Hydrophore Tank. Pressure Vessel Water Tank. Expansion Tank. Bladder TankProducts/Hydrophore System

Hydrophore Tanks / Pressured Vessel / Expansion Vessel / Bladder Tanks / Diaphragm Tanks - Hydrophore tanks are manufactured in different material, various shape & sizes and pressure ratings. Hydrophore tanks for usage in marine, domestic home, potable water usage and more…

Hydrophore tanks, expansion tanks, bladder tanks are pressure vessels / pressure storage tanks designed to store fresh water or sea water, in conjunction with Hydrophore Pumps, Processor Logic Controller (PLC) with Human Machine Interface (HMI) operated, Integrated Control Function and alarm to create a Hydrophore System.

Purpose of Tanks:

Thermal Expansion :

The expansion tank is designed to handle the thermal expansion of water as it heats up in the water heater, preventing excessive water pressure. If water pressure gets too high, it can damage valves in plumbing fixtures, joints in supply pipes, and the water heater itself.

Storage of water :

Hydrophore pressure tanks are vessels that hold water and air under pressure. The function that pressure tank performs is to supply water to the system in booster pump applications. It can provide water to the system during of a no flow shutdown of the booster pump.

Depending on the pressure of the water that is stored inside the tank, this water can serve to users at elevated heights. As 1 BAR is equal to 10 meters, a 3 bar water stored inside a pressure tank can serve consumers at a height of 30 meters. It can also serve as deck wash, fire hydrant water, pressure jet wash and other applications that requires pressure water to be present.

Pump Wear Prevention :

Pressure vessels are most often used in waterworks applications. Their main function is to balance and maintain a constant pressure in the water distribution system. They serve as water tanks and protect your pump from frequent switching, which could lead to rapid wear.

Hydrophore Tanks / Pressure Vessels / Expansion tanks  are manufactured in two main designs:

• Vertical Closed Expansion Tanks,
• Horizontal Closed Expansion Tanks.

We supply Expansion Tanks with following features:

• Designs Variations 

- Square tanks, Sphere tanks, Cylinder tanks, Elliptical Head (Ellipsoidal tanks) and Torispherical Heads tanks.

• Pressure Ratings 

- 5 bar, 10 bar, 16 bar 20 bar etc and various sizes, 1000 (1m³), 3000L (3m³), 5000L (5m³) etc.

• Materials

- Stainless Steel SS316, Bronze, Cement coated, Glass coated, Special Drinking water Epoxy coated etc.

Various Expansion Vessel Types

1. Pressure Tank – Air over water

This design simply means a pressure vessel with air inlet port to allow pressure air to enter the vessel from the top (usually) and providing pressure to the vessel.

2. Diaphragm Pressure Tank

A diaphragm usually made of rubber material ranging from EPDM to BUTYL separating the water from the compressed air. Air inlet from the top will allow air from a compressor to enter to charge the tank.

3. Bladder Pressure Tank

A bladder inside a tank vessel usually made of rubber ranging from EPDM to BUTYL separates the water from the compressed air. This type of vessel again has 2 variations. Please see explanation below.

Bladder Tanks

How do bladder pressure tanks work?

The operating principle is the same as that of a diaphragm tank. The pressure difference caused by the squeezing of the air can reach the storage and discharge of water.

The biggest difference between the diaphragm tank and the bladder tank is the rubber diaphragm and the water outlet in the tank. The rubber diaphragm of the bladder tank can be replaced and locked on the docking flange with a crew pair.

Both have their own advantages in use. The diaphragm tank provides a stainless steel joint and is directly welded to the tank itself to reduce the possibility of air leakage. Therefore, it is not necessary to check the air leakage of the tank frequently. What’s more, it can be seen from the structure of the tank. There is an extra layer of FDA-grade PP plastic in the tank, which prevents water from directly touching the metal itself, so it is also suitable for drinking water systems.

Advantage of the bladder type is that the bladder can be replaced, so it is suitable for large tanks’ design ex: 2000L, 3000L or 5000L …etc. In terms of cost, only the bladder needs to be replaced instead of the entire tank.

What functions do bladder pressure tanks serve?

-Maintain a desired range of water pressure in the distribution system.

-Minimize pump cycling. Frequent starts and stops can damage facilities.

-Protect against water hammer.

Bladder Vessel Tank Type A – Air in Bladder

The air charge is contained within the bladder inside the tank. The air charge does not come into contact with the liquid in the tank and so cannot be absorbed. Air charge losses due to absorption are therefore not possible as they have been eliminated. The pumped liquid from the main flows into and out of the main tank, it will come into contact with the tank walls and so compatible materials must be selected.

The bladder is often made from a highly elastic rubber, such as butyl rubber, and may be sized to expand to fit the entire vessel. The bladder will typically be pre-charged at installation with a pre-determined pressure to give the correct operating level in the tank when the unit is connected to the main and at the operating pressure. There must be an anti-extrusion plate fixed at the outlet from the vessel to prevent the bladder from being drawn into the main at low pressures. The anti-extrusion plate and inlet size must be selected so that they do not impose a restriction on the flow into and out of the vessel, otherwise the unit will not function correctly as a surge tank.

Bladder Vessel Tank Type B – Water in Bladder

The air charge is contained within the tank, whilst the liquid from the main flows into and out of the bladder. Like the air in bladder design, the liquid does not come into contact with the tank walls nor the air charge, so again, the air charge cannot be absorbed by the pumped liquid and so air losses due to absorption are minimal. The pumped liquid from the main flows into and out of the bladder and will not come into contact with the tank walls, again compatible materials must be selected.

Certifications for Tank and Water

Pressure Vessel tanks, bladder vessel tanks are pressure vessels and as standard may be manufactured in ordinary carbon steel, low temperature carbon steel or 304/316 stainless steel to the requirements of the pressure vessel code of your choice.

Typically this will be ASME VIII Div 1 , ASME U Stamp (US Canada) or PD5500 (for UK), however we can also manufacture to IBR or your local requirement.

We will CE mark the equipment if it is to be used within the European Union, if the equipment is to be used elsewhere we will apply a CE mark where requested if possible.

The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) (2014/68/EU) applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of stationary pressure equipment with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0,5 bar. The directive entered into force on 20 July 2016.

Potable water certifications:

Protecting drinking water is one of the most important jobs in the world. Certified water operators are needed to perform these vital functions, and ongoing training is necessary for operators to maintain their certification and to stay up-to-date as new regulations and technologies emerge.

The following are the various drinking water / potable water certifications:

• WRAS-BS 6920
• Italian Ministerial Order no. 174
• KTW/UBA
• DVGW–TZW
• DVGW–W270
• ACS
• KIWA CLASS III
• NSF 61
• ÖNORM B 5014-1
• PZH

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