The transload facility in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada.A critical part of the facility is four fibreglass surge capacity tanks that ensure the company has enough HCL on hand for shipments.
Chemposite®, based in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, designed and manufactured the HCL tanks and liners, which feature AOC’s Vipel® F010 and F085 corrosion-resistant resins.
“Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive liquid and there are a lot of concerns,” says Jamie Dewar, Fort Saskatchewan project manager for Panther Industries. “We had to ensure the tank was designed to handle both vacuum and pressure. And the choice of resin had to be compatible with the product as well.”
The surge capacity tanks control pressure variations caused by the flow of HCL during the unloading process. They are designed to handle seismic loads, winds and frigid temperatures in Alberta. AOC says that the tanks incorporate a dual resin system: Vipel® F010, which is used in the structural layer, is a premium epoxy vinyl ester, bisphenol-A and offers a good balance of corrosion resistance and processability. The liner utilises Vipel® F085, which is an epoxy novolac vinyl ester resin.