Annex H (summary API 650)

1. Material:
- Steel in contact with the vapor or liquid shall be 4.8mm minimum nominal thickness.
Other steel shall be 2.5mm minimum nominal thickness.
- Aluminum skin shall be 0.5mm minimum thickness. Aluminum floats shall be 1.2mm
minimum nominal thickness.
- Stainless steel skin shall be 0.46mm minimum thickness. Stainless steel floats shall
be 1.2mm minimum nominal thickness.

2. Requirements for all types:

- The internal floating roof shall be designed and build to float and rest in a uniform
horizontal plane (no drainage slope required).
- All seams in the internal floating roof that are exposed to product vapor or liquid shall
be vapor-tight.
- A vapor-tight rim, extending at least 150mm above the liquid at the design flotation
level shall be provided around both the internal roof periphery and around all internal
roof penetrations.
- All conductive parts of the internal floating roof shall be electrically interconnected and
bonded to the outer tank structure. This shall be accomplished by electric bonding
shunts in the seal area (min. 4) or flexible multi-strand cables from the external tank
roof to the internal floating roof (min. 2).
- All movable cover accessories on the internal floating roof shall be electrically bonded
to the internal floating roof to prevent static electricity sparking when they are opened.
- Each closed floatation compartment shall be capable of being field inspected for the
presence of combustible gas. Inspection openings shall be located above the liquid level
and closed compartments shall be capable of being resealed in the field after periodic
inspection.
- Closed top compartments shall be accessible from the top of the internal floating roof
and provided with a secured and gasketed manhole for inspection and the manhole
cover shall be provided with a suitable vent. The top edge of the manhole shall extend
a minimum of 25mm above the top of the pontoon.
- All closed floatation compartments shall be seal welded to prevent liquid or vapor entry,
for pontoon internal floating roofs, each bulkhead in a closed flotation compartment
shall also be provided with a continuous seal weld all around.
- Internal floating roof classified as full-contact types shall be designed to minimize
trapped vapor space beneath the internal floating roof.

3. Buoyancy requirements:
- All internal floating roof design calculation shall be based on the lower of the minimum
design specific gravity or 0.7, regardless of any higher minimum specific gravity that
might be specified by the purchaser.
- All internal floating roofs shall include buoyancy required to support at least twice its
dead weight plus additional buoyancy to offset the calculated friction exerted by
peripheral and penetration seals during filling.
- All internal floating roofs with multiple floatation compartments shall be capable of
floating without additional damage after two compartments are punctured and flooded.
Designs which employ an open center deck in contact with the liquid shall be capable
of floating without additional damage after two compartments and the center deck re
punctured and flooded.
- The internal floating roofs shall be designed to safely support two men walking
anywhere on the roof while it is floating without damaging the floating roof and without
allowing product on the roof. 22 kPa or 2.2kN/0.1m2.
- Steel structural components shall be proportioned so that the maximum stresses shall
not exceed the limitations specified in the latest edition “the manual of steel
construction, Allowable stress design”.

4. Joint design:
- All seams in the floating roof exposed directly to product vapor or liquid shall be
welded and checked for vapor-tightness.
- Welded joints between carbon steel shall conform to 5.1.
- Single-welded butt joints without backing are acceptable for floating unit where one
side is inaccessible.
- The thickness of fillet welds on material less than 4.8mm thick shall be not less than
that of the thinner member of the joint.
- Use of any joint sealing compound, insulating material, polymer, elastomer, or adhesive
must be pre-approved by the purchaser. Where such joints are permitted, any joint
sealing compound shall be compatible with the product stored; specified service
conditions; and with the material joined. Any non-metallic compound shall be selected
and fabricated to preclude absorption of hydrocarbons, hydro-test water and specified
product to be stored.
- If specified by the purchaser all steel plate seams exposed to the product liquid shall be
seal welded.

5. Peripheral seals:
- In addition to the required floating roof primary seal, secondary-peripheral seals shall
be provided.
- When an IRF has two such devices, one mounted above the other, the lower is the
primary peripheral seal and the upper is the secondary peripheral seal.
- All peripheral seals and their attachment to the floating roof shall be designed to
accommodate +-100mm of local deviation between the floating roof and the shell.
- All fasteners and washers for installation of seal joints, including fabric seal joints, shall
be austenitic stainless steel.
- The seals shall be designed for a temperature range extending from design metal
temperature less 8 degrees C to the maximum operating temperature.
- Lengths of seal sections shall be as long as practical. No holes or openings shall be
permitted in the completed seal. The seal material may be fabricated in sections
resulting in seams, but any such seam shall be joined or otherwise held tightly together
along the entire seam. For peripheral seals that use a fabric material to affect the seal,
the requirement in the preceding sentence applies only to the fabric and not to any
support devices. An adequate but minimum number of expansion joints shall be
provided.
- Provisions shall be made to prevent damage to the seal due to any overflow openings
in the shell.
- Rough spots on the shell that could damage the seal assembly shall be ground smooth.
- All metallic components shall be electrically bonded.

6. Roof penetrations:
- Columns, ladders, and other rigid vertical appurtenances that penetrate the deck shall
be provided with a seal that will permit a local deviation of +-125mm.
- The floating roof shall be provided with adjustable supports, unless the purchaser
specifies fixed support.
- Unless specified otherwise, the height of the floating roof shall be adjustable to two
positions with the tank in service. The design of the supports shall prevent damage to
the fixed roof and floating roof when the tank is in an overflow condition.
- The purchaser shall specify clearance requirements to establish the low and high levels
of the roof supports.
- The high roof position shall provide 2-meter minimum clearance throughout the
bottom, between the roof and tank bottom.
- Supports shall be fabricated from pipe unless cable or another type is approved by the
purchaser.
- Supports fabricated from pipes shall be notched or otherwise constructed at the bottom
to prevent liquid drainage.
- Cable supports shall be adjustable externally and shall not have an open penetration at
the floating roof surface.
- The operating position (low level) and length of the cables shall be such that sinking or
collapse of the internal roof will not apply loads on the support cables.
- Cables used to support internal roofs shall be 300 series stainless steel and shall be
flexible to facilitate repeatable lay down patters on the floating roof as it travels up and
down within the tank.

7. Openings and appurtenances.

- If specified by the purchaser, the tank shall be supplied with a ladder for internal
floating roof deck.
- The ladder shall be installed within a fixed-roof manhole.
- The ladder shall not be attached to the tank bottom unless other provision is made for
vertical movement at the upper connection.
- Vents suitable to prevent overstressing of the roof deck or seal membrane shall be
provided on the floating roof. These vents shall be adequate to evacuate air and gases
 from underneath the roof such that the internal floating roof is not lifted from resting
on its supports during the filling operations, until floating on the stored liquid. The vents
shall be adequate to release any vacuum generated underneath the roof after it settles
on its supports during emptying operations to limit the floating roof external pressure.
- Internal floating roof which utilize supports legs shall be equipped with leg or pressure
vacuum activated vents.
- IRFs which utilize cable supports and mechanical activated vents shall have a leg or
cable activated vents for low-high level.
- Unless agreed otherwise by the purchaser and roof manufacturer, leg or cable activated
vents shall be designed to open automatically when the roof lowers to 150 mm above
its support level and to close automatically when the roof raises more than 150mm
above these support levels.
- Float-activated vents shall be designed to remain closed while the roof is floating.
- Pressure-vacuum activated vents shall be designed to open and achieve required flow
rates within the design capacities of the floating roof and floating roof support system.
- Peripheral circulation vents shall be located on the tank roof, so that they are above the
seal of the internal floating roof when the tank is full. The maximum spacing between
vents shall be 10 m, based on an arc measured at the tank shell, but there shall not be
fewer than four equally spacing vents. The venting shall be distributed such that the
sum of the open areas of the vents located within any 10 m interval is at least 0.2 m2.
The total net open area of these vents shall be greater than or equal to 0.06 m2/m of
tank diameter. These vents shall be covered with corrosion resistant coarse mesh (13
mm) screen openings.
- A center circulation vent with a minimum net open area of 30,000 mm2 shall be
provided at the center of the fixed roof at the highest elevation possible on the fixed
roof.
- Additionally, the tank shall be protected with a pressure-vacuum vents.
- The purchaser shall provide appropriate alarm devices to indicate rise of the liquid in
the tank to a level above the normal and overfill protection levels.
- The floating roof manufacturer shall provide the design floatation level of the IFR at
which the pressure/vacuum relief vents will begin to open.
- When emergency overflow slots are used, they shall be sized to discharge at the pump-
in rates for the tank. The greater of the design specific gravity or 1.0 shall be used
to determine the overflow slot position that accidental overfilling will not damage the
tank or roof or interrupt the continuous operation of the floating roof. Overflow
discharge rates shall be determined by the net open area and using a product level not
exceeding the top of the overflow opening. The overflow slots shall be covered with a
corrosion-resistant coarse mesh screen and shall be provided with weather shields. The
open area of emergency overflow slots may contribute to the peripheral venting
provided that at least 50% of the circulation-vent area remains unobstructed during
emergency overflow conditions. The floating-roof seal shall not interfere with the
operation of the emergency overflow openings. Overflow slots shall not be placed over
stairway or nozzles unless restricted by tank diameter/height or unless overflow piping,
collection headers, or troughs are specified by the purchaser to divert flow.
- The internal floating roof shall be centered and restrained from rotating. A guide pole
with rollers, two or more seal centering cables or other suitable device(s) shall be
provided as required for this purpose.
- At least one fixed roof manhole complying with this standard, with a nominal opening
of 600 mm or larger, shall be provided in the fixed roof for maintenance ventilation
purposes. If used to access tank interior, the minimum clear opening shall be 750 mm.
- At least one fixed roof manhole complying with this standard shall be provided for
access and ventilation of the tank when the floating roof is on its supports and the tank
is empty. The manhole shall be nominal opening of 600 mm or larger and shall be
provided with a bolted or secured and gasketed manhole cover,
- When specified by the purchaser, inspection hatches shall be located on the fixed roof
to permit visual inspection of the seal region. The max. spacing between inspection
hatches shall be 23 m, but there shall not be fewer than two equally spaced hatches.
There shall be not fewer than three equally spaced hatches for tank diameter larger
than 9 m. there shall be not fewer than four equally spaced hatches for tank diameter
larger than 12 m.
- When specified by the purchaser, the fixed roof and the internal floating roof shall be
provided with and/or accommodate gauging and sampling devices. Sampling devices
on the deck of the floating roof shall be installed beneath the fixed-roof hatch and,
unless designed as a gauge pole, shall have a funneled cover to facilitate use from the
roof of the tank.
- When specified by the purchaser, a corrosion gauge for the internal floating roof shall
be provided adjacent to ladder to indicate the general corrosion rate.
- A foam dam, shall be fabricated and installed in compliance with NFPA11.

8. Fabrication, erection, welding, inspection.

- The purpose of this inspection shall be to confirm plumbness of all interior
components, along with roundness and the condition of the shell.
- Deck seams and other joints that are required to be vapor tight shall be tested for leaks
by the shop or field joint assembler. joint testing shall be performed of penetrating oil.
- Any flotation compartment that is completely shop-fabricated or assembled in such
manner as to permit leak testing at the fabrication shop shall be leak tested at the shop
as well as retested in the field by the floating roof erector for all accessible seams. In
the field assembly yard or in erected position, the erector shall spot leak test 10% of
the flotation compartments, whether shop or field fabricated. If the testing finds any
leak except for those damaged by shipping, then 100% of the roof compartments shall
be tested.
- Unless prohibited by safety concerns, leak testing shall be an internal pressure of 20
kPa to 55kPa gauge using a soap solution or commercial leak detection solution.
- Upon assembly and prior to flotation test, the erector shall inspect and verify that the
peripheral seal produces an acceptable fit against the tank shell.