Vacuum tanker....empty weights?

is production water and flowback the same thing?

what goes on your paperwork, the measurement from your truck or the storage tanks? thanks.

bbl, yeah you are right it just means barrel. the info from wiki was
why the double b. just trivia anyway i guess.

 

No production water is usually really salty and comes up with the gas after the well is completed, we have a few wells that have a natural spring running underground that keep producing alot of water and will for a long time.

Flowback is what comes back up during the fracing process, its usually mixed with sand and oil and all kind of stuff and can be all kinds of colors, red, black, yellow.

drill mud is what comes back up during drilling along with the cuttings and is usually a thick goop, super thick and usually is mixed with an oil or something and whatever they put down the hole while drilling.

There is also oil based mud which we rarely haul but it is used during the drilling process and is jet black and oily thick mud.


The measurement from the tanks is exact, down to say 4701.7 gallons, and 112.1 bbl, just for example. We stick the tanks with a measuring stick from the top, the tanks are IIRC 15 feet tall and 210 bbl so there is a math formula to figure out the exact amount of water loaded onto your truck.

Example:
before stick reading: 94 inches
After stick reading: 34 inches

take 60" x 1.71 (the number used for 15 ft 210bbl tanks) that will tell you the barrels you loaded= 102.6 barrels

take 102.6 x 42 to get the gallons you loaded = 4309.2

 

what i mentioned was tandem axle tractor/trailer. (5 axle total)

those stainless steel insulated vac tanks were very expensive 30 years ago, i wonder what they must cost by now.

personally, the only place i have seen tankers with "extra" axles was up in michigan. i recall chemical transport tankers with four or more axles and much bigger capacities. i really dont know much about them.

 

great info...thanks

 

I did a training session in Bangor, ME for Matlack, we had two insulated units w/ an added subframe a few ribs ahead of the tandem w/ an air lift axle for the extra weight allowed in ME. They were going to haul caustic +/or white/black liquor for the pulp mills. It was much lighter than the 'Centipede' units in Michigan.

Biofuel raw olis/greases are lighter than water [8.643lb/gal] though I would still be concerned w/ the fats solidifying.

When I worked for an environmental company I purchased a Heil vacuum, a straight round barrel w/ out a large rear opening & the one boss insisted we have a small manhole installed in the belly to avoid having to shovel out solids from the Haz Waste loads.

Consider the larger rear opening usually located at 6 O'clock in the rear head. You don't have much access to commercial tank cleaning so you want to be able to get the sludge out!

 

i can remember talk of a big "black liquor" move at cltl late 80's, seemed like it was going down in the gulf area somewhere. i dont think i ever hauled any personally.

we used to take hydrogen peroxide to mills in jay/rumford?, me.,
from dupont gibbstown. team of course! (usually). i went to one up in vermont also.

if there is possibility of solids that settle out to the bottom while it resides inside the tank, then it very wise to have plenty of access points. depending on the material, there is only so much that can be done with a high pressure water hose from the top. double conical center unload is an advantage, but still has limits on how much solids can be washed out from the top.

 

I was referring to your average 5 axle tractor trailer.

The job I just started is going to train me on pneumatic's and liquid bulk tanks to haul caustic and acid, listening to you guys makes me excited to get started!

 

so you have changed jobs; more money? how are job opportunites up there right now?

what i have learned:
acid /caustic before you get near it, make sure you have at least a running water hose or better yet make sure the safety shower works.
(if it is there)

and of course dont be in too big of hurry, follow the rules and wear all of your PPE personal protective equipment.