Modular Interconnected Containment Pans for ISO Tank Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current containment systems for ISO tank stacks cannot meet the DEP requirements for leakage containment while allowing tanks to be stacked higher than three high due to the height constraint of existing lift equipment and containment pans.
Innovation Solution
A spill containment system with a liquid-tight pan assembly that allows stacking of up to five ISO tank containers high, featuring interconnected containment pan assemblies with a height between 8 inches and 24 inches, enabling the use of existing lift equipment to manage the stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large containment pan is used to hold the volume of a tank plus six inches of height, then the containment capacity is sufficient, but the height of the containment pan increases to about six feet, interfering with the ability to stack container tanks up to five tanks high
Solution Approach 1:
The containment system is divided into multiple modular containment pan assemblies stacked vertically. Each assembly contains a containment pan that can be filled with absorbent material, and they are arranged in segments that can be stacked to achieve the required total containment capacity without requiring a single six-foot high pan. This segmentation allows container tanks to be stacked up to five high while maintaining adequate spill containment capacity.
2Productivity
If container tanks are stacked five high to save ground space, then storage efficiency is improved, but the height requirement exceeds the capability of current lift equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The containment system transitions from a horizontal spread configuration to a vertical stack configuration. By arranging containment pan assemblies vertically and allowing container tanks to be stacked five high, the system utilizes the vertical dimension to achieve compact ground-space-efficient storage while remaining within the reach capabilities of current lift equipment.
3Length of stationary object
If the containment pan height is reduced to allow five-high stacking, then stackability is improved, but the ability to hold the required volume plus six inches of rain water is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Absorbent material is pre-placed within each containment pan assembly before spills occur. This preliminary action allows each individual pan to contain a smaller volume while the collective stacked assemblies provide the total required containment capacity. The absorbent material is ready to immediately absorb and hold spills, eliminating the need for large empty containment volumes.
Data Source
AI summary
A spill containment system for container tanks which include a liquid container and a steel frame surrounding the liquid container. The overall dimensions of the container tank are approximately twenty feet long, eight feet wide and eight and a half feet high. Beneath one or more stacked container tanks is a containment pan assembly including a liquid-tight pan having an interior capable of holding at least a portion of the contents of one liquid container. The containment pan assembly has an upper rectangular section that supports the container tanks and also has a length of about twenty feet and a width of eight feet. However, the entire height of the containment pan assembly is between eight inches and twenty-four inches. Additional similarly constructed containment pan assemblies are arranged adjacent the first assembly with hoses interconnecting the interiors of the several liquid-tight pans of the several containment pan assemblies.