It is easy to utilize polyethylene tanks for atmospheric (or non-pressure) storage of liquids, such as potable water, foods, and volatile chemicals.
They are cheaper than tanks made from stainless steel, aluminum, or fiberglass and are constructed without seams, which ensures they are sturdier and provides a longer lifespan. Poly-tanks are easier to manage and install than steel tanks due to the fact that they weigh half as much. They can withstand force and the effects of toxic chemicals, and as a result are rust and corrosion proof.
The tanks are fabricated out of FDA approved resins, making them perfect for water storage, processing foods, health, beauty aids, and highly purified chemicals. They are not affected by sunlight for a long time because of the ultra-violet light inhibitors they are molded with. All the single-walled tanks allow a view of how much liquid remains through the tank wall because the natural resins are clear.
Comparing Crosslink Polyethylene Resins to High Density Linear Polyethylene Resins
The technology behind linear HDPE (or Heavy Duty Polyethylene) is constantly changing and improving, but crosslink PE (Polyethylene) technology has not changed at all.
The last two decades have brought countless advancement. Crosslink was considered superior over linear during the 1980s, although that is now no longer the case. Today’s linear HDPE tanks perform a lot better than crosslink PE tanks when used to store volatile chemicals. Linear HDPE tanks can utilize sturdy, high performance welded fittings that a welder is proficient in repairing, which is not true of crosslink.
Consider that:
- The industry used more than 900 million pounds of all types of resin in the past year
- Crosslink represented less than 5%. The main use of crosslink makes up half of the 5%, which includes molding tanks and bladders for oil, hydraulic fluid, and gasoline. Since many are switching to linear HDPE, every year sees a decline in crosslink resin. The market for crosslink is primarily in the car and tractor manufacturing industry for the storage of petroleum products.
- It is not necessary to use crosslink with chemical storage tanks and most chemical tanks have moved over to linear technology (a less expensive option). PE tanks are used to store certain chemicals, and the most commonly stored are sulfuric acid and sodium hypo chloride. When these chemicals are used with a crosslink tank, it loses impact resistance, ductility, and tensile strength.
- Today’s linear resins are far more capable of withstanding exposure to ultraviolet rays than crosslink, and expect a linear tank to last a lot longer than a crosslink tank.
