Environmental Conditions and Your Storage Tank Containment
When business look into their storage tank containment then in a vast number of cases they will be doing so partly in a way that is environmentally conscious. This is because they will be thinking of how their potentially hazardous materials would effect the environment were they to spill and possibly the way that this will reflect on their company and their PR.
However the relationship between containment tanks and the environment isn’t a one way one, but rather a two way one – and both have impacts on each other – it is vitally important then to consider not only how the fluids in your containment tanks might effect the environment, but also how containment tanks can be effected by the environment they’re in and how this can be a potential risk if you haven’t considered it up front.
The problem with containment tanks is that they are also made of materials which can be altered by a range of things such as the environment and the temperature. At the same time they contain often volatile substances which can also be altered by changes in temperature etc.
For instance then, if you have a highly combustible substance and you are keeping it in a very hot environment then this is something you very much need to consider. If your containment tanks are not able to insulate the substance inside from the heat, then this can end up causing that substance to combust or react in a way that causes damage to the environment and to your property. This then means that where you have explosive or reactive, that you take precautions to use containment tanks that will be up to the task and that you go to lengths to also control the temperature where the containment tanks are being stored.
Equally problematic can be very cold temperatures affecting the substances. If these should cause the tanks themselves to freeze then this can make them brittle and easily broken resulting in potential leaks or spills.
Another problem caused by temperature changes is that it can cause expansion and contraction – both of the substance being contained and of the containment tanks themselves. This can then place stress on the structures and again cause ruptures. The best containment tanks have accounted for this by using flexible points that are able to expand and contract without placing stress on the rest of the container tanks. Collapsible containment tanks meanwhile get around this by being able to flex and change shape which means that they can change shape in accordance to what they contain. These flexible aspects of some containment tanks also means that they can absorb impact better without causing a breach.
The other aspect of the environment you need to consider is space. It is no good have a perfect storage container that can contain all of the substance and react as necessary to changes in the environment if it is not going to be able to fit into your premises or can’t be transported as necessary.
Follow the links for containment tanks that take environment into consideration such as collapsible fuel tanks.
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