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Proper venting of polyethylene chemical storage tanks is vital for safe operation — it’s also critical for maximizing a polyethylene storage tank's effective lifecycle. 

Poly Processing's chemical storage tanks are designed to function at atmospheric pressure per ASTM-D 1998, the industry standard for producing vertical polyethylene tanks. During pneumatic offloading from a tanker truck, offloading pressures can exceed 30 psi, resulting in high ACFM rates.

You may spend a little more on a Poly Processing cross-linked polyethylene tank, but it could possibly cost much you more to own other tanks. Here’s why.

Polyethylene chemical storage tanks are designed to expand and contract slightly in response to changes in temperature and internal pressure. But if your tank isn’t designed to handle the pressure it faces at key moments, you could be unknowingly setting yourself up for a tank failure.

Most chemicals stored in polyethylene tanks require venting. In some instances, the harmful fumes emitted from the chemicals can’t be directly released to the atmosphere. Fume scrubbers remove or neutralize the harmful fumes before they exit the system. 

Proper venting of a chemical storage tank system helps ensure safe operation and can also extends the useful life of the tank. Poly Processing Company sees venting as one of the most critical parts of a safe chemical storage system. We also attach venting labels to tanks manufactured at any of our three facilities. Our goal is to give users a peace of mind and walk you through the do’s and don’ts of proper venting in order to keep it simple, safe, and effective for the end users and operators.

When building your storage tank system, it’s important to not only carefully consider the tank itself, but also the fittings and accessories. An important part of your tank is your manway cover. Failing to understand the purpose and function of the manway can threaten the safety of your employees and result in leaks, tank damage, and environmental hazards.

Let’s look at three things you should consider when choosing a manway cover. We’ll also introduce the best options for each consideration.

Poly Processing manufactures a wide variety of storage tank systems compatible with many different chemicals, including fuming chemicals that must be securely sealed when stored. For these chemical applications the use of a fume tight lid is usually required. Here’s a closer look at how a fume tight lid functions, when one might be required, and what options are available to meet your chemical storage needs.

All chemicals stored in polyethylene tanks require some form of venting in order to keep them safely stored. However, in some cases, the harmful fumes emitted from the chemicals cannot be released directly into the atmosphere. Fuming chemicals require special considerations to reduce harmful vapors before they are evacuated. There are many important things to consider when managing harmful chemical fumes and controlling air pollution.

Pneumatically-filled tanks must be properly vented to avoid offloading pressures, which increase the tank interior pressure beyond the ASTM-D 1998 regulation allowances. The right manway cover can provide the venting required to avoid this situation, but it can be difficult to know exactly which type to choose.

Pneumatically filled chemical storage tanks have the potential for becoming over-pressurized. Over-pressurizing a storage tank through repeated fill cycles can damage and weaken the tank sidewalls, resulting in stress cracks and premature tank failure. Proper tank venting is needed to prevent over-pressurization.