10 people can dismantle and reconstruct a
tank. First, cranes hold the steel plates in place as the tank
is cut apart with torches or other cutting devices. Then, the
Page: Previous 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 NextLast modified: May 25, 2011