Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - November 2005
Comments? send them to the editor.

Secondary containment lining system for fuel storage

When underground tanks need to be replaced but site conditions make removal and replacement very costly and difficult, then owners can retrofit their tanks with a new, cost-effective, corrosion resistant, secondary contained lining system.

This is a manufactured on-site, internal fiberglass system that allows one to upgrade in-service steel or fiberglass single wall tanks to a secondary contained lining system. The surrounding area and equipment are left undisturbed as the tank retrofit is completed without removing the tanks from the ground. A brand new secondary contained fiberglass lining system is manufactured on site by trained and certified installers.

The new Lifeliner lining system gives more than twice the protection of a single wall tank. Two new corrosion resistant layers are applied using a three dimensional glass fabric, cured with a thermosetting resin, using a proprietary curing system, to create an interstitial space “sandwich” laminate.

The primary layer contains the product. The annular space between the new inner and outer layers provides continuous leak detection. If there were a breach of the primary layer, the product would be contained by the secondary layer and prevent a leak to the environment.

Structural Integrity Unlike some other tank lining approaches, this system is custom manufactured on site with the fiberglass layers bonded to the existing walls of each tank. This eliminates differential forces within the converted tanks. The independent structural integrity of the new system enables installation within an in-service, steel or fiberglass tank. To ensure the integrity of the system, an air tightness test of 35KPa is applied to the interstitial space.

The Lifeliner system has several advantages:

Manufactured in accordance with ULC/ORD-C-58.4 ( Double containment fibre reinforced plastic linings for flammable and combustible liquid storage tanks).
Manufactured with corrosion resistant materials, it provides long-term rust-proof, corrosion-free service.
The new structure will not be affected by the future corrosion of the original tank.
Proven compatibility with all existing petroleum products, alcohol blended fuels and a variety of chemicals.
Fiberglass gives proven permeation protection, corrosion and chemical resistance and structural performance.
The new lining system does not depend on the structure of an existing tank for structural integrity.

Benefits of the system are:

Converts single wall steel or fiberglass tanks to a secondary contained lining system.
Minimizes site disruption and down time.
Eliminates costly excavation and replacement of existing tanks.
Conforms to existing steel and fiberglass tanks.
Capable of monitoring the tanks’ integrity using hydrostatic, air pressure, vacuum, or dry sensor monitoring of annular space.
30 year warranty guarantees longterm protection.
Provides future access with newly installed manway. Optional collar and turbine enclosure will allow easier access to the piping and its maintenance.
Manufactured on site by trained and certified installers ensuring quality workmanship.

Typical applications Applications for the Lifeliner lining system include:

Retail service stations.
Fleet fuelling locations.
Bulk plants with underground tanks.
Office buildings.
Chemical plants.

The new system conforms to government guidelines for secondary containment.

Contact: Richard Murphy of ZCL Composites Inc.
e-mail: richard.murphy@zcl.com

See our home page on how to order your subscription. We regret we can only accept orders from Canada.