Tulsa Engineering Firm Partners With Oklahoma Tank Manufacturer To Innovate Earthquake Protection

An Oklahoma tank manufacturer joined forces with a Tulsa-based engineering firm to build the latest innovation for earthquake protection.

The tanks are normally found near drilling sites out in the pasture.

Engineers at Tulsa's Cyntergy got the call from Oklahoma tank manufacturer Heavybilt to make the design.

"We designed for those accelerations and velocities specific to where we're putting a structure,” explained Cyntergy engineer Larry Vorba. “So what we did here was take the worst values in Oklahoma so that wherever the tank sits we hope to be within those design guidelines."

Vorba and his team looked at the increase in Oklahoma's earthquakes and put together a skid plate bracing system to anchor the tanks into.

Vorba says his design will stablize them if earth starts to shake. He says the current design can withstand a magnitude six earthquake.

“Engineers in this area design to what is required today, and the biggest concern is what is required today we aren't sure is adequate for what the activity has recently shown us," Vorba added.

Heavybilt Owner Steve Cody says there is a need to protect people and property from earthquakes, so he wanted to be the first to create this type of protection system.

He says the added bracing costs an additional $6,500.

I'm impressed with how it works,” stated Cody. “It’s the first time we've gotten, really, an integrated effort to make it happen."

Cody says he hasn't received any orders yet and has a patent pending for the design.