Delta, BC, Canada – SEI Industries’ Bulk Aviation Transport Tank (BATT) has been recognized with a fourth award – this one from the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). After receiving a total of 335 entries from 14 countries, SEI Industries was selected to receive a 2012 International Achievement Award for design excellence in specialty fabrics applications.

Winners were selected based on complexity, design, workmanship, uniqueness and function. Judges included industry experts, editors, architects, educators and design professionals who were chosen for their knowledge in a particular field of study or product area.

What is the BATT?

For the past few decades, the most common solution to fuel remote operations was to fly bulk fuel in using drums that were never designed for aircraft interiors. Once the fuel was offloaded into storage containers, the same aircraft then departed with empty drums as its “non-paying” cargo. Unfortunately, this empty return flight doubled the actual cost of fuel delivery.

“The BATT allows these operators to eliminate fuel drums and cut fuel hauling costs in half by flying fuel in then folding up the BATT to free up usable space for back haul cargo. It provides a huge savings and it’s a lot less harmful to the environment,” says Paul Reichard, remote site division manager for SEI Industries Ltd.

The BATT took a number of months to develop and was first deployed in 2010 for use by South American law enforcement in Colombia.

To date, the BATT is approved to carry the following fuel types:

• Diesel Fuel Class 3 UN1202, Packing Group III
• Aviation Fuel Class 3 UN 1863 Packing Group III

Previous awards recognize innovative technology.

In January 2012, SEI learned that the BATT had won two awards ― both the regional and national 2011 Innovation Insights awards for new technology ― from the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). The award committee noted that the BATT is the world’s first and most advanced collapsible, double-walled, baffled tank that lets users safely carry bulk fuel to remote sites via aircraft. Read the full CME announcement.

In April 2012, the BATT won its third award – an IFAI Canada 2012 Honours Program recognition in the “industrial applications” category. Read about this award.