Slurry Tanks

In the mining industry, we most often hear about coal mining, but the mining industry unearths a lot more than just coal. Mining companies that handle limestone, gravel, salt, and other mineral and geological materials need storage tanks that meet industry standards and are efficient for the company.

Chattanooga Boiler & Tank manufactures tanks that withstand the extreme temperatures that are the norm in the mining industry. Mining requires both fuel storage tanks and water storage tanks, as well as slurry tanks.

Slurry tanks play a huge part in mining safety. Once the mined materials are separated from the gangue or commercially valueless material, the tailings must be stored for transfer and disposal. Tailings are usually combined with water to make a slurry. This slurry must be stored safely, and that’s where slurry tanks come in.

 The tanks we fabricate at CBT minimize spilling and ensures that the slurry is transported safely for use or disposal. We abide by ASME codes to create custom tanks for all aspects of the mining process. Because this industry requires tanks that resist the highly abrasive contents stored in them, as well as the corrosive environment of the mining process, we work alongside our customers to make sure that the tanks we design and fabricate for them are up to the task.

For more information on how CBT can help your company, request a quote here.

Roofing Options - Oil & Refining Industry

One of the industries that CBT has a long-standing history of service is the oil and refining industry. These storage tanks have demanding liquid storage requirements because the liquids must be held for a longer period of time than in many other industries that utilize storage tanks. As an oil or refining business, our clients rely on us to understand industry standards and be able to implement them effectively into our custom storage tank designs. There are two main types of storage tanks used in the gas and oil industry, and our Tank Talk today is going to briefly explain the types so that you can have a better understanding of what all goes into designing and manufacturing a storage tank for this specific industry.

Floating Roof Storage Tanks

These tanks are, as the name states, capped with a roof that floats on the surface of the liquid stored inside. The roof moves up and down based on the liquid level, such as when the tank is filled or emptied. These types of roofs are often used because they are very cost-effective and safe. They also minimize the amount of vapor that is able to be between the roof and the liquid since the roof is actually floating on the liquid’s surface. But that doesn’t mean that we just plop a metal lid on top of the liquid that floats; we design and manufacture a roof that specifically works to minimize the loss of vapor for your specific storage tank.

In this main category of floating roofs, there are two subcategories: a pontoon roof and a double-deck roof. A pontoon roof is the most economical kind of roof because it limits the evaporation of stored liquids, which also helps to protect the environment from the toxic gas that would then be released into the atmosphere. Double-deck roofs have to steel plates disconnected by chambers that cover the entire surface area of the roof. Because of the presence of the upper deck, the lower deck is not exposed to the sun, which lowers the vapor loss of the stored liquid.

Fixed Roof Tanks

This is a more traditional and typical type of storage tank - a cylindrical steel shell is fitted with a domed or cone-shaped roof that’s attached to the tank shell. A valve on the roof allows the tank to have slight internal pressure and safety measures are put in place to avoid fire.

CBT is happy to work with your business to help with your specific needs. All of our storage tanks can be customized for your budget, industry, and standards. We are happy to help you find the best option - simply request a quote!

Start to Finish - Design to Fabrication

Custom projects are one of our favorite parts of the fabrication industry. Taking a client’s idea all the way through from inception to fabrication gives us immense pride.

When a customer comes to us with an idea or a problem that needs a customized solution, we are proud to have a top-notch engineering department housed inside of our Chattanooga manufacturing location. This team is a vital part of the custom fabrication process because they work alongside the customer with a cost-efficient solution. This team is especially crucial in bringing an idea from a client into a fully fabricated product; they come alongside our customers to shape their idea into something that can actually be manufactured successfully up to necessary codes.

Since our engineering team is strategically located on the same site as our fabrication shop, this team can work closely with the actual fabricators to bring a design to fruition. The collaboration between these two teams enable any conflicts between the initial design and the fabrication process to be addressed efficiently and thoroughly. This collaboration also makes sure that the finished product is durable and strong.

We also believe that the fabricator can collaborate and communicate best when both are located close-by and able to work face-to-face. This full-service process enables our team to offer the most efficient and effective solutions to our clients. The fabrication process is not a lone wolf mission, it is a chance for two teams with a variety of skills to work together to ensure the successful fabrication of a customer’s project.

Having both fabrication and engineering teams that work so closely together enables Chattanooga Boiler & Tank to be a “one-stop-shop” for all your fabrication needs, especially projects that must meet industry standards.

To learn more about our custom fabrication process and how all the parts of our team work together for the benefit of our customer, please contact us or request a quote.

Tanks for the Oil & Refining Industries

The oil and refining industries literally make the world around us go by providing petroleum to fuel our vehicles, as well as other companies in the manufacturing industry, chemical industry, and electrical generation industry. Because of the importance of these oils, but also the environmental and health concerns that surround the industry, it is crucial to have safe storage for companies that handle oil.

We believe that safety is vital in all industries that we fabricate tanks for, but we especially know that this is a concern in the oil and refining industry because of the external scrutiny that these industries are under. We work alongside companies in the oil and refining industry to comply with all the safety regulations that are specific to this industry.

Because we also fabricate tanks for companies that handle water storage and wastewater treatment, we are incredibly familiar with the chemical injection tanks that are often used in both the water treatment industry and the oil industry. These tanks are used to house chemicals that refine and minimize corrosion.

We have had over 100 years of experience in manufacturing custom tanks that are durable and reliable enough to withstand the pressures that are constant in the oil and refining industry. With our shop fabrication teams, as well as our on-site fabrication teams, we can work alongside your company to provide a tank that fulfills the needs of your company.

We’ve been around for over a century for a reason! Give us a call if we can help you.

How to Know When to Replace your Pressure Tank

Pressure tanks are major investments for companies, so it can be difficult to consider replacing them. It can also be challenging knowing when to replace a pressure vessel. Obviously, if a vessel is no longer working, performing poorly, or requiring extensive repairs, it is time to replace the tank. However, there may be some reasons for replacing your pressure vessel that are not as obvious. For example, regulations may change, new and improved designs may be introduced to the industry, or there may be a need to improve performance across all processes. In today’s Tank Talk, we will discuss some of these less obvious reasons, as well as how they may overlap.

1. Improving Performance - Pressure tanks and vessels face stress daily, as obvious in their name. Overtime, this extreme stress can degrade the overall performance of the vessel. Sometimes, even before the expected life cycle of the product draws to a close, the performance of the vessel can be reduced significantly. Obviously, sometimes performance issues can be resolved simply by repairs, but sometimes repairs and maintenance can be very costly, and it may end up being more cost effective to replace the entire vessel. Also, replacement can sometimes improve performance even better than simply repairing the original vessel or tank.

2. Changes in Regulations - Keeping a pulse on the conversations in the regulation arena is vital for any company that relies on pressure vessels. Environmental regulations and code changes mean that companies must ensure that their pressure vessels are in compliance. Sometimes, a pressure vessel may be able to be retro-fitted, but other times, a change in regulations means that an entire vessel may need to be replaced.

3. New Materials & Designs - Just because our company has been around for over 100 years doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped innovating. We make sure that we are knowledgable about new designs and materials that are being introduced to the industry because they can provide enhanced efficiency for our clients.

While a repair may sometimes do the job, the replacement of pressure tanks may be in the best interest of your company for multiple reasons, especially changes in regulations, the introduction of new designs or materials, and an opportunity to improve the vessel’s performance.

3 Reasons to Use Stainless Steel for Water Storage Tanks

Water is often stored in large tanks for use in emergencies, drinking, and manufacturing. In the past, plastic tanks were often the standard for water storage. Stainless steel tanks are now widely known as the best option for storing water. But change is hard, so why make the switch from plastic to stainless steel? Here are 3 reasons to take another look at stainless steel:

1. Durability - When exposed to pressure, plastic can crack and leak. Plastic tanks are often vulnerable to corrosion and experience expansion and contraction when the weather changes throughout the year. Because of that, it is necessary to replace water storage tanks made of plastic every few years, which is a large added expense for a company. Stainless steel water storage tanks, on the other hand, are corrosive-resistant and last significantly longer.

2. Safety - Water storage tanks are often used for storing drinking water, especially drinking water for emergency situations. Therefore, it is vital for the water to be clean and safe. Plastic water tanks are likely to grow mold and bacteria. Seepage is also a common problem with plastic water tanks, which can lead to contamination. Stainless steel water storage tanks do not leak, which means that bacteria cannot enter the water tank and contaminate the water.

3. Recycling - In today’s world, there is an intense focus on the ability of a product to be recycled and keeping our environment safe. The plastic that is used is not able to be recycled and is damaging to the environment. Stainless steel can be recycled and reused once they are ready to be replaced.

If you are interested to find out if stainless steel storage tanks are the best option for your company, contact Chattanooga Boiler & Tank for more details and specifications. 

Not Just Storage Tanks!

When people think of CB&T, they automatically think of storage tanks for industries like the pulp, chemical, and water industries. We get it, because our crews have made an incredible name for themselves for the quality of work they’ve done across the country. But our crews do much more than that! We want to highlight one of the custom fabrication projects we recently performed for the Washington D.C. Metro System. 

The Washington D.C. Metro’s Shady Grove station is the second-busiest station in Montgomery County with over 11,000 people every weekday boarding the metro. The station first opened in 1985, and in 2018, a plan was made to increase capacity of the station. One of the most important points of this was adjusting the stairway.

Once the stairway renovation happened, that’s where our team came in. Our custom fabrication team built a beautiful cover for the stairwell and escalator that both provides coverage from the rain and an incredibly visually appealing focal point for the station.

Our team has a wide-range of experience in designing and building unique architectural structures that are installed in public facilities across the country, including the nation’s capital! Our craftsmen and support staff take extreme measures to ensure the unique structures they design are fabricated to the highest standards and strive to create good quality, long-lasting products for communities to enjoy. We think the community in Montgomery County that uses the Shady Grove Station are definitely enjoying the stairwell overhang during the spring rain and winter snow!

Stainless Steel for Chemical Storage

For chemical plants all over the country, stainless steel is a common and effective material choice. Stainless steel is strong and incredibly resistant to corrosion. It is useful for fluid systems, but it is also worth considering when your company has a larger design to build. Here are three reasons your company should consider stainless steel for your company’s structural elements:

1. Corrosion-resistant - If chemicals are involved in your company’s work, you are probably dealing with oxidizers and/or acids, even if your product is inert. These can often cause damage to many building materials. For example, even basic bleach can corrode wooden surfaces, concrete, and rebar. However, stainless steel is known for its resistance to a wide inventory of chemicals whether they are consistently exposed to it intentionally or if something is spilled. 

2. Adaptability - If you face a need to modify equipment or storage tanks, stainless steel can be adjusted in ways that other materials often used cannot. For example, our team can repair and maintain stainless steel welded structural elements on-site! With many other materials, repairs and changes like this cannot be done easily. 

3. Easy to Clean - Stainless steel can handle any type of cleaning process that you may need to run based on your fluid systems. By decreasing the number of cleaning processes required to get everything clean and sanitized, your company will decrease costs. The ease of cleaning makes stainless steel one of the easiest structural shapes to keep maintained. 

If you think that your company could benefit from stainless steel structural elements, please reach out to us!

Pride in Our Work

Here at Chattanooga Boiler & Tank, we pride ourselves in being efficient and finding ways to work well in our client’s budgets. We know that it is costly to run a successful business, but we strive to work alongside our customers to ensure satisfaction with both our work and our price. Our engineering capabilities allow us to provide cost effective solutions to the individual and specific needs of our customers.

While we are always attuned to the budgetary needs of our clients, that doesn’t mean that we ever cut corners or make decisions that don’t line up with our high standards. We work to hire the best Quality Assurance staff. We make sure that the steel plate and carbon steel tanks and vessels that we craft are build with our many years of experience also matches with our superior inspection techniques. 

Any company can fabricate steel tanks, but our ability to test and interpret results in house to get inspections completed efficiently without waiting on an external lab sets Chattanooga Boiler & Tank apart. We are then able to implement corrective procedures immediately, which can further save in time and cost. Our team of field erection crews are regularly tested to ensure that the quality of our field constructed structures meets the same high standards we hold for our shop fabricated structures. Chattanooga Boiler & Tank manufactures stainless steel and duplex stainless steel tanks and vessels that meet the API 650, API 620, API 630, ASME VIII and AWWA D100 Specifications. 

We believe that all we do should be done to meet the high standards we hold for ourselves, but we also pride ourselves in winning multiple industry awards for our Quality Assurance and code compliance. If Chattanooga Boiler & Tank can assist you with our high-quality fabrication work, please contact us at (423) 266-7118.