Insulating tank terminals
Energy-efficient tank insulation systems result in lower energy costs, less
maintenance, and a prolonged lifespan of contents and equipment
PETER BOON
Pentair Thermal Management
S
torage tank insulations are
becoming more important
than ever. Global CO2
emissions have risen dramati-
cally over the past few years
and are set to increase by up to
90% by 2050 should industrial
emissions remain unchecked.1
Under pressure from the EU’s
ambitious “20-20-20” target,
tank terminal operators are
increasingly looking for effec-
tive insulation systems to limit
costs and prepare for new
legislation. This article
discusses the different insula-
tion solutions available and
establishes how tank operators
can effectively reduce energy
costs and cut CO2 emissions.
Thermal insulations with
long-term benefits
Although thermal insulation
systems are easily installed and
highly cost effective, studies
have revealed that industrial
insulations are often either
poorly maintained or non-ex-
istent, resulting in excessive
heat losses.2 However, with the
EU’s ambitious plans to cut
greenhouse gas emissions by
20% compared to its 1990
levels by 20203 and a carbon
www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000788
tax more likely, industrial insu-
lation solutions can play a key
role in achieving energy
targets. Primarily used for
products that require storage at
high temperatures, tank insula-
tions provide a number of
benefits.
One of the most obvious
advantages of effective thermal
insulation is the reduced loss of
heat. By wrapping tanks in
materials with low thermal
conductivity, heat within the
tank is retained more effec-
tively. As a result, tank
operators need to use consider-
ably less heat-generating
equipment to produce the same
amount of heat. According to a
study commissioned by the
European industrial insulation
Foundation (EiiF), improving
insulation to a cost-effective
level would avoid 66% of
current heat loss, which
amounts approximately to the
annual energy consumption of
10 million households.2 This, in
turn, would also have an
impact on carbon emissions,
resulting in a potential reduc-
tion of 49 Mt/y of CO2. As
prices for energy rise, these
cost-saving potentials will
become even more obvious,
making energy-efficient insula-
tions an attractive investment
for the future.
Although, thermal insulation
is primarily used for tanks that
store temperature-sensitive
materials, it can, in fact,
conserve the quality of many
substances and offers an effec-
tive protection against frost
and fire. Furthermore, it can
significantly reduce the effects
of thermal stresses on the tank
itself, protecting its structure
from external forces, such as
rain, wind and abrupt temper-
ature fluctuations. The results
are lower energy costs, less
maintenance and a prolonged
lifespan of contents and
equipment.
Finding the solution
When it comes to choosing a
system, tank operators have a
number of insulation solutions
available. Depending on the
contents, external environment
and required temperature
level, some solutions might be
less or more suitable than
others. Whatever the project,
involving insulation engineers
in the planning process is vital
PTQ Q2 2013 1

Trac-Loc clip and panels to assembly
Trac-Loc
clip
Panel No. 1
Alignment of Trac-Loc clip and panels
Double locking of panels creates seal
Final seam
Figure 1 Trac-Loc assembly
and will ensure that the
energy-saving potential of the
technology is maximised.
One of the established insula-
tion materials available is
mineral wool. Often used to
insulate buildings, pipes and
storage tanks, mineral or stone
wool has become one of the
most common insulation mate-
rials. While demonstrating good
sound absorption, fire resistance
and reasonable thermal behav-
iour, mineral wool insulations
require a complicated and
2 PTQ Q2 2013
Panel No. 2
lengthy installation process. In
particular for larger tanks, a
complex scaffolding system is
required to set up the outer
insulation structure.
Conventional tank insulation
systems with mineral wool may
also require extensive welding
of insulation support rings and
insulation pins, next to the need
for installing banding bars and
screws that cause increased heat
loss and increased tank build-
er’s cost. While this might not
cause major concerns at the
early stages of a project, it does,
however, result in significant
downtime once the tank is in
service, making it less suitable
for retrofit insulations.
To minimise the installation
impact on active tanks, some
tank terminal operators are
turning to polystyrene or poly-
urethane foam insulations.
Although these foams can be
easily sprayed onto the walls
of a tank and will provide
instant thermal insulation, the
lifespan of the material is
comparatively low. Easily
accessible to rodents and birds,
spray foam insulation needs to
be inspected regularly to
ensure the system remains
fully sealed. Furthermore,
spray foam can only be
installed in completely dry
conditions and it can encour-
age mould growth if not
applied properly. Recent find-
ings also suggest that
polystyrene foam does not
demonstrate the same stability
as other materials when
exposed to fire.4
Locking in the heat
An effective and improved
alternative to conventional
systems and spray foam
systems consists of prefabri-
cated panels constructed by
laminating insulation material
to a metal jacket. These are
robust, double-locking, verti-
cal-standing seam insulation
panels that can be easily fitted
around a tank. Pentair’s insula-
tion system is called Trac-Loc.
Due to the use of insulation
materials with a much lower
thermal conductivity value
compared to mineral wool or
polystyrene foam, the heat loss
is highly reduced, resulting in
substantial energy savings and,
www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000788
in direct relation to that, a
reduction in the carbon foot- Mineral wool, 80kg/m3
print. The preferred insulation Cork
material is polyisocyanurate Expanded polystyrene foam, 80kg/m3
(PIR), a non-fibrous closed cell Extruded polystyrene foam, 80kg/m3
structure material resulting in Polyurethane, 80kg/m3
minimised water/fluids
absorption and degeneration, a 0.08

Thermal conductivity, W/mºK

superior low lambda value,
and a long and stable lifetime
0.06
(see Figure 2).
Trac-Loc panels are usually
prefabricated off-site in a 0.04
controlled workshop environ-
ment, making the installation
less dependent on weather 0.03
conditions. They are then
assembled on-site using a
hanging basket or cherry 0.02
picker, eliminating the use of 0 5 10 15
scaffolding. As a result, the Volume related moisture content, %
installation process is safer and
can be completed much Figure 2 Characteristics of insulation materials
quicker than conventional
methods. Time spent on-site Case study Netherlands. A joint venture
will be a deciding factor for In 2012, Pentair Thermal between French oil giant Total
many operators, in particular Manage-ment was asked to and Russia’s Lukoil, the
those looking to retrofit termi- complete a major tank insula- Zeeland refinery processes a
nals. Insulation panels can be tion project for the Zeeland total of 9.5 million tonnes of
easily fitted during scheduled Refinery in Nieuwdorp, The crude and heavy oil per year,
maintenance work or when
tank contents are being
replaced, avoiding costly
disruptions. As the panels are
customised and can have
lengths up to 12 metres, the
amount of horizontal joints is
reduced to the minimum. The
system allows for individual
panels to be easily replaced
should they become damaged.
The fully locked seam system
also eliminates water penetra-
tion, reducing the occurrence
of under-insulation corrosion
and offering consistent perfor-
mance levels throughout its life
(see Figure 3). As a result, the
system hardly requires any
maintenance and has a much
higher lifespan than conven-
tional systems. Figure 3 Trac-Loc is mounted using stainless steel clips

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000788 PTQ Q2 2013 3

 making it one of the largest oil
and product trading centres in
the world. It is also considered
to be one of the world’s most
energy-efficient refineries. As
such, it requires an insulation
system that allows it to signifi-
cantly reduce its energy
consumption and cut CO2
emissions to an absolute
minimum.
Pentair Thermal Management
was commissioned for the
design, fabrication and installa-
tion of insulation systems on
two of the refinery’s tanks. On
one of the tanks, a 60m-diame-
ter oil tank, the company was
also required to remove the
existing mineral wool insula-
tion, which had become badly
damaged by heavy winds,
while water ingress had also
caused corrosion of the tank’s
carbon steel shell. The second
part of the project involved the
renovation of a 36m-diameter
storage tank that required an
energy-efficient insulation that
could maintain the temperature
of its contents at 180°C.
Completion of the project
was further challenged by
severe weather conditions in
the area, including high winds
and heavy rain. The Trac-Loc
system, however, provided the
solution, as it did not require
any scaffolding and minimised
welding, reducing the working
hours on-site and limiting
potential safety risks to an
absolute minimum. As a result,
it took the installation site team
4 PTQ Q2 2013
only four weeks to install a
new insulation system on the
larger oil tank, less than a third
of the time conventional meth-
ods would have taken.
Overall, Pentair Thermal
Manage-ment installed a total
of 5633m2 of Trac-Loc panels to
insulate both tanks. Each of the
panels had specially shaped
edges that were mechanically
seamed together, creating a
rigid and secure structure that
is resistant to heavy winds and
rain. Zeeland Refinery selected
PIR as insulation material
based on its thermal behaviour
and to offer additional protec-
tion against under-insulation
corrosion. The result is an ener-
gy-efficient, solid insulation
system that is not only lower-
ing CO2 emissions, but will
also, over its lifetime, provide
Zeeland Refinery with substan-
tial reductions in total cost of
ownership.
Conclusion
Energy-efficient tank insulation
systems play an important role
in the global strategy to reduce
industrial CO2 emissions.
While panel systems, such as
Trac-Loc, may require a higher
initial investment, they will
amount to considerable cost
savings over the system’s
lifetime. Their high energy
savings potential, short instal-
lation time (fewer field
man-hours reduces the poten-
tial for safety incidents), low
operational costs and durabil-
ity in challenging conditions
make them well suited for
most storage tank insulation
projects. In particular for large
tank terminals with high
temperature requirements, the
combination of minimised
maintenance costs and high
energy savings will be signifi-
cant and have a real impact on
future profitability.
Trac-Loc is a mark of Pentair Thermal
Management.
References
1 Energy technology perspectives, IEA,
2010. 2010: scenarios and strategies to
2050, Paris.
2 Climate protection with rapid payback
– Energy and CO2 savings potential in
industrial insulation in EU27, Ecofys, 19
June 2012.
3 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/g-
gas/index_en.htm
4 Fire performance of LNG carriers
insulated with polystyrene foam, Journal
of Hazardous Materials, 2008.
Peter Boon is Business Development
Manager Tank Farms at Pentair Thermal
Management and is responsible for
supporting the company’s Trac-Loc
projects in the tank terminal market. He
holds a degree in mechanical engineering
from the Technical University,
Amsterdam.
LINKS
More articles from the following
categories:
Storage & Handling
Thermal Technology
www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000788