[Braehill]

Steve,

While I was still a driver I hated those Cryenco trailers because they were all hydraulic and the hydropac on the trucks would get cold in the winter and would barely unload the traier. When it's below zero, the last thing you need is something causing you to be outside any longer than need be. I didn't realize we had any in O2 service since all the ones I have seen were N2.

Len

[Otto Nobedder]

Len,

Yep, it's hydraulic-drive.

Hadn't thought about the cold weather issue.

"Green" has only 25 of these steel Cryencos. This is the first I've seen. It's superinsulated, thank God! No doubt due to the O2 service. All the Cryencos to date have been aluminum, and we actually scrapped one out because it wasn't worth fixing. (The front tank supports became clogged with perlite, couldn't move, and ripped the supports at both ends of the tank.)

Steve S

[Braehill]

Steve,

I guess you don't have to put much thought into below zero weather in your part of the swamp, do you? This week up here was a good week to be working in the plant and not out on the road, -14* here on Tuesday, Damn that's cold! You even have to bring your brass monkies indoors at that temp.

We had four of the Aluminum tanked N2 trailers and they had to put air ride suspension under them right after we got them (they came in leaf spring)because they were self destructing. Not the highest quality trailers on the market, at least from what I've seen.

We only kept them at our terminal for a short while because we do mostly short runs and city work which was destroying them, so they sent them to other terminals that needed the larger capacity trailers. A trailer running around down south sees a lot less strain than one running the humps in my neck of the woods.

Len

[Otto Nobedder]

Len,

The Cryencos have all been problem trailers, mostly due to shortcuts and poor workmanship, and partly due to design issues. The atmospherics, as you know, see rougher use than LHY, too, and tend to get jacked harder in tighter lots. Cryenco went belly-up some years ago, but the core of that company are back in the same business, as CVA, I believe. I doubt you'll see any CVAs in your company colors, though. "Once bitten..."

We actually had 16* here a few nights ago... You should have heared the whining at work! Didn't phase me. I grew up with real winters, and have even worked in PA in the winter. I have lots of cold-weather clothes, and just smiled at my shivering co-workers.

Here, I do miss snow (in small doses), but I don't miss the below-zero temperatures I've lived and worked in elswhere.

Steve S

[Braehill]

Steve,

It was colder at our Conyers, Ga. plant on Tues. than it was at our Edmonton plant, now that's ironic. Our Orlando plant was the only plant in eastern NA that was above 32*.

My wife called me one winter from NOLA and was complaining that it was 30* and she stopped whining when I informed her that it was -3 here, it's all about perspective.

Len

[RichardH]

Hey, Steve.

Would you mind describing your process for finding leaks like this? I'm envisioning that you'd put dye on the pressurized side of the vessel wall and check the exterior for dye leaking through? At least that's what your first example here looked like, but I can't imagine how you'd get dye coverage on that scale.

Then there's the crack you found in the second example here, but it didn't look like dye had been used. UV dye? Audio detection?

Thanks,
Richard

[Otto Nobedder]

Hi, Richard,

When you see a dye-penetrant picture, that's AFTER I've found the leak... It's to examine the nature of the leak.

The primary method for locating a leak is helium detection. These vessels I work on are "vacuum-jacketed", like a huge thermos bottle. There's an inner vessel to contain the product, such as liquid hydrogen (-423*F) or liquid nitrogen (-320*F), and the space between the inner and outer vessel is evacuated to .001mm of mercury, a level of vacuum seen at the edge of space.

When hunting a leak, I'll attach a 10HP vacuum pump to the vessel, and a mass-specrometer tuned specifically to helium to the pump. (A helium atom is the smallest thing in nature, since hydrogen, a smaller atom, occurs as H2, a molecule). The search is done in stages... To prove the outer vessel, I'll often "tent" the trailer under a huge tarp, and release about 1/3 of a 235CF bottle of helium under the tent. Supposing I get a result, I'll roll back the tarp to tent half the trailer, to cut the search area in half. For an external leak, that's enough general information, narrowing it to half the vessel, as a leak is typically going to be at a weld. I then begin with "the usual suspects", a list I've aquired from experience, and "bag" those areas, meaning I'll tape some plastic over the suspect area, inject a small amount of helium, ad watch the machine for a response.

An inner vessel leak has a different set of "usual suspects", but the process is the same. The inner vessel typically has three baffles dividing the space to four areas, and I can seal out each area to test independently and reduce the search area to 1/4 of the area. Then, the first suspects are through-welds, meaning weld-joints between sections. Secondary suspects are anything welded "to" but not "through". Sometimes, though, the leak is in the middle of nowhere.

Steve S

[RichardH]

Thanks for the description, Steve.

I'm curious how you can narrow the cause when it involves the inner tank - are you able to get inside it and bag different areas while the outer container maintains a vacuum around it? Or do you pressurize the inner tank and vacuum sections of its bell from inside the crawl space?

It definitely sounds like work where you can't be too large or claustrophobic!

Cheers,
Richard

[Otto Nobedder]

Richard,

I'll build a cofferdam between the inner and outer vessels that is vacuum-tight, or very nearly so, so I can evacuate the annular space and still get in and out. Usually I'll roll some 16 ga. stainless to the diameter of the manway, tack-weld it to both the inner and outer, then seal the openings with layers of duck-tape, dum-dum (HVAC sealing compund), and a few coats of a vacuum-specific sealant.

I will now, unfortunately, have to be more cautious in posting images of my work, at least for now. Our company has been acquired by a larger corporation, and I don't yet know how their rules will apply. I've always been carefull not to discuss our client companies, or share pictures that would either clearly disclose this, or give away proprietary information, but I'll have to feel out the new rules before I give photographic examples.

I'm still comfortable giving descriptions of the process, because it falls within the job description, and does not tell competitors anything they don't already know.

Steve S

[RichardH]

I'm still comfortable giving descriptions of the process, because it falls within the job description, and does not tell competitors anything they don't already know.

Thanks for sharing what you can. Very cool stuff, and it's neat to see real-world challenges. An awful lot can be learned from failure analysis.

Cheers,
Richard

[Otto Nobedder]

To my great annoyance, our new masters' policy says no one can have a personal recording device of any kind (including camera) on the premises. I have to wonder if they'll take my pen and notebook...

Further, the internet policy re: social media, forbids me from discussing work-related matters.

I suppose that means to continue these kinds of discussions, I'll have to be very general in my descriptions.

What a PITA!

I'm also prohibited from disclosing my employer on social media. I'm okay with that part, and never intended to.

We'll see how this goes.

Steve S

[RichardH]

To my great annoyance, our new masters' policy says no one can have a personal recording device of any kind (including camera) on the premises. I have to wonder if they'll take my pen and notebook...

So, all the managers will be leaving their smartphones at home, right? You can't buy a phone these days that isn't a voice recorder / camera / video device too.

[GreinTime]

RichardH,

I brought this same issue up once at work. Let's just say it didn't go over too well with upper level management!

My father, Braehill was one of the last people I know to get a camera phone because it was such a PITA picking up/delivering to Westinghouse, and other top secret clearance level facilities. That didn't pan out too well after about '06 because it was like finding a unicorn (finding a camera-less phone that is!)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[Otto Nobedder]

With this company, salaried employees are "exempt", use company provided or paid IT, and sign a confidentiality agreement.

Us non-exempt hourly wage schmucks have to play by the rules, though...

Steve S

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

Thats like a favourite TV show getting axed. No more Lee C$%^Ts llooloololololo

Mick

[Otto Nobedder]

Hey, Mick,

Good news...

The VP reached a compromise with corporate...

I can't work untill the red tape is all cut through, but I won't lose any seniority or benefits. I should be back at work within the week.

Steve S

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

Glad you can get back to work soon.

Bad stuff like that happens in OZ all the time, people with good benefits and good stuff in the kitty, like long service leave and superanuation, are made redundant fairly cheaply, and then offered their exact jobs back on a shittier deal. No choice to take it of piss off.

Bit rude to do that to people i reckon.

Mick

[Otto Nobedder]

I think corporate finally realized that if you put an ad out for my job, you won't find 10 people in a 50 mile radius who even know what the job is, and the few that do are working for NASA. If you train someone from scratch, it'll be at least five years to reach my level, since they don't really have anyone who could teach it beyond the basics.

Still sitting on my thumbs waiting on paperwork, though, and that's frustrating as hell.

Steve S

[RichardH]

I think corporate finally realized that if you put an ad out for my job, you won't find 10 people in a 50 mile radius who even know what the job is, and the few that do are working for NASA.

I must've missed it in another thread, but it sounds like you got caught cross-wise during the merger? I'm betting a bean counter assumed you were an interchangeable cog.

Corporate stupidity is everywhere. We had a project leader (who was fully paid for by the customer) get on the wrong list during a mass layoff (without their management's knowledge), at a critical point in the project that put $millions in sales at risk. They were too stubborn to undo their mistake.

[Otto Nobedder]

Richard,

What happened was largely my own fault. The new company wants a "fresh" I-9 proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.
Unfortunately, since I let my picture ID expire, it's not a "valid document", and I must get a new one. Add to that, my birth certificate was water-damaged beyond recognition, and I hadn't yet replaced it. I was supposed to submit my I-9 within 72 hours, and that simply wasn't possible, with the process of replacing my birth certificate with a certified copy.

That should arrive soon, possibly today, so I can go to the DMV and get a new ID, then I'm back in.

The silly thing is, I worked for this company before, so they knew I'm a citizen.

Steve S

[MinnesotaDave]

Glad to hear you'll be back to work man
I go crazy fast when I don't work....idle hands are a bad thing....lol

[Otto Nobedder]

Idle hands lift too many beers!

Problem was resolved, and I was back working Monday.

Still a few kinks to work out, to get my seniority back, benefits elegibility, and vacation due, but these are small potatoes compared to the bullshit I've been through.

I think we may have actually been bought out by Sigfreid and Roy, for all the hoops I've had to jump through...

Steve S

[Superiorwelding]

Steve,
Glad you have (almost) everything worked out!

[Otto Nobedder]

Hey, Len Braehill,

I had a new experience today!

We, before releasing an atmospheric trailer, put 1500 gallons of LN2 in it, and recycle/prove the pump.

I'd been qualified to cool down and put liquid in a trailer, but I'd never operated the pump before.

Four years with this outfit, and I'm still learning new stuff!

Steve S

[delraydella]

Steve, glad you got your job back! That can really suck sitting in that no man's land for a while. But I think you underestimate yourself. I'd guess that if they put an ad out for your job there wouldn't be hardly anyone within a 100 mile radius that could do half of what you do.

I almost had another pickup at Stennis, but got outbid at the last minute...I'll get down there again one day!

Other Steve