Ok Got the pics working.....I think.
I began working on the storage tank arrangement for my boiler.
This seems to be the most difficult and time consuming portion of the project. The fact that I'm not using a "prebuilt" or "off the shelf" storage tank makes for many hours of comtemplation and "engineering".
I bought a used bulk milk tank in March of 09, and with other projects continuing to bump the boiler on the priority list, I'm finally really focused on this.
The tank is Stainless Steel, and was once mounted on the back of a truck to go out to farms and pick up milk. I suspect it is from the 60's or early 70's as it had remnants of cork insulation.
OK... Stainless is Impervious to problems.....right???? thats what I thought when bought the tank, "it will never rust out like a carbon steel tank, should last forever" I was thinking....well.....
I work at a large pharmaceutical company, and have become aware of a problem that can destroy stainless steel systems, like tanks, pipes, pumps etc. It's called CUI, or Corrosion Under Insulation and SCC....Stress Corrosion Cracking. I've seen a few references to it here at Hearth.com This probem is intensified in hot and wet climates.
We have an example of a major macro failure on our site with this problem. It's about a $10,000,000 pipe system that feeds our chem buildings, the pipe is 4in stainless "tube" thinwall pipe all connected by tri-clover type dairy fittings. The pipe was installed as recently as 6 years ago, and has failed due to this corrosion.
The insulation is Polyisocyanurate (urethane type) and the jacketing leaked, allowing water to sit between the insulation and the bare stainless. This pipe runs constantly at 150 degrees F. It's actually is a loop, with a type of water called "Low endotoxin water" super purified, only one step away from becoming "water for injection" which can be litterally safely injected into people..like IV fluid etc. It's kept at this high temp to keep it pasteurized all the time.
This water leaking through the outer jacketing allowed it to sit in a hot, wet environment, creating halides, IE chlorine, coming out of the insulation and has turned the pipe to something like swiss cheese. it has spider cracking and it "weeps" water in hundreds of places, the only repair is to replace the pipe. The new installation will require a "coating" put on by painters before the new insulation is installed.
So... there went my idea of an inpervious stainless installation. Thus, the barrier between the tank and the insulation.
Due to the size of the tank, I need to put it in the pole barn, along with the EKO 40. I will have an insulated room 16'x16' and the "storage tank box" will be inside this room. Minimizing heat losses is one of my highest priorities.
so...
1 minimize heat loss
2 don't destroy the tank by accident, or poor engineering.
I have come up with a soloution to both and will post some pictures of the project as I go. Feel free to offer suggestions, as long as they aren't a "total abandonment" of my path
go easy on me.
When I received the tank it had three carbon steel rings that originally served to mount the tank to the truck, I have removed them and cleaned the tar coating (under the original cork insulation) and basicly got the tank down to clean stainless.
Wall thickness is .100 in, or about 12 ga. I believe they helped to keep the shape of the tank, and in a "Moving" application with no baffles in the tank, it needed the strength. I am not using the carbon rings, and will let the tank sit in a saddle.
Due to the massive weight of the tank I have made a plywood bulkhead saddle arrangement, the tank will slip into this like a cartridge into a magazine. The tank will touch only clean spruce or pine, and care will be taken that when I spray the insulation (contractor will do actually) the backside of the wood slats will be sealed so no insulation can touch the stainless. My tank will be indoors, and shouldn't get wet, but hopefully "halides" won't form if i do barf the tank over somehow, and water gets into the insulation. It should be able to be dried also, I can just vent the outside of the tank until everything dries out again.
Here are some pics (hosted at photobucket) showing my progress so far.
original condition of tank.....icky!
Using Carbon steel ring to pattern the tank
Lining the frames with furring strips, added tremendous strength. My son was really bummed when I slid the tank in, no more "fort"
Lets get the whole family involved
Nice tight fit
Almost there......
I began working on the storage tank arrangement for my boiler.
This seems to be the most difficult and time consuming portion of the project. The fact that I'm not using a "prebuilt" or "off the shelf" storage tank makes for many hours of comtemplation and "engineering".
I bought a used bulk milk tank in March of 09, and with other projects continuing to bump the boiler on the priority list, I'm finally really focused on this.
The tank is Stainless Steel, and was once mounted on the back of a truck to go out to farms and pick up milk. I suspect it is from the 60's or early 70's as it had remnants of cork insulation.
OK... Stainless is Impervious to problems.....right???? thats what I thought when bought the tank, "it will never rust out like a carbon steel tank, should last forever" I was thinking....well.....
I work at a large pharmaceutical company, and have become aware of a problem that can destroy stainless steel systems, like tanks, pipes, pumps etc. It's called CUI, or Corrosion Under Insulation and SCC....Stress Corrosion Cracking. I've seen a few references to it here at Hearth.com This probem is intensified in hot and wet climates.
We have an example of a major macro failure on our site with this problem. It's about a $10,000,000 pipe system that feeds our chem buildings, the pipe is 4in stainless "tube" thinwall pipe all connected by tri-clover type dairy fittings. The pipe was installed as recently as 6 years ago, and has failed due to this corrosion.
The insulation is Polyisocyanurate (urethane type) and the jacketing leaked, allowing water to sit between the insulation and the bare stainless. This pipe runs constantly at 150 degrees F. It's actually is a loop, with a type of water called "Low endotoxin water" super purified, only one step away from becoming "water for injection" which can be litterally safely injected into people..like IV fluid etc. It's kept at this high temp to keep it pasteurized all the time.
This water leaking through the outer jacketing allowed it to sit in a hot, wet environment, creating halides, IE chlorine, coming out of the insulation and has turned the pipe to something like swiss cheese. it has spider cracking and it "weeps" water in hundreds of places, the only repair is to replace the pipe. The new installation will require a "coating" put on by painters before the new insulation is installed.
So... there went my idea of an inpervious stainless installation. Thus, the barrier between the tank and the insulation.
Due to the size of the tank, I need to put it in the pole barn, along with the EKO 40. I will have an insulated room 16'x16' and the "storage tank box" will be inside this room. Minimizing heat losses is one of my highest priorities.
so...
1 minimize heat loss
2 don't destroy the tank by accident, or poor engineering.
I have come up with a soloution to both and will post some pictures of the project as I go. Feel free to offer suggestions, as long as they aren't a "total abandonment" of my path
go easy on me. When I received the tank it had three carbon steel rings that originally served to mount the tank to the truck, I have removed them and cleaned the tar coating (under the original cork insulation) and basicly got the tank down to clean stainless.
Wall thickness is .100 in, or about 12 ga. I believe they helped to keep the shape of the tank, and in a "Moving" application with no baffles in the tank, it needed the strength. I am not using the carbon rings, and will let the tank sit in a saddle.
Due to the massive weight of the tank I have made a plywood bulkhead saddle arrangement, the tank will slip into this like a cartridge into a magazine. The tank will touch only clean spruce or pine, and care will be taken that when I spray the insulation (contractor will do actually) the backside of the wood slats will be sealed so no insulation can touch the stainless. My tank will be indoors, and shouldn't get wet, but hopefully "halides" won't form if i do barf the tank over somehow, and water gets into the insulation. It should be able to be dried also, I can just vent the outside of the tank until everything dries out again.
Here are some pics (hosted at photobucket) showing my progress so far.
original condition of tank.....icky!
Using Carbon steel ring to pattern the tank
Lining the frames with furring strips, added tremendous strength. My son was really bummed when I slid the tank in, no more "fort"
Lets get the whole family involved
Nice tight fit
Almost there......
) Open to ideas. 
