Plastic tanks pass the acid test
November 1st 2003

Destruction tests have shown that Laporte Fluorides engineers of the 1970s designed plastic storage and processing tanks to last. The company manufactures highly aggressive hydrofluoric acid at its Rotherham plant and uses hdpe tanks supplied by Allibert Helix. The relationship began when Laporte looked into replacing steel tanks prone to corrosion. Project engineer, Rob Holmshaw, says The Helix tanks are seam-free and stress-free. We have over 50 on site, 30 of them on a tank farm storing HF in concentrations from 5 to 75%. Our engineers worked with the manufacturers to design a 25 000l Laporte Standard tank that is 5m high, 2.5m in diameter, with walls 50mm thick near the base. That 1970s specification exceeds the latest BSEN12573 standards. Destruction tests on the older tanks show that they are virtually unaffected by years of exposure to acid on the inside, light and elements on the outside. Our oldest tank had been on site 22 years. We replaced it and sent samples of the wall for analysis. The lab reported that we could have safely given the tank a 25-year lifespan.

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