Disadvantages "DRUM Fuel" – Advantages of Krampitz transport tank CENTAUR IBC series

Barrel – The Story

In addition to the production tower, the oil barrel has been a symbol of the oil industry from the beginning. In the 20s and 30s, barrels were an optimal transport packaging because there were no forklifts and cranes in sufficient quantities.

What is a barrel?

A barrel is a cylindrical container made of sheet metal with a filling opening in the jacket or in the side cover (size 2" B&P) with a tank cap. As a rule, standard barrels have a capacity of around 200 liters. Barrels represent the golden age of the oil industry. The profit from the oil was so great at that time that the price of packaging had no meaning - whether it was an additional cost of $1 million or $100 million. This position was not at all important in the oil industry's price calculations. The 200 liter barrel is also apparently one of the most produced products worldwide. A developed awareness of the environment was not present at all until well into the 70s. Everything just takes time. Whether economic or ecological, today we are facing completely new challenges together.

Transshipment, transport and storage with a barrel

Projections on the lid are the only structural elements for lifting a barrel by hand. The surrounding folds or barrel hoops on the barrel shell make it easier to move the barrel by rolling it to another location. You also increase the stability of the barrel shell. In order to ensure optimal handling and transport these days, there are countless aids such as hydraulic barrel clamps for forklifts, extra bearing blocks for barrels, special barrel safes and wooden Euro pallets as well as tension nets for apparently safe transport. In addition, special barrel collecting basins and barrel storage facilities add costs upon costs for the industry and system operators, but no one wants to recognize or address the fundamental problem - the barrel. The thin-walled barrel body offers no security and no anchoring points for barrel transport, handling and logistics.

All of these aids for barrel transport and barrel handling remain only aids. They don't even begin to solve the actual problem. Nowadays, in contrast to the 20s and 30s, we have sufficient quantities of cranes, forklifts, pallet trucks, tail lifts and much more. State-of-the-art handling equipment for dangerous liquid media, but no modern transport units (containers).

It doesn't actually get any worse...
Barrels have one big advantage: They are cheap to produce, but the disadvantages far outweigh them:

Shelf life: Normal barrels are actually only intended for one-time use. The single-skinned containers usually only survive a single transport, after which damage must be expected. Even the smallest perforations make the oil drum an environmental and safety problem. The bodies, made from cheap, thin-walled sheet steel, are only rudimentarily protected against rust. Extreme environmental conditions render the barrel unusable within a few weeks.

Usable volume: The cylindrical shape of oil drums is suboptimal for transport and storage because the round base inevitably results in a loss of around 20% in area compared to cubic containers.

Handling: Oil drums consist of base, jacket and lid plates. Two profiles of the sheet metal jacket provide stability for the construction of the barrel. There are no structural elements such as handles, lifting eyes or feet available for loading, unloading or stacking. Folds on the base and lid as well as slight projections are all that can be used to lift a barrel. However, special tools are always necessary for this. Of course, an oil drum does not have any lifting eyes for attaching a crane. An oil drum cannot be said to be stackable with a fork lift vehicle. De-stacking the oil drums on pallets is therefore absolutely necessary, which means that transport capacity is lost, waste increases and additional working time has to be invested because the unloading of drums from vehicles is usually carried out one at a time, which significantly delays the handling of oil drums. Since there are no guy eyelets, it is also impossible to properly secure loads by guying and lashing them to vehicles.

We do it better
The old oil drum offers sufficient reason to re-examine the question of an ideal container for the transport of dangerous fluids. The result is a solution that gets rid of all the disadvantages of the old drum fuel barrel and more than just compensates for the disadvantages - a IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container) called Centaur.

What does modern logistics need today for the transport of dangerous media and what does a transport unit (container) have to be able to do?

1. 10 times the turnover volume based on a barrel per unit – approx. 2000 liters
2. Simple storage conditions thanks to double-walled tank structure (no additional collecting tray required)
3. Long durability thanks to robust steel construction with high-quality corrosion protection
4. optimal use of space on trucks and in freight containers (saving transport space)
5. quick and easy loading with a forklift (forklift feet)
6. quick and easy loading with crane (crane eyes)
7. Quick and easy attachment of the transport unit on trucks and in freight containers (tying eyes)
8. quick and safe filling of the transport unit (quick coupling, overfill protection)
9. quick and safe emptying of the transport unit (suction tube with quick coupling and minimum contact)
10. Quick and safe connection of the transport unit to machines and systems (dry couplings)
11. Optimum stacking of filled and empty transport units on top of each other during storage. This saves space and time (stacking corners on the tank roof).
12. Faster and safer transport of several or one transport unit directly to the end customer
13. Special trailers and container frames for optimal use of space, quick handling and secure fastening of the transport containers
14. Large cleaning opening or dome entry for optimal cleaning and internal tank inspection
15. Climate-resistant tank structure against extreme cold and heat through the use of steel or stainless steel
16. Age-resistant wall structure through the use of steel and stainless steel
17. Fire resistance class F30 due to the tank structure made of steel or stainless steel
18. Integrated pump sump in the bottom of the tank for quick cleaning and emptying

We can't change this world, but we can improve it a little. That's why we developed the CENTAUR transport tank according to these points mentioned above. The CENTAUR tanks have been in use worldwide in all climate zones since 2000. Based on all the experience we have gained, we have now revised the CENTAUR series in order to provide the optimum for professional, global industrial use.

The CENTAUR transport tank offers:

– a cubic, rectangular shape that compensates for the disadvantages of round barrels in terms of transport efficiency.
– extensive equipment for passive and active safety (guy eyes, double-walled wall structure).
– optimized handling for quick handling (crane eyes and forklift feet).
– highest durability, even under the toughest conditions (above-average durability).
– an excellent price/performance ratio with the shortest payback period.

Cubic fits well on the truck
The cubic shape makes optimal use of the transport volume of all types of vehicles. Whether on a truck, wagon or ship, the CENTAUR containers can be easily loaded without any gaps, thereby significantly reducing transport costs. Although some weight capacity is lost due to the design of the CENTAUR tank container, this loss is more than offset by the numerous other advantages such as extremely short loading and handling times, good stackability and optimal vehicle and freight container compatibility (Euro pallet footprint).

Permanently safe
We attached great importance to safety when developing the CENTAUR transport tank. This starts with the outer skin: A folded structure creates maximum stability and remains absolutely dimensionally stable even during long, difficult transports. The CENTAUR has stable floor and roof assemblies. Even in the event of an accident (mechanical stress), the floor and roof assemblies protect the container from deformation and destruction. In addition, the CENTAUR containers are generally double-walled. Even if the outer skin is perforated, no contents can leak out. Basically, if there is damage, the vacuum between the outer and inner walls of the tank breaks down immediately and the installed leak detector switches on the alarm. The damaged area can be located and closed.

For structural safety, numerous other optional features are also available that significantly increase the safety of the CENTAUR. These include a pressure relief valve and fill level sensor, theft protection through a hood element and much more. We configure the CENTAUR exactly according to your wishes (special couplings and pipe assemblies) and help you to always achieve maximum operational and legal security.

A friend of cranes and forklifts
Loading employees will breathe a sigh of relief when they see the CENTAUR: finally, cumbersome auxiliary clamps are no longer necessary. The CENTAUR can be packed and loaded immediately. There are holders for forks on the base and robust lifting eyes on the top. The CENTAUR is so robust that it is possible to pick up two filled containers at the same time with a forklift or crane.

The CENTAUR is exactly for the inner ones ISO dimensions of international cargo containers manufactured. This guarantees quick and optimal loading.

Durable and economical – as it should be
The CENTAUR reliably defies wind, weather and salt air, even during long outdoor operations. The sandblasted base body is provided with high-quality coatings and paintwork, which means there is no chance of corrosion. The wall thickness allows for easy repair and maintenance work on the CENTAUR. When emptied and degassed, it can even be welded, meaning that a CENTAUR multiplies the usual lifespan of an oil or gasoline container. We at KRAMPITZ state a life expectancy of up to 30 years for the CENTAUR container, with appropriate annual maintenance by approved service partners. The volume transported during this lifespan is equivalent to a huge amount of disposable drums.

And it pays off!
The largest standard tin drum holds approx. 215 liters. The smallest CENTAUR already holds twice as much. Although the paper-thin disposable barrel beats the CENTAUR by far in terms of price and weight, a CENTAUR tank only has to be purchased once, which means you have a modern transport container for fuels and lubricants for 20-30 years. If you add up all the facts about the CENTAUR, there is a clear advantage in its favor: Significantly improved durability and extensive guy brackets make the CENTAUR the fuel and lubricant container for the 21st century.

Biggest advantages of the Krampitz CENTAUR transport and storage tank

– easy storage (stackable, double-walled)
– extremely fast removal and handling (with forklift)
– quick filling (using professional equipment)
– quick load securing (using guy eyes)
– climate and aging resistant, fire resistant according to F30 (through the use of steel and stainless steel)

The answer many have been waiting for

The oil industry is well aware of the problem of simple disposable barrels. New technologies to replace them have been sought for more than 25 years. With the CENTAUR we offer a solution that brings the best “Made-in-Germany” quality to the filling point.

Whether onshore or offshore - the CENTAUR containers offer maximum security and financial savings, as for a CENTAUR 2000, for example, with a lifespan of 30 years, you have to purchase, maintain and dispose of around 9000 barrels in the same period.
Example calculation for a CENTAUR 2000 with 30 rotations/uses per year:

• 30 uses/year x 10 barrels (200 liters each) = 300 barrels/year x 30 years = 9000 barrels

Included in a comparison calculation are the purchase price, time lost when filling the barrels, time lost when loading and securing the load (plus material, e.g. packing wood) as well as the time lost when unloading and emptying the barrels compared to a CENTAUR.

Areas of application CENTAUR

Logistics	Service and maintenance
– optimal transport, handling and storage of liquid media (e.g. fuels, mineral oils and liquid chemical media) from the producer to the processor or end customer	– of machines, vehicles and industrial plants with fuels and mineral oils
80%	20%

Would you like to learn more?
On our website you will find picture galleries, application scenarios and everything you need to know about the CENTAUR tank. Call us and tell us your challenge. We will also find the right technology for your project and will be happy to support you in your success.

CENTAUR series