Industrial storage tanks are vessels that accommodate the intake of various liquids, gases, and chemical products. Examples of substances that are stored in industrial tanks include water, oil, and petrochemical materials. These tanks are usually manufactured based on what they will be utilized for.
Some materials used to manufacture these storage tanks are steel, concrete, fiberglass, and plastic.Industrial storage tanks come in distinctive shapes and various proportions. They are mostly vertical or horizontal cylinders, with conical or flat bottoms. Also, they usually have open or closed tops.The sizes, shapes, and materials utilized in manufacturing the tanks are commonly dependent on their uses.
Types of Industrial Storage Tanks
- Plastic Storage Tanks: This type of tank can be used for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. They are normally made with light-weight materials which deteriorate fast compared to other heavier materials. What this vessel can be used for include the storage of potable water, soluble fertilizers, brine, and so on.
Plastic storage tanks are commonly cylindrical, rectangular, or cone-shaped. In terms of capacity, their range is between 300 and 30,000 liters. The materials that can be used to construct plastic storage tanks include fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP).
- Oil Storage Tanks: Amid the various procedures involved in the development of oil products for the end user, oil storage tanks play a significant role. Usually used for industrial and commercial purposes, these tanks are the containers that transitorily store oil before it undergoes other production stages.Some components used to make oil storage tanks are stainless steel, plastic, and carbon steel.
- Steel Water Storage Tanks:As the name implies, they are steel structures that are used for storing water. These tanks are used commercially, domestically, and industrially. In the steel storage tank business,steel water tanks serve multiple purposes such as the holding of potable water, irrigation water storage, rainwater harvesting,and so on. They are quite good for factory purposes.
Steel water tanks come in various sizes, shapes, and designs. The common ones are:
- Square Steel Water Tanks: They range between 1,000 and 7,000 litersin terms of capacity. This type of tankis usually positioned above the ground and has a square shape.
- Slim-line Steel Water Tanks: With a capacity of 1,000 to 8,000 liters, they have larger capacities for the storage of water than square steel water tanks. Their designs are, however,usually contractedso that they can fit into narrow areas.
- Round Steel Water Tanks: One of the biggest types of tanks, the round steel water tank can be as high as 30,000 liters in capacity. They are usually stationed in spacious environments due to heir physical magnitude.
- Mod-line Steel Water Tanks: They are, like slim-line steel water tanks, also manufactured for narrow areas. They are the ideal choice for storage of potable water. They range between a capacity of 1,000 to 7,000 liters.
- Chemical Storage Tanks: Here, we have a type of tank that is built to handle the storage of various chemicals such as crude oil, propane, diesel, natural gas (liquefied), and gasoline. Due to the risks involved in the processing of chemicals, these chemical storage tanks are used for additional tasks such as the general processing, mixing, and transporting of finished products.
There are 3 main types of chemical storage tanks in use. They are explained below:
- Fiberglass Tanks: They can be used to undertakemany chemical-related processes, but are high-maintenance types. Read more about that here.
- Stainless Steel Storage Tanks: These tanksare very durable, but there is a limit to the type of chemicals they can be used to contain. Theyare generally regarded as the most expensive of all the chemical storage tanks in the market.
- Polyethylene Storage Tanks:These tanks are known for their adaptability, affordability, and durability. Polyethylene tanks have the rigidity to handle all forms of chemicals for a significant period.
After examining the various storage containersavailable and what makes them distinct from each other, it is sure that one can make the right choice when selecting storage vessels. Of course, arriving at a decision is based on the purpose for which the tanks will be used for (be it domestic, commercial, or industrial).