STORAGE VESSELS247

Pressure Storage
In many situations, low pressure storage is impractical or undesirable. Higher pressures are
accommodated in spherical or bullet-shaped tanks having thicker walls. Practical and
economic considerations limit the sizes of these units well below

those of atmospheric pressure tanks. With gases. the density increases to provide added
storage capacity at elevated pressures. Even so, large-scale storage of gases is difficult. One
common solution is to liquefy the gas and store it at cryogenic temperatures and relatively
modest pressures. Pressure vessels, either spherical or cylindrical are ideal for this.
Cylindrical tanks with formed ends are less expensive. They are generally oriented, for
convenience of access, with the horizontal axis. The volume of a partially filled vessel is not a
linear function of height in this situation as it is with vertical orientation. Evaluation of the
height—volume relationship is a challenging review of geometry and trigonometry. For
those in a hurry. Perry Tables 6-52 and 6-54 (pp. 6-87 and 6-88) will be useful.

For cryogenic storage, tanks are insulated or both insulated and buried. Burial is
particularly advantageous for volatile, combustible, or hazardous liquids, since subsoil
temperatures are not only moderate but relatively constant. Also, accidental damage is
unlikely. With metal tanks the advantages of burial are offset by the potential for corrosion
on the outside. Fiberglass-reinforced plastic tanks, on the other hand, are free of these
defects. Such vessels, up to 200 m in volume, have been used successfully to store gasoline,
fuels, and volatile corrosive chemicals (281.

In-Process Storage
Day tanks, like many bins, are installed between process modules in a complex process for
storage of intermediate liquids and gases. This provides surge capacity and a margin of time
to repair defective equipment in a single module without shutting down the entire plant.
Eight hours is generally considered an optimum time, and day tanks are sized accordingly.
Otherwise, they are similar to pressure storage vessels and are designed according to the
data in the preceding section. A length to diameter ratio between 3:I and 5:I is most
common. It is based on pressure with more precise values given in Table 4-24. Feed ranks
are provided ahead of individual equipment items such as furnaces, which would be harmed
if operated empty. Typical residence times in feed tanks are about 1800 s.

Accumulators and knockout "drums" are smaller vessels (almost always : cylindrical with
formed ends) designed like pressure storage and in-process storage tanks. Accumulators are
usually oriented horizontally to provide a large liquid volume within a small vertical level
range (for control flexibility) - A time between control levels of 300 s is typical. This requires
a total tank residence volume equivalent to about 600 s. More information on accumulators
is provided in thc