When Nevada Ready Mix of Las Vegas needed additional storage capacity, the company's primary requirement was like most other producers and terminals in today's market: Fast. However, they did not want to compromise economics, either. The company turned to Tank Connection for an integrated storage system, which included the flat panel, field-erected bolted silos.

“Tank Connection provided these silos at approximately one-third of the industry's expected price for storage,” said Carl Cunningham of Nevada Ready Mix. “We had a very quick installation deadline, and they met it.”

These silos have no leaky flanges, as the older-style flanged panel tanks did, and are widely accepted to store many dry products such as cement, fly ash, and coal. “Las Vegas has the most booming concrete market in the world,” adds Cunningham. “We are proud of our innovation at this plant, which enables us to do more in one day than most plants do in a week.”

Because of the space constraints at the plant, creativity was needed for this additional storage. “We chose a foundation design method that utilizes micropiles,” Cunningham explains. “This allowed us to place the silos in a very tight space.”

The silos were erected using a specialized jacking system that allowed the crews to stay close to the ground. This method is more preferred to using scaffolding, which requires workers to be in the air. Safety is a factor that must always be monitored, Cunningham said. When the hazard of working above grade can be virtually eliminated, a major feat has been accomplished.

By using the series of hydraulic jacks at ground level, workers now do not have to leave the ground to install a field-erected bolted tank. The system is carefully designed for each application, taking into consideration the silo's diameter, height, and dead weight.

Cunningham is proud of the plant expansion, saying the combination of fast, economical, safe was hard to beat.

This article was adapted from materials provided by Tank Connection, (+1) 620-423-3010; www.tankconnection.com