The Riggins Standard · Houston PolyTank · Liberty CES
DVS 2205 Thermoplastic Tank Specifications
German engineering. American manufacturing. Monolithic integrity.
Extrusion-wound HDLPE and polypropylene (PP) tanks engineered for zero spec failure in aggressive duty—specified by James Riggins for sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, caustics, and high-temperature process service.
Calculated safety factors for thermoplastic vessels—beyond empirical catalog ratings.
Cylindrical & patented rectangular tanks for complete tank farms.
Monolithic, tapered wall thickness—no liner, no composite layers, no “elephant feet.”
HDLPE: −40°F to 120°F, pH 0–14. PP: up to 180–200°F water / hot acid, engineered for high SG chemistries.
Built for process engineers, reliability leads, and maintenance superintendents who need physics, not fluff.
I Don’t Sell Tanks.
I Engineer Sleep.
In high-stakes chemical service, failure is never about the plastic alone—it’s about the application. This is where the Riggins Standard draws the line between “good enough” and zero spec failure.
In 30 years of industrial specification, I have never seen a tank fail because of the plastic. They fail because of the application.
A catalog number doesn’t know you are diluting 98% Sulfuric Acid in a Texas winter. It doesn’t know your pump vibration frequency, seismic zone, or vent path.
I do.
My job isn’t to take your order. My job is to interrogate your P&ID until I am 100% certain that what we build will survive your reality. If I can’t guarantee it will last 20 years in your duty, I won’t spec it.
- $4.9M Annual cost avoidance delivered across clients.
- 0 Spec-related failures on Riggins-approved DVS 2205 thermoplastic tanks.
- 100% “Video of Offload” verification for critical tank installations.
Would James Reject Your Current Spec?
Run a quick self-check. If any of these are true in your tank farm, your spec is already on the Riggins reject list.
This section positions James Riggins as the technical gatekeeper and human firewall for Houston PolyTank extrusion-wound HDLPE and polypropylene tanks designed to DVS 2205 standards, eliminating elephant-foot failures, thermal shock cracking, and under-designed sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and high-specific-gravity applications.
Structural Mechanics: Calculated Loads & Stress Elimination
Standard roto-molded tanks rely on empirical estimates. We rely on DVS 2205 calculations. By programming the wall thickness during extrusion, we place material exactly where the hoop stress demands it.
Programmable Wall Thickness (Creep Mitigation)
The Problem
Hydrostatic pressure exerts maximum force at the tank bottom. Constant pressure causes thin roto-molded walls to bulge outward ("Elephant Footing"), leading to catastrophic stress cracks at the knuckle radius.
The HPT Spec
We utilize automated extrusion winding to taper the wall thickness. The bottom is wound up to 3.5" – 6.0" thick (depending on Specific Gravity) to handle the hydrostatic load, tapering to ~1.0" at the top.
Result
Zero sidewall bulging. Complete structural rigidity for fluids with Specific Gravity > 1.9.
2,000 lb Dynamic Load Capacity (No Steel Bridges)
The Problem
Agitators and mixers create vibration and torque. Standard plastic tanks cannot support this weight, forcing facilities to build expensive, corrosive carbon steel bridges over the tank.
The HPT Spec
Our reinforced top heads act as a structural platform. The monolithic wall strength supports up to 2,000 lbs (1 Ton) of vertical mixer load directly on the tank roof.
Result
Eliminates the need for external steel infrastructure. Reduces CAPEX and removes a primary corrosion point in acid environments.
Pressure Ratings vs. Atmospheric Standards
The Problem
Rapid filling/emptying or thermal changes create pressure differentials. Roto-molded tanks are typically restricted to a maximum of 0.36 PSI, making them fragile in dynamic flow loops.
The HPT Spec
Standard design covers atmospheric pressure. Enhanced structural ribbing allows for specific operating pressures up to 1.0 - 2.0 PSI continuous.
Result
Superior resilience against vacuum collapse during pump-out cycles and pressure spikes during tanker offloading.
Houston PolyTank DVS 2205 HDPE and polypropylene tanks use programmable wall thickness, mixer-rated top heads, and engineered pressure tolerance to eliminate elephant foot bulging, reduce CAPEX, and prevent vacuum implosion in high specific gravity chemical service.
The Engineering “Kill Sheet”: Material Performance Matrix
Compare the DVS 2205 standard against commodity roto-molded and fiberglass alternatives. Green indicates “Mission Critical” readiness.
Tip: On mobile, swipe sideways to scan the full risk profile.
| Engineering Variable | HPT Extrusion-Wound (The Riggins Standard) |
Fiberglass (FRP) | Roto-Molded (PE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Structure |
Monolithic (Solid) Homogeneous, high-density wall. No layers to separate. |
Layered (Laminate) Prone to “wicking” where acid travels along glass fibers. |
Stressed Skin Molding process locks in cooling stress and residual tension. |
| Why it matters: Monolithic walls remove hidden failure planes. Laminate and stressed-skin designs can hide long cracks and acid paths until it is too late. | |||
| Thermal Expansion |
Engineered Flexibility Designed with expansion joints & spring supports to handle plastic’s ~19× expansion vs. steel. |
Rigid / Brittle Low tolerance for movement; prone to cracking at flanges. |
Rigid / Nozzle Shear Direct-bolted plumbing often shears off nozzles during temperature swings. |
| Why it matters: Outdoor tank farms live or die at the nozzle. Plastic grows far more than steel. If the system is not engineered for that growth, flanges tear themselves apart. | |||
| Failure Mode |
Ductile (Yields) Material stretches before breaking. Leaks are slow and detectable. |
Delamination Structural layers separate, leading to sudden loss of hoop strength. |
Stress Cracking (ESC) Catastrophic “unzipping” due to environmental stress cracking. |
| Why it matters: How a tank fails determines whether you catch a weeping leak during inspection or face a sudden rupture, emergency shutdown, and environmental event. | |||
| Mixer Support |
Direct Mount (1 Ton) Reinforced top heads support 2,000 lbs dynamic mixer load directly. |
Requires Bridge Cannot support torque; needs external steel infrastructure. |
Requires Bridge Roof will collapse under dynamic mixer torque. |
| Why it matters: If the tank cannot carry the mixer, you pay twice—once for the vessel and again for a steel bridge that immediately becomes a corrosion liability. | |||
| Service Life |
20+ Years Designed for long-term industrial asset performance. |
15–20 Years Resin barrier gradually degrades under chemical exposure. |
3–7 Years Limited lifespan in aggressive chemical service. |
| Why it matters: Doubling service life effectively halves lifecycle cost per gallon stored, and defers expensive shutdowns, crane picks, and re-permitting. | |||
| Repairability |
100% Field Weldable Thermoplastic remains melt-processable for life. Easy onsite modifications. |
Difficult Requires grinding, patching, and resin curing. Messy and slow. |
Impossible Cross-linked polyethylene cannot be welded once cured. |
| Why it matters: Field-weldable tanks can evolve with your process—adding nozzles, changing elevations, and adapting to new chemistries without a full replacement. | |||
| Design Standard |
DVS 2205 Calculated safety factors based on specific chemical and temperature load. |
ASME RTP-1 Standard for reinforced thermoset plastic vessels. |
ASTM D1998 Empirical estimates; often “over-thick” but under-engineered walls. |
| Why it matters: DVS 2205 is engineered to your exact specific gravity, temperature, and chemical—rather than assuming water-like service and hoping for the best. | |||
Material performance comparison between Houston PolyTank extrusion-wound DVS 2205 thermoplastic tanks, fiberglass FRP, and roto-molded polyethylene, highlighting wall structure, thermal expansion, failure mode, mixer support, service life, repairability, and design standards.
Advanced Geometries: Solving Space & Logistics Constraints
Patented geometries designed to maximize storage density and eliminate wide-load shipping delays.
Patent US 10,150,264: The Self-Supporting Rectangular Tank
The Logistics Hook: Stop waiting for wide-load permits. Our engineered rectangular tanks are dimensionally optimized to fit inside standard 40' High-Cube Shipping Containers. This eliminates pilot cars, reduces freight costs by >80%, and guarantees your infrastructure arrives on schedule.
The Density Hook: Cylindrical tanks waste 30% of your floor space (the corners). Our rectangular geometry allows for tight grid-packing in Solvent Extraction (SX) batteries and retrofit rooms, increasing your total plant storage capacity by 20–30% within the same footprint.
The Structural Hook: Unlike roto-molded rectangles that bow and fail, our tanks utilize internal and external extrusion-wound ribbing (DVS 2205). The monolithic structure is self-supporting, eliminating the need for corrosive external steel cages.
Metal Mesh Reinforced Piping & Cylinders
The Strength Hook: For large diameter intake/outfall lines (24"+), standard HDPE creates thermal expansion headaches. We embed multi-layer metal mesh directly into the extruded wall. This creates a composite with 2× the Hoop Strength of solid plastic and a coefficient of expansion closer to steel, preventing “snaking” in high-temperature lines.
The Safety Hook: Acts as a Faraday Cage for static dissipation in solvent lines, mitigating explosion risks in NFPA classified areas.
Houston PolyTank patented rectangular thermoplastic tanks and metal mesh reinforced piping solve logistics, floor space, hoop strength, and NFPA static dissipation challenges by fitting into 40-foot high-cube containers, boosting storage density, and stabilizing large diameter lines.