What Is a Frac Tank?

What Is a Frac Tank?

Frac Tanks are portable, steel, storage containers capable of holding thousands to tens of thousands of gallons of liquid or solid materials. Common storage materials include petroleum products, saline water, proppants, and other chemicals. Some frac tanks contain internal motors that stir and churn materials to keep its contents evenly mixed and distributed.

Industrial Uses

As you can imagine, large capacity storage is a need for many industries. Frac tanks are highly versatile pieces of equipment that solve problems in a wide array of applications.

Oil and Gas

As the name implies, frac tanks are highly necessary in hydraulic fracking projects. They can store sand, water, chemical additives, crude oil, or any other liquid and solid necessary for operations.

Farther down the oil and gas pipeline, they are useful for separating sediments and flushing lines. They can also help refineries store acids, caustics, and other materials needed for refinery maintenance.

Agriculture

Frac tanks are a great asset to the agricultural community. Farmers use frac tanks to store everything from water for livestock, to manures and fertilizers. Their portability allows them to be continuously moved around large expanses of land.

Municipal Storage

It is easy to hook frac tanks up to pumps, sprayers, and filters. Because of this versatility, many municipalities use them for wastewater management, storm water storage, and other water treatment projects.

Environmental Remediation

Many industries use closed top frac storage tanks to comply with environmental restrictions. Because they are sealed, they are ideally suited for storing, transporting, and disposing of hazardous waste materials.

Shipping and Transportation

Shipyards, airports, and transportation depots use frac tanks to store fuels, de-icing solutions, and other liquids. Here again, their portability makes them ideal storage solutions.

Frac Tank Benefits

Now let’s take a look at some of the key benefits to using frac tanks as large, on site, storage solutions.

Easy Access

Why wait around for materials to be delivered, when you can simply access what you need right on site? Frac tanks provide hassle free access to stored fluids and solids on site. Many come outfitted with the proper piping and pumping components needed to dispense the stored materials. 

Portability

Frac tanks are intended to be long term storage solutions. But that doesn’t mean they are not flexible as well. They are easily transported by a roll-off truck or trailer to the site at which they will be used. In addition, tractors can move frac storage tanks around the site if necessary. 

Large Capacity

One of the greatest benefits of using a frac tank for storage, the high interior capacity. Because frac tanks can store up to 21,000 gallons of materials, large operations don’t have to waste time shuffling around and refilling small and inefficient storage containers.

A Wintertime Caution

Here’s a question to consider. What happens to tanks in areas with frigid cold weather during the winter months? What if the frac tank is holding water or some other temperature-sensitive liquid? Letting 21,000 gallons of water or some other liquid freeze on you, especially if it’s out in the middle of nowhere at an oil-drilling site, can pose quite the dilemma indeed.

Powerblanket Frac Tank Solutions

Thanks to Powerblanket Frac Tank Heating Blankets, we have the freezing problem solved. Along with all the other ready-to-ship products that Powerblanket creates for a myriad of applications, we also provide large, custom sized, and custom fit blankets for frac tank freeze protection.

We specialize in many different oil and gas line freeze protection solutions from material storage to directly heating pipeline equipment. All in all, Powerblanket keeps all operations functional even during the coldest of conditions.

Find out how Powerblanket® has helped others in the construction industry by downloading our free case studies!