Patent ID: 7892380

Claim:
A large diameter tank made by a process comprising the steps of: providing a tank wall mandrel having at least one drive wheel and a plurality of curved panels, wherein said tank wall mandrel has a plurality of vertical trusses that support said curved panels; rotating said mandrel by said drive wheel; positioning a vertical winder adjacent said mandrel; applying glass fibers from said vertical winder to said curved panels so as to form a segment of a tank wall shell while said curved panels are supported by said vertical trusses, wherein said curved panels onto which said glass fibers are applied have inner surfaces that are engaged by said vertical trusses during rotation of said mandrel and application of said glass fibers from a bottom to an uppermost edge of said curved panels, wherein said tank wall mandrel rotates about an axis and wherein said vertical trusses are located closer to said axis in a radial direction than said curved panels during application of said glass fibers thereto and rotation of said mandrel; repositioning said curved panels above said segment of the tank wall shell; rotating said mandrel and said segment of the tank wall shell by said drive wheel; repositioning said vertical winder; and applying additional glass fibers to said curved panel at a location above said segment of the tank wall shell so as to form a unitary tank shell.