Why is the outer surface of a fuel tank always painted shiny silver?

Answer 1

to allow static charge to be distributed across the entire tank rather than be concentrated at a point, lowering the charge intensity. This reduces the likelihood of sparking. spark + petrol = boom

Answer 2

Actually not all fuel tanks are painted shiny silver. There are at least a couple of reasons you may see a lot of fuel tanks with "shiny silver" surfaces. The first, and most obvious, is that when a fuel tank is made from steel and not painted at all it will have a "shiny silver" surface. It is cheaper to not paint it at all as long as it is made from a corrosion resistant material like stainless steel. Some fuel tanks are deliberately given shiny surfaces to reflect light and other energy to help keep the tank cooler. If the tank gets warm, the vapor pressure of the fuel inside goes up and the tank must either vent (which means losing some fuel to evaporation) or be constructed to contain the internal pressure.

Answer 3

The shiny silver paint helps reflect sunlight and reduce heat absorption, which can help prevent the fuel inside the tank from heating up and potentially becoming a fire hazard. Additionally, the silver paint can also make the tank more visible to ground personnel and pilots for safety reasons.

Answer 4

They have shiny or white surface. They don't have black surface because black color absorbs heat and fuel is flammable and it can catch fire.