Tank demolition in 3 phases, with a focus on preservation

Recently, we were asked to contribute to the demolition of a tank. This time, a customer needed our assistance with a tank that had been damaged when a fault had caused it to be sucked into a vacuum while being emptied. A nuisance for the customer, so we went over to discuss the details. This project was carried out in several phases.

One section still usable after inspection

In order to determine exactly how badly damaged the tank was, we first removed the cladding and insulation, using the Hitachi 470 HRD. Fortunately, after inspection, a large section of the tank appeared to be still usable.

The entire roof and the upper two wall rings were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished. We proceeded very cautiously, as the lower two wall rings, the bottom and the coil needed to be preserved.

Phase 1: Demolition of roof panels

A tank roof consists of two parts, a structure with panels on the top. We began by cutting the panels into smaller sections. Two cranes were positioned, chains were inserted into pre-cut holes, and the final connections were cut from a suspension bucket. This enabled us to lift off the panels one at a time.

Phase 2: Lifting the roof trusses and crown

Next, we secured the roof structure by fastening the parts that were loose to the tank wall with chains. This allowed us to systematically lift the roof trusses.

Subsequently, we installed a safety post below the centre of the roof structure (crown) to prevent any instability. This was because we wanted the bottom of the tank and the coil to remain intact. With this support in place, we were able to lift out the last beams. Finally, we also lifted out the crown.

Phase 3: Lifting part of the tank wall

To remove the top two rings, we used the same technique as for the roofing panels. The wall panels were pre-cut, so we could attach the chains in order to burn through the last links and lift away the panels.

Our work on this project is complete. Another party is assisting the client with the reconstruction of the tank. We can certainly say with confidence: Your project, carried out efficiently