With some chemicals, it’s critical to keep them cool because they will lose their concentration when they heat up. Sodium Hypochlorite is a prime example of that. As it heats up, it starts to lose its strength, and it begins to release gas and free radicals. Its strength can diminish dramatically with heat and UV.
So it’s important to keep the chemical as cool as possible from the moment it arrives at your facility. Other chemicals are similar—if they become too warm, they won’t perform as well as you need them to.
At Poly Processing, we recommend four methods to keep your chemicals cool. Let’s look at them in order of priority.
The best way to keep your chemicals cool is to store them in a climate-controlled building. The biggest challenge with buildings is that many companies build them like a sarcophagus—the structure is built around the tank, and the only way to get the tank out is to cut it apart. But bringing in a new tank is impossible without tearing out the walls or the roof and lifting it into the building. When you construct a building for your chemical storage tanks, make sure you design the facility to easily bring in new tanks.
If you can’t store your chemical tank indoors, house it outdoors under a shade cover, such as a lean-to or a pole barn. The key is to protect the tank from direct sunlight so that the UV rays don’t heat up the chemical. You won’t be able to control the ambient heat on extremely hot days, but for many locations this won’t be an issue.
If your tank is outdoors, and you’re located in a hot area like Arizona or Florida, we often recommend insulating the tank to protect from ambient heat.
We spray two inches of foam insulation on the tank, then cover it with a mastic coating.
Painting the tank can reflect the UV rays and help reduce heating. If you paint your polyethylene tank, it's best to do it on-site. This allows the surface to oxidize a bit and also protect it from potential scratches during transportation and installation.
To help you prepare to successfully paint your polyethylene storage tank, we put together this guide:
Need to keep your chemicals cool in the heat? Poly Processing tank experts can help you determine what you need to do and make sure your chemicals and tanks stay as cool as possible. Rely on us for all of your chemical storage needs.
Talk to a chemical tank expert about your situation.