Storage Tanks

Selection and Sizing

CBE 497
1 Oct 02
richardhaw@sympatico.ca
 Dow Chemical - LOPC
• LOPC stands for Loss of Primary Containment.
• Considerable effort goes into preventing loss of
product from storage tanks and vessels.
• LOPC generally leads to fires and explosions with
loss of life and loss of investment.
• LOC at Phillips in Houston in Oct 89 killed 23,
injured 130 and cost over $750 million.
• LOC at Union Carbide’s plant in Bhopal, India killed
over 4000 people and cost UC well over $500 million.
• This is why LOPC is so important.
 Larg e Ch e mic a l Co mp an y Re s p o n s e To B h o p a l Dire c tiv e

Job 1 Fire a nd HAZOP

a nd
P ha s e
I to 4 Che m ica l
Exp os u re

at Dow
Expos ure P roce s s
Ca lcu la tion s P HA Engine e ring Ind e x
F &E Re vie ws R e vie ws Ca lc'n s

Flow S a fe ty &
D is p e rs ion Los s
Cons e qu e nce P re ve ntio n
Q RA Re vie w s

Lo s s Of D .O.T
MOE Conta inm e n t Em e rge ncy
Re vie ws Bho pa l Tra n s po rt
Dire ctive S ce na rios

PSV
Te ch nica l D e s ign Ba s is
Ce nte r And
Re vie w s Alte rna tive s

Ve s s e l
Ma te ria ls P re - Re a ctive
In s pe ction
S pe cia lty Sta rtu p C he m ica l
Ye a rly
R e vie w s Audit R e vie ws
R e vie ws
 NIOSH Data
• NIOSH stands for National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health.
• Lookup your chemical on the NIOSH
Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.
• http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npg.html
• As soon as you know you have a
certain chemical, extract the following
NIOSH data:
 NIOSH Exposure Limits
• Ca. Any substance that NIOSH considers to
be an occupational carcinogen is designated
by the notation – Ca.
• REL – Recommended Exposure Limit based
on a 10 hour workday during a 40 hour work
week.
• A ceiling REL is designated by a “C”
preceding the value. The ceiling value should
not be exceeded at any time.
 NIOSH STEL
• Short term exposure limit (STEL) is a 15
minute time weighted average (TWA)
exposure limit that should not be
exceeded at any time during a workday.
 NIOSH Gives OSHA Limits
• NIOSH also presents Occupational
Safety and Health Act data (OSHA).
• OSHA uses PEL for permissible
exposure limits.
 NIOSH Gives ACGIH Limits
• The American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygiene (ACGIH).
• ACGIH uses Threshold Limit Values (TLV)
which are 8 hour TWA concentrations
• ACGIH A1 is a confirmed carcinogen.
• ACGIH A2 is a suspected carcinogen.
• ST is a 15 minute TWA value for a STEL.
 NIOSH IDLH
• IDLH stands for Immediately dangerous
to life and health.
• IDLH represents the maximum
concentration from which, in the case
of respirator failure, one could escape
within 30 minutes without a respirator
and without experiencing any escape-
impairing or irreversible effects.
 NIOSH Flammability
• LEL = Lower Explosive Limit aka LFL
for Lower Flammable Limit in vol% in
air at room temperature.
• UEL = Upper Explosive Limit aka UFL
for Upper flammable Limit in vol% in air
at room temperature.
• Flash Point (Fl.P.) using either closed
cup (cc) or open cup (op) methods.
 NIOSH Other Important Data
• NIOSH gives the Auto Ignition
Temperature (AIT), if it is known.
• Boiling Point (BP) at 1 atmosphere.
• Freezing Point (FRZ) temperature.
• Solubility in water (sol) as % by weight.
• Specific gravity (Sp. Gr.).
 NIOSH Incompatibilities
• NIOSH give the important hazardous
incompatibilities or reactivities of each
substance.
• This is where I would look for
polymerization potential and the need
to take special preventative action
should a polymerization reaction start
to generate high heat of reaction.
 OSHA Classification of
Flammables
• Class 1A flammable liquid. Fl.P. below
73F and BP below 100F.
• Class 1B flammable liquid. Fl.P. below
73F and BP above 100F.
• Class 1C flammable liquid. Fl.P. at or
above 73F and below 100F.
 MSDS Information
• MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets.
A repeat of NIOSH data.
• Most large companies publish their MSDS on
the internet.
• Often six different MSDS sets of one
chemical are compared and a consensus is
taken to resolve differences in toxic and
flammability data – particularly auto ignition.
(NH3 as an example).
 Vapor Pressure Data
• Generate your own Antoine Constants over
your temperature range including summer to
winter ambient temperatures.
• The typical Antoine equation is:
Log10(P) = A + B/(t+C) where P is
in psia, t is in deg C and A,B,C are the
Antoine Constants.
• 3 sets of (P,t) data required to solve for A,B,C
in 3 equations.
 Antoine Constants for EO
S olve for Antoine Cons ta nts For Ethyle ne Oxide EO MW = 44
C2H4O

Log10(P ) = A + B/(t+C) P in ps ia a nd t in °C

Ba s is Dow P hys P rop File & P e rry 6, p3-56

°F
P1 = 11.497 ps ia t1 = 4.44 °C 40
P2 = 32.335 ps ia t2 = 32.22 °C 90
P3 = 75.009 ps ia t3 = 60.00 °C 140

C= 238.2665 P e rturb Till Diff = ne a r Ze ro

B= -1061.38464 From P1 a nd P 2
B= -1061.38467 From P1 a nd P 3
Diff = 3.6287E-05

A = 5.43362455 LEL =
B = -1061.38467 Atm P re s s = 14.696
C= 238.2665 ps ia
Vapor Pressure Plot for EO
Vapor Pressure of EO
Vapor pressure, PSIA

80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00
Temperature, C
 Vapor Pressure Info
• Look to see where VP is at lowest ambient
temperature.
• If the VP is below atmospheric pressure of
14.7 psia, and if the chemical is a flammable
chemical, air will leak into the vessel creating
an extremely hazardous situation.
• Static electricity created by falling liquid into
the vessel can set off an explosion.
Pad – Depad with an Inert gas
• To prevent air from leaking into a flammable
vessel under sub atmospheric pressure, add
nitrogen as a pad gas to maintain the
pressure above 14.7 psia.
• As the vessel requires venting during filling,
de-pad the inert gas & hydrocarbon to a flare
or to a recovery system.
• As an alternative, heat the tank to bring the
vapor pressure above 14.7 psia.
Pad – Depad Sketch
The Enthalpy Chart
 The Enthalpy Chart Cont’d
• It provides a roadmap for your process.
• Try to find an enthalpy chart for your
single component chemicals.
• If one is not available, you can
construct your own from HYSIS.
• The enthalpy chart tells you about the
need for pre-heaters, vaporizers, super-
heaters, knock-out pots, pumps,
compressors.
 MIACC or RMP?
• Check to see if your chemical is listed
on the Major Industrial Accident
Coordinating Committee List.
• Check to see if your chemical is listed
on the U.S. Risk Management Plan List.
• These lists tell you whether or not you
need to take toxic or flammable
preventative measures in your design.
 U.S. RMP
• The U.S. RMP method is now favored in
Canada over the CDN MIACC method.
• If your chemical is on the list and if your
quantity exceeds the specified threshold
quantity, you must run the RMP program to
determine the environmental impact on the
public and file the results with the EPA.
• The EPA will approve your plant design if
you have developed a suitable emergency
response plan with the public.
 RMP Computer Program
• RMP Worst Case Scenario tells you the impact
distance from your storage tank to the public for
either a toxic or flammable chemical.
• Free download at
http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/tools/rmp-comp/rmp-com
p.html
• Download it on to your hard disc.
• It’s very simple to use.
• If you don’t know your storage quantity yet, run the
threshold quantity to see how big a problem you
may have. You may decide to store less.
 Design Tools Needed
• The Ideal Gas Law, P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2
• Dalton’s law of Additive Pressure.
• Dew Point calculation.
• Bubble Point calculation.
• Flash % calculation.
• Equation of state PV = (Z)(n)(R)(T)
• The Antoine Vapor Pressure equation.
 API Storage Tanks
• API – Low pressure storage, DP < 15 psig
Pressure Vessels, DP>15 psig
• High pressure where DP > 15 psig.
 Codes for API Tanks
• API-12B – bolted tanks
• API-12D – field welded tanks
• API-12F – shop welded tanks
• API-620 – large welded, low pressure
tanks
• API-650 – welded steel tanks for oil
storage.
 Codes for Pressure Vessels
• ASME VIII - Pressure Vessel Code
• B51-M1981 – Canadian Standards
Association – Code for the
Construction and Inspection of Boilers
and Pressure Vessels.
 Codes for Piping
• American National Standards Institute
(ANSI)
– B31.1 – Power Piping
– B31.2 - Fuel Gas Piping
– B31.3 - Chem Plant & pet Plant Piping.
– B31.4 Liquid petroleum Transportation
Piping
– B31.4 – 1974 Refrigeration Piping
– B31.8 – gas Transmission Piping
 Fire Protection
• National Fire protection Association (NFPA)
• No. 30 – Flammable & Combustible Liquids
Code
• No. 58 Liquified Petroleum Gases, Stg &
Hdlg.
• No. 59 Liquified Petroleum Gases at Utility
Gas Plants.
• PSV Design – NFPA – 30
• PSV Design – API-520 & API-521
 Drainage
• NFPA 30 - 2-3.3 Control Of Spillage From
Aboveground Tanks (see PSV Size & Cost
V3.7)
 Dyking
• Dyke Dimensions on CD-ROM

Dyke L = 61.38
58.73
2.65
S Dia S
18.87 21 18.87
Ht = 21
2.11
a bove gra de , h H Ab Hole = 9.89
18.89 Hole Ht, h = 9.00
18.89

s lope S S = 18.87
EO Storage
UC MIC Storage Area
 Sizing API Tanks
• Need Liquid Density, lb/cf
• Need a Soil Bearing reading in lb/sf.
• Maximum allowable Ht of liquid = HL
• Max HL = lb/sf / lb/cf = ft. of liquid
• Need storage time in hours, days or weeks.
• Need average flow rate, cu. Ft / hr
• Volume = (cu. Ft. / hr )(hours).
• Never fill more than 90%.
• Diameter, D = [ cu. Ft. / .785 / HL ]^0.5
 Selection of API Tanks
• API 650 Tanks on CD-ROM.
• Select tanks from large data base that
meet volume and maximum height limits.
• Select options
• Length of pipe rack
• Painting
• Insulation thickness
• Dyke type – concrete or earthen
• Year for escalation of cost in database.
 Calculate Heat Loss
• Heat Loss From Vessels on CD-ROM
• May have to add re-circulating pumps
and heat exchangers.
• Basic goal is to save energy at
DCFRRAT of 20% or better.
 Determine Breathing Losses
• Storage Tank Venting folder on CD-ROM
• Read Design Methods for Storage Tank
Venting.
• BLOSS program on CR-ROM for breathing
losses due to ambient temperature
changes and pump in / pump out changes.
• Make changes in process to lower losses.
 Sizing Pressure Vessels
• Pressure Vessels V1.5 on CD-ROM
• Need volume, cf, by (lb/hr)(hrs) / (lb/cf)
• Use a safety factor of 40%.
• Select diameter, D, and length, L, so
that L/D = 4 to 5 or thereabouts.
• Select Design Pressure, DP, and
Design Temperature, DT, to safely
cover all upset conditions.
 Sizing PV Cont’d
• Select Corrosion Allowance – ca,
usually 1/16 inch for inside.
• May have to allow 1/16 inch for outside
corrosive atmospheres – near Cl2
plant.
• Select materials from data base.
• Select Joint Efficiency, E, = 0.85 or 1.0
• Select flange rating = 150 lb, 300 lb or ?
 Flange Data
PRES S URE - TEMPERATURE RATINGS FOR S TEEL PIPE FLANGES AND FLANGED FITTINGS
Ame rica n Na tiona l S ta nda rd ANS I B16.5 - 1977

Cla s s 150 lb 300 lb 400 lb 600 lb 900 lb 1500 lb 2500 lb

Hydro TP , ps ig 450 1125 1500 2225 3350 5575 9275
Te mp, De g F MAXIMUM ALLAOWABLE NON-S HOCK PRES S URE, PS IG
-20 TO 100 285 740 990 1480 2220 3705 6170
200 260 675 900 1350 2025 3375 5625
300 230 655 875 1315 1970 3280 5470
400 200 635 845 1270 1900 3170 5280
500 170 600 800 1200 1795 2995 4990
600 140 550 730 1095 1640 2735 4560
650 125 535 715 1075 1610 2685 4475
700 110 535 710 1065 1600 2665 4440
750 95 505 670 1010 1510 2520 4200
800 80 410 550 825 1235 2060 3430
850 65 270 355 535 805 1340 2230
900 50 170 230 345 515 860 1430
950 35 105 140 205 310 515 860
1000 20 50 70 105 155 260 430
 Sizing Cont’d
• Cylindrical Shell thickness = t where
t = (P)(R) / [(S)(E) - (0.6)(P)]
• P = Design Pressure, psig, aka MAWP for
Maximum allowable Working pressure.
• R = Vessel radius, inches
• S = Stress value of material, lb/sq. inch
• E = Joint Efficiency = 0.85 or 1.0
• P = (S)(E)(t) / [R + (0.6)(t)]
 Sizing Con’d
• 2:1 Ellipsoidal head
• t = (P)(D) / [(2)(S)(E) - (0.2)(P)]
• Final tf = [t + ca] rounded to next
thickness
• P = (2)(S)(E)(tf) / [(D) + (0.2)(tf)] where P
is now the back-calculated Design
Pressure
• Units same as above.
 Final Design Conditions
• Design thickness is selected on the
basis of the maximum of:
• Longitudinal seam of cylindrical shell
• Head type – ellipsoidal or ASME
• Flange rating
 Mechanical Results & Cost
P RES S URE VES S EL COS T ES TIMATE
Ta g No. Exa mple - Richa rds on's
Ca s e No. Ca s e 2
Type VKO w De mis te r
Time P e riod 4th Qrt 94 Ye a r = 1988 75 - 04
Fa b Eqt Inde x, FEI 361.31
CND$/US $ 1.00
Duty US >CAN 1.00
Ve s s e l ID, ft 4.50 54.00 inche s
Ta n-Ta n, L, ft 11.00 132.00 inche s
Ope ra ting Te mp = 130.00 °F
Ope ra ting P re s s ure = 95.00 ps ig
De s ign P S IG 130.00 Fla nge Ra ting = 150 lb
De s ign Te mp, °F 200.00 Fla nge P re s s = 258 ps ig
Ba ck Ca lc DP , ps ig 143.87 Fla nge Me s s = 150 lb Flgs O.K.
2:1 S E He a d bc DP = 144.53
Corr Allow, in 0 -19.83 Good for full va cuum
Efficie ncy 1.00 ps ig a t thk = 0.2500 inche s
Ra diogra phing 100% X-ra y
Ma t'l Option 304 S S Cyl S ur Are a = 187.32 sf
Ma t'l fa ctor = 2.50 Cyl Vol = 174.95 cf
Allow S tre s s , ps i= 15,624 Cyl Vol = 4,954 Litre s
De ns ity, lb/ci = 0.28702 BLEVE Time = 7.24 minute s
 Results Cont’d
Tp rounde d, in. = 0.25000
Twind, in. = 0.00584
Tgirth, in. = 0.11214
Tb = Tw+Tg = 0.11798
Tb rounde d, in. = 0.18750
Tb fina l, in. = 0.25000
Top Thk+CA, in. 0.25000 Min. Thk = 0.18750
Btm Thk+CA, in. 0.25000
Avg thk top to btm 0.25000 S pe cia l Cos t Es t'd Cos t
Wt S he ll, lb = 2,140 Fa ctor Ra nge
Cs Ma x, FOB Ve ndor $34,550 1.00 $34,550
Cs , Avg, FOB Ve ndor= $31,444 1.00 $31,444
Cs Min., FOB Ve ndor $28,337 1.00 $28,337
Inte rna ls Cos t $1,044 S hop Ins ta lle d De mis te r
Tota l Es t'd Cos t $32,487
Act Cos t FOB Ve ndor $0 1.0000
Actua l Fre ight $0
Actua l Cos t = $0
 Other Storage Tank Issues
• Cold Insulation to prevent dew point
forming on external surfaces.
• Complete Hazard Analysis.
• Mini- Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA).
• Spheres
• Floating Roof API tanks.
• Pressure Safety Valve (PSV) design.
 End of Presentation
• Good luck with your storage tank
designs.
• Any questions?
• If you have questions later, email me at
richardhaw@sympatico.ca