Depending on the purpose, industrial storage tanks must satisfy regulations across industry-specific standards and health and safety. So, to ensure you make the right investment, make sure you consider these five crucial points.
The global storage tank market is continuing to boom, with it expected to grow from $6.43 billion to 8.85 billion by 2030. This incredible rise in popularity largely boils down to three factors:
- Climate issues reducing drinking water reserves
- An increasing number of industrial plants producing chemicals
- Deepwater reserve opportunities
Versatile by nature, storage tanks mostly carry liquids, compressed gases and other substances/objects of varying consistencies and temperatures.
However, with multiple variations available on the market and the latest technological advances to consider, choosing the correct industrial storage tank for your business can be a real challenge.
To shed some light on the topic, we’ve written a handy step-by-step guide.
5 Crucial Factors to Consider When Purchasing an Industrial Storage Tank
- Intentions
It’s obvious in reading this that you already have a clear intention for your storage tank in mind. But the purpose of your industrial tank leads to other crucial considerations, such as the regulations, materials and logistics.
For example, if your industrial storage tank is supposed to store drinking water, you must abide by health and safety regulations to ensure the water is safe to drink. This process includes the material, the lining, and the overall structure and design of the tank.
You also need to consider another regulation if your tank contains over 1,000 litres. It must be:
- Capable of inspections
- Cleaned without completely uncovering it
- Not made from metallic materials
In the 1999 Water Supply Regulations, water storage systems must be watertight and made from impermeable materials to avoid contamination and bacteria growth, with vents and overflow connections applied.
And this is just water. Commercial oil storage has regulations for businesses to oblige alongside compressed gas storage.
Therefore, relating your intentions for the tank with the relevant regulations is an essential first step.
- Material
As we’ve seen from the previous point, specific storage requires specific materials, as water requires non-metallic materials that may eventually rust. On the other hand, oil storage tanks get built from metallic materials such as carbon steel and stainless steel.
Your oil storage container should be durable and resistant to corrosion from crude oil or petroleum-based substances. Underground tanks can be made from fibreglass, a versatile material resistant to underground corrosion, while above-ground storage tanks get made from steel and concrete.
Most water tanks get made from polyethene, with some stainless-steel variations also available. So, each intention has a specific suitable material for its purpose.
- Lining
Following the physical structure, we also have industrial tank lining to consider for storing the tank substances. Water tanks can accommodate various lining materials, such as PVC, EPDM, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, and HDPE.
Similar to the overall material of your industrial storage tank, the lining should also adhere to various properties. For example, water storage requires official WRAS approval, with non-metallic materials tested to BS 6920 standards.
Other conditions include impermeability, weather resistance, temperature range, elasticity, durability, repair capabilities and chemical resistance. All these elements will affect the lining and material of the storage tank depending on your intended use.
- Capacity
The more popular industrial storage tank capacity for water ranges between 1000-25,000 litres. Regulations for oil storage capacity depend on the number of litres. For instance, tanks exceeding the 201-litre mark for businesses and public sector properties must follow guidelines, while those choosing a tank with a 3,501-litre capacity have other specific requirements to consider.
If you’re looking for a bespoke built storage tank to fit a specific area and you want to know the capacity within, apply a nominal capacity calculation.
To find the nominal capacity, you must multiply the length by the width by the height.
For example, 6m x 5m x 5m = 150,000 litres.
Fuel storage regulations for businesses and domestic properties must fulfil specific ISO 9000 regulations for quality management systems regarding storage tank capacity. These regulations include the ability to hold 110% of the tank capacity.
- Accreditation
Finally, before purchasing your industrial storage tank, look for accreditations from the relevant governing and regulatory bodies like UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) or Achilles UVDB qualifications.
Without correct and verified accreditations, it’s uncertain whether your industrial tank provider will comply with the necessary regulations, creating potential legal issues later.
Quality assurance should be at the forefront of your business. So, ensuring you follow the necessary measures with verified accreditation is a measure of good practice and a moral and legal responsibility to the health and safety of your staff, customers, and environment.
Speak to Industrial Storage Tank Specialists
At Franklin Hodge, we specialise in the design, manufacture and installation of site-assembled liquid storage tanks. Our tanks are designed for the storage of fire, drinking, process and wastewater, including sewage and effluent.
Over the past 50 years, we’ve provided a range of products and services, covering tanks, silos, cooling towers, and associated equipment, across virtually every continent and in every climatic condition. So, to find out more about how our industrial storage tanks can help your business, get in touch today.