Frac Tank Trailers Upcoming Auctions

About Frac Tank Semitrailers

Frac tank semitrailers get their name from the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, method of well stimulation for oil and natural gas production. These steel liquid storage tank trailers haul and store water, chemicals, and other fluids to be mixed on-site at oilfields and injected into underground rock formations such as shale, tight sandstone, or coal beds to create cracks that allow oil and gas to flow to the wellbore (sauce). Frac tanks can also be used for mixing, separating, and general storage of other hazardous or non-hazardous liquids and solids in addition to fracking fluid.

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Dragon 500 BBL Smooth-Wall Frac Trailer

Frac Trailer Characteristics

A typical frac tank semitrailer has a single rear axle and a kingpin for a fifth-wheel hitch. Its tank has a boxy shape resembling a shipping container, mounted low to the ground so it rests on its bottom when not hooked up to a semitruck. Smaller, mini frac tanks are also available in roll-off form.

Frac tank trailers are sometimes called “mud tanks,” as they can also be used to store drilling fluids and slurry. A fracking operation may mix water with chemical additives (to make low-friction slickwater, or sauce, for example) and proppants such as treated sand, ceramics, or bauxite (sauce).

Flat-top or closed-top versions of frac trailers are often constructed to be vapor-tight and may be hydro-tested to ensure they can withstand high pressures. Typical examples are 48 feet (14.6 meters) in length and list their capacity in barrels, such as 500 bbl (21,000 gallons). Smaller frac tank trailers may have 168 to 200 bbl (7,070 to 8,400 gal) of capacity. Frac trailers are also available with an open top to store runoff, oil, wastewater, or other liquids.

Many frac trailers have a staircase and landing on the front end of the tank to give the operator access to the manway opening on the top of the tank. Models with two or more manways may have a rear ladder as well. Open-top trailers may have a catwalk and railings.

Frac Tank Features & Options

Frac semitrailers are available in various configurations depending on their intended use. For example, they may have a round bottom for easy cleaning or a V-shaped bottom for fast drainage. Frac tanks are available with internal or external manifolds. Manufacturers sell frac trailers with smooth walls, corrugated walls, insulated walls, and even double walls for built-in spill containment. Some frac tanks have an internal liner or internal coating such as epoxy to prevent corrosion.

A mixer frac tank trailer uses agitators or paddle mixers to keep solids or high-viscosity liquids suspended in a mixture. Mixer tanks may have round bottoms and possibly heating systems such as steam coils. In contrast, weirs or baffles are available to separate contaminants from fluids in a tank. Also, mud gas separators, or gas buster tanks, safely remove gases from drilling fluid to prevent blowouts.

Find The Right Frac Tank Semitrailer

New and used frac tank semitrailers for sale on TruckPaper.com come from a variety of manufacturers, past and present. Some examples include Dragon Products, Hamm & Phillips, ITI, Sabre Mfg, Salty’s, and Wichita Tank.

The site also offers a variety of other tank semitrailer types for sale, including asphalt and hot oil, chemical and acid, crude oil, gasoline and fuel, industrial gas, liquid food-grade, non-code, pneumatic dry bulk, sanitary, vacuum, waste and sludge, and water models.