Technology Fact Sheet

Testing Underground Propane Tank Coatings

Assessing coating performance

Residential Use of Underground Tanks

Steel underground propane tanks for residential use are growing in popularity because they offer several advantages: Long life. Flexibility to support indoor and outdoor applications. Tanks can fuel outdoor rooms (see below) and indoor appliances (such as water heaters, furnaces, and clothes dryers) and provide standby power for backup generation. Availability in a wide range of sizes. Residential tank sizes typically range from 150 to 1,000 gallons to accommodate varying needs.

teel underground tanks store safe, clean, reliable propane for a wide range of residential needs. Discreetly installed out of sight, the tanks are in constant contact with moisture, bacteria, and dissolved minerals in the surrounding soil. Left unchecked, these forces can wear away the surface of a tank, potentially gradually damaging it. To repel damaging elements, underground tanks have a mastic or thermoplastic outer coating. Used in conjunction with cathodic protection, which counteracts the corrosive effects of natural electrical currents in the earth, tank coatings can help ensure that underground tanks are protected. Proper tank surface preparation and coating application is essential for the tank coating to afford maximum corrosion protection. Factors that may affect the corrosion protection of a tanks coating include pinholes, gaps in the coating, disbondments (loss of adhesion), and incomplete application (inadequate coating thickness, typically between the tank and legs). Some coatings may also react differently to varying ground types and other environmental elements. To select the best tank and coating for a specific user or application, propane marketers and retailers need information about the effectiveness of different coating types under certain environmental conditions and the effects of variation in tank surface preparation and coating application.

Project Description
To obtain meaningful information on the performance and application of various underground propane tank coatings, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) Underground Residential initiated Testing and Evaluation of Underground Tank Installation Propane Tank Coatings (Docket 12469). As part of PERC's equipment comparison testing program, the project's goal was to achieve a clearer understanding of how well coatings protect the exterior surfaces of steel underground storage tanks. The study's objectives include the following: Identify which levels of surface preparation and which coating systems offer the best protection. Determine which areas on tanks are typically the least protected, dividing the tanks into zones (top, bottom, sides, ends, legs, and welded seams). Understand the consequences of a weakened coating on the corrosion protection afforded by the coating system.

For more information on this and other research projects, go to www.propaneresearch.com.

Project Implementation
The project evaluated the performance of various coatings on steel underground storage tanks under a variety of service environments, simulated by weathering, chemical exposure, and thermal cycling. Researchers purchased seven 500-gallon sample tanks that represent the types of coatings used by five U.S. underground tank manufacturers: American Welding & Tank, Trinity Industries, Quality Steel Corp., Thompson Tanks, and Liberty Tank & Vessels. Researchers assessed the performance of the tanks coatings through the following steps: Evaluation of the initial condition of tanks' coatings using low-voltage holiday (coating discontinuity) and pinhole detection, nondestructive coating thickness measurements, and infrared spectroscopic analysis. Collection of coating test samples from different places on each tank (see sidebar). Mechanical testing for Group 1 samples, including impact resistance, adhesion, pencil hardness, and abrasion resistance. Environmental exposure testing for Group 2 samples, including accelerated weathering; 30-, 60-, and 90-day immersions in five different chemical solutions (nitric acid, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, and distilled water); and thermal cycling. The samples then underwent mechanical testing similar to that performed on Group 1 samples.

Collection of Test Samples

Group 1: Mechanical Testing Five 6-inch-by-6-inch samples were taken from the following places on each tank: a leg attachment, the end, the top, the side, and a weld point. Oversized samples were removed and were then carefully cut to size using a band saw to ensure that the tank coatings were not damaged.
Side view of tank

Legs

Leg attachment sample End sample Tank top sample Tank side sample Weld line sample

Group 2: Environmental and Mechanical Testing From each tank, 25 4-inch-by-6-inch samples were taken, as follows: 10 samples from the weld line, 10 samples from the side of the tank, and five samples from the areas where the tank legs are attached to the tank.
Side view of tank Bottom view of tank

Legs

Weld line sample Tank side sample

Leg attachment sample

Project Completion: Key Conclusions

Mechanical integrity tests were conducted to determine whether different areas of the tank experienced differences in the effectiveness of the coatings. Testing of the Group 1 samples found no area to be consistently inferior in performance. However, when the Group 2 samples were exposed to chemical solutions, five of the seven tanks experienced damage from the solutions on the welded seam areas more than other areas. Mechanical integrity tests conducted on these Group 2 samples after environmental exposure also indicated areas that performed consistently:

On three of the seven tanks, the welded seam areas performed worst. On four of the seven tanks, side wall samples performed best. Testing also compared the effectiveness of different coating types. Powder coatings consistently outperformed liquid coatings; three of the four top-performing coating systems were powders. Performance inconsistencies across tanks may have resulted from improper tank surface preparation and coating application. With the results of this study, buyers of underground steel storage tanks will be more educated regarding the types of coating systems for different service environments, and be more confident about the corrosion protection they are purchasing for their tank.
July 2009

For More Information: Propane Education & Research Council Gregory Kerr Director of Research and Development 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 1075 Washington, DC 20036 202-452-8975 www.propaneresearch.com www.usepropane.com

Project Partner: KTA-TATOR, Inc. William D. Corbett Technical Services Manager 115 Technology Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15275 412-788-1300