How to Maximize the Useful Service Life of FRP Tanks and Pipes
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) is both structurally sturdy and corrosion-resistant. While weather impact and other environmental elements might cause wear and tear, these tanks are designed to withhold damage and dents.
FRP is used in a diverse range of businesses for storage tanks, process vessels, tank linings, tubing, and piping. Like stainless steel, FRP gear provides weather resistance to the fillings and milieu while providing structural sustenance.
But like all specialized materials, there are details to keep in mind to make the most of your investment. According to several manufacturers, an FRP storage tank is designed to last at least forty years; however, you need to take into account proper maintenance, regular cleaning, and timely repair and restoration.
Here’s all that you should do to ensure that your FRP tanks and pipes offer a long and productive, useful life.
Training Your Staff
After you’ve deployed FRP tanks at your facility, the first order of business is training your staff. FRP/PVC tanks and piping fall under the specialized equipment category, and thereby require knowledgeable and expert staff.
Engineering and factory maintenance education covers know-how about metals, concrete materials, and structural issues, but workers must dig deeper to understand FRP tanks. Factory workers employed around FRP installation must know about the design, composition, inner workings, fiber-reinforced composites, corrosion applications, and the damages that might occur at an introductory level.
To address this, factory owners must emphasize workers’ training to ensure the longevity and efficiency of FRP tanks and pipes. Use the improved and assistive guidelines for installation, maintenance, and inspection of FRP equipment. These standards include ASME RTP-1, ASTM D3299, among many others.
Understanding the FRP Failure Modes and Damage Mechanisms
An FRP tank has a failure mode and a damage degradation mechanism. Both of these systems have different implications. In the failure mode, the FRP installation fails and isn’t suitable for use. Some changes occur in the degradation mechanisms, leading to a functional failure, such as continued and unrepaired corrosion and abrasion.
FRP tanks and pipes can suffer from three types of damage mechanisms:
- Damage to the resin
- Damage to the reinforcement fibers
- Damage to the holding bond between the resin and reinforcement.
All these warning signs must be detected on time to ensure that the tanks and pipes are professionally repaired, restored, or replaced before they start releasing toxins.
Regular FRP Tank and Piping Inspection and Relining
FRP tank inspection includes careful checking and upkeep of small parts such as composite bows for wire rope and PC strand wire machines, carbon fibers, and resins. It’s especially important to ensure continuous development and safety upgrade of distinctive FRP tanks and containers installed at your factory.
FRP tanks are efficient and easy-to-maintain if inspected by professionals at least once a year. It helps reduce repair and maintenance costs, mitigate safety and environmental risks for the workers and other equipment, and unexpected failure duress. Chemical attack and ecological conditions take a toll on loading structures and pipes carrying harsh chemicals.
Make a note of these and any other observations that might indicate damage. It’ll help you extract maximum ROI from the FRP investments.
- Visible cracking or crazing
- Tears around flanges and metal supports/hangers
- Crystallization
- Discoloration
- Moisture or dry blisters on pipe or tank surface
- Cracked and discolored joint
Why Choose Us?
At Hudson Fiberglass, we offer proficient and skilled inspectors who perform your FRP tank’s inspection flawlessly! Our MP, Blaine Hudson, is one of the first two people to achieve the tenuous FRPI SP8310 certification for inspecting above and underground FRP/PVC storage tanks.
Learn more about our FRP tank and pipe repair, fiberglass surface coating, fiberglass tank inspection, field welding for tank and fiberglass tank repair services, or contact us for more info.
