Hydrochloric acid, Sulfuric acid, Nitric acid, Sodium hypochlorite, and Sodium hydroxide are some of the corrosive chemicals commonly used in many industries. Storing these and other chemicals becomes an issue for plant managers because they’re corrosive to most materials, including metals such as steel. To protect your chemical storage tanks and extend their longevity, you should use a corrosion-resistant chemical liner. Selecting a good corrosion-resistant tank lining is key in protecting your tanks. You should consider the following when selecting a chemical liner.

1. The Type of Chemicals in the Storage Tanks

Different chemicals will react differently with your tanks. It also depends on the material and type of tanks used in your plant. For industrial uses, most of the aboveground or underground tanks are made from steel or fiberglass. This means that most of the chemicals will react with the tanks’ walls and cause corrosion. Some of the common corrosive chemicals include hydrochloric acid and Peracetic acid. Largely, all the plants that deal with chemicals should utilize chemical liners for their industrial tanks to safely contain chemicals. One type of chemical liner may have more corrosion resistance than the other, so it’s good to consider the type of chemicals you deal with before buying a tank liner.

2. Compliance with the State and Federal Regulations

It is procedural for the Federal and local government to set some operational standards for crucial industries. Chemical plants and water plants are some of the industries that are regulated. The Environment Protection Agency established a list of 140 chemicals that requires owners to submit a risk management plan to the federal regulators when they store the chemicals in large enough quantities. Before you commit to buying a chemical liner, you should ensure that you’re in line with the federal and state compliances.

It makes sense for the authorities to impose regulations because of the high risk involved in storing corrosive chemicals in bulk. When most of these chemicals react with metals at high temperatures, they produce highly flammable hydrogen gas. This not only poses a danger to you and your employees but also to your neighboring environment. The top-quality industrial tank liners help prevent corrosion, hence avert catastrophic accidents.

3. Custom Tank Liners

In your plant, it is unlikely that you have all tanks of the same size, height, and shape. Therefore, you cannot have a one-size-fits-all chemical liner. You will need all chemical liners to be made-to-order for each chemical tank in your plant. Your tank liners should cover every inch of the tanks to ensure that the chemicals don’t corrode the tank’s interior surface. A tank liner that doesn’t cover the tank’s walls proportionally may leave some parts exposed, and corrosion will occur. As a result, your stored chemicals may be contaminated while the fast corrosion rate will degrade your tanks. To prevent these undesirable effects, you should utilize customized chemical liners for each of your plant’s tanks.

4. Expert Installation

Installation of tank liners is quite technical because of the high precision required. Therefore, you must ensure that you have a team of experts that is adept at tank liner installation. Typically, the company that supplies you with liner products should be able to install your chemical liner. Given that some of these chemical liners cost a huge chunk of money, you must ensure that they are perfectly installed. You don’t want to conduct repairs to your tank liners too often because of poor installation. A poorly installed chemical liner would cause more harm to your tanks if the chemicals reached the tank’s interior surface and triggered a reaction. This calls for expert installation.

Every plant manager knows that chemical liners are indispensable. A chemical liner will preserve your stored chemicals and your tanks too. Stored corrosive chemicals are a danger to your entire plant and the surrounding environment when they are mishandled. Using high-quality chemical tank liners ensures that chemicals are stored in perfect conditions. Ultimately, your chemical tanks will serve you longer when you utilize industrial tank liners.