What Does
Tank Blanketing Mean?
Tank blanketing refers to the use of an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) to fill vacant vapor space in a storage vessel in order to prevent fugitive emissions of harmful chemicals and/or gaseous waste products.
Tank blanketing may also be known as padding.
Corrosionpedia Explains Tank Blanketing
Tank blanketing is typically facilitated with the use an inert blanketing gas with a pressure that is greater than the atmospheric pressure. A combination of the gas blanket and vapor monitoring devices are used to regulate a constant pressure in the tank’s vapor space above the stored fluid.
The key advantages of tank blanketing are:
- Increased substance shelf life and tank corrosion prevention
- Improved safety by preventing fugitive emissions
- Improved tank structural integrity
- Improved environmental code compliance
This process is often a fundamental industrial requirement in many facilities where pressure-tight tanks are used for product or reactant storage. Such industries include, but are not limited to: pharmaceuticals, electronics and wastewater treatment.