Design to Build Post OEM Fuel Tank
Innovation in action, solving real world problems for our customers.
Premier recently partnered with a gold mine based in Nevada to help solve a corrosion issue with their aftermarket fuel tank design. The company desired an alternative to the OEM supplied fuel tanks for their haul truck fleet.
When they came to Premier, they had a design for their tanks that met their desired capacity requirements, but the tanks did NOT hold up to the harsh and corrosive environment that they operate in daily. The customer needed help in developing a fuel tank that met requirements and also responded well to the abrasive environment.
The first step to solving the customer’s problem was to perform a FEA on their current aftermarket tanks to find the weak points in the structure. After the test, Premier’s team supplied recommend improvements to strengthen the design with improved mechanical design, reduced stress risers and enhanced weld joints. New materials were also selected to improve the tanks resistance to the corrosion.
The design was a success and the company took Premier’s revised recommendations and put them to action. Currently Premier has built over 40 fuel tanks for the customer’s fleet. The estimated service life improvement for the revised Premier certified tanks is five years longer than the customer’s original aftermarket design, saving the customer maintenance time, and expense.
