Ensure that you choose the right plastic tank for chemical storage

Polyethylene or ‘plastic’ chemical tanks are becoming the material of choice for many industrial applications but it is important to choose a high quality tank that is designed to store the chemical in question.

Poly chemical tanks for use in the chemical storage and processing and the water and waste treatment industries must not be taken as a commodity. Plastic tanks must be safe, as the liability and risk to personnel and the environment is extremely high. To the engineer without experience in the selection of materials and design, tanks seem to be simple structures, almost bought from a product catalogue. This approach can easily lead to failures within the lifetime of the chemical tank. It is essential the design, materials of construction and type of manufacture are carefully assessed to meet the application and design life required, at the same time producing the most economic solution. Often an inadequate plastic chemical tank is selected by the purchaser purely on economic grounds to meet a demanding budget.

No matter what the application is, it is essential the purchaser fully engages with the manufacturer to ensure a safe, correctly designed chemical tank, is selected. Part of this initial selection process involves the critical factor relating to the materials of construction. Look at the potential long-term effect of the contents on the materials of construction. This is particularly important when handling liquids in thermoplastic tank where the thermoplastic is not only the chemical resistor but also the load bearing structure. All plastics suffer from a small degree of permeation and many engineers discount this long-term effect on the polymeric structure, which can lead to environmental stress cracking or softening of the material. Always insist on certified design Standard with full design calculation thus ensuring the tank will meet requirements. Despite what some people think, materials can have a relatively short life due to degradation when the tank shell is under load. Long-term exposure to a number of chemicals when under stress can induce environmental stress cracking.

Material selection is always a difficult area for the purchaser to consider, with various claims being made in relation to expected service life, by different manufacturers. The safest approach is to fully engage with an experienced manufacturer who can demonstrate successful long-term applications.

Source: EngineerLive (By Lee Forbes) Abbrev.

JoJo Tanks have more than 30 years of manufacturing experience when it comes to poly water tanks as well as poly chemical tanks. It is important to ensure that the chemical tank chosen is rated to store the chemical, not only resistance to chemical reaction but also to the chemical’s specific gravity. JoJo Tanks manufacture rotomoulded plastic chemical tanks in two duties, according to specific gravity (SG), i.e. medium duty (SG 1.4) and heavy duty (SG 1.6). To see how to calculate the specific gravity and more information about choosing the correct chemical tank, click here. 

JoJo Tanks South Africa offer a wide range of products such as plastic water tanks and chemical tanks to suit every household, business or agricultural need, including silo tanks and silo tank stands as well as other high quality JoJo Tanks products.  See JoJo Tanks’ VERTICAL TANKS, HORIZONTAL TANKS (transporter tanks), STEEL TANK STANDS and OTHER JOJO PRODUCTS and see JoJo Tanks’ NEW 6000 LITRE UNDERGROUND TANKS. Also see our FAQ and WATER TANK PRICES.