Liquids play a significant role in human life. Water, oil, gasoline, petrochemical products, pesticides, etc., are all used in liquid form. As a result, humans must transport liquids just as they do with common solid goods.
In the past, there was little distinction between transporting liquids and solids. In other words, liquids were packaged in specific barrels, and these barrels were then loaded. However, due to the difference in the physical state of liquids, this method carried high risks. Among these risks, the potential for liquid leakage was one of the most significant. Moreover, liquids have high fluidity, making it practically impossible to rely on traditional methods of liquid transportation. Any shaking, in the case of flammable liquids, could potentially cause danger.
With the increasing need for the transportation of essential consumable liquids in industries, the world eventually required a new technology. The main considerations in this technology were ease of liquid transportation, safety, and fast transportation, similar to other goods.
In 1965, ISO tanks were first used for liquid transportation via rail. By 1970, this technology had been adopted for road transportation, and gradually, ISO tanks became the best method for liquid transport.
To better understand ISO tanks, keep these three points in mind:
Many cryogenic materials (extremely cold) have very low boiling points (e.g., liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of -196°C). The ISO tank attempts to address these transportation needs and find solutions. You may not realize it, but you have often seen ISO tanks up close and passed by them.
An ISO tank is a type of specialized liquid transport container capable of neutralizing the power of fluids. These tanks have very good insulation. In other words, these tanks are specifically designed for transporting liquids, ensuring that there are no leaks.
ISO tanks are also designed in such a way that the three elements of the fire triangle (fuel, oxygen, and heat) do not come into proximity. In regular ISO tanks, efforts are made to eliminate heat from the system. Some professional types of ISO tanks even use vacuum technology in addition to heat insulation. ISO tanks enable rapid, safe, and easy transport of liquids by rail, sea, air, and road.
Some of the materials transported using ISO tank containers include:
Gas is transported in two ways:
Shipping bulk liquids via bulk tanker ships requires specific conditions, such as facilities for loading, unloading, and storing bulk liquid cargo at both the origin and destination ports. Not all ports have these facilities. Therefore, the easiest and most cost-effective method for transporting liquids and gases is via ISO tank.
ISO tanks are made up of the following components, and depending on the type of ISO tank, some of these components may be added or omitted:
Inside the ISO tank, metal plates are designed and positioned at specific intervals to discharge and control the fluid’s flow. However, keep in mind that this is the fundamental idea behind ISO tank technology. Newer models of ISO tanks have seen significant advancements, utilizing various methods in different ways.
Depending on the type of fluid transported, ISO tanks use specialized technology. For example, a fluid may require a high temperature to ignite, and friction temperature will not affect it. On the other hand, a fluid may react even at the slightest temperature. Therefore, each type of fluid, based on its specific properties, may benefit from different technologies. However, the key point is that the majority of ISO tank technologies stem from one fundamental concept, which has been explained above.
In another classification called T-Coding, tanks are divided based on the minimum pressure they must withstand and the thickness of the tank walls. Based on this, the codes are:
