Dual purpose unrefined/refined petroleum intermodal tank container

Abstract

A dual-purpose tank container is provided, designed for transporting unrefined or refined petroleum, together with a transportation process optimized to utilize available weight limits of transportation means and eliminate unproductive deadheading. The tank container includes inner tank and outer insulation shell, the inner tank being equipped with one or two diaphragms so that a fluid, for example crude oil or gasoline, can fully occupy inner space without risk of contamination from a residual fluid.

1 . Intermodal pressurized insulated tank container adapted to accommodate loading or unloading- of unrefined and refined liquids at same or separate times, comprising of at least two compartments separated by flexible and formidable diaphragm, while avoiding fluid cross contamination. 
     
     
         2 . Logistic process of unrefined/refined petroleum transport by a dual-purpose intermodal tank container, set forth in  claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
 a) Loading unrefined petroleum of sufficiently low viscosity into insulated intermodal tank container;   b) Transporting the intermodal tank container using a road truck trailer chassis from petroleum production source to a railway container yard;   c) Transporting the intermodal tank container using a standard intermodal train to a seaport;   d) Loading the tank container onto a container steamship equipped with pumps;   e) Transporting the loaded steamship to a refinery berth;   f) Unloading the unrefined cargo and simultaneously loading a refined petroleum into secondary compartment of the dual-purpose container tanks;   g) Transporting the refined petroleum by steamship to another destination; and   h) Unloading the refined petroleum from the container tanks.   
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2 , but with the steps in the order f, g, h, a, b, c, d, e. 
     
     
         4 . Multipurpose Ro-ro ship, as mentioned in  claim 2 , with specialized plumbing, pumping and blending equipment, capable of unloading or loading of multiple intermodal tank containers, set forth in  claim 1 , while reaching desired unrefined/refined petroleum properties of the final blend. 
     
     
         5 . Multipurpose Ro-ro ship, as set forth in  claim 4 , but solely or additionally equipped with specialized plumbing, pumping and blending equipment adapted for handling of subzero cryogenic liquids, capable of unloading of multiple specialized intermodal tank containers, loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), while reaching desired properties of the final natural gas blend.