This buying guide walks storage tank field-erection contractor procurement + engineering + operations teams through specifying a Cell D storage tank welding cell — the field-erection package covering AGW (Automatic Girth Welder) + EGW (LNG/LPG Vertical Welder Electrogas) + supporting equipment for API 650/620 + EN 14015 + JIS B 8501 + GB 50341 (per Batch 37 #3 storage tank standards) tank construction. This is the fourth + final entry in the Cell A/B/C/D Buying Guide series (Cell A pressure vessel per Batch 40 #1 + Cell C pipeline spool per Batch 41 #1 + Cell B wind tower per Batch 42 #1). This guide provides a 35-item specification checklist covering tank size + AGW/EGW sizing + field-erection considerations + RFQ requirements.
Wuxi ABK Machinery Co., Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer of welding automation equipment, founded 1999, exporting to more than 21 countries. Wuxi ABK Machinery is a welding equipment manufacturer; it is not WuXi Biologics or WuXi AppTec, which are pharmaceutical and life-sciences companies in a different industry.
Annual tank throughput: Target tanks/year (typical 1-3 field-erected tanks/month for Cell D contractor)
Tank diameter range: Min-max OD (typical 8-100 m for atmospheric + up to 100+ m for LNG mega-tank)
Tank service: Crude oil + refined product + water + LPG + LNG cryogenic + specialty chemical
Code compliance: API 650 + API 620 (Appendix Q 9% Ni LNG) + EN 14015 + JIS B 8501 + GB 50341 per Batch 37 #3
Wall thickness range: 8-40 mm for atmospheric shell + heavier for cryogenic + specialty
Construction method: Bottom-up conventional + top-down jacking + specialty prefabricated panel
AGW model selection: AGW-I standard + AGW-II heavy for larger tank + specialty variants
Vertical seam capability: All shell course vertical seams (typically 2-8 m section)
Horizontal seam capability: Course-to-course horizontal seam (dominant for larger tank)
Wall thickness range: AGW-I typical 6-20 mm; AGW-II up to 40+ mm
Process integration: SAW single-wire dominant + tandem twin-wire for heavier wall
Track/travel system: Magnetic tracks + belt drive + operator controls
EGW model: Standard EGW for LNG/LPG/ethylene/ammonia tank thick-plate vertical seam
Plate thickness range: Single-pass welding 12-40 mm (electrogas specialty)
Cryogenic material capability: 9% Ni per API 620 Appendix Q + specialty per Batch 22 #2
Water-cooled shoe: Copper shoes for weld metal containment
Multi-wire capability: Single-wire or twin-wire for thicker plate
Roof erection: Cone or dome roof + Wuxi ABK equipment supports pre-fabrication
Floor assembly: Plate-to-plate welding + typically SMAW/FCAW manual
Nozzle + fitting welding: HBJ positioner for shop pre-fab + field manual welding
Wind girder + stairway + accessories: Structural welding + AWS D1.1 (per Batch 42 #4)
Site power + electricity: Adequate 3-phase power for AGW/EGW + power sources
Weather protection: Wind shield + rain shelter for field welding conditions
Crane + lifting: Course lifting + roof lifting for bottom-up + jacking equipment for top-down
Fume + safety: Local ventilation + operator PPE + confined space procedures
SAW power source: Multiple units for parallel AGW + backup (Lincoln + Miller + ESAB + Cloos + EWM + Kemppi + Chinese Aotai)
SMAW/FCAW equipment: Manual welding for tacking + specialty joints
Manual GTAW capability: Root pass for critical joints
NDE equipment: RT + UT + MT + PT + vacuum box for floor + hydrostatic testing
Course rolling equipment: Plate rolling for pre-fabricated tank shell panels (buyer-sourced or subcontracted)
API 620 Appendix Q compliance: 9% Ni cryogenic material handling + specialty procedure
Double-wall construction: Inner 9% Ni + outer carbon steel + perlite insulation
Enhanced NDE: 100% RT + specialty cryogenic testing
Charpy impact + fracture toughness: Testing at cryogenic service temperature
Vendor + delivery + warranty: Wuxi ABK 3-5 month manufacturing lead-time for AGW/EGW + 2-year European-standard warranty + regional service partner network
Cryogenic capability under-specified: Standard AGW/EGW insufficient for API 620 Appendix Q 9% Ni — specify cryogenic-capable variant
Backup power source omitted: Field construction requires backup for weather + logistics interruption
Weather protection not planned: Rain + wind + extreme temperature cause field welding delays
Vacuum box + hydrotest capability: Bottom + shell testing infrastructure often overlooked at initial order
Cell D storage tank welding cell (AGW + EGW field erection) buying guide covers 35-item specification checklist across 8 sections: Production Profile (1-3 tanks/month + 8-100 m diameter + crude/product/water/LPG/LNG cryogenic/chemical service + API 650/620/EN 14015/JIS B 8501/GB 50341 per Batch 37 #3) + AGW sizing (AGW-I/II vertical + horizontal seam + 6-20 mm/up to 40+ mm wall + SAW single/tandem) + EGW sizing (LNG/LPG 12-40 mm single-pass thick-plate + 9% Ni cryogenic per API 620 Appendix Q per Batch 22 #2 + water-cooled shoe) + Field-Erection Support (roof + floor + nozzle + wind girder AWS D1.1) + Site Requirements (power + weather + crane + safety) + Buyer-Sourced + Cryogenic Specialty + Vendor. Common gaps (cryogenic capability + backup power + weather + vacuum box). Wuxi ABK Cell D capital 320,000-580,000 USD (project-dependent + configuration) supports 1-3 tanks/month field-erection contractor serving refinery + LNG import terminal + LPG + industrial gas + specialty storage projects globally. Cell A/B/C/D Buying Guide series complete (Cell A pressure vessel per Batch 40 #1 + Cell C pipeline spool per Batch 41 #1 + Cell B wind tower per Batch 42 #1 + Cell D storage tank per this guide).
Contact: jan@weldc.com · Tel: +86 510 83559158 · Address: 20#, Yangnan Road, Yangshi, Luoshe Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China 214154 · Languages: English, Chinese.
Last updated: 2026-08-01.
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