Disadvantages of “DRUM Fuel” – Benefits of Krampitz transport tank CENTAUR IBC-Series
Drum – the history
Next to the derrick, the oil drum used to be a symbol of the oil industry. In the 20s and 30s, drums constituted an optimum transport packaging as there was no sufficient quantity of forklift trucks and cranes.
What is a drum?
A drum is a cylindrical container made of sheet metal with an inlet inside the shell or side lid (size 2″ B&P) equipped with tank plugs. As a rule, standard drums have a capacity of approx. 200 liters. Drums are a symbol of the oil industry’s golden age. The profit of the oil was so huge that the price of packaging was next to irrelevant. May it be 1 million or 100 million dollars more or less. This position was of no consequence during the oil industry’s pricing. Apparently, the 200-liter-drum used to be one of the most-produced products worldwide. There was no pronounced environmental awareness and consciousness far into the 1970s. It just takes time. Seen from the economical as well as from ecological perspective, we are collectively facing completely new challenges.
Handling, transport and storage in a drum
Overhang at the lid is the only constructive element to lift a drum by hand. The circumferential chines or hoops on the drum’s outer wall enable easy moving by rolling to another location. They also increase the rigidity of the drum’s outer wall. To ensure optimum handling and transportation in the present time, there are countless tools such as hydraulic drum brackets for forklift trucks, special pedestals for barrels, special drum safes and wooden Euro pallets as well as stretch nets for illusive safe transport. In addition, special drip pans and storehouses tailored for drums accumulate plenty of costs, but nobody would want to identify and/or tackle the basic problem. The thin-walled drum body offers no security and no fastening points for transportation, handling and logistics.
All of these tools for transportation and handling remain nothing but tools. These tools don’t come even close to solve the actual problem. Today, we have cranes, forklift trucks, pallet trucks, tail lifts etc. in sufficient quantity as opposed to the 20s and 30s. State-of-the-art handling resources for hazardous and liquid media, but no modern transport units (drums).
Worse is not really possible…
Drums have a big advantage: They are cheap to manufacture, but the disadvantages are prevalent:
Shelf life: Regular drums are for single use only. The one-wall containers usually survive only one single transport, then you have to expect any kind of damage. Even the smallest perforations convert the oil drum into an environmental and safety problem. The body made of thin-walled cheap steel have only rudimentary protection against rust. Severe environmental conditions render the drum useless within a few weeks.
Effective volume: The cylindrical form of oil drums is suboptimal for transportation and storage. As a result of the round-shaped base, you inevitably loose approx. 20 % of the surface compared to cubic containers.
Handling: Oil drums consist of base plate, body and lid plate. Two shaping processes of the sheet metal provide the rigidity to the drum design. There are no constructive elements such as handles, lugs or feet for loading and unloading: Chines on the ground and lid as well as slight overhang are everything to lift a drum. However, you would always need special tools. Of course, an oil drum would not have lugs to fasten a crane. Not to mention the stackability by a forklift truck. Therefore, stacking oil drums on pallets is mandatory which will decrease transport capacity, increase waste and require additional working time, because you unload drums from vehicles usually on a one-by-one basis, whereby the delay in handling oil drums is significant. Since there are no anchoring lugs, it is also impossible to secure the payload by anchoring and lashing on vehicles.
We perform better
The old oil drum provides sufficient grounds to get the question an ideal container for transportation of dangerous fluids on the test bed again. The result is a solution getting rid of any and all disadvantages of the old fuel drum and performing better that just balancing the disadvantages – an IBC (Intermediate Bulk Container) called Centaur.
What does modern logistics require today to transport dangerous media and what does a transport unit (container) have to do?
- tenfold transshipment volume based on drum per unit – approx. 2,000 liters
- easy storage conditions by double-walled tank design (no requirement for additional drip pan)
- long durability thanks to robust steel construction using high-quality corrosion protection
- optimum utilization of space on trucks and in cargo containers (saving transport space)
- quick and easy loading using forklift trucks (feet)
- quick and easy loading using cranes (fastening eyes)
- quick and easy fixing of transport unit on truck and in cargo containers (anchoring lugs)
- quick and safe filling of transport unit (quick coupler, overfill protection)
- quick and safe unloading of transport unit (manifold with quick coupling and min. contact)
- quick and secure connection of transport unit on equipment (dry clutch)
- Optimum stacking of full and empty transport units on top of each other during storage. This saves space and time (stacking corners on tank roof).
- quicker and safer transport of several or one transport unit directly to end customers
- special trailers and container frame for optimum utilization of space, rapid handling and secure fixation of the transport containers
- large cleaning opening or dome access for optimum cleaning as well as inner tank revision
- climate-resistant tank design against extreme cold and heat by using steel or stainless steel
- aging-resistant wall construction by using steel and stainless steel
- fire resistance class F30 due to tank design in steel or stainless steel
- integrated pump sump in the bottom for quick cleaning and discharge
We cannot change the world, but we can make it a better place. Therefore, we developed the CENTAUR transport tank according to the above mentioned points. Meanwhile, the CENTAUR tanks have been applied on a global scale in every climate zone since 2000. Based on the experience gained, we revised the CENTAUR series to offer an optimum product for professional worldwide industrial application.
The CENTAUR transport tank offers:
– a cubic, rectangular shape compensating the disadvantages of round drums for transport efficiency.
– extensive range of equipment for passive and active safety (anchoring lugs, double-walled wall construction).
– optimized handling for rapid handling (fastening eyes and feet).
– longest-possible durability even under the toughest conditions (above-average durability).
– an excellent price-performance ratio with shortest payback period.
Cubic fits well to the truck
The cubic form uses the transport volume of vehicles of all kinds in the best way. Whether on trucks, railway car or ship, the CENTAUR containers can be easily and fully loaded and significantly reduce the haulage. The design of the CENTAUR tank container may result in less weight capacity. This loss is more than offset by numerous other advantages such as extremely short loading and turnaround time, good stackability and optimum vehicle and freight container compatibility (base of Euro pallet).
Permanently safe
We attached the greatest value to the development of the CENTAUR transport tanks. This begins with the outer skin: A folded structure creates maximum rigidity and also keeps the shape during long rough transportation. The CENTAUR has stable floor or roof modules. In the event of damage (mechanical stress), the floor and roof assembly protect the container from deformation and destruction. In addition and as a principle, the CENTAUR containers have a double-walled structure. Any perforation of the outer skin may not produce leaks. If you inflict damage, the vacuum between the outer and inner wall of the tank will immediately collapse and the installed leak indicator will switch to alarm. The damaged area can be located and sealed.
In addition to the constructive security, there are options of several supplementary features that significantly increase the CENTAUR’s safety. This includes pressure relief valve and level sensor, an anti-theft protection by hood item and much more. We configure the CENTAUR exactly according to your desire (special couplings and tube assemblies) and we support you to keep the maximum operational and legal safety.
A friend of crane and forklift truck
Employees of the loading bay will breath a sigh of relief at the sight of the CENTAUR: Finally, no more complicated auxiliary clips. You can immediately pack and load the CENTAUR. The foot holds retainers for fork arms and the top side is equipped with robust fastening eyes. The CENTAUR is so rigid that the simultaneous retaining of two filled containers is possible using forklift truck or crane.
The CENTAUR is exactly manufactured for the internal ISO dimensions of international freight containers. This will ensure fast and optimum loading.
Durable and economical – as it should be
The CENTAUR defies prolonged external application against wind, weather and salt air in a reliable fashion. The sandblasted body is treated with a high-quality finish and coating, whereby corrosion has no chance. The wall thickness allows for easy repair and maintenance on the CENTAUR. When emptied and degassed, the unit is even weldable, whereby a CENTAUR multiplies the regular service life of oil or petrol containers. We at KRAMPITZ specify a life expectancy of up to 30 years for the CENTAUR upon corresponding annual maintenance by approved service partners. The transported volume within this service life corresponds to a huge volume of disposable drums.
And the drum pays for itself!
The largest standard sheet metal drum measure approximately 215 liters. The smallest CENTAUR holds almost twice as much. The paper-thin disposable drum beats the CENTAUR for price and weight by a wide margin, however, a CENTAUR tank needs to be purchased only once and you will have a contemporary transport container of fuels and lubricants for 20 to 30 years to come. If you add up all the facts of the CENTAUR, there will be a clear advantage in its favor: A significantly improved durability and extensive anchoring supports turn the CENTAUR into the fuel and lubricant container of the 21st century.
The largest benefits of Krampitz CENTAUR transport and storage tank
– easy storage (stackable, double-walled)
– extremely fast discharge and faster handling (using forklift trucks)
– fast filling (by means of professional equipment)
– fast payload attachment (by anchoring lugs)
– climate and aging-resistant, fire-resistant acc. to F30 (by using steel and stainless steel)
The answer many have been waiting for
The oil industry is very well aware of the issue in connection with simple disposable drums. For more than 25 years, experts have been looking for new technologies to replace the legacy. We offer a solution by the CENTAUR that will bring “Made in Germany” quality to the filling station.
Whether onshore or offshore – the CENTAUR containers offer maximum security and financial savings, because in contrast to the CENTAUR 2000 having a service life of 30 years you would have to purchase, maintain and dispose of 9,000 drums within the same period.
Example calculation for a CENTAUR 2000 in 30 cycles/applications annually:
- 30 applications/annually x 10 drums (à 200 liter) = 300 drums/annually x 30 years = 9,000 drums
Take into account for any comparison purchase price, time loss for drum filling, time loss for loading and payload attachment (plus material, e.g. wood) as well as loss of time to unload and empty the drums as opposed to a CENTAUR.
CENTAUR applications
| Logistics | Service and maintenance |
| – optimum transport, handling and storage of liquid media (e.g. fuels, mineral oils and liquid chemical media) from producer to processor or end customer | – of machines, vehicles and industrial facilities using fuel and mineral oil |
| 80 % | 20 % |
Do you want to learn more?
You will find galleries, usage scenarios and everything you need to know about the CENTAUR tank on our website. Call us and tell us about your challenge. We will find the right technology for your project and we will be happy to support you in your success story.
CENTAUR series
