It’s the middle of May and storm season is upon us. We’ve seen a number of tank battery fires this summer, but we’ve also seen a rise in chemical tank fires. It’s important not to overlook chem tank protection when reviewing site quotes, as the environment in and around the tanks is highly flammable and has the potential to ignite a fire and cause extensive damage to the site.
Static is a serious issue on-site as it is essentially invisible, often hard to detect, and can cause fires, explosions, and major damage. Static is generated in tanks when liquids move in contact with other materials. This occurs more frequently when the liquid is being moved through pipes, is mixed, poured, filtered, or agitated. Trapped charges can produce a spark or static discharge that can ultimately trigger a fire. Sand rubbing against the outside of a tank from strong gusts of wind also causes static from friction.
We helped mitigate the risk of static fires in 2014 when we developed and patented the Static Lasso. The Static Lasso is a device that neutralizes the static charge in fiberglass, lined steel, and chem tanks, reducing the risk of fire or explosions.
While a majority of our customers have installed the Static Lasso in their production and SWD tanks, it’s critical to implement chem tank protection as well. Depending on the contents of the chem tanks, they are just as vital and just as flammable as the contents in tank batteries. Especially because most chem tanks have a drip pan underneath which insulates them even more from the ground.
It’s peak storm season and time to protect those assets. For more information, contact Don Barcelona or Javier Mesa.
