Exploring the Dangers of Tank Implosions
Hidden A Hazard in Distilling Written by Reade Huddleston
D
istilling can be a dangerous profession. From overloaded barrel racks tumbling down to sparks igniting ethanol fumes, there seems to be an almost incalculable number of ways that distilleries — and, by extension, distillers — can be damaged. This is part of the reason safety is such a prominent topic among distillers, and when you get enough distillers together in a room it’s only a matter of time before tips and tricks to be more safe start being swapped. However, there is one danger that distillers on the whole don’t seem to talk much about: tank implosions. And it’s time for that to change.
What is a tank implosion? Before we can talk about the dangers of tank implosions, we first must understand what they are. The official definition of the term implosion is “a sudden, often violent, collapse inwards.” What this means in the context of distillers and their tanks: It’s an event in which the negative pressure inside of the tank exceeds the structural limits of the vessel, causing the tank to deform inwards in a violent nature. In essence, it’s a reverse explosion.
Tank implosions are very powerful and often happen unexpectedly. Imploded tanks lose their structural integrity, causing them to spill their contents and putting them at risk of falling over. This makes them very dangerous for distillers and other nearby personnel who may be in the splash or fall zones. Furthermore, tank implosions often render equipment unsalvageable, which results in costly replacement fees and decreased operational capacity for the distillery. For these reasons, it is of the utmost importance that distillers do everything they can to reduce the possibility of tank implosions occurring.
Tank implosion : an event in which the negative pressure inside of the tank exceeds the structural limits of the vessel, causing the tank to deform inwards in a violent nature. 62
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