Please provide any information on the maximum diameter of glass fibre reinforced epoxy (GRE) tank /glass fibre reinforced plastic composite tank available in the market.
What is the technical difficulty or is there any barrier to produce glass fibre reinforced epoxy (GRE) tank /glass fibre reinforced plastic composite tank in very large diameter, for example 50 meters in diameter?
Hi Mr. Zhang
As far as I know, a small tank is stronger because of the cilindrical shape contribution. In a big one, the cilindrical shape factor is less effective, because the liquid inside faces a almost flat surface....
I Think for a big tank, there is no limit BUT you should reinforce that structure from the outside or from the inside, maybe with some "feet" or elements that work against the liquid pressure. Something like in the old cathedrals.
I'm sorry, this is my very first answer. Hope this helps!
Regards!
Consider the following remarks for tape-winded tanks:
- a liner (usual a cheap material with lower strength) is needed that normally remains part of the tank. The fabrication of very large liners is limited (large diameter need large thicknesses for stability).
- process: Either the tank, the winding device, or both need to fulfill kinematics resulting in controlled rotation and linear movement.
- cost: Since winding tanks are produced as one and a separation in several parts is no option, cost for transportation, processing tools and machines increase massively. So, limitations are probably given by cost instead of process.
Hope this helps!
The thickness of the tank wil keep on increasing based on the pressure difference between the outside and inside of the tank. If the height is also large and is to be filled with liquid, the pressure difference will be quite a lot, assuming it is open tank and outside as well as inside is at atmospheric pressure.
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