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Tank Guru Q&A: BOX TANKS AND REMOVABLE LININGS

Question:  This question relates to box tanks and removable linings. “Have you ever heard of installing a flexible lining in a tank container?  I can think of reasons why this isn’t a particularly good idea.  I’ve also been asked recently why box tanks, like those made years ago by Hoyer and Hugonnet, couldn’t carry more cargo than a standard liquid tank.”  Tank Guru:  I have indeed heard of installing a disposable liner inside of a tank container, but never seen it done.  One company I know tried it several years ago and ultimately determined that it wasn’t an effective solution, either because of installation difficulties or cost-effectiveness.  The reasons to install would be either to protect the tank from the cargo in the case of chemicals corrosive to stainless steel, or to protect the cargo from the tank such as shipping edibles as a backhaul in a chemical tank. Box tanks were limited in capacity because most of the older 20′ boxes had a MGW of only 24000 KG to begin with, and additionally there is no point carrying a load larger than you could legally transport over the road without being overweight.]]>

2 thoughts on “Tank Guru Q&A: BOX TANKS AND REMOVABLE LININGS”

  1. Nice of you to start to spread information on Tanks. I am very interested.
    Do you know of any attempts at building ISO tanks from composite materials (max pressure 4-6 bar)? For low weight, high strength, impact and corrosion resistance.
    It looks like an all steel world that may be very, very hard to enter for alternative materials.
    In 2-3 years:
    Would volume be a driver i.e. a 8% higher volume than the current max?
    Would weight be a driver i.e. 50% weight reduction for an empty container?

    Can a fool ask more than a Guru can answer?

    1. Dear Jan,

      It is my understanding that there are already some composite tanks in use in Europe which have ADR approval. It has been studied here in the States because of the benefits you outlined, and especially for corrosion resistance (transport of acids that would attack steel tanks). We looked at it about 15 years ago in terms of framing composite tanks (built by a composite tank manufacturer in Canada), but the issue was that for transport approval in the U.S. the tanks would have to travel under special exemption by the U.S. DOT and there were uncertainties to the approval process that shelved the project.

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