Underground Tanks Research Articles

Experimental evaluation of compressed air energy storage as a potential replacement of electrochemical batteries

This work reports on an experimental compressed air energy storage system used to run a three-phase electric generator to feed AC loads. The same loads are also supplied by a battery-inverter setup and both are compared in terms of performance and also from a physical footprint. At operating pressure of 10–12 bar and storage pressure of 80–100 bar, a 12 V battery is equivalent to 12 m3 of air storage space. This space is a function of the air motor power and also coupling with the generator, if it is direct or through a gearbox. The mathematical calculations estimated 27 % higher energy and power results, which are attributed to kinetic and mechanical losses in the air expansion and gearbox friction, respectively. This work is expected to pave the way for further experiments and innovation in specialized air handling turbines for large-scale energy storage. The physical footprint of the conversion system is relatively small, especially if provisions for storage tanks are made underground like gas station tanks.

On the prospects and possibilities of managing the storage processes of natural gases in the form of hydrates in underground gas storage facilities

The article is devoted to the storage of natural gases in the form of hydrates in underground tanks (chambers). Based on the analysis of the variety of phenomena occurring in the formation and decomposition of hydrates, the expediency of storing natural gases in the form of hydrates in underground chambers was established. A formula is proposed for determining the geometric volume of underground reservoirs, taking into account the amount of gas in the form of hydrates. In the article it was also outlined the main advantages and establishes the possibility of managing the processes of storing gas in the form of hydrates, as well as obtaining it back without high energy costs. Keywords: natural gas; gas hydrates; underground tank; gas storage; hydrate formation; thermal diffusivity.

Soil and groundwater remediation proposal for hydrocarbons in a tropical aquifer

This paper deals with a proposal for the remediation of soils and groundwater contaminated with hydrocarbons in a tropical aquifer, due to leaks from underground tanks in a gas station in Venezuela. The hydrocarbon measured values such as TPHs (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes) in soils and groundwater exceeded the international standards. The remediation proposal was designed using kinetic models from the modified Monod equation for two coupled bioreactors, used as a design variable for the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). For soil treatment, the sequence was formed by a Soil-Slurry Sequencing Batch Reactor (SS-SBR) and an Upflow Anaerobic Filter separately in three phases (UAF-3SS), operating for 80% and 99% of COD removal, respectively. For groundwater treatment, it was set that the SBR-UAF-3SS sequence performs a COD removal of 60% and 99%, respectively.

Comparative study of the thermal performance of an earth air heat exchanger and seasonal storage systems: Experimental validation of Artificial Neural Networks model

This article presents a comparative study between two different geothermal systems: an earth air heat exchanger (EAHE) and seasonal storage systems. The energy efficiency of a combined geothermal system composed of two series of connected underground tanks coupled with a cooling floor and a PVC earth-air heat exchanger coupled to an experimental cell is presented through an experimental and numerical analysis. A measurement system is installed to study the thermal performance of both systems under the same conditions. The climatic conditions, the temperature at the outlet of the two systems were measured. This experimental protocol allows to evaluate and understand the interest of each system for cooling needs. Experimental results show that the energy performance of two systems is different. The blowing temperature of the EAHE varies between 19 and 24 °C, however the outlet temperature of the underground tank varies between 16 °C and 20 °C. Based on experimental data, a Long-Short-Term-Memory (LSTM) neural network algorithm is then used to forecast the underground tank and EAHE temperatures evolutions. The forecasting accuracy of the proposed model was evaluated using different statistical measures. The determination coefficient (R2), the Root Means Square Error (RMSE), and the Mean Squared Error (MSE) for the EAHE outlet temperature are 0.953, 0.093 and 0.306, respectively. Furthermore, the R2, MSE and RMSE for the underground tank temperature are 0.984, 0.165 and 0.406 respectively.

The Mandatory 4 Years Desludging Frequency of Underground Septic Tanks in Residential Areas: A Case Study in Sibu Sarawak, East Malaysia

Underground septic tanks are the most common and conventional primary black water treatment adopted by local households in Sarawak. To ensure its usefulness, periodic mandatory desludging or emptying of the various types of rateable holdings was enforced from 1998. The current mandatory desludging frequency is 4 years for residential households, although its effectiveness is still not clear, substantial annual finance and subsidies are being allocated by the Sarawak State Government. In this study, the underground septic tanks in Sibu located in residential areas in Sarawak, East Malaysia, were evaluated quantitatively based on the measured faecal sludge with a known retention time in respect to the regulated desludging frequency. Furthermore, various problems were encountered during the initial measurement carried out by sludge judge which typically used by the wastewater treatment and chemical plants. A modified PVC pipe was proposed to overcome these observed problems. This has greatly improved the measurement time and substantially reduced unwanted impediments for the contractor during desludging. The back analysis results showed that the recommended desludging frequency based on the ratio of total sludge and scum to the effective working volume in 30% and 50% thresholds for residential areas were 3.82 and 6.36 years, respectively. Furthermore, it was discovered that there was a potential to adjust the existing mandatory 4 years desludging frequency to a longer period for cost-effective consideration. This study is strictly on the physical quantity measurement of sludge and scum volumes for the known retention times. The complex influences of microbiological activities, micro-environmental factors and sizes or geometries of septic tanks for faecal sludge production were not considered.

Radiobiology of Select Radionuclides in Hanford Site Tank Waste.

There are several important radionuclides involved in the "clean-up" or environmental isolation of nuclear waste contained in US Department of Energy Hanford Site underground waste tanks that drive many of the decisions associated with this activity. To make proper human health risk analyses and ensure that the most appropriate decisions are made, it is important to understand the radiation biology and the human health risk associated with these radionuclides. This manuscript provides some basic radiological science, in particular radiation biology, for some of these radionuclides, i.e., 3 H, 90 Sr, 137 Cs, 99 Tc, 129 I, and the alpha emitters 239, 240 Pu, 233,234,235,238 U, and 241 Am. These radionuclides were selected based on their designation as "constituents of potential concern," historical significance, or potential impact on human health risk. In addition to the radiobiology of these select radionuclides, this manuscript provides brief discussions of the estimated cost of planned management of Hanford tank waste and a comparison with releases into the Techa River from activities associated with the Mayak Production Association. A set of summary conclusions of the potential human health risks associated with these radionuclides is given.

Assessing the Hazards of Groundwater Logging in Tourism Aswan City, Egypt

This paper studies the groundwater logging problem in the Quaternary aquifer in Aswan city, Upper Egypt. Groundwater levels are already very high in Aswan city, but this has not been exploited, and it causes damage to the environment and infrastructure for roads, building, and templets. Rising groundwater leads to the deterioration and poor quality of agricultural lands. The main objective of this study is to assess and investigate the main reasons for the groundwater logging in the tourist city of Aswan using field investigation during different periods and gain a better understanding of the water dynamics in the study area. This study investigated the surface water levels in the High Dam Lake (HDL), the Kima Lake water levels, the recharge in the fish hatchery, the abstraction well rates in Kima and El-Shalal, and the leakage from the drinking water and wastewater network in Aswan city within the study area using field investigation. The results of this study show that the HDL is one of the most important sources feeding the aquifer in the study area, and it affects the rise and fall of the groundwater levels, but it is not the only factor that affects this problem. Moreover, the rise in the groundwater levels was due to the infiltration from the unlinking fish hatchery, the reduction in abstraction well rates from Kima Lake, the lack of abstraction from El shallal region, the increase in the leakage from drinking water pipelines, sewage networks and septic underground wastewater tanks; these factors are affecting groundwater logging in Aswan city. Potential groundwater level maps for the study area were generated using field data and ArcGIS technique for the years 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2020. Based on the results of the potential groundwater maps, the maximum and minimum difference for the groundwater levels in the study area between 2017 and 2012 reached 12.56 m and 0.83 m, respectively; also, between 2018 and 2017, the levels were 4.34 m and 0.25 m, respectively. Moreover, between 2020 and 2018, they were 8 m and 0.38 m, respectively.

Current practice of early leak detection methods for underground storage tanks

Abstract This article aims to provide general review on current practice of leak detection methods of underground storage tanks (UST). Fuel (i.e. gasoline and diesel oil) leakage from UST can contaminate groundwater and drinking water with various hydrocarbon contaminants. These leaks create ponds of fuel that spill into the land and aquifers, polluting and seriously destroying habitats. Numerous efforts have been focused on the development of leak detection to the tanks. However, without the opportunity to conduct fault intensity calibration and estimate a product’s lifetime, there is a lack of information provided to consider the condition of previous underlying leakage. As a result, it is too late whether the harm has already been done. There are methods of detection that have been studied for the past ten years. Many approaches have been practised to detect leakage. Specific sensing devices will combine with additional applications that analyse and interpret the data to detect storage tank leaks. Various methods will provide different results depending on the feature chosen. Some approaches will use machine learning to analyse the provided data and provide the best leak detection result. This paper will explore the best leak detection techniques to improve underground tanks’ structural integrity. At the end, this paper will give some overview on current practice early detection methods on underground storage tanks for future research.

Quasi-anechoic frequency response measurement of underwater acoustic devices using exponential sine sweeps

As part of the development of the MITRE BlueTech Lab, an existing 106 × 40 × 15 ft. underground tank is being repurposed as an underwater acoustic test facility. Here, we report on the development of a procedure to extract anechoic frequency responses from measurements made in the otherwise reverberant environment using exponential sine sweeps. A demonstration of the procedure applied to a small-aperture baffled receiver array is shown, and results are compared to time-gated stepped sine wave measurements. Simple geometric rules to maximize measurement bandwidth while ensuring far-field conditions for both transmitter and receiver array are presented.

Bound to the Land: Cove Fort in Kesler Family History and Memory

Bound to the Land: Cove Fort in Kesler Family History and Memory

Alleviation approach for flash flood risk reduction in urban dwellings: A case study of Fifth District, Egypt

Flash Floods resemble one of the most strenuous challenges that we face in the 21st century. Therefore, identifying the flooded areas is imperative to avert the negative consequences. An enormous number of researchers tended to study the impact of flash floods on vast areas which puts up some challenges if we want to address this deleterious effect of flash floods on small urban cities. This research focused on investigating and mitigating the devastating effect of flash floods on Fifth District– Egypt where the flash flood strikes many times a year. Furthermore, the study was developed on both community and building scale. The purpose of studying the community scale is to assess the risk level that may occur during certain predicted hydrographs. Moreover, this study was also conducted on a building scale to examine the effect of water excess on buildings and how many buildings are in the flood streamlines. The water depth was calculated in front of each building to make fully appraisal on the buildings state. Moreover, 32 underground tanks were utilized as protective measures. These tanks were located at the streamlines where the water flow accumulates. After applying the mitigation measures, the water depth decreased in the main streamlines as well as 153 m3 of the rainfall water was collected and could be reused after treatment. Eventually, the analytical hierarchy process was used to generate the weights of each component of flood hazard map. This map is essential to determine the most prone areas in the studied region.

Waters of death: Naegleria Fowleri (the brain eating Amoeba).

Dear Madam, with the commencement of the monsoon season and temperature on the rise again, the incidence of Naegleria Fowleri (Brain-eating amoeba) is also on the rise. The death toll has risen to six in Karachi so far this year as it claims lives of a 19-year-old teenager and an 8-year-old boy adding to the previous 4 deaths out of which one was a 30-year-old neurosurgeon and an another 8-year-old boy. (1) (2) All of them had acquired this amoeba through contaminated water. A recent Karachi water and sewage board (KWSB) report disclose that 70% of its pumping stations are supplying water containing either no or low Chlorine, which is a major threat to the residents of Karachi (3). Naegleria Fowleri is an amoeba and causes a devastating brain infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwaters. It infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose while performing ablution (Wudu), swimming or bathing, and from there, it travels to the brain (4). (PAM) destroys the brain tissue, and its symptoms start in about five days including headache, fever, nausea & vomiting initially. The later symptoms include stiff neck, altered mental status, seizures, hallucinations and can rapidly progress to death (4). The recommended treatment for Naegleria include a combination of drugs including Amphotericin B (Anti-Fungal) and Miltefosine; however, few people survive, even with treatment (5). (PAM) is difficult to detect because the disease progresses so rapidly that the diagnosis is usually made after death. This is not the first time. Naegleria claimed five lives back in 2016 and many more previously (6), which raises a serious question on the efficiency and preventive measures taken by the concerned departments. The fact that the temperature in Karachi remains warm for the most part of the year and on top of the contaminated water supply (less chlorinated), is gravely concerning. Since prevention is better than cure, the general public must be made aware of Naegleria and advised to avoid swimming, bathing or performing ablution in unchlorinated water. Also, before the summer starts, people should get their underground and overhead water tanks cleaned and chlorinated. Along with warning people, measures should be taken by the responsible departments to make water safe for the citizens and prevent any further deaths by this lethal amoeba.

IoT-Based Solutions to Monitor Water Level, Leakage, and Motor Control for Smart Water Tanks

Today, a large portion of the human population around the globe has no access to freshwater for drinking, cooking, and other domestic applications. Water resources in numerous countries are becoming scarce due to over urbanization, rapid industrial growth, and current global warming. Water is often stored in the aboveground or underground tanks. In developing countries, these tanks are maintained manually, and in some cases, water is wasted due to human negligence. In addition, water could also leak out from tanks and supply pipes due to the decayed infrastructure. To address these issues, researchers worldwide turned to the Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology to efficiently monitor water levels, detect leakage, and auto refill tanks whenever needed. Notably, this technology can also supply real-time feedback to end-users and other experts through a webpage or a smartphone. Literature reveals a plethora of review articles on smart water monitoring, including water quality, supply pipes leakage, and water waste recycling. However, none of the reviews focus on the IoT-based solution to monitor water level, detect water leakage, and auto control water pumps, especially at the induvial level that form a vast proportion of water consumers worldwide. To fill this gap in the literature, this study presents a review of IoT-controlled water storage tanks (IoT-WST). Some important contributions of our work include surveying contemporary work on IoT-WST, elaborating current techniques and technologies in IoT-WST, targeting proper hardware, and selecting a secure IoT cloud server.

A new small leakage detection method based on capacitance array sensor for underground oil tank

The early detection and discovery of small leakages from underground storage tanks (USTs) is an effective means for preventing the spread of contamination to deep soil and groundwater, which is of great significance to the process safety and risk management of oil tanks. In the previous studies, the soil sample collecting by these boreholes near the oil tank, the detection results have a certain degree of randomness and non-timeliness due to the sampling affected by the distribution of the boreholes, which would result in failure to catch small leakages of UST in time. According to capacitance sensor having a sensible capacity for relative permittivity of the soil, we propose a new small leakage detection method that employs the full-coverage three-dimensional capacitance array sensor with optimized parameters and higher sensitivity and our established measurement function of oil leakage to realize early detection of small leakage. Such a method can effectively solve the problems of incomplete sampling and easy to miss small leaks in borehole sampling detection. In addition, the experimental results show that the absolute error is less than 0.110% when selecting the small oil leakage in the range of 0.068~3.261%. Therefore, our method has higher measurement accuracy and could offer an efficient way for early discovery and quantitative estimation of small oil leakages from UST, which would provide a reliable basis for process safety and risk prediction.

Разрушения резервуаров и способы минимизации негативных последствий

Introduction. The most widely used for the storage of oil and petroleum products at industrial enterprises both in Russia and abroad, were vertical steel cylindrical tanks). However, despite the significant world experience in the design, construction and operation of vertical steel cylindrical tanks, from time to time their failures (destruction) occur, leading to negative consequences. Interacting with normative earthen landslides or enclosing walls, the resulting powerful hydrodynamic flow of liquid flows through them, spilling over a large area, involving in the incident nearby tanks, buildings, structures, pipelines, which leads to the cascading development of the accident, significant material damage, often to injuries and loss of life. Thus, a more detailed consideration of the effectiveness of existing ways to minimize the negative consequences of tanks destruction, as well as problematic issues of some promising methods on the topic under consideration, seems relevant. Goals and objectives. Identify the most effective ways to minimize the negative consequences of possible destruction of vertical steel cylindrical tanks. Analyze the consequences of characteristic accidents of vertical steel cylindrical tanks at production facilities. To propose a classification of methods on the basis of preventing or localizing the breakthrough wave formed during the destruction of vertical steel cylindrical tanks. To consider the problematic issues of promising ways to localize flammable liquid. Methods. In the process of developing a number of ways to minimize the negative consequences of accidents on vertical steel cylindrical tanks, methods of similarity theory and laboratory modeling, physical experiment, observation, comparison, finding empirical dependencies based on mathematical processing of experimental data, description, generalization were used. Results and their discussion. It has been established that the most effective way is to eliminate the dangerous factor (breakthrough wave) through the use of underground or horizontal tanks. Effective ways to localize the flow of liquid include the arrangement of an enclosing wall with a wave reflective visor or a protective wall additional to the normative fence. A promising method includes the construction of tanks of the "glass in a glass" type. Conclusion. The effectiveness of the considered methods should be taken into account, first of all, by the owners of hazardous production facilities, specialists of design organizations and supervisory authorities to find optimal solutions for the safe operation of tanks, including, if necessary, their placement in settlements, near water areas and federal highways. Keywords: tank, destruction, breakthrough wave, earthen collapse, enclosing wall, enclosing wall with a wave reflective visor, additional protective wall, "glass in a glass" tank.

Fuel Loss Analysis and Compliance Management in Gas Stations

As fuel price continues to rise and retail sales of fuel decrease, the profits of gas station owners will continue to decline if they cannot accurately identify and manage fuel loss and meet compliance requirements. For site owners who operate small and medium-sized gas stations, it is even harder to survive in the increasingly fierce competition with big and franchised station owners if they do not stop fuel loss. Many factors and links can lead to the loss of fuel in a service station due to the special physical and chemical properties and storage methods. Accurate analysis and management of every link of fuel dispatch, sales volume and inventory will prevent losses at every node as far as possible, and use scientific means to find out the causes of loss, and then take effective measures to reduce loss and increase efficiency. Based on the practical case of Anzhenmen Gas Station in Beijing, this paper analyzes the physical and chemical characteristics of fuel and the logistics process involving fuel dispatch, sale and inventory of fuel to find out all the elements that caused the incompliance of wet stock. The author helped site owner generate an accurate fuel chart for underground tanks with mathematical modeling algorithm, which improves the precision of metering management of dispatch, sale and inventory, provides reference for the owner of gas station to stop leakage and check mistakes, and greatly improves the profits. The author hopes to use this method to help more gas station owners improve fuel compliance management.

Stabilizing legs with possibility of loss of stability to protect glass fibre reinforced polymer tank

This work focuses on the optimization of the stabilizing legs of a Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer underground tank. More specifically, the aim was to find a structure of the legs that compensates for the possible failure of the tank when it is filled after being placed incorrectly in the ground, by losing their stability. On the other hand, the designed leg construction had to provide sufficient strength and rigidity when the tank is stored before the installation underground. The finite element method was used to verify that the legs withstand the prescribed load. The finite element model assumed three types of loading: Empty tank loaded only by its own weight; empty tank loaded only by its own weight and crosswind; gradually filled tank with water. Moreover, it was verified that the legs lose stability in case of incorrect installation in the ground, thus protecting the tank from damage.

Physicochemical and microbiological quality of rainwater harvested in underground retention tanks

A study was made of the physicochemical properties (among others: pH, temperature, conductivity, hardness, chlorides, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, manganese, iron) and microbiological quality (coliform, psychrophilic and mesophilic microorganisms) of rainwater harvested from the roofs of three large buildings and from a parking lot, stored in three large underground tanks (with storage volume from 60 m3 to ca. 200 m3), including the variability of the quality. The underground tanks were located in the city of Poznań, and were characterized by different parameters, rainwater sources, rainwater treatment processes, and types of rainwater use. Samples of rainwater harvested in these tanks were collected from March 2019 to February 2020. Physicochemical and microbiological laboratory analyses were performed to determine selected parameters which have an impact on potential treatment and disinfection methods. The results obtained underwent statistical analysis. The laboratory tests showed that the physicochemical quality of rainwater collected in the three underground tanks met the Polish and EU requirements for drinking water standards. The main problem concerns microbiological quality: the number of coliform bacteria reached a value of 19,300 CFU/100 mL, the number of psychrophilic bacteria was over 264,000 CFU/1 mL, and the number of mesophilic bacteria was over 100,000 CFU/1 mL. Also the variability of microbiological quality was very high for all tanks. Analysis of the calcium carbonate equilibrium showed that the harvested water had corrosive properties. The treatment of the investigated rainwater for potable purposes should focus mainly on biological and chemical stability.

Beyond design basis seismic evaluation of underground liquid storage tanks in existing nuclear power plants using simple method

Nuclear safety-related underground liquid storage tanks, such as those used to store fuel for emergency diesel generators, are critical components for safety of hundreds of existing nuclear power plants (NPP) worldwide. Since most of those NPP will continue to operate for decades, a beyond design base (BDB) seismic screening of safety-related underground tanks in those NPP is beneficial and essential to public safety. The analytical methodology for buried tank subjected to seismic effect, including a BDB seismic evaluation, needs to consider both soil-structure and fluid-structure interaction effects. Comprehensive analysis of such a soil-structure-fluid system is costly and time consuming, often subjected to availability of state-of-art finite element tools. Simple, but practically and reasonably accurate techniques for seismic evaluation of underground liquid storage tanks have not been established. In this study, a mechanics based solution is proposed for the evaluation of a cylindrical underground liquid storage tank using hand calculation methods. For validation, a practical example of two underground diesel fuel tanks in an existing nuclear power plant is presented and application of the proposed method is confirmed by using published results of the computer-aided System for Analysis of Soil Structural Interaction (SASSI). The proposed approach provides an easy to use tool for BDB seismic assessment prior to making decision of applying more costly technique by owner of the nuclear facility.

An approach to remediation of a tropical aquifer contaminated with hydrocarbons

This paper deals about an approach to remediation for treating soils and groundwater contaminated with hydrocarbons in a tropical aquifer caused because of leaks from underground tanks in a gas station of Venezuela. Ex situ and in situ remediation treatment options were designed, recommending the ex situ remediation due to microbial inhibition produced by the presence of heavy metals and multiple strata with different soil materials in the interface between the unsaturated and saturated zones, where the most significant hydrocarbon concentrations were found. Under these conditions, ex situ bioremediation option based on two coupled bioreactors can overcome environmental limiting factors by optimizing temperature, oxygen supply, nutrient status, contaminant bioavailability, and microbial population. Ex situ remediation included for soil treatment, a Soil-Slurry Sequencing Batch Reactor (SS-SBR) and Upflow Anaerobic Filter separated in three phases (UAF-3SS). For groundwater treatment SBR-UAF-3SS sequence was established. The first phase was represented by SS-SBR for ex situ bioremediation of soils, configuring COD removal efficiency of 80%. It was set that SS-SBR performs functions for groundwater treatment operating as SBR, removing 60% COD. For the second phase, an upflow anaerobic filter separate in three phases (UAF-3SS) designed to ensure 99% COD removal efficiency.