Crude oil gathering system

Storage and treating facilities

elements of an oil terminal.

are

major

It is both practical and economical to keep oil

wells flowing at a fairly constant rate, whereas
it is not normally possible to maintain the
same output rate at the point of sale/export.
A large percentage of sales is on a batch basis
(i.e. by marine tanker), hence the need for
storage facilities in an oil terminal.
2

Wellstream fluids invariably require some form

of treatment to bring them within specification
as a marketable product.
Although some treatment does take place in
the field, further processing and final
conditioning of the sales products are done in
the terminal, hence the need for treating
facilities.
With the exception of specialized wash tanks,
all storage and treating functions are carried
out in cylindrical steel tanks.
3

TANK DESIGN

2.1 Tank Types

2.2 Major Design Criteria

2.1 Tank Types

Tanks are usually described according to:
Their function, or

Their construction.

Their function
Receiving,
Settling,
Treating,
Dehydrating,
Washing,
Desalinating,
Storing, or
Exporting.

The construction

is limited to two main

categories:

Fixed-roof tanks.
Floating-roof tanks.

Fixed-roof tanks
As the name implies, fixed-roof tanks are tanks
which have their cylindrical shell covered by a
roof that is an integral part of the tank
construction.
The roof plates rest on a supporting framework
and are attached to the tank only at the top of
the shell.

Fixed-roof Tank
10

There are three types:

Non-pressure tanks which are in open
connection with the atmosphere by
vents installed in the roof,

Low-pressure tanks where instead of

vents, pressure valves have been
installed which open at pressures of 20
mbar over and 6 mbar under
atmospheric pressure, and

High-pressure tanks equipped with

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pressure valves which open at design

pressures of 50 mbar over and 6 mbar
under atmospheric pressure.

Advantages of Fixed Roof Tanks

Relatively easy to construct, and
Cheaper to build than floating-roof tanks.

Because of their closed construction, they are:

Stiff, and
Less sensitive to uneven soil settlements.

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Disadvantage of a fixed-roof tank

Product losses due to the escape of vapour
through vent openings in the roof.
These losses are:

Breathing losses, caused by the

difference in day and night temperature.
Filling losses, when inflowing oil expels
an equal volume of vapour through the
vents.
13

Breathing Losses of a Fixed-roof Tank

14

Floating-roof tanks
A floating roof-tank is open at the top.
The roof itself is:
A steel disc which floats on the surface of
the oil, and
Rises or falls with the oil level as the tank
is filled or emptied.

15

For a floating-roof tank, construction tolerances

are rather small due to the fact that the roof must
be free to move over most of the height of the
tank.
For this reason the permitted ovality is limited by
the necessary clearance between the roof and the
shell and this narrow tolerance increases the
construction costs considerably.

16

The higher construction cost of a floating-roof

tank is outweighed by the advantages, which are:
Reduced product loss due to minimized
vapour loss.
Reduced air pollution for the same reason.
Reduced fire and explosion risk due to very
small vapour space.

17

2.2 Major Design Criteria

The major objective in tank design is the
provision of the best possible storage capacity
at the lowest possible cost.
To achieve this objective, several factors must
be considered, such as:
Capacity,
Class of product,
Soil conditions, and
Weather conditions.
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Capacity
The major factor for determining the main
dimensions of a tank is, of course, the amount
of liquid it needs to hold.
Standard vertical cylindrical tanks can be:

As small as 7 m3, having a diameter of 3

meters and a height of 1 meter, and

As big as 105,000 m3, with a diameter of 78

meters and a height of 22 meters.
19

British Standard BS 2654 indicates a list of

standard diameters, which are followed by all
UK tank manufacturers and also often followed
by continental manufacturers.

20

Class of product
The tank type that will be selected for storing a
particular product or range of products is
generally based on its vapour saving efficiency.

21

Soil conditions
Tank terminals are often located at:
Sea coasts, and
Rivers.
The soil at these locations is:
Seldom rock, or
Other hard material.
When tanks are placed at locations where
weak compressible layers are present in the
soil under the tanks, soil settlements will be
experienced.
22

Weak compressible layers may be of:

Clay,
Silt,
Peat, etc
The load of the tank and its contents will press
the water out of these layers and reduce their
thickness, so that soil settlement occurs.

This process is called:

Consolidation
23

Tanks are seldom installed on a piled foundation,

as this is:
Very costly, and
Technically not attractive.

The normal practice is that tanks are installed on

a:
1. Sand tank pad,
2. With a height of approximately 75 cm, and
3. Covered with a sand-bitumen top layer.
24

The function of such a pad is to:

Distribute the combined weight of the

tank and its contents evenly over the
subsoil, and
Prevent differential settlements caused
by local differences in the soil layers.

25

In most cases it proves to be economical to

build a tank as high as possible.
This approach applies especially to floatingroof tanks.
The height of a tank may be limited, however,
by the allowable soil pressure at the location.

26

In some areas extensive precautions are

necessary to ensure that the foundation
material does not corrode the tanks, this
applies particularly in the Middle East where
the terrain on the coast can be salt-saturated
sand.
Cathodic protection systems are incorporated
into the tank farm designs, and these systems
must work continuously from the outset of
operations if they are to be effective in
avoiding tank bottom corrosion.
27

Weather conditions
Weather conditions, mainly wind-forces, have their
influence on tank design.
The stability of the tank when empty must be
sufficient to withstand the maximum wind gusts
that may occur in the area.

28

Stability should be against:

Overturning, also

Roof uplift caused by the combined effect

of:
Internal vapour pressure against the
roof, and
Lift forces.

29

The shell should also have stability against

buckling.
Most tanks of the standard range have been
calculated to be stable in winds of up to 160

km per hour.

30

In the case of floating roof tanks, rain can be a

problem in some areas.
Even in desert regions it is essential to ensure
that rain drains are included in the design and
that they are maintained operational.
If not, immediate steps should be taken to rig
up suction or siphoning system to relieve the
load on the floating roof should rain occur.

31