Are Tank Containers ever removed from trucks or railroad cars at factories?
On the Internet I’ve seen many photos of empty Tank Containers stacked up like stacked up empty Box Containers. And many photos of Tank Containers on trucks, and on trains.
But I can’t find photos or videos of Tank Containers at their final destinations of factories, plants, etc.
At the factories they are loaded on the chassis and unloaded the same way tehy are never there long enough to be removed. A chemical plant is not a place to leave a loaded container.
These tank containers are more for transit on trucks once they leave the ship, most are unbaffled and lead to product surges, which can cause upsets when they are loaded. Drivers have to excercise caution in turns and quick movements when loaded to prevent upsets. Most load unload locations do not have the transfer equipment[ cranes or very large forklifts]. I would have to suspect that if a large number of these tanks would be loaded onto ajoining train cars there would be a potential for a harmonic viberation to set up in the loads and cause an up set, mmuch in the way upsets were experienced in high center of gravity grain hoppers arount the 30/40 mph range used to happen when they were introduced years ago. But an operational employee with this type of equipment experience would have to confirm or deny that factor.
I’m asking this question of a friend of mine whose company both imports and exports specialty chemicals in tank containers. It may take a week or so for him to get back to me.
dd
Any unbaffled tank surges like no tommorrow I pulled a few tanker loads and they can be fun. Hardest one was the 1000 gallons in a 5000 gallon trailer real fun on the curves. Easiest load were the fuel loads in the divided trailer.
following is the answer I received from my friend —
"Those containers are called ISO containers. They are used to move
everything from commodity liquids to semiconductor chemicals.
They come in a frame that meets the size and fitment requirement that
allows them to be stacked and hauled around like shipping containers.
They have UN shipping certification just like a drum or other shipping
container. Some people own them others rent or lease them. All depends
on the application. In the semiconductor business how clean is clean? So
that comes into play as well. Kind of the same way gas trucks deliver
gases to fabs, hospitals etc. They pump to a storage tank.
The reason we don’t see then docked in or near fabs is because they are
used to move product. They are not used to dispense it. What happens is
they are hauled to the site and the material is removed to a storage
tank or holding tank. The container goes on to get cleaned and refilled
or just refilled.
The reason for the pump out is two fold. The holding tank at the site is
controlled with things like N2 blankets, heating or cooling depending on
what is needed.
The ISOs are expensive and are therefore circulated rather than held as
storage tanks. If the use is dedicated to a specific chemical being
delivered from a chemical plant to a use or mix site they form a fleet.
That can be anywhere from 2 to ten of the ISOs and they just move
product. If the fleet loses an ISO it can stop the entire operation as
they are the pipeline."