Evaporation Reduction Test of Premium Unleaded Fuel by the Smart Floating Roof Method in a Horizontal Cylindrical Tank

Abstract

The floating roof is originally the device that is easily used in a vertical cylindrical storage tank for volatile products. It covers the evaporative surface which remains constantly circular, regardless of the level of the fluid in the tank. However, in a horizontal cylindrical tank, the extent and shape of the free surface of the fluid, the seat of evaporation, varies according to the residual stock. To this end, the concept of the intelligent or flexible floating roof arises from the problem of pollution and energy losses resulting from the excessive evaporation of unleaded premium fuel (SPb) in the Ivory Coast, in the city of Korhogo, which has a hot and dry climate. Therefore, the objective of this study was to design a floating roof suitable for horizontal cylindrical tanks with a fairly competitive evaporation reduction performance. This study was carried out on an experimental station where two identical tanks were tested in comparative trials. One with a floating polypropylene ball roof and the other without a roof. The respective residual volumes of the fluid in each tank were monitored regularly and concomitantly according to evaporation factors such as temperature and pressure. At the end of these tests, it was found that the flexible floating roof absorbed more losses, with an estimated non-evaporation rate of 88% compared to the tank without the flexible floating roof, whose rate was estimated at 80%, i.e. an added value of 08%. Thus, the layers of beads placed at the gas-liquid interface reduced the heat, mass and pressure transfer between the two fuel phases.