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Expansion Tank Calculations
Expansion Tank Calculations
1 lb (0.45 kg) of water flashed into steam > 750 000 ft lbf (100 000 J)
open tanks
diaphragm tanks
Net expansion volume of water when heated can be expressed as
Note that in an open expansion tank fresh air is constantly absorbed in the water and tends to
corrode the system. Open expansion tanks must also be located above the highest heating
element, in general on the top of buildings, where they may be exposed to freezing.
Closed Compression Expansion Tanks
Closed compression tanks can be designed as
compression tanks with closed gas volumes - the tanks contains specific volumes of gas
which is compressed when temperatures and system volumes increase
Required volume in a closed expansion tank
Vet = k Vw [( v1 / v0 ) - 1] / [( pa / p0 ) - ( pa / p1 )] (3)
where
Vet = k Vw [( v1 / v0 ) - 1] / [1 - ( p0 / p1 )] (4)
initial temperature 50 oF
Minimum expansion volume in an open expansion tank with a safety factor 2 can be calculated
as
Vet = 2 (1000 gallons) [((0.01651 ft3/lb) / (0.01605 ft3/lb)) - 1]
= 57 (gallons)