The industrial sector has long acknowledged the need for a safer and more cost-effective approach to cutting tank bottoms and leaking tank roofs.
After 13 successful years of testing tanks for the U.S. Department of Defense, refineries and liquid storage terminals, Mass Technology Corp. (MTC) recognized the need for a safer and more cost-effective method for the cutting of tanks that have leaked hydrocarbons or other explosive liquids, saturating the soil beneath tank floors.
Since 1994, MTC has provided patented, precision, storage tank leak-detection services. The company’s quantitative leak-detection method does not miss a leak within its threshold of detection and is one of the safest, most economical and precise methods of tank testing.
In 2007, MTC obtained the U.S. patent for the Ragworm® hydro-cutting technology from the Netherlands, naming it Safe-Cut. Safe-Cut is a unique, patented ultra-high pressure, onsite water-cutting service for the safe cutting of steel, concrete, fiberglass, asphalt and almost any other material. MTC has successfully completed over 3,000 cutting jobs at refineries, liquid storage terminal facilities, chemical manufacturing sites and other types of industries in 38 states across the U.S. The company has accomplished this while achieving and maintaining an excellent safety record.
Safe-Cut provides a fast, safe, flame free water-cutting method used in paper mills, printing operations, refineries, chemical manufacturing sites and liquid storage terminals. It can be modified to perform very difficult cutting applications. Hydro-blasters can water-cut, but they use more than 10 times the water — 10-50 gallons per minute (gpm) depending on the cutting nozzle — and cut at much lower pressure. Safe-Cut uses less than 1 gpm of water and 20-25% more cutting pressure, resulting in much faster cutting speeds. Additionally, due to the heat generated after penetration, approximately 70% of the 1 gpm "flashes off," resulting in a minuscule amount of residual water.
Utilizing MTC’s unique service for cutting aboveground storage tanks offers several advantages. Users of the Safe-Cut dual cutter-head attachment can efficiently cut a slot with a specified width around the circumference of a tank in one pass, ensuring a safer process. This attachment, designed and built by Safe-Cut, enables cutting at the corner weld or providing a slot to enhance plate installation during a bottom replacement.
Additionally, this service helps minimize LELs in leaking tanks experiencing a hot bottom. The ultra-high pressure waterjet cutting system produces absolutely no risks of fire, generates no noxious fumes, is not labor-intensive and finishes the job faster than conventional methods. Because Safe-Cut’s process uses only a fraction of the water and abrasives that other water-cutting systems use, there is very little waste to clean up. Other crews onsite can work inside the tank while Safe-Cut is working because of no risk of fire and lack of noxious fumes. Custom cutting applications can be readily adapted for automated cuts in unconventional settings and can cut the storage tank shell above the ring wall or cut off a corroded, damaged roof.
Safe-Cut provides a fast, safe, flame free water-cutting method used in paper mills, printing operations, refineries, chemical manufacturing sites and liquid storage terminals.
Safe-Cut can inject a 3-5% solution of a hydrocarbon biosolvent/mitigation agent into the holding tank, reducing LELs by up to 50% during cutting operations. This solution decreases volatility, enhances solubility and expedites the biodegradation of spilled oil and hydrocarbon products. In certain cases, Safe-Cut operators have worn appropriate PPE and conducted bottom-cutting in tanks with LELs exceeding 25%.
Safe-Cut’s innovative approach has led to significant growth since 2012 — with a growth rate of more than 360% and a client retention rate exceeding 90% — after developing and implementing a strategic sales and marketing plan. Securing the Safe-Cut patent and establishing a team of highly knowledgeable and experienced managers, along with extensively trained field personnel, has positioned it as the "Go-to" service for mobile waterjet cutting.
Many of MTC’s long-standing clients do not consider other options, as years of experience have solidified Safe-Cut’s reputation. Clients consistently choose Safe-Cut knowing that a project will be done safely, on time and within budget.
For more information, email cbracken@safe-cut.com or call (713) 725-6939.
