underground storage of LPG

ABSTRACT

Because of the increase of safety requirements with respect to storage of LPG over the
last ten years, underground storage is becoming increasingly significant. Storage is
possible in engineering geological- and in civil engineering constructions. The main
features of these two solutions are presented.

LPG can be stored either pressurized or refrigerated. This report concerns the pres-
surized storage in a civil construction.

In mounded storage a horizontal cylindrical steel vessel is covered with sand. The
normal mounded storage has some disadvantages which can be solved by partly sub-
merging the vessel in the groundwater. This mode of storage is called mounded storage
with a floating foundation. It is expected that using this method the differential
settlements of the vessel will be smaller. Also the height of the mound will be smaller.

A layer of sand on top of the vessel will prevent it from floating up. For some various
sizes and shapes of the vessel the required thickness of this layer is calculated. In this
report on the basis of a few criteria for the depth of the excavation and the length of
the vessel the best alternative is chosen.

For the chosen vessel the wall thicknesses are calculated and checked following the
British Standard Specification for fusion-welded pressure vessels (BS 5500).

A partly submerged vessel needs a coating and a cathodic protection system to prevent
it from corroding. Exact the same coating and cathodic protection used for the normal
mounded storage, can be used for the mounded storage with a floating foundation.

The vessels will be shop-built in a tent close to their foundation. The foundation will be
built in a dry excavation. With cranes the vessels will be put on their foundation.

When the vessel is partly submerged the potential longitudinal bending moment in the
vessel will be less. The differential settlement will be smaller but this does not effect
the wall thicknesses since the dry situation is mandatory for the calculation of these
sizes.

The mounded storage with a floating foundation will be less expensive than storage in
spheres, but more expensive than the normal mounded storage. However, other
reasons than cost could perhaps make the mounded storage with a floating foundation
a preferable storage method.

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