API Tank Jacking

[jcoots]

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of tank jacking in the USA. In my research so far, I've found companies who build tanks by starting with the top and jacking it up, placing the next shell ring under the top, jacking all that up, then the next lower ring and so on till they do the bottom ring. I am wondering why this isn't done in the United States. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[JStephen]

It's been done. It just becomes a matter of economics. You have some potential savings from jacking methods, but also a lot of extra costs and complications involved. (One of those being, that most large tanks don't have self-supporting roofs.) If there was a single way to build tanks that was dramatically better than the rest, one company would do it and everyone else would either follow suit or get run out of business. There are similar issues with coil-winding methods, etc.

 

[kwaliteitshenk]

For the leading tankbuilder of hot water storage tanks used in the agricultural in the Netherlands and nabor countrys it's common practice jacking tanks up to diameters of 30 mtr. It's not only cost saving but also safer working for the employers since the max level the have to do there welding is max 2 mtr. while the're standing on a platform only 0.5 mtr from ground level. Several times the have sold tanks as a self building kit to the USA to be erected by local welders. Together with the material the have rent there jacking system and did supervising during the erection.

 

[jcoots]

Thank you both for the response. JStephen, I was kinda thinking the same thing about the method not be significantly better. I have recently spoke with another prefessional in the industry about this and found that an international tank builder based in America researched into it a while back and decided not to use this method. Thank you for your input.

 

[kdgran]

I work for Mueller Field Operations and we normally fabricate tanks utilizing jacks. We have fabricated up to 1 million gallon tank. Normal application is to stop around a 40 ft diameter tank but we have gone up to 60 feet in the past. At stated by others, this method is preferred by use because the workers stay on the ground during fabrication. If you would like some additional information please check out our website at

http://www.muel.com.

Go to the literature page and open the FF-1806 document. There are numerous pictures of jack construction as well as standard crane construction.