Rosart, JW 2010, 'Advantages of bolted tank construction for paste thickeners', in R Jewell & AB Fourie (eds), Paste 2010: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 403-410, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1063_35_Rosart
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1063_35_Rosart/)
Abstract: For liquid containment tanks there are many benefits in using bolted joint construction rather than site 
welding. Some of these include faster assembly time, better quality surface treatments, lower site costs from 
reduced personnel and equipment, and the ability to easily move the tank to a different location. These 
factors make bolted tank construction attractive to many industries. However, in thickening applications the 
vast majority of tanks are site welded. 
There are two key reasons why thickener users do not consider bolted tank construction more often: 
• a higher capital cost for the thickener due to the significant number of bolts, flanges and associated 
fabrication costs 
• uncertainty about the design of a safe and reliable bolted joint, especially for larger tanks. 
Both of these considerations are important and should be evaluated carefully. Often, the higher initial 
capital cost will translate into total project savings by replacing hundreds of metres of site welds and 
painting with simple bolt tightening and torque inspection. For a typical welded thickener installation of  
12 weeks it is common for an equivalent bolted design to take four to six weeks with less manpower. 
Confidence in joint design comes down to good engineering, testing and field experience. If all three of these 
conditions are met then the risk of leaking joints is minimal. 
This paper presents some comparisons of bolted and welded tank designs for paste thickeners and evaluates 
the total cost, time and risk considerations for each. Some examples of successful bolted thickener 
installations are shown.