Oil Storage Tanks Research Articles

FIELD STUDY ON SOFT SOIL IMPROVEMENT USING CONTINUOUS FLIGHT AUGER (CFA) PILES

The continuous flight auger (CFA) piling technique is commonly used where the presence of groundwater or potentially collapsible material reduces the cost-effectiveness of bored piling techniques. Whilst generally considered a soil replacement technique, the process of pumping concrete under pressure during the pile installation can result in a significant improvement of the surrounding soil, particularly in low strength soil conditions. In this study, a case study is analyzed. An oil storage tank was intended to be constructed on soft clay in southern Iraq. The tank has a diameter of 46 m. Cone penetration test, drilling boreholes, and field tests have been conducted in the tank site. A decision was made to improve the mechanical properties of soft clay of the site by CFA piles before construction of the tank. The depth of CFA pile constructed is 16 m, with a diameter of 0.5 m and spacing between piles is 4.2 m. Three types of in-situ tests have been conducted: Conventional plate load test on the soil before and after improvement; large plate load test for soil after improvement; and pile load test on CFA pile. It was concluded that construction of CFA piles shows an increase in the bearing capacity by about 110% for the soil directly around piles and 70% for soil within 2 m from the center of piles. Large plate load test result for the pile with surrounding soil revealed that the ultimate bearing capacity increases to 500 kN/m2. So that the overall loading area showed an increase in the bearing capacity of about 350% when CFA piles are constructed.

Application of computer vision technology for monitoring the condition of oil storage tanks

Due to the enormous scale of man-made disasters associated with oil spills, great priority is given to ensure the safe operation of oil storage tanks. A particular danger is the process of depressurization of tanks, the main reasons for which may be structural defects, poor metal quality, welding defects, assembly damage, improper installation and operation, corrosion and defects in metal structures. The analysis of modern methods of geodetic monitoring of the state of oil storage tanks allowed concluding that it is necessary to develop new technological solutions related to automation and the use of intelligent technologies that ensure the continuity of the process of determining the state of structures. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to develop a hardware-software complex based on computer vision technology for monitoring the state of oil storage tanks. The advantage of the technology for monitoring tanks using computer vision is that the intelligent analysis of photos enables to determine the shape of the cylindrical shell of the tank, any geometric parameters of the structure, defects (dents, bulges), cracks. The analysis of series of images obtained with high resolution in a given measurement period makes it possible to evaluate changes in geometric parameters, shape, settlement, cracks.

Mass transport modelling of total organic carbon in groundwater to determine the location of petroleum fuel pollutant sources in the area of Jlagran, Yogyakarta City, Indonesia

Hydrocarbon pollution in the Jlagran area’s groundwater, Yogyakarta City, has been going on for more than 20 years. So far, the pollution source has been inferred from a leak in the diesel fuel storage tank from near Train Station. This study aims to prove the claim that the source of hydrocarbon pollutants comes from the location of the fuel storage tank or not. This research was conducted by collecting data on hydrogeological aspects and total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in groundwater, followed by modeling flow and mass transport using Visual Modlfow MT3DMS. The modeling results show that the contamination plume distribution in groundwater at the recent time cannot be caused by only one point source, namely the fuel oil storage tank’s location, but also may come from the train maintenance area. It is estimated on this area that the disposal of train maintenance waste of hydrocarbon as a result of poor practices for at least two decades has been developing a residual hydrocarbon zone in the unsaturated zone, and now potentially seeped into the aquifer and also contribute as a source of hydrocarbon pollutant to groundwater.

THE INFLUENCE OF A HIGH-VOLTAGE DISCHARGE ON THE OIL BOTTOM SEDIMENTS FORMED AT THE OIL STORAGE FACILITIES OF THE ATASU-ALASHANKOU STATION

From three to ten per cent of the total oil produced can ultimately not be used for further processing. When the oil is transported by oil pipelines and oil tankers and stored in reservoirs, oil bottom sediments are deposited on the bottom comprising particles of mineral (non-oil origin) and the heaviest hydrocarbons, mainly paraffin series, whose specific gravity is higher than the density of oil and water. For reliable operation of the tanks, it must be periodically cleaned from the accumulated sediment. The study novelty is the use of the electrohydraulic effect for the processing of oil bottom sediments and creation of a waste-free technology for the disposal of oil bottom sediments in field conditions. The optimal mode for electrohydraulic impact, ensuring the destruction of bottom deposits of oil in the oil storage tanks of the Atasu-Alashankou station, is determined.

Microbial sludge formation in Brazilian marine diesel oil (B0) and soybean methylic biodiesel blends (B10 and B20) during simulated storage

Biofuels are renewable alternatives to fossil fuels mainly due to the lower impact they have in terms of release of air pollutants. Brazilian diesel oil must be composed of 10–15% biodiesel, while the addition of biodiesel to marine diesel oil has not yet been authorized. This paper aimed to evaluate the impact of the addition of biodiesel to marine diesel oil. The biotic and abiotic degradation of pure (B0) marine diesel oil and that with the addition of 10% (B10) and 20% (B20) of soybean methyl biodiesel were evaluated in simulated storage in an aqueous phase of Bushnell Haas mineral medium for 28 days. An uncharacterized inoculum (adapted from the ASTM E1259-16 standard) was prepared from a microbial population found in the marine diesel oil storage tank of a ship. For 28 days, microbial growth was monitored by gravimetry and the composition of the fungal microbial community was determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS). In the aqueous phase of the tests, the nature of the metabolites (pH measurements, headspace-solid phase microextraction [HS-SPME], gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), detection of the lipase enzyme (Rhodamine B Medium) and production of biosurfactants (surface tension measurements) were assessed. The oil phase was evaluated by gas chromatography (GC) and infrared spectroscopy. Higher biomass was observed in the B20 condition and the microbial community analysis revealed the dominance of the genus Pseudallescheria. No significant pH decreases were observed in the aqueous phase; however, the analyses by HS-SPME and GC–MS showed the presence of organic acids, alkanes, and phenols in both conditions, with and without microorganisms. The infrared results with the mixtures (10 and 20%) showed degradation of the biodiesel fraction. GC analysis showed that the linoleic acid methyl ester was the most susceptible to degradation by microorganisms. Thus, the results found showed the impact of adding biodiesel to marine diesel, calling attention to the need for maintenance routines, which will guarantee the final quality of the stored fuel.

PFASs pollution in Galveston Bay surface waters and biota (shellfish and fish) following AFFFs use during the ITC fire at Deer Park (March 17th–20th 2019), Houston, TX

The use of aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs) as fire retardants is an critical point-source for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) pollution into the aquatic environment. This study investigated PFASs pollution in the surface waters and biota (shellfish and fish) of Galveston Bay, following AFFFs use to extinguish a petrochemical fire (March 17th to 20th, 2019) of oil storage tanks at the International Terminals Company (ITC) in Deer Park (Houston, TX). The levels of up to twelve EPA priority PFASs were measured in surface waters and biota from March–November 2019. PFASs levels in surface waters showed mean total levels in March and April 2019 to be from 4× to ~300× higher than those measured in the following months. PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) was the most abundant homolog measured at ≥66% of total PFASs. Maximal PFOS levels exceeded the State of Texas' water regulatory limit of 0.6 μg L−1 in 3% of the samples analyzed in March and April 2019. PFOS was also the most prominent homolog (≥66% of total PFASs) measured in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), gafftopsail catfish (Bagre marinus), and spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). A statistically significant elevation of PFOS body-burdens was measured in oysters and spotted seatrout in April and May 2019, respectively. A Hazard Ratio calculation for seafood safety suggests an advisory of 1–2 meals per week for gafftopsail catfish and red drum, and 2 meals per week for spotted seatrout to be protective for human exposure to PFOS. The levels in oysters indicated no immediate concerns for the dietary exposure of humans. Our results highlight a need for continual monitoring to assess the long-term fate and seafood advisories for PFASs.

Study the Effect of Graphene on the Contact Angle, Water Absorption and Thermal Stability ( TGA ,DSC) for Blend (Epoxy & Repcoat ZR)

In this study, polymeric coating was developed by incorporating nano graphene in the polymer blend with applications to oil storage tanks. The oil storage tanks samples were brought from the oil Pipeline Company / Doura refinery in Baghdad. The coating polymer was formed with a blend (epoxy resin and repcoat ZR). The proportion of mixing the mixture was 3:1:1 epoxy resin 21.06 gm: repcoat ZR 10.53 gm: hardener 10.53 gm. The blend/graphene was prepared using in stui-polymerization method with different weight percentage 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt % added to blend. The resulting solution was put in a glass tube on a magnetic stirrer for one hour at a temperature of 40 °C. The result of contact angle and water absorption the best ratio of 3wt % (73.46). The current work confirms that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites increases gradually with increasing the percentage of Gr compared to the blend without adding Gr nano and this is due to the thermal resistance of the Gr nano.

Influence of Biochar Particle Size Fractions on Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Biochar-Amended Soil

Thermal backfill is essential for projects such as underground crude oil pipelines and crude oil storage tanks to control the heat migration from the source. The properties of locally available soil may not be adequate as thermal backfill and hence need suitable amendment. Biochar is a low thermal conductive material and may contribute to an increase in soil strength. There are no such studies that deal with the thermal properties of biochar-based backfill. Further, the influence of biochar particle size fractions on soil thermal properties has not been reported until now. Therefore, the possibility of biochar as a soil amendment for modifying thermal backfill characteristics is explored in this study. Two types of soils (highly plastic silt and clayey sand) are amended with three biochar content amounts (5%, 10%, and 15%), and three different particle size fractions [coarse (4.7–2 mm), medium (2–0.425 mm), and fine (0.425–0.075 mm)], and their compaction characteristics as well as thermal and mechanical properties are investigated. It was observed that the amendment of biochar in soil reduced the thermal and mechanical properties of the soil. Further, the reduction in soil thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity with biochar amendment was more in coarser biochar fraction than finer and medium fractions. In comparison, reduction in unconfined compressive strength (UCS) was more in finer biochar fraction. Additionally, the thermal properties reduction was higher in clayey sand than highly plastic silt. An inverse linear correlation of thermal conductivity with pH and electrical conductivity were observed for both soil biochar mixes. The relationship between the thermal properties and UCS indicates that the medium fraction biochar provides the optimized value for reducing thermal properties and UCS of biochar amended soil (BAS). This proves the efficacy of BAS as thermal backfill.

Development of a simulation model of a grounding and lightning protection system for oil storage tanks, taking into account soil heterogeneity (Russian)

Development of a simulation model of a grounding and lightning protection system for oil storage tanks, taking into account soil heterogeneity (Russian)

Acoustic Emission Data Analysis of Tank Settlement

The uneven settlement around the tank and the corrosion of the bottom are main factors affecting the safe operation of the tank, so it is necessary to monitor the settlement and corrosion of the tank in real time to prevent and eliminate the hidden danger in time. In this paper, the large crude oil storage tank is taken as the research object to carry out uneven settlement monitoring and acoustic emission dynamic detection. By analyzing the measured settlement data and acoustic emission characteristic parameters, the author explores the influence of tank settlement on acoustic emission signal of tank floor corrosion, so as to provide reference for the extension of service life of storage tank and anti-corrosion work of storage tank.

Improved probit models to assess equipment failure caused by domino effect accounting for dynamic and synergistic effects of multiple fires

Accidents resulting in industrial fires in chemical and process installations and in industrial parks where relevant quantities of hazardous substances are stored or processed may cause domino effects. Probit models developed and used in a multitude of studies can provide the probability of equipment failure, but they do not consider the effect of multiple radiation sources, and thus fail to capture the effects of severe scenarios as those where multiple fires start at different times in different units. In the present study, a critical thermal dose for equipment failure is defined. A direct procedure for the calculation of ttf based on the critical thermal dose is then introduced, which is able to account for the time at which the different secondary fires start or are extinguished. This allows considering the effects of the primary and of several secondary fire scenarios in causing a domino effect, updating the time to failure on the basis of the dynamic evolution of multiple fire scenarios. The proposed approach is demonstrated through case-studies addressing fire-induced domino effects in an oil storage tank farm.

Investigation of the Jet Characteristics and Pulse Mechanism of Self-Excited Oscillating Pulsed Jet Nozzle

Self-excited oscillation pulse jet technology is widely used to clean sediment from oil storage tanks. Its successful application is dependent on jet performance. As the cleaning requirements of the oil industry increase, it is necessary to optimise the structure of self-excited oscillation pulsed jet nozzles (SOPJNs) to optimise cleaning and energy efficiencies. In this study, the jet performance of a SOPJN is modelled and analysed based on computational fluid dynamics with consideration of a large eddy simulation and homogeneous cavitation. The modelling results are highly consistent with experimental results. The effects of the SOPJN’s inlet diameter, cavity diameter, cavity length, wall reflection angle, and inlet pressure on the jet’s peak velocity, oscillation frequency, and cavitation number were analysed. The results show that the oscillation frequency decreases with the increase of the inlet diameter d1, cavity diameter D, cavity length L and reflection angle of wall α. Optimisation of the SOPJN inlet diameter, cavity length, and wall reflection angle produced a jet with a high peak velocity and strong cavitation. The optimal nozzle cavity diameter strengthens cavitation, while the peak velocity fluctuates as the cavity diameter increases. The peak velocity increases with the inlet pressure, while the increasing rate of the peak velocity decreases. The results of this study can be used in the design and optimisation of similar nozzle structures for improved pulse jet cleaning.

Analysis on the blast resistance of steel concrete composite slab

Steel concrete steel composite slab is a new type of composite structure. It has the characteristics of high shear strength, high ductility and strong energy consumption compared with the traditional reinforced concrete slab. The new type composite slab has been widely used in nuclear reactor containment, offshore platform and oil storage tank. Two scaled reinforced concrete slabs (RCS) and steel-concrete-steel (SCS) composite slabs were designed and manufactured, and the experimental study was carried out under the contact explosion load. The anti-blast performance of different slabs was analyzed by damage analysis and displacement. Based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA nonlinear finite element program, the damage modes and the maximum deflection of the mid-span of the steel-concrete composite slab are numerically investigated, and the numerical damage modes and maximum deflection of the steel-concrete composite slabs are compared with the test results of the components, which verifies the accuracy and applicability of the finite element analysis model. In this study, the influences of parameters, such as explosive quantity, concrete strength and steel plate thickness on the anti-blast performance of steel-concrete composite plate are numerically analyzed by parametric analysis. Then, the prediction formula of mid-span deflection of SCS slab is proposed by using the method of multi parameter regression analysis. The results show that the plastic damage of the structure can be reduced by increasing the strength of concrete, and the maximum deflection of SCS can be effectively reduced by increasing the thickness of steel plate. It is indicated that the SCS maintains good integrity and owns the ability to continue to carry load compared with the RCS. Finally, the fitting formula can well predict the relationship between the mid span deflection of SCS plate and the charge amount and the thickness of steel plate.

Heavy Oil Storage Tanks Clean-up Using Biosurfactants and Investigation of the Synergistic Effect with Silica Nanoparticles

Abstract In this study, the synergistic effect of silica nanoparticle and biosurfactants on oil storage tank clean up was investigated. Rhamnolipid, saponin and silica nanoparticles were used to recover oil from refinery oily sludge in laboratory experiments. From our results, the optimum HLB value for the extraction process was about 10.5 for the mixture of 62.5% of rhamnolipid and 37.5% of saponin. Our results also showed that the simultaneous use of the biosurfactants and nanoparticles results in a synergistic effect that significantly enhances the process efficiency. Maximum yield of oil residual was obtained about 4% at the optimum condition (HLB value of 10.5 for mixture of the biosurfactants and 3 g/l of silica nanoparticles). The results of present study showed that this method has the potential for industrial applications and may be used in oil recovery from oily sludge.

Corrosion fatigue life prediction of crude oil storage tank via improved equivalent initial flaw size

Corrosion fatigue is identified as the main failure mechanism for structures working in severe corrosive medium subjected to cyclic rotating bending fatigue, for example crude oil storage tank (COST). Emphasis is placed on the study of corrosion pit formation and the development of cracks from pits. An improved equivalent initial flaw size (I-EIFS) is proposed for corrosion fatigue life prediction. Based on the concept of equivalent initial flaw size (EIFS), pitting corrosion and small crack growth are equivalent to a part of long crack growth process in corrosion fatigue process. Pitting and crack propagation are quantified throughout the fatigue loading thereby allowing a model to be developed that included the stages of pit development, pit-to-crack transition and crack growth in order to predict the fatigue life. A corrosion fatigue life prediction case is adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. Based on the proposed model, failure analysis and stress calculation are performed to predict the corrosion fatigue life of COST, which provides a method for the life prediction of COST. The validity of proposed method is verified by comparing the service life of COST.

Application Analysis of Oil and Gas Safety Active Protection System in the Sealing of Large External Floating Roof Tanks

In the use of large-scale external floating roof storage tanks, the application of sealing performance is very critical, which is related to the safety of storage tanks to a certain extent. In the practical application of storage tanks, it is found that the main cause of fire problems in large oil storage tanks with external floating roof is caused by sealing problems. Therefore, it is very important to deal with the sealing performance of large-scale external floating roof tanks when they are put into use. In this paper, the active safety protection system for large-scale external floating roof storage tanks is analyzed, and its application is analyzed, including its structural design, functional design and working principle design, and its specific application in XX project is put forward.

Tank Wall Thermal Stress Analysis and Risk Prevention and Control of Crude Oil Storage Tank

If the crude oil in storage tank is directly heated without considering its temperature distribution, several problems will occur, namely, the thermal expansion of crude oil, and the uneven thickness of the condensate layer, bringing difficulty to the safe management of crude oil storage and transport. However, few scholars have analyzed the temperature field distribution of crude oil storage tank (COST) under heating, or the internal force of COST under static force. Thus, this paper probes into the thermal stress of tank wall, and the risk prevention and control of COST. Firstly, the heat transfer properties of COST were analyzed, an energy balance model was constructed for COST, and several variables were selected to evaluate the heat transfer effect of the tank under different heating modes, including thermal design power, temperature rise rate, and heat energy utilization rate. Next, the cross-section of COST wall was selected for thermal stress analysis. Based on the extremes of circumferential and vertical thermal stresses, the weak parts of COST susceptible to risks like leakage were determined, and several measures and suggestions were presented for reducing the risks of crude oil storage and transport.

Treating crude oil storage tank sludge by catalytic process and recovering valuable hydrocarbons

Present work deals with management of the sludge deposited at the bottom of the crude oil storage tanks. As a routine practice, this sludge is disposed of by land-filling and during its bioremediation it can quite likely emit methane gas with much higher global warming potential than that of carbon dioxide. Further loss is involved in this disposal method is that of valuable hydrocarbon cuts, and as we report here, exceeding 90 wt% of the sludge comprises of these hydrocarbons. The management term mentioned in the beginning, refers to recovery of hydrocarbons afforded by zeolite catalysed cracking of the sludge and simultaneously, eliminating methane emission. Experiments were carried out using N2 or H2 as carrier gas and using parent and desilicated ZSM-5 and parent and dealuminated zeolite Y (with or without Pt impregnation) at 500 °C and 1 atm pressure. Products were clubbed according to carbon number range corresponding to gasoline, kerosene, gas oil/heavy oil, paraffin wax, and asphaltene/bitumen. Catalytic cracking served a more useful purpose affording higher proportion of valuable lighter products as compared to thermal cracking. The product distributions have been explained on the basis of catalyst properties. Coking behavior of the catalysts also has been briefly discussed.

PENGEMBANGAN DAN IMPLEMENTASI SISTEM PENYEWAAN TANGKI TIMBUN MINYAK KELAPA SAWIT

PT XYZ is a company that provides storage tanks to accommodate palm oil before it is finally shipped via the port. In its business process, PT XYZhas used technology to support its business activities, namely the crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO) storage tank rental system that theauthor has built in the previous research. However, concomitant with the development of the company, the need for the system has also increased sothat the existing system does not capable the needs of system users in managing data on tank mutation, free fatty acids tank and shrinkage claims. Basedon these problems, the authors decided to develop a storage tank rental system as a solution to answer the needs of system users. The system developedand implemented in this study is described using the waterfall method, use case diagrams and class diagrams. The palm oil storage tank rentalinformation system that developed in this study has a new additional function as a solution to the problems faced by PT XYZ in managing data. Thefollowing are the functions contained in a system that has been developed and implemented to change user passwords, processing data such as userdata, tanks, vehicles, customers, recipients, receiving and releasing palm oil, tank mutation, free fatty acids tank, claims of shrinkage and revenuereports, palm oil expenditure reports, tank mutation reports, free fatty acids tank reports and shrinkage claims reports.Keywords: Development, Information System, Carter, Storage Tank, Palm Oil.

Magnetic Internal Corrosion Detection Sensor for Exposed Oil Storage Tanks.

Corrosion in the oil and gas industry represents one of the major problems that affect oil production and transportation processes. Several corrosion-inspection technologies are in the market to detect internal and external corrosion of oil storage tanks, but inspection of storage tanks occurs every 3 to 7 years. In between inspection interval, aggressive corrosion can potentially occur, which makes the oil and gas industry vulnerable to accidents. This study proposes a new internal corrosion detection sensor based on the magnetic interaction between a rare-earth permanent magnet and the ferromagnetic nature of steel, used to manufacture oil storage tanks. Finite element analysis (FEA) software was used to analyze the effect of various sensor parameters on the attractive force between the magnet and the steel. The corrosion detection sensor is designed based on the FEA results. The experimental testing of the sensor shows that it is capable of detecting internal metal loss due to corrosion in oil storage tanks within approximately 8 mm of the internal surface thickness. The sensor showed more than two-fold improvement in the detection range compared to previous sensor proposed by the authors. Furthermore, the sensor of this paper provides a monitoring rather than occasional inspection solution.