MB400 Shears Steel Tanks in Refinery Takedown
from our March, 2001 Issue

Superintendent Gil Guervara and Operator Efrain Rodriguez of Global Solutions.

The MB400, with its powerful steel shear jaws, has been playing a major role in the takedown of an abandoned oil refinery in Los Angeles County. When the job is complete, the 35-acre site will be taken over by the Sanitation District, whose land is adjacent to the refinery. They will use the added acreage to expand their sewage treatment facility.

Global Solutions, Inc., Signal Hill, CA, began the dismantling last July and expects the project to continue through the end of 2001. Before the actual demolition could begin, the tanks had to be cleared of hazardous material and washed. Global’s OSHA-trained team handled this first stage of the project.

When it was time to proceed with the takedown, Tramac brought in the MB400 for a one-week demonstration on-site. In a matter of a few days, Bob Kwid, Vice President of Global Solutions, was convinced that the MB400 demolition processor was far superior to its competitors and the right piece of equipment for the job. Mounted on a Cat 235, the MB has been “working great”, says Kwid, dismantling steel storage tanks of varying sizes, many as large as 100,000-barrel capacity. At the time of our interview, Kwid told us they had already removed 35 tanks, processing steel between 1/4'' to 1'' thick.

MB Rolls Big Steel Tanks
After the tanks are knocked down, the steel is rolled into cylincrical “burritos”, approximately 15' long and weighing 8 tons apiece. These are trucked to the Port of Los Angeles recycling plant, three at a time. While other steel at the refinery is being sized smaller for other recycling purposes, these long cigar-shaped “burritos” are the most economical means for disposing of the massive tanks. The MB’s 360° rotating head is making easy work of rolling and compressing the metal pieces into their new shape.

The project is far from complete. In addition to the remaining tanks and pipeline, there are five buildings and about 50 towers of various sizes and heights – the tallest reaching 120'. Facing an enormous amount of reinforced concrete demolition, Global Solutions is considering replacing the MB’s steel shear jaws with the concrete/steel demolition jaws. It seems like the right choice to us! In one operation, the MB’s demolition jaw will crush concrete and cut through rebar, eliminating both torching and manual separation.

This is just another example of the MB’s versatility making a tough job easier and more economical.