I'm not aware that the Europa tank is made of HDPE; which is actually highly
resistant to a wide range of chemicals, hence its widespread use as basal
liners to landfills.
I don't suppose the HDPE automotive tanks are rotary moulded either.
The Kitfox rotary moulded tanks were made of cross-linked LDPE, and I'd
presumed the Europa tanks were the same. LDPE has a "benefit" of being more
elastic than HDPE.
FWIW, I have the old style non-fluorinated tank. So far it hasn't bulged,
split or leaked. However, fuel permeation is noticeable, as it was on the
Kitfox too.
Duncan Mcf.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Klein" <fklein@orcasonline.com>
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 12:17 AM
Subject: Europa-List: Fuel tank - bulges and leakage.
>
>
> On Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 13:22 US/Pacific, Alan Burrows wrote:
>
>> Having had to replace a tank and had the heartache of seeing fuel running
>> out of the bottom of my aircraft TWICE (second time after attempting to
>> repair the old tank).
>
> Alan,
>
> Could you elaborate on the products and techniques used in your attempts
> to repair the old tank?
>
> I apologize for asking you to open old wounds, but your accounts may allow
> us to focus better on finding something that just might work.
>
> No doubt folks will tend towards solutions which address the situation in
> which they find themselves. For some, a metal tank will be the obvious
> solution. For someone w/ a bulging but no signs of a leak, another
> strategy may be persuasive. For myself, w/ an empty tank installed which
> has yet to smell any fuel, I'm looking hard for a "fill and drain" agent
> which I can slosh around the tank interior which will provide an
> impervious coating to keep fuel out of the HDPE and hence eliminate the
> tank expansion as fuel would be otherwise absorbed.
>
> Because of the widespread use of HDPE tanks in the automobile industry,
> and the relatively rapid evolution of both HDPE and fuel formulations, my
> hunch is that there are hundreds of thousands of HDPE tanks which are
> vulnerable to current and future fuel blends. If that is so, there will be
> huge need and market for precisely what I'm looking for.
>
> Cheers...as they say, "better living (and flying) thru chemistry"
>
> Fred
>
>
> --
> This message has been scanned for viruses and
> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
> believed to be clean.
>
>
>
|