In many cases, a business may have requirements for fuel storage onsite. For basic needs, small diesel drums may be enough. However, your business may need a proper diesel fuel tank depending on the volume of fuel we’re talking about. Quite simply, the drums may prove to be inconvenient or just too tiny. Over the long term, having a fuel tank of your own will improve your operations’ efficiency, lower expenses, and save you some time in logistics. Depending on what industry we’re talking about, it could even be a necessity. But what types of diesel fuel tanks can you have, and what’s the difference between them? We’ll give you the gist of it here!
Logistics And Transport
These are industries that most often have a need to operate their own onsite diesel fuel tanks. Companies in this sector use huge amounts of diesel on a daily basis, and they need their own fuel storage to maintain their workflow.
Plus, if you get fuel in larger quantities, such bulk orders will lower the price. Such savings may seem minuscule at first glance, but in the transport sector, every kind of small cost-cutting is multiplied across fleets of vehicles which can even number in thousands. Also, dedicated fuel storage means vehicles can spend the maximum possible time on the road and not waste valuable time waiting at fuel stations along the way.
Agriculture
If we’re talking about large-scale farms, there is often a need to prepare large machines and fuel tanks for transport; these
farms almost always have their own diesel storage for practical reasons. If you’re going to use heavy-duty machinery on private roads, you will need constant easy access to fuel. And just like in the transport industry – having your own fuel means having an easier workflow.
This can be particularly important in the harvesting season that starts in late summer and goes through early fall; farmers spend most of their days on the fields and agricultural machinery practically runs non-stop.
Types Of Diesel Tanks
Now that we’ve established the importance of different types of diesel fuel tanks across multiple industries; how do we categorize and differentiate these different tanks? There is a great variety in the appearance of fuel storage options, from smaller drums to underground storage and above-ground tanks. The latter is most often used for liquid fuel that’s bound to be used commercially.
Bunded Diesel Tanks
Bunded diesel tanks get their name from the two layers they have; an outer and an inner tank, the former being the eponymous ‘bund’. The point of this is additional security and protection, obviously gained from having secondary containment. Should the inner tank suffer any kind of leak, the outer one is there to contain the fuel and keep it in check.
These days, integral bunding is the most widely utilized type of secondary containment. There are other options though, like making a concrete-based bund; but these are not as popular because of their cost and general inconvenience.
Plastic Tanks
Among other types of diesel tanks, there are also polyethylene ones – plastic diesel fuel tanks. Many companies require more portable kinds of diesel storage, such as mining or forest plants, farmers, carriers, etc. These days, most plastic tanks also have secondary containment, just like the steel ones.
There is an outer emergency reservoir, capable of holding the entire capacity of the inner tank as well. It’s important to note that these tanks do not require its operators to have building licenses, as they are movable objects. The polyethylene these tanks are made of is UV resistant, as well as resistant to any kind of corrosion; meaning a long service time.
Steel Tanks
Compared to plastic tanks, as you might imagine – steel ones are a more costly type of diesel fuel tanks to manufacture. However, they have a bigger service lifespan, and they’re more adaptable; namely because they’re generally not produced in series, but for specific requirements and dimensions. So, if you need a diesel storage tank to precisely fit in some sort of area or another technical requirement; getting a steel one will probably be a better idea. Moreover, steel tanks are hand-made, and aren’t as reliant on specific moulds; so you can find a steel tank of a much bigger capacity compared to a plastic one.
What Size Do I Need?
When it comes to choosing among the different types of diesel fuel tanks, you will also need to think about the size you want.
Naturally, this will depend on your specific needs; as well as factors like your site’s area size, the intended usage for the fuel, and your budget.
However, you will obviously need a tank that precisely fits the volume of fuel you’ll be using. With that in mind, we recommend looking at the biggest possible tank you can afford. This is because of the way fuel is priced; suppliers often give you sizable cost cuts for bulk orders. In turn, that means that you always want to buy as much as your budget allows you to. Plus, the differences in prices between tanks that have different capacities are surprisingly small in most cases.
Contributed by: Lisa Roberts