UNIT II

STORAGE VESSELS
Storage Tanks
 Introduction
• Recognition of storage locations in
the community:
–Production facilities
–Bulk tank farms
–Rail transload
–Retail fueling stations
 Tanks and Storage Equipment

General
Storage of liquid materials is commonly accomplished in industrial
plants by use of cylindrical, spherical or rectangular tanks. These tanks
may be constructed of wood, concrete, or metal, with metal being the
most common material of construction.
The design of storage vessels involves consideration of details such as
size and number of openings, shape of heads, necessary temperature
and pressure controls and corrosive action of the content.
The necessary wall thickness for metal vessels is a function of:
1. The ultimate tensile strength or the yield point of the metal at
the operating temperature.
2. The operating pressure
 STORAGE TANKS

Storage tanks can be divided into the following

types:

1. Atmospheric storage

2. Pressure storage

3. Refrigerated storage
 Storage Tanks

1. Atmospheric storage Tanks

- Applied to tanks operating at or near
atmospheric pressure.
- They are used to hold liquids which
will not vaporize at ambient
temperature.
 Storage Tanks - Atmospheric Tanks
Atmospheric tanks are categorized primarily as follows:
1. Open top (no roof)
- has no roof and may store or process non-volatile liquids such
as water, brine, etc.

2. Fixed roof
- Fixed roof tanks, such as cone roof or umbrella roof are used to
store low vapor pressure liquids which will not vaporize at
temperature below 120oF.
- Generally used for gas oil, water, chemicals.

3. Floating roof
- Floating roof such as hard top pan and pontoon roof types
eliminate the vapor space above the liquid, allows storage of
higher vapor pressure materials.
- Generally used for crude oil, gasoline, napthas
Hard Top Fan Floating Roof Tank
 Storage Tanks - Pressure Storage Tanks

2. Pressure storage tanks

– applies to vessels designed to withstand pressures
sufficient to
keep liquid stored from vaporizing. Used for high vapor
pressure
liquid such as butane, propane etc.

Spheres
- Generally used to store high vapor pressure liquid
Advantage is that it can contain the greatest
amount of liquid for a given amount of steel.
- A sphere can also withstand greater pressures with
a given plate thickness than cylindrical vessels.
 Storage Tanks - Refrigerated Storage Tanks

3. Refrigerated storage tanks

- refers to low temperature/cryogenic storage
- This type is used for gases that liquefy under pressure at
atmospheric temperature.
- In cryogenic storage the gas is at, or near to, atmospheric
pressure and remains liquid because of low temperature.

• Cryogenic refers to temperature below -10oC

 Storage of Gas

• Hortonspheres
 Storage vessels
• Six basic tank designs are used for organic
liquid storage vessels:
1.Fixed roof (vertical and horizontal),
2.External floating roof,
3.Domed external (or covered) floating roof,
4.Internal floating roof,
5.Variable vapor space,
6.Pressure (low and high).
 Roof Loading
Self supporting roof- The entire load is supported by the tank periphery. The roof
shape may be
• Cone roof
• Dome roof
• Umbrella roof
• Roof loading
Roof shall be designed to support following loads
• a) Superimposed load of not less than 125 kg/m2 measured on horizontal plane in
addition to dead load of roof sheets and supporting structure. This load usually
consits of snow, wind and men walking on the roof.
• b) An internal pressure due to liquid vapor-air mixture above the free surface of
liquid
• When the tanks are subjected to high wind loads/velociteis the shell may be
stiffened to prevent failure by buckling when empty.
• Wind girders - Since minimum thickness of 5 mm is used for fabrication of top
most layer it is necessary to provide sufficient strength against wind load.
Therefore stiffening rings (Wind girders ) are used. It can also be used as a walkway
for roof inspection.
Fixed roof tanks

•This type of tank consists of a cylindrical steel shell with a permanently

affixed roof, which may vary in design from cone- or dome shaped to flat.
•Losses from fixed roof tanks are caused by changes in temperature,
pressure, and liquid level.
•Fixed roof tanks are either freely vented or equipped with a
pressure/vacuum vent.
•Horizontal fixed roof tanks are constructed for both above-ground and
underground service and are usually constructed of steel, steel with a
fiberglass overlay, or fiberglass-reinforced polyester.
 Floating roof tank
•A typical external floating roof tank (EFRT) consists of an open- topped
cylindrical steel shell equipped with a roof that floats on the surface of
the stored liquid.
•The floating roof consists of a deck, fittings, and rim seal system.
•Floating decks are constructed of welded steel plate and are of two
general types: pontoon or double-deck.
•With all types of external floating roof tanks, the roof rises and falls with
the liquid level in the tank.
•External floating decks are equipped with a rim seal system, which is
attached to the deck perimeter and contacts the tank wall.
•The purpose of the floating roof and rim seal system is to reduce
evaporative loss of the stored liquid.
•Some annular space remains between the seal system and the tank
wall.
•The seal system slides against the tank wall as the roof is raised and
lowered.
Floating roof tank
 Internal Floating Roof Tanks

•An internal floating roof tank (IFRT) has both a permanent fixed roof and a
floating roof inside.
•There are two basic types of internal floating roof tanks: tanks in which the
fixed roof is supported by vertical columns within the tank, and tanks with a
self-supporting fixed roof and no internal support columns.
•The deck in internal floating roof tanks rises and falls with the liquid level
and either floats directly on the liquid surface (contact deck) or rests on
pontoons several inches above the liquid surface (noncontact deck).
•Installing a floating roof minimizes evaporative losses of the stored liquid.
 Domed External Floating Roof Tanks

•Domed external (or covered) floating roof tanks have the heavier type of
deck used in external floating roof tanks as well as a fixed roof at the top of
the shell like internal floating roof tanks.
•As with the internal floating roof tanks, the function of the fixed roof is not to
act as a vapor barrier, but to block the wind.
•Like the internal floating roof tanks, these tanks are freely vented by
circulation vents at the top of the fixed roof.
•The deck fittings and rim seals, however, are identical to those on external
floating roof tanks.
 Storage Facility

The most common mixture of ethanol-blended fuels stored at terminal

facilities is denatured fuel-grade or denatured fuel ethanol (E95, E98).
Common consumer formulations, such as E85 and E10, are generally
blended on site during the loading process for transport to distribution facilities
or retail outlets. The blending process at a terminal commonly consists of
bottom-loading unleaded gasoline and denatured fuel ethanol in the correct
proportions into the tank truck. The two-blend components may go through an
in-line mixing system to ensure thorough blending from the outset. The
components may also be batch loaded, whereby mixing occurs en route to its
destination.
 Geodesic Dome vs. Cone Roof

48’ Geodome with 56’ High Cone with

perimeter walk/girder perimeter railing
 Production Facility

Any large volume of fuel-grade or denatured fuel ethanol will typically be stored
in conventional carbon steel storage tanks, such as those that are suitable for
gasoline and other flammable fuels. A denatured fuel ethanol tank may be
smaller than other fuel storage tanks at a terminal. Yet as consumption
increases, larger ethanol tanks will become increasingly prevalent. These
storage tanks can all be identified by markings corresponding with the fuel
inside. Copyright 2009, IAFC
Bulk Storage Terminals

• Internal floating roof

(IFR) tanks:
– Closed roof
– Internal floating pan
Bulk Storage Facilities

• Vertical storage tanks

– Also known as “dome
roof” tanks
– Bolted vs. welded
construction
Bulk Storage Facilities

• Small storage tanks

– Horizontal
– Vertical
Retail Dispensing Stations

• Stored in horizontal
underground tanks
– Location of:
• Emergency shut-off valves
• Loading & unloading points
• Risers for multiple tanks Property of Hildebrand and Noll, reprinted with permission
color-coded/marked to
identify product
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