DESIGN OF TANKS FOR STORAGE OF OIL & WATER

OBJECTIVE/SCOPE:
The lecture describes the basic principles used in the design of tanks for the storage of
oil or water. It covers the design of vertical cylindrical tanks, and reference is made to
the British Standard BS 26! "#$ and to the %merican &etroleum Industry Standard
%&I6' "2$.
PREREQUISITES
(one.
1. DESIGN OF WELDED CYLINDRICAL TANKS
1.1 Gener!
)il and oil products are most commonly stored in cylindrical steel tanks at
atmospheric pressure or at low pressure. The tanks are flat bottomed and are provided
with a roof which is of conical or domed shape.
*ater is also sometimes stored in cylindrical steel tanks. *hen used to store potable
water they are of a si+e suitable to act as a service reservoir for a local community,
they have a roof to prevent contamination of the water. -ylindrical tanks are also used
in sewage treatment works for settlement and holding tanks, they are usually without
a roof.
The si+es of cylindrical tanks range from a modest .m diameter up to about #''m
diameter, and up to 2m in height. They consist of three principal structural elements /
bottom, shell and roof.
0or petroleum storage, the bottom is formed of steel sheets, laid on a prepared base.
Some tanks for water storage use a reinforced concrete slab as the base of the tank,
instead of steel sheets.
The shell, or cylindrical wall, is made up of steel sheets and is largely unstiffened.
The roof of the tank is usually fi1ed to the top of the shell, though floating roofs are
provided in some circumstances. % fi1ed roof may be self supporting or partially
supported through membrane action, though generally the roof plate is supported on
radial beams or trusses.
1." De#$%n S&n'r'#
-learly, common standards are generally applicable whether a tank holds oil or water,
though it is the petroleum industry which has been responsible for the development of
many of the design procedures and standards.
The two standards applied most widely are British Standard BS 26! "#$ and the
%merican &etroleum Institute Standard %&I 6' "2$. These two Standards have much
in common, although there are some significant differences 2see %ppendi1 %3. )ther
standards, %merican and 4uropean, are not applied much outside their respective
countries.
This lecture will generally follow the re5uirements of BS 26! "#$. This standard is
both a design code and a construction specification. The design code is based on
allowable stress principles, not on a limit state basis.
1.( De#$%n Pre##)re n' Te*+er&)re
Tanks designed for storage at nominally atmospheric pressure must be suitable for
modest internal vacuum 2negative pressure3. Tanks may also be designed to work at
relatively small positive internal pressures 2up to 6 mbar 2,6 k(6m
2
3, according to
BS26!.
(on/refrigerated tanks are designed for a minimum metal temperature which is based
on the lowest ambient air temperature 2typically, ambient plus #'
o
-3 or the lowest
temperature of the contents, whichever is the lower. (o ma1imum service temperature
is normally specified.
1., -&er$!
Tanks are usually manufactured from plain carbon steel plate 2traditionally referred to
as mild steel3 of grades S2. or S27 2to 4( #' '2 ".$3, or e5uivalent. Such material
is readily weldable. The use of higher strength grades of low alloy steel 2e.g. 8rade
S.3 is less common, though its use is developing.
(otch ductility at the lowest service temperature is obtained for thicker materials 29
#. mm3 by specifying minimum re5uirements for impact tests. This is normally
achieved by specifying an appropriate sub/grade to 4( #' '2 ".$.
Internally, oil tanks are normally unpainted. *ater tanks may be given a coating
2provided it is suitably inert, where the water is potable3, or may be given cathodic
protection. 41ternally, tanks are normally protected. *here any steel is used uncoated,
an allowance must be made in the design for loss of thickness due to corrosion.
". DESIGN LOADING
% tank is designed for the most severe combination of the various possible loadings.
".1 De' L.'
The dead load is that due to the weight of all the parts of the tank.
"." S)+er$*+.#e' L.'
% minimum superimposed load of #,2 k(6m
2
2over the hori+ontal pro:ected area3 is
applied to the roof of the tank. This load is commonly known as the ;snow load;, but in
fact represents, as well as a nominal snow load, any other imposed loads, such as
maintenance e5uipment, which might be applied to the roof, and it includes the
internal vacuum load. It is therefore applicable even in locations where snow is not
e1perienced.
(on/pressure tanks are often fitted with valves which do not open until the vacuum
reaches a value of 2, mbar, to contain vapour losses. By the time a valve is fully
open, a vacuum of mbar 2', k(6m
2
3 may have developed. 4ven without valves a
tank should be designed for a vacuum of mbar, to cater for differential pressure
under wind loads. In pressure tanks the valves may be set to 6 mbar vacuum, in which
case a pressure difference of <, mbar 2',< k(6m
2
3 may develop.
%ctual predicted snow load or other superimposed load, plus appropriate vacuum
pressure, should be used when it is greater than the specified minimum.
".( C.n&en&#
The weight and hydrostatic pressure of the contents, up to the full capacity of the
tank, should be applied. 0ull capacity is usually determined by an overflow near the
top of the tank, for a tank without any overflow, the contents should be taken to fill
the tank to the top of the shell.
0or oil and oil products, the relative density of the contents is less than #.', but tanks
for such li5uids are normally tested by filling with water. % density of #''' kg6m
.

should therefore be taken as a minimum.
"., W$n' L.'#
*ind loads are determined on the basis of a design wind speed. =a1imum wind speed
depends on the area in which the tank is to be built, typically a value of ! m6s is
taken as the design wind speed, representing the ma1imum ./second gust speed which
is e1ceeded, on average, only once every ' years.
"./ Se$#*$0 L.'#
In some areas, a tank must be designed to withstand seismic loads. *hilst some
guidance is given in BS 26! "#$ and %&I6' "2$ on the design of the tank, specialised
knowledge should be applied in determining seismic loads.
(. BOTTO- DESIGN
0or petroleum storage tanks, steel bottom plates are specified, laid and fully supported
on a prepared foundation.
The steel plates are directly supported on a bitumen/sand layer on top of a foundation,
usually of compacted fill or, if the subsoil is weak, possibly a reinforced concrete raft.
% typical foundation pad is shown in 0igure # and a detailed description of the
formation of this e1ample is given in %ppendi1 % of BS 26! "#$.
The bottom is made up of a number of rectangular plates, surrounded by a set of
shaped plates, called sketch plates, to give a circular shape, as shown in 0igure 2. The
plates slightly overlap each other and are pressed locally at the corners where three
plates meet 2see 0igure .3. >apped and fillet welded :oints are preferred to butt
welded :oints 2which must be welded onto a backing strip below the :oint3 because
they are easier and cheaper to make.
0or larger tanks 2over #2, m diameter, according to BS 26!3 a ring of annular plates
is provided around the group of rectangular plates. The radial :oints between the
annular plates are butt welded, rather than lapped, because of the ring stiffening which
the plates provide to the bottom of the shell. % typical arrangement is shown in 0igure
!.
The shell sits on the sketch or annular plates, :ust inside the perimeter and is fillet
welded to them 2see 0igure 3.
The bottom plates act principally as a seal to the tank. The only load they carry, apart
from local stiffening to the bottom of the shell, is the pressure from the contents,
which is then transmitted directly to the base. Stress calculations are not normally
re5uired for the base, though BS 26! sets out minimum thicknesses of plate
depending on the si+e of the tank.
*ater tanks may also have a steel bottom. In some circumstances a reinforced
concrete slab is specified instead. There are no standard details for the connection
between a shell and a concrete slab, though a simple arrangement of an angle welded
to the bottom edge of the shell and bolted to the slab will usually suffice.
,. S1ELL DESIGN
,.1 C$r0)*2eren&$! S&re##e#
?ertical cylinder tanks carry the hydrostatic pressures by simple hoop tension. (o
circumferential stiffening is needed for this action. The circumferential tension in the
shell will vary directly, in a vertical direction, according to the head of fluid at any
given level. 0or a uniform shell thickness, the calculation of stresses is therefore
straightforward. %t a water depth @, the stress is given byA
where B is the diameter of the tank
t is the thickness of the plate
is the density of the fluid
g is the gravity constant
0or practical reasons, it is necessary to build up the shell from a number of fairly
small rectangular pieces of plate, butt welded together. 4ach piece will be
cylindrically curved and it is convenient to build up the shell in a number of rings, or
courses, one on top of the other. This techni5ue provides, at least for deeper tanks, a
convenient opportunity to use thicker plates in the lower rings and thinner plates in
the upper rings.
The lowest course of plates is fully welded to the bottom plate of the tank providing
radial restraint to the bottom edge of the plate. Similarly, the bottom edge of any
course which sits on top of a thicker course is somewhat restrained because the
thicker plate is stiffer. The effect of this on the hoop stresses is illustrated in 0igure 6.
-onse5uently, because of these restraints, an empirical ad:ustment is introduced into
the design rules which effectively re5uires that any course is simply designed for the
pressure .''mm above the bottom edge of the course, rather than the greater pressure
at the bottom edge. 2This is known as the ;one foot rule; in %&I 6' "2$.3
*hen the load due to internal pressure is taken into account and an allowance for
corrosion loss is introduced, the resulting design e5uation is of the form in BS 26!A
where t is the calculated minimum thickness 2mm3
w is the ma1imum density of the fluid 2kg6l3
@ is the height of fluid above the bottom of the course being designed 2m3
S is the allowable design stress 2(6mm
2
3
p is the design pressure 2pressure tanks only3 2mbar3
c is the corrosion allowance 2mm3
The allowable design stress in tension in the shell is generally taken to be a suitable
fraction of the material yield stress. BS 26! defines it as two/thirds of the yield
stress, thus giving an overall factor of #, on the plastic strength of the plate. %&I6'
also uses two/thirds of the yield stress, but additionally limits the design stress to a
smaller fraction of the ultimate strength, for higher strength steels, this is slightly
more restrictive. 0urther, %&I6' allows a slightly higher stress during the hydrostatic
test than the allowable design stress for service conditions when the relative density is
less than #,'.
4ach course is made of a number of plates, butt welded along the vertical :oin
between the plates. 4ach course is butt welded to the course below along a
circumferential line. 8ood weld procedures can minimise the distortions or deviations
from the ideal flat or curved line of the surface across the weld, but some imperfection
is inevitable, especially with thin material. -onse5uently the rules call for the vertical
seams to be staggered from one course to the ne1t / at least one third of the length of
the individual plates, if possible.
@oles in the shell for inlet6outlet no++les or access manholes cause a local increase in
circumferential stresses. This increase is catered for by re5uiring the provision of
reinforcing plates. These plates may take the form of a circular doubling plate welded
around the hole or of an inset piece of thicker plate. The no++le provides some
stiffening to the edge of the hole, it may also be made of sufficient si+e that shell
reinforcement can be omitted.
,." A3$! S&re##e# $n &4e S4e!!
The cylindrical shell has to carry its weight, and the weight of the roof which it
supports, as an a1ial stress. In addition, wind loading on the tank contributes tensile
a1ial stress on one side of the tank and compressive stress on the other.
% thin/walled cylinder under a sufficient a1ial load will of course buckle locally, or
wrinkle. The critical value of this stress, for a perfect cylinder, can be obtained from
classical theory and, for steel, has the valueA
In practice, imperfect shells buckle at a much lower stress, an allowable stress level of
as little as a tenth of the above might be more appropriate. @owever, in normal service
the a1ial stresses in shells suitable to carry the circumferential loads for the si+e of
tank used for oil and water storage are much smaller than even this level of stress. The
calculation of a1ial stress is therefore not even called for in codes, such as BS 26!
and %&I6', for the service conditions.
But under seismic conditions, larger stresses result because of the large overturning
moment when the tank is full. In that case the a1ial stresses must be calculated. %1ial
stress due to overturning moment, =, is given simply by the e1pressionA

a
C !=6tB
2
In BS 26! the a1ial stress under seismic conditions is limited to '.2'4t6D, which is
considered a reasonable value when the cylinder is also under internal hydrostatic
pressure. %&I6' uses a similar value, provided that the internal pressure e1ceeds a
value which depends on the tank si+e.
%lthough a1ial stresses do not need to be calculated for service conditions, the tank
does have to be checked for uplift when it is empty and sub:ect to wind loading. If
necessary, anchorages must be provided, a typical e1ample is shown in 0igure 7.
,.( Pr$*r5 W$n' G$r'er#
% tank with a fi1ed roof is considered to be ade5uately restrained in its cylindrical
shape by the roof, no additional stiffening is needed at the top of the shell, e1cept
possibly as part of an effective compression ring 2see Section .23.
%t the top of an open tank 2or one with a floating roof3, circumferential stiffening is
needed to maintain the roundness of the tank when it is sub:ect to wind load. This
stiffening is particularly necessary when the tank is empty.
The calculation of the stability of stiffened tanks is a comple1 matter. 0ortunately,
investigations into the sub:ect have led to an empirical formula, based on work by Be
*it, which is easily applied in design. In BS 26! this formula is e1pressed as a
re5uired minimum section modulus given byA
E C ','< B
2
@
where E is the 2elastic3 section modulus 2cm
.
3 of the effective section of the ring
girder, including a width of shell plate acting with the added stiffener
B is the tank diameter 2m3
@ is the height of the tank 2m3
The formula presumes a design wind speed of ! m6s. 0or other wind speeds it may
be modified by multiplying by the ratio of the basic wind pressure at the design speed
to that at ! m6s, i.e. by 2?6!3
2
.
*ind girders are usually formed by welding an angle or a channel around the top edge
of the shell. 41amples are shown in 0igure <. (ote that continuous fillet welds should
always be used on the upper edge of the connection, to avoid a corrosion trap.
It is recognised that application of the above formula to tanks over 6' m diameter
leads to unnecessarily large wind girders, the code allows the si+e to be limited to that
needed for a 6' m tank.
&rimary wind girders are normally e1ternal to the tank. Settlement tanks usually
re5uire a gutter around the inside edge of the tank, into which the water spills and
passes to the outlet. %lthough this detail is not covered in the code, a suitable gutter
detail can participate as a primary wind girder, provided it is relatively close to the top
of the tank. In that event a kerb angle is also re5uired at the free edge, the
arrangement of a low ring girder and a kerb angle is covered by the design rules.
,., Se0.n'r5 W$n' G$r'er#
%lthough the primary wind girder or the roof will stabilise the tank over its full
height, local buckling can occur in empty tall tanks between the top of the tank and its
base. To prevent this local buckling, secondary wind girders are introduced at
intervals in the height of the tank. The determination of the number and position of
these secondary wind girders is dealt with in BS 26! 2but not in %&I 6'3.
The procedure is based on determining the length of tube for which, with the ends
held circular, the elastic critical buckling will occur at a given uniform e1ternal
pressure. Such buckling would also occur in a longer tube which is restrained at
intervals e5ual to that length.
The critical stress for a length of tube, l, of radius D and thickness t, is given in Doark
"!$ by the formulaA
Fsing values of 4 and for steel, rearranging and simplifying, this reduces
appro1imately to the e1pression in the codeA
where B is the diameter of the shell 2m3
@
p
is the ma1imum permitted spacing of rings 2m3
2e5uivalent to critical length, l3
t
min
is the thickness of the shell plate 2mm3
?
w
is the design wind speed 2m6s3
v
a
is the vacuum 2mbar3
@owever, tank shells in practice are made up of courses, and the thickness of the
plating increases from the top to the bottom. 0ortunately, this non/uniform situation
can be converted into an e5uivalent uniform situation by noting that the critical length
l 2or ma1imum spacing @
p
3 is proportional to t
62
. Taking the thinnest plate 2the top
course3 as reference 2t
min
3, courses of height h and thickness t can be converted to an
e5uivalent height of a tube of the thin plate which has the same effective slenderness
by applying the correctionA
where t is the thickness of each course in turn
@
e
is the e5uivalent height of each course at a thickness of t
min
The e5uivalent heights of all the courses are added to give the total e5uivalent height
2length of tube3 and divided by the critical length @
p
to determine the minimum
number of intervals and thus the number of intermediate rings. The positions of the
intermediate rings, which are e5ually spaced on the e5uivalent tube, must be
established by converting positions on the tube back to positions on the tank, by the
reverse of the above procedure.
The whole process is illustrated by an e1ample in BS 26!.
The stiffening is achieved by welding an angle to the surface of the shell plate in the
same manner as for the primary wind girder. =inimum si+es for this angle are given
in the code "#$.
/. FI6ED ROOF DESIGN
/.1 Gener!
0i1ed roofs of cylindrical tanks are formed of steel plate and are of either conical or
domed 2spherically curved3 configuration. The steel plates can be entirely self
supporting 2by ;membrane; action3, or they may rest on top of some form of support
structure.
=embrane roofs are more difficult to erect / they re5uire some temporary support
during placing and welding / and are usually found only on smaller tanks.
&ermanent support steelwork for the roof plate may either span the complete diameter
of the tank or may in turn be supported on columns inside the tank. The use of a
single central column is particularly effective in relatively small tanks 2#/2' m
diameter3, for e1ample.
The main members of the support steelwork are, naturally, radial to the tank. They can
be simple rolled beam sections or, for larger tanks, they can be fabricated trusses.
Doof plates are usually lapped and fillet welded to one another. 0or low pressure
tanks, they do not need to be welded to any structure which supports them, but they
must normally be welded to the top of the shell.
/." -e*7rne R..2#
In a membrane roof, the forces from dead and imposed loads are resisted by
compressive radial stresses. The net upward forces from internal pressure minus dead
load are resisted by tensile radial stresses.
-onical roofs usually have a slope of #A. Spherical roofs usually have a radius of
curvature between ',< and #, times the diameter of the tank.
>imitations on buckling under radial compression are e1pressed in BS26! asA
where D
#
is the radius of curvature of the roof 2m3
&
e
is the e1ternal loading plus self weight 2k(6m
2
3
4 is Goung;s modulus 2(6mm
2
3
t
r
is the roof plate thickness 2mm3
0or conical roofs, D
#
is taken as the radius of the shell divided by the sine of the angle
between the roof and the hori+ontal, i.e. D
#
C D6sin .
Fsing a value of &
e
C #,7 k(6m
2
, i.e. #,2 k(6m
2
, superimposed load plus ',k(6m
2
for
dead load, 2e5uivalent to about 6 mm plate thickness3 and the 4 value for steel, givesA
t
r
C ',.6 D
#
% similar e1pression is given in %&I6', e1pressed in imperial units and for a loading
of !lb6ft
2
2C 2,2 k(6m
2
3.
0or tensile forces, stresses are limited toA
2for spherical roofs3
2for conical roofs3
where is the :oint efficiency factor
S is the allowable design stress 2in (6mm
2
3
p is the internal pressure 2in mbar3
%lthough lapped and double fillet welded :oints are acceptable, they have a :oint
efficiency factor of only ',, butt welded :oints have a factor of #,'.
0or downward loads, the radial compression is complemented by ring tension.
0or upward loads, i.e. under internal pressure, the radial tension has to be
complemented by a circumferential compression. This compression can only be
provided by the :unction section between roof and shell. This is e1pressed as a
re5uirement for a minimum area of the effective section, as shown in 0igure HA
where S
c
is the allowable compressive stress 2in (6mm
2
3
D is the radius of the tank 2in m3
is the slope of the roof at roof/shell connection
The allowable compressive stress for this region is taken to be #2' (6mm
2
in BS26!
"#$.
/.( S)++.r&e' R..2#
Dadial members supporting the roof plate permit the plate thickness to be kept to a
minimum. They greatly facilitate the construction of the roof.
Dadial beams are arranged such that the span of the plate between them is kept down
to a minimum of about 2 m. This limit allows the use of mm plate for the roof. The
plate simply lies on the beams and is not connected to them.
Supported roofs are most commonly of conical shape, although spherical roofs can be
used if the radial beams are curved.
The roof support structure can either be self supporting or be supported on internal
columns. Typical arrangements are shown in section in 0igures #' and ##. Self
supporting roofs are essential when there is an internal floating cover.
*hen columns are used to support the roof, the slope may be as low as #A#6. *hen
the roof is self supporting it may be more economic to use a steeper roof.
(ot all radial members continue to the centre of the tank. Those that do may be
considered as main support beams, the secondary radial members may be considered
as rafters / they are supported at their inner ends on ring beams between the main
support members. *here internal columns are used they will be beneath the main
support members. Typical plan arrangements are shown in 0igure ##.
The main support members need to be restrained at intervals to stabilise them against
lateral/torsional buckling. -ross bracing is provided in selected bays.
In %&I6' it is permitted to assume that friction between the roof plate and the beam
is ade5uate to restrain the compression flange of the secondary rafter beams, provided
that they are not too deep, such restraint cannot be assumed for the main beams,
however.
The main support members may be sub:ect to bending and a1ial load. *here they are
designed for a1ial thrust, the central ring must be designed as a compression ring, the
top of the shell must be designed for the hoop forces associated with the a1ial forces
in the support members.
Besign of beams and support columns may generally follow conventional building
code rules, though it must be noted that both BS 26! and %&I6' are allowable stress
codes. In the British code reference is therefore made to BS!!H "$, rather than to a
limit state code.
The shell6roof :unction +one must be designed for compression, in the same way as
described above for membrane roofs.
/., Ven&$n%
?enting has to be provided to cater for movement of the contents into and out of the
tank and for temperature change of the air in the tank. ?enting can be provided by
pressure relief valves or by open vents.
0or storage of petroleum products, emergency pressure relief has to be provided to
cater for heating due to an e1ternal fire. &ressure relief can be achieved either by
additional emergency venting or by designing the roof to shell :oint as frangible 2this
means, principally, that the si+e of the fillet weld between the roof and the shell is
limited in si+e / a limit of mm is typical3.
8. DESIGN OF FLOATING ROOFS AND COVERS
8.1 U#e .2 F!.&$n% R..2# n' C.9er#
%s mentioned in Section .!, tanks need to be vented to cater for the e1pansion and
contraction of the air. In petroleum tanks, the free space above the contents contains
an air6vapour mi1ture. *hen the mi1ture e1pands in the heat of the day, venting
e1pels some of this vapour. %t night, when the temperature drops, fresh air is drawn in
and more of the contents evaporates to saturate the air. The continued breathing can
result in substantial evaporation losses. =easures are needed to minimise these losses,
floating roofs and covers are commonly used for this purpose.
8." F!.&$n% R..2#
% floating roof is sometimes provided instead of a fi1ed roof. The shell is then
effectively open at the top and is designed accordingly.
Buring service, a floating roof is completely supported on the li5uid and must
therefore be sufficiently buoyant, buoyancy is achieved by providing li5uid/tight
compartments in one of two forms of roof / pontoon type and double deck type.
% pontoon roof has an annular compartment, divided by bulkheads, and a central
single skin diaphragm. The central diaphragm may need to be stiffened by radial
beams.
% double deck roof is effectively a complete set of compartments over the whole
diameter of the tank, two circular skins are :oined to circumferential plates and
bulkheads to form a disk or piston.
Both types of roof must remain buoyant even if some compartments are punctured
2typically two compartments3. The central deck of a pontoon roof should also be
presumed to be punctured for this design condition.
Because the roof is open to the environment, it catches rain, which must be drained
off. Brainage is achieved by a system on the roof which connects to fle1ible pipework
inside the tank and thence through the shell or bottom plates to a discharge. The
design is re5uired to ensure that the roof continues to float in the event of a block in
the drainage system which results in a surcharge of water on the roof 2usually 2' mm
of water3.
*hen the tank is emptied, the roof cannot normally be allowed to fall to the bottom of
the tank, because there is internal pipework, the roof is therefore fitted with legs
which keep it clear of the bottom. %t this stage the roof must be able to carry a
superimposed load 2#,2 k(6m
2
3 plus any accumulated rainwater.
0or maintenance of the drainage system and for access to no++les through the roof for
various purposes, maintenance personnel need access from the top of the shell to the
roof whatever the level of contents in the tank. %ccess is usually achieved by a
movable ladder or stairway, pinned to the shell and resting on the roof. 0or
maintenance of the tank when it is empty, an access manhole must be provided
through the roof.
% typical arrangement of a pontoon type roof is shown in 0igure #2.
8.( F!.&$n% C.9er#
*here a cover to the contents is provided inside a fi1ed roof tank, to reduce
evaporation or ingress of contaminants 2e.g. water or sand3, a much lighter cover or
screen can be provided.
Such a cover is likely to be manufactured from lighter materials than steel, though a
shallow steel pan can sometimes be provided. The cover does not need to be provided
with access ladders, nor to be designed for surcharge. It does have to be designed to
be supported at low level when the tank is empty and to carry a small live load in that
condition.
Betailed recommendations for the design of internal floating covers are given in
%ppendi1 4 of BS 26! "#$.
:. -AN1OLES; NO<<LES AND OPENINGS
:.1 -n4.!e#
%ccess is re5uired inside fi1ed roof tanks for maintenance and inspection purposes.
Such access can be provided through the roof or through the shell wall. =anholes
through the roof have the advantage that they are always accessible, even when the
tank is full. %ccess through the shell wall is more convenient for cleaning out 2some
access holes are B/shaped and flush with the bottom for cleaning out purposes3.
% manhole through a roof should be at least '' mm diameter. Stiffening
arrangements around the hole in the roof plate, and the type of cover, depend on the
design of the roof. %ccess to the roof manhole must be provided by ladders, with
suitable handrails and walkways on the roof.
% manhole through the shell wall should be at least 6'' mm diameter and is normally
positioned :ust above the bottom of the tank. % typical detail is shown in section in
0igure #.. 0urther details of this e1ample, and details of clean/out openings, are given
in BS26! "#$.
-learly, the cutting of an opening in the shell interferes with the structural action of
the shell. The loss of section of shell plate is compensated by providing additional
cross/section area e5ual to 7I of that lost. The area must be provided within a
circular region around the hole, though the actual reinforcement should e1tend beyond
that region. Deinforcement can be provided in one of three waysA
2i3 a reinforcing plate welded onto the shell plate 2similar to the section in 0igure #.3
2ii3 an insert of thicker plate locally 2in which the manhole is cut3
2iii3 a thicker shell plate than that re5uired for that course of the shell
:." N.==!e#
%s well as manholes for access and cleaning out, no++les are re5uired through the
shell roof and bottom for inlet, outlet, and drainage pipes, and for vents in the roof.
They are normally made by welding a cylindrical section of plate into a circular hole
in the structural plate. 0or small no++les, no reinforcement is necessary, the e1tra
material is considered sufficient. >arger holes must be reinforced in the same way as
manholes. %n e1ample of a roof no++le detail is shown in 0igure #!.
>. CONCLUDING SU--ARY
)il and oil products are most commonly stored in cylindrical steel tanks at
atmospheric pressure or at low pressure. *ater is also sometimes stored in
cylindrical steel tanks.
The two design standards applied most widely to the design of welded
cylindrical tanks are BS26! and %&I 6'.
Tanks are usually manufactured from plain carbon steel plate. It is readily
weldable.
% tank is designed for the most severe combination of the various possible
loadings.
0or petroleum storage tanks, steel bottom plates are specified, laid and fully
supported on a prepared foundation. *ater tanks may also have a steel bottom
or a reinforced concrete slab may be specified.
?ertical cylindrical tanks carry the hydrostatic pressure by simple hoop
tension. The cylindrical shell has to carry both its own weight and the weight
of the supported roof by a1ial stresses. *ind loading on the tank influences the
a1ial stress.
0or open tanks, primary wind girders are re5uired to maintain the roundness of
the tank when it is sub:ect to wind load. Secondary wind girders are needed in
tall tanks.
Doofs may be fi1ed or floating. % cover to the contents of a fi1ed roof tank
may be provided to reduce evaporation or ingress of contaminants.
=anholes are provided for access and no++les allow inlet, outlet and drainage,
and venting of the space under the roof.
?. REFERENCES
"#$ BS 26!A #H<!, Specification for manufacture of vertical steel welded storage
tanks with butt/welded shells for the petroleum industry, British Standards Institution,
>ondon.
"2$ %&I 6', *elded Steel Tanks for )il Storage, <th 4dition, (ovember #H<<, %&I.
".$ BS 4( #''2, #HH', @ot Dolled &roducts of (on/alloy Structural Steels and their
Technical Belivery -onditions, British Standards Institution, >ondon.
"!$ Goung, *. -., Doark;s 0ormulas for Stress and Strain, =c8raw @ill, #H<H.
"$ BS !!HA &art 2A #H6H, Specification for the Fse of Structural Steel in Building,
British Standards Institution, >ondon.
Appendix A Differences between BS 2654 and API 650
The following are the principal differences between the British Standard, BS 26! "#$
and the %merican &etroleum Institute Standard, %&I6' "2$A
2a3 %&I 6' specifies different allowable stresses for service and water testing. BS
26! specifies an allowable stress for water testing only, which will allow oils with
any specific gravity up to # to be stored in the tank.
2b3 The allowable design stresses of BS 26! are based on guaranteed minimum yield
strength whereas the design stresses of %&I 6' are based on the guaranteed minimum
ultimate tensile strength.
2c3 BS 26! specifies more stringent re5uirements for the weldability of the shell
plates.
2d3 The notch ductility re5uirements of BS 26! are based on the results of a great
number of wide plate tests. This system considers a steel acceptable if, for the
re5uired thickness, the test plate does not fail at test temperature before it has yielded
at least ',I. This system gives the same safety factor for all thicknesses.
In %&I 6' a fi1ed value and test temperature is given for the impact tests for all
thicknesses. %s the tendency to brittle fracture increases with increasing plate
thickness it means that %&I 6' in fact allows a lower safety factor for large tanks
than for smaller ones.
2e3 The steels specified by %&I 6' guarantee their notch ductility by chemical
analysis but without guaranteed impact values. BS 26! re5uires guaranteed impact
values where necessary.
2f3 BS 26! gives a clearer picture of how to determine the si+e and location of
secondary wind girders.