If the video player is not working, you can watch the video through this alternative link.Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), as the name suggests, is a liquefied gas that can be used for a variety of purposes, from heating your home to powering your car (once you get used to it).Just like other liquid fuels, LPG needs to be stored in specially made tanks so that the fuel can be stored, transported and used without evaporating.
But, have you ever wondered how these tanks are actually made?Let’s see how one manufacturer makes them from scratch.
The first step is to grab metal sheets of various shapes and sizes for the LPG tanks to be made.For this particular plant, the sheets consist of various discs and flat plates.
To start the process, the steel discs are placed in a special 500-ton press and shaped to form the hemispherical ends of the tanks.This is done by skilled workers who handle the paper, operate the printing press and inspect each piece to make sure it has been pressed correctly.
Once pressed into a doughnut shape, the parts are stored and ready for the next process.The next part of the process is to install the end caps into another special machine to trim them down.
The machine works like a large can opener, with a sharp metal disc that trims off a strip of tank components as it spins.
For more cylindrical tanks, sheet metal is passed through a series of presses and rollers to make metal strips, in which valve pieces are installed.Valves are also included in the ring to allow filling and extraction of LPG from the tank after completion.
With the main parts of the LPG tank ready, the next step is to connect them together.Each half of the tank is placed in another machine, and the top is tack welded to hold the two parts together.
When done, the press joins the inside of the tank together to make sure it’s airtight.When done, remove each ring tank from the machine and hand solder all the joints.
Once the welds are fused, skilled workers hammer and sand the welds smooth.Once this is done, the tank is moved to another lathe-like welding machine for further welding.
This machine runs autonomously and creates a very strong weld between the two halves of the tank.
This machine is versatile and can be used to weld tanks of different shapes and sizes.At all stages of welding, skilled workers are present to monitor the process and to intervene or correct if their experience deems necessary.
With the main tank now more or less complete, the next step is to paint the tank.Hang the can on the hook and place in the prepared large coater and heat/clean for a while.
If you enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at building an LPG tank from scratch, you might enjoy watching another industrial process in action?For example, see how hair color products are made?
Post time: Jul-05-2022