Storage tank
A tank is a large container used to safely store liquids or gases such as raw materials, intermediate products, or finished chemicals. There are many types of tanks, including fixed-roof tanks for storing low-volatility liquids, floating-roof tanks for storing volatile materials to minimize vapor loss, open-top tanks for storing non-volatile materials, spherical tanks for storing pressurized gases, and cryogenic tanks for storing very low-temperature liquids. Tanks are made of a variety of materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP), or polyethylene, depending on the corrosiveness and temperature of the chemical being stored. Key design features include secondary containment to prevent leaks, agitation systems, heating/cooling jackets, vapor recovery systems, and safety mechanisms such as pressure relief valves. The design, material selection and operation management of storage tanks are crucial to ensuring production safety, environmental compliance and economic benefits. It is essential to comply with national standards such as GB 50128-2005, GB/T 37327-2019 and standards of organizations such as the American Petroleum Institute (API), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as regular inspection and maintenance.
| Equipment type | Classification method | Features | Application scenario |
| Vertical storage tank | Classification by tank shape | The tank is installed vertically, with a small footprint and a high height, which is easy to install and operate. Vertical storage tanks are usually used to store liquids or gases, with a simple structure and low cost. | It is widely used in chemical, petroleum, food and other industries, such as storing crude oil, gasoline, diesel, cooking oil, etc. |
| Horizontal storage tanks | Classification by the shape of the storage tank | Storage tanks are installed horizontally, which is convenient for the entry and exit and loading and unloading of materials, but they occupy a large area. Horizontal storage tanks are usually used to store liquids, especially in occasions where frequent loading and unloading is required. | Commonly used to store liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), chemicals, etc. |
| Spherical storage tanks | Classification by the shape of the storage tank | The storage tank is spherical, has good pressure resistance and a small surface area, can withstand high pressure, and is suitable for storing high-pressure gases. | Mainly used to store high-pressure gases such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). |
| Cylindrical storage tanks | Classification by the shape of the storage tank | The storage tank is cylindrical, with a simple structure and low cost, and is suitable for storing liquids or gases. | It is widely used to store liquids such as crude oil, gasoline, diesel, and also to store gases such as compressed air. |
| Carbon steel storage tanks | Classification by material of storage tanks | It has high strength and low cost, but poor corrosion resistance, and usually requires anti-corrosion treatment (such as painting, lining, etc.). | It is suitable for storing liquids or gases that do not require high corrosion resistance, such as crude oil, diesel, etc. |
| Stainless steel storage tanks | Classification by material of storage tanks | Strong corrosion resistance, suitable for storing chemical media such as acids, alkalis, and salts, but the cost is relatively high. | Widely used in food, pharmaceutical, chemical and other industries, such as storing edible oil, liquid medicine, acid and alkali solutions, etc. |
| Fiberglass storage tanks | Classification by material of storage tanks | It has good corrosion resistance, light weight, long service life, but relatively low strength. | Suitable for storing corrosive media such as acids, alkalis, and salts, such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. |
| Plastic storage tanks | Classification by material of storage tanks | Strong corrosion resistance, light weight, low cost, but low strength, suitable for storage at room temperature or low temperature. | Commonly used to store corrosive media such as weak acids and weak alkalis, such as food additives, chemical raw materials, etc. |
| Composite material storage tanks | Classification by tank material | Made of a variety of materials, it combines the advantages of different materials, such as high strength and corrosion resistance. | Suitable for storing a variety of media, especially for occasions with high requirements for corrosion resistance and strength. |
| Above-ground storage tanks | Classification by tank installation method | Installed on the ground, it is easy to install and maintain, but it occupies a large area. | Widely used in chemical, petroleum, food and other industries, such as large crude oil storage tanks, edible oil storage tanks, etc. |
| Underground storage tanks | Classified by the installation method of the storage tank | Installed underground, it can save ground space, but the installation and maintenance costs are high. | Commonly used to store liquids such as gasoline and diesel, such as underground oil tanks at gas stations. |
| Semi-underground storage tank | Classified by the installation method of the storage tank | Partially installed underground, partly exposed above the ground, combining the advantages of above-ground and underground storage tanks. | Suitable for occasions that need to save ground space but are easy to maintain. |
| References | Authors | Abstract | DOI |
| The influence of spacing and volume of chemical storage tanks on the probability of domino effect of explosion fragments | Chen Gang, Zhu Jiping, Wu Jun, Wang Guodong | Existing studies mostly use probabilistic models to describe the various sub-processes of fragment ejection. By summarizing and developing the existing sub-process models, a comprehensive probability model for obtaining the domino effect was established, and a simulation software based on the Monte Carlo algorithm was compiled to predict and calculate the probability of the domino effect of chemical storage tanks. Several commonly used chemical spherical tanks were selected as adjacent target tanks for case analysis. The calculation results show that the tank spacing and volume are two important factors affecting the probability of the domino effect: with the increase of distance, the probability of the domino effect decreases; the larger the volume of the target tank, the greater the probability of the domino effect. Among them, the probability of explosion fragments hitting the target tank is greatly affected by the above factors. This study has a certain reference value for the safety assessment of chemical storage tank areas. | 10.3969/j.issn.1004-5309.2011.01.006 |
| Application of Computer-Assisted Safety Evaluation of Chemical Tank Area | Lin Zichun | This paper derives the relevant equations of the mathematical model, studies the use of Visual Basic.NET programming to implement the dichotomy method to solve complex model equations and automatically draw model curves, and adopts an object-oriented three-tier C/S architecture design to develop a chemical tank area safety evaluation auxiliary software. The connection between material parameters, legal and regulatory databases and software modules is constructed. Through the two modules of software file manager and legal document query, information can be quickly viewed, modified, saved and managed. The software has functional modules such as the safety assessment method for the selected chemical storage tank area and the accident injury model. Each functional module has a simple user interface, which enables rapid and accurate assessment and prediction of the unit's hazardous sources. In addition, the software also realizes the automatic identification function of major hazardous sources of hazardous chemicals in the unit, which has certain promotion and use value. | 10.7666/d.D444216 |
| Study on the Determination and Application of Importance of Petrochemical Tank Characteristics | Xia Dengyou, Kang Qingchun, Jia Dingduo, Cheng Xiaohong, Liu Jing, Deng Xiong | The concept of tank characteristics importance was introduced when calculating the firefighting force required for petrochemical tank fires. By analyzing the factors affecting the importance of petrochemical tank characteristics and the relationship between the factors, a more reasonable tank characteristics importance evaluation index system was constructed, and the tank characteristics importance coefficient was determined by combining the hierarchical analysis method with the multi-level fuzzy evaluation method. Application research shows that when calculating the fire-fighting resources required for petrochemical storage tank fires, the impact of the importance of storage tank characteristics on resource demand should be considered. The greater the importance of storage tank characteristics, the greater the demand for fire-fighting resources when a storage tank fire occurs, and the more firefighting forces mobilized. The determination of the importance of storage tank characteristics provides a scientific decision-making basis for fire commanders to mobilize reasonable firefighting forces when fighting petrochemical storage tank fires. | CNKI:SUN:ZAQK.0.2008-08-015 |
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