Patent ID: 7481899

Claim:
A process of constructing a large diameter tank, comprising: providing a tank wall mandrel that has a plurality of vertical trusses; supporting a circumference of said mandrel with a plurality of drive and support wheels; positioning a plurality of curved panels along an exterior of said mandrel, wherein said curved panels are supported by said vertical trusses; rotating said mandrel and said curved panels by use of said drive wheels; positioning a vertical winder adjacent said mandrel; applying glass fibers from said vertical winder to the surface of said rotating curved panels while said rotating curved panels are supported by said vertical trusses, thereby constructing a segment of a tank wall shell; detaching said curved panels from the interior surface of said tank wall shell; positioning said curved panels above said previously formed tank wall shell; rotating said mandrel and said previously formed tank wall shell; applying additional glass fibers to said curved panels and to an upper portion of said tank wall shell, thereby forming a unitary tank shell; and repeating the last four of said steps until a desired tank shell height is obtained.