What is a flexitank?
Flexitank is a complete, safe and innovating system for bulk liquids transportation by air, sea or multimodal.
Which is the capacity of a flexitank?
A flexitank can transport between 10,000 and 24,000 liters, although the most common are designed to 16,000, 18,000, 20,000, 22,000 and 24,000 liters. Generally it is used the higher capacity model, but always taking into account the density of the product. Let’s look at the most common flexitank sizes accordingly to the type of product to transport:
| PRODUCT | FLEXITANK SIZES |
| Flexitank for crude glycerin packing and transportation | 20.000 l |
| Flexitank for wine packing and transportation | 24.000 l |
| Flexitank for olive oil packing and transportation | 22.000 l |
| Flexitank for palm oil packing and transportation | 21.000 l |
| Flexitank for poliol packing and transportation | 19.000 l |
| Flexitank for latex | 19.000 l |
Which products could be carry on a flexitank?
Non-hazardous chemicals: lactic acid, ricinoleic acid, additives, aluminum chlorhydroxide, glycerin, wax, latex (natural and synthetic), lubricating oils for the automotive industry, printing ink, etc.
Foodstuff: oil, sweeteners, emulsifiers, malt extract, vegetable oils (palm oil, etc.), fish oil, honey, drinking water, concentrated fruit, wine, grape must, sorbitol, etc.
Why choose TIBA?
- Operator with extensive experience in bulk liquids in Portugal;
- Dedicated team specialized in handling bulk liquids of all kind;
- Provided the best flexitanks in the Portuguese market.
TIBA sells disposable single-use flexitanks. Therefore our clients are assured that there is no contamination of its product due to waste from previous uses.
Which are the advantages of flexitanks?
Flexitank is a non-hazardous liquid transport system very interesting, due to the low cost and due to environmental considerations. Its main advantages compared with other equipments are:
- Flexitank vs. Isotank
- Higher availability: A flexitank can be positioned anywhere in a few days and it is less expensive than to keep a stock of isotanks. The latter also have to be cleaned and repositioned once used, which means less availability for reuse.
- Best rates: on many routes one isotanque once arrived at their destination and emptied, should be repositioned empty somewhere else if there is no return cargo. You may not be aware of this, but in practice you will ends up paying the return empty. When using a flexitank, this does not occur because it is easier to reuse a 20 ‘DV container .
2. Flexitank vs. Cans or IBC
- Best value: a standard container with a flexitank inside it can transport thousands of liters more than in cans, which has a direct impact on cost.
- Easy to handling: a flexitank it easier, cheaper and safer to handle than drums or IBCs;
- Low environmental impact: our flexitanks are made of 100% recyclable materials.
How to use a flexitank?
At first the flexitank must be installed in a shipping container (20′ DC) and the process must be performed only by qualified personnel approved by the manufacturer of flexitank. The installation process usually takes place in warehouses and container depots, being the last the most desirable option. The suitability of the container must be verified and after that line the inside of protective material, place the flexitank and the bulkhead and make sure everything is in perfect condition.
Then the container is brought to the place of loading, where the filling process is very simple, especially in flexitanks with bottom loading system. Simply open the right door of the container, places the pump to the valve and after about 30 minutes (depending on the capacity of the pump and the viscosity of the liquid) the flexitank is already filled . It is very important to respect the parameters of loading and never open the left door of the container.
How to transport a flexitank?
Once loaded, the transportation of container is the same as in all other cases. Not all flexitanks manufacturers are certified by all shipping lines and not all have passed the stress tests of the COA (Container Owners Association). It is therefore important to ensure the chosen flexitank may be transported by sea without problems.
If the container is eventually transported by rail shall ensure that flexitank manufacturer is approved specifically for the rail system.
How to discharge a flexitank?
Once flexitank reaches the destination, simply open the right door, connect the hose to the drain pump and valve and wait until flexitank is empty. The process may take between 30 and 60 minutes, depending both on the capacity of the pump and theviscosity of the product.
When flexitank is almost empty and to avoid losses, it is best to double the flexitank like a tooth paste tube is involved. This will push the remaining product into the mouth of flexitank and can be downloaded completely.
After draining the flexitank, TIBA or our agents can take care of removing flexitank from the container and proceed to destroy with all respect to the environment.
In fact, unlike the multi-party flexitank, in our case both the pure polyethylene which is made of Flexitank as steel bulkhead are 100% recyclable materials, our solution comply with the strictest environmental standards.
Flexitank: the best solution to bulk liquids transportation.
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