Pella Drum Opener

There are two types os steel drums used to transport and store chemicals and other materilals.  Open-head steel drums have a removable lid that is secured to the drum with a one or two piece closure ring.  Closed-head drums have bung holes that can be used for attaching pumps to dispense liquids.  The Pella Drum Opener has been used at the Savannah River Site for safely removing the lids from open-head steel drums.  The issue with these drums is that under long periods of storage, the lids may be difficult to remove due to corrosion or vacuum or adhesion.  In addition, the 1-piece semicircular rings used to secure the lids to the drums result in pinch points when attempts are made to remove them.  Use of hands or other tools to pry these rings fron the drums create an unsafe condition.

the Pell opener was designed using steel forged construction and contains a knife-like blade used to wedge between the drum and the drum lid with the securing ring attached.  The tool is applied by placing the removable blade between the drum and the lid where there is an opening to the drum ring.  By applying upward force to the tool, the drum lid with the ring can easily be safety removed from the drum.  (See SRNL Tech Brief site for video)

• improved safety
• easy of use