Requirements for Internal Floating Roof to be fitted in Fixed Roof Storage Tank

1. General conditions
The following premises shall also be considered:
a) The tank shall operate up to the limit of its capacity without need for any manual operation
and without causing harm to the equipment;
b) The floating roof shall be in contact with the product at all time, except when it is resting on
the supporting legs;
c) The design shall indicate the maximum and minimum heights of operation of the tank, which
is an important item as regards approval of the project;
d) There is no need for a drain in the roof nor for a rolling stairway;
e) The supports for the roof shall be designed to withstand the weight of the roof plus an
overload of 100 kgf/m2, and may be fixed, not requiring two different heights, and of the least
possible height. Provision shall of course be made for reinforcing plates at the bottom of the
tank, to receive the supporting legs.
f) There shall be a sealing system between the floating roof and the fixed roof supporting
columns, using as reference the PW seal form Petrobras Standard N-1742.
g) The roundness of the shell wall, possible banding and peaking at welds and the plumpness of
the shell and the columns shall all be measured. In case of divergences from the values
indicated in the standards, a repair procedure shall be worked out and be submitted to Client
for approval;
h) The recommendation from Petrobras Standard N-271 to grind down the internal welds shall
be followed.
i) Before installing the seal it is and its advisable to make a preliminary inspection to check
whether or not there is excessive thickness of weld or spatter that might jeopardize the seal
and provide the respective correction shall be made. There is no need to grind down flush
with the shell wall but merely to smooth off the surface. Check to see if, in addition to the state
of the circumferential and vertical welds, the possibility has occurred of some assembly
device having left marks that might jeopardize the seal of the roof. The entire inside shell wall
shall be visually inspected to detect such possible problems;
j) To permit maximum rise of the floating roof, the details of attachment of the radial beams to
the shell wall shall be modified so that the "PW" seal gets as close as possible to the fixed
roof, with the emergency overflow slots units being positioned from that point on.
k) The supporting columns shall be checked for plumpness and possible extra thickness /
spatter of weld in the regions of attachment of sections or handling devices which shall be
corrected so as to allow the roof to slide without getting stuck and damaging the sealing
system between the roof and the columns.
l) Delivery of complete design for approval.
m) Supply of all materials for fabrication and assembly, including roof accessories, "PW" seal,
anti - rotation device with still pipe.
n) Assembly, inspection, floatability and waterproofing tests in compliance with pertinent
standards. Painting, cleaning and commissioning tank for delivery.
o) A flotation test will have to be performed on the roof and there shall be a written procedure
available for the purpose, in line with Petrobras Standard N-271. Where various tanks are the
same only one such test will be needed.
p) All tanks shall be subjected to the floating roof water tightness and freedom of movement, by
running it along the entire height of the shell wall from its resting position on the supporting
members up to upper most position (overflowing).

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 2. Design conditions
a) The internal floating roofs shall be manufacture in Aluminum and to be conforming to
appendix "H" of the API-650 Standards.
b) The internal floating roof shall be bulk headed type (API-650 item H.5.1.1.b), which shall be
provided with partition liquid tight plates forming circular ring sectors with the top and deck
plates, in order to permit the roof operation even if any 2 (two) of these compartments are
flooded.
c) The internal floating roofs must be supplied and installed with the followings appurtenances:
c.1) Pressure relief device (according to DE-0001.00-6000-510-PEI-029) and automatic
vacuum vents;
c.2) Circulation vents, located at the conical roof according to API-650 items H.6.2.2.1 and
H.6.2.2.2;
c.3) Overflows, according to API-650 item H.6.3.2;
c.4) Fixed support members for the floating roof, support at the bottom of the tank, so as to
ensure free height the lowest possible compatible with the accessories of the roof and shell,
for operating the tank with maximum output;
c.5) Electrical earthing devices between the internal floating roof and the fixed conical roof
with electrical cables fixed at roofs;
c.6) Sealing device, according to drawing DE-0001.00-6000-510-PEI-001 (specific note
about tanks with diameter smaller then 15 meters shall be observed);
c.7) Sealing system for the local level gauge tubular column (gauge hatch nozzle),
supporting columns of roof tank and pipes utilized at the gauge instruments (level and
temperature);
c.8) At least 1 (one) manhole on the internal floating roof to provide access and ventilation
to the tank when supported on its columns for maintenance purposes.
This manhole shall be designed to provide opening and enclosing by both sides.
d) Cylindrical rollers of anti-sparkling material, shall be attached to the internal floating roof,
nearby one of the gauge hatches, in order to prevent rotation of the internal floating roof.
e) The overflow nozzles shall be constructed with an internal perforated plate in such a manner
that it works as a shell extension, in order to allow the free movement of the internal floating
roof.
f) The ventilators must be mounted on the fixed roof of the tank so as to ensure an environment
inside the tank free from an explosive mixture. For that purpose we add to the existing
recommendations in API-650, Appendix H the following items:
f.1) The minimum number of ventilators for the tanks must be in accordance with the
following criteria:
• tanks up to 15 meters in diameter: 7 ventilators 20" in diameter;
• tanks from 15 to 20 meters in diameter: 7 ventilators 24" in diameter;
• tanks over than 20 meters in diameter: use the graph in Figure 1 of this Specification to
select the number of ventilators, which in all cases must be 30" in diameter.
f.2) Ventilators must be located in a circle with a radius equal to that of the tank minus two
meters, with maximum spacing from center to center of the ventilators of 9.5 m. Considered
above conditions, part of ventilators may be located in other circumference with 60% ratio
of the first, if a better ventilators distribution is possible.
f.3) Ventilators must be oriented in such a manner as to catch the wind in a direction
tangential to the circle in which they are installed.
f.4) At least four ventilators per tank must be specified so that they can be easily removed,
and so that the nozzles in which they are installed can act as inspection manholes and as
points of access to the inside of the tank when the roof is floating.
f.5) The vent located at the center of the fixed roof must have a diameter equal to that
specified for the ventilators.

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 f.6) Figure 2 of this specification contains a suggestion for the shape of the ventilator.
g) Design of the internal floating roof shall include indication of the maximum and minimum
heights of operation conditions and hydrostatic test conditions of tank.
h) The overflow slots and high level alarm nozzles, located in tank shell, must be located at the
highest possible position, in order to guarantee that the internal floating roof seal device do
not interfere with the radial rafters support nearby the shell and operation volume of tank is
consider.

3. Fabrication and Assembly

a) Fabrication and assembly of the periphery seal shall be according to Petrobras Standard N-
1742.
b) The internal floating roof and its appurtenances shall be assembled in accordance with written
procedures duly approved by Petrobras.
c) The internal floating roof assembly shall be done in order to guarantee that the distance
between the external rim and the tank shell is 200 mm along the tank periphery, i.e.: the
external rim circularity shall be compatible to that of the tank shell, at the roof assembly
position.
d) Welding of internal floating roof shall be executed in accordance with Petrobras Standard N-
133.
e) If manufactured with carbon steel material the internal floating roof shall be painted in
accordance with Petrobras Standards, after performance operation and buoyancy tests of
roof. The painting condition of lower part shall be in accordance to internal painting of tank
condition (N-1201) and to upper part shall be in accordance to external painting of tank
condition (N-1205).

4. Inspection and Tests

a) For existing tanks, the supplier of internal floating roofs shall do inspection and dimensional
analysis in all tanks where will install the roofs and indicate: corrosion, local deformations,
ovalizations, lack of plumb of shell and support columns of fixed roof, and any detail of tank
that will interfere with floating roof operation. Supplier shall be inform Petrobras previously, if
the tanks are suitable to internal floating roof installation.
b) Performance operation and buoyancy tests shall be executed according to Appendix "H" to
Standard API-650.
c) Tests shall be executed after the completion of assembly and shall precede the acceptance of
the internal floating roof by Petrobras.

5. Technical Documentation
At least the followings documents shall be furnished to internal floating roof, for comments and
approval.
a) Document list;
b) Calculations of followings items:
• buoyancy of roof,
• pressure and vacuum relief devices,
• circulation vents of fixed roof,
• shell overflow slots,
• roof support structures.
c) Fabrication drawings of internal floating roof, with the least the followings documents:
• complete structure roof drawing,
• sealing device of internal floating roof drawing,
• sealing devices of support columns,

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 • fabrication and assembly drawings of devices and appurtenances, to be installed in
internal floating roofs and tanks,
• roof welding plan.
d) Assembly procedures;
e) Maintenance / Operation Manual.

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