Booming ethanol market increases demand for cost-efficient storage
Storage tanks at plant in South Bend, Indiana
Now that the US
government is as
interested in expanding
ethanol
production as the country’s corn
growers have been for decades,
the planning and construction
of new ethanol plants is heating
up.
Because of the growing concern
regarding US dependence
on foreign oil, ethanol is fast
moving to the forefront of US
efforts to produce its own renewable
fuels right here at
home. Earlier this year it was
reported that 20 states already
had 57 ethanol plants in production,
with 18 more under construction
and a building boom
on the horizon.
The challenge now is to build
the most cost-efficient plants for
producing this energy-efficient fuel and
to get the facilities up and running
quickly.
Cost-efficiency was just one of the
reasons why the New Energy Corp, a
pioneer in producing ethanol from corn,
selected Columbian TecTank dry bulk
storage tanks for its plant in South Bend,
Indiana. Initially New Energy Corp utilized two flat bottom silos but when additional
storage was required they opted
for four 38' diameter x 120' high (utilizing
45 degree hoppers) “smoothwall”
silos, designed and engineered specifically
for this application.
Randy Chrobot, Operations Manager
for the New Energy Corp South Bend
Plant stated, “with the expansion, we wanted
hopper bottom silos to facilitate
complete clean out and
Columbian TecTank had the largest
hopper silos on the market.”
Interior and exterior coatings
were another consideration.
These bolted tanks are factorycoated
in a controlled environment
using specialized thermally
cured coating systems. Interior
coatings are formulated to protect
the product stored by enhancing
the product flow, minimizing
abrasion and protecting against
corrosion.
Exterior coatings are selected
and formulated for the exposed
environment.
Columbian TecTank bolted
smoothwall silos are master
crafted for a precision fit in the
field. To ensure quality, all components
are fabricated in facilities
that are IS0 9000 quality system certified.
Pre-engineered shop fabrication reduces
the order to installation
timeframe. Columbian TecTank can
have fabricated materials on site within
six weeks of order receipt.
See our home page on how to order your subscription. We regret we can
only accept orders from Canada and the United States.
