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Superior Tank Co., Inc. is dedicated to the quality of our bolted steel tanks and has implemented the ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 quality assurance program. The program uses the internationally recognized ISO 9001:2008 program as a basis then adds other procedures relevant to the stringent requirements of the American Petroleum Institute (API) under the Spec Q1 standard.
The ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 program covers a wide variety of areas including steel tank ordering policies, engineering processes, manufacturing methods, shipping/transportation procedures and installation practices. All documents regarding the steel tanks are carefully governed and tracked ensuring any changes made after the initial order are communicated throughout the organization. Out of sync documents could result in the tank being manufactured or installed incorrectly. Also, our engineering department utilizes a central library of tank components which guarantees all steel tanks and parts are consistent from one tank project to another and components fit together properly. Another example of ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 is the method tank engineering designs are extracted and transferred to our bolted tank manufacturing department. The tank design is exported and component specifications are directly imported into the machinery used to fabricate each part. CNC machines are then used to precisely craft components to the proper size and profile. This allows complex shapes and radius cuts to be made with extreme accuracy. Tank components requiring welding are fused to one another using Automatic Robotic Technology (A.R.T.). This advance equipment allows us to produce 100% accurate and perfect welds for maximum strength. When a bolted steel tank is ready for shipment, the final Quality Control inspector verifies all tank components, hardware and materials are included. A report is completed and pictures are taken for record keeping purposes. To accurately track installation and any repair work, a field service management software is used. Various documents are signed off by the customer to signify key benchmarks.
Other processes and procedures have been established to standardize measurement tools and increase product reliably and consistency. Specific templates have been set up throughout the manufacturing facility to quickly and accurately verify certain key aspects of parts such as angles and material thickness. Even the tape measures used throughout the factory must be certified for accuracy!
The end result of this hard work is a steel tank which is exactly what was ordered, assembles as designed, and is manufactured to last.
As most people have discovered, water loss through evaporation can be significant when water is stored over a period of time. As water has become very scarce, farmers and water districts are striving to store and conserve as much water as possible. An open air reservoir with 10,000 sq. ft. of surface area can lose as much as 175 gallons of water per hour!
A bolted steel tank or a welded steel tank from Superior Tank Co., Inc. (STCI) allows customers to store irrigation water for longer periods with very minimal water loss due to evaporation. The rate of evaporation is based on water surface area, wind speed across the water surface and humidity in the air and our steel tanks reduce or eliminate these factors. Reducing the tank diameter and increasing the tank height can significantly decrease the water surface area and evaporation rate. STCI offers a variety of steel tanks ranging from wider and shorter reservoirs to taller and narrower standpipe tanks. In addition, as both welded tanks and bolted steel tanks are commonly closed top, the amount of air movement at the water surface is very minimal, even on windy days. The only opening at the top is a roof vent to prevent negative or positive pressure buildup draining or filling the tank. The final factor which impacts the evaporation rate is the humidity level of the air. If the air is dry and can absorb additional water, than the evaporation rate will be higher. Conversely, if the air is very humid and saturated with water, the evaporation rate will be considerably less. Steel tanks are designed to minimize the amount of humid air escaping from the tank and therefore the air inside the tank is near the saturation point. This is the reason why entering a water tank on a warm day can feel similar to being inside a sauna!
All STCI steel tanks are designed for extremely high levels of humidity and the entire interior of our tanks are coated to protect the steel from corrosion. All structural components of bolted steel tanks are factory powder coated at the STCI manufacturing facility to prevent moisture from reaching the steel. Bolted steel tanks are also available with a corrosion resistant, hot dipped galvanized finish. Our welded steel storage tanks are coated in the field after installation using a liquid coating to seal the steel.
In addition to water loss due to evaporation, our bolted steel tanks and welded steel tanks reduce water theft as security devices can be optionally installed. Water sample boxes and roof hatches can be locked to restrict access to the water. In addition, roof access can be eliminated by installing ladder cages with lockable anti-climb devices.
In addition to water storage, STCI bolted steel tanks and welded steel tanks are well suited for storage of liquid fertilizers and dry bulk materials.
For existing bolted and welded steel tanks needing repairs or service, we can supply and install a variety of parts and accessories.
As bolted steel and welded steel tanks have evolved over the last 50 years, so has the technology and machinery used to manufacture the tanks. Superior Tank currently uses numerous advanced pieces of equipment including A.R.T. (Automated Robotic Technology). A.R.T. is used in the Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing facility to precisely weld raw materials together to form various tank components.
A.R.T. is a 300lb robot featuring 6 axis of articulation allowing A.R.T. to accurately weld joints in even hard to reach areas. All aspects of the welding process including power, wire, speed and angle of approach are regulated by the computer for extreme consistency and 100% accurate welds. In addition to the accuracy and strength of the welds, the seams are also smoother allowing for better coating coverage and corrosion protection. As errors and weak areas are eliminated, fewer parts are rejected and material waste is minimized.
A.R.T. is used for a variety of tank parts and accessories used with steel water and oil tanks. For example, tank nozzles, flanges, manways and piping are welded together in the factory. When these components are used with bolted tanks, the parts are powder coated then shipped with the tank kit to the installation site. For welded steel tank use, the parts are field coated after being installed onsite.
A.R.T. and other technologically advanced equipment allows Superior Tank to custom fabricate numerous steel tank elements with unmatched precision.
Superior Tank Company Inc. provides numerous components and parts including structural components, safety apparatuses, tank appurtenances and tank operation equipment for welded steel storage tanks and bolted steel storage tanks. We supply custom structural components to fit many different steel tanks. For welded steel tanks we can provide seismic anchors, roof rafters, center poles, gussets, steel patch plates for tank bottoms, roofs and shells. For bolted steel tanks we manufacture replacement staves, tank bottoms, roof sections, roof rafters, center poles, anchor chairs, gaskets and hardware. In addition to structural items, we also supply tank safety equipment such as interior ladders, exterior ladders, ladder enclosures, Saf-T-Climb fall protection systems, tank platforms/bridges and spiral staircases. Superior Tank can provide new parts such as uni-tank flanges, cast iron flanges, nozzles, hinged or unhinged shell manways, cone deck manways or roof hatches. We also offer other general tank accessories including new or replacement weir boxes, manway cover davit arms, standard or frost free roof vents, full or half travel liquid level indicators, sample tap level gauges and multi-line sample boxes. Most tank parts and accessories are available in several finishes and materials including durable factory powder coating, hot dipped galvanized, unfinished carbon steel or stainless steel. Our State of the Art facility allows us to precision manufacture OEM and custom parts to exact specifications. Our parts and components are specifically designed for various applications such as potable water storage, storage of water for fire protection, wastewater storage and oil storage. All parts and accessories Superior Tank manufactures and sells meet the latest standards for the relevant tank design such as AWWA D103, AWWA D100, NFPA, API as well as OSHA.
In late 2014, Kiewit Construction awarded Superior Tank Company Inc. the contract to manufacture and install a water storage tank as part of a large rail operations center. The facility is part of the $486,000,000 Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension project located in Southern California, and includes 11.5 miles of light rail track as well as an operations and maintenance facility.
The bolted steel tank is part of the Sentinel series of fire protection tanks manufactured by Superior Tank Company Inc. The Sentinel steel tank for the project was engineered to the specific requirements of the project and was designed to store 600,000 gallons of water for fire protection. The tank meets AWWA D103 standards and applicable local building codes. In addition, the tank includes special features and complies with NFPA 22 standards to ensure the tank operates properly for fire suppression. As the tank is considered essential for post-earthquake recovery and is essential to the life, health and safety of the public including post-earthquake fire suppression, the tank was designed to Seismic Use Group III and Risk Category IV standards. This Seismic Use Group is the most stringent and requires seismic design loads be increased 50%.
The exterior powder coating on this Sentinel tank is a custom color to match the other structures on the site and Superior Tank Company Inc. manufactures tanks in a wide variety of standard and custom colors. The high gloss powder coating was applied at the factory using specialized equipment and is expressly formulated for maximum UV resistance. For exceptional corrosion resistance, encapsulated nuts and bolts were used throughout the tank.
The steel tank was installed by the Superior Tank field team and erection took only twelve days. As other elements of the project were occurring simultaneously, Superior Tank had to coordinate the Sentinel tank installation with the general contractor to eliminate scheduling conflicts. As only basic assembly work was required on the job site, local traffic and site disruption was minimized. Read More “STCI Installs Bolted Steel Tank for Fire Protection”
When all of these advances are considered, it is easy to see how modern bolted steel tanks are very different than your Father’s Bolted Steel Tank.