It's my plan to run B100 through the winter. I am going to be setting up a auxiliary tank setup much like the WVO guys do(just less heat). Anyways, I have read that you need to use aluminum. I plan on getting a 80-100 gallon l-shaped tank for my truck bed. I am trying to do this as cheap as possible, and am looking for alternatives because these aluminum tanks are expensive. Has anyone researched using a steel tank, but coating the inside to prevent the polymerization that usually occurs with steel tanks.
This may just be a crazy idea but what about plating such as industrial chrome, or cadnium? I did a box tube bumper for a friends F150, 1/4" wall 4x6" tube with tig welded 3/8" end caps and mounting brackets. We had it cad plated for under $150, that was 5 years ago and no rust to date except where the plating got scratched off in the receiver.
I develop and sell coatings and adhesives for a living, the trouble you'll run into is getting the metal clean enough for the coatings to properly bond. We recently worked with a company that manufacturers the fuel tanks for diesel heavy equipment, these are powder coated on the outside and must be rust free on the inside. They have a lot of trouble getting the tanks clean without contaminating the inside. We developed a high temp acid and alkali resistant masking tape to try and solve the problem of covering all the openings in the tanks, it has yet to be accepted. Since plating is done by immersion and the bond is very strong i would think this a viable option. One need only to find a local industrial plater with a large enough capacity to handle your tanks. Alternatively two tanks could be fashioned that are half the size of one large tank and connected via fittings. The outside could then be coated with something like rhinoliner (aliphatic polyurethane I believe). Properly designed the tank could form a tough new bed floor.
One more thing, if you had access to a large oven and could get the tank thoroughly cleaned on the inside I likely have a product that would work for you. I've tested it on just about every automotive fliud EXCEPT bio-diesel. This coating could be poured in then "sloshed" around to completely coat the inside of the tank then the excess drained off and the tank allowed to air dry followed by about 15-30 minutes in a 260F oven to crosslink the coating. I can't tell you which vehicles but you've may have seen this satin black coating under the hood of newer cars applied to metal foils.
Steel tank is fine. If you're worried, just limit the amount of time bio is in tank. IOW, don't wait several weeks/months to burn yer 100gals, only put in what you'll use in a couple weeks and use it all before adding more.
The commercial biodiesel industry stores and transfers bio in un-lined steel tanks and pipes. Yes, it is giving them fits, but they manage by limiting the amount of time they store it. We are talking about 10's of 1000's of gallons storage though!
If ya still wanna line it, check with radiator shop. They can acid wash and 'seal' tank with chemicals we don't wanna mess with even if we could buy them... DO NOT use POR15 or similar products - they don't work and create a mess ya don't wanna deal with.
FWIW, oxidative polymerization is a cumulative problem. Eventually, if you left the bio in the steel tank long enough, some 'skin' would likely begin to form on the inside of the tank. SOMEDAY, this could get thick enough to 'break off' and begin plugging filters. At that point, ya go to the radiator shop and have'em clean the tank - problem solved.
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Choose wisely. Or PLEASE post pics of the carnage!!!
2001 F-350, DRW, 4x4, XLT Crew Cab, flat bed, 7.3, 6 spd, Dipricol Optix gauges on pillar - EGT, Boost, Fuel Press., HPO Press. - No Muffler, AIH delete, SB Con OFE, AC code injctrs, GTP 38R. Vegistroke-inspired WVO system w/150,000 trouble-free miles! BTS tunes, 203 t-stat w/billet housing, Evans coolant, coolant filter, boost relief valve, Dieselsite IC boots, Hella headlight harness, '07 grill/lites and big, bad front bumper!
2000 Excursion 4x4 Limited - BTS trans and tunes, AIS, Frybrid/V3 SVO conversion with over 100k VO miles so far!
rsr911, as you are in the business, I just wanted to give you a heads up on the solvency of biodiesel. It has a KB of 56 to 58, roughly the same solvency as D-Limonene. It will cause Buna N to swell and is used as the primary ingredient in many "green" paint strippers.
O1green73, if the goal is affordability then stainless steel just flew out the window as an option.
Suggestion: find out what the manufacturers of coated/lined drums use. I've used steel drums for filtration and got lots of buildup on the bare steel walls. But, I have some painted/coated steel drums used in the food service that don't have a problem with gunk building up after a repeated heat/cool cycle.
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2002 F-250 Lariat, PSD, CC, short bed, 3.73, auto tranny, Line-X bed liner, AFE Filter, HX crossover, intake heater delete, Evans NGC+, Dieselsite 203 thermostat, coolant filter, Amsoil by-pass filter, Schaeffer's synthetic blend tranny fluid, Bob Riley's tranny filter, Velvet Ride shackles, Rancho 9000 shocks with in-cab adjustment, 60 gallon aux tank for burning heated WVO, burning veggie since fall of '04.
The coating I'm thinking of can be used as a can liner for direct food contact. Crosslinked phenoxy is the base, thus the need for heat to activate the crosslinking reaction. There's a few other polymers thrown in for various necessary properties. I know that immersion in gasoline, methanol, brake fluid, etc. do not dissolve the coating. I appreciate the heads up though. Seems perhaps I should do some long term aging of the coating on steel immersed in biodiesel, maybe I have a market in the biodiesel processing and storage business.
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