Thermal Energy Storage Tank

The project consisted of the engineering, foundation design, procurement, fabrication, construction, and painting of a 60ft diameter x 60ft high cone roof Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank. TES tanks use thermal energy stratification to separate low density warm (return) water above higher density cool (supply) water in a single economical tank to furnish supplemental cooling to facility buildings and complexes. During higher daytime electricity rates the cool water is circulated out of the tank for supplemental cooling while the warm water is circulated out of the tank during the nighttime hours chilling the water utilizing off peak electricity rates.

This TES Tank was designed to AWWA D100 with a total thermal capacity of 8,850 ton-hours. The material was sourced domestically and fabricated in Houston, Texas then trucked to site. The erection crew utilized our Scaffoldless Tank Erection Method (STEM) to construct the tank and the paint crew blasted and painted the full exterior and interior prior to installing the fiberglass reinforced interlocking panels in the upper and lower distributors (see attached picture). Once the hydrotest was completed, the insulation was installed to the exterior by others and a performance test was conducted to verify the thermal properties of the tank were per the design – verifying a successful test.

Despite the very congested work area and hot environment, the project was completed with zero incidents which demonstrates the values and professionalism of the construction and paint crews. This “All Steel” TES tank will provide significant operational savings reducing cooling costs for the client as well as exemplifies the flexibility of steel as a material of choice for energy transition projects.