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Nature recently performed a spontaneous and massive fire test of a ConVault
protected aboveground fuel storage tank. In the Fall of 1998, several
bolts of lightning ignited a fuel fire. Dual towers of flames reportedly
reached about 600 feet in the air, and hundreds of feet horizontally
from each side of the flame origin. The fire took over seven hours to
burn out, and temperatures are estimated to have reached 3000-4000 degrees
Fahrenheit, hot enough to destroy metal.
At the site, approximately 100 yards from the origin of the flame, and
in the flame path was a 500 gallon ConVault AST. As you can see from
the photo of the ConVault, it remained intact protecting its contents,
an estimated 150 gallons of diesel fuel. While behind it on the same
foundation, the welding shop (made of metal) was destroyed so completely
that it was hard to find any remains. The front side of the tank suffered
"sand blasting", as debris was picked up by the flame from
this huge "torch" and flung against it. The paint was burned
off all sides, and all non-steel accessories were destroyed. There was
an aluminum tank "hiding behind" the ConVault, which completely
melted down except for the base where it was best protected. A prefabricated
hut with a semicircular roof of corrugated metal that curved down to
form walls, some 400 feet farther from the flame’s origin was heated
until it melted and collapsed. The only thing left standing in the immediate
area was the ConVault, doing its job as always. The owner, recognizing
the protective qualities of the unit, has purchased another ConVault
protected aboveground fuel storage tank.
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