Chemicals and other dangerous substances, such gas, oil and solvents of many formulations are necessary for life as everyone knows it. They are also dangerous to people, in certain concentrations and to the environment. Transporting these substances or even storing them might cause a spill and something had to be invented to prevent this from damaging anything. Secondary containment systems are the answer as they help contain any spills in various ways.
When looking into designing a secondary protection, such as these, a few considerations are in order. The material must be of a nature that will not become deteriorated due to any reaction from the substance being held. If the substance will eat or break through a particular material, it is not a good idea to use it. Assumptions about what should work will have to give way to testing it to see if it will do the job.
A good example of this principle would be the daily trash being taken out of your home. You have a plastic trash bag, in the container, and all trash is placed here, as it is generated. As you begin to remove this large bag from that container, you place it inside of another trash liner. This is done to prevent the primary bag from leaking or tearing and letting anything escape. This is a secondary containment bag and it works great because you do not get trash on the floor while moving to the outside can.
Protecting your home from trash was an easy example to deal with. Industrial storage and the transportation of substances are more complicated. This is because of additional considerations. The choice or need use rigid versus flexible containers will make a big difference in the type of materials and what can be done with each type.
Oil and gas truck spills are in the news all of the time. That is usually because the container, on the back of the truck springs a leak and the liquid gets out onto the road. If there is secondary container, it usually does not get this far. An accident may damage the tank, however the bladder, that is used on these trucks will prevent any environmental damage and a huge bill for clean up.
In the case of trucks carrying oil or gas, a flexible bladder of a non reacting, inert material encases the hard tank. This is done so that any leaking that occurs from the primary tank is caught in this bladder. This saves the area surrounding the tank from being engulfed in this potentially dangerous liquid. It works because there is a good system and a back up system.
An example of a rigid containment would be the retaining wall erected around a tank of stored chemicals that would contaminate the facility and personnel working in the area. This will ensure anything leaking from that tank would not get very far. This would make clean up and recovery from this easier to achieve.
Environmental Protection agency as well as Food and Drug, both have regulations that mandate these types of redundant protections against damages occurring from dangerous substances getting loose. These regulations require very exacting clean ups and reports as well as a certified inspection, usually by them, of the area before it can be released for further use.
When looking into designing a secondary protection, such as these, a few considerations are in order. The material must be of a nature that will not become deteriorated due to any reaction from the substance being held. If the substance will eat or break through a particular material, it is not a good idea to use it. Assumptions about what should work will have to give way to testing it to see if it will do the job.
A good example of this principle would be the daily trash being taken out of your home. You have a plastic trash bag, in the container, and all trash is placed here, as it is generated. As you begin to remove this large bag from that container, you place it inside of another trash liner. This is done to prevent the primary bag from leaking or tearing and letting anything escape. This is a secondary containment bag and it works great because you do not get trash on the floor while moving to the outside can.
Protecting your home from trash was an easy example to deal with. Industrial storage and the transportation of substances are more complicated. This is because of additional considerations. The choice or need use rigid versus flexible containers will make a big difference in the type of materials and what can be done with each type.
Oil and gas truck spills are in the news all of the time. That is usually because the container, on the back of the truck springs a leak and the liquid gets out onto the road. If there is secondary container, it usually does not get this far. An accident may damage the tank, however the bladder, that is used on these trucks will prevent any environmental damage and a huge bill for clean up.
In the case of trucks carrying oil or gas, a flexible bladder of a non reacting, inert material encases the hard tank. This is done so that any leaking that occurs from the primary tank is caught in this bladder. This saves the area surrounding the tank from being engulfed in this potentially dangerous liquid. It works because there is a good system and a back up system.
An example of a rigid containment would be the retaining wall erected around a tank of stored chemicals that would contaminate the facility and personnel working in the area. This will ensure anything leaking from that tank would not get very far. This would make clean up and recovery from this easier to achieve.
Environmental Protection agency as well as Food and Drug, both have regulations that mandate these types of redundant protections against damages occurring from dangerous substances getting loose. These regulations require very exacting clean ups and reports as well as a certified inspection, usually by them, of the area before it can be released for further use.
About the Author:
Chemtech International provides some of the finest secondary containment systems in the industry. To see the different kinds of spill containment berms we make for your business, visit our home on the Web today at http://www.chemtech-us.com.
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