Plastic outlasts steel
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by Bryan Jarvis • Tankfreight is about to start trials of-a Canadian monocoque composite road tanker supplied by Clayton Commercials of Burscough.
The FRP vessel, produced by Comptank of Canada, is designed to carry a wide range
of highly corrosive chemicals. If it is successful Clayton believes it could supersede traditional lined mild-steel tanks.
Tankfreight's triaxle trailer has a volume of 27,0001it, 5,0001it above the norm for heavy corrosives, but is still some 300kg lighter than a comparable metal tanker. Once the trial results are known Clayton will begin work on second-generation FRP tankers. Clayton's sales director Bryn Ives says these should be lighter still.
Early composite models will be marginally dearer than a metallic tanker, but they have a projected service life of up to 15 years.
Traditional mild-steel tanks require re-lining about every five or six years—the composite tanks have shown no degradation of the inner surface after 12 years' use.
With no need for relining they promise greater utilisation with a considerable saving in whole-life costs.
To date Comptank has built more than 140 tanks, many of which have covered vast distances without any problems.