Some of the greatest challenges facing most industries today are; aging plant and equipment, legal and regulatory costs and workforce changes. It is estimated that almost 75 percent of manufacturing and processing plants are over 20 years old. Aging equipment increase the downtime where companies tend to loose approximately 15 percent of their production capacity. Some of the most affected are water tank liners. Ideally, an underground tank should last for more than 20 years but this durability depends on the tank’s construction, installation, maintenance and soil conditions. There are those who turn to redundant liner products to maintain reliability. Others don’t see the purpose of short-term guarantee and hence invest in heavy-duty flexible tank liners. So how do you go about improving the life of tanks and liners?

Using Flexible PVC
Flexible PVC is a popular mainstay product that is preferred because it is highly adhesive and offers long-term reparability for heavy-duty flexible tank liners. Despite the fact that vinyl is tough and flexible, damage can occur on the liner surface. Examples of some of the most frequent damages are; extreme impact, abrasions and cuts. To reduce cases of damage, acid bricks or bumpers can be used to protect the industrial tank liner. Most heavy-duty flexible tank liners are made from exotic fluoropolymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to reduce damage.

Using Rubber Linings
Steel has been used to store and transport water for over 150 years. However, the greatest challenge has been that steel products are very prone to damage. This is why rubber linings have long been used in the industry to improve the life of water storage tank liners. The installation of rubber linings is done by applying rubber-compound sheets on the surface of the tank and vulcanizing it in place-mainly by applying steam-heat pressure. Repairing the lining of an underground tank is done in an almost similar manner using heat or chemical curing agents.

Spark Testing/leak Detection
At a time when there are increased regulations with regards to the environment and especially ground water contamination, early detection of leaks is paramount particularly when dealing with toxic material. Early detection allows for preemptive action to be taken before the damage is too extensive. Heavy-duty flexible tank liners can be tested for possible leakages using dielectric testing also referred as spark testing. Spark testing is mainly used to detect pin-holes in tank linings. The process involves finding a leak using a point source voltage that is applied across the liner. If there is a gap on the liner, sparking occurs. However, there are a few limitations to this strategy. For starters, the tank must be dry when conducting spark testing to avoid inaccurate readings. Another limitation is that heat from the arc could cause burn holes on the tank liner.