Why choose a Fuel Proof fuel tank with its cylinder construction over a rectangular tank?

Cylindrical fuel tanks are stronger.

A cylinder is the strongest shape of any liquid storage tank – which is why it always made total sense to us to design, build and install cylindrical fuel tanks, as the vastly superior alternative to traditional square fuel tanks.

Our signature all-steel construction, both on the inner tank AND the outer bund, results in massive strength. In fact, we've pressure tested our cylindrical fuel tanks to destruction – at 10 TIMES the pressure of a flat-sided tank!

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Our cylindrical fuel tanks are raised at one end.

Due to today's fuels containing bio content, this produces hygroscops (water) in that fuel. Sloping our fuel tanks means that any water content moves to the tank's lowest point, (since water is denser than diesel and sits beneath it in the tank), where we use a sump pump to remove this water content every three months.

Conversely, with a traditional flat-bottomed fuel tank, this water content can never be removed easily. Due to its flat design, water is allowed to pool across a large surface area of the tank's base. This large water-fuel boundary is where fuel bacteria (called diesel bug) thrives, and tank corrosion occurs.

The result? Fuel contamination. Leading to costly downtime for any machine or vehicle with a diesel-powered engine.

The solution? A better, stronger, cylindrical diesel tank, which our team at Fuel Proof specialise in.

All aviation fuel tanks are engineered and built in this cylindrical shape, for the same reasons of fuel quality. We just apply this same superior design to every fuel tank that we design and manufacture – because it results in a better end product for our customers.

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Fuel Proof cylindrical fuel tanks are more resistant to corrosion, for a superior service life and fuel tank warranty.

Our cylindrical bulk tanks sit on twin saddle feet, manufactured with thick and super-strong 12mm or 15mm steel plates, which are the only points of contact between the fuel tank and the ground.

The rest of the tank's mass is suspended above, so that the steel of the bund (the tank's main outer body) makes zero contact with the ground... and any moisture or surface water that ground might contain.

Under the remainder of the tank, the ground is easy to keep clean, and the tank's paintwork is easy to see and inspect. The result is a bunded steel fuel tank with an extremely impressive service life – far beyond a rectangular tank design.

Paired with our tank's cylindrical shape, any rain that might collect on top is instead allowed to roll away, further minimising any contact between our tank's steel and the water that might corrode it.

Consider the shape of a rectangular tank in contrast, and the most important part of the tank – its base – is in full contact with the ground for several years. If indeed the tank survives for that long without corroding and leaking fuel.

With a rectangular tank, rainwater sits on the tank top. Leaves and debris can also build up around its base, forming a wet mass that can further expose the tank's steel to water. Any lack of paint to this tank means that corrosion would set in, and the tank's basic flat design makes it impossible to inspect without hiring a crane and removing the tank's electrical supply.

As you can imagine, given the time and cost involved, this kind of work is never really carried out – causing a fuel tank's bunds to fail due to corrosion, and for diesel fuel to eventually leak out into the environment.

For these reasons, the service life of a traditional rectangular fuel storage tank will be around half that of a cylindrical tank.

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Fuel Proof fuel tanks are double-coated in super tough polyurethane paint.

With external shot blasting and a double coating of 2K polyurethane to 150 microns, we give our cylindrical fuel tanks the perfect finishing touch, which further reinforces their corrosion-resistant qualities.

We have not come across another fuel tank builder offering a paint preparation as good as this on large fuel tanks like these – meaning that to the best of our knowledge, our team designs and manufactures the best finished bulk fuel storage tanks in the industry.

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Take a look below at just a few of our design-and-build projects, featuring our signature cylindrical tanks: