| A developing use for high temperature geomembranes is for secondary containment under heated storage tanks. As development of heavy oil reserves goes ahead there is an immediate need for secondary containment liners that can withstand the service temperatures that exist under heated oil storage tanks. The heat from the tanks is conducted into the ground and eventually (in about 5 to 8 years) the ground temperature at the liner location rises to the temperature in the tank. The liner then needs to withstand the elevated temperature for the service life of the containment. The geomembrane must withstand the high ground temperature without degradation so that in the event of a spill the liner is still in place.
Tank liners often contain liquids at elevated temperatures. Plating tanks heat some of the solutions to enhance processing. Tanks can be lined with a geomembrane suitable for the primary containment of the liquid for extended periods of time.
A solar gradient pond is a type of solar collector. A pond is filled with brine (salt water) to a certain depth which separates into layers based on salt concentration and temperature. The layers of water trap heat within the pond that can then be drawn off to use in a process. Salt gradient ponds often use high temperature resistant geomembranes as liners.
Layfield has pioneered the use of high temperature resistant geomembranes for the containment of liquid molten sulfur. The geomembrane is placed on a prepared pad and the liquid sulfur poured on top. The sulfur cools and solidifies on the geomembrane and eventually a block of sulfur is completed. This application allows the placement of a geomembrane underneath a sulfur block to help prevent seepage of sulfates into the ground and to prevent contamination of the sulfur when it is recovered for sale at a later date. In this application the geomembrane needs to withstand the 145ºC sulfur temperature for one or two days until the initial lift of sulfur can cool.
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Environmental Protection, Inc.
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Normally the service temperature of a geomembrane is the ambient temperature of the containment. In certain specialized applications the service temperature can be much higher. The longevity of geomembrane materials can be challenged by higher temperatures.
Our Supplier (Layfield) has developed a selection of geomembrane materials that are specifically designed to combat the effects of elevated thermal stress. High temperature resistant geomembranes are specially formulated to resist the degradation that can be brought about by heat. Heat accelerates the natural ageing process of a polymer and can reduce the expected service life. For high temperature resistant geomembranes we choose polymers that are inherently resistant to high temperatures and then use heat stabilizers and polymer blends that resist the attack of high temperatures. By carefully blending the right polymers with the right additives we can resist high service temperatures in certain selected applications.