Draining a fuel tank

[MudHog]

Stevea,

What is the process using the water and dry ice?

put water in the tank and drop the dry ice in the water. The Carbon Dioxide released will purge the tank of oxygen. The only "safe" way of doing this is to have an O2 meter on hand to measure the oxygen level in the tank.

When the O2 level gets to 0, start cutting. If a gust of wind blows some O2 in the tank and sets the sensor off, stop cutting and add more dry ice. When the level gets back to 0, start cutting again.



You have to remember that it takes ALL 3 things to create a fire. Remove one of the 3 things and there is no fire or combustion. Heat, Fuel and Oxygen.

[ScottBrown]

Thanks MudHog.

This is some sho nuff dangerous stuff, yall be carefull

[flyhi2]

I have done this several times. Get a hose, probably 2" and hook it to the exhaust of your truck. Put the other end in the tank and secure this with duct tape. Assuming the tank your cutting has more than one hole, unplug another hole for a way that the exhaust fumes can escape. Let your truck run long enough to fill the tank with exhaust and then you can cut. You have to have oxygen for a fire and this eliminates it. We have done this on Av gas and Jet fuel tanks with no problem. This was on tanks we drained, there wasn't any fuel left in them.

[South Woods]

I have cut several open. What I do is get a tractor or trackhoe and pick one end of the tank up and put water in it. Picking it up on the one end allows your to put water in it and not have to fill it all the way up. The higher you pick up the one end the less water you will need. I then get a big tip on my torch and start at the bottom of the end with water in it and cut about a 1' by 2' hole init . This will allow enough for it to vent to cut the rest of it out. It is a little aggrevating cutting in water, but has worked for me on 4 or 5 of them, ie: I have not got blown up yet!!