mild Steel and Stainless steel, which one more expensive?

Mild steel is the cheapest stuff you can get, totally unsuitable for storeing just about any liquid unless lined or plated!

Stainless may be ok...but there ate many grades.
Try Googling 'chemical compibility steels' or similar.
Plastics are commonly used for barrels/tanks too....repeat the search but substituting 'plastics' ..

Del

Here is what Celanese recommends.

So it settles--

Store the stuff in the 200litre HDPE drums-- no messing with SS/MS Welded Tanks.

i see, thanks all

From NACE handbook "Corrosion Data Survey, Metal Section", sixth-edition, Table at page 2 for storing aerated Nitric Acid:

a. At 100% concentration at temp. 50 ^oF (19 ^oC)

- Using carbon steel shall have a corrosion rate about 1.27 mm/year.

- Using stainless steel (304 & 316) shall have a corrosion rate about 0.05 mm/year.

b. At 100% concentration at temp. 100 ^oF (38 ^oC) and above:

- Using stainless steel (304 & 316) shall have a corrosion rate about 0.508 mm/year.

Sorry, the data derived at my Post #5 is for "aerated Acetic Acid" not "aerated Nitric Acid".

I suggest you contact any company that specializes in the design and construction of acid based ore separation tanks.

There is, for example, a large population of holding tanks (100,000 gallons is common)on the Solomon Islands of New Guinea that are used to contain the acid and copper ore slurry that is part of the mining operation.

I'm not a chemist, but my understanding is that the process of leaching ore from crushed rock depends heavily on high concentrations of acid which is then drawn off from the residual rock sediment. Those tanks strongly resemble the large round tanks and rotating rakes common to municipal sewage treatment plants.

I helped design the power units needed to move that mix and as far as I can remember, the tanks were not lined. I don't trust my memory, so don't you either.

L. J.

you want 316L

It all depends- on how corrosive we are talking. I can't speak to plastics but 316 is the standard then going into duplex grades like 254SMO (much more expensive and lasts a great deal longer). I am a steel guy an "mild steel" is definitley not the answer.

Polypropylene would be a better choice.

thx your information, can u give me more detail or any reference site?

I work in the marine industry and all of the cargo tanks we have for acetic acid are made of 316 Stainless Steel