DESIGN OF TANKER LORRIES

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a transport truck designed for the bulk transport
of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude
tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries.
Product tankers, generally much smaller, are designed to move petrochemicals from refineries to
points near consuming markets by road.

1. Materials of Construction: Tanker Lorries should be adequately designed and constructed

with mild steel or stainless steel for the intended application. Such tanks should be capable
of containing hazardous liquids having regard to temperature, pressure, chemical
characteristics and the flammable, combustible and/or corrosive nature being transported.
The structural integrity should at all times be maintained. The tank should not be modified
from its original design without approval from the explosives department authority having
jurisdiction.

2. Accident Damage Protection: The design of the tanker lorry should provide the product tank
with adequate and sufficient protection from accidental damage. All outlets, valves,
closures, piping and other devices in contact with lading should have accident damage
protection.  The safety valves on the bottom of the truck are designed to shear off and safely
secure the liquid in tanker during an accident.

The danger on the top of the tanker is that the expansion and contraction of the fuel means
that each compartment must be able to breathe (otherwise the pressure in the tank could
fracture it catastrophically).  Allowing the tank to breathe means that in the event the tanker
rolls over; there would be an obvious leak path for liquid to escape which could cause a fire
or an environmental catastrophe. As such manholes on the top of the tanker are fitted with
roll-over devices that in the event of a rollover will seal the aperture.

Fuel is expanding and contracting with temperature and moving around the tanker as it
drives around corners and is accelerating or braking, which constantly changes the vehicle’s
centre of gravity.  To reduce the impact of this, tankers are designed with very low
centres of gravity and have internal bulkheads fitted for strength and to separate each liquid
compartment. They also have baffles to reduce product surge when braking or cornering.

3. Baffles in the tank evenly dissipate the force of liquid moving when the truck is accelerating
or braking. When braking without baffles, the liquid keeps moving forward to surge
and push against the front wall of the tank, dramatically shifting the weight in the tanker and
increasing risk of jack-knife or rollover. Baffles spread the energy evenly to the entire truck,
making the truck easier and safer to handle.

4. Rear-End Protection should be able to protect the tank and the piping in the event of a rear-
end collision and minimize the possibility of any part of the colliding vehicle striking the tank.
The bottom surface of the device should be at least 10 cm below the lowest component,
containing lading whilst in transit and at most, 150 cm from the ground when the tank is
empty.
5. Vapor recovery equipment (valves and vents) are designed to channel vapors to the correct
location rather than causing a build-up in the road tankers or being vented into the
atmosphere.

6. Static Electricity: Filling, dispensing, conveying, and tipping materials into vehicles or vessels
generate static electricity simply through movement of the material being processed or
handled. The static electricity can ignite if the vessel or vehicle isn’t properly grounded.
When liquid or dry bulk materials pass through a pipe at a high flow rate, as it typically does
in loading and unloading liquids from Truck and trains, the electrostatic charge of the
flowing product generates static electricity. Large amounts of air bubbles and an increased
flow rate can amplify the static electricity.

When loading or unloading liquids, the liquid moving through the pipes, top loading
arms and bottom loading arms generate static electricity. Because simple static electricity
can generate an electrical charge sufficient to ignite vapor from flammable liquids, vapor
recovery and grounding is important. In a closed off-loading system, the vapor is recovered
back in the truck containing the flammable vapor and concentrating it, making it too rich to
burn.

Because static electricity can build up in the truck when liquid is transferred or just from the
movement of pipes and truck parts, it’s important that the truck is properly grounded to
prevent sparks to ignite any vapor. A grounding system connects the truck to the ground
(why they call it grounding) and any charge is transferred to the ground dissipating any built
up electrical charges. 
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