2012 FAI Annual Seminar

The Safety and Integrity of Ammonia Storage Tanks

Venkat Pattabathula Global Ammonia Technology Manager Incitec Pivot Ltd Brisbane, Australia

Incitec Pivot Largest fertiliser manufacturing and distributing company in Australia Has largest explosive grade AN manufacturing base in North America, operates as Dyno Nobel One of the key values of the company

Presentation Outline
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Introduction Types of ammonia tanks Tank design and safety aspects Tank commissioning & decommissioning Risk Based Inspection Incidents Summary

History of Ammonia Ammonia being produced for the last 100 years, first commercial production by BASF in Germany in 1913. Currently about 165 million tonnes of ammonia produced per annum worldwide. Storage of ammonia since industrial production, initially in high pressure bullets and Horton Spheres. Low pressure (atmospheric) ammonia storage at -33DegC widely accepted, safer and cost effective and storage capacity up to 50,000 tonnes.

Types of Ammonia Tanks Single Wall Tank

Insulation

Low Temp. Carbon Steel

Piles

Double wall tank (double containment)

Outer Tank

Insulation

Inner Tank

Piles

Double wall double integrity (full containment) with insulation in annular space

Outer Tank

Insulation

Inner Tank

Piles

Double wall double integrity (full containment) with insulation on outer tank

Outer Tank

Insulation

Inner Tank

Piles

Tank Design Features - Tank shall be

double wall double integrity (DWDI) with insulation on outer tank designed for internal pressure of 14 kPag. designed, fabricated, erected and tested per API-620 Appendix R. elevated on piled concrete slab foundation of about 2 meters. hydrotested of both inner & outer tanks. designed for cyclonic wind and earthquake conditions per country standards. provided with drain lines in both inner & outer tanks.

Tank Materials Both inner and outer tanks shall be of welded construction. Low temperature certified carbon-manganese steel, impact tested at or below -40DegC. Welding and Charpy V-notch testing per QA standards. Load bearing underneath the tanks with treated wood such as lignostone or equivalent. All nozzles/manway welds in the lower strakes shall be post weld heat treated- stress relieved. No hard stamping of materials.

Tank Relief A minimum of two pressure relief valves and two vacuum breakers. Only one relief or vacuum breaker be taken off-line during operation. Relief valves and safety devises per API-2000. A permanent N2 connection to maintain tank pressure as one of the layers of protection in lowlow pressure scenario. Emergency shut-off valve in liquid supply line to activate on high-high pressure.

Safety Aspects
Remote shut-off valves in liquid ammonia main inlet and outlet line to/from ammonia storage tank. The refrigeration system shall be based on recognized and proven industrial compressors. There must be an auto compressor loading/unloading facility for tank pressure control. Stand-by equipment for critical duties and utilities. The design shall take into account a closed vent and drain system for ammonia. Redundancy in critical instrumentation & control Thermal relief valves in the ammonia lines where there is a possibility of blockage or heat ingress. Fugitive ammonia emissions shall be minimised.

Safety Aspects-contd
A flare for controlled venting under extreme emergency situations Any venting of ammonia to the flare shall be avoided or minimised. Ammonia leak detection system Lightning protection and earthing protection Emergency power to one of tank boil-off refrigeration compressor Wind direction indicator Emergency plant lighting

Electrical & Instrumentation Fitted with earthing bosses, no copper conductor stripes in direct contact with ammonia. Three independent level and pressure indications. High level shut-off valve to close the supply to the tank. Adequate lighting in the storage area.

Piping and Insulation All flanges shall be minimum of 150# rating. Bottom liquid nozzle connections shall be of 300# rating. No screwed connections Insulation to be designed for Max +50C and Min -40DegC. External insulation to be covered with a continuous flat aluminium vapour barrier. No water ingress on the tank shell and base to prevent ice formation. Spiral type stairway to the tank top.

Tank Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Install waveguides to carry out acoustic emission (AE) testing. Conduct initial AE tests during hydrotest of the tank to identify any construction defects. A second AE test during first filling of liquid ammonia after cooling down operation. Hydrotest at maximum operating level of tank. Inspection Test Plan (ITP) to include witness points during all stages of construction.

Tank Commissioning Purge with nitrogen until the measured oxygen in the discharge gas is less than 4%. Purge with ammonia vapour until the oxygen in the tank is <0.5%. Cool the tank down to as low as possible with injection of liquid ammonia at a cooling rate lower than 2C/hour, preferably using a spray system. Measure the temperature in the tank away from the gas inlet. Take samples from the ammonia liquid in the tank and analyse them for water and oxygen.

Tank Decommissioning
Empty the tank to the absolute minimum liquid level. Evaporate the remaining ammonia in a way that ensures uniform and slow heating, not exceeding 2C/hour. Purge with warm ammonia or nitrogen until all liquid ammonia is removed. Remove the ammonia gas in the tank by purging with nitrogen and not with air, to eliminate the formation of an explosive mixture. To prevent environmental issues, flare all the ammonia vapour containing streams. Remove the nitrogen atmosphere by purging with air until the oxygen content is >19%. If ammonia is still measured in the gas phase due to residual oil, breathing equipment must be used when entering the tank. Residual oil remnants may require additional clean methods and additional personnel safety requirements and equipment.

Risk Based Inspection (RBI) Primary inspection method for the tank shall be the acoustical emission [AE] test method. As a global inspection technique it is capable of detecting and locating defects in the area being monitored. AE testing only detects active cracking conditions. AE signals which indicate the potential for cracking will require follow up examinations utilizing UT for confirmation and sizing. Additionally inspection must include routine inservice observation, periodic in-service inspection, and periodic inspection according to API 653.

Risk Based Inspection (RBI)- contd RBI assessments should be conducted by trained and qualified individuals knowledgeable in RBI methodology and experienced in tank foundation design, construction, , properties of materials, corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, fatigue cracking, fracture mechanics, and techniques for storage tank inspection. The RBI assessment is performed following the procedures in API 580/581.

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Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)

SCC is promoted by the presence of oxygen in combination with ammonia. SCC is minimized when the following actions are taken.
- Special efforts are taken to quickly reduce the oxygen content of the tank when re-commissioning the tank following opening or ventilation. - Tank commissioning is carried out under controlled conditions such that the tank cooling rate does not exceed 2 degrees (Celsius) per hour. - Stress relief or stress reduction techniques are used when making repairs to the tank. - Use of lower strength weld materials that are compatible with the materials being welded. - Water [0.2%] is intentionally added to the product in storage.

Inspection Frequency Risk Matrix

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Inspection Criteria

Routine In-Service Observation Periodic In-Service Inspection Internal Inspection Visual Internal Inspection WFMT Vacuum Box Inspection Pressure- Relieving Devices Evaluation per API-579-1/ASME FFS-1 Repairs to be approved by API-653 certified inspector.

Ammonia Storage Safety Incidents

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. Edmund Burke
23 incidents reported in the last 57 years of AIChE Ammonia Symposium. All were given in Table 1 of the paper. Many incidents were on stress corrosion cracking (SCC). One of the SCC case was at BASF old plant in Middlesborough, England Tank was inspected in 1989, found SCC. Repaired the defects and tank was recommissioned. Tank integrity monitoring system was put in place.

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Rupture of ammonia tank

In 1990 Symposium, Bengt Orval Andersson reported on Lithuanian fertiliser plant accident happened in March 1989, destroyed a 10,000 tonne-ammonia storage tank. Whole ammonia tank slid from its foundation, smashed with great force through a surrounding wall of reinforced concrete, finally landed 40m from the foundation. Enormous devastation around the tank, 70cm deep liquid ammonia. Large quantities of ammonia evaporated, vapour caught fire and whole plant engulfed in flames. About 32,000 people evacuated from a nearby town, rescue operation continued for three days. Seven people died, 57 were injured. Ammonia tank over-pressured when its contents rolled over. Warm ammonia supplied to tank bottom, caused the rollover while tank refrigeration compressors out of service.

Failure of inner shell of a double wall ammonia storage tank

In 1999, a 5,000 tonne ammonia storage tank decommissioned at Coromandel Fertilisers Ltd in India. Noticed ammonia liquid level in annulus area of the double wall double integrity tank, ammonia collected from splashing during ship unloading at high levels. Level transmitter indication wrong, inner cup failed when draining from a hydrostatic head of ammonia in annulus. Bottom plates fractured and circumferential welds failed. Tank repaired, bottom plates renewed. Many improvements made on tank instrumentation: new TI on annulus with a low temp alarm; interlock to trip ammonia pumps if annulus level reaches 400mm level; separate level indications for inner tank and annulus and up-to-date documentation on ammonia tank.

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Ammonia Storage Fatality

In 2005, NH3 tank emptied out for a repair, at Yara facility in Rostock, Germany. One person killed while recommissioning the tank and another injured. 100 tonnes of ammonia released. Tank rupture from high pressure Root Cause: - Thin layer of oil prevented mixing of anhydrous ammonia with aqueous ammonia which was used to cover tank bottom. When a valve on tank outlet opened, caused violent reaction and raised tank pressure causing rupture.

Ammonia Tank Rupture

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Summary
Different types of ammonia tanks were explained. Ammonia storage tank design and safety aspects were highlighted. Guidelines for decommissioning and commissioning ammonia storage tanks were provided. A detailed review of Risk Based Inspection (RBI) was given. Twenty three incidents from the last 50+ years of the AIChE symposium were listed including the root causes and mitigations put in place (refer Table 1).

Acknowledgement

Incitec Pivot Management My co-authors Raghu Nayak and Don Timbres. Walter Benson, Carl Jaske and Brian Shannon for the review of the paper.

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Thanks

Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) Any Questions Please!!!

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