Oil Storage Facilities

1.0 Tank
API 650 tanks are large flat bottom vertical cylindrical tanks suitable for storage of large
volume hydrocarbon. Maximum Gross capacity can hold up to 1.5MMbbl in a single tank
with tank diameter up to 412ft and shell height exceeding 72ft.
The choice of tanks for storage of crude oil is affected by the following factors:
a. Service Related factors;
a. Planned and potential service
b. Required operating capacity
c. Unused storage volume- top of the tank
d. Unavailable inventory bottom of the tank
e. Liquid properties e.g. viscosity, corrosiveness, flash point etc
b. Site Related Factors
i. Air and ground water quality regulations
ii. Seismic and wind classifications
iii. Soil bearing capacity
iv. Topography
v. Available land space
These factors must be thoroughly investigated in order to decide if tank storage facility is the
optimum choice.
Sizing
In order to obtain the most practical and economical dimensions for the required 500,000bbl
capacity storage facility, the following factors have to be considered:
i. Site Limitations:
A specific number of tanks may be required in an area of limited available land space,
especially in multiple service areas where different stocks are stored for separate
process streams. Available land space can, therefore, limit the diameter of a tank and
favor increasing its height to obtain the required capacity. Consideration should also be
given to leaving land space available for future tank construction, and to providing
adequate space for piping and sufficient access for maintenance equipment.
ii. Economic Considerations
Economic factors can influence the choice made between diameter and height for the
design capacity of a tank. Both the initial investment and long-term operating and
maintenance costs should be considered. The tank fabricator should propose the costs
for the Company to evaluate. Some general trends are discussed below, but they may
not always hold true. Plant locations, tank design, and type of service can change the
relative magnitudes of the economic factors. Therefore, individual plants should make a
separate economic analysis for each category of tank. Costly real estate would favor
reducing the diameter and increasing the height, despite the availability of sufficient land
space for a larger diameter and the possible disadvantages of greater height noted
above. Furthermore, larger diameter tanks require thicker shell plates, which may
increase materials and construction costs. Also, some steel mills may not stock the
thicker (more than about 1 inch) plate. Smaller diameter tanks usually have a lower
foundation cost for the same tank capacity, because of the smaller circumference
ringwall and area of compacted fill under the bottom. Insulation and coating or painting
costs are generally higher for larger diameter tanks, due to the greater surface area of
the shell.
iii. Mechanical Design Limitations
Maximum size can be restricted by one or both of the following:
1. Thickness of the bottom course or ring, which is restricted by API 650 to a
maximum of 1.75 inches.
2. Load bearing capabilities of the soil supporting a tank, or the cost of a piled
foundation.