Storage Vessels

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
 Tanks and Storage Equipment
General:
1. The ultimate tensile strength or the yield
point of the metal at the operating
temperature.
2. The operating pressure
3. The diameter of the tank
4. Joint or welding efficiency
5. Various codes are available which specify the
conditions that must be met for different
vessels.
 Storage of fluids
Classification:
• Volatile
• Non-volatile and
• gases
 Storage of Non-volatile liquids
• Standard cylindrical tanks in sizes in excess of
60 metre diameter and with heights upto 30
metres.
• Small size tanks may be a rectangular with flat
ends or it may be a horizontal cylindrical
vessels with flat or slightly dished ends,
supported on two saddles.
 Storage of Non-volatile liquids
Standard free roof Cylindrical tanks
• Vertical cylindrical tanks consists of a vertical
shell usually butt welded, with a flat bottom
and roof sheets, supported on an umbrella
type roof stress.
• The capacity to hold pressure is 500 mm of
water(9.68*10-5 atm).
 Storage of volatile liquids
• Depending upon the volatility of the liquid,
the tank is designed to have a pressure-tight
roof.
- Fixed roof tanks, such
as cone roof or
umbrella roof are
used to store low
vapor pressure
liquids(2 psig) which
will not vaporize at
temperature below
120oF.
- Generally used for gas
oil, water, chemicals.
 Storage of volatile liquids
- 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(8 psig).
- Generally used for crude oil, gasoline,
napthas.
 Storage of gases
- 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 :
-The Horton sphere is a spherical pressure vessel,
which is used for storage of compressed gases
such as propane, Liquefied petroleum gas or
butane in a liquid gas stage.
- A sphere can also withstand greater pressures with
a given plate thickness than cylindrical vessels.
Thank you