Building An Outdoor Unitank

The Challenge

A very large, global brewer approached Paul Mueller Company in 2016 with the request for a unitank that was ASME Code stamped and 55 feet (16.8 meters) tall. A huge challenge, but we were up for it!

The Solution

A unitank can act as a fermenter and a brite tank for a brewery. Paul Mueller Company built this one over a 12-week period in 2016. Because it was ASME Code-stamped, the tank was moved outside the plant in Springfield, Missouri, where a special crane stood it up. Then, the tank was filled with more than 25,000 gallons (94,635.3 liters) of water for pressure testing to meet the ASME Code standards.

During that process, Mueller brewery equipment craftsman Arthur “Junior” Stigall devised an innovative way to use the crane to install the bottom cone insulation and sheathing on the tank in a safer and more efficient way. Junior’s idea saved more than a day of additional build time and will be used in the future for large ASME Code tanks.

Then Mueller Transportation went to work. To move this tank from Springfield to St. Louis, the crew had to do a route survey. They spent a week driving all the roads from start to finish and measuring bridges and underpasses. The tightest squeeze was under this bridge in St. Louis, right near the brewery visitor's center. Because the crew did their due diligence, Mueller driver Ray Sells said they could “crawl” at almost 0 mph under this bridge with eyes everywhere to make sure the tank was never close to a potential scratch. “We had about an inch to spare!” says Ray.

The Results

Now, the Mueller unitank has a beautiful wheat wrap around it and is sitting outside the visitor’s center in St. Louis, where almost a million people pass by each year.

At 55 feet high, this unitank will allow the brewery to customize how it expands its capacity. Paul Mueller Company has implemented many expansion solutions for some of the best beer brands in the world.